Michael's Chronicles: Cincinnati

Michael Thiele is a woodsmith who makes musical instruments and playable furniture. He spends most of his life either in the shop or out on the road buying wood and selling his work at craft shows. In recent years, his travels have begun to inspire his own writing, so he sends me his thoughts.

May 30
Cincinnati
5:15 a.m.

Thrump 

No, I’m not referring to Orange Sphincter Man - the ex “You’re fired” guy. Note the time. I was sleeping - as in used to be. Past tense is appropriate here because it’s obviously not true at the moment. The motel in which I’m staying this time doesn’t have particularly thin walls. It’s not a Motel 6, known for having merely “room dividers,” but a purportedly better one. So much for claims. “Clean,” yeah. But “Quiet?” Not so much.

If you’ve been following my travels (travails?”) you are probably thinking I’m going to whine again. I am. I don’t choose my neighbors at these places. But sometimes I think they choose me. For all the wrong reasons. I love loud music, televisions and yelling people who don’t mind sharing their discontent with one another in shrill mode. But only when I can’t hear them. 

I didn’t request a sound proof room, but a bit of spacing would have been appreciated. Given that this is a property with nearly one hundred rooms one would think that the fifteen or so guests currently present could have been housed with a measure of space between them. But no. “Nesting” seemed more appropriate to the vicars of room assignment. 

So, 5:15 a.m. the television in the room next door is messaging me that it’s time to wake up. I don’t use alarm clocks or ask for wake up calls, both of which I find offensive. I simply set my brain to the task when I go to bed the night before, which works just fine thank you. Last night I set it for 7:30 this morning. So much for good intentions. 

When I called the front desk for the third time the clerk said he’d rang my neighbor several times but gotten no answer. Our rooms are at most fifty yards from the front office. I have suggested that perhaps he could walk over and knock on the neighbor’s door. Friendly style, know what I mean? Timid, he said he’d check with the manager when he comes in at 9 a.m. this doesn’t resonate with me. Think I’ll just get up. And yes, I’m whining here.

Later……..