Dontchoo Get No Ugly Tractor...

My time in the south is coming to an end unfortunately. I have been doing reconnaissance in the deep south and I have some things to report to my northern brethren. (Also, if you are offended by my referring to Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi as deep south, please see my comment on geographic insults below)

1. Do not stay at the Hotel Preston in Nashville, TN.

I have been booking most of my travel through Hotwire.com in an attempt to find nicer hotels at a less costly price. In Nashville, the Hotel Preston seemed to have good rates and good ratings by guests. I disagree. My experience at the Hotel Preston added a lot of features to my "not desired" list for hotel amenities and features.

I realize it is a boutique hotel, so it thinks of itself as different and creative. That amounted to the lobby looking like a stage set-up for the cast of Mad Men. That is not altogether offensive, I don't mind the styling. However, I didn't see how the paneling in the elevators matched the lobby...

Yup. That is real animal skin. I am pretty sure it's cow, even though the picture would seem to indicate dalmatian. The black spots are not fur, but are actually places where fur has been removed. Blech. :P Oh, also, the elevators were not air conditioned, so it always smelled like hot leather in there.

The decor was actually not my biggest problem with the hotel, and it didn't extend into my room, so I didn't have to look at it much. Security seemed a bit of an issue. My door to my hotel room was not heavy enough to close on its own, meaning if I didn't physically pull the door shut myself, it would likely stay open.

Since I am staying in strange places completely on my own, I have taken to using the security chain and the deadbolt when I go to bed at night. I was extremely grateful for my foresight as I was awoken at 5:30 in the morning during my stay to the sound of someone attempting to access my room with a key card. A little terrifying when you're in a strange place with no husband, or over-protective, 100 lb. dog to protect you.

I called the front desk who promised to send security. I never heard anything more about it, which was a little disconcerting. But in my Minnesota Nice fashion, I didn't make a huge deal about it.

Apparently security is lax all over the hotel though. I realized after I had moved on to my next hotel that I had left a drawer of clothes behind. It's my own stupid fault but I figured since I was calling within 24 hours the likelihood that I would recover the items was good.

I was given the runaround every time I called, and it was only after I e-mailed the general manager that I got any type of response at all. I was informed the situation would be take care of. Housekeeping e-mailed me asking for descriptions of my clothing. After I replied I got no response. When I e-mailed again to follow-up I was informed they had exhausted every avenue and could not find my clothing. Needless to say I was really disappointed with the whole situation.

Do not stay at Hotel Preston in Nashville, TN.

2. Be careful what you say about the city/region someone is from.

When I got to Mississippi, I was greeted by super-friendly student members of the Lamar Chapter. I really enjoyed my time with them. One of the nights I was there, we all went to dinner. At dinner, the topic of the neighboring state of Florida came up. Two of the ladies did not realize each other were from Florida. One was from Sarasota, and another was from a more affluent and further south region of the Sunshine State.

The lady from the southern region began to talk about how Sarasota was not even a part of Florida. And that Gainsville was dirty. And both should be considered "North Florida." Having no frame of reference for any of Florida geography, I was unsure how to react. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the Sarasota-native reacted enough for the entire table.

A debate about the merits of Sarasota and whether is should be considered "North Florida" ensued immediately. Noting the growing tension, I quickly excused myself to use the restroom, as did another gal at the table. As we were using the facilities, she was texted by a person still at the table that the discussion had become a catfight. Shortly after that, Sarasota stormed into the bathroom with nothing good to say about the snobby South Florida-native. I laughed out loud when she called her a See You Next Tuesday.

Be careful when insulting someone's hometown or region...

3. No black leather seats in the rental.

Do I really need to explain this one?


I have learned a ton in the last two weeks. I am very much looking forward to a week at home. My own bed, my own kitchen, my own pets and my own husband! See you all very soon.

Several Days of Labor

On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again... Oh wait, I already am.

It's been an eventful and liberating week. Navigated a totally foreign airport just fine. Got my first car rental. First night in a hotel all by my lonesome. Not too shabby.

I did get scolded by the baggage handler for my bag being too heavy. Had to unzip it in the middle of the terminal and put a bunch more crap in my carry-on, that's always fun. At least I didn't get searched at security. Beyond the normal I mean. I still think it's totally nasty that I have to walk through security barefoot.

My plane was one of the smaller types and one of the first things the captain says is we should be expecting turbulence for the first half of the flight. Excellent. But we made it to Louisville just fine, even a little ahead of schedule. Then I found the car rental place, and they upgraded me!

I am excited to test drive a few different types of cars, since mine shit the bed and we have yet to get a replacement. Though with us living practically on the lightrail, I am going to go for as long as possible before getting a new car. Still, a two week test drive sure beats a one hour test drive with a salesman yapping in your ear.

I got the new Ford Focus, in pretty white! I like the new model because it's a hatchback now! That's one of my must-haves on the next vehicle I buy. This bad boy has leather interior. Not something I would choose again in the south. Especially not BLACK leather interior.

I made it to my hotel with no problems, even though I forgot to pack my GPS. It helps that my hotel is about two exits from the airport. Hard to miss.

The morning of my very first visit, I woke up late. As I was hurrying to get ready, this blaring sound came from the bedroom area. I thought maybe it was some ridiculous setting on my alarm clock, sounded a lot like the "chime" my husband has on his alarm clock ( the "chime" that sounds like a blaring foghorn and makes me want to kick him out of bed myself so he hits "snooze" faster). Then the chime turned into an automated voice, informing me that the hotel was being evacuated. That was fun. I am still not sure what happened... Firemen came though.

That made getting to Brandeis Law School a little tougher than I meant the first morning. Still I managed to set up my recruiting table.

I tabled in this little mosaic lobby area. To the right edge of the picture, just beyond the table is a staircase. It's mostly open, so you could see people walking up and down. I realized after the first few classes let out, that it was an uncomfortable place to be. Only because it had a certain vantage point that made me better acquainted with most of the female students than I would have wished. Even the knee length skirts! I was shocked. And I will be definitely more conscious of my wardrobe AND open stairways.

I finished up my time in Louisville and went on to Nashville. Navigating is a little tough, but I still made it to hotel number 2 just fine. Oh wait! I almost forgot...

HAD to take a picture of this because it reminded me of that scene with the creepy twins in The Shining. REDRUM!

And I will end with some of the more interesting bumper stickers I have encountered on my travels.