First off, kudos to paddykraska for covering for me last weekend, and virtual self-flagellation, sort of, for missing posting SNLC the weekend before. However, I was out of town in a very nice place most of that week, and I didn't get back quite in time to post SNLC that night. Thus, overall:
Winner column = having a great time away from home
Loser column = missing posting SNLC because of said great time
Hmm, which is more important? ;)
Having said that, my loser status is now fully reactivated (sound of teeth gritting) for this Labor Day weekend. From a diary by skippy a while back, sailmaker and I exchanged some banter about one of the concerts of the 2006 Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London, Prom 45, which was supposed to feature the Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL), from NYC, in their Proms debut on August 17. However...
We all know what happened a few weeks ago, with the arrest of the British suspects accused of planning to bomb trans-Atlantic planes in mid-flight. With the resulting changes in airport and baggage regulations, OSL couldn't overcome the new hurdles, and they had to scrap the tour, which also included a scheduled debut appearance at the
Edinburgh Festival the day before.
Daniel Wakin's NYT article covers this situation nicely in the context of increased headaches for orchestra tours, if you're able to still read it.
For the Proms, the City of London Sinfonia was able to step in at the last minute for OSL, and so the Proms concert took place as programmed. Reviews are available here, here, and here. But the point, of course, is that through absolutely no fault of their own, but by a conjunction of bad luck and circumstances totally out of their control, OSL got hosed. To lightly paraphrase Slartibartfast, "two years of work and planning, gone, just like that. Well, that's bureaucracy for you."
So, any travel-related loser stories, even if it's just driving to the supermarket or walking around the block? But don't feel restricted, as all loser stories for the week are welcome...