When my mind wanders these days, I’ve noticed that it wanders to odd places — namely, far-off hotel rooms. Zurich, late last summer: the hotel was on the wrong side of the tracks but the room had big windows on two walls. Dallas, a few years back: the hotel had a huge atrium with a model railway; I ironed my shirt while listening to a podcast about the late-blooming composer Leo? Janá?ek. Rancho Mirage, January: the room was a sunny stroll away from reception; the pool looked tempting beside the desert palms, but was cold and full of leaves.
這些天來，當我想入非非的時候，我注意到我的思緒會游離到一些奇怪的地方——一些遙遠的旅館房間。例如我在去年夏末去過的蘇黎世：那家旅館處于較為破敗的地段，但房間的兩面墻上都有很大的窗子。再比如我數年前去過的達拉斯：那家旅館有一個巨大的中庭，擺放著一個鐵路模型；我一邊熨著自己的襯衫，一邊聽著播客，內容是關于大器晚成的作曲家萊奧什?雅那切克(Leo? Janá?ek)。還有我在今年1月去過的蘭喬米拉日(Rancho Mirage)：從前臺出發，在陽光下漫步一會兒才能抵達房間；旅館里的游泳池邊種著沙漠棕櫚樹，看起來很誘人，但是池子里的水很冷，還落滿了樹葉。