Today I have
quite an interesting story for you about what happened to Wifey and I over the
weekend. For those of you who keep track of my stories on this blog you will
realize that for our wedding I gave my Wifey a gift of a planned weekend away.
See she is a massive Star Wars fan and I found out about an exhibit that was
going to be in Edmonton and I planned a trip for just the two of us to go
there.
We drove
straight from our house there and arrived to the Star Wars Identities exhibit a
little earlier than we had planned. This was one of those events we went to with
very little knowledge about what we should expect. Neither of us had really
done any research into exactly what this exhibit would actually be about.
It was a
really astounding exhibit that displayed things like the actual movie props and
some of the concept art for the characters. In my opinion the best element
about the whole exhibit was that it was an interactive experience. See the
whole thing is designed to explain how people interact psychologically due to a
whole bunch of different aspects and this is achieved by showing us through the
character development of both Luke Skywalker and his father Anikin.
At the beginning
they give you a headset that is attached to a radio receiver which hangs around
your neck and they give you a rubber bracelet. Each of the items has its own
function, the receiver picks up signals in designated areas that explain things.
The Bracelets were to be held against different terminals throughout the
exhibit and these terminals would help you to make a Star Wars Character all of
your own.
 |
| Wifey and my characters |
After the
Star Wars Exhibit we spent our afternoon shopping at the expansive West Edmonton
Mall. This was the first time in a long
time where we have been able to spend quality time just the two of us doing
something fun. We got to complete some of our Christmas shopping and Wifey
bought me some early birthday presents. I know what they are already but I won’t
get them until my actual birthday which is ok by me because I know exactly
where I will put them in our new house.
The trip to
see the exhibit was amazing and went off pretty much without a hitch, I say
pretty much because there was one really large problem. I made a massive
blunder that if my Wifey wasn’t so wonderful would leave me sleeping on the
couch for months to come. Before this trip Wifey was responsible for having
booked the worst hotel room we had ever stayed in but the one I booked blew
that one out of the water.
This is a
series of progressively worse events that would lead to being the worst hotel
we have ever stayed at. First thing I noticed when we arrived was how sketchy
the neighborhood was, on either side of the hotel there was a loan store. To
this all I can say is red flags went up and I knew at that point I would not
sleep well at all that night for fear of our car getting stolen.
That would
be the first problem we would encounter with the hotel and would by no means be
the last. The next red flag that went up was that while we were checking in we
were required to put down a 50 dollar cash deposit that we would get back at
check out. That was a little fishy and worrisome, then came the first bad news
that the elevator was broken and we would have to take the stairs.
After
climbing three stories and arriving at our room we were shocked by what we
found when we opened the door. The bed unmade, garbage left everywhere and what
appeared to be items of the people who were staying in this room. Wifey was
less than impressed and channeled her inner black lady with a finger wag and a “AW
HELL NO” then proceded to storm downstairs.
The lady at
the desk was more than apologetic and proceeded to get us another room while
telling us all about how unreliable of the cleaning staff is. Here is a tip
never tell the customer that your hotel cleaners suck that just makes us very
aware that no matter what we may be in trouble. So with a new room key card in
hand we trudged back up the stair case to the new room we were to be staying
in.
We get to
the room and though it is not perfect, nowhere near in fact, we decide we will
try to make the best of it. A couple notes about the “new and better” room,
first there was graffiti on the walls, the bath tub was unclean and there were
multiple places where gum had been ground into the carpet, So much for the
cleaning staff. Second off it was an adjoining room but the deadbolt was
located in the next room, also the chain lock on the main door had been kicked
in and was missing the chain, way to make me feel like I was going to get
killed in the middle of the night.
So making
the best of a bad situation Wifey and I decided that we were going to sleep on
top of the covers to avoid any unwanted STDs lucking in the sheets. I was well
aware by this point that I was not going to get a wink of sleep and was
prepared for a long night of stating at the light encircling the door.
Just as the
both of us had settled down for a long restless night the phone rings across
the room. I stumbled through the darkness to find the noisy offender and when I
finally get there I pick up the receiver. A voice on the other end of the line
informs me “in half an hour the water will be shut off for the night” *click* I
did not say a word into the phone and just put it back into its cradle, Wifey
rolls over and ask me what is up.
I repeat the
newly acquired information from the phone to her and after a moment of silence with
us staring at each other she replies “Fuck it we are leaving”. So I let my
angry Wifey deal with the crazy receptionist to get our money back and then we
leave.
We laughed
about it for most of the three hour drive home, it is almost ridiculous to
think about it but that is honestly what happened. I snapped a quick picture of
the graffiti on the wall before we left but the picture did not turn out as well
as I had hoped.
I recommend never
staying at a Howard Johnson hotel ever after this terrible experience.
Sincerely
Urban Yeti
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