Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Good to talk??

Being a pedestrian in America is no fun. You get the big Humvee drivers who seem to delight in either splashing you, or growling their engines at you impatiently as you cross the road (I am often tempted to stop and THEN see what they do). Then you get the idiots who speed up as you cross the road, the ones that almost take you out because they're too busy running a red light....and then there are the mobile phone uses (I REFUSE to call them cell phones). Now, as i understood it, the law says that it is not illegal to use a mobile when driving, but it is ill advised to do so (I may be wrong here - please correct me. It is, after all, some time since i did the test). I wholeheartedly wish that it becomes illegal (if it isn't) as these drivers are a serious danger on the road here. On an average morning walk to work (all of 5-10 minutes), i see about 80% of the drivers on the phone.

Now, you could argue that with using automatics, there is no need for the driver to keep that extra hand free to change gear and so, what's the danger? Well, the fact that most of them are not wholly focusing on the road in hand for one (Over here, without the gearstick distraction, it only goes to show that you CAN'T do both adequately). Thus, i have been almost hit by people when crossing the road (at crosswalks mind you), when they have been turning into a junction, when parking, when coming out of a car park, even when they've been trundling along at a few MPH - precisely because they have been on the phone. In the last case, thedriver almost seemed to think that her speed was so low that it wouldn't matter if she hit anyone - as she was VERY late to brake. And who, exactly, are these people on the phone to that is SOOOOOO urgent? If it's that bad, they should pull over for the call, if it's not, they should wait and call them back. Either that or they should get hands free - at least that way they can still get their gossip WITHOUT hitting any tall Englishmen in their paths.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Palais De Jade

Saturday night rolled around and, for once, i wasn't out in town clubbing. Instead, i was at a new Chinese restaurant over the Cooper river in Mount Pleasant with a group of workmates. One of our chinese colleagues had heard good things about the new place - and so arranged for a group of us to go and eat. What with my ongoing mission to find the nicer places in Charleston to dine, how could i refuse? Anyway, initial impressions were good. The decor was pleasant - and not over the top - and there was a hint of music in the background; enough so as to add to the ambience without being overpowering (as can be the case in some places). With such a large party, we had also been seated in a little side room where one main grumble was that we had to be put on two separate tables. But, still, at least we could freely move about without interfering with other customers or waiters.

The menu was a good size - not too big so as you have to spend a good time agonising over things - but not too small as to leave no choice at all. Anyway, after a few minutes, i chose one of the Set Menus - where you get soup, starters and an entree (with rice). Going for my old fave - hot and sour soup which was, to be blunt, bloody brilliant. The starters - a mix of spring roll, wonton etc. were also very good indeed - not dripping in fat as they sometimes can be. Finally, for a main it was Kung Pao beef - a quite spicy dish with peanuts and peppers, and big chunks of beef in a very tasty sauce. All in all, very very passable indeed. If there was any grumble to be had, it's that the service was a bit threadbare - there seemed to be only two waiting staff (and one of those was the manager/part owner). But they were both very cheery and gave us a discount on the bill (we didn't ask for) as well as some complimentary dessert. And it all came to $18 including tip and with chinese tea on top as well (that's about 10 pounds). Top notch value, i'd say. Thus, it's a matter of waiting a few weeks for them to get on their feet properly and then, hopefully, the service will match the excellent food.

Friday, January 27, 2006

The Tale of the Christmas Pudding

Having met with looks of uncertainty and bewilderment whenever i had mentioned Christmas puddings, i had decided prior to the festive season that i would make one for our uneducated American cousins to try. So, armed with a recipe that my mother had been using for as long as i can remember (which she in turn received from a close friend - it had been the friends mother's), i set about trying to find the ingredients which (as i recall) i have already commented on - remember the suet? Anyway, i found all i needed (save for sultanas which are curiously absent from American shelves and met with the familiar blank looks when i ask about them) and made the pudding just before the holidays. I bought it in to work to cook (in the microwave) and then wrapped it up tight and popped it in a cool, dry place to mature.

So, with my second talk of the week being a bit more informal and, thankfully, just involving the two immediate groups of my bosses, i decided that it would be a good time to bring it in (that and the fact that i had a peek earlier this week and it was smelling pretty damn good!). Suffice to say, it vanished within minutes - and all plates were cleaned. They absolutely loved it here - and i've had many requests for the recipe. Having checked with Julie, who originally gave the recipe to my Mother, i'm going to pass it on to some of my American colleagues who are already talking about making it for their families either at Christmas this year - if not before so they can see what they're missing out on. Looks like this Christmas Pudding has only just started it's journey.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

One Down, One To Go

Thursday arrived and with it, the first of my two talks/presentations this week - and this was the one i had found out about at the last minute, so was particularly nervous about. Anyway, i had prepared as much as i could so went over early to load my powerpoint presentation up and partake in some of the Breakfast available (i don't know what it is about Americans and Breakfast - but it nearly always seems to consist of bagels, doughnuts, and other assorted pastry snacks. Thank God there was actually some FRUIT this time!). Anyway, long story short, the talk went well - i think i may have run a little long but then a few questions were asked which, i guess is good, cause it means interest.

With that all over and done, the nicer thing for me was getting to go out for dinner that evening on the Department - and this was at a very nice restaurant downtown called Carolina's (for nice, read expensive). It was a very nice restaurant with a pleasant ambience and waiters who knew when to leave you alone and when to offer their service. And the dessert (a pecan brittle basket with ice cream and a ring of roasted pineapple) was to die for!! I would certainly go back again. But probably only when someone else is paying - cause it makes it taste that so much better!!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

American Justice

This was originally going to be a post about the American soap operas of which (fortunately) i haven't caught a lot of. Instead, I decided to ruminate on a particular type of show that seems both common and popular over here - namely, the courtroom show. Now i'm not talking about the dramas like Law and Order, or Boston Legal (have either of those made it over the Atlantic? I'm not sure). No, i mean the daytime shows - like "Judge Judy" (I say daytime, this is on from 6-7pm Monday to Friday) - which i know some of you may be familiar with as it did make it on to daytime British TV as i recall (somewhere in the ITV schedules if anyone is interested). But this isn't the only one - before Judy, we have a Judge Joe Brown and before him, another Judge (whose name escapes me - i've only caught his show when at the gym). Anyway, these are shows with 'REAL people, REAL cases, REAL verdicts' (as the voiceover man tells us). Basically, it's a civil courtroom - usually dealing with money matters or matters of property.

Anyway, the victi....er, plaintiff and defendant are bought in, the case is explained, the judge usually rants, laughs at, or looks bemused by the conflicting arguments and then makes the judgement. Now this is all well and good - but the cynic in me wonders whether the Judge in question would be like this if the camera's weren't there (I think in the case of Judy, she probably would be - she strikes me as a fearsome character). What i object to is the cheapening of the process by putting it on TV in the first place - it kind of makes a mockery of justice when it seems to boil down to how much of a dressing down the people can get. It also seems to me that the cases on show are nearly always polarised such that one person is obviously lying or, at least, bending the truth. Is this intentional? I think it probably is. One could argue that by putting such show on, it may persuade people to think a bit more before they try and get away with something. But then i doubt it very much. After all, this is the country where the Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson trials were broadcast far and wide for all to see - so what is justice if not cheap and ready entertainment for some.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Spoilt for Choice

With the film awards season upon us, now seems like as good a time to go to the cinema as any - particularly as those films released late last year (in the big cities) have now finally made it to Charleston. Thus, i've been to the cinema twice in the last week and both times seen a very good film indeed (albeit totally different in content). The first, "Munich" is Steven Spielberg's latest and is extremely powerful drama indeed. It starts with the terrorist events that occured that the Munich Olympics in 1972 and uses that to spin out a simple but effective story. It's said that modern terrorism can be traced back to that event in 1972. For me, one of the most poignant images was the last shot - which conveys a very appropriate message. I have to say that my friends and i wondered if a lot of Americans might get what the director was trying to say.

So, last night and I finally got to see Brokeback Mountain - a film that i had been looking forward to for some time. And i have to say i wasn't disappointed. The movie itself was incrdibly well put together - and was very subtle and, in a lot of places, multi-layered. It's a credit to the film makers that it left me feeling very ambivalent - with both sadness (it is a tragic tale) but also happiness (about love transcending barriers) jostling for position in my feelings. What was more telling for me is the fact that the cinema showing the film has pretty much sold out every showing since it got here - and last Saturday's showing was packed to the ceiling. It seems like a lot of people, at least here in Charleston, are curious to see what it's all about. So, next time you take a trip to the movies (or to rent a DVD in a couple of months), i'd think about either of these two. Two moving and very thought-provoking films.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Cheap Drunks

Being on a detox means that, on a night out, i have the pleasure of watching other people spiral into the sort of drunkenness where the embarassing becomes commonplace. It reminds me somewhat of when i used to work in Brannigans bar in Manchester - except over here, i don't have the safety of a couple of feet of wood in front of me. Anyway, Friday night and i was heading off downtown for a couple of 'drinks' and to meet a couple of friends in one of the local bars here. Of course, a big advantage for me living downtown is that i can walk there and back, whether i'm drinking or not.

Now, about halfway between me and the downtown area is the College of Charleston - and a lot of student housing in the surrounding area so i guess you can imagine that it gets pretty student heavy around there on a night. This particular night was quite typical in the sense that there were a lot of student groups milling around doing the whole noisy, drunken laughing and shouting. Except this was about 11 in the evening whereas you would probably normally associate this with 2-3am. At least in the UK. When i asked my friends about it, they said that a lot of students have very low alcohol tolerance on account of the fact that they're not allowed to drink it until 21 - but most do anyway beforehand. Thus, sometimes being within smelling distance of a pint of beer (not that they do pints over here!!) is enough to send them a bit tipsy. To say the least. Still, i guess it saves money, eh?

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Microwave

As work has pretty much done a good job of taking up a lot of time, i haven't had so much time to get anything much else for my apartment. Not that i need a lot - i have virtually all i want save for, perhaps, a couple of pictures or things to decorate the walls. Anyway, one item that i hadn't got round to buying and, if im honest, hadnt been immediately planning to was a microwave. Now, i've nearly always had access to a microwave in the various houses i've lived over the years and i find them incredibly useful for cooking jacket potatoes before finishing off in the oven, heating up leftovers and the like. So for such limited use, i figured it probably wouldnt be worth getting one - although they're hardly expensive (a local shop has a reasonable model for about $60 - a little over 40 pounds).

Anyway, for some reason, at Monday lunch i had been chatting with a workmate about this - we were mainly wondering aloud what a lot of (obese) Americans would live without their microwaves - and i aired these thoughts generally. She was of a similar sentiment to me - and we both agreed that microwavable meals generally don't taste as good as their carrdboard containers. So, after lunch, we head back to the lab and i go off to check my e-mail and, hey presto, one of the lab managers has a sister who is getting rid of two microwaves, does anyone want them? A day or two later and a shiny black, virtually new microwave is sat in my kitchen. Suffice to say, i've had a few baked potatoes since. I guess it goes to show that if u wait, then these things will come along. Now all i have to think about is a plasma screen TV, video and DVD player and Music system. Wonder when i'll get those?

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Short Notice

I knew that coming over here to work was going to be an experience. Certainly in scientific circles, there is a general sense of 'survive working in American labs, survive working anywhere' and i have to admit that was one of the reasons i wanted to come (what can i say? I'm either a masochist or i like a challenge). Anyway, i have not been disappointed so far - work has been nice and busy (apart from incidents of cells dying - see previous posts). What with the stress of the grant proposal out of the way (paper copies went off today, will arrive tomorrow) i was looking forward to just getting back to the bench and slammin a few experiments through (well, apart from the Journal club presentation i have to do a week on Friday but that's pretty much sorted).

So, imagine my joy when i was approached earlier and asked to give a presentation next Thursday (26th Jan). Y'see, we have a lab meeting every Thursday morning (well, most - my first proper is scheduled for 2nd March) except for the third Thurs every month where we have a meeting called COBRE (this is to do with a joint research grant that funds a lot of projects - the groups rotate to update on what is going on). On occasion, we have a COBRE guest speaker - someone who is a collaborator for one of the projects. Next week we have a scientist from Texas - who is quite a big name in the field with respect to the enzyme i study. So, not only do i have a little over a week to prepare a talk, it also has to be to a standard for a pretty high up name in the field. Remember how i was saying I LOVE it here in the US? :D

Monday, January 16, 2006

Martin Luther King Day

So barely two weeks after New Year's Day, the next of the US Bank holidays comes along (I had a rant about this sometime ago) - at least a bank holiday for some of us - the eternal curse of the scientist meaning that i had a day in the lab as usual (bloody cancer cells just keep on growing!). Anyway, as the title indicates, today was Martin Luther King Day and this year was particularly special given that it was the 20th anniversary of the federal holiday. The King Holiday is slightly different from the norm in that it was created to honor the life and contributions of Dr. King who is considered America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality and was born out of the Civil Rights movements.

It took 15 years for the holiday to come into being - with a democrat congressman introducing legislation for a holiday 4 days after King was assassinated. All through the 1980's, controversy surrounded the idea of a Martin Luther King Day. Congressmen and citizens had petitioned the President to make January 15, (King's birthday) a federal holiday. Ultimately, in order for the holiday to come into being, the then holidays for Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday were condensed into the all-purpose President's day and January 15th was declared a federal holiday by Ronald Reagan - the only federal holiday to commerate an African-American. However, as you can probably guess, it wasn't all sweetness and light - with many southern states not acknowledging the holiday and using the day to honour confederate Generals and the like. Eventually this all changed with New Hampshire becoming the last state to adopt the holiday in 1999 and South Carolina (my current home) making it a paid state holiday in 2000 - until then, employees of the state were allowed to choose between this and three confederate-related holidays. Here's to King and his dream of a unified world.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Spring Cleaning

Of course, the main thing about having an apartment to yourself means that all the onus for cleaning rests squarely on your shoulder unless you're rich enough to afford a maid (i'm not). Thus, this weekend was about time for me to don pink marigolds (i'm kidding - they're yellow) and set about for a bit of spring cleaning. Okay, so it's not spring but what with the 'four distinct seasons' here seemingly bleeding into two (i've given them the names 'Hot' and 'Less Hot'), it was as good a time as any.

Now, those of you who've lived with me in the past will know that i can be something of a Monica when it comes to tidiness and general order. It would infuriate me, for example, when people (who shall remain nameless - they know who they are) would leave dirty pots in the front room, when the hall is a matter of a few strides away. Similarly, with precious little worktop space in the kitchen, when aforementioned dirty pots get left liberally over them instead of stacked relatively neatly. I even once got to the point of stacking dirty pots outside of the culprit's bedroom because it was getting on my nerves so much. Well, worry no more - the Monica in me appears to, at least, have gone into hiding - thus, spring cleaning lasted all of a couple of hours involving a relatively quick wiping round and dusting, sweeping and mopping of the floor - and about half an hour spent tidying up and cleaning the bathroom. I guess that's what happens when it's up to you and you alone to clean.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Submission Stress

So after two months of writing and editing and banging my ahead against the wall (both literally and metapohrically, i should add), this week was finally the week where i had to bite the bullet and submit the grant proposal i have been working on to the American Heart Association. Of course, as you can imagine, this wasn't without it's stresses. The first main problem to be encountered was the fact that i had downloaded the forms but was unable to save them in an edited form (this was largely cause i was using the wrong program to do this and din't realise it). Solution - find a computer with this program on (except this involved telling lots of people to move as the one in question was in the common computer room!). The next was trying to get the university to sign off on the proposal - basically say, yes, it's fine. Now, all of us know exactly how much fun it is trying to get any administration anywhere to speed up the paperwork - and you can easily imagine why i was gnawing my fingernails to the bone over this. Anyway, this was out of my hands and a higher up person in the department managed to give them a rocket up the arse to get it signed.

Then came the submission itself - the double checking, the triple checking, the realising-some-sections-are-a-page-too-long-and-having-to-shorten-and-renumber-and-recreate-PDF files and all. Of course, because i wasn't on my laptop, i had to get all the right files to this computer too - which i did by e-mailing to myself until i realised that i actually had a memory stick and might be quicker doing it this way (It's amazing how dumb you can be when you REALLY put your mind to it). Anyway, long story cut short, the proposal was e-mailed and received ok. Thank God. Now all i have to do is make sure the paper copies (an original and 3 duplicates) get sent off to arrive before Thursday. Now where did i put those stamps?

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Uneven Ground

Anyone who has lived in Manchester will know the fun that it is trying to navigate some of the pavements there - at least without falling over once (or doing that whole 'trip-that-turns-into-a-run' thing that Peter Kay was going on about!). Hell, in Stockport they even had people from a public health firm swarming around the town centre with clipboards asking anyone and everyone if they had injured themselves on the rickety pavements as they were intending to get them compensation from the council. I'm not wholly sure if i agree with the intent of the latter - after all, the more money that gets sucked from the council, the less they have to potentially spend on sorting out the problems.

Anyway, that's by the by for today. Having been here a few months now, i can now assure people that Manchester had nothing much to worry about - especially when you compare it to Charleston. It seems that the challenge in Charleston is to find a pavement (sorry, sidewalk - gotta speak American!) that WON'T leave you with an injury of some kind. Of course, being so tall also has the disadvantage that it's a long way to your feet and so not always easy to avoid these things (that's my excuse at least). Thus, i have stubbed my toes at least twice a week since i arrived (this usually gets lots of good ol' British cursing out of me) and nearly fallen over a couple of times (when the path has dropped away suddenly and rather sharply than i expected). Whenever there's a bump in the road, it seems that they just decided to pave over it without flattening the thing first! So much for American efficiency, eh?

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Detox

As seems to be usual for me these days, i have decided to start the new year with having a break from that ol' vice - alcohol. This isn't because i feel i'm not in control of how much i have to drink, but more just a combination of giving my body a rest and also to show myself that i can have just as much a good time when i go out without alcohol as i can with it. Thus, this weekend was the first time i went out clubbing where i stuck completely to non-alcoholic drinks - in the past, when i have been detoxing (or teetotal for a bet), i have always found the first couple of times out are the hardest and then it's ok. The same seemed to apply here to a degree - i definitely enjoyed myself out, but then i spent most of the night feeling very cold (it's surprising how warm alcohol can make you feel - it's either that or you just don't CARE about the cold). Anyway, the best thing came the next morning when i woke up feeling a little tired rather than very hungover and tired.

I'm not sure how long this detox will go on for - certainly for the foreseeable future, particularly as i have recently started seriously training again at the gym and want to be a bit healthier overall this year. I may just see how long i can go before getting tired of it, i may just carry on over the whole year (part of me doubts it) or i may go for only January. I guess only time will tell.

Friday, January 06, 2006

A Bond For All Seasons

Now that the holiday season is officially over (although they still have a bloody tree downstairs - i'm thinking of taking a chainsaw to it!), it seems only appropriate to mention that staple of the British Christmas TV (and i DON'T mean Morecambe and Wise, thank God). Of course, i'm talking about James Bond. Now, Christmas wouldn't be the same without at least three Bond films on (usually one on Christmas Eve, one on New Years Eve and somewhere in between as well) which is all well and good. But given that it isn't too much of a big thing over here (most of my American colleagues have seen the recent Bond films but very few of the earlier ones), i was wondering if they would be on at all (hey, i admit to being a bit fussy over films but at least with Bond, you know what to expect).

Well, thankfully (or not as the case may be), Spike TV - one of the many channels over here was holding a '8 days of 007 marathon' (they seem to LOVE having marathons of programmes over here - 36 hours of "24", 48 hours of "The Twilight Zone", 36 hours of "ER" were all on over the holiday period). Anyway, i was quite pleased by the prospect of seeing a couple of old Bonds that i've not seen or had time to watch for a while. Enter the American schedulers who, rather than do the logical things of, perhaps putting every Bond film on in order and having it on a permanent loop or whatever, they made the unusual decision of repeating the films from one day to the nextexcept shifting them back a couple of hours each time and adding a new one to the end. Thus, i ended up seeing snippets of "For Your Eyes Only" and "A View to a Kill" at least three days in a row. As is usually the case in these matters, i throw my hands up in the air and silently curse those in charge of TV.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

For the Kids

Before i start this post, i should add something of a disclaimer - I like kids. No really, i do - so long as they do what they're told, i'm happy to let children be children. As a point of fact, i think modern society doesn't let children actually have much of a childhood these days. When it gets to a point where you have an 8 year old girl plastering her face in make-up, then there's something definitely not right. I mean, why the need to let children grow up so quickly? Anyway, with that said, i am not a huge fan of other people's children when the parents exercise little control over them. There is nothing more irritating that having a child running about, yelling, and generally being a nuisance when the parent is sat there mere feet away and not exercising any parental control. Again, i know there are issues with how far 'parental control' can go, but ultimately a child learns the boundaries by being told them, and the parents just letting them get on with it, just isn't going to help.

Anyway, in Manchester, there were a good number of kids who deserved, at least, a good talking to, particularly given the number of teenage mothers (who seem to think that having a baby will be fun and not hard work). Over here, it seems, there is also a fair number of irksome children. I was in a coffee shop the other day and the mother of a 5-6 year old sat there reading the paper whilst he ran amok all over the furniture and round the shop. He only stopped when he got carried away and ran into another customer (of course, the mother gave this poor gentleman a filthy look, cause of course it was HIS fault). I also have this at home to a degree - with my landdlord (who lives above me) having a 7 year old son. Now, i may be short on memory, but i'm SURE i wasn't as hyper as this kid is. It seems he never walks when he can run, and invariably jumps instead as well. I wonder if it's all the sugar over here?

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Bread

This isn't going to be a lengthy diatribe on an old British sitcom (much as i loved it). Nor will it be a rant on the 'interesting' (read: ugh) taste of the bread over here (like a teacake without the fruit!). Although i'm sure could quite happily go on about this for quite some time, i think i may have already done so and have no wish to repeat myself. Too much, anyway! No, this is bread-related but on a different note. When some American students visited my university on an exchange way back when i was a lowly undergrad, i can remember them telling me that there were three things over here that were more expensive than in the UK - one was textbooks, one was olive oil and the other, i really can't remember. Well, having been here for a few months now, i've had plenty of time to nosey around at the prices and see what the score is. And generally, yes, things are cheaper over here, especially when you consider that exchange rate (i know i've mentiond this before). Except i recently threw out a few old supermarket receipts and noticed one thing that wasn't - bread!

Now, me being me and disliking the packaged stuff you get over here, i like to buy some of the fresh stuff - you know the kind that you need a hammer, chisel and electric saw to cut into and have few teeth left after eating - and generally, these are pretty reasonably priced (usually ranging between 1.50-2.50 pounds in UK money) and i am pretty sure that this is dearer than back home. However, consider the fact that the pre-packaged processed loaves are also this price as well and i was somewhat flabbergasted - given that a reasonable loaf of bread at Sainsburys (where i used to shop - and not one of the cheaper places) was half that. Not that i object paying for decent bread but when it's sweet and, y'know, ugh (see above) and falls to pieces before you can even get it within an inch of a bowl of soup, it hardly seems worth paying that extra dough for (Oh, come on! You KNEW that joke was coming!).

Indications

COMING SOON

Monday, January 02, 2006

2005: A Retrospective

Usually around the start of the New Year I allow myself a few minutes to look back at the events of the year just gone and take stock - see where i was, see what's happened and, on occasion, mull over what might have been as well. For me, 2005 was a big year. At this time last year, i was just readying myself to, as my PhD supervisor said, 'thud' my competed thesis on to her desk. I was still working at Brannigans (a bar in Manchester) and was preparing for a trip to the US in the February (to visit the lab where i now work). And where am i now? Well, living and working in the US (for over six months now) as a postdoctoral fellow. So a couple of major changes indeed. But this was also a big year for many people i know as well.

There's been weddings (Radhika and Marco, Judith and Dave), births (baby Ewan to Fiona and Pete - thanks muchly for the photo in the Christmas card - he is sooooo cute!), other friends have graduated (Danielle - before me, i should add, Radhika, Sylwia, Lucy, Steph) and have all found jobs pretty quickly too. On the negative side of things there has also been illness (most recently my stepfather who is thankfully on the road to recovery) and i have found it quite tough to be supportive from so far away. There have also been separations as well - some unsurprising but a couple very much out of left field. I think for a lot of people i know (and, i guess for me as well) there has been some event (both small and big) that will probably make this year stand out for them. I guess that if i had to sum up 2005 as a year in a single theme or word, it would probably be: CHANGE. So here's hoping that 2006 will be a smoother ride - for everyone.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Welcome to 2007

Another year bites the dust, good for some, bad for others. I know a few people who are happy to see the back of 2006 and are looking to the future. Let me take this moment to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year - and offer my hopes that 2007 is everything that you want it to be.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!