Friday, April 21, 2006
Bored of the flies
I was driving home to Grimsby the other day when I noticed a patch of smog on the horizon. Hideous brown skidmarks across the sky are a familiar sight in Hamilton, where steel factories fill the air with nitrates, but not in Grimsby. "That's strange," I thought.
Then I began noticing little black clouds everywhere. Often they were long and thin, like steam escaping from fissures in the ground. Weird. Then I noticed some coming from nearby bushes as I drove past. So I stopped to take a closer look - and then I realised. The clouds weren't steam. They weren't smog.
They were flies. Millions and millions of them.
For some reason, every living insect on earth feels the need to migrate to Grimsby each April and congregate in large swarms. They turn white walls black. They cover windows like curtains. They threaten to fly down your windpipe every time you open your mouth. Ew.
This is something the estate agent conveniently forgot to tell us. I can only hope they're like mayflies and die off in a few weeks.
Anyway, let's end on a more pleasant note. I had another great Easter with my Italian family, and my nieces and nephews weren't around for most of the day so it was also nice and quiet. Here's a pic:
Hope yours was just as good!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
"We don't like their sound"
"We don't like their sound and guitar bands are on their way out."
The band in question was the Beatles. They went on to redesign the world of pop music, while most people are hard pressed to name one Tremeloes song.
A couple of weeks ago, having had an interview with the Spectator, I was also told I'd failed the audition. But now the immediate reaction (a mixture of mild depression and bitter tirades) has passed, I'm actually pretty excited. Nobody in a 10 hour a day job has time to innovate on ways to reach people or think up extraordinary story ideas. But I do.
And I can. With my own website, a camera that does photos and movies, an address book full of contacts and endless ideas, I can go anywhere. My only limit is the amount of effort I'm willing to put in.
Speaking of my website, I'll be appearing on TV Sunday evening as the editor of northernexposuremagazine.ca
The word is spreading!!
