When I started my statewide tour in mid-September of this year, it was warm. Fall was around the corner, but it was still late summer and felt that way. Small inklings of the pending financial crisis were creeping up, but the crash hadn't happened yet. And McCain was riding high on his out of right field pick of Palin.

I drove around the state (as a party of ten each week) in a big white cargo van. With only one week off (I didn't hit the SE corner, missing Roswell, Carlsbad, Hobbs and Artesia), I got used to being in a different town each night. Different motel. Different scenery. Different restaurants.

Now I'm back for a while (although who knows for how long), and I go back into the office in the morning having only a slight idea of what I'll be doing next. The company I work for is converting a state agency from the old system to ours. We "go live" in mid-November. It's not over yet.

Halloween is on Friday. I had to turn on my heater a few days ago. As when I first moved in last April, starting the heater caused the fire alarm to go off (burning dust from the vents) at 6:30 in the morning. Frost was on my car Thursday morning, and it took a while to clear. I drove half blind up San Mateo.

Where did the easy days of early autumn go? Oh yeah, I was on the road. The colors flew by as I drove the highways and byways of New Mexico.

I started weatherproofing my apartment yesterday, but have to get a few more supplies. Most likely it'll take me at least another weekend to get it done. More plastic sheeting is needed. Doesn't that sound kind of dirty? Plastic sheeting...

I lived out of a duffel bag and briefcase for weeks. I ate badly most of the time. Coffee up in the mornings, Boddington's down in the evenings. I've completely forgotten how to cook anything resembling a real meal. I'm sure it'll come back to me, but my fridge is mostly filled with liquids and a few condiments. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a welcome change.

The best hotels were in Taos, Santa Fe and Las Cruces. These were not chain hotels, but large local ones.

The best meal (by quite a large margin) was in Santa Fe. I had an elk tenderloin steak. It was amazing. Also the most expensive meal of the entire trip. I busted my per diem that night.

I'd get up every morning and watch the stock market meltdown for a few minutes before I rushed off to the free breakfast (I haven't eaten this much breakfast since college when I lived in the dorms). I watched a few of the debates from my hotel room with my comedown beers. I got to see a few new episodes of "Entourage," but only the last five minutes of the new Chris Rock stand up special. All hotels have HBO. It is, apparently, mandatory.

So what happens now? How does life become regular again?

I've got to start booking gigs for the band again. And there's the regular office grind as well. Voting for the future of the free world occurs in a week and a half. Thanksgiving is around the corner. And I have no idea who I'll be on Friday for Halloween. Apparently I can't be myself. Nope, I'll have to deregulate myself for the ghoulish weekend.

But what is regular? I don't know anymore.

That's why we're voting for a change, huh? The regular way wasn't working, and now we'll get something different. Whoever wins will be a change...and more of the same as well.

I'm looking forward to something new and different and interesting.

Matt Worley has enough small hotel soaps to last into the next decade.