Glasgow

Well, I am finally here, a little worse for wear but here nonetheless. I got up fairly early this morning sneaking around the house at which I stayed hoping not to wake anyone. The breakfast was very good, although very filling. I don't know if I could stand fried eggs, MANY slices of toast, orange juice, tea/coffee, three different kinds of meat (all fried) and cereal. The tea I could do without though I didn't have the heart to leave it so I swallowed my pride and drank it anyway.

Had a good talk with the couple just before I left and they seemed quite pleased that I was taking in some shows in London (or so I am planning). Then I was on the road again.

I have noticed a few things in my last few days of travel, all the cars look brand new. There are no “klunkers” or other lesser vehicles on the road. All the cars are smaller (as I noted before) and come from different manufacturers than in North America (I still have a tough time with Volvo trucks, I am so used to them being luxury car manufacturers). There is little, if any, garbage along side the road, or anywhere for that matter. Recycling is VERY popular and can be found everywhere. I think that this might have something to do with the fact that there are so many people and so many cars, having it any other way would be unbearable. Perhaps we just don't feel responsible enough with our country…

On the way here I passed through a larger city that I noticed had about six nuclear power stacks in the middle of downtown. This took me for a start. I did not really expect that sort of thing downtown. Gives a whole new meaning to “the nuclear family”.

Well, drivers in Glasgow are just as rude as anywhere else in the world. They drive quickly, all over the place with little regard to signals, signs or other logical markings. I am glad, in a way, that I had the experience on the road that I did it prepared me to react in the “UK manner” as opposed to when I just got off the plane which was the “let's hope I don't hit anything manner”.

I found the Convention Centre that this is being run in. It is quite large and fairly nice. A lot bigger then the Winnipeg Convention Centre and a lot better organized, one hall with all other halls leading off to the sides. There was a bit of a mix-up with my membership, they seemed to think that I was a supporting member instead of an attending member. I pointed out to them that I WAS an attending member as I was sitting there talking to them so they pushed some papers around, hummed, and hahed, then had me fill out some more papers and I was finally here, as in, attending.

I also found the University dormitory that I am staying in. Parking will be interesting as there is no parking for the dormitory and all parking around it is one hour meter parking, except before 8:45 am and after 5:30 pm. It should be interesting. I found this parking spot, free, about 10 minutes from the building so I think that I will stick with that. I was quite surprised driving around some of the back streets around here, I bet that some of them are on a 45 degree angle. It made it VERY interesting in the standard to park on them. I don't think I would be able to park my car from Winnipeg on them as my emergency break does not work. It would be…exciting, to say the least.

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Anyway, everything is ok to go on a tour of Glasgow tomorrow, I cancelled the tour of Edinburgh on Friday as I have a lot I want to see at the convention. I am hoping to get to the Edinburgh Tattoo (lots of pipers in a semi- enclosed space) one night this week (or over the weekend) but no firm plans yet. I will just have to take it one day at a time.

I am disappointed that they do not have phones in the rooms here, but I think that would be too much to ask, how would the regulate their usage? I was hoping to get my computer hooked up to the Internet here but that is probably out (though I could probably hot-wire one of the “incoming-calls only” phones on each floor). I noticed with great interest that they have an Internet lab at the convention so perhaps I will be able to steal a couple of hours on a machine when no one is looking. I am planning on attending a few very interesting talks at the convention. Again, there are a lot of scientific talks, some are even science-fictionish. A couple look very interesting having to do with issues of copyright in the age of computers and legal issues having to do with the Internet (one a sub-set of the other, can you guess which?).

I noticed that a couple of my favourite authors are here and I am pleased that I brought a book for one of them to sign. It should be interesting.

The BBC are covering the convention, they are sending up (Glasgow is north of London) one of the stars of a science fiction show I enjoy of theirs. I hope to see that guy and get his autograph but who knows… I think this will be one of those “let's go see what those SF weirdos are doing” articles. Too bad, they are missing the point, it seems to me.

Next year the convention is in Los Angeles, it looks like I am heading down south for it then…I guess I will just wait to get tickets though. I think I should make a regular outing out of these trips, I think it does me good to be away from the computer scene for a little while. Though, I am kind of wondering what is happening over at Blue Sky, oh well, they would have called if there was any serious problems (that is a joke for those of you who do not know that I have no number at which I can be reached).

Anyway, tomorrow is the first day of the convention, looking forward to it, after, of course, my morning tour of Glasgow.

Now, about those shared showers we have…

⇒ Continue to Glasgow - Thursday, August 24, 1995