What follows is a continuation of an out-right rip off I wrote in 2012 of Xavier de Maistre‘s book Voyage autour de ma chambre. Don’t miss the exquisite Part 5, The Walls.

The Windows

They are tall and wide the way windows have to be to gather as much of the available light as possible. I appreciate the old style molding surrounding them and wide sills beneath. The glass is newish, with wobbly black metal sashes and no mullions, and the screens only have occasional holes in them. The southern window has the small, exhausted air conditioner in it at the bottom with plastic accordion filling up the open space around it, sealed in with a bad foam insulation job. We draped an old gray towel over it the first summer we were here to try to reduce the incessant rattling of the plastic frame at the top and never took it off. The air con works somewhat, but in the deepest heat of summer when we are running it full bore, the wheezing makes it difficult to hear the programs we watch on our laptop. Each summer we are sure that we’ll demand that the landlord fix it or tell them to buy us a new one or we’ll buy a new one ourselves, but none of these things have happened.

Continue reading “Voyage Around My Room: Part 6, The Windows” →