This text was originally published here (in Portuguese) on the 07-Mar-2011
No, I am no thinking in writing a fantasy saga with amazing stories set on incredible worlds. Although I do have some incredible stories that might be considered fantasy.
Basically I went to Paris this weekend, more precisely to Val-de-Marne, to spend it with my parents. But let's take one step at the time since, because this told in smaller parts might be funnier:
Part One - The Shower
Curiously my previous quickie was on the subject of crap and so almost on purpose that theme continues at the beginning of this adventure. Chronologically speaking it won't be the beginning but in the interest of the chronicles, I prefer it that way.
I was dropping a double deuce in my parents' toilet, thinking about something (maybe shitty thoughts) and I could hear the upstairs (I think) neighbour taking a shower in his bathroom. You got to understand that this is a building with more than 100 years, that has thin wooden walls inside so it's quite normal that everything is heard quite well.
A telephone rings and while continuing to hear the water running I hear the following (in French of course): "Can you call me again in a couple of minutes? I am taking a shower".
I don't know about you guys, but for me taking a phone into the shower and answering calls while at it it's a weird and incridible concept. If you are busy with a task and cannot pick-up th ephone, is there a problem in letting it ring? For me answering a call just to tell the other person to call again later is actually inflicting a cost on the caller. Perhaps that was the plan all along, you keep answering the calls from that person and tell you are busy and call again later thus making that person spend some bucks in calls that are useless!
And I wonder, what phone is it? Is it water resistant?
Part Three - The Train
Taking the Thalys train is always a thrill. Either because it's the first ride and you are surprised of how relaxing and fast it is in spite of being a train (I already took the Eurostar many years ago), or because there are sneaky crowds and you get mugged, or because you have some fun observing the other people (girls too). There are always those times when the train hits blocks of ice, having to travel at half speed thus resulting in huge delays!
This time the train had 2 surprises for me. Both in the return trip from Paris. First we got to Brussels and the train manager announced that the rolling stock had technical issues so all passengers needed to get off the train and move to another one that was already waiting in the platform, just in front. that was no big deal since the operation was quick and simple, everyone sited on the same cars and same seats. Resupplying the bar was what took the longest.
Then just before Rotterdam the train stops. The lights go down and the manager says the train suffered a "funny problem" and the conductor was going to reboot it to resolve it. And so it went, after the reset to the TGV (the rolling stock of Thalys are all TGV trains) we resumed the trip!
It seems that Thalys uses Windows!
Microsoft: Where do you want to stop today!
No, I am no thinking in writing a fantasy saga with amazing stories set on incredible worlds. Although I do have some incredible stories that might be considered fantasy.
Basically I went to Paris this weekend, more precisely to Val-de-Marne, to spend it with my parents. But let's take one step at the time since, because this told in smaller parts might be funnier:
Part One - The Shower
Curiously my previous quickie was on the subject of crap and so almost on purpose that theme continues at the beginning of this adventure. Chronologically speaking it won't be the beginning but in the interest of the chronicles, I prefer it that way.I was dropping a double deuce in my parents' toilet, thinking about something (maybe shitty thoughts) and I could hear the upstairs (I think) neighbour taking a shower in his bathroom. You got to understand that this is a building with more than 100 years, that has thin wooden walls inside so it's quite normal that everything is heard quite well.
A telephone rings and while continuing to hear the water running I hear the following (in French of course): "Can you call me again in a couple of minutes? I am taking a shower".
I don't know about you guys, but for me taking a phone into the shower and answering calls while at it it's a weird and incridible concept. If you are busy with a task and cannot pick-up th ephone, is there a problem in letting it ring? For me answering a call just to tell the other person to call again later is actually inflicting a cost on the caller. Perhaps that was the plan all along, you keep answering the calls from that person and tell you are busy and call again later thus making that person spend some bucks in calls that are useless!
And I wonder, what phone is it? Is it water resistant?
Part Two - The Internet
My father finally got himself a computer and at the same time internet access at home. I believe that he actually got internet first and only after that got the computer. It's a laptop.
And of course it is up to yours truly to teach him how to use it, create accounts and set-up programs, the whole nine yards.
It is thing that I gladly and happily will do. Having my parents connected to the cyberworld will actually allow me to reduce costs and talk to them in a more interactive way.
The problem is that it is still hard for my father, and my mother, to assimilate all this new and strange concepts. My father enrolled in a computers training, but basically he has been working only with Office. They had one day for introduction to the Internet and the teacher missed that session, which was left out. Exactly the one that was the most interesting.
But OK, after some sightseeing on Saturday afternon in lands of castles and palaces, where what I seen the most was motorbikes and riders, I configured everything for my father.
Google and Skype were done already in the previous visit one month ago. Now I completed MSN and Facebook.
We even bought a printer and we printed already some photos taken that same day that were also shared on Facebook.
Parents, welcome to the Internet!
And of course it is up to yours truly to teach him how to use it, create accounts and set-up programs, the whole nine yards.
It is thing that I gladly and happily will do. Having my parents connected to the cyberworld will actually allow me to reduce costs and talk to them in a more interactive way.
The problem is that it is still hard for my father, and my mother, to assimilate all this new and strange concepts. My father enrolled in a computers training, but basically he has been working only with Office. They had one day for introduction to the Internet and the teacher missed that session, which was left out. Exactly the one that was the most interesting.
But OK, after some sightseeing on Saturday afternon in lands of castles and palaces, where what I seen the most was motorbikes and riders, I configured everything for my father.
Google and Skype were done already in the previous visit one month ago. Now I completed MSN and Facebook.
We even bought a printer and we printed already some photos taken that same day that were also shared on Facebook.
Parents, welcome to the Internet!
Part Three - The Train
Taking the Thalys train is always a thrill. Either because it's the first ride and you are surprised of how relaxing and fast it is in spite of being a train (I already took the Eurostar many years ago), or because there are sneaky crowds and you get mugged, or because you have some fun observing the other people (girls too). There are always those times when the train hits blocks of ice, having to travel at half speed thus resulting in huge delays!This time the train had 2 surprises for me. Both in the return trip from Paris. First we got to Brussels and the train manager announced that the rolling stock had technical issues so all passengers needed to get off the train and move to another one that was already waiting in the platform, just in front. that was no big deal since the operation was quick and simple, everyone sited on the same cars and same seats. Resupplying the bar was what took the longest.
Then just before Rotterdam the train stops. The lights go down and the manager says the train suffered a "funny problem" and the conductor was going to reboot it to resolve it. And so it went, after the reset to the TGV (the rolling stock of Thalys are all TGV trains) we resumed the trip!
It seems that Thalys uses Windows!
Microsoft: Where do you want to stop today!
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