Page 1 of 1

My ordeal

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 1:51 am
by Bobtheduck
I almost got stuck in Canada...

I got to the airport late and missed my plane. My brother almost just dropped me off, and I had left my passport in the car. Thankfully he got it and I was able to get a flight at 7:40 the next morning. We went to dinner (my first time going anywhere in Canada other than the toronto airport) at a pizza place (which wouldn't accept american money, and was right across the street from ANOTHER pizza place that wouldn't accept american money) When we got back to the car, we found that the car had been broken into... We were freaked out, but they didn't take anything... Just popped the door open and left it there... Didn't take the camcorder under the seat, or my luggage in the trunk... My brother thinks they got it open and someone saw them and they ran off...

I had to stay at the airport all night... That was the single most boring time I've had in years... I thought of things I could do to pass the time (I had to wait until 5 before I could check in...) and decided to chronicle my time on my video camera... I was successfully helping time pass a little when a security guard came up to me...

"What are you taping?"

"Myself?"

"What are you taping? Just you walking around?"

"I guess... Why?"

"Because I'm a security officer and I want to know!

Apparently it's a security threat to tape long empty rows of airline checkins or the airport terminal... He only searched me out due to my tripod, because my brother was taping everything and no one said boo.

Well, I got checked in at 5, and I had to take all my stuff through an hour long, dropping everything several times and having the tag come off one of my bags repeatedly because they didn't put it on right... It turns out I could get through easy because I'm an american, but all the canadians, mexicans, filipinos, koreans, and other non-americans had a bit more of a problem, and that's why it took ME so long because I was behind all of them. I got to the gate and waited and waited and found out the plane had mechanical problems, and it was late and I couldn't get to my follow-up plane...

Well, thankfully they gave us free tickets for our delays, and I even got first class... I got home and it was finally all over... I got home and opened my PS2 and plugged in my DDR controller and stuck in the DDR Max2 game and played until my feet hurt and I'm happy now... No more screaming baby (my niece I lived with for the last week and a half so.) and no more customs or airlines or security threats... I'm happy...

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 4:12 am
by Fsiphskilm
Hahaha, Great story.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 8:14 am
by Ashley
Man, poor bob. Glad to hear you're home safe, but hey, look on the bright side...if nothing had happened, you wouldn't have such a funny story to tell, right?

I hope something like that doesn't happen to me here soon...got my own trip coming up. But at least I won't be crossing international borders..

What part of Canada were you in, by the way? I used to live half an hour away from BC

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 9:10 am
by uc pseudonym
Interesting... that might be a strange tape to see. At least you didn't get arrested. Right after 9-11, you might have been.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 9:20 am
by Retten
Well you can say you got a cool story out of all of that! :lol:

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 9:31 am
by Technomancer
Customs usually sucks, if you can arrange it, it's sometimes easier to take an American flight from Buffalo, than dealing with the officials at Pearson. If I'm flying in Canada, I prefer to use Hamilton airport.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 2:46 pm
by Bobtheduck
I was in toronto airport purely because it was cheaper, but that was a mistake and won't happen again... It's rather sad that this will be my only memory of Canada... I didn't get to go to visit while I was in NY. I'll have to visit my friend's hometown, saskatoon. Not that there's going to be anything interesting there, but it should be a better memory than my ordeal.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention, I don't know what it is about Arizona that all the fast food is more expensive... Every item on the menu at burger king in phoenix was 1 to 2 dollars more expensive than here in california. It's not just the airport, because it was the same way when my family drove through AZ before.

My trip was interesting... My brother's a mormon, and I am clearly not, so that made for some interesting times... I actually went with him to his stake one sunday. It wasn't that weird until their second sunday school... I got freaked out by that and wasn't able to enjoy the main service, even though all they did was sing Christmas carols...

I'm really trying to be more diplomatic on that note than my other brother, a very opinionated free will babtist, is with him. There is a rift there and i don't want one to be between us, especially since I really just met him last year (er, sorry, 2 years ago... Forgot... New Years)

It was nice getting to know him (and see what Genetics does and doesn't have say in... though, of course, we're not twins but we are brothers...

I'm happy to be home now. I have to start focusing on school and getting my math to calculus.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 3:35 pm
by Benu
Gee what an interesting time you had in Canada. Glad to hear you got back ok.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 4:01 pm
by uc pseudonym
My, you have an... interesting family religious situation. I pray that goes well for you.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 4:08 pm
by Locke
reminds me of the time in brazil.... nvm thats for the bio

wait they targeted u for videotaping?
guess they littyle startled from tha SARS thing

DDR!!! w77t!!w77t!! if ure feet hurt u musta been playin on standard!

my 0.02

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:14 pm
by Michael
Bummer. Hey, check out the Silent Hill 3 thread when you get a chance, I've always wanted to hash it out.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:37 pm
by Technomancer
Michael wrote:Bummer man, stuck in Canada. Might as well be shot to death.


We like it here just fine. Anyways, I'll let you guess in which country you're more likely to get yourself shot.

It's a pity you couldn't spend more time in Ontario, beyond the airport stuff. There's a fair bit to see.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:42 pm
by Retten
I have always wanted to go to Canada it sounds like a cool place just keep and eye on your car lol :sweat:

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 5:42 pm
by shooraijin
> Bummer man, stuck in Canada. Might as well be shot to death.

Even in jest, be nice, please.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 01, 2004 6:42 pm
by Michael
Woops, I should say, 'Stuck in a airport, might as well be shot to death.'

<We like it here just fine. Anyways, I'll let you guess in which country you're more likely to get yourself shot.>

Washington D.C., you're not allowed to carry loaded firearms there. Not even with a permit.

I'd like to apologize to all Canadians for that ill-chosen comment.