Itchy

... and Scratchy. This is what your brain makes your skin do when you read an article in the McPaper (oops. i mean, the USAToday) about the increasing problem of bedbugs in the US, esp. in those pestilential havens known as hotel rooms. Alarmist writing informs one that these creatures can infest you and your belongings, hitch a ride (incl. trans-nationally), and become a permanent fixture in your own home. Redness and itching are caused by an accumulation of buggy fecal matter. This is most disruptive to one's mental state of being. I have already checked under the mattress (which was rather heavy), but I do not have a pen-light to check behind the headboard, which is attached to the wall. These are supposedly the best locales for them to colonise. (scratch, scratch, scratch)

Price hiking and gouging have extended in the US hotel industry to charging for internet access. Where are we -- Australia? However, with my just-paid $9.95 for Day One, it seems that I have unlimited local and domestic calls and I feel the need to get some headphones and just freaking call everyone I know to gouge Marriott back in its chinchy little paunch.

Downtown Baltimore is kind of stinky today. It smells like rotten crab (even though I do not know exactly what eau de rotten crab smells like -- this is my assumption based upon the popular phrase 'Baltimore crab cakes', which describes a yummy concoction of friedness.). This smelliness, combined with my temporary insanity from fear of bedbug infestation, and the fact that I am pooped is preventing me from excursing for crab cakes tonight -- instead, am going to get Maryland crab bisque and a salad and milk from room service, watch Murder, She Wrote, and work up the energy to phone people :)

Today I saw a bumper sticker supporting Voldemort for President. (snicker)