The Plane and the Next Morning Sept 7th & 8th

I know I said non-linear and a lot will be, but the beginning is somewhat linear....

So I'm flying today. My brother is coming by soon and I got a call from Serge (sergefoglio.blogspot.com). He and his wife, Sil (silviaboriani.blogspot.com), jump in the car. We head to the airport. The check in is easy, as I'm only carrying my camera bag, a small tube for posters and a backpack with clothes, only carry on! We have a Tim Hortons Last Supper and as we yak about the art, I realize that the one display is from Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria...... My thoughts go to Paul,  who, until recently, has been the director of the council, and a great help to me. Thanks to the council, I had a great show, my first truly organized one: stills, multimedia and video and later a big show at the McPherson Theatre in Victoria, a great space, and by great I mean friggin' huge! That was the night the Weather conspired with Victoria to keep people from my show. This was one of of the 2 nights that Victoria got snow and I was powerless to stop the weather's evil plans. I got a decent turnout anyway.... Here's a link to the work I had up there for a month:

thornapple.ca/McPhersonShow/Highslide/

Many thanks to Sarah Rostami for suggesting I enter...... Back at the airport, I say my goodbyes and head to the waiting zone. The flight to Van is over in an instant, but I get some decent photos:

This one makes me think of The Love Boat for some reason....

Coming in to Van....

and settle in for my 2hr wait for the Montreal flight… I eat a crappy sandwich and people/place watch. 

The flight is delayed 45mins, so I spend the remainder of the time doing the post surgery discomfort dance. I walk slowly to the line and we board. It always strikes me, how much airplane passengers are like cattle. To pass the time, I flirt with a stewardess a little, then I watch bad movies all the way there. I don't take many pictures....

......I don't have a window seat and the guy at the window has the blind down most of the time. In flight, I marvel at thee colours and change in perspective from the air...we really are protozoa, if that, in the scheme of space-time.

So we land and it's 12:30am...the stomach is still tender. I walk through the crush of humanity, which is not much as would be expected as it is late/early, to catch a cab. I'm looking at the cab drivers and they keep passing by without looking at me...an arab porter with a french accent says: Excuse me sir, are you looking for a cab? Yes please. He leads me over to an older minivan cab (almost looks like a Dodge Caravan) and I say hello to the driver also an arab kid in his mid to late twenties. I give him the address, he looks a little confused I tell him it is in NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce).

Are you sure you know, I ask?"
He confirms, "Yesyes."

So I sit back for the most uncomfortable ride of my life. As I am spiralling around the cab beginning to feel my stomach separating from itself, I think maybe he has forgotten his shocks at home as everything rattle like the mine buster roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland......He is going fast.....and at a certain point I realize he is lost....do you know where we are? NDG

So we pull over to the side of the road and the meter is still running.....he pulls out his iPhone as I am beginning to look at mine and I stunned that he didn't look it up at the beginning of the trip so he knew where the hell he was going......i thought that was his job.....anyway we both find it about the same time and he says:

Oh, you said...NDG.....
It is NDG, I say...quite irritated by this time.

So we are now headed in the right direction, but he is circle around totally lost and turning into driveways backing up...and I'm saying WTF in my head....which he senses and this isn't making him any more competent. Even though it's dark, I see the street sign before him.....turn here... and then the address.... and I say:

"How much do I owe you?", looking at the $40 on the meter.
$35
yeah....$30.
We only went a little off, 35"
Yeah I'm not paying more than $30....
"No problem. No problem".
I feel kinda bad for the kid, but he shoulda looked it up and I'm tired.

I buzz and Jess comes to meet me. I can't pick her up without hurting myself, but I give her a big kiss.
She has food and I eat and I'm out.

I wake up and this is the view from my bedroom window:

and this

and this

from the study

and from the living room....

So that's all I got......today is Oct 10th and we're having 5 people over for thanksgiving dinner and I'm cooking. As always I got lots more to say...Talk at ya again soon!