I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas for a surgical conference.  The weather was so awful on the East Coast last week, and I was so grateful to escape unscathed the day before all of the flight disruptions occurred.  United Airlines out of Newark Airport was apparently affected the most, so I was especially grateful that I signed up for the pre-conference.  If I arrived a day or two later, I likely would have had a…