New world?

Y'know, I love to travel, but lately it's become so difficult to do that I'm beginning to get turned off on it. Today's trip is just the latest exercise in irritation when trying to get someplace. I reserved a car to drive to Ottawa, Canada, with Avis. I'm a Preferred Member since I do so much of this, so I'm supposed to be able to go to the Preferred desk, show my license and get the car and go. Not today.

I got to Avis and the Preferred desk was closed. So I went upstairs to the rental counter...and there were at least 2 dozen people in line. I asked a clerk if someone was going to open the Preferred counter and she said no, I had to wait in line. Which was going VERY slowly. After half an hour of moving only 3 feet forward, I started looking up Enterprise, but for some reason the app I have refused to work. Would not sign me in with my account number and password.

Finally, after nearly 45 minutes, someone came out and said the Preferred counter had been opened, so I scrambled downstairs to get my car. I finally hit the road 50 minutes behind schedule. Then driving down the 90 to Syracuse turned out to be an exercise in further frustration. I swear to God, since the lockdown over Covid, people have forgotten not only how to drive but have lost any sense of road manners.

What is normally a 2 hour drive for me took an extra 30 minutes thanks to too goddamned many people deciding they were going to cruise in the left lane while pacing a semi, that's in the right. And they would not finish passing. One semi actually slowed down so we could get around and pass the asshole, on the right instead of the left. I'm sure I'm not the only person to cast him a middle finger. And don't get me started on all the construction that wasn't being worked on, just then, but still had lower speed limits posted.

Crossing into Canada was easy because I'd set everything up on ArriveCAN...but there was more construction on the 401, and apparently the sign for my turn onto the 416 had been taken down, so I missed it. When I passed the 31, I realized I'd gone too far so turned around. And drove straight into a couple of serious rain squalls. The Houston type, where even with windshield washers going full blast you can barely see.

So finally, I get to my hotel, only 2.5 hours later than I intended, and find the desk clerk weren't kidding when they said they don't have a real cleaning staff. It became very obvious when I lifted the toilet seat to pee. Then there's no food close by so I had fish and chips delivered; not the best but I was hungry. And this map shows how much fun it's going to be to just to get to the road to my location, tomorrow. I think I've picked the easiest. Then comes going to the airport to prep the shipment and returning home. I'm already exhausted. Whimper. Whine.

This isn't the only problem I've had with travel, in the last year. Late or canceled flights. Airports that are still half-closed. Having a line for a rental car company in Las Vegas that was so long, I caught an Uber to my hotel, instead. I'm really nervous about my trip to Ketchum, ID now. I'd almost rather just stay home and work on my writing.

But...I have a list of things I need to dig up in Derry and can only do that there. Like floor plans for the Rossville Flats and prices for items in 1968 as well as movies playing and music being listened to. So I need to pull together more cash to do it. And the only way is to do work where it comes up.

Dammit.