Punk Smurf pens a bilingual blog

I heard about this on the radio this morning:

LONDON — A United Airlines pilot who failed a breath test shortly before he was due to take off has been charged with having too much alcohol in his system, British police said.

Erwin Vermont Washington, 51, is the third U.S. pilot in 13 months to be arrested for being over the strict alcohol limits imposed on airline staff.

Washington was arrested after officers were called to United Airlines Flight 949, which was already full of passengers and due to leave London’s Heathrow Airport just after noon on Monday.

A spokeswoman for BAA Airports Ltd., Heathrow’s operator, said late Tuesday the pilot had been reported to authorities by another member of United’s staff. She spoke on condition of anonymity, saying it was company policy.

It was not immediately clear how much alcohol Washington was accused of having consumed. Under British law, pilots are forbidden from having any more than 20 micrograms of alcohol for each 100 milliliters of blood in their system, or .02 percent. For most average-sized men, that is the equivalent of having just had about half a glass of regular strength beer.

Scotland Yard said that Washington, who has been released on bail, would have to appear at a court in northwest London on Nov. 20. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.

United Airlines, a subsidiary of Chicago-based UAL Corp., said the pilot had been removed from service pending an investigation.

Monday’s incident echoes the arrest in May of an American Airlines pilot — also at Heathrow and also scheduled to fly a plane to Chicago — after he failed a breath test. In October 2008, another United Airlines pilot was arrested by police for being over the alcohol limit.

Union leaders say pilots are under increased scrutiny by security agents and passengers because of high-profile cases involving drunk pilots.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.

Currently listening to The Big Pink (album: A brief history of love)

Albeit one that was longer than anticipated (including a couple of changes of plans), I had another fantastic weekend in the Amsterdam area.

I was very lucky; no hours of clutching in traffic jams, a parking spot right outside the door of my friends house, and no traffic jams when I drove back on Monday morning. (It was extremely foggy on Sunday night, so my friend Mirthe wanted me to stay another night to be on the safe side.)

After my arrival at my friends house - Mirthe - on Saturday, she, her boyfriend EJ, and I went through the program of the annual “Museum Night” (abbreviated into “N8″) and ended up with a list four addresses. We agreed in having dinner at Wagamama, before joining thousands of others for the night. (Museum Night was, again, sold out; people need to get tickets, which enables them to visit any of the 42 participating Amsterdam museums that night, AND one free visit - with said ticket - before the January 1st of next year.)

From Wagamama it’s a short walk to the Filmmuseum where, in spirit of the upcoming celebrations of the destruction of the Berlin Wall, cartoon shorts and music videos from former East Germany were being shown: “Cinema DDR”. There was a wall made of white cardboard bricks, and visitors were invited to leave a message. I scrawled “NO H8″, EJ wrote he loves Mirthe… We watched some shorts and music videos before hopping onto public transport to Bijzondere Collecties van de Universiteit van Amsterdam (a museum consisting of pieces acquired by the University of Amsterdam throughout the ages. There was samples of several Jewish dishes (they didn’t seem kosher to me, but interesting and the smells were delicious). We watched a collection of Esther Scrolls in the most beautiful casings. And some books depicting some delicately drawn pictures.

We also sat in at a 15-minute lecture on Jewish food in today’s NYC. I thought it was interesting, and even though the food for show look very appetizing I didn’t feel peckish at all.

Next stop was the Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Amsterdam Historical Museum) where we watched an exhibition on mini skirts in the Netherlands, and enjoyed some hip and happening music from those days.

There was a seperate wing (an outside corridor) where paintings of “schutterijen” were exhibited. On the ground were several bunches of Fat Boys - scattered along the length of the wing, inviting people to lie down and look at the paintings from a different point of view. Of course I plopped down and looked at a couple of them that way:

And this is part of what I saw:

The last stop of the night (it was closing in on midnight) was the old Olympic Stadium; Amsterdam’s hosted the Olympics back in 1928! (Read a little of its history here.)

As EJ, Mirthe and I approached the stadium I spotted the winners podium, and of course I wanted my pic taken:

Funnily enough, that set off a trend of people wanting to have their pictures taken in a similar fashion after me. At one point we briefly watched two kids who were hesitant in having their pics taken by their mother, until she pointed out that they weren’t ever going to see any of the people walking around at that moment again.

The tour started at midnight. The tourguide (the man in the track suit on my left on the pic above) told a lot of interesting first hand stories, which made the tour more lively in a way. Great stuff. After the tour was over Ej actually wanted to go home (he was the one who really wanted to take the tour at the stadium!), but Mirthe and I were curious about the museum located inside the stadium. So, he decided to follow us in and spend a little time in there as well. What I really liked about it is that it’s an interactive one: visitors can try and set a time doing a very short sprint, cycle against the Dutch equivalent of Lance Armstrong and feel the difference between swimming suits back in the days and now. At around 1am I challenged EJ for a round of soccer in the PANNA cage. (PANNA is something akin to street soccer - played one on one.) It was fun! We started out pretty much equals, but after two minutes my body decided it had enough and pretty much started to slowly shut down. The more I tried to score another goal, the harder it got (I know I’m not that young anymore, but still…) so I called it quits after about four minutes. As EJ and I exited the cage I found out a PANNA round lasts ONE minute. Yea, my luck. Needless to say I was glad to crawl into bed and go sweepy bye bye less than thirty minutes later

Currently listening to Tonic (album: Sugar)

The Russian couple who got married in Toronto, Canada, last week by Justice Harvey Brownstone (an out gay Judge) returned to Russia this week to try and force the authorities to recognize their union.

Justice Brownstone penned a wonderful book, drawing from his experiences in Toronto Family Court, called Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court (ECW Press, 2009) and was released earlier this year. I still intend on picking it up and reading it.

Trans people who legally change their names will no longer need to provide courts with a doctor’s note after a ruling from New York’s Supreme Court.

Joan Jett rocks in more ways than one: read her interview for Inked Magazine (Inked for a cause).

The ‘net is buzzing with more Lilith Fair news. I, for one, hope to attend one date (I couldn’t the last time due to financial reasons). A guy friend of mine recounts his time at Lilith Fair - read it here. Its tone differs greatly from the one on Popnography. AfterEllen also asks her readers who they would love to see - here. (Easy guess who tops my list, eh?)

SFGate ran an interesting article on chocolate farms on Hawaii.

Hottie Rena Sofer has joined CBS’ “NCIS” as a potential recurring. She will play a no-nonsense attorney with mysterious motives.

CBC is broadcasting my friend Lara’s short, called Sunfish. It’s not geo blocked, so anyone can watch it *HERE*

eurOut published my latest article on straight allies (yay! Thank you, Stacey) and a heart warming tale posted on Dorothy Snarker’s blog. Sounds like a Hollywood movie, eh?

Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire draws 18-foot mural of New York City from memory after 20 minute helicopter ride.

Click this link for more info.

My friends know I travel - a lot. And eventhough I know flying isn’t good for the environment (I do as much as I can in everyday life to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible) it’s like a necessary evil; without it I wouldn’t be able to visit friends and family all over the world. That said, contrary to belief, I do NOT enjoy flying. Still Air France’s latest offering caught my eye:

Not rich enough to be in first or business class? Air France has an option for those folks.

With the arrival of the massive Airbus 380 comes the premium class, a perfect blend of business and coach, with more space for less money. Other planes such as the Boeing 777, Airbus A340 and A330 will be integrating this new cabin.

The design is very similar to the business class one, but the big plus (especially for tall people) is you don’t end up at the seat of the person in front of you, despite trying to fold your limbs away.

To make space for this new class Air France will remove 40 economy seats for 21 premium Voyageur seats.

The first destinations from and to Paris will be Beirut [€1,179], Hong Kong [€1,657], New York [€1,038], Beijing [€1,652], Singapore [€1,456] and Tokyo [€1,658].

For a highly competitive fare, customers travelling in the Premium Voyageur cabin benefit from a private cabin with 40% more space, and a new seat that is 48 cm wide with a 123° seat back recline, equipped with a fixed shell which guarantees passengers’ privacy. Air France is the first European airline to provide a seat that reclines inside a fixed shell in an intermediary class.

On the comfort side, customers benefit from the same services as in Business Class, such as the travel kit, a feather pillow and a pure new wool blanket. The inflight meal service is, however, the same as in the Economy cabin.

At the airport, the service is inspired by the Business cabin, with priority check-in desks, a 30-kg baggage allowance, boarding at passengers’ convenience and priority baggage delivery.

Watch their offering here. Francophones will eat their hearts out!

And if only I had several millions on my bank account… I would buy my way into the US, and consider buying this penthouse in NYC.

The New York Times takes us inside the triplex penthouse of Brooklyn’s ClockTower Building - a 6,400 square foot apartment with four 14′ clocks housed in gigantic round windows. The DUMBO building was built by a cardboard box manufacturer and renovated by DUMBO developer David Walentas.

On Wednesday Mafalda drove me to the gigantic Christ statue, after lunch at Siesta (a Mexican restaurant). I’ve been told it’s similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (maybe a bit smaller than that one) and that there are three spread over the world all facing eachother - forming a triangle. Having seen it I can say it is an impressive statue, and it is on my list with the Great Wall in China and the pyramids in Egypt.

Across the statue is a huge bridge that looks like the Golden Gate’s twin, the 25th of April Bridge; it’s manufactured by the same company that made Golden Gate bridge:

Nice view, eh? Again, the weather was nice: warm and sunny. And up there: very windy.
Hey Krista! I know it’s not a Cape Islander, but when I saw the boat I just wanted to shoot that one for you:

We also strolled downtown a bit, where I shot more pictures. We had dinner at a Wok Palace. The food wasn’t not bad, but I’ve had better. Mafalda agreed with me.
After freshening up a bit we went out later that night, and Mafalda shows me Lisbon’s nightlife. It’s interesting to see that much of it happens outside in the streets (like in Spain). We ended up in a little queer friendly bar, where a drink helped lessen the pain in my lower back. Woo-hoo!
Before we knew it it was closing time and bars were closing its doors to not let new people in and to signify they’re about to close.

Thursday lunch was divine: the vegetarian/macrobiotic buffet at “Jardim das Cerejas” (translated it means Cherry Garden) is one of the best I’ve had in a while - I haven’t forgotten about Le Commensal in Quebec City and Montréal (hey Jane!). For less than 18 Euros the two of us gorged on delicious and fresh dishes and salads.

I was appalled when I young teenaged girl didn’t eat anything, because it wasn’t the McDonald’s type of food she so prefers. I told Mafalda how my parents took my brother and I to a McD’s when we were little - it was a hot ‘n happening thing back then - and how my brother and I did not like the stuff. Even today, if I can choose between a McD burger and a meal at a veggie restaurant I will pick the latter. There’s no doubt in my mind about that - even though I do eat meat. Anyhoo, I digress.

Then we headed over to the Museu do Oriente, that has an exhibition of Portugal in Asia throughout the centuries and deities. An interesting afternoon.
From there on it’s only a short drive to the beach. Even though it was way too cold to dip into the water (I tried!) I was glad to have at least two different beaches in less than a week; it rains very often in my country, so when there’s one hot and sunny day people trek to the beaches (many even take a day off work). Yes, that’s when what little beach we have get over crowded by worshippers of the sun, and the roads to it get clogged up.

Around dinner time we drive up to Mafalda’s place so she can walk Inari. The German Shepard seems to taken a liking to me as he tries to greet me again.
We grab a pizza before we drive back to Lisbon and hit the bars; my friend wants to take me to a drag dive just outside Lisbon. It soon becomes apparent that the place where the drags shows are is closed down for renovations, and so we soon find ourselves driving back to downtown Lisbon. We start at a little jazz bar, where we watch soccer recaps (how sad is that?) and consult my Lonely Planet guide for addresses. We then walk to three different addresses and find they were CLOSED. I kid you not. Despite my sprained back and walking a nice distance in total I found it funny. (The Caipirinha certainly helped loosen me the muscles in my back.) Tired we decided to call it a day.

Friday was my last full day in Portugal. We grabbed lunch to go (veggie pasta for me) and even though we initially set out to drive out to a place to do a safari, I remembered we hadn’t had the chance to check out the dolphins. We quickly changed plans, the drive to the dolphin watch is a shorter one.
To make a long story short, Mafalda found a way to get us out on the water - with 100 elderly people, who were obviously having a grand day out. We go out for a little tour of the bay, and on the way back we actually see one (maybe there were two, but I couldn’t tell) dolphin. One of the Mates approaches us and tells us that they had expected not to see any, and the dolphin had in fact signified (by whipping its tail a certain way) it didn’t want to be disturbed anymore. Oh well, however briefly, it looked beautiful.
Mafalda intended to drive back using the scenic route, but I figured to save time (Mafalda’s mom had cooked us her killer vegetarian quiche, and we were meeting up with two of Mafalda’s friends later) to just take the shortest one.

I regret not having made a picture of Mafalda’s mom delicious (dairy free) quiche; it was really good. When Mafalda’s mom appologized for not having made desserts I assured her I’m not much of a dessert person anyway, and it enabled me to actually have two slices. I told her she could always start as a cook at the Cherry Garden. I’m sure her quiche will be a big hit!
Mafalda’s mom’s sweet, and gives good hugs, and told me to have a good journey home. And to come back soon. (Mafalda told me previously her mom thinks I look so cute and sweet. Well, that’s me!)

Mafalda’s friends are really nice; one’s outgoing, the other one’s more introverted. Again, I reminded myself the introverted friend may not be as comfortable speaking English - even though I try to engage her in conversation. After some catching up I told them how we had walked to different clubs the night before. Only to find them closed. Mafalda’s outgoing friend joked that’s what Mafalda got for keeping her foreign friend all to herself, and shared some suggestions with Mafalda.
When they went home, Mafalda followed up on one of the suggestions and we go to a queer club called Maria Lisboa, a club that remains open way after the 2am curfew most bars are subjected to.
I can tell by the prices of their drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that this place is a hip and happening one. The music is an ok mix of 80s and 90s mainstream pop and today’s dance and pop. We have a good time people watching.

Saturday. My last day in the city.
I have some postcards to mail, and we ride the subway (clean and efficient, from what I can tell) to the nearest post office. Then we have lunch at “Lotus by Oriente“, another vegetarian with a buffet. This restaurant and “Jardim das Cerejas” are definitely my two favorite ones in the city. I was warned by a Judge at work that Lisbon is a good place to be a vegetarian, and she was very right. Mafalda told me it’s something of the past several years, and that it started as something hip. Hip or not, I don’t get this in my town. That’s for sure.

All too soon it’s time to head for the airport and say goodbye…
Despite my sprained back, I had a wonderful time. It does fly when you’re having a great time. Thank you, Mafalda

As you’ve probably noticed I haven’t been online nor posting much the past several of days. But let me try and recap some of the highlights so far.

My friend Mafalda picked me up from Lisbon airport - which is conveniently located near Lisbon (kinda like Halifax’s). We walked around the neighborhood and halfway I grabbed a bite (a yummie veggie burger at a little lounge café called “Coffee & Pot”, a chain found throughout the city) and somewhere managed to sprain my back. Not recognizing it immediately I blamed tiredness of traveling and ignored it pretty much.

Mafalda drove me around and showed me the city by night. Good thing nights over there are still balmy, otherwise I’d have made sure to put on a heavy sweater. We attended a piano recital in a park but after a while I just couldn’t ignore the pain in my back any longer, and I hoped a good night’s sleep would solve that.

On Sunday I wake up early, and head out for a quick breakfast at another chain called “Tangerina Cafe”. The chocolate croissant was yummie as was the green tea. By the time Mafalda found me (long story) some time had lapsed and there happened to be a nice sushi place nearby. So we had that for lunch.

Not all pharmacies are open on Sunday, so we looked for one that was and I got a gel (with added anti inflammatory) for my back, opting out on pills. During the night I had found I had a little trouble with the mattress of my bed; being somewhat on the softer side it offered little support. But I hoped the gel would kick in quickly, so I could enjoy my visit more.

We then headed for the aquarium (hey, Trev!) to check out their underwater creatures. The beavers weren’t as active as the ones I saw in Vancouver, but cute nonetheless. And there are a couple of fish that are known to check out humans! I managed to capture one:

Just outside the aquarium was a ride Mafalda and I went on. Another good opportunity to try and conquer some of my fear of heights AND to get a couple of good shots.

She also took me to a monastery, near a theater and a soccer stadium; we knew Benefica were playing that evening thanks to the chanting of several thousand fans. We walked to Mafalda’s favorite place in Lisbon (she lives in a neighboring town) for falafels, and we ate them in an adjacing park. The food was good and very filling, and I didn’t bother to finish the fries. Then I got another tour of Lisbon by night.

The next day we grab some savory pastires from “Versailles” on the go to Sintra. After checking in at a B&B (Mafalda called it the “chalet”, but it looked more like a mansion to me with its corridors and rooms) we stroll our way to the city center. We find a little place called “Maggie’s Tea Spot” (don’t worry about the blog being in Portugese only; the two lady patrons fala Inglesh as well!) that has good teas, scones and sandwiches. And speaking of English; if it wasn’t for my Portugese friend my opening line upon meeting anyone would have been “Ola. Fala Inglesh?”. Generally, I manage to find my way easily, but visiting Russia, Mongolia and China was one of the few times I couldn’t figure out how to communicate to the locals in their own language. The first couple of days I actually mistook Portugese for Russian. I know they are two totally different languages, but the sounds (pronunciation) seems similar to Russian. Anyhoo, I digress…

Sintra has the surroundings of making an excellent film set for fantasy movies, with its forresty surroundings, ruins, castles, palaces and mansions. And we spend two days there. However, it’s very unfortunately I’m having back problems because I’d looked forward to hiking through the woods and all that. My usual pace (my mom says I walk with a mission, others have said I walk as if I’m late and need to catch the next train) is now pretty much reduced to one of gramps.

Tuesday night I had a very tasty vegan burger (on multi grain) for lunch at “Smooth. Health. Fusion. Food“, while my friend settled for veggie risotto with an extra topping of Parmesan cheese.

Part 2 is coming up shortly!

… do as the Parisians do, and have a barre du chocolat d’anti-stress.

If you’re a Sharleen Spiteri fan, it doesn’t get better than this. Word is this break at Dunblane Hydro hotel is so good… You’d better be quick.

Enjoy an intimate acoustic set at the hotel with Sharleen Spiteri and spend a whole weekend staying in luxury, dining on exquisite cuisine designed by celebrity Chef Nick Nairn and his team, and exploring some of Scotland’s top attractions.

On Friday, learn the secrets from Tullibardine Distillery’s master blender and sample the world famous whisky and enjoy a speciality dinner. On Saturday, follow up on the previous evening’s ‘tuition’ with a tour of the distilleries and choose from tickets to either Stirling Castle or the Wallace Monument.

End the weekend with a spectacular three course Gala Dinner in the newly refurbished Strathallan Suite - with a performance from Sharleen, showcasing some of her hits.

For more info and booking check http://doubletree.hilton.co.uk/sharleenspiteri.