Sunday, October 29, 2006

The Invisible Man

With Hallowe'en just around the corner, this weekend was the time for anyone to have a party - and, true to form, a couple of my workmates through a party at their house downtown. Now costume was encouraged but not mandatory so after much humming and hoe-ing, I decided quite late in the week that i would dress up. Now if i'd had more time, i think i would have fulfilled my ambition of going to a party as Frank'n'furter (from Rocky Horror) just one time in my life - but i really didn't have the time to go looking for fishnet stockings at THAT short notice. Especially with the length of leg that i have (thanks again Mum and Dad!). On top of that, I didn't want to make a huge effort and spend a lot of money on a costume. Thus, I came up with a compromise - using a coat, hat, gloves and sunglasses that i already had. All that was needed was some bandages which i went and got on Saturday afternoon - and I was ready to go. All I had to do was wrap my neck and head in bandages, put the sunglasses on with hat, coat and leather gloves, and voila - I was the Invisible Man. I knew the costume worked when i managed to scare a guy at a crossroads on the way to the party.

Of course, this costume also had some downsides, not least of which was that wearing sunglasses in the dark makes seeing things very tricky. On top of that, the bandages weren't particularly comfortable, and made it very difficult to drink. As they were also slightly elastic as well, they did a great job of making my head feel like it was being squeezed in a vice - and every fifteen minutes or so, I had to pull them up off of my nose to allow it respite. The leather gloves also made it quite tricky to pick things up as well. Eventually after two hours of this, i gave up and took the coat, gloves, hat and bandages off - but kept the sunglasses on, just to be pretentious. Still, many people commented on how good it looked and that they were very impressed. And I guess it was good practice i case I accidentally make myself invisible during my scientific career. Watch this space!!!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Spellbound

Anyone who is a fan of documentary films may have come across the wonderful film 'Spellbound' that follows a number of children taking part in America's national Spelling Bee - a competition that happens every year and is a big big thing (the final even gets broadcast on ESPN). This is, in no small part, due to the prize at stake - the victor not only gets the title and a cup, but also gets a first-class education paid for, so no small potatoes here. However, given the amount of work that goes into their preparation for the competition (one of the contestants mentions learning something like 2000 words a day) then it's fully deserving, if not somewhat sadistic as well (kids from 10 upwards, I think it is, compete). Still, if it keeps them occupied. Anyway, for those who have not seen this film, I heartily recommend it. However, given all this interest in spelling things correctly, it's perhaps rather ironic that the college student population and upwards (in age) seem to have a lot of difficulty in spelling. Or at least, a few of the people i've met do.

Now, firstly you may be thinking - hang on Chris, remember different country, speaking a dialect - they drop the 'u' from colour and neighbour, they put the ER the other way round in words like theatre and metre, and they also spell gray like grey, or is it vice versa? I forget. Anyway, i'm definitely not talking about those, but just your other run-of-the-mill words that seem to come with an alarming number of variations. Now, in saying this, I also have to admit that the UK is not the most literate place in the world these days - by any stretch of the imagination. Many of you may have heard my story of the three final year student nurses who didn't know how to pronounce the word deter (they thought it was det-ter, to rhyme with better) nor knew what it meant. Another disconcerting thing over here is the tendency for many people to freely mix capitals and lower case like it's the right thing to do. So we end up with seNTenCes tHat sTaRT looKINg rAThER siLLy. Now, at least this hasn't started in the UK yet. At least to my knowledge. Now, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to run a spellchecker on this, just to make sure i've not shot myself in the foot.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Bug Spray

Last Saturday was our departmental Fall picnic out in Mount Pleasant at the Palmetto Islands County Park. Alas, i have no photos of this event owing to me forgetting to take a camera - profuse apologies indeed. However, i shall make up for this next week when i take my camera to my conference in Cashiers to get some nice pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains area of North Carolina. So where was I? Oh, yes. So, every year, the whole Biochemistry Department heads out to a picnic shelter where there is lots of food, wine, beer, water and soft drinks and generally, we all sit around and eat, drink and be merry. THe more energertic of us (myself included) try and burn off the food we've eaten by playing football or volleyball on the nearby pitch. This serves as a warm-up for the intramural volleyball competition which is starting next week (and, of which i'm probably going to be Captain of our team this year. Fun!).

Of course, one major disadvantage of being outdoors and near a lot of greenery is the likelihood of their being a fair few insects buzzing around for your general annoyance and this year was no exception. Having decided to wear shorts for a change - as the weather was good - i made the decision to put a lot of anti-bug spray on my legs in the hopes of repelling. Of course, in my hurry to play, i didn't put any on my arms. Not that it mattered. Y'see, by Monday, my legs quite frankly looked like they'd been chewed upon by all and sundry, with bites from my ankles up to my thighs and back again. In sharp contrast to this, my arms were pretty unscathed save for, perhaps, two or three bites. Thus, i have come to the conclusion that the bug spray manufacturers have arranged a conspiracy where their spray doesn't work so you go crazy and buy more, and more, and more. Or something like that. Either way, i've been trying not to scratch them all week - as it'll make them worse. Bloody gnats!!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

The Warm Beer Myth

Something that has not escaped my attention in my US tenure so far are the various misconceptions that Americans and, indeed, some of my colleagues from other countries have about the UK. A couple of weeks back, a heated debate was had over European cuisine - where most of the other Europeans in my lab teased that UK food was considered the worst in Europe, apart from the Finnish (according to Jaques Chirac at least - but does anyone care what he says any more?). Anyway, I promptly challenged everyone in the room to name a British dish - and could they? In a word, no. Thus, i countered, how can you judge the food when you don't even know what it is, let alone taste it? Chris 1 - the rest of Europe 0. Another thing that keeps popping up is the subject of beer - possibly because i always seem to consume it whenever I'm at work parties. Now, you probably all know my opinion of most American beer (there are a couple of reasonable ones here or there) - suffice to say, it rhymes with 'miss' - and so im fortunate to have found a couple of places here that sell some other stuff - be it from the UK or another European country. Yet everyone, and i mean everyone, has the opinion that we love to drink our beer warm in the UK and absolutely cannot stand it when it's cold.

Now, whilst i've only been in the UK for three and a bit weeks in the last 15 months (or so), i don't remember the beer being particularly warm when i went to the pub - nor, indeed, do i remember being at friend's parties and seeing all the beer out of the fridge (unless it was being drunk). In fact, i'm almost certain (someone back home, please correct me if i'm wrong) that we like our beer as cold as most other places. Now I DO know that in parts of Germany, they like the beer to be a bit more at room temperature (and, even then, i'm sure it's only some beers) but certainly not in the UK. At first, i met this with somewhat perplexed looks, but now tend to greet it with a general weariness. It seems i'm not the only one either - at a recent departmental BBQ, i mentioned this to a couple of fellow Brits who seem to have had the experience of this as well. We all just shook our heads sadly, and then went back to the ice buckets to get more beer.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Notes from a Big Country

Whilst I was looking after my workmate's daughter, i came across a book that i had been wanting to read properly for some time - one that my workmate had promised to lend me, but had forgotten (presumably). The book in question titled 'Notes from a Big Country' is written by Bill Bryson - a well-known American travel writer who, after living in England for 20 or so years, decided to move back over here and ended up writing a newspaper column about life in the USA. Seeing the book bought back some memories - as the column, in question, was for a UK Sunday Newspaper ('The Mail on Sunday' - Republicans would love it!) and I can certainly remember reading a few of the columns when they were published originally. This book, a collection of a good number of these columns, is something of a gem - particularly for an alien living in the US - and i'd heartily recommend it to any foreigners coming to live here. I guess, in some ways, my blog aspires to be like this book - although my blog is perhaps small potatoes compared to this.

Take for example, the column on why Americans don't walk anywhere (the author invites his neighbours round for dinner and they drive), the one about how his local bar decides to put signs up saying that the maximum amount of drinks they can buy is three. Another priceless gem is the section on filling in the tax forms - which are akin to reading a video manual in Japanese - or how wonderfully inefficient American businesses are (this all starts because the Federal Aviation Authority were selling control of the landing of planes to another company, yet couldn't remember the name of it). Bryson writes with ease and wit - and i find myself with every column nodding my head in agreement - having observed first hand some of the things he's stumbled across. In all, though, I have to say that it's nice to find a former native of this country having just as much of a perplexing time adjusting to life over here, than I have had. But, hey, i guess life would be dull otherwise.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

The Water Cooler

With not really having a job with that office mentality, the gossip generally tends to rumble around through various well-established channels and connections within the lab. Whilst in my old department, a lot of this took place in the staff room (I think as the department were rather thrifty to say the least) whereas over here, a good chunk seems to be initiated or, at least, swapped at that hub of office gossip and chit-chat - the Water Cooler. I suppose having not lived in a climate like Charleston before, i never really had a need to go to the water cooler that much (even if there was one) and so missed out on all the apparent social interaction that occurs there in these big offices and companies (that, and the fact that the water in the UK is almost certainly cleaner than here in the US - correct me if i'm wrong).

Anyway, with having access to one within my department, I find that occasionally, small congregations form - usually for a brief chat and then back on to the experiment at hand. I suspect that the topics of conversation may be a bit too work-related to count as proper 'water cooler' chit-chat - but, hey, we're scientists. So i guess we can be forgiven. However, it DID make me wonder if such a thing actually happens or if it's all just a rumour that spun out of control into urban myth. Certainly, the images you get are of crowds of people hovering round the cooler, almost like it's some kind of idol waiting to be worshipped. Certainly, the fervour with which apparently intelligent people take to watching mindless pap on TV just so they can fit in with the 'cooler' conversation seems to be taking things a bit too far. One of these days, i might just set up a microphone and tape recorder at the cooler down the hall - just to see what comes up. At the very least i'd get some good blackmail material. With a bit of luck!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Room for Cream??

As some friends and (possibly) regular readers of this blog will know, when it comes to living in the US and hot drinks, i'm walking the fine line between two stereotypes - that of the hyper caffeine-addicted Americans (who basically need coffee to get through the day. A lot) and the archetypal tea-sipping British Gentleman (Of which my american friends tell me that i am definitely not. A gentleman that is, although im sure some of them aren't quite convinced i'm British as i don't sound like Hyacinth Bucket). Anyway, i usually balance things out quite well by indulging in a coffee around mid-day (if at all) whilst the rest of the time, generally relaxing with a nice brew (of late, i have been extolling the virtues of Earl Grey to some of my lab mates - to generally positive effects. Just goes to show that people will have anything if it's free!).

However, on one of my many trips to the coffee shop - last week, i seemed to be at Starbucks an awful lot, mainly as this was where my workmate's daughter would go after school and i would pick her up from. With all this, i noticed something of a strange thing. Naturally, it's a standard thing to be asked if you want room for cream - I always do as i rarely drink coffee black (unless it has a wee bit of sugar or honey in) - and i nearly always get a cup that is full to the brim with coffee with scant millimetres (resisted putting 'meters')....no, micrometres of room left to put anything in at all. Even a good dose of sugar would probably push the coffee over the brim through weight alone. Preferring skimmed milk or, at the very least, semi-skimmed, i find that topping it up still leaves a drink that looks as thick as mud. Even one time when i accidentally added whole milk, this had little effect. Now, far be it from me to tell people how to drink their coffee, but i for one don't like a drink that resembles jet fuel both in colour and taste. Unless it IS jet fuel but that's another story (I'm kidding, Mum, before you start worrying). One of these days, though, i'll probably just snap. Look for the headlines of 'Hostage situation in Starbucks over cream issue' and you'll know what happened!!

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Mid-Terms

With November on the horizon, of course a major topic of conversation both in the news and in general conversation, is the impending mid-term elections: mid-term as it's two years since Bush was re-elected and, hallelujah, only two more terms since he's out - did i ever mention how glad i am that the constitution was amended so that a president can only serve two terms?? Anyway, what with things continually flaring up in Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as North Korea now deciding to rattle the cage a bit, there is plenty of fat to chew on with regards to who to vote for - whilst not voting for the President, this is a key vote as all the Seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs (one of the two houses of Congress) and 33 seats in the Senate are also up for election as well (of the 100 senators there are). Currently, the Republicans have control of both Chambers of Congress - essentially meaning that any laws wishing to pass may have an easier ride (imagine if Labour had a majority in parliament and the Lords in the UK - that's essentially the same thing). However, the particular results of this election are of special interest - as they will be seen as a barometer of how the Republican party is doing in the sense of 'How much faith have the public lost in us?' From the public point of view, i'd say a hell of a lot, but it all remains to be seen if the results of this election actually reflect the apparent opinions of the American electorate. Fingers crossed they will. Roll on November 7th.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Playing Chicken

Having already commented on the tendency of American drivers to generally ignore pedestrians, i decided that it would also be of some interest to look at things from the other point of view - particularly as i now have my car and have been doing a bit more driving of late (what with commuting in from West Ashley - where my workmate Stefka lives, and i have currently been residing). Now, i like to think that i'm a careful driver - in the ten years since i passed my driving test, i have not had a single accident. Okay, so for most of those years, i haven't been actually driving every day. Aside from that, though, i try to be a courteous and safe driver (who's that sniggering at the back??). Certainly, when it comes to pedestrians crossing the road/car park/street, i aim to treat them as i would like to be treated myself. And having been a pedestrian in Charleston for quite some time, i'm generally aware now of how to cross the road.

However, it seems that not everyone shares this persepective with me. Certainly, on my many wanderings round abouts to various malls, stores and supermarkets, as well as just generally on the roads themselves, there seems to be an almost suicidal nature that some pedestrians seem to have (thankfully, the minority, but still a sizeable amount). This usually involves them stepping out in front of you at the absolute last possible moment, requiring you to start praying that anyone behind you will refrain from denting your rear bumper; generally crossing the road with scant disregard for the traffic lights, the time of day, the road conditions or usually without actually looking. If mobile phones are a big menace with other drivers (and there are a CRAZY amount of people over here who insist on driving and talking at once), then they can be equally menacing as a source of distraction for pedestrians - to the point where people are SO busy gossiping about so-and-so that they decline to even think before they step out onto a busy road. Not only THAT, but there are a considerable number of people who enjoy standing in the middle of a busy highway at rush hour with bemused looks wondering why on earth they can't seem to get over the other side. Call me crazy, but that's definitely something i wouldn't even think about.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Divide

As with everywhere in the world, there is something of a class system in the US - but, of course, this operates differently to that in the UK. Whereas the classes in the UK are largely about breeding (as it were - parrticularly when it comes to the upper class) and it's very difficult to go up classes at a certain level (i'm sure people can go up from working to middle and back again, but the jump from middle upwards is a bit harder), this isn't the case here - largely as the class system operates on money and, mainly, whether you have it. Thus, David and Victoria Beckham are considered upper class from an American point of view (and i have had bemused looks when laughing uproariously at this). Of course, it's not termed as upper, middle and working classes - but with the somewhat more confusing blue/white collar etc. designations - that largely leave anyone less than that out in the cold (i believe this is where the term 'redneck' originates as these people didn't have collars - hence, weren't professionals etc.)

A major aspect of all this in the US, is the debate over the Rich-Poor divide - mainly, is it getting wider. The answer, certainly, of late has been yes - and it is perhaps not coincidential that this has largely occurred with the current administration in power. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer - and little is being done to stem the flow. In a society such as this, it is a very bad thing - cars are essential for getting around (with little public transport outside of the major cities) but what if you can't afford to run one? What about health insurance - something that would be essential if you were living in a poor, run-down area (this is largely the area above the Crosstown in Charleston - the point where highway 17 crosses over the downtown peninsula). Whilst there are a couple of free clinics here and there (my student Michael helps translate in one of these), they are liable to be incredibly busy and full. Yet throughout all this, the White House seems to content to pour billions of dollars in fighting battles overseas, when one really feels he should be focusing on getting his OWN affairs in order before telling other countries how to run theirs.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Fall Party

With her technician Jason leaving the lab for medical school back in August, Ashley and Jim had decided to host a party at the start of October for the lab in order to allow us to catch up with Jason and see how things were going, as well as the usual glut of good food and alcohol and general merriment. Never one to turn down an invitation to their place, a good number of work folk were present and, as the evening was pleasant, long dining tables were set up outside with candles and a fantastic ambience. With a general tuscan theme to the set-up and cooking, there were treats galore to be had - the hors d'oeuvres alone were plentiful enough that im sure they could've made a meal themselves (the chicken liver dish was particularly yummy) but, naturally, this was followed by pasta (home made, none the less) and some divine lamb and stuffed pork, with some very italian accompaniments (the panna cotta salad - is that right? - was equally wonderful). Now after all that, you'd be hard pushed to find room for the desserts available but we all somehow managed to indulge a little (who wouldn't for tiramisu??).

Of course, the evening wasn't just about food but also a chance to hang out and socialise with the work crew outside of the work - as well as the catching up with Jason (although i didnt have to do a lot of this as id seen him about campus quite a bit!). Highlight of the evening for many, i think, was when Kelly, myself and Yusuf (the boss) went off into a fit of somewhat hysterical laughter over something which i will not go into here - at least initially. It then turned into us all just laughing at each other, and the fact that Kelly and I hadnt seen Yusuf laughing like that before. Suffice to say Ashley (the instigator of it all) was, like Queen Victoria, not amused. At least at first. She saw the funny side of it after a glass or two more of wine! :D. Anyhow, Jim and Ashley (as always) were the perfect hosts and the evening was (again, as always) a great pleasure indeed! Heartfelt thanks to them both!

Friday, October 06, 2006

Translocation

Somewhat advance warning (or rather not, as you may have already noticed) to say that my internet access may be a bit sporadic over the next few days. The main reason for this is that i will be living at a workmate's house from the 6th to the 16th as they are out of town, and someone needs to be there to keep an eye on her 16 year old - primarily to stop them having any parties, and to make sure they a) get to school on time b) do their homework on time and c) generally behave themselves. For those of you worried about my kitten Jasper, your fears are unfounded as he will be coming with me - which should be interesting as he may have to try and make friends with Stefka's cat Mishka. Although i doubt it as Mishka tends to like hissing at him randomly. Or at least did when we introduced them a couple of weeks back.

Anyway, as i have said, my internet access may be a bit sporadic - at home, anyhow, as i'll still be in work of course (just means that i have a 15 minute drive to get there now. Oh, well - at least now i know what a commute is like in case i decide that im going to move out of my current apartment next year). So, that's it really. I bet there were those of you out there who thought it was going to be a post about my work or something - translocation being rather a scientific term and all. Fear not. That's gonna come later in the year!!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Clean and Fresh

With not having done much of the touristy stuff before Rachel got here, i had never really felt a need to use any public restrooms - although have naturally taken leave of some in the odd club and restaurant. However, having had to use them a few times whilst on the various outings last week, it was brought to my attention how wonderfully clean, tidy and, yes, fresh the public restrooms are here. In places, it almost looked like someone had been down on hand and knee with a toothbrush scrubbing the tiles. This is in marked contrast to a number of public toilets (as they are so called) in the UK - particularly those in train stations (of which i have visited a great many, given that all my major travel in the UK is by train). At the very best, these merely could use an air freshener or two, but at the very worst, they're skanky, graffiti-ridden holes that would be better served by throwing the whole room out and being rebuilt from scratch. That they charge you to go in them makes it even more annoying (usually 20 pence - a little under 40 cents). Perhaps, for once, the British need to take a leaf out of their American cousin' book and smarten up their public conveniences. Hell, it'd be a start.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Signing Your Life Away?

One thing that i've noticed, and indeed mentioned before, is how everything over here seems to necessitate use of a debit or credit card - even for the smallest amount. I've witnessed people paying for coffee at a local shop costing all of $3 by using a card. I guess in some ways it's easier (although i prefer cash if i can get away with it). Of course, in wanting to establish a credit history here to make things (hopefully) easier in the future, i've had to get a credit card and use it on a regular basis. Unlike most of the cards in the UK, the cards over here still use the magnetic strip on the back (rather than the more secure chips in the UK). Like in the UK, with debit cards, you are required to enter a pin number rather than sign a strip - which is generally more secure I feel. However, unlike in the UK (at least in some places if memory serves), when using a credit card over here, one still has to sign off on the transaction.

Now all this would be well and good, except since getting my credit card here, i've had the chance to observe many cashiers/waiters/whatever whenever i've signed - and was somewhat surprised to find how little interest they seem to take in the matter. I remember when i used to work in a bar, and a restaurant before that, and one thing we were always told was to scrutinise the signature carefully. And, if in doubt, ask for either another signature or some photo ID. Yet over here, there is rarely a casual glance given to the signature or even the person making it. The funny thing is that the machine tells you to hand the card to the cashier. I often did (and still do) try to and was met with some rather odd looks i can tell you. It seems that so long as the store/cafe/wine bar/whatever is getting your business, it doesn't matter if the signature matches that well or not. One hopes that the security measures behind the card are a bit more stringent than this.