Good morning

I think many of us are minor slobs in hotels. I believe it's kind of necessary. Scrambling, living out of suitcases, using a bed as a staging area on which to sprawl our stuff so we can find what we need fastest.

And while we leave the rooms in good order (save, perhaps an unmade bed or a bathroom in moderate disarray), sometimes, during our stay, we leave the room in a kind of chaos. And the only folks who see it are the cleaning staff.

This morning, after my shower, I was standing in the bedroom ironing my shirt and slacks for the day, wearing just my socks and underwear. I had the TV on in the background. One bed was unmade, the other had my suitcase sprawled open on it. Standard scene of "getting dressed in the morning in a hotel room".

As I stood ironing, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that someone has walked into the bedroom. It's a cleaning lady. I'm standing there, iron in hand. Kind of stunned. I mutter something like "Woah!?!". She turns, looks at me, blurts "Perdon" and quickly departs. And I stand there in my socks and underwear holding the iron.

My experience on this trip has been that of having no self determination. I go to the client site with my co-workers in the morning when it's decided we will go. I leave with them when it's decided we will leave. I ride with them. We eat together, since we're sharing the rental car, which I don't have the key to. We eat where they want, and hence what they want. I have to adapt my preferred schedule of eating and exercise to that of the group. We eat when they want. I have to eat with the group. I have no personal time. And after this morning, it seems I have no personal space. I'm feeling a bit like the corporate whore.