Rubbermaid, Homelessness and Pillows

Anyone who has ever done long-term travel alone knows that the weekends are the worst. Friday nights are not that bad because I’ve been so exhausted that I just crash. But by Saturday afternoon, it’s so boring. Any thrills that Las Vegas might have had have all been lost on me. And surprisingly, I haven’t really done that much in a tourist way. It’s just so depressing doing things by myself. This is quite odd if you know me, because normally I don’t mind time to myself. I guess 5 weeks is my limit.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but my car has made it out here. It took 10 days to ship and arrived a few weeks ago. It’s nice to have one familiar thing with me.

I think most of you know that we are under some pressure about selling our house. Regardless of how that turns out, I’m looking to be out here for 3 or 4 weeks (at the minimum) on no expense account. My “temporary living” expenses expire at 90 days, so beginning February, I will truly be homeless. It’s already bad enough; I have a Rubbermaid container that I keep groceries, laundry detergent, etc. in. Every time I check out of a hotel I pile my stuff in it and load it in my car.

The problem will be lodging. Currently I am in a no-frills extended stay hotel at which I get a deeply discounted corporate rate. Still, this room is around $600 per week. I don’t want to swing that when I’m on my own, so I may be going to shady hotels that give weekly or monthly rates and can be negotiated based on $cash$. I’m sure there’s going to be a story there!

Last night I finished reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed. The book exposes the difficulty of getting by in America working unskilled jobs at entry-level wages. It was really good and insightful, especially at this time of my life. I originally read the review at The Infinite Abyss.

Last night I ventured out to find another book and to also buy some pillows because the ones at my hotel are bags of rocks. Honestly, who in hotel management would actually think, “We can skimp on the pillows because those never really matter to anyone anyway.” Now when I pack up, I can throw the pillows on top of my Rubbermaid.

ION

One of my employees gave his notice on Friday night. I guess he’s off to greener pastures or either hates me. Regardless, I’ve got an accounting position open if anyone’s interested in moving to Vegas.

I am going home for a week on Wednesday. On Thursday we will be journeying to Mississippi to be with the families. Then Mrs. MoN is coming back to Vegas with me for New Year’s Eve.