Love/Hate

I love my mother, but I also hate hate hate her. She gets confused. Really confused. Yesterday was a good day, and everything seemed to be crusing along just fine for our upcoming trip to Cali. Today she had everything backwards. And she hadn't done the one thing I had asked her to do in order to make sure I could get our reservations today.

So now I have hotel reservations for the four days in the middle of our trip, no plane tickets, no hotel reservations in San Francisco and a mother who is convinced that I asked her to spend $1000 per room per night for four nights.

Which I hadn't done. The first thing she wanted me to do today was cancel the four night reservation that I had. I said no.

Nicely.

But it took a damn long while until I figured out why she had wanted me to cancel the reservations. She doesn't seem to remember how much she liked really nice accomidations on trips with my Dad, and she certainly has NO IDEA how much those rooms cost per night. Not that I knock budget travel - I don't. Shit, you all should see the hotel rooms I used in Guatemala - and I was happy about it! But I know what my mother likes, even when she won't admit it. Her favorite hotel in the world is in freaking Hong Kong - overlooking the harbor, rooftop pool, and we had a two room suite. Her favorite hotel in Boston is the Elliot Hotel (which starts at $315 a night!) and her favorite in NYC is the Parker Meridian, which starts at $295!

Yargh. The hotel Dad, Mom and I stayed in while we 'did Rome' was $474 a night. She even admits she really liked that place, especially the breakfast brunch! Why why why won't she spend the money to have that kind of quality experience? I KNOW she likes it. I know she can afford it. I could totally plan a Cali vacation much more cheaply than I plan to make this one. But it wouldn't make her happy. She wouldn't like the kinds of compromises I would make. Hell, she probably wouldn't like the activities I would plan. She's used to the best on vacation - and a trip on my budget wouldn't give her that.

Yargh. Damn it! I'll get this bad boy squared away if it kills me. 'Cause I love her.