Tue - May 20, 2003
Travelogue Reformatted
Hello and welcome to the Meltdown travelogue. While
this diary was being written, the most recent items always appeared at the top
with the rest of the entries in reverse chronological order. Now that it's over
and this diary has become a historical document rather than a real time
document, I've switched the order around so that it reads start to
end.
The entries are divided up into a few categories - The Shows has photos from the performances I attended, Walkabout has photos and comments on things I did and saw during the days, It's The Little Things has some observations about the small but noticeable differences between Canada and England. These categories can be shown on their own by clicking on the categories in the navigation on the right.
If you follow a link to show a single entry from the diary you can return to this page by clicking on the Meltdown link at the bottom of the entry.
Your comments are welcome. Email me at uiguy@mac.com if you like.
thanks
adam
The entries are divided up into a few categories - The Shows has photos from the performances I attended, Walkabout has photos and comments on things I did and saw during the days, It's The Little Things has some observations about the small but noticeable differences between Canada and England. These categories can be shown on their own by clicking on the categories in the navigation on the right.
If you follow a link to show a single entry from the diary you can return to this page by clicking on the Meltdown link at the bottom of the entry.
Your comments are welcome. Email me at uiguy@mac.com if you like.
thanks
adam
Posted at 08:46 AM Preparations Read More Email Comments
Sat - May 31, 2003
I have my tickets
I'm going to see Lee
Scratch Perry's Meltdown . I have plane tickets, I have passports (two
of them), I have tickets waiting for me at Royal Festival Hall for all the shows between
Public
Enemy and Linton Kwesi Johnson, I have a place to stay,
and I have two week's worth of passes to the Underground.
But will I even get there?
Air Canada is teetering on the brink of collapse. Just as long as they can stay in business long enough to get me there, I'll be happy.
But will I even get there?
Air Canada is teetering on the brink of collapse. Just as long as they can stay in business long enough to get me there, I'll be happy.
Posted at 05:03 PM Preparations Read More Email Comments
Sun - June 1, 2003
Phew
Let's just hope it stays that way for one more
week.
TORONTO - Air Canada has reached a cost-cutting deal with its pilots that should keep its planes in the air. The two sides had a midnight Saturday deadline, but their deal wasn't announced until around 3 a.m. Sunday. This means a bankruptcy hearing that had been scheduled for today has been canceled.
Full story on CBC News. Thanks to everyone who had their fingers crossed.
TORONTO - Air Canada has reached a cost-cutting deal with its pilots that should keep its planes in the air. The two sides had a midnight Saturday deadline, but their deal wasn't announced until around 3 a.m. Sunday. This means a bankruptcy hearing that had been scheduled for today has been canceled.
Full story on CBC News. Thanks to everyone who had their fingers crossed.
Posted at 11:59 AM Preparations Read More Email Comments
Sat - June 7, 2003
The Itinerary
I called the British High Commission this week, to
make sure that they were going to let me into the country (coming from Toronto,
as I do.) Evidently as long as Toronto lets me leave, England will let me
enter.
So here's the schedule, such as it stands at the moment:
Leave Toronto - Sunday June 8 8:15PM on Air Canada 848
Arrive Heathrow - Monday June 9 8:05AM
Meltdown shows
June 10 - Public Enemy
June 11 - Tortoise with Lee Scratch Perry and Mad Professor
June 13 - Sly and Robbie with Michael Rose
June 14 - The Songs of Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry
June 15 - Mutabaruka
June 16 - Tricky
June 20 - Michael Franti and Spearhead
June 21 - Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Dennis Bovell Band
There's also a load of free shows during the day, a "Traditional Jamaican 'Old Style' Dance Workshop" , and the "Black Ark Study Centre" which sounds really interesting but will be a zoo no doubt.
Leave Heathrow - Sunday June 22 1:00PM on Air Canada 857
Arrive Toronto - Sunday June 22 4:00PM
So here's the schedule, such as it stands at the moment:
Leave Toronto - Sunday June 8 8:15PM on Air Canada 848
Arrive Heathrow - Monday June 9 8:05AM
Meltdown shows
June 10 - Public Enemy
June 11 - Tortoise with Lee Scratch Perry and Mad Professor
June 13 - Sly and Robbie with Michael Rose
June 14 - The Songs of Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry
June 15 - Mutabaruka
June 16 - Tricky
June 20 - Michael Franti and Spearhead
June 21 - Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Dennis Bovell Band
There's also a load of free shows during the day, a "Traditional Jamaican 'Old Style' Dance Workshop" , and the "Black Ark Study Centre" which sounds really interesting but will be a zoo no doubt.
Leave Heathrow - Sunday June 22 1:00PM on Air Canada 857
Arrive Toronto - Sunday June 22 4:00PM
Posted at 12:38 PM Preparations Read More Email Comments
Mon - June 9, 2003
New Day Rising
If I'd taken the 7:15 flight, instead of the 8:15, it
would have worked out much better. Rain clouds moved in as the bus took me to
the "mid-field terminal," and shortly thereafter the airport was struggling to
keep flights moving as a series of thunderstorms passed
through.
We finally got off the ground sometime after 10. The plane is only about 3/4 full, and I would have had a nice, four-seat middle section all to myself, except some stuffy creep decided that I had more room than I knew what to do with (nonsense - I had elaborate plans for all four seats) and took the far seat without so much as a "hello", a "do you mind?", or even an "I'm sitting here sonny, get used to it."
Much to my surprise, they actually fed us dinner. I'd eaten a fabulous "beer can chicken" dinner with Tamara and Logue and Nancy before I left, but I figured free is free, and I'm always eager for any activity to keep me occupied on long flights. I was even more surprised to find out I had a choice of meals - lasagne or chicken. Well I've had enough airline chicken over the years, and it seemed like a slap in the face to Logue's efforts to pile Air Canada "grilled" chicken on top of his succulent fowl, so I thought I'd give the lasagne a try.
I can't adequately describe what I saw when I lifted the foil, but I feel certain that the words "food" and "edible" would be missing from any attempt. "Slimy" might be in there though. As well as at least one reference to regurgitation. Okay, you get the picture. 'Nuff said.
The movie was Chicago, which I watched enough of to decide that it was basically a snappy rock video with overproduced jazz music. Not bad, but not good enough to hold my attention either. (I believe the movie on the way back will be "About Schmidt," which I'm hoping will be much more satisfying.)
So it's now 8:10AM GMT. We're scheduled to arrive in London at 9:45AM - almost two hours late. Jerry was going to pick me up at the airport. I hope he checks the arrival times before he sets out.
I'm going to go back to doing some REALbasic programming now. I can never keep my attention on anything for more than about twenty minutes at a time when I'm on a plane. Some kind of weird anxiety settles in and I bounce from book to magazine to movie to computer to fiddling with the seat and back to the magazines like some intellectual pinball machine.
The purser just came over the speakers - the "continental breakfast" is on the way. God, please no fried eggs.
We finally got off the ground sometime after 10. The plane is only about 3/4 full, and I would have had a nice, four-seat middle section all to myself, except some stuffy creep decided that I had more room than I knew what to do with (nonsense - I had elaborate plans for all four seats) and took the far seat without so much as a "hello", a "do you mind?", or even an "I'm sitting here sonny, get used to it."
Much to my surprise, they actually fed us dinner. I'd eaten a fabulous "beer can chicken" dinner with Tamara and Logue and Nancy before I left, but I figured free is free, and I'm always eager for any activity to keep me occupied on long flights. I was even more surprised to find out I had a choice of meals - lasagne or chicken. Well I've had enough airline chicken over the years, and it seemed like a slap in the face to Logue's efforts to pile Air Canada "grilled" chicken on top of his succulent fowl, so I thought I'd give the lasagne a try.
I can't adequately describe what I saw when I lifted the foil, but I feel certain that the words "food" and "edible" would be missing from any attempt. "Slimy" might be in there though. As well as at least one reference to regurgitation. Okay, you get the picture. 'Nuff said.
The movie was Chicago, which I watched enough of to decide that it was basically a snappy rock video with overproduced jazz music. Not bad, but not good enough to hold my attention either. (I believe the movie on the way back will be "About Schmidt," which I'm hoping will be much more satisfying.)
So it's now 8:10AM GMT. We're scheduled to arrive in London at 9:45AM - almost two hours late. Jerry was going to pick me up at the airport. I hope he checks the arrival times before he sets out.
I'm going to go back to doing some REALbasic programming now. I can never keep my attention on anything for more than about twenty minutes at a time when I'm on a plane. Some kind of weird anxiety settles in and I bounce from book to magazine to movie to computer to fiddling with the seat and back to the magazines like some intellectual pinball machine.
The purser just came over the speakers - the "continental breakfast" is on the way. God, please no fried eggs.
Posted at 08:16 AM Out and About Read More Email Comments
Touchdown
After an interminable delay boarding, a long flight,
and another wait to get into our "ramp" at Heathrow, I was finally free. Jerry
was there, waiting for me (the man is a saint). We hopped on the Heathrow
Express and then into a
cab.
London cabs are everything they are cracked up to be. Spacious, fun, and driven by a character straight out of Eastenders. I would lay money that our driver was named "Charlie."
I settled into Jane and Jerry's place and then went for a walk round. I got a SIM chip for my cell phone and now have a local phone number. North America really are hopelessly behind the times when it comes to cell phones. The array of available phones and services here is ridiculous.
Notting Hill suits me as a neighbourhood. The Waterstones bookstore is across the street from the Starbucks.
I wandered down to Hyde Park...
where the Princess Diana Memorial Childrens' Playground thingamajig is. I took one look at this thing and thought "that's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
But it appears the British (or at least the locals) seem to understand that harm reduction can go too far...
After sitting on a bench for a while I wandered back home. And now there is some delicious smell wafting in from the kitchen. Excuse me... 12 hours of airline food requires that I must investigate this...
London cabs are everything they are cracked up to be. Spacious, fun, and driven by a character straight out of Eastenders. I would lay money that our driver was named "Charlie."
I settled into Jane and Jerry's place and then went for a walk round. I got a SIM chip for my cell phone and now have a local phone number. North America really are hopelessly behind the times when it comes to cell phones. The array of available phones and services here is ridiculous.
Notting Hill suits me as a neighbourhood. The Waterstones bookstore is across the street from the Starbucks.
I wandered down to Hyde Park...
where the Princess Diana Memorial Childrens' Playground thingamajig is. I took one look at this thing and thought "that's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
But it appears the British (or at least the locals) seem to understand that harm reduction can go too far...
After sitting on a bench for a while I wandered back home. And now there is some delicious smell wafting in from the kitchen. Excuse me... 12 hours of airline food requires that I must investigate this...
Posted at 07:34 PM Out and About Read More Email Comments
Festival Show - Public Enemy with DJ Lord Aswod
Tuesday walkabout
Wednesday Walkabout
Festival Show - Tortoise with The Bees, Coldcut, and Lee Scratch Perry
It's The Little Things, Part 2
Thursday Walkabout
Festival Show - Sly & Robbie and Michael Rose with Roni Size and Howie B
It's The Little Things, Part 3
Friday Walkabout
I'm awake now
Saturday Walkabout
Festival Show - The Songs of Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry
Sunday Walkabout
Festival Show - Dub Poetry Explosion
Monday Walkabout
Festival Show - Tricky with Mad Professor and Lee Scratch Perry
We have a winner
Tuesday Walkabout
Wednesday Walkabout
Thursday Walkabout
Friday Walkabout
Festival Show - Micheal Franti and Spearhead with DJ Spooky, and the Sun Ra Arkestra
Saturday Walkabout
Festival Show - Linton Kwesi Johnson with The Dennis Bovell Dub Band
It's The Little Things, Part 4
Sunday - Coming Home
Roll The Credits
Calendar
| July 2003 | ||||||
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
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Total entries in this blog: 34
It's The Little Things: 5
Out and About: 17
Preparations: 4
The Shows : 8
Published On: Jul 02, 2003 09:08 AM
It's The Little Things: 5
Out and About: 17
Preparations: 4
The Shows : 8
Published On: Jul 02, 2003 09:08 AM