THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL BIRDS THAT ATE VERMONT

[primroseburrows]

So I spent last night at the Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, VT, while mr_t00by visits Johnson State College. I'm getting an AAA discount, so I'm not paying full price, which is good. I'm comfortable and warm and I got to take a nice hot bath, but the utter tweeness of the place is pretty overwelming. There are STENCILS OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS AND FRUIT ON THE WALLS. EURGH. Also the canopy bed and the oh-so-New-England muted burgandies and cadet blues, and the little shelves with books nobody ever reads (um. Readers' Digest condensed books? Come ON, people). But yay complimentary wifi!

Good things about being in upstate VT:

• Mountains and snow and old covered bridges (which are kind of scary to drive over).
  
• Chocolate Strawberry dessert martini. Yum.
  
• Yay complimentary wifi! I didn't even know until now that my laptop (which used to be mr_t00by's laptop) could do wireless.
  
• CTV and CBC. On TELEVISION.

Mneh things about being in Upstate VT:

• It apparently snowed last night, and I'm not good at driving in snow. It doesn't look like a lot, but still. Eep.
  
• I didn't bring a toothbrush.
  
• I think the guy at the front desk is fake. He's very courteous but sorta vacant.
  
• The inn is trying waaay to hard to be quaint. See above for OMG STENCILS OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS AND FRUIT. Dude. There are two pseudo-Amish birds stenciled on the wall behind me. I had to sleep under birds made of paint.
  
• etalk is as annoying as Entertainment Tonight (although peacey might want to know that Gerard Butler was featured on etalk, and also Canada AM, which is just as annoying as The Today Show). But really, I don't care if Jake Gyllenhall and Reese Witherspoon make a good couple.
  
• I have no time to do anything because I'm away from home so much these days. Tomorrow I'm bringing my mother home to Block Island (which is a good thing) and I'll be staying overnight at least, then I have to work Sunday to make up for not working Friday.
  
• For reasons that I can't be arsed to explore at this juncture, my bright idea to hey! wander around southern Québec didn't happen. Not that I was jonesing to go to Québec anyway, but still. There might have been a bookstore. With a section on politics. *cries* My inner dork is NOT pleased, not at all. blrgh.

Oh, and patchfire, take a look at this! I haven't read it yet. At first brief glance, it looks good except for some minor punctuation/quotes errors.

Comments

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, now all we need to add in a Quantum Leap crossover too!! :)

Your bit about the birds and flowers and all makes me think that it's like the NE equivalent of the happy black people picking cotton in Tifton. *headdesk*

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's not racist, though, which is a plus. It's just...I dunno. Something. Twee is a good word, but it's like twee manufactured by Dunkin' Donuts. Not only is it not real New England, it's not even real twee.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I've got it. It's like it was decorated by the people who designed Cracker Barrel. There are swags on the windows and THERE ARE STENCILS OF SWAGS ON THE WALLS.

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha.

Isaac should look at, like, Oberlin or something. I think he'd like Oberlin. Oooh, and Reed. Look at Reed.

I'll start a sidelong career as nonprofessional college counselor.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

You'll have to tell him that. Every time I breathe the word "college" in his general direction, he practically breaks out in hives.

Hannah thinks he should look at Wheaton, too. He's going to skip a year, so there's a whole other part of post-high school stuff he doesn't want to discuss.

[patchfire.livejournal.com]

Skip a year of high school, or skip a year between high school and college? I think a gap year can be a good thing if it's spent figuring out a few more things.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Skip a year between high school and college. He'll be doing something like Habitat or Americorps.

[peacey.livejournal.com]

(although peacey might want to know that Gerard Butler was featured on etalk, and also Canada AM

You're just taunting me now. :p

re: stencils. I hate them. When used as decoration, they always come off as trying too hard. To be country, New England, Victorian, etc. etc. etc. I'd much rather see a bad freehand drawing or painting than an immaculately rendered stencil.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

I've seen stencils work, like with a dark blue wall and a stenciled (and stylized) starfield. In other words, when they're used as deliberately kitchy. This was like someone gave them a "New England Inn in a Box" kit. It's sad, really, because the building itself really is and old New England inn.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Also, shouldn't you be able to get Canadian TV? Even if you can't, 300 is apparently being hyped as this year's Lord of the Rings, so I'm sure it'll be featured in the lower forty-eight soon enough.

[peacey.livejournal.com]

You'd think, right? Nope. I think my sister (she lives in a Detroit suburb) gets it, as do 'da Yoopers (upper penninsula residents), but not us. :p But regardless, I've Tivo'd no less than three "300" specials. :) I considered seeing it at the midnight show last night, but couldn't stay awake long enough.