If your cab driver screams into the cell phone -- what should you do?

Got to Montreal about 6:30 -- took forever to clear immigration and customs (sp?). I waited too late to make a reservation so my usual hotel (a Marriott close to the meeting venue) was full. So gotta stay somewhere else. But it is just 1 night.

When I got to the airport all the Montreal flights were "cancelled due to weather" -- except mine. I think there must just not have been enough seats sold 'cause there is nothing wrong with the weather (besides cold). I did get myself all worked up 'cause I was worried about missing my talk in the AM and even the one in the PM. But I am here.

My cab driver got a cell phone call and just gabbed all the way from the airport. Really loud. Gave me a headache. Only gave him a $2 (Canadian) tip. So now I feel guilty ...... What would someone else have done? I don't know -- complained live? Mark would have said something rude -- but this guy was talking so loud he would not have heard him! Call the company? Thought about that -- but then I figured it was bad karma. Hopefully a $2 (Canadian) tip is not bad karma!

Skipped dinner with the gang. Would have been late for 7:30 dinner anyhow. Plus I don't drink and get stuck subsidizing the drinks of others. One time in Montreal got stuck with a $160 bill for $20 worth of food. Had no $ for food rest of the week. One of the drinkers bought my lunch one day ... the others just laughed about it. Interesting study of human nature. LOL now -- not so much then ......

Ordered a grilled cheese from room service. Miss Sydney. Wish I could have brought him (the hotel allows small pets). But I bet ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization -- one of those really lame United Nations organizations) would not. LOL in Oct of 2007 I Chaired a workshop at ICAO. I used my computer -- and when it went into sleep mode Sydney's baby picture came up. In a giant screen. Looks a lot like this one -- just a smaller Sydney. But hey it's not as bad as when Bush got up to use the loo in the middle of a UN meeting.

OK -- gotta stop rambling .... and do something. Hope I get home tomorrow for my Bday on Thursday.