Life on the road is a GREAT experience it can however get boring and repetitive and lonely. There are some things though that make such a wonderful difference in an average day...let me share:
1. A good rice pudding. I like well cooked rice, not grainy undercooked stuff. I love raisins in the rice pudding and if you top it off with some whip cream and cinnamon - WOW. Best RP this year was in Clinton, Ontario. Little, independent grocery store - the pick-up-and-go section next to sandwiches.
2. Good toilet paper. If I wanted to use my hand I would use my hand. A soft yet durable roll of t.p. can make all the difference. Think about it, you get to choose your brand, your favorite softness, the number of ply...I on the other hand get whatever toilet paper that doubles as gift tissue paper some owner thought would save them money. Don't worry; I'm a good hand washer.
3. A curved shower curtain rod. Let me explain - and please feel free to refer to your own shower curtain as the visual - most shower curtains have a straight rod - what this means is that the curtain hangs right next to you (or in this case, me) and it has the option of sticking to my body. Well, most places change sheets and towels every day, they don't however change the shower curtain. So that shower curtain that is sticking to my naked body acting as a second layer of skin has stuck to dozens of other bodies and has never been washed. I'm sorry for the visual but it is VERY true. Insert any sort of draft and there is not possible way, short of removing the curtain, to avoid that wet germ blanket from becoming my new best friend. Or is there?...enter the curved shower curtain. The rod is gently curved and thus the shower curtain hangs 1/2 a foot or more away from me. Hallelujah! Risk is decreased, shower joy increased.
4. A fair sized towel. While we're on the topic of bathrooms can we talk about the face cloths that are supposed to be towels?! I am not a slim woman but I'm not the biggest woman that has ever existed - these so called "towels have a couple of problems - length and width. So the length - can we talk about full wrapage - I would like to have the full circumference of my body covered in a towel...I have great legs but I don't want my thigh exposed and I don't want my towel exploding off my body because it is "just" holding on. Secondly, some mini-skirts work on some people - I am not one of those people. The only cheeks I want exposed are the ones on my face. Please, buy a proper bath sheet - not a pornographic hand towel.
5. Heated bathroom floors. The environmentalist in me screams NO, the warm feet on my body when I first get up in the morning says "Oh yes!" It's just like it sounds - warm ceramic tiles caressing the bottom of your feet. Nuf said.
6. A good bed. The components of a good bed are many...a solid mattress...not solid as in firm but a good mattress where you don't feel like the springs are providing you with a complementary acupuncture appointment. Also, a mattress with a "pillow-top" is a nice little hug for your body. Sheets make all the difference as well - this is everything from thread count to the comforter/duvet that's on the bed. Many comforters feel like they are made out of the same material as your grandma's 1960s industrial couch and they, not unlike the shower curtain, have not been washed in ages...it's like cuddling up with someone else’s dandruff without the inconvenience of their body...how thoughtful. Best bed so far this year was also the winner from the 2005 Best Bed competition...drum-roll please...is the Intercontinental in downtown Toronto. For the price you would hope they would win (a can of pop is $4.50) - thread count is at least 400 and there is a real duvet...the king size bed doesn't hurt either.
That's all for now. The funny thing is that once you're on the road for a while you start becoming a little bit elitist..."My toilet paper wasn't folded over when I arrived."...."The echo off the ceiling in the foyer rebounded towards my room and woke me before I intended to wake up."..."The television channels were fuzzy. I had to resort to watching Gilmor Girls season 3 on my lap-top, it was inconvenient." I'm not actually cranky about it, sometimes I provide feedback - constructive - you more just think those things in your head...and then laugh at yourself.
