The Journey, Part 3

So, I'm now sat in the departure lounge at Orlando.

There was some confusion over my bags.

I was sat near the desk, so as to be able to hear any announcements (the tannoy system was a little bit useless).

I heard "Would Clark, party of two, please contact the staff at Gate 85".

Well, that's not me. I'm a party of one. The some other girl appeared, and said she was Laura Clark. She disappeared off again, and then came another announcement...

"Would passenger Matthew Clark please contact the staff at Gate 85".

So I did, and she gave me a bit of flack for standing there when she announced the first time. Hang on a minute... You cocked up. I'm a party of 1, not 2. And Clark is a common name.

So all they wanted to do was check they'd got the right bags.

That done and dusted, I got on the plane, a Boeing 747.

I'd been sat down about 10 minutes (complete with 2 other people "blocking me in"; I had a window seat. More announcements... "Would passenger Matt Clark from Charlotte please make himself known to the cabin crew". So I did. Turns out they wanted to check they had loaded the right bags. Well I'd got the right receipts, and I'd seen them load my bags onto the plane.

I got back in my seat, and settled down for an otherwise uneventful journey.

The Journey, Part 2

So I arrived at Orlando just about on time.

I thought to myself, do I need to collect my bags and re-check them in again? I wasn't sure, so I took the receipts to the baggage desk. The agent there said "Give them a few minutes... they'll be on belt 10 soon."

So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. My travel buddy, a very nice art and design student from up north somewhere, collected her bag. I was sure that the Charlotte bags had appeared, but still no sign of mine. Then some bloke came and took off all the other bags, and switched the belt off.

I went back to the baggage office, and another bloke said "Hmmm... Those have been tagged all the way to Gatwick. They'll already been on the plane. One was not amused. I'd just stood around for half an hour, when I've only got an hour and a half to change flights.

I hot-footed it around to the Virgin desk (on the advice of the bloke at the US airways desk) only to find the flight was delayed by four hours, and Virgin were trying to transfer people onto a later (but earlier) flight.

Phew. I had some extra time.

The Journey. Part 1

The trip home started with packing bags.

Thanks to Chase for helping out with that. Chick-fil-A again when I get back?

Anyway, on to Charlotte airport, and I was greeted by a pianist playing seasonal tunes.

I would like to apologise to Emily though; I can't seem to be able to send the photo to you. I'll fiddle with the phone a bit, and see if I can convince it to behaive itself.

Anyway, after a pleasant hour on the flight to Orlando, things started to go wrong..

Message on a cup...

"A am the best damn scone maker ever!"

Speaks for itself really.

But yes, I hand-made Amber some scones for a special Christmas present.

Cinema.... MUST SEE.... MUST SEE....

So Saturday night, a work colleague and I went to the cinema to watch Avatar.

I'm not going to say too much about the story, for the benefit of those that haven't seen it yet. I don't want to spoil it.

However, in my rating of films, this one ticks ALL the boxes. It's amazing. I was speechless afterwards. The special effects will just blow you away.

If you're over in the UK, it's already been released. GO AND WATCH IT, if you haven't already.

Although I've been to see it in a conventional cinema, I am going to get the IMAX 3D experience.

Dan... You wanted to know. It's well worth going to watch.

Hooters

After a good week at work, I thought I'd treat myself to a drink at Hooters.

So here I am! I hooked my Acer up to the Hooters wifi and away it went.

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the drink :-)

Message on a cup...

"It was Colonel Mustard in the Drawing Room with that bloody candlestick again.

... How do you kill someone with a candlestick?"

This cup revolves around the word "bloody". Which, although considered a bit of a wordy-durd in the UK, is not quite so strong here. And since Amber loves Cluedo, it had to be Colonel Mustard!!!

Message on a cup...

"My Bartender / Waitress really digs my accent"

There's a funny story behind this one...

Those keen blogreaders will note that certain parts of the blog were changed tonight.

I must apologise to Amber. Apparently, her official job title is "Bartender", not "waitress", so I corrected the erroneous entries in the blog.

Artistic Polycups

As I said in the previous post (or maybe a few posts ago), Amber the Bartender writes messages on the polycups.

So, in order to keep the memory of this (my own is a bit sketchy at the best of times...) I'm going to start a new bit on the blog....

"Message on a Cup"

Not very original, I know, but there it is.

So.. I'll start off with a few from the past, and update as we progress through the rest of my stay here in the US.

The two old ones I can remember are:

"I'm stuck here with these guys"

"Mind The Gap... But shop the store... Great sweaters"

I'm sure there was one about pickles...

This weeks to follow...

A small piece of England

So... I've been to Empire Pizza a couple of times now.

It's nice there. Not too busy, and the bartender is really nice. Hi Amber!!!

Last week, however, was a bit special. Someone phoned ahead to let Amber know we were going, and she wore a special T shirt for me. Unfortunately, I don't really look all that good on a photo (I'm usually on the other end taking the picture..) so please excuse my strange face-pulling :D.

As if one British-themed T shirt wasn't enough, the following day, we have an old red phone box... Thankyou Amber, Ben and Dan :)

Salad and a slice of pepperoni pizza, with a large Diet Pepsi :)

A sad day

Sagebrush Rock Hill has closed.

This is bad. Really bad. I liked that place. The food was good, and they always had a table. Always. Everyone knew me there. They were like a second family. And now they've gone.

The signs have gone. The lights are off, and no-one is there. And there's a big container outside.

I'm still in shock.

The next nearest Sagebrush is in Gaffney, which, I think, is about a 30 minute drive from here. I guess I could go there, but it's not the same.

:( :( :(

Fine wine and typos

I know what you're thinking... Wine causes typos...

Wrong...

In this case, it's "wine finds typos". Four of them in yesterdays posts!

The wine is a gift from someone, and from The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

So all you folks out there, who are proof reading someone elses writing, should go and get some!

Disclaimer... Drinking wine may make things worse, but it's still a good wine! Try it!

Postscript.. To all you smart alecs out there.... Don't go poking holes in my typing.. It's not fair..

And last of all for this blogburst

I have purchased myself a new organising tool.

Specifically an Acer M900. It's a nice touchscreen smart phone. Runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, and allows me to organise things a lot better. Penny, you were so right about that.

The good bit about it is that although I'm roaming on a PAYG SIM from England, it still works great. I thought the Data connection would cock up, but apparently not. It's got Wifi too, so if I need to do something on the net, I can find a hotspot, and if that fails, I still have the GPRS data connection to fall back on. I'm only likely to use it for e-mails anyway.

The best thing about it is the charger. I thought that, since I was buying in the US, it would come with a US style plug on the end, wthich I would have to butcher when I got home. Nope. It comes with a UK style plug, and an adaptor to plug into a US socket. It's like they knew I was British.

Oh, and I paid about £150 less than what I would pay in the UK for the same thing.

Bargain.

Update on everything else...

Firstly, I need to mention the other half of the family visit.

This actually happened way back in the 2nd week of November, but unfortuantely, the blog buffer in my brain works on a first in, last out principle, so it's taken until now to blog about it.

Anyway, Chloe was really good, and a good time was had by all. I even managed to change a few nappies. We went to a museum, and the local Indian Reserve early on in the week, and the Zoo later in the week. Also went bowling (Chloe's first time..) and to a Christmas show at a Theatre in Charlotte. Or maybe it's in Fort Mill. Will have to check on that..

We didn't get to the beach, primarily because it's nearly a four hour drive away, and really too far for Chloe.

Other than that, life has been going on pretty much as normal. I've still got three Quarters to collect, and no sign of them as yet. I've put far too many $5 bills into the machine at work. The Jeep is still going good, (touching wood as I type), and it's nearly Christmas.

I could rant about a certain aspect of Christmas, but it would be pointless, and there's nothing I can do about it. Those that know, know. Those that don't know really don't want to.

A new place to eat...

Well, it was a short week at work, so instead of spending lots of money at Walmart, I chose to eat out for lunch.

The place, Empire State Pizza Deli just off Celanese Road.

Of all the places I've eaten pizza at, this one has been the best so far. The bartender is really nice. The best bit, though, are the messages she writes on the polycups. On Wednesday, mine said "I'm stuck here with these guys". Sheer coincidence that as soon as I got back from lunch, I had to go to a company update meeting, complete with the artistic polycup.

Thanksgiving

Well, as some of y'all know, yesterday was Thanksgiving. It's a time for giving thanks for things, in particular, the harvest, and good health. I think.

Anyway, it's not a thing we celebrate in the UK, so this was my first Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure what to expect.

Anyway, Jim invited me around to his place for the traditional dinner, and it was delicious. I was even given some to take home. So, thanks to Mr and Mrs Schultheis, Evan and Calvin. It was a special day.

The day after Thanksgiving is the "official" start of the Christmas shopping season, and apparently, according to the news, there were traffic queues akin to rush hour outside the major shopping malls around here. At 4AM this morning. Really, the only things I need to buy are a couple of new pairs of work trousers. The tumble dryer ate the last two pairs.

Anyway, instead of running into over-eager shoppers, and manical drivers (well, more maniacal than usual...) I decided to stay in. All in all I had great day. Thanks to Chase and Max for that one. We'll have to have a rematch at Monopoly soon.

Network Issues

It seems that the IT Crowd have been fiddling with our internet connection at work again..

The result?

Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook is unlocked for a bit of lunchtime gaming! Whoop whoop!!! And a whole load of other sites that are usually blocked are now open to use. None of these sites are particularly menacing or infecting, but the miserable party poopers blocked them anyway. The auto-filtering program has even blocked Google a few times too...

I ordered my new phone yesterday, and it should be here on Wednesday.

Also, I'm counting sleeps until the other half of the family visit next week. I pick them up from the airport on Saturday morning, and they're staying a whole week. With my niece to keep us all occupied, there will be plenty to do. Hopefully, we'll have time to visit some of the folks in the office. Especially Diane, as she's very kindly got some mini kit-kats for Chloe.

And one last thing for today...

Bowling is coming back....

OK, so I'm not in a league. Just as well, because I wasn't overly impressed with the overall effort over the summer. Anyway, it seems some folks at work are just having a casual bowl sometime, and I've been invited :)

Well, that's it on bowling for now. I'll post some more when we get going.

In the meantime, I've got to start hoovering up (I got lazy yesterday - Bejeweled Blitz is too adictive), and I need to nip up to Walmart to print off some photos from last night. There's also a bit more washing to do, and I need to put all the washing away.

Hallowe'en

Well it seems as though Hallowe'en is much more of an event over here in the US.

I got invited to a Hallowe'en party last night, which was nice. Watched a film, and had some pizza. Thanks to John, Chase and Max for inviting ne :)

Now of course the actual event isn't until next weekend. Saturday Night to be precise.

I've a feeling there are going to be a lot of Trick-or-Treaters about. Well maybe not a lot, but I'm sure there will be more than I had at Bolsover last year. I've got some sweets and some cookies. I can't decide whether to get myself a grim reaper costume or not. I'm going to get a pumpkin though. :)

Daylight Saving Time

Well, it seems that not only did America's clocks advance a week before Britain way back in March, but it also seems that they go back again a week after Britain at this end of the year.

I was talking to my mum sometime, and she was saying about the clocks going back on Saturday night. This means it's now only 4 hours to the UK. I might be able to webcam in the evening next week :)

Been a while..

Well, it's been a while since I posted on here...

I went up to the Party in Charlotte, which was nice. I went to the football match too. It was really good. I don't understand the rules, but it's still good to watch. The other leg (Packers vs. Vikings @ Green Bay) coming up soon. My turn to get pizza.

Chloe coming over in 2 weeks!!! 2 WEEKS!!! I've decided that I'm not going to sort out a schedule, or buy any food until they actually get here. I tried doing both with my Mum and Dad, and it didn't really work.

Anyway, watch this space...

Other random snippets for the week..

Well, firstly, I'd like to thank Jennifer. Although she didn't make it last weekend, as she got stuck in traffic in Charlotte, she called around last night, and said I could borrow the games for a bit longer. I said there's always an open invite for you to pop around and play "Sorry" or "Monopoly". I've also got a few more friends who would like a play too.

I've been to a small party with some work friends too. Thanks to Debbie for inviting me :)

Also, I've been invited to watch an American Football match tomorrow night with the folks who live in 108. Should be good, as he's booked the theatre in the clubhouse - 108" screen, I think it is. 24 seats too....

And finally for this post, the alternative pension plan (a.k.a. South Carolina Education Lottery) has failed us again. By the looks of it, we've won 12 dollars. Split 12 ways, it's not that much, is it :(. Oh well.... Back to work tomorrow.

Anyway, enough waffle for now.

Baby equipment

Well, as y'all might know, my niece is coming over in November.

I've been scouting around for some baby furniture to hire, and got a price of around $150 for the week, for a crib, car seat and a high chair. I was all set to order the furniture, but my Mum decided to look about buying some stuff from Walmart.

So we've now got all the stuff from Walmart. Payed not much less than the hire price, but I can sell the stuff on at a reasonable price and recover a lot of the cost.

Chloe has been on the webcam today, and is full of mischief. New word for the day is "No...", usually accompanied by a headshake. Unfortunately, she still says no even when she means yes, which can be quite confusing to some people.

Parents - Part 2

Well, they're both safely back in the UK now, but the journey wasn't without it's hiccups. All I'll say on this is a temporarily misplaced passport and a penknife.

Anyway, the second part of the holiday was the visit to the Great Smokey Mountains Railway. This was a 3 3/4 hour drive up to Bryson City, in western North Carolina, and despite what my mother thought was well worth the visit. The main attraction was a 4 1/2 hour train excursion from Bryson City, across Fontana Lake, and down through Nantahala Gorge. We had an hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Centre (sorry... Center...). We took some food and drink with us in a coolbox, and had a great day. When I get around to it, I'll sort the photos out.

Monday and Tuesday I was back at work, so I left them to explore on their own. My mum decided this was the time to sneakily clean everywhere. Really, Mum, you're on holiday - there's no need!

Both my parents have also tried to set fire to the appartment - My dad had an incident with lithium batteries and the tumble drier, and my mum, not so seriously, forgot about the lint screen on said tumble drier. And dried the fluffy cotton sheets I bought. The whole thing was coated in an inch of fluff, which I'm sure would have cought fire if I'd left it any longer.

Parents

Mum and Dad have been here on vacation for the week.

So far, we've been to downtown Rock Hill, downtown Charlotte and Folly Beach.

We're going up into the mountains tomorrow. We had originally planned the mountains for today, but the weather is going to be pants. 90% chance of rain.

Now, I've driven in the rain before (well to be more accurate, stopped in the rain). See, the rain here is unlike the rain in the UK - cue Peter Kay "It's that fine rain that soaks you through". Not here. When it rains here, it really rains.

My parents had an experience of that last night. "What's it like driving in this?" asked my mum..... "You don't", I replied. "Oh." So the trip up to the mountains got postponed a day.

The insects are still relentless in their biting activities, with 4 new bites this week. I've got some afterbite to put on now to fix things though.

Mum and Dad still find it amusing that it's colder inside than outside, and they have an appreciation of the importance of air conditioning. 75 degrees F? That's cooled down a bit then!

Tonight, I've invited Jennifer and Stirling around for a board game evening, which should be nice.

Bowling

Well, the league has finished, and we finished OK in 9th (I think) place out of 12 teams.

I spent my winnings ($55 and 25 cents) on another new ball. This one is more of a fun ball, as it's a leopard-spots finish. It's also only a 12lb (the other one is 14) so a tad lighter. Over the course of the coming months, I'm going to try and improve the game.

Anyway, the busser on the cooker has just beeped, so tea is nearly ready... Time to go now.

Holiday!!!

I know, I know... It doesn't seem like 5 minutes since I was back home, but my Mum and Dad are flying over next Monday for a week and a bit.

We've rented some extra furniture in the apartment for them (and it's staying until the end of November when my sister, aunt and niece fly over). It was delivered on Friday, and I got some bedding from Walmart, so we're all set. They fly in to Charlotte Airport, which is about 40 minutes from here (depending on the traffic of course..) at 6 in the evening. Hopefully the rush hour traffic will have died down a bit by the time I'm coming back, and we'll have a good run back here.

Haven't quite decided what to do then. I guess it's down to them really, and how they feel after the flight. We could stop off at Baxter village (like I did on my first night) or we could go to Sagebrush, or we could just stay here.

We'll see.

F1

Well, Jenson still has a commanding lead after Monza...

It will be nice to see... no, wait, I probably won't see it... er... read about an Englishman winning the championship again.

OK, so Lewis might not do it again, especially if he keeps crashing, but it is long overdue for Jenson.

I only hope that it continues long enough for me to be able to see it again on home turf next season...

Coin Collection

Well I have some good news...

The 50 States coin collection is complete.

I still need three of the territories; US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

Special thanks to Dan Brink, who had Puerto Rico, and to Ben Levine for the addition of Maine, both on Friday. Add the 50 States, the 5 Territories, 1 District and the US bicentennial quarter, it's a good keepsake of the trip. Total value of the coins is $15. The binder cost about the same (if I remember correctly) so 30 dollars in total, or £20 in English money.

Well worth it, I think.

Plus, it came with a nice book explaining the origin of the designs on the coins themselves, and the importance of it to each state.

Myrtle Beach

OK, it's been a while since I posted, but there is a lot to update now...

The first of a few posts tonight concentrates on my trip to Myrtle Beach, on Labour day weekend. Don't be fooled by the crappy photo. It was really nice and sunny there. It's just my crappy camera phone.

It was a three and a half hour drive from here, Interstate 77 south to Columbia, then Interstate 20 eastbound to Florence, then some roads through Florence, and then Highway 76 to Marion (these places all seem to be named after women...) and finally, Highway 501 the rest of the way. All in all, a nice drive.

I've been told it would be quicker to go down to Charleston (just next to the border with Georgia, but we might make that trip with my parents...)

Anyway, Myrtle Beach was OK. A bit like Skegness, really. Lots of beach, a few odd folk, and some shops selling T shirts for extortionate prices just because they have "Myrtle Beach" printed on them.

Let's not also forget the unforgettable Sparky's. This place is somewhere along 501, and seems to sell everything you could ever want. Billboards every half a mile or so for 10 miles either side. Seriously!!!)

Anyway, my parents might like a day trip down there, or possibly to Charleston. I'm informed that there are a few guest houses and BnB type places in Charleston, so we might have an overnight down there. And if we get really bored, there's always Savannah just over the border in Georgia.

Things....

...have been busy, what with the holiday and work and bowling, so I haven't really had time for my blog.

F1 seems to have stopped altogether, which is a pain, but I'll get over it. There's still ITV's F1 site though. :)

I've also been collecting a few more quarters, and I've only got Maine to collect now, from the 50 States, and a handful of territorial quarters.

Bowling is going OK too. I can't remember whether I mentioned the good game I had - 162 - well above average.

It's the last week of the league next week. I was tempted to sign up for an autumn leage too, but I'm not going to. Firstly, with all the holidays coming up (my family) I'm not going to be there as much, and my regular game isn't that good - I need to practice a bit, I think. If I can improve my game, I might hang around as a sub.

Quarters collection - Update

Whilst on vacation, a friend of mine (from America) gave me a Wisconsin quarter. Unfortunately, I can't find it now, but I suspect it's on the book case at my parent's house.

This means that I have only got to collect Maine and Texas from the 50 States, and five Territories.

I did have a friend on the look-out for a Texas, but he hasn't been successful. Thankyou for looking, Harvey. It must be a tough one to find!

Holiday!!!

Well, I'm back from my holiday back to the UK.

As was expected, Swine Flu did ruin things a little bit, but hopefully I'll be able to catch up with my mates who were ill when I get back next year.

I was hoping to go and visit Woo or Ju, but due to other committments and self-induced illness following alcohol consumption, I wasn't able to.

I did have a great time with my family back home. Chloe was a bit uncertain at first, but she soon realised who I was.

The car has been fixed, and I've spent some of the morning cleaning the inside. I've done all the washing,

I'll just get myself a drink, and then hoover up a bit, and then off to the pool for the afternoon. :)

Holiday!!!

8 sleeps to go!!!

Then I'm officially on holiday for a fortnight.

Wooohooooo!!!!

Plans aren't final, but I'm planning to go and meet my best friend at Pizza Hut in town for a catchup, and then go and meet up with just about everyone else around town.

Then (swine flu permitting) a 5 day trip to lots of really good friends in Bristol. Then I'm back up to Derbyshire for a wedding (and meeting some more friends)

Finally, back to Lincolnshire for my sister's birthday, and to spend some quality time with my raspberry-blowing niece :) :) :) :)

Happy times ahead!

And if I get my arse in gear on Sunday Morning, I might have time to see my friends in Oxford too. My flight lands at 7:20 AM, so it might not happen. We shall see (crossing fingers)

This is it...

The tiny little virus that threatens to ruin my entire holiday.

This is H1N1. At least that's what google thinks it is. The tiny little virus that is taking over my world.

I don't want to pick it up from somwehere, and spread it to my niece, but being canned up on an aeroplane for 8 hours, the odds aren't in my favour.

Also, a lot of friends back in the UK seem to have picked it up too.

Anyway, I should be getting on with the cleaning.

Hope you all get well soon. :)

Update on things

Well, tonight was bowling night. Apologies to Woody, I completely forgot. And being late back from work, I didn't even have time for a quicky. Never mind. I'll catch up with you tomorrow....

Apologies aside, the new ball was OK. Although I bowled above my average, I missed a few easy spares. Had a bit of a panic at the end of the night, as I couldn't find my ring. Despite looking all through my bag, it didn't appear until a few moments ago, when it just dropped out on the carpet!

Coin collection is getting close to completion today with the addition of Kansas and Utah.

Flights are booked for the trip home!!!! :) It'll be nice to catch up with friends old and new, although top of the list is my little niece, Chloe.

Coin Collection

Well, thanks to Ben and the change machine at work, I've got Delaware and North Dakota.

That just leaves Maine, Texas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Idaho and Utah, and the few extra ones from The Territories.

Bowling wasn't so good this week, but I'm going to buy a ball this weekend, I think.

Also, I've got a pile of unopened birthday cards, and a package of things from my niece, I think.

Bowling

Before I switch off for the night, I should mention the bowling adventure...

Some time ago, my boss at work was looking to start up a ten pin bowling team and thought I'd join in.

Unfortunately, it seemed I had lost my game a bit, and was not too good. I recovered a little bit last week, but it seems that it's all due to the ball.

The result? Well, the other day, my mum said "What do you want for your birthday?" Well, we chatted, and she thought I needed a bowling ball. Well, there's an offer on at the shop in the alley where you get a decent ball, a decent bag and a few bits and pieces for $149. Sounds a lot, but the way the exchange rate is now, it works out at just under £100. Now I know you can pay nearly half that in the UK for a decent bag, so I know it's a good deal.

Whether Americans in general think it's a good deal, I don't know, but from my point of view, everything is cheap over here, even if it isn't.

Anyway, she's disappeared off to chat to everyone else about it, and will probably pay some funds directly into my UK account, so I can purchase the gear over here. It'll be interesting trying to get it home. I'll probably take it home at Christmas.

Independence Day

Well, it's the 4th of July. Whilst it does seem a bit odd celebrating independence from ones home nation, it's still a great party, and everyone here has been really nice. Special thanks to Stirling, his mum, his nan, Uncle Brian, Josh and Alan for the company.

I saw some fireworks last night, and there will probably be some more tonight I'll be able to see from the apartment :)

I've also found out that it's locusts (or should that be loci?) that are making the racket outside. They sound like some nutter with a chainsaw, and yes, they really are quite loud! I can see my family getting rather irritated when they come over later in the year. Hopefully they're seasonal and will bugger off by then.

Anyway, not much left to do today.

Formula 1 - Bad news

It seems my worst nightmare is coming true... A Brit might actually win the championship, and I'm stuck in a country that is not overly fond of F1. The result, neither of the last two races have been screened live.

Instead, they've had them on at strange hours, and I've missed them. Wouldn't be a problem if I had a television recording device, but I haven't :(

Anyway, I can still ge thte results on t'internet, but it's not the same.

British Grand Prix

It's the British Grand Prix tomorrow (or today if you are actually in the UK...

Fingers crossed for our man Jenson Button!!!

It would be nice for him to win in front of the home crowd, but even if he doesn't, he's got a nice lead in the championship.

The alarm clock is set.

The Kettle Chips are in the cupboard, and the beer is in the fridge.

Lights, Revs, Go!!!!!!!

Coin Collection - Update

I now have 41 of the 50 States in my Quarters collecttion, and one of the 6 extra Districts / Territories Quarters.

And, thanks to Ben at work, I've also got a bicentennial quarter from 1976 too. To say it's (potentially) been rolling around for 33 years, it's in good condition.

I now have 14 coins to collect to complete the set.

Bugs

Saturdays are pool days, so after the webcam with England, I went and sat out in the sun.

After a while, I fely something bite me. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but after a fwe minutes, I noticed a red patch had appeared on the top of my foot.

I kept an eye on it for half an hour or so, and it went down, so whatever it was didn't seem to do much damage.

Oh well, one was bound to get me sooner or later,

Weirdness

Why have I got another post with a clock on it?

Well something new I've just noticed.....

The American longest day is shorter. Much shorter. See, I just went and stood on my patio, and I thought "Hmm... it's a bit dark".

So I checked on t'internet.

Longest day for London, UK: Sunrise at 04:43 and sunset at 21:22 for a total length of 16:38

Longest day for Columbia, SC: Sunrise at 06:13 and sunset at 20:39 for a total length of 14:25

I understand why it's happening. It just seems weird.

A quarter of the way there!

I've just realised something.

It's the 31st of May today.

That means I've been here 3 months. That's a quarter of the way through the year.

It's been good so far, and none of it would be possible without the property support team in the UK. So special thanks to Marie, Paul, Tom, Rob, Jack, Joe, Gill and Keith.

Also, special thanks to the personal support team, my Mum and Dad, for looking after everything else, from the junk mail to the gas bill.

And finally, more special thanks to the vehicle care team (Aunty B) for keeping my car for me. :)

OK, that wasn't quite finally, because there are more thanks to everyone else back home who've kept in touch, espoeciallly my niece Chloe. Somehow the 4000 miles doesn't seem so far.

Much as I don't really want to, I should thank Microsoft for MSN Messenger.

Lazy Dayz

At about 3 O'clock, I decided that I had had enough of playing Scrabble on the Nintendo DS, and went to laze next to the pool. Just like the other week. I got caught up on my facey-spacey but eventually, the sun washed out the laptop screen, so the bligedy blog had to wait until now.

Well I've now managed to turn the top side of my arms even more brown than they were before, and since I was actually wearing a T shirt at the time, I've also got a band around the tops of my arms.

After a while, I thought I'd better go back inside, but then I thought what the hell, go for a dip on the pool. I walked back to the apartment, found a pair of shorts and went back for a splash or two. Well, I got out at about half six, laid back in the sun for a bit to dry off, and now I'm back inside. Not much else to do this evening, so I might watch the Transformers DVD that's been sitiing around since last Sunday.

It's raining again

Yes, it's raining again.

Thunder and lightning too. Well, techincally, the lightning comes first.

It's going to be a while hanging around, this weather I think. I can't complain too much, because it was a really nice weekend for the most part.

I went bowling last night, mainly to expand the social side of things. It worked, but I've really lost my game. I shall have to get some practice in, I think.

Roaring Creek Falls

So, I thought I'd have a trip out.

Another friend at work suggested I drive up to the mountains. Apparently, it's nice country up there.

So out of bed at seven o'clock this morning, and on the road for two and a half hours, and I got to The Falls. It is really nice countryside up there, with a lot of bendy, hilly roads.

Photos are on The Bucket. I also tried to upload them to Facebook, but it's having a hissy fit at the moment, and I've ran out of patience with it.

Roaring Creek Falls are somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. There is a Blue Ridge Parkway, but I crossed it, rather than drove along it. Not my fault they built it in the wrong place :D

Anyway, it's been a nice 3-day weekend. I have a film to watch later, and back at work tomorrow.

State Quarters Collection

Been to sort some stuff out at the bank, and decided to get a roll of quarters. 40 to a roll.

I've now added Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, California, Nevada and Ohio to the collection, and also found a better Connecticut and a better Hawaii.

That brings the total to 35 (including District of Columbia)

Hooters

Things are going really well at work at the moment.

We reached a major milestone in the project that I'm working on, and it was decided that on Thursday evening, the team would go out for a celebratory drink. It was decided that "Hooters" would be the venue.

I've never been to a Hooters before, and having seen clips on "Big Daddy" it looked a nice place to go.

Well it's good. They have nice, cold beer, and they make nice food too. The price is OK, and of course, the waitresses are very nice!

In view of my efforts to banish the "Spare Tyre", I didn't go out last night.

Probably take Mum and Dad up there sometime.

Oooh... Nearly forgot.,..

As part of tradition, Friday night is eat-out night. I've not been anywhere new for quite a while, so I thought I'd try Outback Steakhouse. It's a 10 minute drive or so from here, up towards Cherry Road.

All in all it was OK. A slight mis-understanding about the table, and a 10 second power cut made it a 7/10, but the steak was really good. cooked just how I like it.

See, I'm scoping out places to take the family to when they come over. I don't want to have to cook every night...

To boldy go where no-one has gone before...

It's cinema time again, and this time I went to see the new Star Trek film.

Nice film, with some funny moments from Montgomery Scott. Also nice to see Leonard Nimoy in it. I'm not quite sure how many Star Trek films he's been in now, but it must be more than any other member of the original cast.

All in all a good film, although I can't help but wonder if there is any relationship between red matter and Omega.

Starved myself all day, so I actually managed to eat all the popcorn without exploding, but it still would have been better to have a significant other with me. Patience is a virtue as they say....

Some more on The Collection

Well another special thankyou to Sherri, and I've got Alabama.

Also, I've been to The Pub, and I've picked up New Hampshire.

27 now!

Keep it going at this rate, and I'll be done by the time I go home for the summer break!

Anyways, it's Friday tomorrow, so I'll nip out at the weekend and get the presentation folder, and I'll clean all the coins I've got.

The Collection (continued)

Well, I've got five more quarters today!!!

Special thanks to Diane in Marketing for 3 them, and to the vending machine for the other two.

That brings the total to 25, so officially half way after less than a week.

Gives me plenty of time to get the rest, I guess.

The Collection

Sometime over the weekend, and I forget exactly when, I noticed that one of the quarters in my hand was some sort of special quarter. It had some ships and "Virginia" stamped on it.

"That's nice", I thought. I looked through the rest in my wallet and found North Carolina, South Carolina, New York and Alaska too. Then I thought a bit more, and I'm going to try and collect an entire set whilst I'm here.

Well, over the course of the weekend, I managed to collect Georgia, Vermont and Rhode Island.

A trip to the vending machine at work yesterday lead to Iowa and Illinois.

The lovely Debbie who sits a few cubes down from me at work has also been helpful in the quest, and today I've got 18 coins.

I'm going to create a list on the main page of the blog, so that I can track my progress. I've also got to go and get a display book / case for them all.

Concert

Sometime during the week, although I can't remember exactly when, Ben mentioned a concert at the Neighbourhood Theatre in Charlotte. Rolling Stones tribute night. General format is a dozen or so bands, two or three songs each. Tickets were $10 each, so not expensive by any means.

The venue was rather unique, I think. I can't decide whether it's like that on purpose, whether it's in the middle of being refurbished, or whether the ceiling just fell down one day. I guess I'll have to ask Ben tomorrow.

Other than that, a relaxing weekend. Went to Sagebrush last night, and then thought it's my 63rd night in America. Funnily enough, I had the same as I had the first time I went in. 11oz New York Strip with Fries and Macaroni Cheese.

Also had a good week at work too.

I'm going to have a bit of lunch, and then maybe go for a drive somewhere. Not sure where, but there's a book full of ideas in the drawer.

Hot Hot

And I'm not talking about Chili or women, although a particularly good looking girl did walk right past my window this morning.

No, I'm talking about the weather.

See, I eat out on a Friday night, in a slight deviation from the traditional take-away in England.

So I went to Chili's last night. It had been hot during the day, but as I was inside the office at work, I didn't particularly notice just how hot it really was. Stepping out of Chili's, I got back into the car, and switched it to display the temperature. 89 degrees F. at 8:45 PM. Well, I started driving, and predictably it dropped. but only to 81. That's hot!!!

And it's been hot today too. The only downside is that it's super-heating the car seats, so I have to be careful not to burn myself on the seats. A good friend of mine, who is much more used to these temperatures (Hello Jo) has made the suggestionof keeping a towel in the car to sit on. Good plan, already in action.

Another nice thing recently has been the Come See Me festival. It's an annual festival around Rock Hill. Jacalyn told me about it on my first week, waaay back in February, and I love it. There is another festival somewhere later in the year, Come Spook Me, I think it was called. Around Hallowe'en time.

Anyway, time to go now. Grand Prix tomorrow.

Oh, and I had my hair cut too. number 3 all over. My aunt won't be pleased.

Time Flies!

So it's been over a week since I last updated the blog, and a lt has happened since.

Firstly, I've got myself some suitable gym attire and did an hour or so yesterday. I would have gone tonight too, except that I needed to do a small piece of work for the folks back home in the UK. I'll be in there when I get home from work tomorrow, I think.

I've also done a bit of tweaking to the laptop. It's got a wirelss keyboard and mouse (courtesy of Walmart) and is hooked up to the telly, so I no longer have to have the laptop lying about waiting to get kicked, or stuff spilt on it. It also means that the portable HDD can sit somewhere safe. I must confess, I think the problems I had last week may have been caused by an iffy cable.

Having hooked he laptop up to the telly, I can now play DVDs. The thoughtfull folks who furnished the apartment didn't put a DVD player in the package. I've just changed my work laptop to region 1 and plugged it in. No problem. Already watched "Quantum of Solace", with "Daddy Daycare" or "Transformers" to follow sometime soon, depending on what mood I'm in at the time.

Ive also got a letter from a special person. It made my day when that appeared in the mailbox. Will have to write one back, although I'd probably be better typing it out in Word. My handwriting is barely legible at the best of times. you thought yours was bad, Scooby, you should see mine!

Anyway, it's time for House now, so I need to switch the telly over...

Manchester Meadows Park

So... I thought to myself "It's nice weather outside, why don't I go to the park".

So I did. I packed a small bag with a couple of sandwiches and a couple of cans of coke, and walked across to Manchester Meadows. It's a park, with some football fields and a lake and a few other things.

Most importantly, there's a playground for Chloe (my niece) when she comes over.

It was a nice, relaxing lunch time.

Banks

It seems that Americans don't have a "bank holiday" on Good Friday. I needed to do some money stuff, and thought to myself... "Bollocks... I'll have to wait until Tuesday now.

Except, as I came back from servicing the car, I noticed that the bank was open for business. On Good Friday. Strange, I thought, but good.

So I sorted all the bank stuff, and now I'm back home again. Woohoo.

Anyway, must get on...

Nerd Net Cafe

So whilst I am waiting for my Jeep to be serviced, I thought I'd go and find a place to chill.

Just up the road (with directions by google) I found the Nerd Net Cafe. It's basically a computer and laptop repair centre and a cafe with free wifi all rolled into one.

The food is really nice, and the price ain't bad either. And as usual for most American eating establishments, you get free refils on soft drinks.

The Jeep is supposed to be done by 12:30, so I'll have to disappear soon.