Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Week 1 Anny

Hi All,

I apologize for not updating more regularly, but work has started to kick in as well as still exploring the island. But I wanted to do a few quick posts.

I've got a phone and within a few days my international account will be activated, so I can actually get on the phone with some of you. I'm pleased with how cheap it is, but still would like to mess around on Skype.

Dealing with business like my provider makes Bermuda very...interesting. I've found it incredibly hard to get anything done over the phone, such as asking TBI to email me their plan so I could get set up, but after three days nothing and calling again did no good. So, I was forced to head into Hamilton to figure it out. But not like the states where you can jump in your car and head 2 seconds to where ever, it takes me 45 minute on a bus to Hamilton to deal with something that took under 10 minutes. Kind of a pain in the ass, but that's just how it is, very slow and "relaxed?"

Luckily the buses here are phenomenol and you can basically grab one anytime, anywhere for relatively cheap. Riding the bus is interesting as well, some locals will come on the bus and greet every single person. Another time, I had a kid pass out on me while he in his mother's lap. Like head into my side and arm over my backpack(in lap). I looked at the woman and she just smiled at me to let me know her kid wasn't moving and she wasn't gonna doing anything about it.

Work has been going good. I've been cleaning an absurd amount of tubes and vials and then learning where stuff is around the lab and complex. Protocol, NBD. Everyone at BIOS is so far...great to work with and be around.

Friday Night

This is kind of an amusing story...

So I went into town Friday with someone from the lab to meet up with another guy from BIOS. We went to a place called Lemon Tree and I was introducted to Bermuda's yuppie, knicker and long socks accountants. Mostly a white crowd, Ex-Pats, is what they are called, being from outside of Bermuda. Good amount of Canadians, all them liked to drink...I was happy. Also, since so many people come and go on the island, I had random people coming up and introducing and themselves. Very friendly.

Anyway the place was an outside bar and thus closes at 12am, unfortunately. We headed to a few other places and ran into another guy who had a car. Now it's about 2am and we're driving further west out of Hamilton(away from St. George's-home) looking for some hotel bar or something. It was strange...we had to walk down a bunch of hotel corridors before we got to this very tiny bar, with a small pool room and a tiny dance floor.

I walked in and there must of been 20 or some people, mostly black, dancing a little and just hanging out. All of a sudden Eddie Griffin walks out of pool room with a beret and walks by. I'm a little dumbfounded because
a) it's Eddie Griffin, a celebrity, but not really.
b) it's 230am
c) what is he doing in some random bar in Bermuda???



Anyways I nodded and he said "wazz happening". He was pretty messed up. So we hung out and played pool while Eddie was dancing with the wait staff. Then, a little later, Mr Griffin, grabbed the mic and started rapping(horribly) with most of his rap trying to encourage everybody in the tiny bar to come and dance. Of course, we did. Eddie spent the next 20min grinding the hotel staff.

So, that was my Friday night.


I'll write more tomorrow, but right now there is a keg of Guinness at the Wind for a going away party for a fellow who's been here about 6 years...should be a good night.

Cheers!
DB

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Was Eddie a phenomenal dancer? He used to be a choreographer for a dance crew and even performed at halftime of many Kansas City Chiefs games...

... juts some common knowledge for you Doug.

Doug Bell said...

all it takes is a search on wiki fox...congrats