Day 4: Catching Up

Having been up in the North-East for a couple of days now, aside from spending some time with my Dad, i've been largely doing a lot of catching up with relatives and friends. Today, I spent the afternoon in York - a short way down the road - with a couple of friends from university (when I did my PhD) and it was very pleasant indeed. It's always nice when you meet friends who you can slip back into each other's company with ease. Paul and Joanna haven't changed a lot and it was like old times again. They say that i haven't changed much either although, rather distressingly, they say that i occasionally had a slight American twang in my voice. I sincerely hope not (having said that, others say differently).

Of course, the travel has also been catching up with me (like how i did the double duty title?). From past experience, i have always found it harder travelling East - losing a few hours instead of gaining them, and it has had some effect over the past few days. Yesterday evening, i was feeling very tired but despite going to bed, i couldn't get to sleep at all and eventually dropped off about 2.00am I reckon. Hopefully it won't be the case tonight. Thankfully, being on holiday, i have plenty of time to relax - and plenty more friends to visit.

Day 3: Robstock

Having made the hop from Manchester to the North East (the trains were amazingly punctual, albeit rather crowded owing to races at York) and my father's house, I barely had a couple of hours to get settled up here before heading off to a friend's house and for the titular Robstock - a party that has become something of a tradition every few years. Hosted at some long-term family friends' (who live on a old farmhouse far away from others), Robstock was, this time, in honour of Rob's 30th Birthday. Being something of a rock music/heavy metal fan, and having once participated in a band for a time, Rob knows a few bands in the area (through friends) and so the 'stage' was in the field and there was a six or seven band lin-up. On top of this, there were about 100 or so visitors/guests so it was something like a mini-festival in its own right. Hence the name.

Of course, for me, this was a chance to see some old friends and to have a relaxing time - and catch-up. Managing to stave off some of the jet lag until a bit later than evening, i managed to do both of those well. Throw in some nice BBQ food and a bit of alcohol (I tried not to overdo it after my previous night in Manchester!) and it was all very pleasant indeed. A fitting welcome back to the North East.

Day 2: First Impressions

As with when i first arrived in the US, the main things that you notice are the small little things of everyday life. For example, the fact that the prices you see everywhere are the prices you pay - I was in shops with more than enough needed to pay for what i was buying, a carry over from the Sales tax additions in the US. Of course, everyone seems to be happy when in the pub (what with arriving on the Friday, it was obviously a day when a LOT of people are gonna be there). Indeed, my US friends asked me what i was gonna do back here and a lot of it seemed to revolve around parties and drinking. Ah, the British! Having said that, I was arriving at bars with my ID in hand having forgotten that it wasn't so much an issue here - at least if you were OBVIOUSLY above age.

Of course there are the downsides as well to a degree. The people here can be just as rude (if not more so). When out last night, a friend I was with accidentally bumped someone on Canal Street resulting in us having a drink thrown over us (my friend wasn't happy! She got right into it!) from behind. I mean, the street was RAMMED with people, you would've thought they would expect it. Other than that, the money changeover was smooth (i don't even bother to convert it back to dollars!) and the countryside is just unmistakeably British. In short, it's good to be home!

Day 1: Delayed

'The best laid plans of mice and men...' as always can be screwed by the tiniest of things - or in this case a rather large storm front. After setting off like clockwork at Charleston Airport (indeed, the first time i HAVE left Charleston airport bang on time) and landing at Philadelphia Airport slightly early (it was a change of scenery from Newark and pleasant enough), it was to my great dismay that i ended up having to face what turned out to be a 6 hour delay. What was even more annoying about this was that it started off as a 50 minute delay that just got further and further out of hand ('maintenance' issues on the plane, the captain being delayed on an in bound flight and being late etc. etc. etc.) Anyway, we ultimately managed to jet off at 2.45am local time (6 hours ten minutes late) and landed at 2.05pm British Time on Friday - 5 and a half hours after we were scheduled, so at least we made up a bit of time. I wouldn't have minded so much except the US Airways ground staff at Philadelphia were just absolutely useless and obviously didn't give a s**t about any of us - all just a big incovenience for them. Certainly the last time I fly with US Airways (obviously aside from the return flight). Anyway, the main thing is i got here in one piece, and so the holiday proper can start.

A Demain

So the time has finally come - as of tomorrow afternoon, i shall be boarding a plane in Charleston to jet off back to the UK. To say that i'm looking forward to it would be an understatement. The last couple of weeks has seemed to go by with agonising slowness. Anyway, for any regular readers of my blog (apparently there are some), please do not fear that you won't be getting an occasional dose of my British witticisms - i will have access to e-mail and internet back home (we're not THAT backward in the UK). So for the next three or so weeks, i shall be doing something of a 'mini-series' style thing (hell, it's all the rage on US TV) chronicling my trip. However, instead of offering British opinions of America and Americans, instead I will be giving a perspective of the UK coming from someone who has lived and (gradually) become somewhat acclimatised to the little quirks and foibles of the USA. It shall certainly be an interesting experience for me - and i'm looking forward to that more than anything.

So with that, it'll hopefully be a bon voyage.

Stuffed to the Gills

Yesterday, Jim and Ashley (purveyors of fine cooking) hosted a small get-together in honour of Ashley's birthday (I won't tell you how old - she'd kill me :D). The general theme of food that evening was meditterranean - and given how well i've eaten whenever i've been to their house in the past, it would be stupid for me to have turned down an invite. Suffice to say, all of us indulged our appetites (I wisely chose not to eat much for the rest of the day - to do so would've been an injustice) and everything was absolutely fantastic - from hors d'oevres to dessert. At the end of the night, I was beginning to feel like i'd eaten a walrus - suffice to say, any guilt will be assuaged by repeated laps at the gym. Anyhow, here are a couple of photos for you to peruse of the night in question.

PHOTOS COMING SOON

Lady In The Water

Regular readers of this blog will know that i am something of a film fan - give me the opportunity to go to the cinema and i'll jump at it. Well, provided it's not to see an Adam Sandler film (ugh!). Anyway, this week, the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan (writer-director of "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs" amongst others) was released - the name of the film (obviously) alluded to in the title of this post. I'm always interested to see his films - not because of the 'twist' ending that has become something of a hallmark (perhaps unfairly. After all, i wouldn't call the endings of 'Unbreakable' and 'Signs' as major twists personally) - but rather because i think the guy is a fantastic director - with a great eye and sense of pacing. I was also intrigued by the trailers for the movie - as they seemed to bill it more as a 'jumpy suspense' thing rather than the fantasy-style movie that i'd heard it would be. And the verdict?

I liked it. I liked it a lot. But you have to take it on it's own terms. It is a genuine attempt to tell a fantasy/fairy tale story in a modern setting - just as 'Unbreakable' was a 'real-world' comic book hero origin tale. As with his earlier films, it deals with some interesting themes in broad strokes - in this case, particularly the notion of purpose, and finding it. As I'd have expected, the film is well shot and put together - strikingly so given that it takes place in just the one location. The performances are, largely, excellent (Paul Giamatti is both funny and heartbreaking) and, I felt, the film was somewhat inspirational. So ignore the 'mixed' reviews and go and see 'Lady In The Water' - as a modern 'fairy tale' I think it works and works very well.

Cold

Those of you who know me well will probably remember that i seem to either catch colds at the drop of hat, or have a near permanent sniffle all year round. One would have expected - given that i live in a somewhat more pleasant climate (read: warmer, most of the time), that i would be able to shake this off, and be blissfully cold-free for the year. Alas, it was not to be and i seem to have had my fair share of runny noses this year. Some of these could quite happily be blamed on external factors. For example, i got a nasty bout immediately after my return from Canada back in April, but then such things happen when you travel on planes. The time not long after i arrived when i got caught in the midst of a tropical downpour on the way back to work one evening didn't help - nothing like feeling like a drowned rat to help you on the way to a cold. On the other side of things, i seem to pick up random sniffles at completely unexpected times of the year - sometimes they come and go in a day, other times they cling on for a good week or two (I won't say fortnight as it confuses some Americans). The only plus side of this is that i can usually spread it round the lab and, at least, make everyone suffer!!

Anyway, the upshot of all this is - with having a 6 and a half hour flight ahead of me on Thursday evening, you can imagine that i'm fervently hoping that any viruses steer clear of me. I really don't want to spend my few weeks back in the UK with a cold (hey, it'll be like old times if i do!). Not that it's going to stop me partying my backside off whilst i'm there (at least when i'm in Manchester) but a cold does kind of put a dampener on things. I'm hoping that, by now, my immune system has gotten used to these pesky American viruses (much the same as the British i imagine - thank you, airline travel) and that if i DO pick up anything, it'll be shaken off pretty quicly. Fingers crossed.

The Average Joe

What with all the goings-on in the Middle East right now, you can imagine that it’s something of a topic for discussion in and around the lab – perhaps even more so given that one of our co-workers had returned home to Lebanese to visit family at the start of the month and, for while, it looked like he might be stuck there. Given the US administration on the whole situation, it was certainly a matter of interest for me to learn the perspectives of the average Americans about the whole affair – albeit a few well-educated ones in the circles I move in. The results were perhaps a lot more surprising that I imagined.

On the one hand, the average democrat was generally opposed to what was going on – not so much a pro-Hezballa, anti-Israel stance but more the view that Israel had over-reacted. They also somewhat disagreed with the administration view on things – that every country has the right to defend themselves – pointing to North Korea as the contradication. Surprisingly, a lot of the republican voters I’d spoken to had similar viewpoints. In general, it seems that a lot of the average people around here are as wary as what the administration is doing and saying as a lot of other countries seem to be. From the way Tony Blair stands in agreement with Mr. Bush, one suspects a similar thing may be the case in the UK. Maybe it’s time that the governments started listening to the majority of the people – that is meant to be their job, isn’t it??

The Final Countdown

Fear not, I’m not about to start singing some old 80s pop number (I don’t think my workmates would like it). Rather, this is merely rumination on my impending return visit to the UK for the first time since I left, nearly 13 months ago. AS I sit here writing this, there are 11 days left before the day itself – ten as of tomorrow – and to say I am looking forward to it would be an understatement indeed. To say that I am, in fact, counting the hours rather than the days would be closer to the mark but, fear not, as I’ve not gotten that obsessive just yet. Nearly, but not quite.

Y’see, whilst I like it over here in the US – very much so – this has, for me, been the longest time away from the UK (obviously) and away from family. I can’t think what the longest I have gone without seeing my parents is (or even my brother; kidding, Andrew) – certainly a lot less than a year, maybe even less than six months (I’d like to think so). Okay, so it’s not like I’ve had no communication whatsoever – the world is, after all, a lot smaller place these days. But the phone is the phone; hell, even video chatting is just video chatting. It’s a poor substitute for being in the same place as a person, even just the same country. And there is a certain something about the UK that I miss and, as the time grows nearer, I can feel myself anticipating more. So that’s 240 hours and countin…

Three Come Along At Once

I'm sure that most people from the UK who read this blog will have heard the phrase that the post title alludes to - y'know, the one about public transport, specifically buses. I have often uttered this phrase over here in the US - usually in the sense of 'It's like buses...etc. etc.' yet this has rarely referred to public transport as over here in the US and certainly down here in Charleson, public transport is virtually non-existent. Okay, perhaps that's not fair - there is a modicum of public transportation here in Charleston - but it's not a lot - consisting of a few buses that, frankly, everyone bitches about. There are also a couple of trains that pass through from New York going on to Florida and vice versa but, believe me, if you thought delays on the UK rail system were bad, then you haven't seen anything.

The interesting thing is that talking to people about it, they always seem quite enthusiastic about the idea. Recently, there has been talk of a rail connection between Charleston and Summerville - about a 20-30 min drive away, probably more in traffic - and people here at work seem quite keen. What's more the track is already there, so it wouldn't take much to maintain - it would cut pollution, cut cars in the city centre, save people money on gas and pricing, and generally be a good thing for the area (help development), yet there is a lot of hemming and hawing by the authorities as to whether it's necessary - and also as to the cost (crazy! They would make a fortune off it). Y'see, whilst the public seem to be interested in public transport, it's the authorities who don't. Coming from an administration that doesn't believe in global warming, is that any surprise??

Understudy

One thing that is a feature of research labs - and certainly my lab over here, is the occasional presence of students for a few months. In the UK, these were primarily medical students taking the chance to have a rotation in a basic science lab for a change. Over here, it seems to be primarily MD PhD students (or students who hope to be in the future) either getting some much needed experience, spending time in a lab that they hope to join in the future (for the PhD part) or just generally doing something different for a summer job. Anyway, I was offered the chance of a summer student this year (from June to August - the summer holiday is slightly different here) but my trip back to the UK put paid to it - as i wouldn't be able to see the thing through fully. However, in this sense i got lucky.

Last year a student (Michael) from C of C (College of Charleston) spent some time working with a colleague (Sylvia - she has subsequently left the lab) in order to earn credit towards his degree (his 'major' is Molecular Biology). Anyway, he expressed an interest in returning this coming academic year - and had asked me previously if I would be interested in having a student. I (naturally) jumped at the chance - i have a couple of projects that had to be put on the back burner that it would be good to have someone pick up and move forward with. This also fits in well with my trip - Michael can't start until August 26th and im not back till August 19th so perfect. Long story short, i ran it by the boss, he thought it a good idea and arrangments were made. However, whereas before it was just for the Autumn (Fall) semester, this time it's going to be for the whole academic year - through to May. Of course, the benefit for Michael is that he earns credits, gets the chance of having his name on publications and gets some good experience in the lab. For me, it gives me the chance to stress less about some projects, and also to get used to teaching. Sounds good to me. So bring it on!

Democracy?

In carrying out its international affairs, the US often prides itself on being 'the land of the free' and often cites its mission as bringing democracy to countries where it doesn't exist. A noble mission indeed, one might say, so it was with some sense of dismay (although not suprise, I freely admit) that I read a well-researched article on the 2004 presidential election. Now, far be it from me to cite one article as being the truth - in considering these matters, one must take all the evidence from both points of view. However, this article succeeded in raising a number of interesting questions - citing available references (I checked) to back up the conclusions drawn. In a nutshell, the article addressed the possibility that the last presidential election might not have been as fair as thought.

A major fact of evidence for this is the large discrepancy between the exit poll forecast (by their nature, these are almost always the most accurate) and the end result - a discrepancy that had odds of 1 in 3 billion of occuring. That, by itself, raises eyebrows - but subsequent digging and further research into some of what was going on in key states such as Ohio (the state that swung it to Republic in the end) suggest even more that things were not what they seemed. For example, the distribution of electronic voting machines appeared to be geared towards Republican-heavy precincts. One precinct had an apparent voter turnout of 98.6% meaning all but ten people voted - yet the magazine managed to find at least 3 times that number who did not. The secretary of state of Ohio placed many obstacles in the way of people wishing to register to vote, and also managed to get a considerable number of people taken off the register (because they had not voted in the last three years) yet did not inform them of this until it was too late. Ultimately, it's hard to go into the depths that the article does - but it certainly made me think that for such a 'guiding light' for democracy, the US should perhaps do some tidying up in its own backyard first. What i couldn't believe even more is that when i discussed this with a couple of students at work, one of them said 'well, if they cheated to keep themselves in power, good for them for being smart' - a true democracy?? I have a few doubts.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me

With the summer blockbuster season continuing apace, i've been making a few trips to the cinema in the last couple of months - Ice Age 2, The Da Vinci Code, X-Men 3 and so on. Last week it was Superman Returns (very good indeed - i liked a lot) and this week it was the turn of....as you've probably guessed, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 - aka Dead Man's Chest. Having seen the first film when on holiday in Ireland, and absolutely loved it, I was very much looking forward to seeing this - particularly as the trailer promised much. Thus, I duly arranged with a few workmates to book tickets (a good job we did as lots of showings were sold out - it's heading to break box office records) and off we went. Could this defy the rule that sequels are usually inferior to the original?

Alas, it was not to be. Whilst I did enjoy the film overall, there was just something missing. There were good points - the multi-thread plot means that a lot of characters are following their own agenda and makes for interesting viewing. The tone is also considerably darker - not always a bad thing. There are some good action set pieces - most notably a three way swordfight. But then on the other hand, there are annoyance galore - Keira Knightley goes a bit OTT on the acting at some points, the pace often slows down to a near grinding halt at times, the villain (Davy Jones) is well done but just lacks the presence of Captain Barbosa from the first film, and there is just no sense of fun about it all. The effects are very spectacular indeed - but good effects do not make a good film. One thing that offers a glimmer of hope is the ending - something that comes nicely out of left field. With the knowledge that the second and third films are being shot simultaneously (with a bit more work to go on '3'), one suspects that this is just one elaborate story - with this one doing all the 'moving the pieces around the board' to set up the next one. Let's just hope the next one can regain its sense of fun.

Q & A

Having been here for over a year, i now have something of an awareness of how much the average American knows about the UK. To whit, not a lot. Thus, i have decided to compile a handy set of answers to all those questions that the average Brit is going to be asked when they come here to visit. I suggest printing them out and laminating them, maybe getting them printed on a t-shirt - to prevent you having to repeat them again and again. Cause you're definitely not going to be asked just once.

1) Yes, I am English. My accent is NOT Austrailian, South African, German, French, Scottish, Irish, Polish, Italian, Russian or Outer Mongolian.

2) No, I do NOT live in London. Contrary to popular belief, England consists of more than just London and a short ring of land just beyond the M25.

3) More geography. Yes, Scotland is attached to England - a little to the North if that's any help. Additionally, whilst the UK is small, it still takes about 24 hours to go from top to bottom - so there are places more than three hours away from each other. Despite this, we don't feel compelled to drive more than six hours for just to go shopping.

3) Yes, we have a Queen in England. No, I have not met her and she doesn't nip round every afternoon for tea and cucumber sandwiches. On top of this, the chances of me meeting Mr and Mrs So-and-so who you bumped into when you visited London are approximately 60 million to 1 against.

4) Despite the fact that we (apparently) all live in cottages with thatched roofs in the UK, we do actually have modern technology and amenities - such as TV, radio, computers, the Internet, cars, planes, and toilets inside the house. Accordingly, please don't regard us as cavemen who have just discovered fire.

5) We only have 5 real TV channels in the UK - and only three of them have commericals. This does not make us lesser people - if anything, it means we have far less crap on. On top of that, this gives us plenty of time to read books (you know them?) and actually learn more about the world beyond our borders.

6) The UK is, in fact, a separate country and not the 51st state of the USA. Thus, we have our own laws, our own currency (You heard me!), our own culture and our own language. On that note, please do not continually correct my English if i refer to cookies as 'biscuits' and chips as 'crisps'. Remember who is speaking the dialect.

7) Please refrain from telling us how much you love our accents if it's going to be followed by demands of talking just so you can coo over how we sound - although if it helps you realise how harsh and whiny you sound, then feel free.

8) Finally, just because we are visiting your country, please don't assume that it means we love absolutely EVERYTHING about your culture, history, food and government. Some of us are here for purely altruistic reasons.

By supplying these simple answers whenever prompted, this will ensure your stay in the US is relatively unhampered by lots of annoying questions. Or may get you beaten up if you stray into the unsavoury parts of most cities.

Fun on the Fourth

How to cause a riot on the 230th Birthday of the USA:

1) Find a party. The larger the better. Preferably, this will be one organised by the city rather than a smaller private party. After all, the more people, the greater the fireworks will be - and we're not just talking about the ones being let off to celebrate Independence Day.

2) Practice talking loudly. This is easier to achieve if you've been residing in the USA for some time - it's a matter of listening to the locals and following their example.

3) Adopt an English accent. Of course, it helps if you actually ARE English as, let's face it, if you're American, your chances of being able to adopt an convincing non-American accent are practically zero. And, besides, today is all about the birth of your country so why would YOU want to cause a riot? Other potential accents that may be useful (but perhaps with less impact as a lot of Americans will mistake you for being from Austrailia or South Africa) are French, German, Dutch, and Portugese.

4) Make lots of remarks about the Crown. Discuss how the UK didn't lose the War of Independence but decided to cut the US loose. Mention how if it wasn't for the French interfering and providing support to the Colonists, the US wouldn't have won. Try calling everyone 'Bloody colonials' and discuss secret plans to annex the US into the Commonwealth. Sing 'God Save The Queen' a lot.

5) Run and hide and watch the fireworks. Have a pre-planned escape route, and be prepared to return to your 'natural' American accent at a moment's notice. After all, you really don't want to get caught in the riot yourself. It also helps if you can identify other English people in the vicinity to point the finger of blame at. Cause passing the buck is something of a US hobby, at least for THIS administration.

6) Finally, begin plotting for next year.

Disclaimer: The above is intended to be humourous, the random thoughts of an Englishman on Independence Day 2006. It is not intended to be used in any way, shape or form to actually incite riots on July 4th. I'm sure some of the confederate-loving rednecks can manage that on their own. Rest assured, the only fireworks i plan on watching today are those that make everyone go 'oooh' and 'aaah'. Honestly!

Basil

What with my ongoing quest to sample some of the finer restaurants in Charleston, when I was offered an invitation to dine at Basil this evening, i snapped it up. Basil is a Thai Restaurant located on King St downtown that has both a very good reputation and has some very good word of mouth from friends and colleagues. It's something of a surprise to me that it's taken me over a year to actually get there - of course, this wasn't intentional. I had planned on visiting there on a couple of occasions in the year - with visiting lecturers (when work pays, it's soooo much better) but, for various reasons, these had fallen through. Anyway, i finally managed to make it out there and, after a short wait for table (30 minutes - during which we went to a bar next door, and the waiting staff were good enough to come and tell us when our table was ready), we were seated. So, I guess, what's the verdict?

The answer: largely very good. The food was excellent - and the only real thing wrong was that the waiting staff (at least, the one that we had at our table) could'v edone with a bit more cheer about her. But that's a minor grumble. Starts of coconut chicken soup (quite rich but yummy none-the-less) and egg rolls (nice and crisp with very little excess oil and greasiness) were followed by a duck salad (i wanted something a bit lighter). The salad was fantastic - huge chunks of duck with a variety of crisp vegetables (plus cashew nuts - yum) as well as fresh cilantro and ginger to give it a nice kick (and, my goodness, you could taste them both). As the occasion was a workmate's birthday, we followed it up with deep-fried green tea ice cream - which came complete with candle (and for which we weren't charged). A nice rounder to the meal. All in all, it was very good indeed - and i'd recommend it to anyone. I just hope, now, that it's not over a year before i venture in there again.