Cabin fever

The hotel workers here know our names. They ask us about our weekend trips and how our dog, Pico, is doing. They raise their eyebrows when asked a stupid question (like, where are the ice machines again?) and get embarrassed when I request my FULL bill – all 62 pages – to be printed.

Yes, by the time we leave the American Arms hotel next week, Pecos and I will have stayed here for 120 days. Flat. We’ve seen the seasons change through the wide, double-paned windows flanked by hideous floral curtains. We’ve heard the tukatukatukatukatukatuka of luggage rolling on the bricks underneath our second-story window so many times that it lulls us to sleep now. And we’ve eaten so many vanilla and peach yogurts from the daily continental breakfast that the “good” bacteria in my intestines is probably becoming homicidal from the congestion.

Our toilet stinks, the TV’s broke, and the shower makes Kate’s hair squeak. I think the Kashi cereal box that’s been sitting by the TV now for four months said something the other night. We’ve bought so much stuff in the past several months that this place is starting to look like a squirrel’s nest in October – packed, packed, packed. I think I’ve contracted cabin fever. Or maybe that’s the cheap hotel soap. Aaarrrrhh!

Whew. Glad that’s out…

Despite all that, we’re still pretty happy. The government’s been paying the bill, we haven’t made a bed in months, and Pecos is happy having less territory to defend. Being without a kitchen has also allowed us to sample a lot of the restaurants in the area. Has that made us put on a few pounds? Sure. But who’s counting?

When we say goodbye to room 220 in seven days, it’ll be bittersweet. Kate and I will be excited to see our old stuff again and rearrange furniture enough times that our downstairs neighbors will start to lose their hearing. But we’ll have to say goodbye to the Kashi box, the peach yogurt, and the blue speckled rug that has shown up in the background of all our Pecos pictures.

C’est la vie.

Until the next post where we show you our new place…..