the road to Mordor

[OT from cottage renovations]

highlights from yesterday's trip up here, as reported in an email to sykotec and Mrs. H.: 

• rental truck loaded up and day labourers released at 16:00; departed Maryland shortly thereafter and arrived NJ ~22:00. 
• a small number of scrapped out PCs from the junk pile got loaded into the truck; by the time I realised it had happened there wasn't any point digging through to find them so I elected to be surprised at their appearance today [and I was]. 
• the U-Haul truck had incredibly loose steering, a sporadic backfire, two nearly bald tyres and a persistent unidentifiable smell though no anomalous indications on dashboard instruments.  we were thinking it might have been power steering or transmission fluid.  nonetheless it did get us and the stuff here, for which I was quite grateful considering what a nuisance it would have been to decant the load into a replacement vehicle had it become necessary. 
• the truck encountered a fixed object at the Maryland House service plaza on I-95 resulting in visible damage to RH side lower panel (and considerable amusement to onlookers).  in accordance with company policy the Officer of the Company who rented and drove it had waived insurance [when the truck was returned the receiving agent took no exception to its condition].
• fuel economy was far lower than the estimate provided in calls before the transaction.  "far lower" as in <10 mpg. 

the advertising phrase An Adventure In Moving is apt though not necessarily in a complimentary fashion. 

an evening in Hell

[OT from cottage renovations]

the lodgings in this part of Mordor are a bit of a dump, though that's not really an issue as I don't require palatial accommodation.  I have stayed here before on previous trips to corporate HQ, and it's familiar in a mildly unpleasant sort of way.  not that I haven't stayed in worse -- much worse -- places while on the road. 

for reasons of administrative expediency I have been encouraged to take meals in the establishment.  this is not a problem in the morning; the corporate rate even includes a voucher for a buffet breakfast that really isn't bad. 
dinner, however, is another situation.

of the few who read this space, those who know me in the real world understand my deep aversion to sporting events, loud noises, and televisions.  though I do have one in the cottage, it's a small unit used only for playing VHS tapes and is not set up to receive over-the-air or cable signals. 

so after a long day evocative of Office Space when I wandered down to the eatery in search of a light repast my mind was more on grabbing a bite than on the setting.  the first problem was when I got to a table which had four chairs, and as is my custom walked around it to choose one facing away from whatever TVs the place might have.  they were more than ready for me: with several dozen sets in the place there was no direction in which fewer than eight or ten large screens could be seen, all of them turned on (to cable sports channels) and up (to a high volume, as if each was trying to drown out the others). 
to describe it as dissonant cacophony would fall considerably short of the mark. 

the menu had four pages: a cover, one page of appetizers, another of burgers, and one of subs and suds.  I should have had the sense to walk out but decided, unwisely, to stick it out.  when I finally got out of there it was on the verge of a migraine.  it is mercifully quiet(er) in the room, but I found myself unable to face even the multimedia NJ orientation material provided by friends in these three volumes. 

perhaps conditions will improve tomorrow.  I'm absolutely making other arrangments for dinner.  such as: fasting.