Driving to L.A.
...can be defined as: 60 hours of trying not to get killed by 18-wheelers. While that's a slightly narrow definition of the process, and excludes key enjoyable aspects, it is the situation that presents itself with the most regularity.
I'm writing from an Econo Lodge in Grants, New Mexico, which although lacking in the customary continental breakfast most motels seem to provide these days, is a welcome step up from the motel we stayed at last night in Oklahoma City. For some reason, all the motels we tried in the O.C. (as I like to call it) required late night check-in at a glass window, reminiscent of liquor purchases in the ghetto. We settled on a Hospitality Inn on the west side of the O.C., and as we drove to our room we noticed two shady young men sitting in a parked car directly outside what was to be our abode for the night. It was totally secluded on the rear side of the motel, and I've been lugging my computer into the motel rooms for safe keeping, so I wasn't excited about the prospect of doing all this with these men right there. Then the door opened to a room on the second level, and three young men of equal shadiness emerged, walked down to different cars in our area, discussed, looked shady, then walked back up, while the two men outside our room remained in their car. It became clear to us that there was some kind of drug dealing going on. Meanwhile, Susan and I sat in our car watching all of this, no doubt looking very NARC-ish, and wondering what the hell to do. Long story short, we changed rooms. The Indian man who ran the place greeted us in our new room with a phone call, assuring us that his establishment was one of repute, despite our suggestions to the contrary. Right.
The night spent there was one of restless sleep, with cars pulling in and out of parking spots all night and the man in the room next door chatting up whomever he was with until three in the morning. It sucked.
On another note, all they get on the radio down south is Hannity and O'Reilly, spewing falsehoods and mischaracterizations. No wonder these states are red. New Mexico does actually have an excellent network of NPR stations, which may account for Gore's narrow (388 votes!) victory in NM back in 2000. Interestingly, NPR reported the break-in and theft of 200 completed but unprocessed voter registration forms from a New Mexico elections bureau. Who do you think that helps?
I'm writing from an Econo Lodge in Grants, New Mexico, which although lacking in the customary continental breakfast most motels seem to provide these days, is a welcome step up from the motel we stayed at last night in Oklahoma City. For some reason, all the motels we tried in the O.C. (as I like to call it) required late night check-in at a glass window, reminiscent of liquor purchases in the ghetto. We settled on a Hospitality Inn on the west side of the O.C., and as we drove to our room we noticed two shady young men sitting in a parked car directly outside what was to be our abode for the night. It was totally secluded on the rear side of the motel, and I've been lugging my computer into the motel rooms for safe keeping, so I wasn't excited about the prospect of doing all this with these men right there. Then the door opened to a room on the second level, and three young men of equal shadiness emerged, walked down to different cars in our area, discussed, looked shady, then walked back up, while the two men outside our room remained in their car. It became clear to us that there was some kind of drug dealing going on. Meanwhile, Susan and I sat in our car watching all of this, no doubt looking very NARC-ish, and wondering what the hell to do. Long story short, we changed rooms. The Indian man who ran the place greeted us in our new room with a phone call, assuring us that his establishment was one of repute, despite our suggestions to the contrary. Right.
The night spent there was one of restless sleep, with cars pulling in and out of parking spots all night and the man in the room next door chatting up whomever he was with until three in the morning. It sucked.
On another note, all they get on the radio down south is Hannity and O'Reilly, spewing falsehoods and mischaracterizations. No wonder these states are red. New Mexico does actually have an excellent network of NPR stations, which may account for Gore's narrow (388 votes!) victory in NM back in 2000. Interestingly, NPR reported the break-in and theft of 200 completed but unprocessed voter registration forms from a New Mexico elections bureau. Who do you think that helps?
posted by Seth at 8:08 AM
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