"Even if I got rid of all my problems, I'd just go out and get new ones..."

I swear, if you blow that panpipe I am gonna shove it...
2:38 p.m. on 2003-09-17

I hate panpipes.

Every night is the same. We go to a restaurant, our food arrives, we settle down to eat it, and just as we are really beginning to enjoy ourselves along comes about four men in ponchos who decide to blow down a panpipe straight into your ear before demanding money - or that you buy their poorly made CD.

You can always spot the newbie tourist because they�re the one taking photos. The well-established tourist is the one hiding behind their menu and groaning quietly into their salad.

Did I mention how much I miss my CD player? Oh, for some Tom McRae, some Dar Williams, some My Life Story. I want to hear Jake Shillingford, goddammit, not another bleeding salsa tape!

Not that there is anything wrong with salsa. There isn�t. I love Celia Cruz and was saddened by her recent death. But after two months of the same thing, a cycle of panpipes, salsa, and some strange chipmunk-type singing that passes for pop music, I WANT MY CDS!

Sorry. Rant over. Normal service will resume in a moment.

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