That's one of the good things about living on the Rock (Newfoundland). Nothing much ever happens here. (If you're 50, alright 51, married with two "kids", that's a major consideration in assessing quality of life.) Iceberg may lumber into the harbour or come to rest along the coasts once in awhile. A German cruiseship may come in and expel hundreds of tourists into town for a few hours. Russell Crowe (sp?), Meg Ryan and Daniel whatshisname might show up at the Newman Vaults. Richard Rorty or Martha Nussbaum may come in to the university for a series of lectures and a Jiggs Dinner. MooMoos, the icecream shop down the road, might come up with a new flavour (raspberry this week took the town by storm). Some fishermen might be pulled in off the waters by the Coast Guard for illegal fishing. A Japanese sailor might be seen fishing in our harbour to the horror of the diners at the Keg. (Yes, the Keg pulled in just last year and, no, you don't want to eat anything that you've pulled out of our harbour. I'll spare you the details.) Someone might have had the audacity to rob a corner variety store and then try to escape. (There's only one road heading west to the ferry and the mainland and only one airport. No trains. Busses are a joke.) Blockbusters might have a DVD version of *To Catch a Thief* with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Some tourists from Toronto may end up getting lost in the woods while hunting for blueberries or mushrooms. We haven't yet started charging them for the costs of rescue operations, but we are having meetings with officials from Phoenix, AZ. Pods of whales may swim in close to shore and scare the tourists from Maine and Alberta. Visitors from Duluth Iowa might be offended by some of the nudity and course language in one of our home-grown plays. A new supply of cans of genuine Titanic icewater may show up at a store downtown catering to tourists from Alberta, Toronto and Duluth. I might lose a game of chess at Bitters, our grad student pub and that makes the papers. The liquor stores may have received a new supply of Oban and Talisker. Aside from that, not much really goes on. If a hurricane, tornado, or a visit by George W were to hit the Rock, most people would probably go to their local neighbourhood pub and order a couple of bottles of single malt for the occasion and then just go home and sleep it off, hoping to awake to a gloriously sunny and calm morning (or afternoon). And everybody thanks their respective deity that they don't live in North Bay, Toronto or Calgary. So you ask why I teach in the provinces? Walter O. The Rock of Canada Quoting JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx: > CNN is saying this morning that it has shifted a bit (the hurricane) and now > > they're thinking Mississippi may bear the brunt.....they aren't ready I > don't imagine, though at least they're not a sitting duck in terms of > surrounding > water and sea level.....I don't *even* want to turn on my TV. <sigh> Of > course, I will. > > Julie Krueger > hoping the National Weather Service is being alarmist. > > ========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: New Orleans... > gone tomorrow? Date: 8/29/05 12:33:42 A.M. Central Daylight Time From: > _robert.paul@xxxxxxxxx (mailto:robert.paul@xxxxxxxx) To: > _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > (mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on: > Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx wrote: > > > So think it will be okay in November? Ready for tourists and conference > > goers? > > If you're asking if Orleans be 'OK,' I'm sure they'll have millions of > gallons of oil from the huge refineries near the city swept off Bourbon > Street in a couple of days, and the majestic oaks replanted in a week or > two. Not to worry. > > > Maybe it will die down before it gets there, though. > > Turn on your TV. > > Robert Paul > The Reed Institute > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html