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Third day in France, and not a whisper of a blog entry. Have Facebook and Twitter updates truly made the blog redundant? Certainly a significant number of the people whom I know who used to write blogs now confine themselves to FB or (increasingly) Twitter posts.
I'll admit that, when Twitter started, I was sceptical. Grubby (Pauly's brother) was the first blogger whom I saw mention it, when he was working at a radio station, back in, I dunno, 2008 or something like that. First of all, I couldn't quite get the hang of what it was, and then I couldn't quite work out what the point was. I got the fact that it would be useful for real-time updates of chip counts and the like, but this was before the smartphone and 'always on' was ubiquitous, even in Europe, let alone the US, which was about 18 months behind the curve when it came to mobile telecommunications.
Which all goes to show how little I know. The smartphone changed it all; it's perfect for Twitter and rubbish for blogs. Even with Swype, I find that my emails are terser. The medium most definitely influences the message.
And, speaking of mediums, I'm writing this on a laptop which is on my lap. That doesn't happen very often. Laptops in the main these days are more portable desktops than laptops, aren't they? In the office a few years ago you would see people moving between floors carrying their notebooks (paper). Now they are carrying their laptops.
Also in the world of mediums (but a different type), I enjoyed "The Awakening", which I saw on Friday. Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton carried an implausible plot rather well.
++++++
The journey to France was, once again, not smooth. This time the trip to the airport went extremely smoothly, and I arrived by 8.20am for the 10.55am flight. Craig appeared at just past 9am and we went to check in. The queue was about 10 times longer than it had been at 8.20. I can see the merits of hand baggage only, now that you print out your boarding pass at home.
Unfortunately the 10.55am was to become the 12.50pm before it took off, with a couple of delays. I texted the woman who was going to be meeting us at the apartment, but my Android phone had decided that "Nice Pebbles Nella" was the same person as "Nice Pebbles Andrew", and had stored Andre's phone number. This meant that my text was to Andrew, not Nella, and she never received it. She sounded a bit pissed off when I phoned her immediately after landing (by now 40 minutes late for the scheduled rendez-vous). And so, despite none of it being my fault, I felt bad about things. Some people seem to have the ability not to feel bad at all when they are part of a mishap that inconveniences other people, but I don't think I would like to be that kind of person.
The cab to the apartment was quick, so we made up a bit of time. In the evening Craig and I made it to Mori's, which served a number of beers.
Sunday, and we walked up to the market north of the station, and then down to the Cours Saleya, before stopping for a drink in Manolans. The other "Iris" pub that I know of, MacMahons, seems to have had a brasserie-bistro makeover. A bit strange, since it's moving from a not very crowded market into a very crowded market. But its location is probably better for passing trade as a brasserie.
Yesterday evening we strolled down to catch the tail-end of the windsurfing championship, and later that evening had a, to be honest, rather unsatisfactory meal in Al Barotollo. The waiter was one whom I had seen before, a bit of a miserable cunt TBH. My immediate instinct was "ahh, from Paris". And, although my grilled sea bass was reasonable (but fully priced), Craig's lasagne was rather rubbish. I enjoyed declining to buy a soft drink for five euros. He brought me tap water without me having to ask for it. If I am in a restaurant with overpriced soft drinks again, I shall do the same. The profit mark-up at Al Barotollo's on french fries (five euros) and all soft drinks (all five euros) is too high. If I go there I wont order them, but I'm more tempted not to go there. Of course, most tourists are attracted by the not-too-expensive headline price, and realize that the side-dish prices are extortionate just a little too late.
Weather is unpredictable, which makes planning hard. That's getting me down a bit, but not too much. And I did manage to buy postcards and stamps, write them, and send them, all by Sunday evening. Top going!
____________
I'll admit that, when Twitter started, I was sceptical. Grubby (Pauly's brother) was the first blogger whom I saw mention it, when he was working at a radio station, back in, I dunno, 2008 or something like that. First of all, I couldn't quite get the hang of what it was, and then I couldn't quite work out what the point was. I got the fact that it would be useful for real-time updates of chip counts and the like, but this was before the smartphone and 'always on' was ubiquitous, even in Europe, let alone the US, which was about 18 months behind the curve when it came to mobile telecommunications.
Which all goes to show how little I know. The smartphone changed it all; it's perfect for Twitter and rubbish for blogs. Even with Swype, I find that my emails are terser. The medium most definitely influences the message.
And, speaking of mediums, I'm writing this on a laptop which is on my lap. That doesn't happen very often. Laptops in the main these days are more portable desktops than laptops, aren't they? In the office a few years ago you would see people moving between floors carrying their notebooks (paper). Now they are carrying their laptops.
Also in the world of mediums (but a different type), I enjoyed "The Awakening", which I saw on Friday. Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton carried an implausible plot rather well.
++++++
The journey to France was, once again, not smooth. This time the trip to the airport went extremely smoothly, and I arrived by 8.20am for the 10.55am flight. Craig appeared at just past 9am and we went to check in. The queue was about 10 times longer than it had been at 8.20. I can see the merits of hand baggage only, now that you print out your boarding pass at home.
Unfortunately the 10.55am was to become the 12.50pm before it took off, with a couple of delays. I texted the woman who was going to be meeting us at the apartment, but my Android phone had decided that "Nice Pebbles Nella" was the same person as "Nice Pebbles Andrew", and had stored Andre's phone number. This meant that my text was to Andrew, not Nella, and she never received it. She sounded a bit pissed off when I phoned her immediately after landing (by now 40 minutes late for the scheduled rendez-vous). And so, despite none of it being my fault, I felt bad about things. Some people seem to have the ability not to feel bad at all when they are part of a mishap that inconveniences other people, but I don't think I would like to be that kind of person.
The cab to the apartment was quick, so we made up a bit of time. In the evening Craig and I made it to Mori's, which served a number of beers.
Sunday, and we walked up to the market north of the station, and then down to the Cours Saleya, before stopping for a drink in Manolans. The other "Iris" pub that I know of, MacMahons, seems to have had a brasserie-bistro makeover. A bit strange, since it's moving from a not very crowded market into a very crowded market. But its location is probably better for passing trade as a brasserie.
Yesterday evening we strolled down to catch the tail-end of the windsurfing championship, and later that evening had a, to be honest, rather unsatisfactory meal in Al Barotollo. The waiter was one whom I had seen before, a bit of a miserable cunt TBH. My immediate instinct was "ahh, from Paris". And, although my grilled sea bass was reasonable (but fully priced), Craig's lasagne was rather rubbish. I enjoyed declining to buy a soft drink for five euros. He brought me tap water without me having to ask for it. If I am in a restaurant with overpriced soft drinks again, I shall do the same. The profit mark-up at Al Barotollo's on french fries (five euros) and all soft drinks (all five euros) is too high. If I go there I wont order them, but I'm more tempted not to go there. Of course, most tourists are attracted by the not-too-expensive headline price, and realize that the side-dish prices are extortionate just a little too late.
Weather is unpredictable, which makes planning hard. That's getting me down a bit, but not too much. And I did manage to buy postcards and stamps, write them, and send them, all by Sunday evening. Top going!
____________
