Travel Twists

I have been travelling again, which is good for observations but bad for blogging. Managing your entire electronic life via a Blackberry is achievable, but not optimum. The strange thing is that if regular computer keyboards were adapted for thumb-typing, I would be able to work more effectively. I can thumb-type faster than an organgutan. All thanks to opposable thumbs.

Anyway, some things I noticed on my travels:

• Travelators - In an airport, it is always more satisfying to come across a Dunlop rubber travelator rather than a metal one. They give you a spring in your step and make you feel good about the world. Imagine if every pavement were made of the same stuff - the world would be a much happier place
• Taxicabs - why have I never been in a taxi where there wasn't some warning light flashing on the dashboard? Oil Level low, Fuel low, Washer Fluid low or Directional Ability low. In one recent ride as I pulled on my safety belt the driver told me I did not need to wear it. As they say in Scotland, "Aye, right"
• Pavement Portrait Artists - in pretty much every major city you will find a park with a bunch of portrait artists selling their wares and trying to tempt you to pose. My issue is that they advertise their skills with hand-drawn portraits of celebrities. Now forgive me if I am wrong, but I have never seen Madonna or Johnny Depp sitting having a portrait done outside Central Park. Or Orlando Bloom or Penelope Cruz, and definitely not James Dean (unless the tabloids are to be believed).