Monday, October 31, 2005

Fright Night

October 31st rolls around (where is the time going?) and with it the usual crowd of sugar loaded kids on the prowl for candy. Fortunately, for me, my landlord provided a large bucket of the stuff outside the front door so i could sit in, door shut, and not have to worry about things. Y'see, it seems that Hallowe'en is quite a big thing over here. For a couple of weeks now, decorations have been popping up along my street ranging from the small - a pumpkin here and there, a Pumpkin sign on doors etc to the gradually more elaborate. A house at the end of the street had a large coffin covered in cobwebs complete with vampire inside. My landlord obviously got into it as well (he hahs a 7 year old son) and nearly gave me two heart attacks in the process - the first by lighting a pumpkin with a large glowing vampire face that i didn't see until i was coming back from the lab late one night, the second time when I was back after a night out and didn't see the fake spider hanging from the mailbox (i HATE spiders for those that don't know!).

I've never really been that much of a person for Hallowe'en. I can remember going to a couple of parties when i was younger and have been out to a couple of parties when a student (but never really got too elaborately dressed up). I did dress up last year - when i worked in a bar - but that's it. It was fun, too - i went as a vampire complete with red eyes and teeth. Managed to really scare some people on the bus too (i put the contact lens in at home before going to work so i could get used to them). It does feel rather strange, the amount of effort put into it over here - but then it does have one plus. The Christmas stuff gets ignored until November!

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Men In Tights

In an attempt to prevent my cultural horizons from becoming worn away by American TV, i decided this Saturday to pay a visit to the ballet. Charleston, y'see, has it's own ballet company and since arriving i've become acquainted with a couple of the members (It's a long story). This weekend was their performance of Peter Pan - a show that was conceptualised by the Company's own choreographer. Thus, we have Peter, Tinkerbell, Hook, a Clock and a Croc. Oh, and Pirates, Indians and Lost Boys. The show was set to music by Holst, Britten and Walton (mainly) so English themes all round (I recognised some of Holst's Planet Suite and Britten's "Simple Symphony" - most notably, the delightful "Playful Pizzicato"). And it was pretty damn good.

Of course, this being Peter Pan, it wouldn't be the same without lots of flying also - and this was done very well indeed. Ok, so the wires were pretty visible (although on some backdrops, it was hard to see so they really did look like they were flying) but it didn't detract from the fun of it. What was more impressive was when they have five characters on stage all flying at once. This being ballet, there was very little spoken (there was some here and there) and it was all in the expression of the body language. Best of all, it was humorous - i laughed a lot and (fortunately) I wasn't alone. The next major show for the company is "The Nutcracker" in December. As a fan of Tchaikowsky, you can guess i'll be in the queue!

Friday, October 28, 2005

Driving Up The Wall Part 3

Owing to somewhat rainer conditions earlier in the week, my third trip out to North Charleston and the DMV office had to be postponed to today - making it three Thursdays in a row. Again, the queue was virtually non-existent so it was a matter of moments for me to get to the counter, hand over my receipt from last week (proving i had taken and passed the theory test), and a couple of minutes more until the examiner came out (thankfully, a different one from last week). Being aware of what i'd failed on last week helped and i made sure to iron those problems. Thankfully, everything was fine, and i passed. I have a paper licence as temporary for the time being and the photo licence should be with me within a couple of weeks (but then that's what social security said!). So, now the car shopping can start in earnest.

The thing that surprised me most was the cost. The theory test was $2 and the fee for the licence was $12.50. Sum total for me to get my licence was the equivalent of about 8 pounds. Compare this to the UK - looking at the DVLA website, the provisional licence costs 38 pounds, the theory test costs 21 pounds and the practical test costs 45 pounds fifty pence. Generously, they let you update your provisional licence to full for free - provided it's from after the 1st March 2004, otherwise it's 9 pounds. So you're looking at 104 pounds (that's 185 dollars for any American readers) and that's even before you factor in costs of driving lessons. And they say the UK is a rip-off. Can't think why!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

In From The Cold

As the end of my first October in the US approaches (four months today, people!), the autumn weather begins to head towards winter and the cold has finally arrived in Charleston. Now, i'm not entirely sure that this is colder than the UK - it's possible that the contrast with the ridiculous heat of summer makes it feel colder than it really is - but it's certainly cool enough for me to bundle up in a jumper, and for me to turn the air conditioning up on an evening. Anyway, the approaching winter feels well and truly on the air - the days right now are that wonderful combination of glorious sunshine combined with just the right amount of chill on the air to make you feel awake and refreshed (and somewhat like a bucket of water has been thrown into your face!). To say that it reminds me of home is something of an understatement.

Anyway, all this would be well and good provided the aforementiond chill stayed outside and there is where we hit our first snag of the week. You see, the Thurmond Gazes building, where my lab is located, is having lots of work on the roof. Aside from this causing lots of annoying fire alarms (we all troop outside, stand about whilst somewhat overweight police and/or firemen stagger inside and come out ten minutes later to tell us there was nothing wrong in the first place!), has other disadvantages of having a large crane parked outside the window (very distracting when large bits of metal keep hovering a mere pane of glass away) and, like this week, where they decided that they would knock the heating system out. So, we're all rather bundled up in the labs these days. Thankfully, we can't quite see our breath just yet. Best finish here, my finger joints are freezing!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Google Earth

A friend of mine recently told me about the new thing on the Internet - Google Earth - and suggested i take a look. Curious, i decided to download the program and see what all the fuss was about. Basically, it's a virtual Earth taken from satellite images, i guess, meaning that you can go literally anywhere in the world and take a look from above. As you might expect, the images can go to a higher resolution in the higher populated areas - probably because they expect more people to actually look at them. In some places, you can get the program to superimpose 3D buildings on to the map to get a real perspective of the city (this is very impressive in places like New York and Tokyo). Anyway, from adding borders, roads, coffee houses, bars, clubs, postcode regions and God knows what else, there's enough to keep you entertained for hours. And, believe me, its quite addictive.

Of course, the images aren't bang up to date. A look at Charleston from above suggests that they are, perhaps, a couple of years old - going mainly on the fact that the recently opened Ravenel bridge across the Cooper river is in the midst of early construction. But this detracts little from the fun of spotting out familiar locales, places you've been and places you've wanted to go. Ok, maybe you'll read this and think i'm a bit sad - but given that most of the people i've mentioned this to have said similar things, looks like i'm not the only one. Give it a try, you never know, you might like it! On other Google fronts, go to the main page, type 'failure' in the search box and hit 'I'm Feeling Lucky' - it's quite amusing.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Saffron

In Charleston, "Saffron" is the name of a bakery/cafe over towards the far side of the Island from MUSC (work) and where i had the pleasure of being taken to for the first time this last Saturday. The cafe is nothing fancy to look at but serves very nice food in a very friendly and pleasant atmosphere. Whilst the cafe is at the front of the building, towards the rear is the bakery proper with a dazzling array of very very very nice looking cakes (i managed to resist trying them), they also have some other goods on offer - primarily, and more importantly for me, a selection of things imported from the UK.

First and foremost of the things on offer was PG Tips - pyramid bags no less - meaning that i could, at last, have a reasonable cup of tea. What better thing to go with this, than a pack of digestive biscuits (the perfect dunkin' biscuit!). An absolute must of a purchase was Heinz baked beans - finally i can have decent beans on toast (when i told American friends about this, i was met with looks of bemusement). And some nice HP sauce to go with it. And it doesn't stop there - they had Robinsons cordial too - the concentrated squash over here is found in cans in the freezer section rather peculiarly. No, i don't get it either. Anyway, when i staggered to the till with these purchases, the owner told me that since he'd started importing things from the UK, a lot of his customers were going crazy for them. So, it looks like at least some people here have good taste!

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Trans-atlantic Television

Since obtaining a TV a few weeks back, it's always interesting to hop through the channels from time to time, to have a look at the quality of the programming - and, aside from a couple of gems, it's largely rubbish - so much the same as UK TV then. However, on occasion, it's been quite a surprise to come across a home-grown show. So far, we've had "Keeping Up Appearances", "Are you Being Served?" and "Last of the Summer Wine". Quite what our American cousins make of this last show, given that it's not set in a city or London, i have no idea - anyone i've spoken to hasn't seen it. Anyway, as you can imagine, these aren't necessarily the best shows the UK has to offer (although they DO get "Absolutely Fabulous" which is, well, fabulous - at least in the earlier years - and "The Office" which, although i've never seen, i'm assured is very funny). The reason for this, usually, is that the Americans often decide to do their own versions instead - that largely sink without a trace. Take "Ab Fab" - as i understand it, this was remade with Roseanne Barr in (I know!) and it promptly vanished. "One Foot In The Grave" - an excellent and acerbic British comedy - was remade as a vehicle for Bill Cosby. Only trouble is, they took away all the nastiness, grumpiness, bitterness and general 'life is out to get me'-ness of the main character which, y'know, kinda defeats the point of it. Again, it promptly vanished. Hell, even "The Office" which is regarded with some reverence over here was subjected to a remake using exactly the same scripts (why they felt the need to do this, i have no clue). Trouble is, the main guy is no Ricky Gervais (so i've heard). Plus, there is the fact that some (read: most) Americans just do not get the English sense of humour.

Anyway, one recent show that successfully made the trans-atlantic hop that isn't a quiz or reality show (talking UK to US here btw) is "Queer as Folk" - of which the UK version was set in Manchester (for those who haven't seen it). Building on the two UK series, this was developed into a successful and critically acclaimed 5 season series over here. On a wander downtown last week, i saw the first series on offer and promptly bought it out of curiosity. And it's largely very good indeed. Again, those harsher edges have been smoothed from time to time, but it is largely a succesful translation. Whilst the initial plotlines are lifted straight from the UK show (and, indeed, some whole scenes and dialogue as well), these have been given tweaks as the show has progressed to make them more interesting and, y'know, different - what's the point of remaking the show if it's gonna be identical? (Makers of "The Office" take note). Of course, over in the UK, we've had our fair share of American shows on TV - but the main thing is that we have the common sense not to try and remake it. Cause, let's face it, the original is usually best.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Driving Up The Wall Part 2

Having failed completely to get anywhere near to taking the South Carolina driving test last week owing to one missing piece of paperwork (see entry for the 13th October), this Thursday saw me venturing out to North Charleston again, with half a tree's worth of paperwork just in case. Thankfully, this satisfied the necessary requirements (maybe it goes on weight of paper bought along?!) and i was actually allowed to go on and take the written test - I say written, its all done on computers, but you know what i mean. This consists of 30 multiple choice questions, similar to the UK one except they have 35 questions there. Another difference is you have a choice of three over here, but four back home. Anyway, i passed this with a minimum of fuss - and only three questions wrong (I believe they allow you to get five wrong but don't hold me to that).

So, on to the practical - and Youssef very kindly (and bravely, or foolishly depending on your point of view!) leant me his car to do this in. This consists of about ten minutes or so of driving about and performing various manouevers - parallel parking, the three point turn (and it has to be three-point here), reversing up the road in a straight line (no reversing round a corner) and parking on a hill (or imagining you're parking on a hill as there aren't too many around North Charleston). There's also no emergency stop. Anyway, after all this, i was told that i'd failed but on very minor things so could come back on Monday to try again. The reasons i'd failed were essentially cause i forgot to give a couple of turn signals when pulling out - which, i suppose, are fair enough but annoying nonetheless. However, when you learn that all international people fail the test the first time (certainly all the ones i've spoken too and that's a lot!), it makes you wonder if there's a bit more to it than that. Anyway, roll on Monday.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The Student Life

Having been at university for the best part of seven years prior to coming to America, it would be fair to say that i had become accustomed to the student way of life - namely, flashing an ID card and being given usually 10% off whatever the hell it is i'm buying, as well as cheap entry to the cinema, access to cheap nights at clubs and, naturally, cheap booze and that sort of thing. Of course, this had the downside as well - being treated like a lesser human being on occasion by people who, generally, had no right to even think it but, hey, you take the rough with the smooth.

So, on finally graduating from uni, it was with some reluctance given that i was going to have to pay full price for everything now - unless i could blag it with my Manchester University ID card - although i don't think that'll work here. Well, it has to be said that there is one plus for working in academia - and that's having a university ID card - especially when you wear it conveniently on display for all to see and forget to take it off (as i often do). Thus, the good folk behind the counters of a number of shops and cafes tend to see the big "MUSC" logo, look at me, think Medical student (cause people around my age here are usually students in Charleston - they seem to take their time with it unlike in the UK) and hey presto, instant discount. Of course, being the very definition of honesty, i usually correct them.....yeah, right. They say 'take whatever's free' so i'm going to take what i can get - hey, its what the students would do, right?

Monday, October 17, 2005

Project Management

Having now well and truly settled into life both in and out of work, it's perhaps no real surprise that i'm pretty busy in the former (but at least have time to have some fun in the latter). Having started off with two main projects when i got here (of the five initial outlines that i wrote), this has now recently expanded into four. This is, in part, due to circumstances beyond my control - one of the new projects i have is a continuation of work done prior to me coming here and was meant to be picked up by a returning member of staff who is no longer coming - but is also, i think (or at least I hope) because my boss thinks i can cope with the workload.

Thus, work is now something of a juggling act keeping four balls up in the air at once and making sure that they all get a good throw from time to time to keep everything else moving. Whilst the balancing of the these four projects can make me feel like i'm leading two lives, neither of them particularly well, so long as i can keep them moving, then the ultimate benefactor will be me. In a word, publications. Fortunately, for me, the experimental work required within these porjects is very much along the usual lines - add this, wait, add that, wait, add the other, wait. So, fear not, as my head hasn't quite exploded yet.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Alarm Calls

With having pretty busy weeks, my weekend are generally very precious to me - and i've got into the habit of arranging my experiments such that, if i do have to come in at the weekend (and i usually do), it's for a bare minimum of time. This weekend, I had to come in Saturday for all of 90 minutes, and Sunday for about the same. Thus, leaving me free to spend the rest of the days basking in the sunshine (the weather here is really good right now - very warm, not too humid, the occasional cool breeze. Ideal, really) and doing whatever i want. I used this to my advantage yesterday to go for a walk downtown in an attempt to spend some money (but didn't actually spend much beyond getting a haircut as there was nothing i wanted to buy). Looks like i'll have to save it for the malls.

Of course, a major plus at having limited work at the weekend is the chance to have a nice long lie-in. Or at least, try to. This was somewhat hampered today by what sounded like a jet engine parked outside - a high pitched whining - followed by some wonderful screeching - at 7.30 this morning. Puzzled by this, i stuck my head outside to find a large trailer, a few guys and a very large and noisy chainsaw and wood chipper. Apparently, it was a good time for them to start cutting back the trees at the side of the street. And this isn't the first time - a couple of weeks back, i was woken on Monday morning at 7.15 by some guys removing the tree right outside my house. Again, with very noisy equipment. Now, i don't object to these things being done - but why at such ridiculous hours of the morning? When i asked the guys about it this morning, they couldn't answer - all they could say was that it had to be done. I suppose, then, i should be thankful that it was just 7.45 and not any earlier.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Driving (Up the Wall)

With it being a few weeks since i had such fun with the Social Security office, I decided that i had being missing out on the general uselessness of government administration and so armed myself with paperwork galore and ventured out to North Charleston to the Driver's office (thanks to Youssef for the ride). Anyway, having been told to take my passport, visa, I94, DS2019, letter from the university and some kind of letter with my household address, i managed to gather it all togther and off we went. After taking a brief detour because the building is so ridiculously small and not at all well signposted, we pulled up. Bracing ourselves for the expected long queues, it was something of a pleasant surprise to find that it was virtually non-existent. After having all my paperwork checked over, i was given a form and told to fill it in. I'd barely sat down when i'd been called up to the counter. And ran straight into something of a brick wall.

I sat at the counter filling in the form reaching the section - Social security number. Having not memorised this yet, i had to make a quick call back to the lab to get it but all was sorted and ready. Except they then decided to tell me that i actually needed the "card" (flimsy bit of paper) with the number on. Cue lots of hair tearing, and general cursing from me. The most stupid thing in all this is that, when you get the card from the Social Office, they tell you not to carry it on you!!! So, have to go out there next week with all my paperwork, sit the written test and then take the practical test which, apparently, they fail everyone on once just to make certain you know that SC means business!! Or something. Looks like i'll be going crazy for the near future at least.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Cracking toast, Gromit!

Of course, one advantage of being over this side of the Atlantic (and one that i admit i haven't taken full advantage of yet) is that a lot of films will be released over here first. While this is applying less and less to the big Blockbusters (they tend to have a worldwide release on the same day or, at the most, a two week gap), the smaller independent films tend to follow this trend quite well - particularly those vying for the attention of Oscar (TM). This can also work in reverse - with British films such as Pride and Prejudice yet to be released here. One such film, alluded to in the title, that i managed to get round to seeing last night was "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". I even managed to drag along some non-UK friends (who had never seen anything of W and G before). So, how was it?

In a word, fantastic! The animation is astonishing - to the point where you forget that the characters are plasticine at all. Gromit is, as usual, just brilliant - amazing how they get so much expression out of two eyes, ears and a forehead. And the rabbits are just sooooooo cute! I won't go into much detail here (space forbids it) but i heartily recommend seeing this film. My friends also enjoyed it immensely - although one or two of the English jokes went past them a bit. Amazingly, the film went straight to no. 1 at the box office here - taking $16 million in its first weekend. Not bad going for two characters relatively unheard of over here. Now where did i put that Wensleydale?

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Dated

Notching up something like the fifteenth week on my belt now in the US (I've lost count and can't be bothered to work it out) means that i'm becoming accustomed to both the people and the place. Whilst this may make for less interesting stories on the Blog here, fear not - those of you that know me will appreciate that i can stir up any situation at the drop of a hat. Anyway, what is a bit unusual now is that when i think of certain things done differently in the UK than here, my brain is now firmly switched on to US mode. Take, for example, the whole date situation.

Now, some of you may know (i hope most people reading) that the US right the date as Month/Day/Year - hence 9/11 - instead of Day/Month/Year as is usually done in the UK (does anyone know different either in the US or UK?). The reason i was given for this when i wondered aloud was that most people would write the date as, for example, October 9th if they were using words and so 10/09/05 follows on from that. But then i've always written dates as 9th October be it in number or words. It was somemthing of a surprise to me when i found myself writing the dates on some cell cultures today to find that writing them as 9/10 had me thinking that it was September. I had to stop and think about it for a few seconds before i realised that i was correct. Weird, huh? Of course, the reason for me announcing this on here is as an excuse for when i miss people's birthdays through getting the dates mixed up. Speaking of, recent Happy Birthday's to Lucy (19 Sept, i think) and Wendy (3rd October, i think!).

Friday, October 07, 2005

Speechless

So it was a quiet Thursday evening and i was sat at home with my feet up watching the latest episode of Smallville on TV when my phone rang. Keen, as ever, to use up the last of my prepaid credit so i can get a contract phone (and hopefully save a bit of money), I grabbed my mobile (sorry, cell) and saw it was a "private" number (I guess that's American for number withheld?). Imagine my surprise, then, to be left somewhat lost for words when i answered. After barely saying 'Hello', i was greeted by what can only be described as a torrent of words. Somewhat bemused i listened (when what i should really have done is said 'sorry, not interested' and hung up) and after about five minutes, the call was over.

Trouble is, i have no real idea what it was about. The person at the other end had an incredibly strong accent and was speaking so fast (obviously read off a computer screen or someting) that it was very difficult to get the gist of things. From what i could gather, i;m going to receive some free vouchers of some kind (of course, this is cold-calling 'free') that will arrive at some point in the near future. And this means that i have subscribed to something or other that I have to go out of my way to cancel within a certain amount of time or they'll start charging me. Or something. All I can remember is sitting there thinking 'Are they EVER gonna pause for breath?' whilst simultaneously trying not to laugh my head off. So, cold calling seems to exist in the US too. What's the bets they call it something weird?

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Going up?

When it comes to getting to the upper floors, i'm all for taking the stairs as much as possible - unless it's the 22nd floor of a tower block (and i have lived that high once before). It's something of a source of amusement to me when people stand around waiting for lifts only to go up one floor - when a little more effort would save them a lot of time, and also help to burn a few extra calories and, lets face it, most people who use the lifts like that need it. Going up is one thing, but using the lift to go down as well?! And don't get me even started on the floor numbers here!

Anyway, the reason for this rant is the rather peculiar design of some of the buildings over here. My lab is in the Strom Thurmond Building of MUSC. On the whole this is a nice enough building (although i have been told it's not the best place to be in either a hurricane or an earthquake). There is also one slight flaw - with both this and others. There is no stair access to the lobby. The stairs go straight outside - and, in some ways, i get this cause they're mainly used as fire exits - but for anyone slightly health conscious it's a pain in the ass. The stair cases themselves are pretty awful too - hot, smelly and generally unpleasant. Is it any wonder that people want to use the lifts (although one of them in this building has a rather worrying habit of making thumping noises whenever you're in it). And in a country this obese, can they afford to encourage people to use the lifts? I suppose it saves on them having to put defib paddles at the top of every staircase, eh?

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Yes, sir! I Can Boogie!!

After the exertions of yesterday afternoon, i'm sure I would've been forgiven if i'd gone home and quietly curled up in a corner for the rest of the evening but no such luck there. After a brief trip to the lab, there was enough time for me to shower and get dressed up to head out on the town again. The destination: Toucan Reef - a smart bar on the far side of the Pensinsula adjacent to the Aquarium and IMAX cinema (and with a great view of the Bridge across the Cooper River). The occasion: to celebrate the marriage of Sylvia (a workmate) and Angel - both from Argentina. Anyway, this afforded me the oppotunity to dust off my dance shoes and practice some of the moves i learnt a few weeks back - y'see it was a Salsa/Merengue music evening.

So, having practiced my steps a few times before i left, i arrived to find some people on the dancefloor already - and was immediately put off from joining them - because they were so bloody good!! Still, not to be swayed, I decided to partake of some dutch courage (aka Jack Daniels and coke - about 5) and then, at least, got in a couple of dances. My general thoughts are that it doesn't really matter how good you are, so long as you give it some effort and enjoy yourself. I, at least, managed to get through the couple of dances i had leaving my dance partners shoes and feet unscathed. So, after lots of sports and some dancing - was it any surprise that I REALLY didn't want to get out of bed this morning!!

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Party in the Park

With the start of October heralding the arrival of Autumn, this Saturday was the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department's Annual Fall Picnic - a popular affair that took place in a picnic area out in Mount Pleasant - the town adjacent to Charleston over the Cooper River and the (previously mentioned) new Bridge. Having heard good things about this from many of the people in the lab, i decided to go and hitched a ride with Ashley, Jim and Golo (their very cute but slightly excitable doberman). Food (there were a couple of big BBQs - aka grills, lots of side dishes and salad, desserts as well) and drink (beer, wine, soft drinks) were provided and it was a case of turn up, eat, drink and be merry.

Of course, the conscientious amongst us couldn't just arrive and stuff our faces without doing something reasonably active to burn off the calories. A few of us gathered to play volleyball at a court adjacent to the picnic area - where i found that having a good half-foot of extra leg on everyone has its advantages. Particularly when it comes to annoying the other team by blocking them all the time. We also got in a game of kickball - basically, a cross between baseball and football (aka soccer) that can involve an awful lot of running around. Suffice to say, it was pretty exhausting, but much, much fun. Who said that scientists can't have a good time when they want to?