A Call in Winter

Title reference: "A Betrayal in Winter" by Daniel Abraham

***

Tate's bother Finn (yes, the all have short, compact, 4-letter names) was supposed to fly over to London and stay with us for Christmas, but due to the bad weather and the heavy snowing all over Europe, got stuck on an airport instead, pretty much at the mercy of winter! Ever heard the song "Ice Queen" by Within Temptation? Well, listen carefully to the lyrics and you will notice that the winter season has been acting like said Ice Queen way too much for comfort! People all over the world have been unable to get back home for the holidays, which might have been sad, if it wasn't so tragic! I mean, come on... We (homosapiens) pride ourselves to be on "top of the food chain", but are unable to beat a simple snowfall with all our "amazing" technology? Well, I say we... err... Just follow my line of thought and figure it out on your own, OK?

Anyway, if nothing else, in recent years we've managed to develop one useful technology, technically software, which can help us stay in touch with family and friends abroad, who are having one hell of a Christmas time in an airport, somewhere around the globe! Which is a big step up, I suppose! After all, in the past people were happy with the fast communication system sending e-mails to get in touch with people from all over the world! Today we can talk with anybody from anywhere. But the idea that long distance calls and especially international calls are expensive made the telecommunication providers become more and more competitive, and nowadays they are offering different promotions and plans for cheap international calls to facilitate their consumers.

So, taking advantage of the above said, and having in mind that Finn's actually very good with technology, we were able to "come in contact" (no, there were no aliens!). As a matter of fact, it turned out that both international and local conference calls can be very useful in such situations! However, each one has its own characteristics. Now, let me try to explain them to you... (I wish Finn was here!)

So, when you make a conference call you should dial the exit code of your country, next the country code and finally the recipient’s number. Of course, check the international rates of your provider. Generally, you should be careful when setting the time, the date and the location, which must be confirmed, but in case of emergencies, such as calling people from the snow covered airport... Such formalities could be overlooked, yes?

Anyway, back on topic! One thing, when making a conference call is, you need to do your best and speak clearly and slowly. Finn has a tendency to talks as if he's in a hurry, or someone is chasing him and every next word could be his last, so... It was a bit difficult to follow his side of the conversation! Do you get my point now?

Bottom line is, the international conference call is not that much more complicated than the national one.  And in cases of extreme emergencies it might be the best way for you to get in touch with your closes and dearest, from every possible location!

Yes, Tate, even the good ol' restroom in Gatwick! Geez!