The Battleship's Return to Toronto

So, waking up at my usual 05:00 to do laundry on Thursday, I had a clear mind (without the need of coffee!) and was ready to start the few things needed previous to going to Toronto. I should not have skipped the coffee.

Doing my one and only load of laundry, I had just pulled my favourite denim jacket out of the washer, when my mp3 player fell out of the pocket. Oh, what a way to start. As I am generally shake-me-to-the-bones-terrified of flying, this was to be my way of keeping my nerves in check, and it is now so much useless circuits and plastic. So, a replacement was needed. Good thing I was going to the Bargain Shop downtown to get some new pants for the trip. (I also got a watch that was still set to Central Time while in Toronto, which did nothing but screw with my head on a constant basis, but that's another story.)

So, we're on our way out of town. Tesla was set to spend some time in Barrie with Barbatos, so we drove together. Of course, not 15 minutes out of town, and he's pulled over for speeding. Once that was dealt with (and I hope he sent payment in for the ticket, otherwise his license will get suspended, and future trips to Thunder Bay will be in serious jeopardy) we moved on. At the same speed. Oy.

Without further adieu, we get to Thunder Bay and store the German Workhorse at Pellet's place outside of town, who drives us to the airport. And just in time too, because no sooner was Tesla checked in for his flight, he had to dash to catch up with it. My flight was scheduled to take off an hour later.

So, two hours later, my flight arrives, having undergone 'unexpected maintenance' in Toronto. Translation: I was getting on a plane that had just come back from being broken. Oy.

Needless to say, the two hours I was airborne were a constant test on my nerves. Every patch of turbulence felt like a hurricane - oh hell, you all get the idea by this point. I'm terrified to fly, that's all I need to say. It was made worse when I devised the theory that Porter Airlines pilots must be trained in F-18 Hornets, even though Chrysalis warned me in advance that these little planes are generally used in a more acrobatic fashion.

From there, things went superb. And no, that is not sarcasm. It went really well. Friday saw me going to visit the Limey and the Welsh, catch up on current happenings, then move on the South Core to see if I could spot any of the old crew. After a while, Chrysalis was able to join me, and we spent the day walking around and updating each other on the goings-on of our lives. After a while, the topic came up of going to see a movie.

'Nightmare on Elm Street' isn't out yet at this point, and Chrysalis would never agree to such a movie. Just not her cup of tea. In the end, we decided on 'Avatar.' It is now most certainly amongst my top favourite movies of all time, not for the cinematography or CGI used in the movie, but for the storyline. That and, I must admit, for having blue skin and a tail, Neytiri was quite striking. (Hey, even the Immortal Amoeba can judge - I just don't do it that often.)

The next day, Saturday, was the big bash. Drako's mother had been kind enough to offer me shelter during my trip, and it was there that I had scheduled to meet Kaiser when he drove in from London. From there, the three of us went to Queen/Yonge to pick up Andariel and her friend, Haggis. On reaching the bar where the party would begin, I was soon after steam-rolled into a hug by yet another long-time friend, Chipper, who was there with her boyfriend. The seven of us whittled away the hours in food and drink, laughing at whatever we could.

On to the second bar, Kaiser began acting his usual self to Andariel. I won't go into great detail, but I'm more than certain she got a lot of material for her next group of erotica short stories. Neither knew at the time, but putting those two across from each other had been a master plan of my own. Andariel has often said that while Drako is more than willing to 'perform' at any time, the central type of attention she wants most is not often given. The same type of attention that Kaiser is notorious for dishing out at any time on the clock. Again, no great detail, but it worked fabulously. (Sulli, if you're reading this, you needn't worry; Kaiser ain't going nowhere but back in bed with you.)

So, goodbyes were said at the end of the night, and we all tottered off to those places we called our bunks for the night. Plans were hatched between Haggis and myself to possibly collaborate on future works. I'd have to see some of his work, to see the exact type of writing, but more importantly the style. If it checks out though, I'd be willing to give it a spin. But more vital to me was that the conversation gave a random flash of insight. I've long since thought of Road to Megiddo and Shattered World to be two separate projects, but it could easily stand a chance to combine them. I've long since thought Megiddo could be too short of a novel to begin with. I'll be taking a look into this later in the week.

Anyway, on to the plane, where I was surprised to find I wasn't near as nervous. I still don't like it, but at least I didn't have a panic attack on take-off. Little remains to say, except that driving back to Atikokan with Wrench and Lazarus, we got stopped short twice, once by a trio of does, the other by a cow moose. (Note to Tesla: that's one more I've got up on you - you'll never catch up.) And now I sit at home once again, in my own little corner of Northern Ontario, with my thoughts, as they often do, turning to my friends down south. Along with those thoughts goes the thought that I really must try and do that trip more often.