Fun with phone lines

Due to someone (not Ali or I) not paying the phone line, we've been disconnected. Should be back in a few days --> week, but I'm not holding my breath.....

Book Oddity

For those who read science fiction or fantasy (and if you don't, you really should) you may or may not be reading Trudi Canavan's assorted works.

I bring this up because her latest book, "Voice of the Gods", sequel to "Priestess of the White" and "Last of the Wilds" isn't out in the UK till July time, more or less, according to amazon.

But I can drop down to the local bookshop and pick up a copy in...well...a day. Maybe two, if they don't have it in stock then and there. In paperback, not expensive hardback. Unless that's how you like it.

So would anyone want me to pick them up a copy and ship it over, a measly five months early?

Drug fun

To you and me, to most people I dare say, drugs are something you take once in a while to help you get over, or ignore, some nasty infectious thing you've acquired from somewhere.

Usually colds, or headaches or fluey type things, these remedies form the core of the multi-billion pound drugs industries. Its in their interests to ensure that some poor suffering soul is guided to the balm to sooth their fevered brow as quickly as possible, with as little fuss as possible. Perhaps even in whispers, if the sound hurts to much.

This isn't what happened recently.

While in Vancouver, I had a lovely allergic reaction to the hostel potplants. Read: walk in the room and start sneezing out the contents of my brains - for about 6 hours after each exposure.

So I decided, whilst passing a pharmacy (yes, the pharmacy was more like a drug store, and as big as say, a small Sainsburies) I decided to pick up some pseudoephedrine - or sudafed, as you may know it (and an antihistamine, but that was easy to do). To you and me, a fairly effective decongestant with few side effects and a cheap price tag - so easy to get, effective, cheap...what more could you ask for?

In this case, a grilling on how old I was, why I wanted it ("*sneeze*...see?"), how much I wanted, why didn't I want *this* - a phenylephrine based decongestant (more expensive and less effective at the dose) , or why not buy this mixed product...

Wasn't amused in the slightest, so in the end I simply said no and walked out. You'd think that if someone knows enough to ask for a drug by its active ingredients that they probably know what they want. Possibly down to the milligram.

The lovely thing about cities - there's always another store a little further on, which I visited. Got some antihistamine and asked what the whole thing about pseudoephedrine was. I was only slightly shocked.

After a few slightly odd questions (why do you want to know, you don't actually want to buy any?) I found out. It appears that its in great demand by drug producers.

I kid you not - the 30 pack tubes you can by in the uk have a real use. With a little work it can be easily transformed into methamphetamine! Medicine to poison in a couple of really easy steps, readily described on the internet.

My mistake was trying to buy it within a street or two of Vancouver's drug central - the corner of Main and Hastings - while very tired, jet lagged, unshaven and scruffy.

It wasn't my fault, was it?

Feeling much better, so...

Since I'm feeling much better (no pounding headache, not shivering while sitting ontop a roaring fire) here's a little tale for you.

During the briefing given by SWAP, as mandated by the Canadian Government there were several bits that were clearly from one department or another. Immigration comments on what our visas allowed, tax instructions and the like from Revenue Canada.....and yes, you can usually guess the name of any government department by adding "Canada" after the most obvious word.

For example, Health Canada (or HC, as I'll call it).

Health Canada's role in the briefing was short, and glossed over very quickly by the SWAP person. He checked that people had health insurance, and then went onto the Official Health Canada Warning - you could hear the capital letters.

It would appear that HC wasn't worried about us nasty foreign people bringing strange viral infections, or antibiotic resistant strains of TB, weird fungal bugs from deepest Africa or bacterial nightmares from the Deep Fens.

Nope, they were worried about sex. They were worried that us evil foreign devils would import nasty Sexually Transmitted Infections and infect the pure, innocent Canadian public with our seductive foreign accents and strange mannerisms.

(Yes, I know, it does sound like a plan...)

And to stress the point, it was a requirement that all participants be given a condom. We were even told he had a large box of the things, and that he could give then out like Candy. (Not that I know Candy, but I'm sure she's a perfectly respectable women.)

I'm just not sure if HC specified it was to be bubblegum flavoured - or it was just a horrible pun.

Just a few updates

First, appologies for the delay.

So, what happened?

Well, I got here in the Friday night.

On the Saturday we did a bit of shopping, from here to there insert cleaning, sorting, job hunting and Stuff.

I apologise for the tone, but I've been enjoying for a few days a lovely cold. It feels like cerebral fluid is draining out my sinuses and nose.

Through in the sub-zero temperature out there, and you've got a lovely recipe. Ask me again when I feel better :)

Have answered the seers question...