Englishgirl in Indiana

The End

2007-04-03T09:39:00.000-04:00

I have finally made the decision to stop blogging here at blogspot. The new site is pretty much up and running with just the usual aesethics to put in place. I'll be updating the sidebars and getting them sorted but other than that the new site is working well. I shall no longer be posting here but you made see some minor changes as I clean up and move out.

While I blog really only for family and friends thank you to all of you who have shown your support and offered advice/criticism/encouragement. There is always a story in my head - thank you for being a part of it.

To continue reading about englishgirl please click on this link. The new website is www.englishtraveller.org

Kimi's crapulerie

2007-03-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

Whilst watching the Australian Grand Prix yesterday I heard one of the commentators chatting about how Mr Kimi Räikkönen had recently entered and won a snowmobile competition, the 24k Enduro Sprint at the Kopparberg King back in his native Finland just a week before the opening grand prix of the 2007 season took place. So that Ferrari wouldn't find out that the errant scoundrel had entered he used an assumed name. And the name he used? That of the illustrous and equally scoundrelous F1 driver James Hunt.
Fittingly, the French Word-A-Day word for today is crapulerie. I love it!

Fisico fizzled in Australian Grand Prix

2007-03-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to think that perhaps Giancarlo Fisichella doesn't have the potential to be a truly great race driver. Once again his qualifying position and Grand Prix finish, fifth place just smidgens ahead of Massa, leads me to believe that unfortunately Fisi is merely a mediocre driver. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong this season, no doubt to be his last. His driving technique is truly a pleasure to watch, he is at times a true Italian driver, his narrow miss with Trulli when he came out of the pit lane shows he can be aggressive when he needs to be. I just think sometimes the "domani" mentality follows him onto the track. There's just no way he has a hope of any kind of Championship though unless he qualifies better than his typical fifth or sixth. Kimi has the right car this season and Alonso is just the right driver and Fisi has got to qualify better if he is to have any chance of success this season.
Fantastic drive by Lewis Hamilton who came home in third place, helping to put McLaren Mercedes on top for the Constructor's ratings. Now that's a driver with potential and young enough to be able to maximise it fully.
Come on Fisi, prove me wrong....please.

Can I talk about it?

2007-03-15T14:29:00.000-04:00

I've been sooo good in not mentioning it and trying to concentrate on other things but...it's the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season this weekend. Practice tomorrow, qualifying Saturday and the race on Sunday. Couple the excitement of the impending race with the fact that I'll be spending the weekend packing for a four-day cruise to Mexico and a week back in England (yeah, englishgirl is finally travelling again) and I'm going to need more than just the relaxing aroma of lavender over the next few days. Trying hard to contain myself but the thought of those engines revving and those hard-helmeted drivers...quite positively makes a girl's heart pound!
Oh and spring was only teasing the other day, reaching out his long tantilising fingers and then whipping away the duvet before we'd woken up properly - it's 40 degrees and windy today and some folks even had snow when they woke up. Bloody weather, I ask you. And yes I do have an unhealthy obsession with the weather and a desparate need for sunshine. I'm English, it goes with the territory.

Et tu Brute?

2007-03-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

I know I should be celebrating the Ides of March with a suitably fitting extract from Julius Caesar or setting up hexes to ensure no tomfoolery or bewitchery befalls my way, but instead due to much hinting from the husband I'm going to write about the terrific job that he has done retiling our bathroom. Many months ago Keith came home with a job lot of tiles, "because they were a great deal and you never know when something might need tiling". The tiles then sat in our garage for the next six months. Until the day when I was standing in the shower and kept hearing all this cracking going on in the walls - eek. The bathroom tiles were obviously put up in two lots, the bottom half that are real tiles and were originally blue-green and then painted white and now starting to show as blue-green again and then the top half of the tiles which upon removing we discovered were actually plastic. Either way as soon as I mentioned the crackling I could tell that Keith was itching to take a sledgehammer to the whole lot. And then several weeks ago I came home from work after Keith had had the day off to find this, (yes, that is a secret hidden window we discovered!)

The retiling project had started! Now several weeks later, the retiling for the shower portion is complete and we have a lovely retiled bathroom and one very happy and self-satisfied Keith. He also reenamelled the bathtub, much needed. The next thing will be to take the sink (a rather ghastly vanity that is okay but just very blah) and replace it with something more fitting (already chosen from Lowe's) and then retile the area where the vanity cabinets were. That bit will wait awhile though as I think Keith's ready for a few weekends off!
Photos taken throughout the bathroom's destruction and reassembly may be viewed from the Photo Albums link in the sidebar. Ironically I've just realised I haven't downloaded the photos showing the finished result...oh well, it's all your fault Caesar!

The American Dream

2007-03-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

Both Keith and I had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new FX production of The Riches, starring Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver and I'm really pleased to say that we weren't disappointed. While the show wasn't as I expected from the many months of trailers, it surpassed my anticipation. It's a bit darker than I thought with some good black humour that borders on the fine line between situational and human tragedy. The actors were cast wonderfully and my views regarding Minnie Driver's abilities have shot up hugely. She plays her part brilliantly. Eddie is of course...Eddie. Having seen him for so long in his role as "executive transvestite" whilst performing his uber intelligent and off-tangent meandering stand-up comedy, it's surprisingly refreshing to see him in a lead TV role. The dialogue was witty, emotional, perfectly delivered by each actor. There was even a little bit of Eddie's trademark comic delivery thrown in..."...we have painted it with dust!....including you glum-faced child." We're already looking forward to next week's episode.
On another tangent I'm excited to say that spring may have finally arrived here in the rural mid-west! They're forecasting 75 today! I know, totally fantastico (and a little wierd in that but-it's-only-March-must-be-global-warming kind of way). Either way it was an incredibly beautiful sight to look out onto the garden yesterday and see grass with merely a few piles of the most frozen snow remaining. Jay can finally see his diggers again which have been "in hibernation" (i.e. hidden underneath the snowdrift that ensconced itself between the garage and the fence we share with Deb) and I cannot wait to start spending weekends working in the garden again. You know, when it's sunny and reasonably warm I almost rather like Fort Wayne. Now if only there was ocean nearby...

La femme chocolat

2007-03-12T11:11:00.001-04:00

I love this video. Even if you don't understand French I think it's fairly self-explanatory and I have no doubt it'll make every woman who has a love affair with chocolate smile! Enjoy with scrumptious pleasure...

Home James!*

2007-03-11T20:01:00.000-04:00

Conversation between Jay and I upon leaving the supermarket the other day...
Me: "Home James!"
Jay: "I'm not James, I'm Jay! Who's James?"
Me: "No, it's an expression. James is the chauffeur."
Jay: "The chauffeur?"
Me: "Yes, a chauffeur is someone who drives people's cars. When the people are ready to go home after shopping they get into their cars and say 'Home James!' It's just an expression that crazy English people use when you're ready to go home."
Jay: "James is the chauffeur?"
Me: "Yes"
Jay: "Are you James?"

* I'm not entirely sure where the expression Home James comes from, possibly taken from the British TV comedy that aired in the mid 80s by the same name and starring Jim Davidson as a cockney chauffeur. My mother, being a cockney herself, has always used the expression so it's possible that it has been in play well before that. Not sure why the assumption that all chauffeurs are called James!

Resistance is futile...unles you're driving a Bugatti

2007-03-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

I'm reading a fascinating book at the moment, one of many actually. As usual I have about three books on the go, apparently I have an inability to read just one book at a time. Anyway the book that is being heavily devoured during my lunch breaks is Joe Seward's The Grand Prix Saboteurs. Despite the fact that I've found several edititorial mistakes, it has been an enthralling read. The story tells of three Grand Prix drivers from the 1920s/1930s who went on to become part of the British Special Operations Executive, a branch of secret agents whose mission was to establish a sabotage network in Paris and act as a catalyst for the French Resistance during the second world war. Having never studied modern history at school, (my school determined that learning the names and unfortunate demise of Henry VIII's wives and the intricacies of the Hundred Years War would be more beneficial to its students) I am learning so much from the Saboteurs. The book focuses on exactly what the three men went through to get such sabotage networks set up. The training was intense and a fluency of French obviously a must. There are some nice tie-ins as well. One of the SOE's Finishing training schools for the agents was at Beaulieu, fitting particularly for Willy Grover and Robert Benoist of course due to Beaulieu's connection with classic and vintage automobiles and made more so for me because of the personal connection I have with Beaulieu. My mother's embroidered reredos, completed while she worked and lived at the Lodge, remains a beautiful addition to Beaulieu Abbey Church. I have discovered how influential Bugatti was in the world of racing and how they provided a cover for one of the SOE agents, enabling him to travel across France in one of their cars. I have learned about the captivating history of Garage Banville - worthy of a book in itself I feel - and feel well versed in the trials and tribultations of a network radio operator in Paris at this time.
This book was a long time in coming. The author Joe Seward had been researching the tale for about 18 years but it was only in 2003 when the offical records on the SOE agents were released by the British government, that Mr. Seward was able to complete his book. If you're at all interested in the clandestine operations of the second world war I urge you to read the book.

Unconstructive Criticism

2007-03-06T13:37:00.000-05:00

Am feeling just the tiniest twinge of guilt at all my Fort Wayne bashing, so here are some of the things I do like about Fort Fun, oops, sorry, Fort Wayne...

Sara's Family Restuarant - so far the nicest fish and chips I've had since being in the US. Big, fat chips healthily laden with salt and proper Sarcen's vinegar.

The lake at uni - I love walking around the lake at college during my lunchbreak. The back end of the lake butts up against the train tracks and then a huge cemetery beyond. There's something wonderfully Doylesque about walking back there, particularly with all the snow on the ground. I feel like I'm missing an opium pipe and a deerstalker.

The Shoe Cobbler - does a wonderful job of keeping my shoes looking pretty.

Oakdale neighbourhood - I love living on a street where I know all the neighbours. I love the fact that during the summer evenings we can sit on the front porch with a glass of wine or a beer and chat with everyone while the kiddlywinks cycle their bikes up and down the pavements.

Gogos Tailoring - already raved about

Energy Plus 24 AGPlus - biodiesel for my baby

Three Rivers Co-op - purveyors of local bounty and the scrummiest lemon bars.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway - so I know it's not in Fort Wayne but it's a dream to be only an hour and a half away from the US Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Foster Park - roll on summer so I can play tennis and walk around the golf course.

My house - I love it.

Packing up, travelling shoes on!

2007-03-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

www.livingdot.com

Englishgirl will soon be moving! I am in the process of setting up a new house and will be winding things down here at the blogspot address. Until the new site is fully up and running I will continue to post entries but not much else. I will of course let you know when the switch has been made. For the time being you can check on progress over at my hosts Living Dot at the web address www.englishtraveller.org

It was the jaunty beret that got me...

70 years on - what's changed?

2007-03-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

As with most of the articles I find, I stumbled across this one whilst trying to find an article on another topic, and as with anything that seems to hint at the now rather boring debate over working mum v. housewife I almost didn't read it. However I am thoroughly glad I did as it is a charming article. It touched me particularly because I struggle so much with wanting to be back in England and near my friends, especially now that many of them are having children. It saddens me that Jay is missing out on the experience of an English childhood and the American cultural childhood experience that I expected, saw on tv, (The Wonder Years, Stand by Me) and heard about from American friends no longer seems to exist. Daily I wonder just how my path in life directed me to this small town in the American mid-west and just how long it'll be before I can get back on the road to pastures new. I know that my struggle is cultural, far more evident here than in Arizona where many of my friends were also lost Europeans having found their way to the desert - I have yet to meet another "foreigner" in Fort Wayne, let alone another English person*. Cultural understanding and empathy that I took for granted in Phoenix seems somewhat lacking here and I have yet to find a truly decent restaurant, (I'm not sure I'm willing to count Biaggi's as real Italian). So the sense of lonliness that I often feel, despite being back at work, which I love, and having made some dear friends, (Emily, Renée), stems truly from feeling like a fish out of water. That disjointedness seeming to be magnified with a child who corrects me when I say digga as opposed to diggerr. Anyway I'm digressing into melancholy stupor and getting sidetracked because one of the things I kept thinking about as I was reading the article was how lucky I am to have friends all over the world with whom I can correspond instantly through email and IM. I rather like the thought of starting a Cooperative Correspondance Club between us all...another one of my ideas to be momentarily shelved along with the building of a new Garage Banville, (Donald Trump call me on this one, I'll run the place, got the ideas, location, you've got the financial backing, sorted), my bookshop, etiquette school, leading Grand Tours with Josh Bernstein etc, etc. Sorry, digressing again, it's Friday and my bloggage brain is sadly lacking, must be time for a coffee, my thought process is all over the place, suffering from the Molly Blooms.
Enjoy the article...I did...

"In 1935 a reader’s letter to the magazine Nursery World began with the words: “Can any mother help me?” It was a cri de coeur from a young woman, bored and isolated at home with small children, desperate for distraction from her “brooding” thoughts. Readers responded — some with sympathetic understanding, others with bracing advice —and the young woman wrote again, regretting that she couldn’t afford to reply to each of them personally and suggesting that they form a correspondence magazine: each contributor would write pieces on any subject, mail them to the young woman who would stitch them together inside a cover and post to the first name on a prearranged list; that person would read and/or write any comments in the margins and send on to the next name and so on until the magazine had been fully circulated. (Click to continue reading article)."

* I lie, the tailor I go to, George, is Greek. Brilliant tailor by the way, highly reccommended. Gogos Tailoring can be found at 1230 E State Blvd.

Not good Heikki...

2007-02-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

Watch the guardrail! It was a nice car.... No car but there is the Bahraini sun...

Racing Green

2007-02-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Honda F1 Racing team, during the unveiling of this year's new car livery yesterday, announced a new approach to the world of F1 racing. Instead of their RA107 being kitted out with corporate colours and sponsorship logos, the car has simply a giant picture of the earth painted onto it. It's a move unsurprising for the manufacturer Honda (who are among the top tier in producing cars that are environmentally friendly), but progressive and leading-edge for the world of Formula 1.
Nick Fry, Honda F1 Racing's CEO, stated "F1 is a hugely powerful communication device with audience and global reach only behind that of periodic sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup. We believe that F1 with its huge global profile and cutting edge technology can play an important role in not only highlighting the issues but also playing our part in developing solutions." He goes on to say that "Climate change is probably the single biggest issue facing the global community and F1 is not immune from it. The FIA recognises the opportunity for F1 not only to raise awareness, but also to showcase innovative technologies for the benefit of society for the long term. For example, by 2009, devices for energy recovery will be in place on the cars."
In a gas-guzzling, environmentally selfish sport, (despite F1's current 'carbon neutral' status), it's fantastic to see a team breaking the boundaries of what is considered the norm and while my passionate support still lies with Renault and the lovely Giancarlo, my loyalty will certainly be inclined towards a team that expresses responsiblity towards global environmental issues.

If you want to make a pledge to myearthdream, help raise awareness of environmental issues and have your pledge appear as a pixel on the RA107 or simply to let Jenson and Rubens know they rock, click here to offer your support.

Will and Jack and Oscar

2007-02-26T14:30:00.001-05:00

I didn't watch the Oscars (bathroom tiling and Battlestar Gallatica took preference) but have spent a good amount of time trawling the web today looking at the fashions and the highlights and was a bit distressed to see that I missed two of my most favourite comedic actors (Will Ferrell and Jack Black) doing a musical number. But of course because we live in the modern world of now technology I knew I'd find it on YouTube and guess what....

The End's Not Near It's Here

2007-02-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

From left to right - Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser), Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson), Seth Cohen (Adam Brody). Front - Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan)

I am utterly bereft - the last ever episode of The OC played last night and now I can no longer spend my Thurday evenings ironing in front of a dramatised Jackie Collins with 90210 undertones novel. There have been very few shows that I've watched from the start but The OC is one of them. I can even remember sitting in our first house in Phoenix watching the very first episode and thinking "That Ryan Atwood is hot!" And so yes I was totally sucked in to the dramatic lives of the rich kids of Newport: urging the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Ryan, to keep his head in the heady, shallow world of the uber wealthy after the Cohens adopt him; watching Seth grow from a totally awkward high schooler to an only slightly less awkward graduate; pretending to be surprised but succombing to the inevitable of Seth and Summer's relationship; completely enthralled at Marissa's lesbian relationship with the totally sexy Olivia Wilde (who's busy living her own M&B storyline in real life, married to the Italian prince, Tao Ruspoli, son of Dado Ruspoli); not wholly disappointed when Marissa was killed at the end of season three (I always felt her character a little lacking) and pleasantly enraptured when Ryan and Taylor Townsend hooked up. It was thanks to The OC that I learned Peter Gallagher has a lovely, crooning singing voice which resulted in me buying 7 Days in Memphis and totally playing Still I Long For Your Kiss and Leave Right Now to death. The often ironic, self mocking tone lent itself easily to iconic quotes and a cult-like status amongst its fans for the constant references that ran beneath the norm of mainstream popular culture, particularly in the realm of music and literature. The final episode was a suitably fitting end to a four year run, tying up all the loose ends, providing hope and promise of goodwill continuing as we are catipulted forward in time and watching snapshots of happy ever after, witnessing the circle of life in Ryan's final words, "Hey kid. Need help?"

Me, me, I'll do it

2007-02-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

Just cannot write fast enough - I totally thought about doing this ages ago, I mean most of Harlequin Presents resides firmly in the F1 ideal anyway - Italian or French, scrummy, fit men; sexy, fast cars; fast living; girls with big boobs; summers doing the circuits; winters in Verbier or on the Riveria - totally my next book, I'm thinking of prefaces already...In the world of love and Formula 1 more than just hearts will get broken...Jean-Luc was on his way to winning another F1 Driver's Championship, but could he win Katie's heart...There was only one love in Nico's heart - Formula 1 - until he set eyes on the blonde and beautiful Isabella Torleone...

article taken from

FEBRUARY 20, 2007

Another idea that did not happen in F1

Formula 1 knows how to make money but there is not much obvious creative thinking going on at at the centre of the sport as NASCAR continues to push the envelope and look for new ways to sell itself to new fans. The latest idea is to create a series of romantic novels based around NASCAR. There are to be 16 paperbacks, published by Harlequin which will not only feature NASCAR settings but also offer real life characters as part of the promotion. The move is designed to increase the number of young female fans interested in the sport.

It is a deal that makes sense.

Shame F1 did not think of it

Cavalier or a Roundhead

2007-02-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

I have to post this because it was the funniest thing I've read for a very long time - I've never heard this expression before but it had me laughing so hard that I was soon choking and spluttering, (not aided by the fact I was trying to eat one of those yummy yogurt pretzels that the Co-Op sells) prompting concerned "Are you alright Mélaine?" questions from my colleagues. Jeremy Clarkson commenting...of course.

"Ski Sunday was always the highlight of my viewing week. In the olden days you had David Vine in the commentary booth, talking us through the brilliance of some tanned and muscular young man from Norway.
You’d marvel at how he made it look so easy, his skintight suit revealing every sinewy twitch and, according to my wife, whether he was a cavalier or a roundhead. But let’s be honest, all of us, really, were waiting for the falls."

Deuce...about time

2007-02-22T08:55:00.000-05:00

The All England Club, sponsors/hosts of one of tennis' biggests events, Wimbledon, have said that this year men and women will receive equal prize-money; a first in 123 years. Now if only the powers that be in the corporate world would apply the same kind of thought to top female performers in the boardroom, we might really see some progress.
Article: Women get equality at last at Wimbledon

Also an update and correction to yesterday's blog - Prince Harry will be heading off to Iraq in May and there has been another Royal to serve in combat during my lifetime, Prince Andrew flew helicopter missions during the Falklands in the early 1980s.

Forward...march!

2007-02-21T13:57:00.000-05:00

Although I did actually read Blair's statement to the House of Commons today regarding the withdrawal of British troops in Iraq, I have to confess to being rather out of the loop on British military operations. I therefore was somewhat surprised to read in the Times today that Prince Harry might actually be deployed to Basra with the next lot of troop rotations. While I know that Prince Andrew served and Edward for a brief period I was trying to remember if any of the Royals have actually been deployed to a bonafide war zone. Certainly in my lifetime I think it would be a first if Harry were to go. While I'm sure it would be a huge risk to have the third in line traipsing around the battle field with his SA80 Assualt rifle whilst trying to avoid an insurgent homemade projectile, I can't help but feel very strongly that of course he should have to go. It's not like your regular Lieutenant Smith has any say in his, or her, decision to go to war..."Excuse me, I don't really fancy going off to Iraq. I'm the last Smith you see and well,, I'd rather hoped to carry on the family name if you don't mind.". I'd hate to think we're still living in an age where the rights of succession are such that Harry would be able to "get out" of going to Iraq on that mere possibility that he might one day be king. And if Harry were ever to become king,(legalised cannabis? Saturday night "Your favourite Socialist world leader" fancy dress parties? Playboy bunnies at Buck House?) I know I'd have a lot more respect for him knowing that he had actually served his country rather than just putting on a uniform and pretending to play the game.

"Around 1,600 British troops will return home from Iraq in the next few months, reducing the deployment of the UK force in the country to 5,500 by the end of the summer, Tony Blair said today...
The Prince's regiment, the Blues and Royals, is among those expected to be deployed as 1 Mechanised Brigade replaces 19 Light Brigade for a six-month tour of duty in southern Iraq. Despite concerns for his safety and his attractiveness as a target for extremists, Prince Harry has stated his intention to serve on the battlefield if his unit is sent into combat.
An MoD spokesman said the decision over whether Prince Harry will go to Iraq would be announced tomorrow."

Shrove Tuesday "Pancake Day"

2007-02-19T11:22:00.000-05:00

While Pancake Day doesn't seem half as wild and exciting as its partner Mardi Gras, I still look forward to this day with a surprising amount of pleasure. There's something about the start of Lent that offers me the same anticipation as the start of the New Year. The opportunity to shed the past and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose. It must have been all those years at a C of E boarding school with chapel everyday and the comfort of ritual. I remember during Lent there was always additional Communion for those of us who could face the earlier than usual start, brisking the bitter spring mornings where the low mist from the lake hung over the playing fields like a swirling duvet, to capture a piece of early redemption before breakfast. Maybe it's the memories surrounding Pancake Day that I love - I still use the same worn and seasoned crêpe pan that my mum used and a recipe brought home from school one day by my brother in his grey shorts and flat cap. The tangy sweetness of the lemon and sugar melting on one's tongue into an acid syrup.
I'm looking forward to the fact that this year Jay will understand it's Pancake Day (if not the sentiment behind it) and that for tea he'll enjoy bite after bite of perfectly rolled crêpes ladened with castor sugar and freshly-squeezed lemon, that he'll watch me flip the thin pancakes over and shout for me to do it again. He loves his Papa's American style pancakes, thick and fluffy smothered in maple syrup, but I know his English tastebuds, when confronted with the delicate slips of cooked batter, will allow the taste to creep into his subconscious, lingering until he's old enough to take the crêpe pan to his own home and recall madeleine memories of his own.
Until then, I'll be the one using the crêpe pan, absolving my sins with every beat of the eggs, milk and flour, stirring away the past and pouring a new tomorrow into the hot pan only to watch it be gobbled up by a growing, hungry little boy with blue eyes and a cheeky smile.

Spartans! Enjoy your breakfast...

2007-02-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ὦ ξεῖν’, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε
κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.

Even better than watching Josh Bernstein explaining the finer points of ancient Greek weaponery and flexing his muscles when showing that with a little coordination shooting an arrow off the back of a moving chariot is really quite simple, is watching 300 Spartans stipped to their bronzed, ripped waists and brandishing frightening looking spears and xiphoi whilst holding off an army of Persians that should more than easily overwhelm them. Yes, I'm talking about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. On 9th March the film, 300 comes out in the cinema and iMax. As a long time fan of the Spartans, (women in Spartan society had far greater independence and involvement in the running of the society than their Greek counterparts and I'm all for everyone being made to run 20 miles a day and then for all male citizens to spend the day in loincloths practicing their battle skills in the town marketplace), I am eagerly awaiting this film. The film is based on Frank Miller's novel, (Frank Miller of the Daredevil, Sin City, Ronin and so many others I can't name them all graphic comic book fame) and directed by Zack Snyder. The cinematography looks incredible and I've heard the battle scenes are truly works of epic masterpieces. The cast is largely, so it seems, made up of British stage actors with a few Europeans thrown in for authentic measure I suppose. Most happily Rodrigo Santoro (Love Actually) has a major part although unhappily has been cast as Xerxes, king of the Persians (booooo) instead of a Spartan (yeaaaa). Either way I am looking forward to the film release with a excitement that has me sharpening my battle cry, swords aloft boys, "...for tonight we dine in Hell!"

Recommended reading: Steven Pressfield 'Gates of Fire'

How to assemble a Formula 1 car

2007-02-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Just in case you're ever very bored, very rich or very crazy and have a mere 6-8 hours to spare, here's how to assemble a Formula 1 car...

How to assemble a Formula One car - Part One

How to assemble a Formula One car - Part Two

How to assemble a Formula One car - Part Three

How to assemble a Formula One car - Part Four

What we've been doing on Snow Day

2007-02-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Snowmen, solar systems and watching Harry Potter...

Trailer from the new Harry Potter film, THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, due out July 13th

Snow Day

2007-02-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

Photos from Jay's 3rd party have been posted in the Photo Album. It was great fun and as I said to Sophie, possibly made more so by the bottle and a half of champagne I drank pretty much by myself, (insert usual British over-indulgence of alcohol and American sobriety jokes here). Food was good, children behaved well and clear-up was minimal - an excellent party as far as I'm concerned. Jay received some wonderful pressies and is well on the way to having a large collection of Playmobil.
Today I'm experiencing my first Snow Day. We're in the midst of a blizzard, (well a lot of snow and wind really, I'm not sure I'd really class it as a blizzard per se), so classes were cancelled and uni closed. Having discovered this after I'd dropped Jay off at school he was then utterly thrilled when I returned less than forty minutes later to take him home. Short school day! We spent the morning doing puzzles, finger painting and playdoh and then I've been working this afternoon, (modern technology means everything's accessible via the web nowadays so even work systems can be accessed from home - shame). It's rather nice though to be able to go and make a cup of tea whenever I get too frustrated with the Blackboard system. At least I can't access the dreaded ParScore from home because it's networked and not web-accessible! Anyway it must be bad outside because even Sweetwater, the never-ending money-making machine, is sending everyone home at four. One of the issues I think in Fort Wayne is tht we have a lot of people who live out of town in quite rural areas and getting to them proves rather tricky with all the snow. Thankfully FW employers seem to be quite cognizant of that fact. Anyway, I'm off to make another cup of tea...

Where's the baby?

2007-02-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

They say such things always come in threes...a couple of weeks ago my Aunt (well, Great-aunt actually) Jeanne passed away. She suffered a massive heart attack and died very suddenly. Aunt Jeanne was a really neat woman. She and Uncle Vic, (who died some years ago) had a fascinating and well-lived life; they were always helping people in one way or another; loved travelling and spent about seven years splitting their time living between England and Florida. Other than my mum and Sophie, she was the only person I knew who had all day shopping stamina! It was always lovely to chat with her as she understood exactly what it was like as an English person living in the USA. I shall dearly miss her.

On a more joyful note my brother Luc and Claire, his partner of ten years, recently announced their engagement. A huge CONGRATULATION to them. It's very exciting and I must wholeheartedly commend Claire on a. signing up for many years to come with my brother (worthy of a huge diamond ring in itself I feel) and b. signing up for many years to come with our family (worthy of a huge diamond...etc, etc). Congrats guys. Which just leave the baby...unless of course Claire is already pregnant? I have yet to hear from any of my friends that they're pregnant again. Those that have had babies seem to have sworn off any more for the time being and those that haven't don't seem to be in any rush to start producing offspring. Quite wise I say, enjoy the lack of nappies in your life. ALthough I know Rachel is due so maybe she's the birth for this one...
Jay's third birthday tomorrow. I shall say rien on the time passing, etc other than "holy crap, why do boys take so long to be toilet trained?". I really thought he'd have got it by now. Even with jelly bean bribery he is strangely resistant. Party will be held on Saturday - knights and dragons theme with various food items such as dragon droppings, maiden morsels and knights' nosh. Being that most of his friends are boys I've bought suitably boyish things for their party bags - whoopie cushions, model aeroplanes and lollipops. I think I enjoy the party planning more than Jay enjoys the party itself.
I'm off to an Apple Education seminar tomorrow in Indy with my work colleagues and one of the IT guys. Can't wait, a whole day of Appleness followed by a trip to the Apple store to exercise my growing list of delicious items much needed to compliment my adored Macbook. Yummy.

One day...

2007-02-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

Firstly, it's 4 degrees today and I can honestly say I utterly despise this weather. I actually wore my fur coat today because when the weather lady tells me that it's 4 above but feels like 25 below due to the wind chill I felt totally justified in wearing the skinned carcas of a dead rabbit around my body.
Secondly, despite the fact that I didn't watch a single minute, (actually that's a lie I watched precisely two minutes of the fourth quarter) of the XLI Superbowl between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts I do have to congratulate the Colts on a tremendous win, 29-17. Apparently, and it's all heresay as I didn't actually watch the game, the Bears' offense sucked, the Colts' defense rocked and the Colts ruled. So way to go Colts!

I was performing my usual perusal of online news at The Times online this morning, who have by the way, totally changed their online format, (I quite like it although I noticed there are loads of bugs still to be exterminated and it took me a little while to locate a few of my immediate go-to columns but all in all a nice improvement), and came across this article on racing. Now it has long been a dream of mine to race the Dakar Rally with my dad but with years pressing on (his of course not mine!) I fear this may well remain a dream. And being that unless I start an affair with Nico Rosberg or suddenly become a whizz at aerodynamic sheet metal design the chances of my getting behind a Formula 1 car are pretty much nil to zero, so instead I am looking to other auto ventures that may satisfy such adventure and desire-to-do-myself-harm cravings. And I have found it. The Spa 24 hours Fun Cup at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. The cars are seriously groovy, a tubular steel chassis powered by a 1800cc, 130 bhp VW/Audi engine with a WV Bug style shell. Now I just need three other drivers willing to fork out 3000 GBP each and form a team - any takers?

Buckled in? Let's Go!

2007-02-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write about Jay's new car seat for some time, not only to shamelessly promote the seat itself but also to praise and recommend the company we bought it from. I'd been looking for a new car seat for Jay for some time, his old one is fine as a second car one but for long journeys was uncomfortable, little side head support and the seat obviously hit his legs wrong because he always got pins and needles in his legs after a while. So I did all the usual research and being me, wanted something that was not only safe, practical, comfortable, blah blah blab but most importantly looked good in my car. This is a hard task as it is so hard to maintain coolness with a child seat in the back of the car at the best of times. And then fate intervened - I was doing my usual trogging of F1 websites and came across a company that specialises in racing gear for driver and car. The second thing that happened was I received one of the many usually-thrown-away-after-first-glance kids boutique brochures. Both the website and the catalogue featured a child seat by the German manufacturer, Recaro. Now I'd heard of Recaro before. They have been building seats for sports cars (such as those used in the Dakar Rally) for many years. The quality and safety of their product is typically German, that is to say excellent. What I wasn't aware of is that they have ventured into the child seat market and brought out a line of not only ultra safe, (unlike the US that only requires frontal crash testing for child safety seats, Recaro seats are tested for side impact crashes as well), but super cool child safety seats. So having determined that I had found the ultimate in car seats I then enthusiatically purchased one. Speedware Motorsports division www.recarochildseats.com is the official Recaro distributorship CPS fitting station for Recaro child seats and well they should be. Their customer service was fantastic, shipping of the child seat was free (yes, I was impressed too) and very quick and they provided ample opportunity for advice. Naturally after telling Jay that the people who made his seat also made seats for race cars he has decided that it is his "favourite". Not only that but it has proved excellent in long journeys with super head support and none of the previous dead-leg syndrome experienced with his old seat. Oh and Renault's special edition Clio F1 has Recaro seats.
Too cool for school.

RecaroChildSeats.com is the only store authorized by Recaro to use the Recaro name RecaroChildSeats.com, a division of Speedware Motorsports, has had a very close relationship with Recaro, North America, a division of KeiperRecaro Group, Germany, for the past 12 years. We have watched and waited for their line of child seats to become available in the US, in fact, we were the very first store to carry the full line of child seats.
With their roots in auto racing and airline safety seats, we were so sure of the safety of these child seats that we joined with Recaro to offer these seats across the country. After countless planning meetings with executives from Recaro North America and Recaro Germany, it was decided that Recaro would greatly benefit from our business model, and an exclusive relationship was formed. Recaro endorses this union by contributing their name to our store. Extract taken from the website www.recarochildseats.com

Inner monologue from Thursday night TV

2007-02-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

Do workplaces like the Office really exist? I love Steve Carell but really the show makes me wince. I guess that's the idea. Pam's brilliant. So dead-pan. Who'd have thought that Ryan's dad and Julie Nichols-Cooper would have ended up an item? And for that matter who'd have thought Ryan Atwood and Taylor Townsend would have ended up a couple? Seth has to be Summer's Sandy right? There seems to be something incestuous about saying that. At least Seth seems to be reacting somewhat maturely to Summer's decision to go and work for GEORGE. And Kirsten pregnant! I didn't see that one coming...well except in the trailers. But she'll loose the baby right, in the earthquake that hits next week? I wonder if Peter Gallagher can really surf? I hope he brings out another album, his last one was surprisingly good. I feel a little sad for Bullit. He's being a really good sport about the whole Julie/Frank thing. Finally Julie chose love over money. What is she thinking? Three more episodes and that's it. It's the end of an era. Hopefully they'll have Ryan going 'Ryan Atwood' one more time, ooh, something over Taylor maybe that FINALLY results in him saying "I love you" - just say it dude. She's hot. She's on Keith's list anyway. Has Liev Schreiber aged at all since Kate & Leopold? The man is sexy and looks sharp in a suit. If he wasn't an American he'd make a good James Bond - he was broodingly sexy in that Tom Clancy film The Sum of All Fears. If I married him I wouldn't have to change my name. What's with the LVPD? I've never seen Nick in a suit. West Coast casual or just too damn hot in the desert. I remember those days...I'm still not convinced Keppler's a dirty cop although the jury's still out. Still Grissom's back next week and I'm sure it'll all get figured out. Forty-five minutes ought to do it. God, there are sooo many adverts. I can't wait for the iTV, I despise adverts, well, except for the Mac ones and those ones with the Geico gecko, they're funny. I wish they'd solve the wretched murder model/diarama mystery. Hmn, maybe Keppler? It's got me stumped. I hope they're not going to drag it out all season. And when are Sarah and Grissom going to go public? I hope Grissom doesn't blow it.

The Office
CSI
The OC

Ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl Nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerbate, heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2butanone...& you want me to drink that?

2007-02-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

I always knew the American government and nutrition scientists had pulled a fast one over everyone and that processed food has a LOT to answer for in the degredation of the nation's health. And no wonder my health care costs and insurance are so bloody high - hello, ever heard of preventative rather than corrective? Renée turned me onto this article; it's compelling reading although long, but says everything I've always been trying to tell my American friends regarding diet, food and health.

Unhappy Meals - Michael Pollen, NY Times

FYI - the ingredients listed in the title are in fact some of the ingredients for the strawberry flavouring (not the milk/ice-cream or anything else) in a Burger King milkshake. These ingredients are considered by the FDA to be safe and are therefore not required to be listed out on an ingredients label. The FDA doesn’t require food additives considered to be Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) to be put on an ingredients label. Instead, all that is required are the words "artificial flavour" or "artificial colouring" or, and this is my favourite, "natural". And you want more reason as to why I don't east fast food. Information taken from “You Are What You Eat!” by Paul Chek.

Prehistoric party village found near Stonehenge

2007-01-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that the National Geographic article makes no mention of it, the report in The Times reckons the discovery of a prehistoric village at Durrington Walls, a mere stone's throw (less than two miles) from Stonehenge was in fact originally established for the builders of Stonehenge as a location for large feasts and festivals, a sort of prehistoric party village or perhaps England's first Woodstock or Tribal Gathering. A place where they could enjoy vast amounts of food and a good place to kip for the night or just rock on with friends and strangers, apparently much needed incentives when trying to convince people to move 50 odd tonne Saracen stones..."Just a few more miles Dafydd and there's a nice pint and half a sheep waiting for you when we arrive mate."

The Time Online - Stonehenge 'party village' unearthed in Wiltshire

* You can peruse or purchase Louise's awesome and beautiful photgraphs at http://www.pbase.com/35sur/profile or by clicking on Louise under the mi casa su casa link.

Dreaming of ski-ing

2007-01-30T18:33:00.000-05:00

The view from my office this morning and then later this afternoon...that's actually a lake between the building and the road.

New car, new livery, new website, new season, new champions.

2007-01-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

The Renault F1 Team had its 2007 launch this week. As you can see the new livery is TOTALLY different. When I first saw it I thought, God, it's awful ,but I have to admit it's growing on me and I rather like it. The new sponsors, ING obviously had a huge influence over the colours. But they are paying the big bucks so I guess they should. The new website is super - a more professional looking Discussion Board and I like the write-ups and bios, etc of the drivers (plus they've posted a particularly nice photo of Fisico on his bio page.
The new car, the RS27 looks not that dissimilar to the RS26 but of course is more streamlined, more aerodynamic, everything chiselled and checked. The RS27 engine is a modified RS26 V8, with the following specs:
Capacity: 2400 cc
Architecture: 90° V8
Weight: 95 kg
Max rpm: 19,000 rpm
Spark plugs: Champion
ECU: Magneti Marelli Step 11
Fuel: Elf
Oil: Elf
Battery: Renault F1 Team

Most of the other cars have also completed their launches this month and there are some sweet looking cars out there. The new Ferrari F2007 is quite cool indeed - Jay loves the fact that it has "eyes", shown in the preview photos.
So although the first race for 2007, the Australian Grand Prix, doesn't take place until 18th March, already the teams are ramping up for a huge season. In Giancarlo's words "I am hungry for success this year, and very determined." I just hope his hunger and determination truly manifest themselves this year. He is a gifted driver, he just needs to prove it.

Reason to learn a foreign language

2007-01-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

This was forwarded to me today, it made me chuckle so I thought I'd share it:

After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here's the final word on nutrition and health:
1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Archaeology made sexy

2007-01-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

The new season of the History Channel's Digging for the Truth starts tonight, with the ever so scrummy BOSS President and CEO, Josh Bernstein. It's like sheer heaven - a delicious chap and archaeology...what more could a Classics enthusiast wish for? Tonight's episode is a two-hour special on Atlantis. And while he may not always find the truth, Josh certainly makes an hour of archaeological exploration and possibly otherwise boring subject matter interesting and rather glamorously exciting. Definitely recommended viewing.

"My core philosophy is to follow your passion. I'm a big believer of do what you love and get paid for it." Josh Bernstein, Success magazine

Cleverer than I thought...

2007-01-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Apparently I have figured out how to make my domain name forward to my Blogger account. So you can now go directly to the page you're at now or you can use www.englishtraveller.org and you will be automatically redirected. Eventually (see yesterday's post) I will move my blog to the .org domain and cease production at Blogger.

Oh and despite a mechanical fault with his plane at Chicago, Keith made it home in one piece, sans valise mind you, arriving chez nous ten minutes after Jay and I arrived home from school/work. I don't think he'll be getting on a aeroplane for a while!

Changing face

2007-01-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

I know the appearance of my blog keeps changing. I finally got frustrated enough with only being able to do so much in Blogger that I have downloaded Wordpress and set up my domain name and a host server with Godaddy and am now in the process of trying to get Wordpress to work with Godaddy and figure out my hosting stuff so that I can set up my new blog under my own domain name. Only I think I'm a bit clueless because every time I think I've got it sussed I end up at a deadend. Now I know Wordpress works with Godaddy because loads of people have told me so only I just can't get it to do so. I figured out how to set up my SQL server on my Godaddy hosting site and I managed to FTP my Wordpress documents, having changed the necessary script to reflect the correct SQL pathway, etc, using the very cool Fetch. But now I can't figure out how to access my FTPd docs on my host server. And I can't even get my domain name to forward to my current blogger account. I feel so stupid and unbelievably frustrated. I love technology, I hate technology, I love technology, I hate technology...technology god, please help me, I'm flinging myself at your mercy.

Keith's never-ending journey

2007-01-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

Original plan - Friday evening fly to Oklahoma City via Chicago, return Sunday night to Fort Wayne via Chicago.

What actually happened...

Friday - flight from Fort Wayne to Chicago cancelled.
Friday night at home
Saturday - flight departs Fort Wayne at noon to arrive in Chicago. Flight to Oklahoma City delayed and then finally cancelled.
Saturday night in hotel in Chicago
Sunday - flight from Chicago delayed, departs eventually to be redirected to Tulsa. Arrives in Tulsa, rents a hire car (a very nice Suburu 4x4 apparently) to drive to Oklahoma City
Sunday night in Oklahoma City
Monday - plane to Chicago delayed and then finally cancelled.
Monday night in hotel in Oklahoma City
Tuesday - flight to Chicago cancelled. Flight to Dallas (with connection direct to Fort Wayne) delayed because crew have not arrived...flight departs Oklahoma City.
Misses connection in Dallas.
New flight from Dallas to go to...Chicago! From Chicago to Fort Wayne, due in 18hrs00 this evening. We'll see...

Valor...past and present

2007-01-14T22:05:00.000-05:00

Then...Junior (?), Keith (front), Chris, Randy, ?

Now...Keith, Junior, Randy, Chris

A wet, rainy weekend

2007-01-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

So with Keith spending the weekend either stuck at Chicago airport or sitting on a plane waiting to land, waiting to take off, waiting for the plane to be de-iced, waiting for his bag (that still hasn't caught up with him), waiting for the weather to improve enough so that he could fly into Tulsa and then drive to Oklahoma City, mainly just waiting, Jay and I spent the weekend trying to stay dry. Saturday we went to Lowe's so that Jay could build a castle, another patch for me to sew on his apron. In the afternoon there seemed nothing better to do than spend a very rainy afternoon at the cinema. We went and saw Happy Feet. Thinking I was going to see just another animated animal movie I was very pleasantly surprised at the messages it portrayed. of course then I had to explain to Jay about how mummies and papas were destroying the planet with our selfish need and that there was a reason why driving Hummers (which unfortunately he seems to think are very cool) is killing the penguins and that that was why mummy drove a little car fueled by soybean biodiesel, (as the cinema was full of mummies who drive SUVs you can imagine the kind of narrowed-eyed looks I earned myself). Anyway Jay thoroughly enjoyed the movie - dancing, singing penguins, what more can an almost three year old want? And I thoroughly appreciated Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman reminding me of belonging to something so much greater than myself and to appreciate the earth's resources, particularly those that I forget about because they are so many miles away.
Sunday was equally as rainy and gloomy and Jay and I did very little, our cabin fever finally driving us out to play in puddles and for me to construct what I am convinced is my best ever Thomas the tank engine layout...judge for yourself...

Sweetwater Holiday Party

2007-01-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

From Sweetwater Pa...

oooo......aaaaa......Delicious

2007-01-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

From Christmas 06

Because we're now a totally Mac family, (I soooo love my new MacBook; it rocks), I just had to post these links, revealed yesterday at the Macworld Conference and Expo. The boys and I at work are all very excited...

Apple iPhone

Apple TV

Yale v. Oxford

2007-01-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

Being that one of my reasons to return to Europe is for Jay's university I found this article in the Times today fascinating. As is pointed out I think ultimately it comes down to whether a student knows exactly what they want to study or not. If not the American university may be preferable due to it's more all round nature and lack of specailising until the third and fourth years. Although I still feel that a gap year, travelling and working, seeing the world and being exposed to different cultures and figuring out what your passion is, is preferable to spending two years of doing subjects that you've already done at GSCE and A level. Go Directly to Yale: American v. British University

Musical thought

2007-01-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

Being that I'm desparately trying to finish my current book, I have been spending a lot of time lost in deep thought, (well thought at least, I don't know about it being deep particularly), and listening to image provoking music. This usually entails what Keith would consider naff Italian pop music. Anyway we've been clearing out the basement to make room for all the monsterous audio equipment for Keith's "studio" along with the Thomas the Tank engine train table that lives down there, and I happened to come across an old tape, (as Jay so succinctly put it, "What's that mummy?"). The tape is nothing spectacular, Donna Lewis' In a Minute. It's a good album. But it wasn't the album itself that got me thinking, (and there's the bridge); it was the images and nostalgia that the album evoked. I bought the tape from the American Navy PX in Napoli during my stay in Rome in my last year of university in 19 mumble-mumble. Realising that we no longer owned any tape players I promptly downloaded the album from iTunes in a concerted effort to recapture some of the vivid images and overwelming feelings that I was experiencing remembering listening to the tape… …driving back from Napoli to Rome in my dad's SUV, the warm sun shining through the windows creating that late afternoon slumberous contentment that is usually felt on summer afternoons, the dulcet beat of the drum track and Donna Lewis's distinctive voice urged the car on down the autostrada as I watched the Roman countryside quiver past. The gentle rolling hills of Southern Italy, the yellow of the fields and green of the cypress trees so distinctive of the country. The somewhat thrown-together farmhouses that dotted the hills, their vineyards and olive groves trailing down the hillsides. The whitewashed blue spring sky that held a promise of long, hot summers. It was so sublimely Italian that even now I can actually taste the image; it makes me think of bottles of ice-cold, sweet, cloudy yellow limoncello. As I listened to the tracks I was overwhelmed by a feeling of utter bliss and contentment, urged on by the music, welcomed by my inspiration-thirsty mind.
I've always understood the power of music as a healing instrument, a vehicle for memories and nostalgia but it's been a long time since I felt it. Perhaps because that particular trip to Rome, (still considered my favourite, most treasured excursion), was one where I felt fully engaged, surrounded by my passion of the Classical World and steeped in a culture that permanently resides in my dreams that the music I heard whilst there will always trigger the feeling of perfect peace.
I hope you have a song or a piece of music that brings such a feeling of pure completion.
Rock on.

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

A glass of champagne, (or in my case a very nice chilled Rothschild' Chilean Roja; I forgot to buy the bubbly yesterday and being Sunday and living in a country where enacted Blue laws still exist there was no chance of getting any today), to you all for a happy, prosperous and successful 2007. I hope your dreams are fulfilled, your wishes granted and that you achieve your goals.
As always venturing into the new year I am filled with hope and promise; the trepidation that this may be the year HM&B asks for a manuscript, that I may be able to continue to shed my materialistic attitude and look towards the truth and importance of life; that I can embrace hard times with a sense of humour; allow patience and forgiveness to fill my heart and truly, honestly accept that everything happens for a reason and I am where I am because this is where I'm supposed to be right now.
Peace.

Democracy, Existentialism and the blowjob

2006-12-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

Recently watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the hilarious Adam Mckay movie starring Will Ferrell, that came out in the cinema in August of this year. It was one of Keith's Christmas presents and for this I am extremely grateful. The film is a total riot. Of course it helps that I border on the side of obsessive when it comes to both racing and Will Ferrell. It is Will Ferrell at his best though perhaps not quite as smoothly polished as Anchorman, however is equally as kooky, (Afternoon Delight is still one of my favourite movie scenes ever). Sacha Baron Cohen plays the antagonist, Ricky Bobby's arch nemesis gay French F1 driver Jean Gerard and his reply when asked what France has offered the world is an answer that Keith and I have spent several days spouting to one another; said with a heavy European accent, a few marbles in the mouth and a little French twist.

In the same vein, (no pun intended, well, perhaps a little), another snippet of humour that has had Keith and I in hysterical laughter, of the tears puring down one's face type, is Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's Dick in a Box song. Justin Timberlake, whom I've always just lumped into the ex-Disney Club category along with Britney, Christina, etc and dismissed because of that, was absolutely brilliant. It was one of the funniest Saturday Night Live productions I've seen for a long time. I was truly exhausted at the end of it from laughing so much. Justin's performance defintely raised him in my estimation. And to save you from seeking it out on You Tube here is the clip. N.B. This is a pretty crude song so the tender ones among you might want to give it a miss.

Recap of 2006, (in lieu of the Christmas letter)

2006-12-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

I forwent the annual Christmas letter this year, partly out of I couldn't be bothered and partly because I just didn't have time. At least not if I wanted to get my Christmas cards sent off in time, which I'm pretty sure many didn't reach their destination prior to Noel anyway. So instead I have decided to do my yearly recap in a blog and perhaps those family members who have internet access would share it with those who don't :).
As with all years and the passing of time, this year seems to have gone incredibly quickly and as I sit down, catch a breath and try and remember everything we did, I'm once again ultra aware of time slipping by faster the older one gets. 2006 started with a quiet pop rather than a big bang. We spent New Year's at some friends of ours, plenty of little kids which made it easier. Fort Wayne was snow covered and the fresh start of a new year was welcomed eagerly. February was of course Jay's second birthday and we celebrated in style with a Circus theme and Jay as the ringmaster. We had many friends over and once again my dear friend, Zara arrived just in time to help with the party planning her usual finesse.
Towards the end of February my Great Aunt Margaret died. The loss of our family matriarch was felt deeply by us all, even more so as family occasions came and went without her presence during the course of the year. Great Aunt Margaret was a remarkable woman, having recently witnessed her first book publication shortly before she died; an anthology on the history of her Surrey town, Caterham. She was my inspiration for writing and always provided me with a steady stream of fabulous book reccomendations along with the sage words of advice on becoming a writer, "Make sure you train to be something else and write in your spare time." This I have followed to a t, despite the fact that my ultimate dream is to be able to write full-time and spend my days researching. Of course, a small thing called a mortgage and a two year old prevents such a dream being fulfilled at the present time. Keith and I commented that it wouldn't be so bad if both of us weren't desparate to live an artist's lifestyle - the irony of a musican and writer's life of either being rich or dirt-poor is never far from my mind.
This year saw a good amount of travelling for me; as always not enough for my itchy feet and wondering heart but enough to keep the demons of longing at bay. Jay and I did a couple of trips down to Alabama to stay with maman and Jerry. Always wonderful and a treat to enjoy some Southern hospitality and their lovely pool! September Jay and I headed back for a month long trip to England to visit family and friends and celebrate my 30th birthday, something I was determined not to do in Fort Wayne! Keith managed to shake off the shackles of work and escape to England for the week of my birthday. A forty-eight hour birthday sojourn to Paris made my 30th a truly special and memorable occasion and was in my view, a suitable 30th birthday celebration. We walked all over Paris and ate fabulous food and bought perfectly wonderful cadeux for the petits enfants in our lives, Jay and Huxley, (Sophie and Alex's new addition to their family; born earlier this year), from Le Petit Bateau on the Champs-Elysee. Thanksgiving was spent in Denver, without snow and instead with beautiful blue skies and sunshine. A bit different from the blizzards of the last two weeks. It was lovely to be with family and to start off the festive season.
Other noteworthy news was my starting work again. I am the Instructional Designer and Blackboard Systems Administrator for the University of St. Francis here in Fort Wayne. I love working in a university environment and work with wonderful people. I work for our Education Technology Centre with three very nice chaps. I have a smart little office with a view of the lake. The work can be a bit quiet at times but I'm rather enjoying the stress-free pace after corporate America and am thoroughly enjoying stretching my education and abilities in the world of software applications and systems administration. And while I miss keeping on top of the housework and having time to write, I love being back at work and am feeling considerably less melancholy now that I'm using my brain again.
Keith's work at Sweetwater continues to blossom and he's slowly building up his own serious studio at home, as opposed to just the tinkering he's been doing. We keep having to "remodel" the basement to accomodate the ever increasing audio equipment that he brings home. It's all good though and a positive move in the direction of fulfilling the life we ant to lead.
Jay has been a treasure this year. With my going back to work he started playschool and has been doing swimmingly. It's been really fun having him bring home the various arts and crafts projects that he does during the day. His teachers adore him and he seems to be doing quite well socialising and integrating with the other children in his class. His speech has finally come along and of course now, we can't shut him up! He is truly a sweet boy and I love his current catchphrase of "be happy mummy." Apparently I spend too much time being cross!
I'm eagerly looking forward to 2007 and venturing forth into another exciting year. We have several big birthdays to look forward to - Keith's dad's 70th and my papa's 60th. Tickets have already been bought for the 2007 US Formula 1 Grand Prix in Indy, with plans being made to spend several days down there so we can attend the open pit day, (Fisi and Nico Rosberg up close and in person, the excitement is almost more than I can cope with!), qualifying and race day. My Filofax 2007 diary is eagerly awaiting my input and the thrill of opening the clean pages and making plans for this coming year is immediately next on my things to do.

Happy New Year to all of you and I wish you a happy, joyful and dream-making 2007.

London Fog

2006-12-21T11:21:00.000-05:00

Something I miss about England, however I'm very glad not to be travelling to/from Heathrow right now. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2514143,00.html

Eyes* for breakfast

2006-12-20T10:55:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I decided to put my typically very dire baking skills to the test and made mince pies, being the festive season and all. I followed a recipe my mum had given me entitled "The best ever mince pies...with brandy butter from a chef at Windsor Castle". I was extra careful with my measuring using my English kitchen scales rather than the American cup and spoon system and I followed the directions exactly, (something I am not wont to do when cooking) and to my delight they were indeed the best ever mince pies. Sprinkled delicately with a little icing sugar, they looked like plump bronzed pillows left out in the snow. I made them to take to the Literacy Alliance Christmas party on Monday night and made what I thought was a reasonable enough amount, only when I arrived at FMC I noticed that there seemed to be rather a lot missing. Hmmn...the look of relief on Keith's face when I returned home later that night still with several mince pies left over was palpable. As it turns out Keith is not the only one who likes my mince pies. Having promised Jay that I was making pie on Sunday he eagerly awaited their arrival and has enjoyed mince pies and greek yoghurt for breakfast every day this week. Thoroughly enjoyed them. And while I feel marginally guilty about feeding my son pie for breakfast I figure not only is he getting a good amount of bowl-moving dried fruit, he's also eating vast quantities of healthy, happy tummy bacteria and after all, it is Christmas.

* mince pies is Cockney rhyming slang for eyes. "Open your mince pies and look around."

Don't know what a mince pie is? Check out the Mince Pie wiki!

The fourteenth Duke...

2006-12-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

...having inherited his vast fortune from an uncle whom had shown a fondness for his handsome and entrepreneurial nephew...
Being a budding romance novelist, (I am rather wary of calling myself a writer being that I'm not entirely sure impassioned scenes of rising bosoms and nervous lip chewing can be classified as writing per se), this article really made me laugh...a lot.

How Did I End Up On The Cover Of This Romance Novel?

Thanksgiving in the Mile High city

2006-12-13T13:58:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I'm only just writing about Thanksgiving and it's almost Christmas. Call it serious lack of inspiration, or procastination or just too damn lazy...
One year I will spend Thanksgiving in Colorado and actually go ski-ing. Seeing all those estate cars and SUVs driving around Denver with their ski racks and boxes makes me positively green with envy. The weather was lovely as well, crisp but sunny as is typical Colorado fashion. Perfect ski-ing weather for a fair weather snow bunny like myself...providing there's been a decent snow fall of course.
Thanksgiving day was spent over at Mabel's (Keith's sister's husband's mum) house in Boulder. She has a beautiful view of the snow-tipped Rockies from her garden. Lots of family eating vast quantities of food and enjoying a steady stream of red wine. Most pleasant. We then celebrated Thanksgiving day again the following day at Rich and Marie's, (as if one lot of roast turkey and mashed potato is not enough for one's waistline). Saturday Wendy and I started a new tradition of pedicures, coffee and shopping at Rags to Riches Consignment store in Boulder; a totally awesome second hand shop where I could have easily gorged myself on DKNY, Moschino, Trina Turk, BCBG and a whole host of other labels that I adore. As it was I was very restrained and came away only with a Trina Turk miniskirt, a black cashmere poloneck and a Banana Republic cami. I never could resist a bargain!
Saturday night Keith and I left the babe, or rather small boy, with the grandparents and embarked on a night of closure and timetravelling as we met up with the guys from Valor / The Dark. Being really too young for the whole 80s big hair rock club scene it was quite an eyeopener. Apparently most of the people that were at the club have overlooked the fact that we are now in 2006. Big hair was abound. And a lot of girls definitely not in their early twenties dressing like they were in their early twenties. All I could think of was the movie RockStar with Mark Wahlburg. ROCK and ROLL dude! It was kind of funny meeting people whom I'd heard so much about from Keith. Chris I'd already met last year. Meeting Randy was like meeting someone I had known forever and meeting Junior helped put faces to the names I'd heard so much about. The amusing thing is that they all now have respectible jobs, families, kids, short hair! And yet ultimately at heart they're all still rockers. It was an interesting evening and provided some good closure for Keith over issues he's been trying to come to terms with since parting ways with the band and forming his own life path. I'll presently attach the before and after photos of the guys and let you giggle over them...
Sunday we travelled back to Fort Wayne via Indianapolis, this time with Marie in tow. It was utterly blissful having her to stay and not have to worry about getting Jay to playschool in the morning or what to cook for supper in the evening. I think I was actually early to work for a whole week and a half! Plus it has been ages since I've come home to a meal, mainly because I finish work a good hour and a half before Keith. Marie stayed for ten days which allowed Keith and I to go out to a tres smart restuarant and celebrate our 8th anniversary. I have to admit I never thought that I'd be married that long, hell, I never thought I'd be married full stop. I am suprememly impressed with myself!
Now it's the countdown to Christmas. I do have my cards written just haven't quite made it to the post office yet...Happy Easter anyone?

Jeremy Clarkson's Henry II plan and Toronto

2006-11-30T17:07:00.000-05:00

I know I'm overdue on the details of our weekend trip to Toronto and Thanksgiving in Denver but I'll come to that later. I was just enjoying my usual mosey through of the Times online and giggling my way through some of the travel articles when I came across one of Jeremy Clarkson's articles. Being the huge motor fan that I am, I do of course have a soft spot for the cantakerous Fifth Gear presenter and as he is nearly always guaranteed to make me laugh, I read the article with relish, it appealed both to my francophile nature and unwaivering British arrogance. Here's an extract...oh, the article is on capital punishment, in a rather roundabout sort of way...
"...There are two ways a truly civilised and advanced nation can be defined. One, it has a fleet of nuclear submarines, and two, it does not have the death penalty. That leaves you with France and Britain. And that’s about right.
Think about it. When you empower the judiciary to kill someone, you are not even hoping that the person will be rehabilitated. It is pure punishment. But who’s the punishment aimed at? Sure, it can’t be very pleasant sitting in your cell dreaming up some ludicrous last-meal request that will stump the jailhouse chef, but actually, after the poison has done it’s dirty work, you’re dead and that’s sort of that.
The people who actually suffer most are your parents and your children. And they weren’t the ones who did the crime..."
Follow this link to read the article in full

Anyway, a small diversion. So, last weekend, (or would that be the weekend before?)Keith, Jay and I drove up to Toronto via Detroit and then came back via Niagra and Cleveland, thus I was able to tick off Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania as states that I have now been to. Toronto was amazing. It was truly blissful to be in a big city again. We stayed in a mediocre 4 star hotel (the Metropolitan), which despite not being quite all that for a 4-star was in a brilliant location, downtown not far from Toronto University, beautiful, or the South shore, simply divine to be near water again. Our reason for being there was so that Keith could check out Steve's studio and we could discuss the possibility of a potential move to the city. While we will be staying for a while longer in Fort Wayne, it was great to see what our options would be should we decide to move to Toronto a year or two down the line. They'll have to do something about the weather though because there is definitely that whole witches' tit, brass balls on a monkey thing going on. I'm still holding our for my little slice of writer's inspiration in the Umbrian mountains or a Florentine apartment but having now visited Toronto I would seriously consider it as a viable option. Everyone was super friendly and I detected a faint dryness in their humour that has been sorely lacking from my life in the past six years.
Our fleeting visit, less than 48 hours, culminated in us driving home via Niagra Falls which was quite a sight despite it being bloody freezing. Niagra itself seems a bit of an odd town, sort of like a mini Canadian Las Vegas. But the Falls were incredible and provided good food for thought along the lines of, wow, isn't nature clever and what do you think would happen if I dropped my hat/glove/iPod over the edge? Sense got the better of me as I did none of these and merely snapped some photos instead.
You can view some of the photos from our Canadian adventure by clicking on the Photo Album link to the right of the page.

Halloween Old School style

2006-11-21T22:53:00.000-05:00

A bit late with this one but here is Jay on Halloween Night. I asked him whether he wanted to be a knight or a ghost. As you can see the ghost won...goodbye mummy's linen sheets...

New PJs from Great Grummns & Grandpa

2006-11-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

Soda & Bones

2006-11-10T13:16:00.000-05:00

It seems that my avoidance of soda and fizzy frinks, (save for champagne and mineral water of course), is to be founded on even more substantial reasoning. An article in the Times Online today claims that recent research suggests that cola makes women's skeletons more brittle. Here's an excerpt, (bold face mine)...
"Few people perceive cola drinks as “healthy”, but while we suspect that they rot our teeth and expand our waistlines, bone weakness is not a consequence that springs to mind. Until now. A new study shows that for women and girls, drinking just four servings (ie, glasses, bottles or cans) a week of full-sugar or diet cola reduces bone density, which in turn can increase the chance of fractures whether you are aged 16 or 60.
The findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, were made by Katherine Tucker, of the Human Nutrition Research Centre on Ageing at Tufts University, Boston. She and her team compared the density of the hips and spines of 1,431 women over five years, at the end of which the heavier cola drinkers were found to have up to 5.4 per cent lower bone-mass density."
Click here to read the full article.

Go forth and vote

2006-11-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

Mid-term elections...as I continually try to grapple with the American political system and how it works, just when I think I have it somewhat figured out they throw in mid-term elections. I read an article in the Times on Monday, by a Brit journalist who had lived in the US for more years than I've been alive and his whole conclusion was that mid-term elections came down to football and cowboy boots. Huh? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But as always when no-one here was able to succinctly excplain the purpose of mid-term elections I turned to the Times who provided me with the answer.
So, here, according to the Times Online Newsdesk it what it's all about:

Elections take place for both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This takes place every two years.

Congressmen and women, serving in the House, are elected for two-year terms and so at mid-terms all 435 of them are up for re-election.

Senators serve six-year terms and are admitted every two years, so a third of them (33 out of 100) are up for re-election.

A total of 458 seats were up for election yesterday. And here's the important bit - since 1994 the Republican Party had controlled both Houses of Congress and since the last elections in 2004, have enjoyed a majority of 5 in the Senate and 12 in the House.

Notice I say had because as of this morning the Democratic Party has taken control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994. Democratic success in Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, Ohio and Florida ensured the party a victory. It's interesting that in such red states, (Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona), Democrats defeated Republicans, although not necessarily with the kind of margin that was earlier predicted. The Senate is still up for grabs as we wait for the final results from VA, Missouri and Montana. The Democrats need to win all three states to ensure a win in the Senate as well.
Regardless of the outcome I think it does say something for the democratic process. Keith and I were talking at breakfast this morning and Keith commented on the fact that it was a shame that the US didn't have a presidential vote of no confidence like so many other countries have for their democratically voted (and sometimes not so democratically voted) leaders. A four year term might not seem that long but apparently it's more than enough time to really screw up.

S'mores - the organic way

2006-11-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

I was introduced to s'mores during my very first trip to the United States, ten years ago. It was while I was camping (if staying in an RV can really be considered camping), with Keith's family at the beautiful Mesa Verde and Wendy and Al made me my first s'more over the campfire, with the rugged, rust-coloured scrags of hills and Anazi ruins in the background. Now I quite like the concept of s'mores; I mean the ingredients are all yummy and delicious in their own right - graham crackers, (which for a long time I thought were "gram" crackers until I actually saw a box and was once again reminded of the differences between US and British English),marshmallows and chocolate. I like all of these. On their own. My first mouthful of a s'more had my sugar reflex going into overdrive. I had never tasted anything so sweet in my life. Anyone who can eat an entire s'more, let alone more than one must have an inability to actually taste sugar. Jay was introduced to s'mores more recently when we visited some friends of ours on their farm and by the lake, around a campfire he experienced one of his first of many American traditions. I noticed Jay was of the same opinion as I. He ate the graham cracker, the marshmallow (several in fact) and a piece of chocolate but refused to eat them sandwiched together. And then the other night I lit the first fire of the winter and Jay demanded "cookies on the fire". It took me a few moments to realise that he was referring to s'mores. Faced with the dread of eating several tablespoons of sugar and high fructose corn syrup and certainly not wanting Jay to be subjected to such a sugar high so close to bedtime, I decided to pay a little visit to our local Co-op and see if they had the necessary ingedients for "healthy" s'mores.
I can nearly always count on our Co-op and once again they did not disappoint. So armed with the necessary ingredients Jay and I came home and made our s'mores over the fire with the following ingredients: Green & Black's Maya Gold Dark Chocolate (flavoured with orange and spices), organic New Morning Honey Graham Crackers and Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme (a brown rice marshmallowed-texture creme). The s'mores were perfect - decadent and rich but not sickly; the marshmallow crispy on the outside, soft and light inside; the bitter chocolate melting into the marshmallow but retaining a little hard knob in the middle to provide texture. Jay had half a one and I had a whole one and they were delicious. Quality ingredients do make a difference.

Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europe vincendarum...

2006-10-30T16:55:00.000-05:00

As I begin to embark upon a marketing strategy and demonstration project in an effort to convince Faculty that using technology in education is both exciting and beneficial to them and their students, I happened to come across a fascinating article regarding the use of mobile phones and personalised multi-media guides to archeological sites and museums in Europe; alternatively known as the Agamemnon Project co-funded by the EU. As a Classics graduate the concept enthralls me. Seriously it really does. So much so that I promptly began looking at going back to do my MA in Classics at the Open University, (unfortunately traditional college full-time is pretty much out of the question). That was until I saw the cost of doing an MA, even an on-line one. Oh my God! You have to have the letters after your name by the time you finish just so that you have some hope of landing a job that pays you a darn site more than the $200 (a figure I read from somewhere that stated post grad students could earn up to $200 more a month than their lesser under-grad counterparts. And this was an article convincining one of returning to do an MA/MBA/MSc.) extra to pay off the cost of the education. So while the desire to do a Classics MA is most definitely there the money isn't and so I went back to simply being excited about the way technology is moving forward in the Classical world. The article is taken from the IST, a fascinating site if you've not before encountered it. Hey if they need a beta tester, I'd be happy to tour the British Museum armed with my trusty 3G mobile phone :) Ooo, maybe they want someone to "do" Rome. Hey I'd happily be narrator...

A multimedia archaeological tour on your mobile phone

We are the Champions...and it's snowing

2006-10-23T09:26:00.000-04:00

We are the Champions, we are the Champions...
Super congratulations to Fernando and Renault (Fisi and Heikki) for winning both the Driver's Cup and the Constructor's Cup of the 2006 F1 season. The Brazilian Grand Prix was fantastic and a suitably fitting end to a wonderful season.
It seems, however, that the 25 year old Felipe Massa has me hook, line and sinker. Yet again when he won I was in floods. Oh, the emotion of it all. He is the first Brazilian to win before his home crowd since the late, great Ayrton Senna. And what a win. He was pole on the grid from Saturday's qualifying and maintained pole position for the entirety of the race. As he said afterwards "The car was perfect, the Bridgestone tyres were perfect, I drove an impeccable race and all of this at my home grand prix!". It seems that my beloved Renault and dare I say, Signor Fisichella may be in for some competition next year from the Ferrari driver.
And, in the Ferrari vein, of course it wouldn't be right to not mention that it was Schumacher's last race in Formula 1 yesterday as he takes his retirement from the world of racing. I watched an interesting tribute to him yesterday on Speed that commented on the fact that Michael was such an incredible driver that the foolish moves and unsportsmanlike decisions he had made during his racing career were unnnecessary. The guy didn't need to gain the oneupmanship because he already had it. And while there are drivers I much prefer I know that Formula 1 will not be the same without Schumacher next year. His drive at Interlagos was typically impressive and even though he didn't win he proffered a race that was testament to his skill and unwaivering determination. From 10th place on the grid, due to mechanical problems in Saturday's qualifying, to 6th and then 4th only to receive a left rear puncture that stripped the rubber from the tyre, forcing him into 19th position after the pitstop. And then as only Schumacher can, he battled and cajoled his way up the field to finish in 4th! As I said he may not have won but he continued to entertain and impress even as the book was closing on the story of his F1 life.

Final Standings
Drivers
F.Alonso 134
M.Schumacher 121
F.Massa 80
G.Fisichella 72
K.Raikkonen 65
J.Button 56
R.Barichell 30
J.Montoya 26
N.Heidfeld 23
R.Schumacher 20

Constructors
Renault 206
Scuderia Ferrari 201
McLaren-Mercedes 110
Honda 86
Sauber-BMW 36

And so as I'm sure the party continues in Sao Paulo, we start the haitus between seasons and prepare ourselves for changes abound. I know it'll take some getting used to, seeing Alonso in the black and silver of McLaren and Kimi in Ferrari red. The new rules and regulations set by the FIA and the introduction of "one" tyre (Bridgestone) for 2007 will bring new dynamics to the already unpredictable world of F1. But there's a new lot of young, brash and incredible drivers making their way up the ranks and I'm looking forward to the likes of Hamilton and Nelson Piquet Jr debuting and injecting new blood into a sport that has caught this proverbial fox right between its jaws.

Oh, yes and it's snowing today. I suppose it was wishful thinking that it would never come but there it was as I was driving to work this morning - little light feathery flakes descending upon my windshield. Winter. It's here.

Showdown

2006-10-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's the final Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season, taking place at Interlagos in Brazil on Sunday. It is going to be an scorcher of a race I know - both for the Driver's Championship and the Constructor's Cup. Quite honestly I am just too excited to write anything...
Go Alonso
Go Fisi (3rd place in the DC per favore!)
Go Renault
Currently listening to Melendi's tribute song to Fernando, "El Nano". Nothing like a bit of sportsman progoganda to get you psyced!

Some day I'll fly

2006-10-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

Friday afternoons *sigh*.

Having one of those "hmmn-I-should-have-been-a-foreign-diplomat-and-travelled-the-world-or-gone-into-management-for-an-Italian-menswear-company-and-spent-my-days-ball-breaking" moments. The kind that I often have when I feel suffocated by living in a small town and realising that very few of my brains and skills are being utilised and that I am in severe danger of losing any ability I once had at being able to speak not just a second but a third and fourth foreign language. Anyway I have found the perfect song to listen to whilst futilely attempting to reject such negativity. Although it's from one of his older albums, Heavier Things, John Mayer's Bigger than my Body is an accurate representation of that waiting for something to happen feeling that myself and so many of my friends seem to be experiencing. That desparate desire to break out of the mould of the 9-5, materialistic world,; knowing that there is something bigger, (because it's not necessarily better, right?)and that there has to be a role we're supposed to be playing in moving forward to a freer, more spiritually unified yet more tolerant and understanding way of life. Feeling suffocated by situation and responsibility, by the here and now, knowing that I am capable of so much more and yet feeling totally powerless to do anything about it. One of my favourite books is Sartre's La Nausée, (perhaps in light of this blog entry I am in fact reading too much Sartre) and in it there is always the notion that an event should be a life-changing moment and in a way it is and yet it isn't..."But for me there is neither Monday nor Sunday: there are days which pass in disorder, and then, sudden lightning, like this one. Nothing has changed and yet everything is different." It's uncanny how his writing seems to creep its fingers into my subconscious and poke me right where vulnerability meets emotion.
My friend, Renée commented on hope being something too many people rely on when they should be taking action which I totally agree with, but I don't know how else to describe the feeling of the words in Bigger than my Body - maybe I should broaden my vocabulary...inspirational, motivational, promising, words to spur me into action rather than sitting on the hope of them?
A little too egotisically esoteric for the start of the weekend perhaps so here are the words to the song (bridge and chorus)...

Yes I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped
I'm surrounded by
All this pavement
Guess I'll circle
While I'm waiting
For my fuse to dry

Someday I'll fly
Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so damn much more
Cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for
...
Maybe I'll tangle in the power lines
And it might be over in a second's time
But I'll gladly go down in a flame
If a flame's what it takes to remember my name

Yes I'm grounded
Got my wings clipped...

Photographs

2006-10-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

I have just started using Picasa Web Albums and will upload photos every so often. I am in the process of uploading ones from our England trip. You don't need to register or anything to view them, it's just like using Flickr or the other web-based photo programmes out there. I'll still incorporate photos into the blog but figured this was a good way to share many photos with family and friends.

To access the albums just click on the Photo Albums link in the sidebar or click on the below link

http://picasaweb.google.com/MelaineLucy

Fate & fortune collide at Suzuka

2006-10-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

You couldn't have scripted the race at Suzuka on Sunday. An incredibly thrilling and unbelievable Japanese Grand Prix. I didn't bother watching the qualifying on Saturday and ended up just checking the results that night, realising that to my horror and consternation neither Fernando nor Fisico had fared particularly brilliantly and were posed fifth and sixth on the grid for Sunday's race, despite Fisi's great practice times on the Friday.
The weather proved fair on race day and Alonso got off to a reasonable start claiming a place from Trulli while Fisi soon after shifted up to start gaining some ground on the leaders. It was clear that Schumacher was on top form and the skills that have made him world champion several times over were displayed as he managed the car with a ferocity of knowing that this race, despite there being still Interlagos in two weeks, would be the one to determine the Driver Championship. After his first pit stop Alonso came out in front of Ferrari's Felipe Massa and then as Ralf Schumacher stops to refuel, slid in neatly to second place. At this stage Schumacher (older) was a good 28 seconds in front of Alonso. After he pits however, the gap closed to around 6 seconds and it looked to be all about Fernando simply piling on the pressure and just inching closer and closer to the German. Both Michelins and Bridgestones were faring well, no major discrepancies between the two and to be honest the opposing cars seemed matched in performance and ability. The Renault garage must have been positively full of anxious mechanics biting their fingernails and tugging at their collars knowing that the make or break aspect of the race was totally out of their hands as Alonso and Fisi fought to keep Renault in with a chance of winning the CC.
Fisi was running a super race, concentrated and determined and as with Fernando, intent on getting up there on the podium and closing the points gap. And then Fortune decide to open herself up and pour down on Renault and Fernando for in lap 38 Michael Schumacher had engine trouble, the first time for a Ferrari since 2000, and he retired from the race. Michael Schumacher was out of the race. It was an unexpected twist of fate that had Alonso punching his fist as he glided past the smoking Ferrari at 120 mph, moving into pole position and knowing that the victory was his. His seventh win of the season and so long as he wins in Brazil and unless tragedy befalls him in the final race of the season, (and honestly the way the last few races have gone who the hell knows what will happen?) he can be confident of a second year of knowing he is the absolute best Formula 1 racing driver in the world. No small achievement for a guy of 25 years old.
Massa managed to maintain a steady second which gave Ferrari some valuable points but no doubt his second place was bittersweet in the light of Michael's tragedy. Certainly his downcast expression did nothing to hide his disappointment at Ferrari's mischance.
Fisi drove home third much to my great delight. Although as we later learned in the press room during the post-race interviews, his mental race had been through the gauntlet as he struggled to come to terms with the loss of his best friend who had died of a heart attack on the Thursday prior to the GP. I always felt Fisi's driving ambition needs a mental push and while tragedy is certainly not the fuel for the fire one wants, he ran a tremendous race, strategically sound and showing that he totally can control the car to bring out its best performance as well as his own effectiveness as a top driver. Providing he beats Massa in a couple of weeks I think he can finish an impressive third in the Driver's Championship. I'm looking forward to how his driving and race results improves next year when he takes over the number 1 slot at Renault. Nothing like a little ego boost to feed the ability and desire to win.
So once again, we'll be going into the final race in Brazil with a who knows expectation. Except that one thing we do know is that the finale of the 2006 season is going to be suberb.
And maybe Fortune will shine down on Renault just one more time.

Random thoughts on a Saturday evening

2006-10-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

So apparently I should have eaten a lot more spinach during my trip to England as there is currently a stop on the sale of all spinach here in the US due to an E. coli break-out that caused the death of one person and resulted in a rather large number of people ending up sick in hospital. No Eggs Florentine at Spoons* for a while then...

We went out for sushi this evening and discovered that Jay has developed rather expensive and reasonably exotic tastes for a two-year old. He devoured the edamame and miso soup that we had to start with. We then got a sushimi and sushi plate to share which came with a few california rolls which we thought Jay would like. No chance. He went straight for the tuna sushimi followed by the yellowtail sushimi. I then tried to persuade him with a california roll which he toook a small bite out of, made a "bleurgh" face and then reached over and helped himself to the tuna and salmon sushi. I daren't let him taste toro as we'll be positively broke!

Really thrilled that Fisico got third in the Chinese GP last week and that it moved him up to third in the Driver's championship. Although reviewing the Qualifying times today, both he and Alonso will have some serious fighting to do tomorrow at Suzuka. Grudgingly I am accepting that Schumacher is going to win the Driver's championship and considering he's retiring, I am slowly conceding that it is only right and fitting for such a great driver to go out on a wave of glory. Quit while you're ahead and all that.

Recently downloaded John Mayer's latest album Continuum. His music only seems to get better with each new release. His style and expression keep maturing and he's one of the best songwriters out there. Continuum is wonderfully nostaglic and yet uplifting with subtle overtones of Simon & Garfunkle and Otis Reading. Perfect weekend tunes. Although I've found it pretty good for driving to work, planning a lesson to, winding down in the evening. I guess you could say it's my current life soundtrack.

* Spoons is our local weekend brunch spot, attached to Mitchell's book store, it does the best Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine, other than Keith's. He really does make the best Hollandaise sauce.

Chanel dahling

2006-10-06T16:57:00.000-04:00

Apparently I'm a whole year ahead of myself when it comes to summer fashion. My wardrobe to England consisted of nothing but black and white and what did Chanel show in Paris for their Spring/Summer 2007 collection? Yep, noir et blanc. How super-chic am I?

Chanel.com

If you're tired of London, you're tired of life

2006-10-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

After our lovely week up in Shropshire and our two days in Paris, once again we trekked Herbie down the English motorway into London for the weekend, before Keith had to head off back to the States. On the Saturday we managed to get in the Science Museum and Natural History Museum as well as a quick visit to Alex and baby Hux. Sunday my mum arrived and Keith left. I then drove Jay and my mum back down to Dorset for a very relaxing week in green pastures. Poor Herbie was about ready to die by the time we got him home. Old VW Bugs are not meant for long distance travelling at high speeds! Still Jay positively loved Herbie and spent every morning asking if we were going in Herbie and every evening making me take him down to the barn after his bath, so that he could say goodnight to Herbie!

The week in Dorset with my mum was lovely. We managed to see my grandparents every day for tea which was super. We also snuck in a day in Bournemouth at the beach which Jay adored. He went from fully clothed to t-shirt and nappy to t-shirt to total nakedness. We ate fish and chips on the beach and then had 99s walking through the town. We came home with sand every where, tight faces and a feeling of blissful well-being at being by the sea. I miss the ocean so much.

On the Saturday Luc drove down to look after Jay and my mum, (who had been in to hospital for an op on the Friday - nothing too serious but enough that coping with a highly energetic two year old was more than she needed; hence my brother...), while I went off to stay with my friend B. Naturally we shopped, did coffee and cocktails, shopped a bit more, watched all the people swanning in and out of the Southampton boat show while deciding which yacht we'd have. Although in the end we decided that really they're simply too much bother and we'd rather have a nice house in Tuscany! That evening we dolled ourselves up and went out for a wonderful supper and then drinks down by the waterfront before enjoying a leisurely stroll around Gunwharf in Southend on Sea. It has most definitely gone up in the world since I used to go there fifteen odd years ago! It's a bit like a glorified Docklands now - uber trendy with smart but overpriced condos overlooking the sea. Natually as B and I are apt to do we talked non-stop eventually collapsing into bed at close to four in the morning. Sunday I headed back to Dorset where after a fabulous Sunday roast (roast lamb and apple and blackberry pie and real custard!) at my grandparents' before Luc drove Jay and I back up to London and we started our last week of our month long trip back in the city I still consider home.

Our week in London went horribly quickly but was really wonderful. I was able to see Sophie and baby Hux every day and we took the boys to the park; St.James's, Hyde Park, Brook Green, Kensington, shopped, (the new Cath Kidston shop is a delight but very dangerous), ate delicious food (aahh M&S, I do love you) and discussed babies and family and work and everything else that helps us put the world to rights. Friday I took Jay up to Hamleys where we spent three hours in little boy heaven! Then for making me suffer through five floors of toys I dragged him to Liberty and TopShop where he was wonderfully angelic and well behaved and let me try on clothes. We then walked from Oxford Circus down towards Marble Arch only I got fed up of all the crowds so we scooted down a sidestreet and ended up walking through Grosvenor Square and past the embassies which I always enjoy. The buildings around there are incredible. We ended up on Park Lane, walked passed all the posh car showrooms and walked down to Hyde Park Corner where I showed Jay the Alfred Dunhill building at 27 Knightsbridge, where I used to work before we walked the entirety of Hyde Park to get to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. We'd been there about five minutes when it started to absolutely pour down. Jay positively refused to leave so, as any good Brit boy would do, armed with his raincoat and new Kickers he continued to play in the pouring rain while I huddled in the shelters with the other parents enjoying my cup of coffee. Eventually I got him back in his pushchair and we trogged off down High Street Ken before I finally decided we (the royal "we" of course) had done far too much walking and we jumped on a shiny red double decker back to Hammersmith.

Our final Saturday Luc and Claire took us to Richmond Park and we hired bikes and rode around the park enjoying the sunshine. Luck was with us as about ten minutes after we returned our bikes the heavens opened and in true English fashion it poured with rain. By this time we were huddled up in the Cricketers pub overlooking Richmond Green enjoying a pint and scampi and chips. Sunday Luc dropped Jay and I off at the airport at the horrifically early hour of 05hrs30 in order for us to catch our 8 o'clock flight back to Chicago. Eight uneventful but long hours later we arrived back in America to beautiful weather and the impressive Chicago skyline.

And now I'm back at work and Jay's back at school and as is always the case, it's almost as if I was never away, except that I have beautiful new clothes and shoes from Europe and a sense or renewed determination to work hard and save my money so that I can move back to Europe. Keith did a tremendous job on the house while we were away and finished the staircase and the kitchen door which now look beautiful in the original oak. He also built me a new wardrobe in our bedroom which makes choosing my clothes every morning a positive delight. Unfortunately I now have all my shoes in the spare room, (yes, all sixty pairs in their boxes) until I decide where they should go. Just call me Imelda...

Mon Anniversaire Parte Deux

2006-10-03T15:02:00.000-04:00

The following day we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the hotel before setting off bright and early to catch le metro and head off to Notre-Dame. This was one of the few places in Paris I had never been and so we decided it was as good a place to start as any. While not as big as most of the Euopean cathedrals I have frequented it was very impressive. The architechture is beautiful and the church has a reverence that I feel is missing from places like St. Peter's (sacrilege I know, I know, especially considering Rome is my favourite city in the world but it is rather museum-like.). We then walked from Notre-Dame along the Seine to the Louvre, through the Tuillieries to Place de la Concord and the Obelisk and then up the Champs-Elysee where we had lunch and people-watched, my very favourite past-time. After lunch we did a spot of shopping on the Champs-Elysee and then ogled the Arc de Triomphe before heading over to La Tour Eiffel. Personally having already done the Eiffel Tour which is enough in my view I would have given it a miss but Keith was dying to see it and so we took the lift up to the very top, marvelled in the view before then walking to the Ecole Militaire, getting crepes au Nutella for tea and then catching the metro back to Montparnasse where we submerged ourselves in a French bookshop for an hour finding Jay some livres while I giggled over Tin-Tin and got excited over second-hand Voltaire and Sartre. More shopping for Jay followed as we stumbled upon a little toyshop that sold beautiful wooden racecars. As one looked suspiciously like a Renault we bought "Fisi" for Jay. We then trekked through the cemetary back to the hotel where we had a refreshing citron pressé and a little downtime before we got ready to go out for the evening. My birthday supper saw us at La Closerie des Lilas. This is a wonderful very French brasserie in Montparnasse, a mere ten minutes walk from the hotel. Greg's father reccomended it and when we asked the extremely helpful receptionist for directions he aslo praised it highly. The brasserie was a hang-out for many of the literary figures in the early part of the century, such as Oscar Wilde and Hemingway, so I felt it most fitting to be there. The place itself harks back to a time of Humphrey Bogart and the like and serves wonderful champagne cocktails as well as ten different types of osyter. A lovely grand piano and the rich, sultry decor adds to the 1930s American bar atmosphere. The food was excellent although both Keith and I admitted we enjoyed the menu the previous night much better. None the less it was a wonderful evening and a fabulous finish to our twenty-four hours in gay Paris.

Bonne Anniversaire a moi!

2006-09-18T13:15:00.000-04:00

I currently have limited access to the Internet as once again I am down in the Dorset countryside at my ma's cottage, in the middle of fields. Her cottage has no phone and zero computer access which while I don't miss the phone I do miss the computer. Fortunately my grandparents do have Internet access but it's dial-up and now that I'm used to wireless FIOS find it painfully slow. Still beggars can't be choosers and just having the ability to get on-line in rural England is lovely. I have MANY photos to add but keep forgetting to bring my flash drive up to the grandfolks however I did want to blog a little about our fabulous forty-eight hours in Paris.

We left Manchester airport late afternoon on the Tuesday and arrived at Roissy CDG on time, flying sans problemes through passport control, etc in surprisingly easy fashion. We then managed to locate la gare and climbed aboard our train to Paris la cité. And not to my surprise in true French fashion our train journey which should have been little more than 40 minutes took us almost two hours. I merely assumed that the driver had had a few too many verres de vin rouge. We did meet a couple of nice Zimbabwean chaps who were in Paris for a trade show. As my cousin is from Zim it's always interesting to meet others from there and hear about the state (very much not improved) of life out there. Eventually we arrived at Porte d'Orléans metro station. By the time I'd found my French tongue again (no comments thank you!) and able to ask someone the way to our hotel it was well past ten o'clock. We arrived at our hotel, a beautiful 4 star in Moroccan style. Except that the receptionist had bad news for us. A film crew had been using the hotel to film (we decided it had to be porn judging from the costumes and it being Paris and all) and that our room was not available. I really thought Keith would freak out, being that it had been many hours since he's eaten and he has that whole low blood sugar level equals very pissy American thing going on, but he was totally cool and went with the flow. The hotel told us that they had booked us into one of their other hotels and had ordered us a taxi to take us there. So while waiting for le taxi we chilled out listening to jazz in the reception of the Moroccan style decor feeling like we were on a film set ourselves.

Our new hotel, Villa Montparnasse, was, ironically in Montparnasse and was absolutely beautiful, far better situated than the hotel we should have been in. Our room was amazing and had a gorgeous wrap around balcony that overlooked the Cemetiere Montparnasse and with a view of La Tour Eiffel. What more could one have asked for of a hotel in Paris? By the time we had dumped our bags and freshened up it was close to eleven pm. Fortunately there was a little bistro on the corner next to the hotel and so because it was Paris, we were able to sit down and order a three-course meal so late at night. The waiter was so apologetic as well as the bistro was closing the following day due to refurbishment and so the entrecote and crevettes were off the menu! Keith and I then enjoyed the best meal that we have had since leaving Europe six, seven years ago. I enjoyed a kind of bruschetta for starter with warm toast covered in pesto, mild fromage de chevre and warm but still firm sliced tomato on a bed of endives delicately laced with balsamic vinegar. Keith had sardines on toast which were heavenly. We then both had bass in a creamy red pepper sauce with sautéed red and yellow peppers and onions. Pudding I had a chocolate soufflé filled with hot chocolate sauce. Keith had lemon and ginger syllabub on a shortbread biscuit. It was absolutely delicieuse. We also had a beautiful red wine from the town where the writer of Tin-Tin lived. This meant nothing to Keith who had never heard of Tin-Tin but I found this terribly exciting. We then decided that despite it being close to getting up time than going to bed time we had eaten so much that really needed a little promenade and so walked around the beautiful Montparnasse cemetary on what was now officially my 30th birthday.

Let the celebrations begin!

2006-09-09T17:30:00.000-04:00

I cannot tell you how blissfully happy I am to be back on home soil. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by such history; stripey ploughed fields edged with thick hedgerows; little chocolate box cottages; acres of creamy woolly sheep; small eco-friendly cars in Smartie colours interspersed with sleek speed demons in black and silver; leisurely lunches washed down with jugs of Pimms; Turner sunsets over a Dorset countryside. I love coming back to England at this time of year. This September is a perfect Indian summer with crisp mornings and balmy evenings that turn chilly as the sky explodes in violent orange and vivid purple. The midday sun has been hot enough that on Friday Zara (Bunny), Jay and I had one of those leisurely lunches and as we sprawled on our checked blanket in Victoria Park overlooking the Solent and watched the sailing boats and cargo ships, I drank my champagne and looked up at the washed out blue sky and revelled in the fact that I was firmly on England’s green and pleasant land.

The first week here has been lovely. As I said the weather has been fantastic and my 30th birthday celebration has well and truly begun. I am on my second birthday cake, having had my first birthday celebration with family. Wednesday my second cousin/first cousin once removed (?) Miriam had her graduation from Sparsholt College in Winchester Cathedral and then on Thursday we all congregated at my grandparents in Sixpenny Handley. It was a beautiful day and as is typical of such family gatherings we ate far too much and drank rather too many bottles of wine. It was lovely to see my cousins Miriam and Peter and to meet Peter’s girlfriend Ingrid. Miriam is about to embark on a six month trip to Australia and seeing her excitement made me feel very old as I remembered when I finished college and the thrill of knowing that one has the whole world to explore. Peter is a sous-chef at a posh restaurant in Edinburgh. Ingrid is a lovely French girl and has a wonderfully sexy voice like Edith Piaff. It’s a pleasure hearing her speak! I hadn’t seen Peter since before I left for America as he has been in Amsterdam cooking there and so it was great to catch up with him. In the afternoon Bunny and I took Jay down to my mum’s cottage for his afternoon sleep; we then sat in the garden under the apple tree lapping up the sun and putting the world to rights as we looked out over Richard’s extensive vegetable garden edged by the mortuary at the bottom and then smoky brown harvested fields beyond. Teatime saw us back at my grandparents for birthday cake number 1. My uncle and other cousin turned up soon after with champagne which ended the day rather nicely.

On Friday we enjoyed our picnic and then drove over to Lymington where we caught a boat to the Isle of Wight. Jay absolutely loved this and got a real kick out of all the different types of boats. He particularly liked the ferry boats and the concept that the cars could go over the water via the ferry. Later in the evening we met Kwong and Bunny took us out for super at Café Uno in Lymington where I was thoroughly embarrassed and enjoyed birthday cake number 2. And where apparently I also had some cute biker guy crashing into a plant as he walked passed me and I smiled at him. Whilst smiling back he apparently walked straight into a plant! This I sadly missed but got great pleasure when B told me, at knowing that even as I am freaking out at turning 30 I can still dazzle them with a smile!

I have been tearing up and down the country in my mum’s 1990 VW Beetle convertible, imported from Brazil and brought over from Deutschland by my mum. It’s a bit scary driving it on the motorway as once you hit 70 mph it feels like things are going to start dropping off but the car is incredibly fun around country lanes, with the roof down and wind tangling your hair. Jay adores it as he thinks that we have a real live Herbie. The day we were at my grandparents he thought it was great as Peter and Ingrid were driving an old Mini and then my uncle has my mum’s old Audi TT. These are Jay’s three favourite cars in the world. He was in his ultimate heaven.

Today I picked up Keith from Gatwick airport and then drove the looong drive up to my dad’s in Shropshire. Keith and I are off to Paris on Tuesday and I am very excited. Figured it was the only way to spend my 30th birthday.

And because no entry would be complete without mention of it…Italian Grand Prix at Monza domani. Here’s your chance, Fisi and Alonso to give me a really good birthday present. First and second place would be lovely please.

Congratulação Felipe!

2006-08-29T14:18:00.000-04:00

There’s nothing like an emotional, twenty-five year old Brazilian racing driver fighting back the tears as he struggles with the reality of having won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix to bring a tear, or two or three, to my eyes. Actually in reality when Massa stood on the podium with that trembling bottom lip, gulping down the emotion as his national anthem played the tears were full on streaming down my face. It’s the whole sporting victories thing, magnified by the fact that for once Massa didn’t have to play second-fiddle to Schumacher and was able to demonstrate what a terrific driver he really is.

So congratulations to Felipe Massa, Ferrari’s no.2 driver, who not only took pole on the grid but went on for his first podium win at the Turkish Grand Prix yesterday. He pulled away from the pack right from the start and despite the pressure from the world champions behind him, succeeded in maintaining a beautiful drive and a good lead enabling the Brazilian to bring home the chequered flag. Two first time wins in two consecutive races, apparently not a common occurrence; the last time it happened was in 2003 with Heidfeld and Fisichella. As I mentioned with Button – it’s rather nice to see a different face taking the victor’s cup.

Not that Massa’s victory wasn’t of course, completely overshadowed by the almighty battle that raged on behind him between Alonso and Schumacher for second place. The last twenty laps of the race left me absolutely exhausted as the two of them pushed their cars in a fight that Hector and Achilles would have struggled with, (those Trojan horses have a hard time on the tarmac anyway); Alonso intent on not allowing Schumacher to get passed, Schumacher constantly vying for that opening when he could slip the Ferrari around the Renault and grab onto the much needed points for the championship position and success in the Constructors Cup. But, thankfully it wasn’t to be and despite the number of times when it looked like it just might happen, Schumacher failed to overtake the Spaniard’s car and Alonso slid into second place over the finish line, half a car’s length ahead of Schumacher.

For once it seemed that the race was all about the drivers. Despite the heat, 97 degrees air temp I think it was at the Istanbul Park raceway, and the well-known fact that Bridgestone seems to always fair better, Michelin seems to have got its act together and Renault’s tyres finally proved a hearty match for Ferrari and the Bridgestones. Ironically it was Schumacher’s tyres that blistered due to his pushing the car so much in an effort to make up time from the very lengthy pit stop where Ferrari brought in both he and Massa at the same time???

Onto a quick recap of the race. Before the cars even got around the first corner there was the usual F1 calamity. Massa and Schumacher came dangerously close in an effort to block Alonso; Fisico slammed on the brakes so as not to hit his teammate and ended up spinning out, getting hit himself and losing his R26 nose. Raikkonen, amongst the fray, also was forced to pit for a nose cone replacement only then to find himself having to retire from the race as his rear tyre exploded and he ended up in the tyre barrier. In lap 13 Luizzi spun his car and stalled the engine resulting in the safety car coming out. This gave Alonso the needed opportunity to gain ground on Schumacher and close the gap between the two champions. In lap 15 the race leaders pitted only Schumacher is forced to wait behind Massa allowing Alonso to leave the pits ahead of him putting the Spaniard in second place behind the race leader, Massa.

Nico Rosberg ran an excellent race and until engine failure forced him to retire in lap 24, maintained a steady position in 5th place. Jenson Button was in fourth place, keeping a steady hook on Schumacher who seemed to have dropped back a little of Alonso’s pace. After the second pit stop for Schumacher, Massa and Alonso the race leaders maintained the same position – Massa was clearly running the race of his life out in pole position, Alonso in second and Schumacher raging hot on the heels of Alonso’s Renault.

The last 15 laps of the race were magnificent with a real dogfight going on between Alonso and Schumacher. Listening to the commentators was brilliant as they kept stopping mid-sentence to insert a gasp and an “Oh, he’s got him…no he hasn’t…can Schumacher take the lead over Alonso on the next corner? Yes he’s going to do it…no he’s not”. It was great. Alonso always just managing to hold off Schumacher behind him. A real test and demonstration of driver ability.

Felipe Massa, after having started and remained in first place for the entire race crossed the finish line to triumph in his first Grand Prix victory, some 13 seconds over Alonso who by the skin of his teeth took second with Schumi pulling up third. Jenson Button finished fourth, quite respectable I think after his Hungarian win; de la Rosa finished fifth and Giancarlo Fisichella, driving a superb race, pulled himself back from near the end of the pack after his first corner mishap, to finish in sixth place. Ahh Fisico…

So with only four races of the season left the Constructor’s Cup is now totally up for grabs between Ferrari and Renault as only two points separate the two teams. Thanks to Alonso’s second place over Michael, he has taken his lead for the driver’s championship back to 12 points. Something he is surely breathing a sigh of relief about.

Which takes me back to the beginning of my blog entry and to Massa standing on the podium…absolutely fantastic race for the Brazilian. Felipe Massa well deserved his win and for once to have the limelight beaming down on him rather than his teammate, Michael Schumacher, who showed good sportsmanship and was obviously thrilled for Massa. Yes, Ferrari does have two world-class drivers. Indeed Daniel Jackson…

Turkish Delight

2006-08-24T15:08:00.000-04:00

Two days until the Istanbul Grand Prix...Sela, why haven't you finished your military service so I can come and stay and we can attend the Grand Prix live?

"Speed... I am speed." Believe it Alonso and Fisico. I'm feeling good about Sunday's race despite the ruling by the FIA on determining that the mass dampers are illegal. It's all drivers and tyres, skill and rubber boys...

"Losers? I eat losers for breakfast" - Lightning McQueen

2006-08-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Butter wouldn't melt...

Small Castle for Sale

2006-08-14T12:03:00.000-04:00

This link is to the house that I dream about owning. As it is not too horrifically expensive, (hey, it's all relevant) perhaps one day I might actually be able to sit on the terazzo and look out on the Italian country garden with the little statue of Neptune and write my books. As my mum always tells me you have to have a dream in order to motivate you to. There has to be more than just wanting to be financially independent or to have a job you enjoy. So this will be my home. It's big enough to accomodate guests but not so big that I won't have to have an army of maids to clean it although the odd gardener might be nice. Plus it was built the year I was born so I think there's rather a nice poetic fate to it. Regardless whomever buys this house, I will be buying it off them...eventually.

http://realestate.escapeartist.com/P-2002045/

The instructional design of hupomnemata

2006-08-10T20:39:00.000-04:00

While London and no doubt much of Europe experienced a day in the life of the post-terrorist, 9/11 world today, I was immersed in a day of training and instruction at the ICI (Independent Colleges of Indiana) Instructional Technologies Summit held at Indiana Wesleyan University. Although I still grapple with America and its dichotomy of globalising the world and yet still remaining so insular and unaffected by world events and global changes, particularly in the world of implementing mobile technology into learning and instructional practice, I was quite impressed that for the entirety of my journey from Fort Wayne to Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, a journey that took about an hour, NPR succinctly and almost non-stop covered the events and effects of what had taken place in London this morning. For once I didn't feel so out of touch and cut off. Of course now that it's the end of the day and I'm home again, I shall merely download the necessary podcasts from Radio 4 and listen to the BBC news from lovely English reporters who say 'nuclear' and 'Iraq' correctly and use phrases like "travellers seemed not to mind the additional queues...". Ah, the BBC, such a British institution.

Yes, so I spent my day listening to ways to improve the integration of technology into distance and mobile learning; how to develop effective instructional design methodologies and competency based technology training. However, if I am truly honest, other than the keynote speaker who was absolutely fantastic and it was worth going for him alone, I must say I did not learn that much more. Apparently I know a lot more about Instructional Design and technology integration in education than I thought.

The keynote speaker, as I said, though was brilliant. He was a chap called Bryan Alexander, a professor at Middlebury College, a liberal arts university in the wilderness of Vermont and Director of Emerging Technologies at NITLE http://www.nitle.org/index.php/nitle/nitle. He has the appearance of Hagrid and a phenomenal mind. He spoke on Web 2.0 and the use of technology in academia and the pedagogy behind it. I would have been quite content to listen to him lecture all day and not bother with the rest of the stuff. He made some really interesting and totally thought-provoking points. I've noticed in working with education and in particular distance learning and technology where the technology becomes the focus that often the instructor/facilitator/educator/whatever you want to call them continues with the same methodology or pedagogy despite the fact they now have tools that require them to also "bring up to date" their teaching. That's not to say that good content should be changed, good content is good content and just because a professor now has a PC Tablet and Wikipedia and podcasts available, if their content and teaching is lacking technology isn't the asnwer. Dr. Alexander's pointed out that in information ecologies, the spotlight is not on the technology but on the individuals that use it. And the more I think about this, the more I realise how absolutely right he is. In academia we are currently facing a phenomena as yet unprecented, particularly at undergrad and grad level, (and I'm sure in schools as well) where the student has technological expectations of a professor that aren't being met. The informational overload can be overwhelming but with it is a wealth of opportunity to reach out and instruct and teach students as never before. Some of the key areas that Dr. Alexander spoke of regarding Web 2.0 are the following

microcontent
social functionality
open content/services
network constructivism

For me it is perhaps the social functionality that has the biggest impact. In July of this year Technorati provided researched figures approximating the existance of 50 million weblogs. 50 million. The ability of open-faced publishing is astounding. Blogs are enabling global distributed conversation on a scale that has never before been achieved. Productitvity is inexplicable on collaborative writing platforms such as Wikipedia. And what's really interesting is that these sites and platforms are not coming out of the academic world. They are a result of public and social functionality under the umbrella of the web. Podcasting is another technology that no-one could have, or really was, prepared for. What an opportunity for instructors! And the international global consequences. Diverse learning on a global scale. Particularly when you tie it in to the fact that outside of the USA the number of young people using their mobile phone technologies to not only pick up calls, text, photo, video, listen to audio including podcasts but also surf the web, vlog, game is growing at a rapid rate it opens wide the possibility of using a mobile phone to listen to real-time lectures and interact with classmates in an online learning environment. On an ironic note the USA is many years behind the rest of the world when it comes to mobile phone technologies and platform capabilities. Dr.Alexander's discussion really struck a chord with me and was a good source of inspiration as I begin the new term and try and determine what I really want to do within the realm of my job and how I can best translate my knowledge of learning technology, in particular distance and on-line learning, to the professors in a way that introduces them to the incredible profusion of technology that's available to them and their students, without alienating the essential nature of the pedagogy. A exciting challenge to be sure.

I'm off to listen to War of the Worlds. Don't say a thing...

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence" - Robert Frost

Nice review from Sunday

2006-08-09T08:36:00.000-04:00

This is a really nice review from Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix and echoes my feelings exactly about the race and how it played out. It was truly a much needed burst of refreshment in the staleness of the Formula 1 season.

http://www.grandprix.com/race/r763racereport.html

Hello Jenson…this is Buckingham Palace calling.

2006-08-07T10:21:00.000-04:00

Before I get in to the race I do have to do the patriotic bit and congratulate Jenson Button on a fantastic race. I was quite emotional when I heard the National Anthem and realized that it was a Brit standing up there in first place on the podium. What really made me smile though was that just the day before Luc and I had been chatting about Jenson Button and Luc was saying I needed to be more patriotic and support the Brit. My reply was "when he starts winning I'll start being supportive!" How I am eating crow! I was thinking about it last night and wondering if his win was a default win, (due to drivers such as Alonso, Schumi and Kimi being forced out of the race…more on that later) but the more I thought about it the more I decided that Button won because he deserved to win. Honda had a great strategy that worked and Button ultimately was the best driver of the day. Even before Alonso’s disastrous retirement from the race, Button had been hot on his heels and so who’s to say that Button may not have won anyway? He moved up from 14th place, due to a last minute engine change, to win. He ran a great race and after 113 grands prix, to finally claim his first victory, is fantastic. Of course now he’s done it once, the door is wide open for further wins. Good on you, Jenson, superb race.
Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring was the epitome of Formula 1. Phenomenal racing, wicked power struggles, totally unexpected appalling weather conditions, a steady stream of retirements.
Just brilliant.
The weekend started with fabulous controversy when Alonso received penalties for blocking and overtaking under a yellow flag resulting in him starting in 15th place on the grid and then Schumacher received a penalty for overtaking during a red flag so he ended up 11th on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen won pole position and I really thought that Kimi would end up taking the Hungarian grand prix. Then when the race started it was pouring with rain and so there was the inevitability that those teams running Michelins would do well, and this absolutely proved to be the case. Renault didn’t bother with the mass damper and so the competition was truly down to tyres and strategy. Bridgestone just doesn’t perform as well in the wet and the track was soaking. But once the race got underway both Alonso and Schumacher made surprising headway with the Ferrari driver moving up to fourth and Alonso up to sixth from 15th. Most of the cars started on the intermediate tyres which seemed to be the most effective. Kimi had a tremendous start and by lap 10 had opened up a pretty good 8 second lead. At this early point in the race, Klien, Mark Webber and Yamamoto had already retired from the race. Then the weather really started coming down and a few of the drivers pitted early to change to full wet tyres. I thought that Fisichella would run a great race; he seems to excel in adverse weather conditions and true to my expectations he and Schumacher had a nice little battle on the track. Fisi was totally on the defensive and the two cars bumped on more than one occasion with the final result leaving Schumacher losing his front wing, forcing him to pit and allowing Fisi to gain some much needed ground for Renault. However not more than three laps later Fisichella spins off the track and although he carried on for a few more laps he was eventually forced out of the race, leaving his teammate driving blind and having to battle the Ferrari alone.
As they came up on lap 25, however Alonso showed that he didn’t really need the help of the other Renault driver and he actually lapped Schumacher. Things really started to get exciting at this point. Kimi drives into the back of Liuzzi’s Toro Rosso and the McLaren is complete toast, wheels flying off and everything. Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg are also out bringing up the total of retirements to seven. It was at this point that Jenson Button started making serious headway into the lead position, moving up to second behind Alonso, just in front of De La Rosa. The track also started to dry out adding yet another dimension to an already thrillingly exciting Grand Prix. Immediately the Bridgestones started to perform better and Schumacher moved up to sixth, putting him in a viable position for a podium position. In lap 52 Alonso pitted and changed his tyres to dry but as he moved into turn 2, you saw the nuts fly off his rear wheel; he took a dive into the tyre barrier and was forced out of the race due to a driveshaft failure. Sorry Fernando, snakes on a plane.
By this time I was half sitting, half standing, not able to believe that Schumacher might actually win the Hungarian Grand Prix and have a possibility of taking home the overall Championship. But this wouldn’t be Formula 1 without another sudden turn of events and with two laps to go until the end of the race, Schumacher suffered handling problems and was also forced to retire! Oh calamity - I could not believe it. It doesn’t get much more exciting than this. Button had a 40 second lead and victory was clearly his as he claimed the chequered flag for Honda. Pedro De La Rosa finished in second for McLaren and BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld took third.
As one of the commentators commented it was nice to see some different faces on the podium for a change and I do agree. Jenson Button’s exuberance was charming and even De La Rosa looked as pleased as Punch to have taken second place. Heidfeld was typically German and looked rather miserable, perhaps made more so because Jenson knocked his cap off during God Save the Queen. Who the hell wears a hat during a national anthem anyway?
The Hungarian Grand Prix was by far the most exciting race yet of the season and proved that you just cannot predict what will happen. This was the first time it had ever rained on the Hungarian track and talk about throwing a spanner in the works. With only five races left, it is going to be one hell of a finale in the world of Formula 1.
On a sidenote, Jay can now say Michael Schumacher, Alonso, Fisi and Kimi. He knows that Michey drives the red Ferrari and that Fisi and Alonso drive the same colour car. Kimi’s car he’s not sure about. I figure we’ll have to learn Jenson Button and Rosberg next. By the end of the season I might just have him polished up on all the drivers!

Sticky books

2006-08-04T11:31:00.000-04:00

I have an affliction.
Not a particularly bad one but definitely one that deserves some blog time. I have developed a habit of reading book reviews on the web, in newspapers, in magazines, people's reccommendations and then I write the title, author and publisher on a sticky note and put it in my handbag or filo-fax (totally 80s I know but I love the Filo organisation!). When I changed over bags the other day I had twenty-three post-its fall out, each representing a book that I intend to purchase and read. This is not including the five or so that are stuck firmly in my filo-fax.
I cannot throw them away. They represent more than just a good read. Each sticky note holds the promise of escapism and absorption, words on which to pack bags and get on a plane and step out the other end in an exciting and cultured location,(a sandy beach, an Egyptian tomb, a martini at Harry's with a handsome stranger...), the possibility of new friends and interesting passers-by that I can watch through the shaded veil of my sunglasses, the potential to live another's life for the duration of several hundred pages. They're not all fiction, some are travel, histories, a few biographies, perhaps a few Instructional Design or International e-Learning textbooks (in which I most certainly do not get "lost" in). But in most of the sticky notes I can be someone other than who I am. So I simply piled them on top of each other, sticking them neatly together to form a little book of sticky books, and then I put them back into my bag until the time that I actually manage to get to the book shop for a period of time longer than what it takes for me to grab a coffee and a copy of British Vogue and F1 Racing and actually buy the paper manifestations of my sticky books...

In a Hockenheim minute…

2006-08-01T15:11:00.000-04:00

Along with Renault’s last minute decision to remove the controversial mass dampers from the R26 and the knowledge that their Michelins would likely blister, (which they did), I’m not sure Renault had much of a chance on Sunday. Clearly neither Alonso nor Fisichella were mentally in the race despite some nice driving by both of them. Sadly it was all too sporadic and I think, the concern for the state of the tyres kept both drivers from really pushing the cars and therefore making any headway into the huge lead initiated and maintained by Ferrari.
The fact that qualifying on Saturday resulted in poor grid spots, fifth for Fisico, seventh for Alonso, proved an ominous sign indeed. Seventh on the starting grid for the world champion? Not good. Not good at all. And rarely throughout the race did Alonso show any particular signs of fighting back. As Michael Schumacher said “We had had a superb weekend. Our car just functioned really great.” And that was the whole point. The Ferraris ran a fantastic race. The Bridgestones delivered top performance and quite honestly Ferrari outshone the other cars by a long way. The fact that both Massa and Schumacher kept up a pretty consistent lead of almost 20 seconds demonstrated just how superior their cars were.
Even Jenson Button finished ahead of Renault and as a fellow Brit I do have to show some support for a British driver, but really? Button? And Kimi put in a great race to finish third from pole but even he didn’t stand a chance of catching the illusive black horses.
A real shame for Nico Rosberg who crashed his McLaren on the second lap. As well as Rosberg, Yamamoto, de la Rosa, Heidfeld and Barichello were forced to retire along with Mark Webber, who ran an excellent race and then experienced engine failure in lap 60, with only 7 laps to go. You know he was kicking himself. A real shame.
So as it stands Alonso and Schumacher are only separated by a mere 11 points with ten points separating Renault and Ferrari. I’m starting to get a bit anxious. If the Michelins aren’t sorted out I’m fearful Hockenheim won’t be the last time Renault sees the rear end of Michael Schumacher’s car crossing the finish line to claim victory. Fisico’s fallen back into fourth place in the driver standings and is now equal with Kimi. It’s just not good…
…but you know what? I love it! This is Formula 1. Because at the end of the day it’s all about the competition and it’s the competition that makes my blood run hot and the adrenaline pump and makes me feel that I’m sitting there in the race car, smelling the hot, burnt rubber of the tyres and the chemical smell of the fuel as it’s propelled around the rumbling, over-excited mass of metal that with every gear change, sticks its neck out and aches to run free; pushing itself to the max revs until the next gear change and the ecstatic sense of brief release that lasts for just a mere nanosecond before the revs are pulsating again and the car is once more straining forward, longing for its next gulp of air. It’s this synonymy of Formula 1 and competition that captures my attention and unbridled passion for the sport.

Katydid

2006-07-31T22:33:00.000-04:00

Apparently our green friend is a katydid, pterophylla camellifolia. He was making his way across our back porch on Saturday late evening so being good parents, wanting to teach Jay, we caught him and put him in a jar for the following morning when we let him go on the front porch and followed his progress for a short while as we did our David Bellamy and Richard Attenborough bit, suitably oohing and aahing. It was a darn site more interesting than the subsequent driving I then watched - still wrapped up in dispair for Alonso and Fisi's disastrous performance. Schumacher now has an extremely viable chance of winning the championship and Renault are on precarious ground for the Constructors' Cup...

2006-07-31T22:29:00.000-04:00

Bugger off and let me wash my feet in peace.

2006-07-31T22:12:00.000-04:00

Leptophyes punctatissima perhaps?

2006-07-31T22:11:00.000-04:00

At the beach

2006-07-31T22:10:00.000-04:00

Hmmn, not that cold.

2006-07-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

Summer barbecues

2006-07-31T22:06:00.000-04:00

Easy riding - going for a ride on Craig's Harley

Still deliberating

2006-07-31T11:23:00.000-04:00

I am in quasi-mourning over yesterday's race and am still trying to formulate what happening to Renault, therefore my usual post-race blatherings are going to wait until I am in a more positive mood about the results. The results, posted below, tell all that needs to be told though...
On the other hand I am most grateful to F1 and the phenomena of world time zones that I was able to watch the race at the early time of 8 am on a Sunday morning and then still go out and enjoy my day. Which, I most defintely needed to after the sorry state of affairs. I routinely bemoan the fact that I am a ridiculously long distance away from the ocean and a beach, something I miss enormously about living in England and so Keith, who either fed up with my land-locked cries or deciding that Jay needed some "beach" experience, drove us up to Michigan City on the coast of the great lakes and to the Indiana Sand Dunes National park, or somewhere like that. Either way there was a sandy beach, (quite nice actually) and water that had waves. Plus the lake is big enough that I couldn't actually see anything on the horizon and so it sort of felt like the ocean. Except that it's freshwater and not salt water. But hey, I'm not that choosy. Well I am but this was definitely a case of beggars can't be choosers. After a two hours drive, that for the last forty-five minutes had the sky getting blacker and blacker and even thunder and lightening obscure our view of anything remotely resembling a nice day, we arrived at the beach to pouring rain. So in good Brit style we ate our picnic lunch in the car and then decided to hell with it and went down on the beach. The boys didn't care about the rain but I was armed with my trusty umbrella, (yes, I'm English). To our delight after about twenty minutes the sky cleared, the storm passed and like little creatures edging round rocks people started appearing again from the sanctity of their cars to set up their spot on the sand. To my amazement the water was surprisingly warm although I'm still in doubt as to whether this was from the 90 degree weather or the two industrial smoke stacks and the corresponding power generators I could see at either end of my line of vision on the beach. Either way Jay and I swam in the water, I can't really call it the sea, and Jay and Keith made sandcastles. It was a lovely day.
Now that we know that a beach isn't that far, despite the summer almost being over, we will venture up there more. It's been horribly humid here in Fort Wayne - 95 degrees with a heat index of 103 and humidity at about 80%.
I may as well get it over and done with...here are the results for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
1. M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
2. F.Massa (Ferrari)
3. K.Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes)
4. J.Button (Honda)
5. F.Alonso (Renault)
6. G.Fisichella (Renault)
7. J.Trulli (Toyota)
8. C.Klien (RBR-Ferrari)
9. R.Schumacher (Toyota)
10. V.Liuzzi (STR-Cosworth )
11. D.Coulthard (RBR-Ferrari )
12. S.Speed (STR-Cosworth )

Get on with it! Pre-race build-up

2006-07-28T10:22:00.000-04:00

I think we’re in for a good weekend at Hockenheim. Home country of Schumacher, Alonso still fighting him off, tensions ablaze, temperatures hot and humid much like the atmosphere on the track. Isn’t this why we watch Formula 1? The excitement and thrill. Oh and maybe, just a small contributing factor, because of the ultra sexy drivers ;)
With only seven races left including Sunday’s race and Alonso with a 17 point lead over Schumi I think that anything can happen. Now Alonso seems particularly level-headed, he’s a calm but determined driver, off the track epitomises the horizontal Spaniard but surely he’s got to be getting a little hot under the collar. If nothing else this weekend will be more about mental determination as much as about skill as a driver. In a grandstand of red tivosi all backing Schumacher, Alonso’s going to need all his focus on the matter in hand. Pushing that R26 to its maximum performance and maintaining a solid and fast drive. Despite the weather conditions, it’s going to be hot and sticky, the similarities with some of the previous tracks where Alonso has won, might help him.
According to the Renault engineering team, the stats for running the car this weekend will be as follows:
Downforce – medium-low
Suspension – relatively soft settings, bump rubbers, forward mechanical bias (which means that the suspension is stiffer at the front that at the back of the car)
Engine performance – 71% of the lap is spent at full throttle but this is still a low throttle track in comparison to the other F1 tracks due to the low speed corners. Hockenheimring is a demanding circuit for engines and an engine that can pull strongly from low revs is an advantage. The R6 is running the RS26, a V8 2.4L engine. On the same vein due to the scorching temperatures on the track the engine develops something known as acoustic offset, meaning that peak power is developed at higher revs shifting the power-band upwards. Being able to use greater rpm, which the C spec RS26 does, is a definite advantage for both Alonso and Fisichella.
(Stats taken from http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4699/762.html and http://www.renaultf1.com/en/car/engine/)
I’m interested to see what the qualifying brings tomorrow. I noticed that both Alonso and Fisi did a couple of practice laps but that Schumacher didn’t. Not that this means anything, perhaps simply more of the mind games or more likely Ferrari knows its car is good to go. Looking forward also to seeing Rosberg’s performance in front of his home crowd. Nothing like supportive fans to boost the moral and performance.

Pilsner and brats at Hockenheim (or reflections of things past)

2006-07-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

I am in the downward spiral at the moment of reflecting a lot on opportunities missed. Options that presented themselves in the past and I never took. And not that I regret this, at least I’m trying not to because it’ll drive me crazy and essentially it’s up to me to create favourable situations in my life, for which I have the ultimate power to do so. Of course those little things called money, a job, responsibilities and obligations, etc do tend to limit the ability to simply pack up one’s belongings and head off into the sunset to find one’s fame and fortune. Regardless my mind has been doing a Marcel Proust on me and as race day looms at the Hockenheimring I am painfully reminded of passing it almost every day and despite mine and Keith’s constant “we really should go and watch a Formula 1 race there”, never managing to actually go and see a race despite living a mere ten minutes away. Well, perhaps closer to twenty minutes but driving at 120 mph on A6 distance soon becomes irrelevant. Although I did notice that there was actually a speed limit of 120 k for about five miles running parallel to the race track. The polizei must have field days with all the boy racers (and one particular English blonde) who fancy themselves as racecar drivers. Not that speeding is the sin that it seems to be here in the US. I lose track of the times I was stopped for speeding, although ironically I was typically stopped for doing two miles over the speed limit (we were in Germany after all) rather than simply trying to kill myself at breakneck speed on the Autobahn, and was merely given a pitiful look by the polizei, (I was driving under US Army plates); his thought process clearly “Americans! They cannot drive. It is only natural that they should wish to prove themselves by trying to take over a German manufactured BMW in their ugly American Ford that might sound impressive but is in actual fact pathetisch,” (please note that I did not drive a Ford - I don’t “do” American cars - but overtaking a BMW in a VW Golf is entirely doable and so didn’t fit with the story)…Anyway I completely digress. Needless to say that I merely spent a lot in speeding fines during my years in Heidelberg and yet the first time I got stopped for speeding in the US they fined me stupid amounts and made me go to a two day driving school! And still I digress. The point is I am really glad that now, once again living in the reasonable proximity of a F1 track (alright, so it’s an hour and a half as opposed to ten minutes but I’m in America. Everything’s bigger) I seized the opportunity and actually did what I said I always wanted to do and went and saw the US GP. Somehow though, the memories of attending big events in the Mannheim area, always accompanied by good Pils and bratwurst in brotchen, serve only to remind me how much I loved living there and despite what people think, that the Germans really do know how to party. Or perhaps they just know how to drink and so everything just goes downhill, or uphill, from then on.

Html CSS Hfgo Gty F$%k

2006-07-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

Bloody technology! Sometimes I amaze myself at my stupidity. So I updated my template - again - yes, yes, I know, but it's a bit addictive and I thought the last one was a bit hard to read, and stupidly, very stupidly forgot that when I update the template it wipes out any changes, etc that I've made to the template such as adding links, footers, etc. And even more foolishly I didn't copy my html/css feed for the footer and now I can't remember all the code for it. And can't seem to get the Powered by bit correct.
Ahhhhhhhhhh/tearing hair out/swearing loudly at the computer screen.
If anyone who actually understands this stuff, becasue really I just pretend to, and can help me with re-adding the footer code. pleeeease let me know. It's driving me crazy! And I think I used movable type only I absolutely cannot remember.
Update 26/7/06 - my intelligence astounds me. Thanks to the wonderful world of internet code sites and computer nuts I was able to figure it out; no movable type, little css, just some good ole' html. Ahhhhh/gentle sighing/kissing of the computer screen.

Finally - balls in F1

2006-07-24T15:15:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading July's edition of F1 Racing magazine and finally, someone has said something about Schumacher's stunt in Monaco. Hello, did I not say something back in May about how unacceptable it was? Anyway F1 mag ran a big article and cited all the wierd (and dangerous) moves that Schumacher has pulled over the years. A very interesting article and I am really pleased to know that I am not the only one who thought the move was completely unsportsmanlike. Perhaps one of the top drivers in the world (and I don't dispute that he is a fantastic driver) is getting a little concerned that at 38 there are finally some very incredible, young drivers who are not only up and coming in their racing ability but also bring with them a return to the real sportsmanlike quality of F1. The ones who don't blame all of their poor driving on the cars or machinery and accept that yes, sometimes you just have a bad day and your driving sucks. Drivers like Alonso, Rosberg, Kimi, even Mark Webber are not only great drivers but they're team players. Even Fisico, with his hot-headed Roman temperament has provided a strategical role for Renault despite driving in his team mate's shadow for most of the season. It might be time Michael, to accept graciously that yes, you have acheived greateness in the world of Grand Prix but perhaps it's time to pass the torch. Having to resort to underhand motives to better one's qualifying time or to decrease the potential times of fellow racers, is just not behaviour becoming of someone who has seven Formula 1 world championships to his name. Possibly more contemplation on this to follow but for now I'll step off the podium...

2006-07-23T23:15:00.000-04:00

You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince...

2006-07-23T23:12:00.000-04:00

Hangin' out with the gorilla

2006-07-23T23:10:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning at the zoo

Go Warriors

2006-07-20T09:10:00.000-04:00

Warriors, get to it!
Show your stuff
Get moving, get hustling, get mean, get tough.
Gooooo Warriors!

The Warriors (American) football cheer from Centarus High School, Denver, CO. For some strange reason Keith remembers this very well. Thought it appropriate as I attach a most amusing picture of Keith at 17/18 years old at the graduation of one of his friends, Dave Dawson from Centarus. Keith had left Centarus the year or two years before and graduated from Columbine High School. The same Columbine that fell vicitm to the awfully tragic shootings several years ago. I see that Dave already has the big rock and roll 80s hair going while Keith is doing a very excellent imitation of Luke Skywalker.

2006-07-19T21:51:00.000-04:00

Yeaaaaaaah

2006-07-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

Bringing on the heartbreak

2006-07-19T21:49:00.000-04:00

Let's rock & roll

Jay's Top Ten

2006-07-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

Jay's Top Ten songs, well, twelve really, based on dancing and air drumming response. Heavily influenced as you can see by what gets played in mummy's car on the way to school/work. Anything by Def Lepard is enjoyed due to the huge potential for air drumming and air guitar. The new John Meyer song and most everything by Keith Urban due to the expanse of fiddle and guitar that's featured. Also anything on the Eros Ramazotti Live album for the primary reason that there's lots of cheering and yeahs which are very easy for a two and a half year old to get down to! If you're not familiar with Fountains of Wayne byt the way check them out, they're brilliant. Oh and I'm convinced that when he (Jay) sings, he's singing in Italian!

1)Almeno Stavolta - Nek (L'Anno Zero)
2)Angel nel ghetto - Nek (L'Anno Zero)
3)Alcohol - Brad Paisley (Time Well Wasted)
4)Life is a Highway - Rascal Flats (Cars Soundtrack)
5)Rain Please Go Away - Alison Krauss & Union Station (Lonely Runs Both Ways)
6)Friday Night - The Darkness (Permission to Land)
7)Photograph - Def Lepard (Vault)
8)Stella Gemella/Dove C'e' musica - Eros Ramazotti (Live)
9)Hot Fudge - Robbie Williams (Escapology)
10)Bright Future in Sales/Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne (Welcome Interstate Managers)

2006-07-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

Sprinkler fun

2006-07-19T15:14:00.000-04:00

The egg