hotels

it’s been a full week. and i think there’s another week ahead before i can leave the hotel. it’s not a bad place. it’s actually a little nicer than most places i’d be willing to pay myself. (the company is paying for my lodging.) but not having a kitchen is about to drive me nuts. also, i’ve begun to notice a faint odor of...well, the territorial markers of human beings. seriously, sitting on the small loveseat for a period longer than two seconds, my nose will detect a light whiff of something that reminds me human feces, like public restrooms that get used a lot. it sounds utterly disgusting, and i doubt that underneath the cushions lies a bed of feces. (just the idea of it has repelled me from confirming the possibility.) i have, however, stopped sitting on that couch. really, i think it’s just a matter of the room, having been exposed to so many different human beings. i’ve, at least, stopped being super-paranoid and started using the towels. but i can never feel comfortable here. maybe i’m just too territorial and know that this room will never become MY room.

since i’m going to be in shreveport for almost another three months, i’ve put down a deposit on an apartment. this apartment “community” was the only place i could find that offered a three-month lease. the unit they showed me was decent. i hate carpet, but it’s only three months. my co-workers all raised their eyebrows when i told them, “no, it’s unfurnished.” but see, furnished or not, it’s going to be MINE. i won’t have to worry about housekeepers coming in and touching my stuff. also, i’ll have access to a kitchen, and i’d much rather buy the kitchenware that i have chosen than put up with the crap that a furnished apartment might offer.

i haven’t decided on the bed situation yet. i can rent a bed, but i don’t like the idea of sleeping in beds strangers have slept in, even if the sheets are brand new. hotels are a little different in that i know that i won’t be staying there for a prolong period. the only reason that i haven’t run down the hall screaming like a nutcase is because i can see the end to my nights on this bed. besides, i’ve survived with a sleeping bag for 6-months before someone was kind enough to donate their futon. (i probably would’ve stuck with the sleeping bag if the futon hadn’t basically been handed to me.) i can certainly do 3 months of whatever i decide on, whether it’s a sleeping bag or a thin futon mattress type thing.

another thing that my co-workers raised their eyebrows about is the lack of cable. okay, i admit that i must have internet access, but cable? like a tv? i’m too much of an npr junkie at this point to care for tv. (i love you, ira glass!) i watch tv when it’s there, like at the hotel and living with my sister, who had insisted we get cable. but for myself, i can do without it. i have netflix. i can get tv shows on dvd. yeah, i will only see the shows after everyone else, but i like not having to revolve my life around a show’s schedule and remembering to record it. the other nice thing about seeing a show on dvd is that i can watch the season continuously; i don’t have to be at the whim of the networks, when they decide when to air the next episode.

less things means a simpler life. at least supposedly. i’m looking forward to it.