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 Leoš Janáček. 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.
这些天来，当我想入非非的时候，我注意到我的思绪会游离到一些奇怪的地方——一些遥远的旅馆房间。例如我在去年夏末去过的苏黎世：那家旅馆处于较为破败的地段，但房间的两面墙上都有很大的窗子。再比如我数年前去过的达拉斯：那家旅馆有一个巨大的中庭，摆放着一个铁路模型；我一边熨着自己的衬衫，一边听着播客，内容是关于大器晚成的作曲家莱奥什•雅那切克(Leoš Janáček)。还有我在今年1月去过的兰乔米拉日(Rancho Mirage)：从前台出发，在阳光下漫步一会儿才能抵达房间；旅馆里的游泳池边种着沙漠棕榈树，看起来很诱人，但是池子里的水很冷，还落满了树叶。