My Sound Of The Day

After electro time, it is R&B time: Mary J. Blige - Midnight Drive Feat Brook Lynn.



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My Sound Of The Day

The electro mode continues with something made in France: Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending.



Birdy Nam Nam - Written In The Sand.



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My Sound Of The Day

I am still in electro mode: Discomirage - Another C.



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I Love Jersey

Instead of being bored in Jersey why not go visit Saint-Malo? That is what I have told myself since I have been in Jersey. I would have liked to write about how I loved the city and its little streets but this post will be about something else instead.



I should have been travelling back to Jersey on Sunday around the end of the afternoon but once I got to the ferry terminal for my check-in I learned that the departure time for the ferry had been pushed earlier because of the weather.
- Hello, I am going to Jersey.
- The ferry left at 3 PM sir.
- 3 PM? It was supposed to leave at 5:30 PM.
- Yes but the departure time was moved because of bad weather.
- And you guys don’t warn people?
- We did call you but didn’t reach you on Saturday.
- On which number.
- +44xxxxxxxxxx
- You have the right phone number but the battery on my phone was dead.
- We also sent you an email.
- I doubt that, I quickly checked my email yesterday evening and didn’t see anything.
- I assure you that a mail has been sent.
- Can I use one of your computers to check my mails?
- Here.
- There is indeed an email from your company but why was it sent on Sunday morning? 5 hours before the new departure time doesn’t leave time to get organized for someone who is not from around here.
- The email is only being sent when we can’t reach a person on the phone.
- That makes no sense, sending an email doesn’t cost anything.
- ...
- I suppose that this sort of things happen often, what is your course of action in those cases?
- There is none.




- I have to be at work tomorrow morning.
- You can catch the plane flying from Dinard tomorrow morning, you will be in Jersey at 1 PM.
- I guess there are no earlier flights.
- No.
- Is your company paying for the plane ticket?
- No, you have to pay for it.
- At what time does the ferry get to Jersey tomorrow?
- 2:15 PM.
- This means that I have lost a day of work, thank you very much.
- ...
- How does this work? Are you in charge of finding me a hotel for the night?
- No, you have to do that.
- Will your company pay for the bill?
- No, you have to pay for it.
- Well that is nice, I miss my ferry thanks to you and I have to pay for my hotel.
- You couldn’t be reached there is nothing more we could do.
- I don’t know, maybe sending an email as soon as you know the ferry time will be moved wouldn’t be a bad idea instead of sending it 5 hours before the departure time.
- Do you want to see the manager?
- No, I don’t want to fight with someone who will tell me that there is nothing he can do. I will find a hotel, send you the bill and your company will see what happens if they don’t want to pay for it.
- Take care.



I went back to the ferry terminal the next day and checked in. I then headed to the customs booth and gave my passport to the agent. He looked at my passport, put it in the reading machine, took it out, looked at it again and showed it to his colleague.
- Do you have another means of identification sir? Like a driving licence for example?
- No I don’t drive.
He looked at my passport again.
- I have been travelling for ten years with this passport, I can assure you that it is legit.
- It is weird the machine can’t read it.
- It happens from time to time but I have a ferry to catch.
- Alright, safe trip.
- Thanks.
I took my passport and went to the waiting room but before I got there one guy stepped in front of me and showed me the infrared machine. No other travellers had to go through it I was the lucky guy of the day, this is what we French call “to fit the part”. I put my bags on the conveyor belt and went through the gate. On the other side I was not surprised when the guy asked to look at my backpack as if toiletries, a multimedia hard drive and some comics could be dangerous. It had been a while since this kind of thing had happened to me...



I was in Jersey 1 hour and thirty minutes later and I went through the customs again. This time it was the same thing. The agent looked at my passport, put it in the machine, looked at it again and called a colleague so that he looked at it. He said to me:
- Do you speak English?
- Course I do.
He kept looking at my passport.
- I assure you this passport is valid, it is not the first time I have been on the island.
- How long are you staying on the island?
- 4 days.
- Where are you staying.
- In a hotel in the city.
- Do you have something to prove that?
- Listen, the last thing I want is to stay on this island. I am only here for 4 days.
- I hear you sir but I have to find out why you are here.
- I am working for a telecom company.
- Ah yes? And what are you doing there?
- That is none of your business.
- Do you have another means of identification sir?
- No I don’t drive.
- Don’t you have a business card with your name on it?
- My name is right there on the passport with my face on it, there was no problem with my passport at the airport when I got to the island a few days ago and I am late for work.
- I am here to check whether you can enter our country or not so do as I ask.
- I don’t have a business card.
- Could you fill this form for me sir?
- What a waste of time!
I start filling the form.
- Could you fill it over there?
I look around and there is no one in the room except me and the customs agents.
- There is no one in the room.
- Fill the form over there sir!
- I am in nobody’s way.
- I have to speak with my colleague.



I moved away from the customs booth to fill the form and brought it back. The two agents started comparing what I wrote on the form with what was on my passport. It was pathetic.
- I will need another means of identification sir.
- So what was the form for?
- Do you have a credit card?
- I have 3 where you will find the name that is on my passport.
The guy took the 3 cards, my passport and left. I stayed with the first agent who kept looking at the form. I took my phone out and started calling the colleague waiting for me.
- You can’t call sir?
- People are actually waiting for me at work so I have to warn them.
I explained to my colleague that I was still at the customs and I didn’t know when I would get to work. I third agent came while I was on the phone, I was very popular.
- Can you give the name of someone I can contact where you work.
I reached for my phone, dialled the colleague and handed the phone to the third agent.
- You can talk to him right now.
The agent took the phone but instead of starting talking he just wrote the name appearing on the screen and the phone number. He was probably thinking that I only needed 2 seconds to create a fake Jersey phone number with a real person on the line. I took the phone.
- The customs agent asked me about you but he doesn’t want to talk to you, he will probably try to reach you through the main office.
- Seriously?
- I kid you not. Sorry for the wasted time, I will work from my hotel. I will let you know when they release me.
- Do you want me to come and show them my badge?
- No don’t waste your time, it really isn't worth it.
I hung up and started talking to the two customs agent.
- Do you know that it is not the first time that I come to the island? I don’t know why there is no problem with my passport at the airport but there always is a problem when I come with the ferry.
- I don’t know what to say about that.
- You don’t say! How do you explain that your colleagues at the airport don’t have a problem with my passport when you do? Is the passport database they use different than the one you guys use?
- ...
- The worst thing here is that I really hate coming to this island.
The guy who took off with my passport came back.
- We are terribly sorry for the delay sir, you may enter the country.
I took my passport, my credit cards and didn’t even look any of them in the eye when I left.



I almost came back to ask for their name but what good would it do? I think that I shouldn’t let people who are not worth it ruin moments of my life just because they can. By pressing charges I would I kept that story with me for quite a while, today I move on.

La suite!

My Sound Of The Day

I little bit of electro music is always good for the ears: Nero - Me And You (Danger Remix).




La suite!