Random

In the last 16 days I have slept in my own bed a mere 5 nights.  I like all the traveling and the new cities and sights, but when I stop for a second, it hits me how sort of exhausted I am.  This week has been Milwaukee, Chicago, and South Bend, Indiana.  Next week is Pittsburgh.  After that, the next destination is TBD. 

I'm so excited to go home tonight.  I will spend one night in my own bed, then go to New York to baby-sit for my sweet little cousins so their mama and papa can attend a fancy-schmancy Manhattan wedding.  Even though I'm tired just thinking about the whirlwind weekend with no time to refresh before getting on another airplane, I'm so excited to spend time with the little ones.  I miss them. 

I've had no time in the last few days to form complete thoughts, but I've formed lots of incomplete ones.  They are as follows:

1)  I've stayed at 7 hotels this month.  They've all had at least 4 ESPN's but none of them has had either E! or Bravo.  What the hell? 

2)  Actual conversation with girl at rental car counter:

Her:   Last name?
Me:   Gambino.
Her:   Oooh, is that Italian?
Me:   Yes.
Her:   Wow.  So what are you doing here?  Did you just fly in from Italy? 

It's an honor to be the first person someone has ever met whose last name ends in a vowel.  Also: if I was fresh from Italy, odds my destination of choice would be Milwaukee?  Anyone? 

3)  Charging hotel patrons for Wi-Fi is fucking bullshit.  Especially when there's no Bravo.

4)  The first thing I do upon checking into any hotel is bust out my anti-bacterial wipes and wipe down the remote, every light switch, the handle on the toilet, door knobs, the phone, the alarm clock, and all faucet handles.  I also travel with my own pillowcase so I can cover the hotel pillow in case it skeeves me out.  I like to come thisclose to flirting with OCD without actually being diagnosable. 

5)  On the bright side, all this traveling alone had made me completely unfazed about going to a restaurant and eating by myself.  Or going to tourist attractions by myself.  Though I draw the line at going on a Chicago river cruise by myself.  I had no qualms about going alone to Harpo Studios however (more on that later except to say, that audible squeal you heard from the heavens yesterday?  That was me.). 

That is all.