Actually I didn’t notice it, but it is nice of them they apologized. It would have been nicer a few Aeroplan miles for people who would have written back and said the salutation mistake caused inconvenience for them or at least a draw for them with 3 prizes.

I would have not written back as first of all I hadn’t noticed the salutation mistake and even if I had it would have not caused me any inconvenience.

It's a pig's life (a small farm in Saanich, BC Canada)

PIIGS

I don’t know where I found this photo with 5 pigs some time ago. I suppose the pig that seems ostracized is Greece. Too late, the contagion has already happened.

Everyone tries to come up with something clever for this date; it seems there are even 2 separate movies with this title: 11-11-11 and 11/11/11

And this site to be launched came with their own 11/11/11 . 

I suppose they meant 111 quality submissions as I have already sent them 3 stories (guys, please send an acknowledgement e-mail when someone submits a story, the site seem to be very well designed but this is basic: ‘a thank you e-mail’).

Of course, it had to be 11 more days and now I understand why the counter on the site showed 10 more days instead of 00:00:00 as I would have expected.

So please whoever cares to read this post, send them some stories and be done with it. I don’t want them to add 111 hours, or even worse, 111 days.

The link is wegetthere.com/travelmeansfreedom

I have missed most of this decade but I will have to come with something clever for 12/12/12 12:12 GMT. I will have to think about it, though if the world comes to an end on 21 Dec. 2012 there will not be much time to reap the fruits of whatever I come up with.

Please again, your travel story !

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with the respective site.

It has been like that since around 11 PM EST. Perhaps the site has been hacked. The promotion should have started midnight EST 10 November .

The countdown that stopped working was a test. Do you give up easily? Do you have what it takes? This is what Radisson wanted to find out.

A free night isn’t for everyone.

Another must for anyone who visits L.A. is the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As usual, Wikipedia is the place to go for additional information:

Below the inscription, in the lower half of the star field, a round inlaid brass emblem indicates the category of the honoree’s contributions. The emblems symbolize five categories within the entertainment industry

Gene Autry is the only honoree with stars in all five categories. Bob Hope, Mickey Rooney, Roy Rogers, and Tony Martin each have stars in four categories

I took quite a few photos of the stars, but I will only show a few.

I used to watch Jerry Lewis’s movies when I was a child. I liked them a lot; generally, any comedy with Jerry Lewis is not to be missed.

Also, Bob Hope, another comedian I liked. I didn’t know he had lived so long. 100 years. It must be true what they say about laughter extending one’s life. When asked on his deathbed where he wanted to be buried, Bob Hope told his wife, “Surprise me.”
Somewhere outside of a city in a theatre showing his movies would have been a fitting burial place. It would have been an open stone theatre, like the antique Greek theatres.

The walls would have depicted scenes from his movies and his jokes. In the distant future, very likely, the movies would not be shown, but the theatre would still be standing, telling the story of Bob Hope’s life.

And Chuck Lorre, writer, director, producer and composer who has created many American sitcoms, including ‘Two and a Half Men’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory’. I am a fan of these 2 sitcoms (the former less since Charlie Sheen left). How can the man be so creative ? I still have to find 2 same jokes in both sitcoms. 

Note: the photo of the Greek theater is from Wikimedia Commons

My wife and I arrived at the hotel and it took some time to check in. I should have used the online check-in; yes, they offer this at Fairmont, but last time I used this (in February 2011*) it didn’t seem to make any difference,  I still had to go to the front desk, so I didn’t bother this time. We went to the suite where there was no welcome basket awaiting us, as I’d become used to due to my status. 

I did not want to call the front desk, but I did send an e-mail (I thought a phone call might sound too needy) to Customer Service asking whether the welcome basket depended on location (this was my own explanation for the lack of it).
They answered in some 30 minutes,an impressively fast response: “Yes, it does depend on each hotel. Each hotel decides if they will be offering a welcome amenity and what type of amenity they would offer.” The mystery had been solved and that was it. However, after some time, someone knocks at the door and delivers the missing welcome basket. 

There was no coffee machine in the suite; I can’t remember the last time I had a room without a coffee machine, not that I use it but I found it quite odd. However, this was in the suite:

My wife said : “When you made the reservations, you must not have specified that the second adult was your wife !”
I don’t think the kit was complimentary, and I didn’t want to call the front desk to ask.

And a phone in the bathroom, again, not something you see often.

I wonder, does anyone make calls from the bathroom? Why? By its position, one could be doing only one thing at that moment of calling. I imagine the conversation:
“How is it going?”
“It is going well.” or possibly, “It isn’t going to well.”

Unrelated to this post, but I have had a strong urge to share it with other people and here seemed to be the best place.

My niece has a blog and one of her posts is about how oatmeal that contains fiber was good for transit.
I suggested that she put the following poll at the end of the post:

Do you want to see the result?
1. No
2. Yes, black and white photos
3. Yes, color photos
4. Yes, video on Youtube       
5. Yes, video on Youtube with musical background

My wife didn’t like the suggestion at all so my niece didn’t post the poll, but I still think it was a good idea.

* quite surprised to have recently read in the Globe and Mail:

Frequent guests at Fairmont Hotels in North America will soon be able to bypass the front desk by checking in and out online. The service will be available to members of Fairmont President’s Club and Fairmont Gold. Prior to arrival, members will be able to register using a laptop, smart phone or other Web-connected device. An e-mail will inform guests where to pick up their room key. Before leaving, guests can check out online and receive a receipt by e-mail.

The new terminal opened on October 30 and it does seem very clean, modern and efficient.

Wikipedia: “A major project involving the construction of a new terminal was completed in 2011. The terminal was designed by the world famous architect César Pelli[11]. The new terminal, is located northeast of the existing terminal, was constructed in two phases, and was opened on October 30, 2011[12]. Construction on the new terminal began in the early spring of 2007. The Winnipeg Airports Authority hopes to attract better services using widebody aircraft such as the Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER, with service to Europe.”

I don’t want to be a killjoy, but you still have to wait outside for the taxi. It seems it is not possible to think of everything (I am talking here of the architects, who very likely didn’t come to Winnipeg on a late flight during the winter).

During the summer or when there are plenty of taxis it is not a big issue, but during the winter waiting for a taxi outside in the cold it is something best to avoided. And it can get very cold in Winnipeg. I had a snapshot that showed – 40 (can’t find it now).