Last night I put about ten pint bottles in the bin. I figured, well, this will net 80 cents for someone, and I won’t have to take them in. It’s win-win, right?

(I should note that this is not my only, or major, charitable activity. In fact, it’s not charitable. It’s just a thing I do. I’m not trying to make myself seem like some selfless hero of the underclass. I just don’t see anything wrong with what they’re doing, although some would disagree).

Well, this morning I woke up and looked outside at the curb. Something seemed amiss with my collection of bins and boxes.

Then I realized what it was: someone had removed all of the non-bottles from the recycling bin, and taken the bin, with the bottles.

So much for minor gestures of goodwill.

It made me want to put broken bottles in the bin (how’s that for a blind rage reaction?) but I will not do so. I will likely put a sign on my (new) bin from now on (saying “I put bottles in here and you thanked me by stealing my bin: fuck you”). That will probably result in the next bin being nicked, too. I also feel like sitting at the local beer store seeing who arrives with my bin and having a conversation, that would probably also end with “fuck you very much.”

But knowing me, I’ll probably just never put bottles in the bin again.  I guess if I was still feeling generous I could put them out in a separate box, but that would be nice, and you see where that got me.  It’s a minor thing, but insulting none the less.

I guess I’m not surprised. I suspect that iTunes works in such a way as to avoid conflicts and crashes on the various devices. As a result, there has to be very little flexibility and everyone has to fit into quite specific ways of doing things. My guess is that this is why Macs are more stable, but PCs are not. PCs allow more flexibility and are much more open. But as a result, all sorts of crap gets on your system, messing up your registry, and takes your computer out of the hands of those who envisioned its stable operation.

I’m just not sure which is better.

(My sync is done and I haven’t lost everything. This time. Whew.)

But there is one thing that really sets me off. This is when, at events with buffets or some kind of communal eating situation, meat eaters eat up all the vegetarian options. I don’t actually blame the meat eaters. Just because you eat meat doesn’t mean you have to do so all the time. Vegetables are good, and we are constantly bombarded with health messages that claim a meatless diet is good for you (though I can’t see how a grilled cheese sandwich could be considered any better than a grilled chicken one).

No, I pin this problem on event organizers who think something like this: “well, there might be a few vegetarians, so well order a bit of vegetarian food.” I don’t blame them, but I’d like to enlighten them: you see, since meat eaters do, can, and often like to choose the meatless option (and why not?) vegetarians might end up with nothing to eat.

This is why I am usually rushing for the front of the buffet line at events. Not because I’m desperate to eat, but because I don’t want to be left with meat lover’s pizza when everyone else is noshing on the mediterranean. In other words, I don’t want to be left hungry.

This is why it might be easy to be mistaken for a self-righteous vegetarian. Asking simply that people leave something that I can eat can come across as demanding special privileges. When all I want is the same crummy meal opportunity that everyone else gets.

So if you’re an event planner, go ahead and over order vegetarian options. I don’t think that there is a dietary choice that requires people to need to eat meat, so you’re not really disadvantaging anyone. I refuse to play either the “it’s healthier” card (because often it is not) or the “I’m better than you because I’m vegetarian” angle (because I’m not). I just want everyone to be able to eat.

Anyway, here is my story.  When I got to Pearson airport yesterday afternoon, I stopped before the entrance to the baggage drop to pack my winter coat in my suitcase.  while there, for one minute, a guy walked up to the line, said ‘okay, we go in here’ and proceeded to lead what looked like a highschool class into the queue.  Great.  So, being an enterprising and impatient person at the airport (the line was empty before they got there) I walked up to the ‘Club world’ check in. 

Now, I was not travelling ‘club world’ which , in the four tier class system of British Airways flights, is the second to the top.  I was travelling World Traveller Plus, which is like coach with a little more room and power plugs.  Anyway, when I got to the counter, I admitted I was not Club World.  The guy sort of scowled politely and then said oh, well, you’re here now.  Then I remembered to ask what I always ask: how much for an upgrade.

Well, it was $400.  That is not unreasonable, given that Club world has those seats that become beds.  I thought: if I can sleep now, I will not have to crash when I get to my friend’s place.  Which, BTW, was going to be noon the next day, about five hours after I arrived.

Little did I know what i signed up for.  Well, I had some ideas: exclusive lounge (with free booze and food galore).  Then the nice seats.  Table-esque service at the seat, with cloth napkins, steel cutlery, and all that good stuff (BA is pretty good anyway for amenities like beer and wine on flights).  But it got better.

First, though , I should admit that after takeoff, I wasn’t all that impressed.  The problem with the layout of that part of the plane is that it feels very open, and I felt very exposed (I was on an aisle, not in a very private window seat). 

Then I had dinner, which was three or four courses, not in those little trays with the tinfoil covering the, but real food, and a fresh salad and all that.

Ok, it was getting better.  After a bit of relaxing, I decided to try the bed.

Now Club World is not First Class.  The bed goes down but it’s just about 6 feet long.  I’m 6’1″.  So I was a little cramped.  Moreover, the seat is just slightly wider than a normal airline seat, so I was flat, but pretty straight–no rolling on the stomach and sprawling, which is my normal sleeping modus operandi.

And I didn’t feel like I slept.  It was more like laying down and thinking… lulling… jolting awake a few times.  But suddenly I opened my eyes to see the cabin lights back on.  that meant we were an hour away from London.  this was amazing.  Even though I thought maybe I had been laying on my side mulling stuff for about an hour, I had actually slept–intermittently, but still slept–for probably 4-5 hours. Nice

But it got better.  When they handed out the landing cards (the things you give to immigration control) they handed me two other pieces of paper.  One was a ‘fast track’ through immigration control–the richies get a separate line.  the other was entry to the arrivals lounge.  this lounge has private bathrooms with big, luscious showers, (full body jets type showers) and a big breakfast buffet.  Computers galore (I’m writing at one of them) and all the conservative newspapers you want.

The problem, of course, is I feel like a total fish out of water.  I just sort of hide off to the side and try to look inconspicuous.  And keep eating.

I’m amazed the other half aren’t ridiculously fat, too.  But maybe they’re not so affected by the abundance all around (ironically, they also have packs of ‘weight watchers’ branded cookies here, so maybe that’s their secret).

Off to Bristol.  Maybe I’ll muse later, but I’ll probably just doze.  I’m taking a first class train coach (can you blame me, it cost £25?) so maybe I’ll get to know more of the other half.  Or the other .5%.  Or whatever.

Unlike most people, I have stuck with Bell and have all my services with them (internet, mobile, TV and home phone).  Call me a dinosaur.  But I do find that this “loyalty” (more likely inertia) has its rewards.

There is some serious competition in the infotech world these days, so with Bell, Rogers and Shaw (and in my area Cogeco) all sniping each other’s business, being a shrewd and patient consumer can be rewarding.  But patience is the key, as you will soon see.

Here is today’s adventure.  Doing my monthly banking/bill paying routine, I realized that my Bell “One Bill” has been steadily creeping up by about 7-8 bucks a month since the last time I called with my mantra of the day: “I want a better deal.”

This is a problem, and given that Bell has been taken to task by the CRTC for illegal billing before, I remain vigilant.  I called their number and chanted my mantra for today: Why is my bill going up?

After speaking to someone who clearly knew very little, I was transferred, without warning, to the “better deal” department (they actually have a department for people who want a better deal, I’m serious, though the may not call it exactly that).  After some confusion (I was transfered to the Quebec office) I got Ashif, who kept telling me that his job is to make sure I go away happy.

I chanted my mantra again: why is my bill going up?  He said he’d go through each component and make sure I’m getting everything I need for my needs.

Then he proceeded to look at my phone bill.  He asked me how often I use my long distance.  I told him I don’t know.  He said well you used it very little in November.  I replied, well then you have your answer, but what do you mean by “very little.”   I suspect he had more information than I do, but he wasn’t telling.

Then he told me he has very good news for me.  Just for calling (apparently) he was going to up my long distance usage to 1500 minutes a month (which clearly I did not need since my Nov usage was 4-5 minutes) and give that to me for free.  I was saving $10 from previous bills.  Hey, that’s pretty good.

Then he looked at my internet bills.  He saw that I was using about as much bandwidth as I needed.  But he had very good news for me.  He was going to cut $10/month off that bill.  Very good news for me.  Just for calling in.

Finally, he looked at my Satellite TV usage.  He said he couldn’t provide me anything beyond what I was using, but he had very good news for me. He was going to drop my price by $10/month.

All of this was on the promise that I’d stay loyal for a year.  Given my inertia, that was no problem.

Of course, none of this 30 minute conversation answered my original question of why my bill was going up.  So eventually he transferred me to the billing dept (separate from the better price dept)

They told me that my bill  was going up because I was ordering pay-per-view movies, and paying per view!

Okay.  Fair enough.  Mea culpa.  AND that answer came within 3 minutes of reaching that billing guy.  I would have been perfectly content to know it was my doing, and be off the phone quickly.  But through my patience and their unwillingness to give a straight answer, I just saved $360/year.

Very good news.

Call now, operators are standing by.

this was a very enlightening trip for me.  I’ve been to the UK probably a dozen times (I have to sit down and count them sometime) and this was the first time I essentially lived here for a month.  But I also spent a few days out of the city here and there, and there are a few things that I’ve learned for certain.

First, every time I came back from away, from a smaller city, I realized how difficult it is to live in such a cacophonous place.  Walking out of the train station after being in Durham for 5 days, I felt incredibly oppressed by the crowds, the speed of the vehicles and the general anonymity of the place.  It’s not that I’m getting old, but that there is something about that sort of life that feels so inhuman, some how.  I understand now why people commute over an hour to get to work.  It may not just be that it’s too expensive to live here, but also that it’s too straining.

Second, pubs occupy a very different cultural space here than at home.  Many are quite full every night after work, before people get on the trains.  maybe it’s related to that suburban thing, where the only time you can socialize with your colleagues is over a pint after work.  My own preference had been to go to a pub and sit with a pint and work.  But there were times when that was impossible, when there were just too many people to function.

Third, there is very little public space in which you can spend time without spending money.  Oh, sure, there are parks, and you can sit on the grass or sit on a park bench and relax.  But if you want to sit at a table and do some work, reading or whatever, you had better be ready to spend money.  this is not a comment just on London, it’s more a consequence of me being in a flat where there is no table and chair (just a stool and a counter) so sitting back and working was hard.  I’m looking forward to my desk at home.

Fourth, MP3 players can be fantastic things.  I got one a few months ago, after my girlfriend left me and my sister advised me to immerse myself in music — comfort food for the soul — for a while.  It worked.  now, when I’m here, I can do that, too, a touch of my comfort when faced with stresses of the city.  It is, however, isolating.  But I don’t really have much opportunity to speak to people in London in any case.   See point one.

Fifth, after being here twelve times, I had to make more effort to find new and interesting things to do.  Like the comment about spending to be in public space, many things in London (as anywhere) take money, although many museums are free, which is quite different than in Canada.  But it took me some time to figure out other interesting things don’t need to be all-day, life-changing activities, but rather just nice little visits that can be strung together to make a cool day out.  Or even just one seemingly minor event in the evening can be enjoyable.

Sixth, when you have a month stretched out in front of you, it’s too easy to put off doing things you love because you think you have time.  I spent the last weekend doing all those things, because I kept being busy or putting them off.  And now, I look back over the month and know there were many opportunities to do those things.  Oh well.  There is always next time!

Seventh, despite these things, I do really like to be here.  I have strengthened relationships with colleagues and made some new, close friends.  And in spite of all of those aforementioned bothers, there is something about being in London that is pretty awesome.  I still don’t know if I could ever live here–I don’t think I could–but it’s great to know that it’s here.

Anyway, the bus-train-plane awaits.  And while my friend is berating me for being “tired of London” (not the case), what is the truth is that I’m just happy to be going home.

Move away, people, off to the side.  There are other people here, and you’re creating a difficult situation for all.

There is a converse, mass transit issue to gripe about.  Getting out of the Tube at Kings Cross Station today, I saw a group of seniors, moving slowly and looking a little overwhelmed with the whole place and rapid movement of people, while dragging heavy bags.  It was a somewhat chaotic rush-hour time, but Kings Cross is also a very confusing place.  When a little girl (maybe 5 years old) cut in front of a lady in this slow moving group, followed by her dad, the lady said something startled (I didn’t catch exactly what). The dad turned to her in mid stride and said something like “get over it woman!”. Then, when the little girl asked why the lady was angry, he said “she’s just being an unreasonable old woman.”

Here is what educators call “a learning moment” for the little girl.  Where you learn how to treat others with respect.  Dad fails that test.

Then again, maybe he was teaching his daughter how to be an uncaring and self-absorbed Londoner.  In that case, A+.

In addition, there are a total of twelve World Cup flavours. I had found only seven, so the other five are: Argentinian Flame Grilled Steak, Spanish Chicken Paella, South African Sweet Chutney, Italian Spaghetti Bolognese and Australian BBQ Kangaroo.

I have managed to get my hands on all of these, and have tried four of them. Here is the run-down, so far.

1) American Cheeseburger.

If you’ve read “Fast Food Nation” you may not be surprised that this flavour reproduces frighteningly well the complex flavours of a greasy spoon cheeseburger. It is very good, and quite off-putting (like the scene in FFN where the flavour scientist lets the author smell a hamburger flavour that immediately makes the author think he’s got a hamburger in front of him. Uncanny. And tasty.

2) German Bratwurst

Also quite good, tasty and a little off-putting. both of these meaty flavours seem to be a little extra oily, probably to replicate another aspect of the food they’re trying to represent. I say the cheeseburger is a superior flavour, and I like Bratwurst.

3) Dutch Edam Cheese

This is good, too. It’s amazing how they reproduced a cheese flavour without covering the chip in awful cheese powder (a la Cheddar Cheese flavours at home). And it seemed to capture Edam well, so it’s not just the flavour of any tangy cheese.

4) English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

I am going to give a spoiler here, but not one that is a secret: this flavour won the cup. that is, when all the votes were tallied, the English RB&YP was declared the winner. And it’s clearly a case of nationalism winning over the senses, because of these four, this is the least impressive. There are better roast beef crisps out there, and to be honest, except for the fact that these crisps have a bit of a bready flavour, probably to represent the “Yorkshires,” it’s nothing striking, and doesn’t seem to match the accomplishment of the other four.

That’s my evaluation for today. And for the past two weeks. I’m trying not to eat crisps constantly, but it’s so difficult.  I have only three days left, and so much left to consume.

It will be back on Weigh Watchers when I get home.  Finally, a little self control to look forward to!

I have not seen any packs of those crisps here since I arrived.

But what I have found, much to my childish, meat-flavoured-crisps-loving-vegetarian’s delight, is a line of crisps based upon some Fifa world cup teams.  It looks like you have to vote on your favourite flavour, or something.  They seem to have the votes based upon the way that teams play off each other.  I should probably read the instructions better and report back.

/

I am not sure why they chose the countries they chose (perhaps because they could come up with stereotypical flavours for them) but here is the result.

In no particular order, and I’m sure with no preference for the team or the country:

Japanese Teriyaki Chicken.  I’m guessing this got in b/c Walkers has a Japanese flavouring already. Seems pretty lame.

French Garlic Baguette.  Bread and garlic?  We’ll see.

American myocardial infarction.  Clear!

A Brazilian.  Walker’s has a Brazilian!

This is a cop-out.  Roast Beef and Mustard is a staple flavour, so they just drop the mustard and probably add yeast flakes.

I had to go out of my way to get this one, since my usual crisps store (where I can always find cool varieties) didn’t have them any more.  I wish they had added sauerkraut to the mix…

Holland could be the big winner, but I don’t know if the flavour is going to be so remarkable.

Anyway, hopefully next week I can begin my thoughtful evaluation of these flavours. But for now, I’m heading to Durham for an academic conference.  It will be all seriousness and thinking… do you really believe that?

Trying to break my lethargy and to be honest overly-comfortable travelling tendency (in other words: go places with which I am familiar, like London) I am contemplating other destinations.  Here is what I’m thinking for a two-day, very quick, no checked luggage trip:

Morocco.  Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fez

Denmark: Copenhagen

Sweden: Stockholm or Gothenberg

Austria: Vienna

Czech: Prague.

The criteria for me are: don’t go some place I’ve been; don’t go some place where I have rudimentary knowledge of the language (ie: French, Spanish, German, English).   Don’t take a flight so long that two days is essentially meaningless.

I will take this trip sometime next week (probably July 13 returning July 15 or thereabouts).  But where to go?

I’m a little wary of Morocco, mostly because everything I hear about it is how crowded it is. Everything I read about it is about the dickering in the marketplaces.  Neither of those really appeals to me.

Stockholm, Copenhagen, Prague and Vienna are all appealing because I’ve hear they’re beautiful  I am also a little more familiar with the history, and I like to go somewhere in which the history is familiar to me, because it is a foundation on which I can build new knowledge.

I would love suggestions… if there is anyone out there?