ATL, traveler's bane

To return to FL from my all-too-short time in CO, I was scheduled to fly from DIA to ATL (Atlanta), have a 45-minute layover there and then continue on to Tampa. Very straight forward. Certainly nothing I hadn't done before. I had chosen this particular ticket because of the late departure time from CO (about 3:45pm, which enabled me not only to sleep in, but also squeeze in every last second possible with my parents), and the fact that it had a decidedly short layover. After all, I would land in Atlanta, sit around for fifteen minutes (which is barely enough time to navigate those hateful halls and confusing gates), and then I would be board and be done with this whole mess of traveling. Simple, right? Wrong.
To begin, the flight from CO was delayed by 20 minutes. "20 minutes?!? 20 minutes?!?" I thought anxiously. So for the next several minutes, one would have observed me checking and rechecking my boarding pass from ATL to TPA for the boarding time and silently mumbling the math (which I hate to begin with.....and when I get even slightly agitated, I make the most henious mistakes with even the simplest problems) to myself. As soon as we boarded the flight, I had assured myself that I would be able to make my connecting flight just fine....after all, if I'm really in a hurry, I'm sure I could push through the ever-present crowd of passengers (who, truth be told, are just as confused as I am) and get to my connection on time (if I could ever find those inconveniently placed screens with all the flight information).
After finally disembarking, I hurried to find those stupid screens that supposedly tell you what you should do. Scanning 15,000 screens flashing with information that changes just as you locate your flight, I spotted Tampa. "10pm? Hmm.....my ticket says 10:30. The flight must've been early." That meant that I would arrive at my gate just as they were boarding. Since I was in zone seven, I had some time, but I still rushed to where I thought I was supposed to be.
If you ask me, when you become a flight attendant, you should have to take classes to learn effective communication with those little intercom things.......lessons to teach you, oh - I don't know, HOW TO PROJECT. Some flight attendants have it, some don't. This one didn't. In an airport as crowded as Atlanta always is, one must speak firmly and confidently. Now, if I'm in a conversation with you and our faces are a foot apart, I would prefer that you not project when speaking to me. However, when I'm standing across the corridor (which is swarming, in case I haven't mentioned) I would hope that you could project enough into the intercom to make yourself heard without the help of hearing aids. When I finally discerned what sounded like "zone seven", stood in line, and got up to the quiet man with the scanning machine, I was met with a disgruntling, unfriendly beep....nothing like the beeps I knew where admittance to the flight. Without even looking up, the quiet man mumbled something about my ticket being for the later flight.
Du-uh.
Feeling like a proper fool, I fought my way back down the hall to the glowing screens hidden in an alcove of the hallway. I was one gate off. Double du-uh.
When I arrived at my correct gate (the flight number on this one actually matched the boarding pass that I checked and rechecked), I actually found an available seat and settled in for the wait. As the boarding time came and went (and the cool-as-a-cucumber attendant behind the desk fiddling with anything but the intercom), I got the impression that we would be delayed. Yes...we were - by an hour. Apparently, our crew was on a flight from DC that was delayed by the weather in ATL. (I guess they were having some storms or something.....I'm not sure because ATL doesn't believe in windows.) And so I waited. And waited. And waited. The second boarding time approaches and passes. Nothing. Finally (an extra 20-30 minutes past our second boarding time), our non-plussed attendant signals for boarding to begin. Finally! I thought. Now everything will start moving and we'll be out of here before we know it!
Apparently, I was on the beginner's plane. Judging by the confidence and finesse with which the people stowed their luggage, found their seats and made themselves comfortable, 75% of them had never done so before. This painfully slow process was repeated again when we finally did arrive in Tampa, to the extent which tempted me to run up the crowded aisle and exclaim, "Oh, for pete's sake.....just let me do it!" But I restrained myself (not that I really could've moved anyway, even if I tried).

Of course, I realize that this has not been everyone's experience with ATL. Some love this airport and have had wonderful and easy travels through there....you lucky duckies. And, most of this really was not ATL's fault. After all, they can't control the weather or the experience level of their passengers. But honestly.....would it be so hard to put in a few windows?