Where's the Tornado Toto?

LOL....of all the places....

Yep, that's right...I'm stuck for a week in Edwardsville, Kansas. A bit hot, a bit muggy, but the people are friendly and the hotel has heard of air conditioning. People are very very friendly, down to earth, and extremely generous. I have noticed, as of late, that the further I move east in the U.S.A., the more sparse the technology and use thereof...

Here's an example:

In Phoenix, Arizona, I was hooking up my DVD player to the big TV I had in my hotel room. Strangely, for reasons even I don't quite comprehend, I like to watch movies on screens bigger than the palm of my hand. Go figure... The television was a simple Panasonic model, but plug ins for video capabilities were available! Wooo hOOO....I'm in luck... I'll settle down, watch a movie, relax from the excrutiating heat, and not think about what the repairs for the truck are costing me in lost wages, time, and frustration. Hook ups are connected, DVD player is happily playing, and I grab the remote to switch to the Auxillary/Video channel.

BUT wait!!! There is NO button for such a thing, not on the remote, not on the TV itself,..... no secret buttons on the bed,.... under the desk,.... or hidden behind the curtains. ARGH.. How do I turn the TV to the video auxillary channels???? Panic sets in.
I ring the front desk.....okay, not to be a moron, but why can't this television switch to the AUX/ Video line? The front desk doesn't know..maybe maintenance does... hold please... wait...wait...wait.. then an old man answers and hasn't a clue as to what I'm asking about. Well, scratch THAT hotel off my list. (I know what you're thinking, *what a priss*.. but I have so few creature comforts on the road, it really annoys me when I can't even play a DVD without a fight.)

So, 1,370 miles from Phoenix, the truck grinds its transmission into Goron Dust. This apparently is just not my week. Another hotel, another miserably hot day, and like the bellhop that I should have become, I drag all my things to the new hotel...which...doesn't even HAVE a TV.

Sigh..... well...I'm in luck... they at least have showers!!!!
;)

The Magicians Owl