UGGGHHHH!!!!

JUST AS A HEADS UP I'M GOING TO WRITE THIS WHOLE ENTRY IN CAPS LOCK!

AS THE TITLE SUGGESTS TODAY WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS. I GUESS THAT IT WASN'T UNBEARABLE OR ANYTHING BUT IT WASN'T WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

AFTER I WROTE MY ENTRY THIS MORNING (IT'S ABOUT 7:30 RIGHT NOW) WE HAD QUITE THE LITTLE ADVENTURE. FIRST WE WENT BACK UP INTO THE ROOM PACKED OUR 100+ POUNDS OF STUFF AND WENT ON OUR WAY. WE HAD THE HOTEL DESK WORKER GUY, HIS NAME IS JEROME, CALL UP A CAB TO PICK US UP, AND IN THE MEANTIME WE WALKED DOWN TO THE ATM AND GOT 100 FRANCS OUT OF OMAS ACCOUNT, WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE ENTIRELY NECCESSARY. WE GOT IN THE CAB AND WENT TO THE PLACE THAT THE GUY TOLD ME ON THE PHONE EARLIER, DIE DREILÄNDEECKE, AND IT JUST SO TURNS OUT THE THE BOAT WASN'T THERE. SURPRISE!!! WAIT! NO! THAT ISN'T THE KIND OF SURPRISE I WANTED AT ALL! WELL WHETHER OR NOT I WANTED IT WAS THE CASE, AND THAT BEING THE CASE WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. THE TAXI DRIVER WAS A REALLY NICE GUY AND TALKED TO SOMEONE ON ANOTHER BOAT FOR US. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYING SO WELL BECAUSE HE HAD A REALLY HEAVY FRENCH ACCENT. BUT ANYWAYS THE GUY ON THE OTHER BOAT CALLED UP THE SWISS POLICE WATER DIVISION AND ASKED WHERE THERE WOULD BE SUCH A BOAT. WELL IT TURNS OUT THAT A UNIWORLD BOAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT THIS OTHER DOCK NOT SO FAR AWAY...TOMORROW. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE POLICE DIDN'T EXACTLY MENTION THE TOMORROW PART OF THE SENTENCE, AND SO WE HAD THE CAB DRIVER DROP US OFF AT THIS DOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS BF NOWHERE PART OF TOWN AND WAITED JUST IN CASE THE BOAT WAS JUST LATE (WE STILL THOUGHT THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY). WE WAITED THERE FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR (GOOD THING I BROUGHT A TRAVEL GUITAR) AND THEN A SWISS WATER-POLICE OFFICER SHOWED UP ON A LITTLE SCOOTER (WHICH ARE VERY POPULAR HERE) HE GAVE ME THIS LITTLE SPREADSHEET THAT HAD A LIST OF ALL OF THE COMMERCIAL BOATS IN THE CITY AND THE TIMES THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE FOR THE WHOLE MONTH. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE ONLY PLACE THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY BOATS TODAY WAS DOWN RIVER QUITE A WAYS. SO THIS POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS ALSO A PRETTY NICE GUY CALLED A CAB FOR US SO WE AREN'T JUST WAITING AT THIS ABANDONED PORT WITH 100 LBS OF CRAP. THE CAB COMES AS PLANNED, AND HE TAKES US TO THE OTHER DOCK. I NOTICED THAT HE DROVE US A COUPLE OF BLOCKS OUT OF THE WAY AND WAS RIPPING US OFF A LITTLE BIT, BUT OMA DIDN'T NOTICE SO I DECIDED TO JUST LET IT SLIDE THIS TIME. AFTER ALL WE HAD BIGGER PROBLEMS LIKE NOT HAVING A BOAT.

NOW WE'RE AT THE OTHER DOCK, BUT NEITHER OF THE BOATS THERE ARE OURS, WHICH IS KIND OF A PROBLEM. I CHECKED WITH THE MANAGER OF ONE OF THE DOCKED BOATS, AND SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD NO IDEA WHEN A UNIWORLD BOAT WOULD BE AT THE DOCK. SO WE WENT BACK TO THE TAXI, TO THE SAME DRIVER THAT RIPPED US OFF THE FIRST TIME, AND HAD HIM DRIVE US BACK TO THE HOTEL. AND AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED HE DID INDEED TAKE A LONGER ROUTE. WE CHECKED BACK INTO THE HOTEL AND GOT OUR SAME ROOM BACK. BUT HERE IS THE KICKER:

I TOLD THE WHOLE STORY TO JEROME AT THE FRONT DESK, AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD GOTTEN A CALL FROM UNIWORLD CRUISES SAYING THAT THE WEBSITE AND OUR INFORMATION WAS WRONG AND THAT THE BOAT WOULD BE HERE TOMORROW (SUNDAY THE 28TH). HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE HAD TOLD OMA THIS INFORMATION, BUT THAT SHE WALKED AWAY. OMA OF COURSE REFUTES THIS ENTIRELY AND I'M SAD TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE JEROME THIS TIME. I ONLY BELIEVE HIM BECAUSE OMA HAD MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ONCE, BUT I JUST THAT THAT SHE WAS BEING CRAZY. SHE ALSO DOESN'T REMEMBER MENTIONING ANYTHING TO ME, WHICH JUST MAKES ME BELIEVE JEROME MORE.

SO AFTER TALKING TO JEROME FOR QUITE AWHILE I FINALLY GOT UP INTO THE ROOM, PUT OUR STUFF DOWN, AND CALLED THE OFFICE IN BASEL TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT TIME WE SHOULD BE AT THE DOCK, BUT OF COURSE THE OFFICE IN BASEL IS CLOSED ON WEEKENDS. SO I CALLED THE OFFICE IN LA, BUT THEY WERE CLOSED BECAUSE IT WAS STILL TOO EARLY IN AMERICA AND THEIR OFFICE WASN'T OPEN YET, SO INSTEAD WE JUST LEFT TO GET US SOME EATS.

WE WALKED 1/2 A BLOCK AND FOUND A PRETTY COOL AUTHENTIC SWISS/GERMAN PLACE TO EAT. I HAD A REAL SCHNTZEL, AND OMA HAD A BRATWURST. ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 WHERE 1 IS THE BEST AND 10 IS THE WORST, THIS SCHNITZEL WAS A NEGATIVE 8. IT WAS REALLY GOOD. I KIND OF WISH I HAD MY CAMERA ON ME TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE WOMAN THAT SERVED US. SHE WAS THE MOST REDICULOUS PERSON I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY WHOLE LIFE. IN FACT SHE WAS SO REDICULOUS THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE TO START A NEW PARAGRAPH JUST TO DESCRIBE HER.

YOU KNOW THOSE OLD LADY TYPES THAT TRY TO LOOK YOUNG. AND I DON'T MEAN LIKE 60 YEAR OLDS WHO WEAR HIP TRENDY YOGA PANTS AND MODERN BLOUSES THAT DON'T ACTUALLY MAKE THEM LOOK YOUNGER. I MEAN LIKE 70 YEAR OLD WOMEN WHO LOOK LIKE HELL NORMALLY, BUT THEN TRY TO DRESS LIKE A 20 YEAR OLD FROM THE 80'S TO MAKE UP FOR IT BUT FAIL HORRIBLY. THIS WOMAN WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. SHE HAD ON SOME SORT OF SKIN TIGHT MATCHING ROYAL BLUE PANTS AND SHIRT THAT IN NO WAY COMPLIMENTED HER FIGURE, WITH A BLINDINGLY BRIGHT WHITE UNDERSHIRT THAT SHOWED THROUGH THE COLLAR THAT HURT TO LOOK AT. SHE HAD SHORT SPIKED HAIR THAT WAS JET BLACK WITH RED TIPS AND THE BRIGHTEST RED LIPSTICK I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. IT WAS TOTALLY CRAZY. ASIDE FROM THAT SHE HAD THOSE DESIGNER SUNGLASSES WITH THE BUG EYS THAT REALLY BROUGHT OUT HER BAGGY CHEEKS PRETTY WELL I MUST SAY, AND A VOICE THAT SPOKE GERMAN WITH ALL OF THE GRACE AND BEAUTY OF NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD MIXED WITH A CAT IN A BLENDER. SHE WAS A CHARACTER.

ANYWAYS SORRY BOUT THAT LITTLE RANT.

AFTER DINNER WE WALKED BACK UP TO THE ROOM AND OMA WENT TO SLEEP. I OF COURSE SIEZED THIS AS A PHOTO SAFARI AND CITY EXPLORING OPORTUNITY. SO I WALKED TO THE MARKETPLACE THAT WE WERE AT YESTERDAY AND TOOK A LOT OF PHOTOS, MOSTLY OF STORES AND THINGS THAT I JUST FOUND FUNNY OR INTERESTING. I'LL POST THEM WHEN I HAVE TIME.

IT WAS ON THIS LITTLE EXCURSION THAT I LEARNED A VERY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE LESSON: WHILE SWISS CHOCOLATE IS BETTER THAN CRACK, IT IS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXPENSIVE (I THINK). I STOPPED INTO THIS CONFECTION STORE, AND TO GET THE REAL HADMADE SWISS CHOCOLATE IT WAS 10 FRANCS A GRAM. THAT'S RIGHT THAT'S ABOUT $4313 PER POUND. WHICH IS REDICULOUS. SO ANYWAYS I BOUGHT A LITTLE BIT OF CHOCOLATE FOR OMA AND I. I ALSO BOUGH A GERMAN BOOK THAT I'VE BEEN MEANING TO READ FOR AWHILE CALLED "HEKTORS REISE"

THIS IS ABOUT THE TIME THAT I WALKED BACK, TOOK SOME MORE PHOTOS, AND ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL. I STARTED TO READ MY BOOK BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY HARD TO CONCENTRATE WHEN OMA IS IN THE SAME ROOM SNORING AT 80 DECIBELS. THAT'S ABOUT THE TIME THAT I DECIDED TO COME DOWN HERE AND BLOG/RANT.

SO THAT WAS MY DAY FEEL FREE TO LEAVE ME A DERP (COMMENT) AND RANT ABOUT YOURS.

TILL NEXT TIME
-JESSE

P.S. I'M REALLY NOT SURE WHEN I WILL BLOG NEXT, CAUSE I REALLY WON'T HAVE A COMPUTER TOMORROW.