Best Laid Plans of Mice and Badgers

The flight was fast and uneventful - exactly the way air travel should be. Took a bit of time to get to the airport though owing to the fact that I've been driving too much. Basically I got downtown, intending on catching the train NE then transferring to the Airport bus. The NE train pulls up to the platform and it says "McKnight" instead of "Whitehorn". Aroo? I guess that new station came on line.

Now I was cutting it pretty short as it was and suddenly there was some ambiguity in the plan - Does the airport bus transfer at the old station or the new (closer) station? I didn't know and I didn't have any spare time to figure it out. I wandered over to hotel and caught a cab up. If I was going to catch a cab anyway, I should have just had it pick me up at home. It would have cost about the same.

Waiting for my baggage in the Vancouver terminal I discover two things: Nobody was there to pick me up (this is not unusual, I generally let them sort out who, if any, picks me up, rather then impose myself on any one person in particular). Also, I got a voice mail from sagaciouslu.

Let me translate the eloquent and detailed, Oxfordian language of sagaciouslu to something the rest of us can truly understand:

"AAAAAAaaaarrrrRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGggggggghhhhhhhHHHHH. Bills-Emergency-Lateness-Cancellation-DogsAndCatsLivingTogether. Fuckity-fuck-fuck-FUCK."

Bottom line: He's still in Cowtown and won't be able to make our thing at Tojo's tonight. He will be leaving tomorrow and is looked forward to meeting me at a Yaletown pub sometime after the Pat Benatar concert. Sweet delicious beer will be consumed. He also suggested that I contact his friend Dougie, who wanted to join us and go with him instead.

Now I'm sure Dougie is a great guy (that sagaciouslu knows him is a good sign), but I'm not a hang out with strangers kind of guy. And certainly not with men described as bear-like. I'm willing to make an exception for women described as fox-like however, if I absolutely have to choose a gender-and-animal-likeness.

Then Dougie phoned me and bowed out, without me having to do anything. Seems he was more interested in socializing with sagaciouslu, then he was in the whole Omakase thing. Fair enough. I'll probably meet him tomorrow over drinks.

Next plan was to find accommodations. As i suspect The Jolly Taxpayer is no longer in business (and I wouldn't room there in high August anyway) I decided to find a cheap room elsewhere. Namely the Gage Residence at UBC. It too might not have air conditioning, but I'll cross that bridge tonight.

Check in isn't until three, so I'm wasting time at Calhoun's. After I finish posting I'll take a wander down to The Comic Shop to find out what the local gossip is amongst the peeps.

Anyway, I now find i have a reservation for two at Tojo's and I'm by myself. I'll have to do something about that.

Tojo's

I just had the most expensive meal of my life. I feel strangely guilty about that - like I have to put out now, but I don't know who to put out to.

Actually met Tojo this time and there was no dollar value mentioned - he just kept serving me stuff until i was full, which is why it cost so much.

I will be back, but not for a long time.