Earlier today, I decided that as soon as I have enough money saved up, I'm going to treat myself to a little trip. I got on Orbitz this evening to get an idea of how much it'd set me back and this is what I found a bit goofy: If I go in January/February, I can get round trip airfare (to LaGuardia) and a hotel in NYC, just down the street from the Empire State Bldg., for 3 nights, for just $582. If I were to go to Chicago for the same amount of time, I would have to cough up nearly $700 and my hotel would be a real flea bag that's nowhere near downtown. I'd have to find transportation into the city. Now, I love Chicago, but where's the fun in that? I can drive there or take a train out of Milwaukee any old time. No, I want a jaunt that's out of the Midwest. I wonder if there'd be any good deals on a 3-day trip to New Orleans? Now THAT would be an adventure: Fantastic French, Cajun and Creole cuisine, history, culture, and a brief respite from the harsh Midwestern winter. I shall keep my fingers crossed and my eyes peeled.
What else? Oooh, I've been backsliding with regard to T-Tapp and better eating. Since I pulled a muscle in my leg last Wed. night, celebrating Boston's winning the Stanley Cup (victory dance gone very, very wrong), I haven't been able to exercise. In fact, I've only been walking normally again for about 2 days, and I still have to be very careful. I'll be surprised if I can resume tapping by Sunday. The other thing is that I'm drinking soda again. I had a diet coke to celebrate Boston (no champagne around)'s win and since then, I've been drinking carbonated beverages. I noticed a difference immediately. My eating habits went down the you-know-what. I feel awful, so getting myself back on track won't be difficult, and I won't feel any deprivation. I'm craving gallons of ice water with lemon juice squeezed in, and tons of salad. If I have to look at another piece of bread or any more cold cuts, I'll just drop dead. Ditto pie, cake, ice cream, cookies, candy, white pasta and anything else that could clog arteries or make the pancreas explode. I find myself wanting to be kidnapped by a rogue band of Vegans who would force me to eat organic produce for 6 months. This backslide is only a blip, so I'm not panicking. No big banana. When I do resume tapping, I'm going to measure myself first, so I can keep track of my progress. I forgot to measure when I started up last month. I know I made progress but I don't know how much. Naughty me!
413 pages left in The Count of Monte Cristo. My goal is to finish it by Saturday night. If I don't fall asleep the minute I crawl into bed, I hope to read at least 50-100 pages before I turn out the light...
UPDATE: I just rechecked Orbitz for packages to New Orleans. It is definitely do-able in Jan./Feb. I think I will avoid the hotel that got the following rating/feedback (the italics are mine):
The hotel is largely as described by most reviewers. The pictures are not representative of the actual location. We were checked into a balcony room(the complimentary upgrade), which consisted simply of a room on the second level. We were around the corner from a communal balcony, which was highly rotted, causing me to worry about its structural integrity. Our room was roughly nine feet by twelve feet and was air conditioned by a single window unit. The mattress had multiple cigarette burns and looked quite old however for the condition it was in it was fairly comfortable(no bed bugs). The shower water pressure was dismal at best, making showering a rather long process(no shampoo and condition provided). I feel the best way to sum up the property was in the restroom next to the sink. There was an apparent old issue with some dry wall, possibly punched through or water damaged. Rather than spending money to fix the issue correctly(requiring only 20 dollars in materials and 40 minutes) they plastered over it, without sanding it down, and did not throw any paint on it. It was clear that the owners have little interest in maintaining the property, even for very small issues. The continental breakfast was a toaster and English muffins, as well as blueberry muffins(Coffee was also provided). There was also a booger on the wall next to the bed. I recommend checking the "Hotel's" website before booking. No parking, there are lots with in and out privileges for 15 a night within walking distance. I would recommend for anyone traveling on an extremely small budget. At $50 a night, budget travelers could easily over look the lack of amenities. Cliff notes: Positives: Location, friendly staff Negatives: Poorly maintained and not very clean.
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