post by John

Rough Shop departed St. Louis today (Monday 4/21) for Zurich, Switzerland, via Air Canada. Everything went really smoothly — we had a three-hour layover in Toronto and all luggage arrived in Zurich intact (including one dobro, three guitars, and a mandolin).

After several years of flying strictly on domestic airlines, I had forgotten how pleasant flying can be. Friendly and ever-diligent flight attendants made a 7 1/2 hour flight from Toronto to Zurich go by way more quickly than anticipated. And here’s something you don’t hear on domestic airlines: updates over the intercom of the Canadiens-Bruins NHL playoff game accompanied by applause from partial Canadians reveling over an easy win.

Because each passenger has a personal monitor screen with the ability to choose from a myriad of movies, time goes by quickly. Anne and Andy both opted for “No Country for Old Men”. Because they were sitting in front of us, it seems like every time I glanced up, I saw another person suffering an untimely & less than pleasant demise at the hands of a guy with a bad haircut. Marie ended up watching “Til the Devil Knows You’re Gone” and since I never could sleep, I ended up watching a “I’m Not There” and “The Great Debaters” double-header.

One trade is negotiated during midflight: Anne’s biography of Keith Moon will be traded for my biography of Dean Martin at the conclusion of said readings by the current owners.