Please Wait

I take a lot of relatively small aircraft - my usual commute to Lugano is on one that seats just over 50 people. As a rule, they let you put larger carry-on stuff outside the plane as you get on.. .then they load it up and unload it for you at the other end.

It's a pretty good deal. You don't have to carry it (or find space) on board, but you also don't have to wait for it at the baggage belt at the other end. But every time we land, they say the same thing, usually in three languages:

"We kindly ask you to wait patiently while your hand-luggage is being unloaded."

Now, I'm glad that they're willing to unload it. Really, I am. And from what I've seen, they do a pretty good job. I haven't heard of them missing any.

But why the announcement? I mean, if the stewardess would just stand there for a minute before opening the door, would people spontaneously rush forward? Would the guys at the front push her into the cockpit so we could figure out how to get that door open and the stairs down, to tear wildly across the tarmac? Or maybe people who had given stuff to the luggage guy at the other end would just not remember, "hey, it felt... heavier, before. Nah, I must have been imagining it..."

I like to talk - any of my friends will tell you. I even like listening. And, with people who are special to me, I can even talk about/listen to a whole lot of more or less nothing, and still be quite happy just to have the time and the contact, especially if snack are involved. But my relationship with the Darwin stewardess is (perhaps regrettably) not exactly in that category.


I wonder if I should say something?

British Nathan

He's back, and it's cool. For never considering myself much of a room-mate kind of guy, I sure like it when Nathan's in town. I drink more tea. I have more good conversations. I get an appreciative audience to show my progressing mix-downs to. The little chick likes to get him to read stories to her. And every once in a while I get to hear him play.

Very nice.

And I can't wait for the weekend. I know it's only Thursday, but I'm ready. I was ready yesterday, in fact.

In other news, I've installed a tea station at our "office" (in the client offices) in Lugano. There is a coffee machine on our floor, but it's one of those ones with terrible instant coffee - absolutely brutal. A kettle, a few cups, the hotel is kind enough to leave tea in the rooms that we can bring with and - voila - instant team spirit. It's cool.

Ummmmm.....

You know when you get to that point in a phone conversation where you don't really want to hang up, but you also don't have anything else to say? That's kind of where I'm at, now.



So, I guess, talk to you later?

I Should Have Known

As I was taking off yesterday with a colleague, we both noticed the plan dip a bit on take-off... a bit more than usual. We looked at each other. "I didn't feel any wind..." I said. And as we continued to climb, it got worse - sudden-ish turns, overcorrections.... some of it felt like wind, but some of what felt like the result of a rookie pilot.

When we landed and walked down onto the tarmac after saying good-bye to the stewardess and pilot, she started to laugh. I didn't get it, but I hadn't really engaged my brain to get from my seat out of the plane... it was just business as usual.

"Didn't you see?" she said.

"Uhhhh......"

"The pilot. It was a woman... now it all makes sense!"


Well... she said it. But I didn't argue.

Ciao, Bello

I had a guy I work with in the bank pass me in the hall today. He winked and gave me the thumbs-up.


I love Italians.

The Bidet

In room 131, they had the good sense to put the toilet in front of the door and the bidet behind, rather than the other way around, as it is in some of the rooms. I haven't had a problem yet in the year and a half I've been staying here, but when it's late and the lights are off... well, they do look pretty similar. It's just not good planning.

Wow

I've taken the flight between Lugano and Geneva... well, most weeks for almost the last two years.

I've seen a lot of Alps, and a lot of sunsets.

But I've never seen it like it was tonight. The clouds were thick, so there was only a hint of mountain beneath them every once in a while, but far from ruining the view, that's what made it.

I've always loved clouds... I love the fantastic shapes they make, the way they seem so artificially three-dimensional poised against the flat backdrop of sky, like someone painted them there just a little too vividly to be real. I love the way the sun never leaves them unchanged... some tonight had rich, honey-colored highlights as the setting sun lit them up like giant rambling towers of wool. Some held the light within them but glowed ferociously at their edges, like they were unable to contain it. And some, dark with rain, just blotted it out and seemed, somehow, even darker and more impenetrable.

There are times when I see an absolutely stunning woman and I can't help but catch my breath - it's impossible not to react. And the flight tonight was like that, I started out absorbed in my book but by the end I was staring out the window, just wanting it to last forever. I didn't get any pictures... I knew that they would never equal what I had seen, so I didn't even try. But I wish you had been there.

It was beautiful.

Pink Pictures

A few shots from the show with my digicam...

[EDIT] I just realized that this is probably the most personality-free post I've ever made. I thought about doing something to make up for it, but I think it's just too late for that. Sorry.

P!nk

Well, I decided to go see her at the Moon & Stars Festival in Locarno, Switzerland because the MNB is playing one of her tunes, and I like it a lot.

I've been to a few pure pop shows before... Robbie Williams, The Corrs, and, um... well, it seemed like more. In any case, I enjoyed those ones, and I expected to like this one. I had a hunch it wouldn't be my usual crowd, but after the night before (which was spent with my project team eating insanely overpriced Japanese food to the worst player-piano music ever) it would have to be a nice relief. I figured there would be some nice staging, and that it would be good to move to. And, of course, to sing along with.

What I didn't expect was that she can actually sing.

I thought I'd seen her on TV before, and I seem to remember it being pretty nasty. In retrospect, I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility that she was just stoned out of her mind. She seemed sober last night, and she nailed it vocally.

I was right about it not being my usual crowd, though. She seems to have a strange audience - a lot of teen girls, which I had expected. A lot of punks, which I had expected. And a lot of lesbians in their 40's which I had not expected. And, realtive to the general population, I couldn't help but notice that this last group seems to share a bit of a disturbing affinity for the hair and eye-wear stylings of Al Franken.

I'm still not sure what to do with that. Good show, though...

The Sun Always Shines

... in Lugano. Okay, not always, but a lot of the time. It makes for some nice pictures....

Some Pictures

I got the first one at breakfast at my hotel last time I was in Lugano, and the second two around the recycling yard by my Lausanne office. You can see more here.

Lago Lugano

Me and the crew went on a little cruise last week to say good-bye to François. It was a nice night, so I took a couple of pictures...

As usual, you can find more here.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

Well, I can't find the one I wanted to post today. But at least I remembered.



Next week will be extra good, I promise.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

Or was. Sorry - that's two weeks in a row *hides face in shame*

Here's one by the toughest gang in Lugano. To join, you have to be willing to cut off your own legs at the knee. They don't catch many people, but if they do get a hold of you, you're in deep trouble.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

Okay, this one almost looks too intentional to be graffiti, but it's painted on a wall, and that's good enough for me. Near the docks in Lugano....

The Water Hole

As my interest in nature photography grows, I decided it may be time to move beyond flowers and begin shooting some more challenging subjects. Unfortunately, time and budget constraints dictate that I am not able to get to Africa to do a safari, but I did secure a spot in central Lugano with a relatively clear view of a popular water hole. So I set up, eager to begin and confident that, as the sun was rising, nature would array herself before me in all her glory and variety. And, as you can see here, I wasn't disappointed.

The View From Here

The fountain in front of my bank in Lugano. Makes it feel like time for a weekend, doesn't it?

And More Pictures From Lugano

Did I mention that I really like this camera? I managed to get a few more after work. My goal is to have the first page of my blog completely inaccessible for anyone with a slow internet connection. And I think it's going right according to plan.

They were doing construction on the front of this store for ages (it's between my hotel and office). I love the new look... nice in the day, but even better by night.





I KNOW I'm not the only one who finds this amusing.


Cleaning up at the end of the market day.






Here it is again, at night - it makes the whole square glow, which may turn out to be kind of hideous in the long run, but since this is the first time I'm seeing it, I like it.

Wednesday Is Graffiti Day

No throwing out Nazis. Or something.

Lunch In Lugano

The fun with the new camera continues. Still a little cold, but some better light today...

Less Words, More Pictures

I got an email from a friend who stopped by to look at my blog but was a little disturbed at the ratio of words:pictures. So, here's another picture. I was out by the pool in Lugano with a few of my colleagues. A couple of us weren't swimming, but were just watching the others swim (with a duck decoy, but that's the subject worthy of a post on its own) and the exercise class in progress. Partway through the class, I was able to get this shot. Look closely. Click on it to see the larger version if you need to. It's worth it.

And no, he's not someone I know. He would probably be an interesting guy, though.