Almost a night out.

Well,  that was close.   Damned near had a chance to interact with some fellow English speaking types.  Apparently though,   they're not all that punctual.

 I don't do "late".

Just doesn't work for me.  If you're organising an "event",  you need to be on time.

Or send an emissary.

A note on a table.

Something.

 There was supposed to be some sort of "meet and greet"  at a dump er,  I mean "pub" a few blocks away,  and by the time I found the place,  I was feeling kinda bad that I was already quite late,  (twenty minutes!)  but in spite of that fact,  there was nary a soul there.  Not sure what was up with that,  but I simply walked home.   So I went from feeling somewhat "sheepish"  to well, just a sheep.


See, if I'm going to sit by myself and drink beer,  I can do it right here.   Thank-you.
Besides,   the "Flying Pig" was aptly named,  and maybe it was supposed to have "character",  but to my way of thinking,  it wasn't much to write home about.   So I won't.

The way I look at it,  I have to put up with enough "passive" bullshit,  so I'm certainly not going to be looking for the "active" kind.

Say what you wish about the Austrians,  and there's plenty to say I'm sure,  but with any encounters or meetings that I've had up to this point,  there has never ever been a situation when anyone was blatantly late.  Or even close to being late.
 OK,  maybe there was this one time with the immigration lawyer,  and we're going to once again put him to the test on Monday morning.  We'll see how he does.   Should I send him a note and ask if he needs a wake-up call?

Anyway.

They'll even call if they're early to ask if that's "OK"?  And I'm not just talking about German teacher dude.   The same happened with the so called installer from Telecom Austria.   He showed up early.  He called me on my "Handy"  (cell phone) to ask if that was OK?  I don't think that really happens in North America.   Mind you,  turns out he was pretty useless as an installer,  but that's another story.
He was polite,  albeit incompetent.

Now,  speaking of Austrians (and you're thinking,  "oh here he goes")   I went this morning for a haircut.  Of course the "Friseur"  babbles away at me in German and well,  I can understand about 95% I would say,  so that's not too bad,  and then at some point,  as in every encounter while seated in the chair,  you do run out of things to talk about,  and that has nothing to do with any kind of language barrier.
I mean,  I run out of things to talk about when I'm at my favourite barber back in Burlington.   I'm just saying.
No,  what I wanted to mention was that she had Christmas presents for both Travelling Companion and me.
Huh?
  She was even somewhat apologetic that she forgot about them when Travelling Companion was in a couple weeks back.
Good thing I was sitting down.   I had never heard of such a thing.  I know we've been going there for something like a year,  but Christmas presents?
Now before you say,  "oh well, it was probably some sort of deal from a supplier"  it still seems to me to be somewhat extraordinary.

 I'm not some sort of ingrate,  I was very thankful.   I do know how to thank someone profusely in German.  Don't worry.

 The one on the left is for me.   Never thought of myself as much of a Metro sexual,  but I suppose I'll use that hand cream.   I didn't really look in the other package.   Some sort of lubricants presumably.




And if my wife is reading this from the UK (I doubt it,  she said the internet at the hotel was sketchy)  sorry Dear to have ruined the "surprise".

 (rolling my eyes here)


You'll notice that the little camera is actually in the picture.   That's not a trick.   One of the other things that tends to just drive me around the bend is the fact that it's FLIPPIN' dark by five o'clock!   Even though I'm not overly keen on the cold,  the darkness is the part of winter that I just loathe.   And that's all I'm gonna say, but man I could really go on about that.

It turns out that the little camera doesn't do all that well in the total absence of light,  so I had to bring out the big guns.  It was at that point that I realised that I need some new batteries for the flash.   (yes,  click the link)

I thought there was something else wrong,  but it was just the batteries.   Oops.

Managed to squeeze out a couple shots,  but that was about it.
I'll need to get right on that.   But man, that thing is just about idiot proof.



And well, that's probably a good thing.




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