Thursday, November 05, 2009

Blog Jam


View from my room.

I’m in the Heaven of HighSpeed. Safely ensconced here for the night, off at the crack tomorrow to fly to Toronto and Da Fam & Fwends. I’ll be there for a couple of weeks safe in the bazooms of loved ones.

I had the Doldrums of Dial-up Dementia (I’m looking at YOU, Government of Newfoundland & Labrador and I’m not going away until you fix this outrage) for the past 5 months and at times I nearly went mad. In the middle of research, d-i-s-c-o-n-n-e-c-t without warning, uploads taking 30 minutes when normally it would be minute. Downloads the same. Very, very difficult to run a business. I think it takes twenty times longer and my head feels like it's exploding. Not to mention writing a blog, loading up pics or watching YouTube. Facebook is painful and I tend to avoid it as everyone’s albums are so tempting but what takes you 5 minutes will take me 100.

Rant over.

BTW: If you’re ever going to book a hotel, don’t go directly to the hotel site or call. Book through Expedia on the net. About half the price. Seriously.

We had the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall here for about 4 days. One of our outports will soon be celebrating 400 years of British Settlement. Quite a ho-hum reception, apart from the pols tripping over each other. In some areas the security outnumbered the actual audience. H1N1 virus fear was part of it, but in general most feel the monarchy is irrelevant. I’ve always liked Prince Charles, didn’t much care for Diana, I feel he has come into his own since the shadows have been lifted from Camilla. Here he talked green and environment and military and architecture - his passions - and enchanted the school children.

Which brings me to the secret service sitting at the table next to me at dinner tonight. I pretended to be reading while listening. A favourite hobby of mine. There were three: one woman, two men. The woman was from Newfoundland originally, the men were from B.C. and Quebec. They had met only through this detail and were going back to their rooms later to write up full reports (the royal couple left late yesterday). I loved the feeler bits of the conversation, the scratching around to find the common ground. After the first beer, they found it. Fishing. They all fished. But the woman’s stories were astonishing. Her father had employed her on his boat in the summers in her university years. Her biggest catch had been a 380lb tuna which still held the record in her fishing family. She told of landing a shark which she thought she’d killed but when she was taking a picture of her uncle with his hand on the head it turned and snapped at his arm which involved a tourniquet and him being lifted off the boat by helicopter after a mayday call. It took 80 stitches along with staples to fix his arm and hand.

Dining alone sure can have payoffs.

9 comments:

  1. That fishing story is amazing. I agree, eavesdropping can be great fun. Some people are so incredibly oblivious to their surroundings, they'll blurt out the most personal and shocking details without a qualm. Very educational!

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  2. I am not much fond of royal family(s) in general... especially that Charles character and that cold fish of a mother of his....

    I was living in London when Diana was "killed".... Yes I believe something very fishy went down in that tunnel, but we will never know... :) I always felt for her as she was never part of the royal crap... or at least that is the impression she gave me. One can never know for sure....

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  3. I'm fan of neither Royals nor fishing, WWW, but I'm very glad to hear you're about to be welcomed back to the bosom of your loved ones, and to hi-speed as well! I hope you have a wonderful stay.

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  4. You're in Toronto for high speed inter netting? And eavesdropping? What an exciting life you live! It sounds like you are a James Bond character. I don't care much for any body's royals, including my own. They are a waste of money. Long live the Republic!

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  5. Enjoy high speed living, fun and family. Stay warm and safe.

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  6. Hey, you must have great hearing. I love to eavesdrop, but I miss a lot because I don't hear as well as I used to. I am really impressed, not only with your hearing, but with your memory. You retold that whole fascinating story perfectly coherently. Bravo!

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  7. Oh I hear you on dial-up, I do I do! I am so glad to be back in the land of hi-speed too! Hope you have a great visit in TO. (I wonder if fwends and fam will see you at all, as you soak up all that hi-speed;-)

    I sort of share your opinion of Prince Charles, at least am glad Charles and Camilla get to consort openly. From a distance and not knowing the details, it did rather sound like a rotten deal all 'round.

    Great fish story!

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  8. @Nick:
    I thought it was massively indiscreet of SS people - but then again, I don't know their names, etc.
    But it is such fun eavesdropping, I've picked up some of my best short stories that way!!
    @Nevin:
    I found her incredibly shallow and vain (photo-op, photo-op!) and believe that the late Queen Mother whom Charles adored, influenced him far too much in this sham marriage (to keep 'the firm' going, doncha know). She and Charles were sad victims of this and I don't believe there was a conspiracy in her death.
    @T:
    Thank you so much!
    @GSW:
    The bonus is high speed - the reason is first: family, then friends then business.
    @GM:
    Thank you!
    @Karin:
    I abused my ears dreadfully in the rock 'n roll era, etc. and feel blessed I can still hear adequately. I often take notes on convos overheard.
    @Annie:
    I'm sure loving my highspeed!!
    There was always something of the wounded about Charles, since Camilla he smiles so much and has come into his own.
    XO
    WWW

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  9. This is fascinating, I shall try dining alone soon every time I traveled alone I usually did take out or room service dumb dumb...

    Dorothy from grammology
    grammology.com

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