EconoLodge Motel, Joplin Missouri

It's the weekend and there are hardly any vacancies in town, so I cough up the extra cash. King size bed, clean carpets and there's scarcely a trace of the previous guests. There's even a free internet hook up in my room. It's by far the best room I've had. Why it's called the EconoLodge, I don't know. The Red Carpet Inn is a hole, the EconoLodge is swank. Is there something I can learn from this?

So I've spent the last three years working in the field known as “Video Installation” which I guess is pretty much over now, I guess film and video are finished as well. I know I'll go back to making single-channel videos but I wanted to try something else. Installation creates a different relationship with the audience. It seems to be a more intense one although short lived and expensive. I've sat with audiences during screenings of my videos, and in the context of many other short works the only response you get is a round of applause.

I had dinner at the El Vaquero Mexican restaurant. The food was passable, but what made it worse was that there was no beer. The town seems a little dry. Instead I have a Twix bar out of the vending machine in the hotel lobby on the way back to my room. Someone across the hall has a tickle in their throat and tries to clear it every couple of minutes. I guess at the EconoLodge, regardless of appearances, the rooms are close together to maximize efficiency.