Saturday, April 29, 2006

Angel Oak

This Saturday, for a change, my building at work was under going some 'normal' maintenance requiring all power, water, gas and God knows what else to be turned off - meaning that it was going to be even tougher than usual to do any work - and so i woke up at about 11am safe in the knowledge that i had a whole afternoon of sunshine to relax in. Having agreed to take care of a workmate's animals whilst she is away next week (more on this at the appropriate time), i had agreed to go round to her house to reacquaint myself with aforesaid creatures - and, on the way, it was suggested we stop off at a local natural 'attraction' - the Angel Oak - so called because of it's previous owners - Martha & Justis Angel.

As you might imagine, it's a living Oak tree (name: Quercus virginiana - a species native to the low country)- but what a tree it is!! For starters, it's absolutely huge - with a height of 65 feet, and a longest limb of 89 feet (with a circumference of 11.25 feet, that's a diameter of about 1.05 metres). The total area of shade under the tree when in full bloom is 17,000 square feet. And if those statistics weren't enough, the tree trunk itself is 25 and a half feet around (8.1 feet through the middle) - giving estimates of an age of at least 1500 years old (long before William the Conqueror came to the shores of the UK). Standing in the presence of this giant is awe-inspiring given the size of it's twisted limbs (held up by wooden supports and support wires). If this tree could talk, one must wonder what it has seen and what it would say.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

A Family Hobby

What with the time I spent in Canada meeting and staying with relatives, it also gave me something of a stronger interest in researching my family tree. I admit that it's always been a fascination with me - i like the idea of delving into the past and seeing where i came from. Anyway, with the advent of the internet and sites such as ancestry.co.uk, this has become somewhat easier and a few years ago, a key missing link in the generations for the UK was provided by the publishing of the 1901 census online. Armed with some information that i had gotten from both my grandmothers before they passed on, I set about nosing into my family tree. And it had me hooked.

Now, a week or so later, i've managed to trace the four major lines of my family back to the early 1800s and from all over Yorkshire, Northumberland and Norfolk. I find it somewhat mind-boggling to look at the list of great-great-great-grandparents that i've managed to figure out and ponder the fact that i wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this combination of 32 people. Of course, as well as going further back, i've also been endeavouring to follow the branches back down to my generation as well (to find second, third and fourth cousins etc.) but have only been able to get so far (i.e. the 1901 census). What makes things even more difficult is the sheer size of families back in the 1800s. One of my great-grandparents had 12 brothers and sisters, and some of them had families of 8 and 9 kids as well and so on. It makes me think that, somewhere in the UK, there are a lot of people that i'm related to in some way or fashion. Hmmm, i wonder if any of them are well-off?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

27 and counting...

And so, after nearly ten months of life in the US, we come to my first birthday away from UK soil - and the joys of turning 27. This is hardly a big issue for me - particularly as good planning on the part of my parents means that my older brother is 30 today. What is interesting for a lot of people over here, though, certainly at work - is that i'm the youngest postdoc in my lab by a good couple of years - in large part owing to the differences in American and UK university systems. Anyway, as seems to be a tradition in my lab, there was cake and (somewhat in-tune) singing -and very pleasant it was too (the cake, i mean).

To mark the occasion, myself and some workmates went out for dinner - to Al-di-La - what is considered the best Italian restaurant in Charleston. On the whole, i think it lived up to this claim - the food was very good (I had a duck breast dish that was, frankly, to die for) and the service was pretty reasonable as well (although i didn't think the waiters were as cute as i had been led to believe!). I'd definitely go back. Afterwards, we wandered a couple of doors down to Voodoo - a nice wine bar/cocktail lounge for a drink or two - and, believe me, they make a very nice Pina Colada (almost as good as mine!). What better way to mark a birthday than good food, good wine and good company?

Sunday, April 23, 2006

There and Back

One thing that struck me on this trip to Canada was the amazing double-standards…er…difference between Border Control with the US and Canada. On the way out to Ottawa, the security checks seemed minimal at both Charleston and Newark airports – with a cursory swab test (on the luggage, I should add) carried out at the point of origin. The Immigration service at Ottawa took me all of 2 minutes to get through – I was very surprised: from landing to baggage to Immigration and customs took me all of 5-10 minutes.

Contrast this to the return flight. When I was booking in, I was told that I may experience some hassle as, apparently, my name came up as one of those flagged as being troublesome (or something). The desk guy smiled and said it was the curse of having a common name (I was busy wondering if he thought I would fly across the desk and attack him or something). My suitcase (as with everyone) was x-rayed before loading on to the plane – and even opened and searched as, apparently, the shampoo bottle in there may have possibly looked like something vaguely suspicious (a bomb? A hand grenade? A bag of ricin? Your guess is as good as mine). After that, I had a metal detector wand vigorously waved over me (I’m surprised they didn’t stick it where the sun doesn’t shine) and then the absolute joy of being patted down by a (rather sweaty) security guard. Whilst this was going on, my coat, shoes and laptop etc. were x-rayed (as everyone’s) and then I watched as it was searched by staff (I was ‘randomly’ selected). I didn’t object to this – why should I? I had nothing to hide – but what made it somewhat ridiculous is that the security staff missed blatantly visible pockets and such in both my laptop case AND my jacket – it certainly made me wonder if a courteous attitude and pleasant nature were all that were needed to get you through. Anyway, total time of passing through US Border control and customs (at Ottawa, mind you) – about 30 minutes. Would you believe it? In this post-9/11 age – I think so.

Friday, April 21, 2006

War and Nature

The last two days was double duty on museums here in Ottawa - the national War Museum and The Museum of Natural History - condensed into one post for your easier digestion (not really, i just am too lazy to write two separate one). The former, an unusually shaped building (seems to be prerequisite for this kind of museum) had a special exhibition on Propaganda - booklets, posters and postcards from the 1st and 2nd, Spanish Civil and other wars - both for the Allies and the Axis Powers - fascinating stuff indeed. The permanent exhibition was also interesting - particularly the Canadian History stuff - but after going through this, World War 1 and 2 (from a Canadian slant i should add), i was ready to hand back my membership to the human race.

The Natural History Museum was a more inviting prospect (obviously, for a scientist) but, alas, was undergoing refurbishment meaning only half of it was open. Still, the exhibits that i did get to see were very interesting and reminded me of a lot of information from my earlier university days that i thought i had forgotten. When the new stages open, it will be very impressive. I also got round to buying Darwin's 'The Origin of Species' - a seminal text in science. I think i may hide it when i get back to Charleston though in case the Intelligent-Designists go on a book-burning spree!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Museum of Civilization and the French

The next major thing in Ottawa to visit was The Museum of Civilization - that resides over the Ottawa river in Quebec (Ottawa lies smack on the border of Quebec and Ontario in case you didn't know) and had a special exhibition on the city of Petra in Jordan - that's the one with all the tombs carved out of the cliff faces. This exhibition was, frankly, amazing - some of the stuff on display was just astounding and offered some incredible insight into the culture of the time. I DEFINITELY want to go and see the place!! Anyway, aside from this exhibition there was also a permanent display of Canadian totem poles that was also astounding - the height of some of these things is just....well, it's just wow.

What was also of interest to me was the hop over to the Quebec side - and the differences. Y'see, there is something of a disgruntled attitude over Quebec that i picked up on in Ottawa - mainly that they demand a lot, and offer little in return - and the fact that they are, of late, talking about seceding from the Union. As the bulk of the residents in Quebec are french, there are also some interesting ideas about the language (there is even a Bureau for the Protection of the French Language), especially on the signs. Basically, French has to be on either the left or top of the sign (English on the right or bottom) with the lettering for the French twice as high in height than the English - and they even have so-called language police whose job is to go round the city and measure this. C'est incredible, n'est pas?

Monday, April 17, 2006

The Canadian National Gallery

Having met the relatives in Ottawa and (hopefully) made a good impression, the remainder of my time here is long enough for me to both have a good rest from work and also see some of the sights here. Having visited the parliament already, the next stop on the list of things to do (of which there are many, i should add) was the National gallery - a building of striking architecture situated on the banks of the Ottwawa river. Now, i'm no expert on art (by any stretch of the imagination)but, as with most things in life, i stand by the adage of 'I know what i like' - and there was a lot of that here in Ottawa. There is a large section of the gallery set over to the 'Group of Seven' a band of famous Canadian artists of the early 1900s who have some impressive paintings and a variety of styles. In addition to these, there is Tom Thompson (known was the 'Tom Toms') - who is said to have been a major factor in the forming of the Group of Seven - despite the fact he died in mysterious circumstances before they came in to being.

In addition to the permanent collection (of which there is some wonderful Monet - a favourite of mine), there was a special exhibition on Norval Morrisseau - a Shaman Artist (of native indian - or First Nation, as it is known here, descent). These paintings were very unusual being as they showed a lot of the spiritual aspects of the Anishnaabe (Ojibwa) culture (which, i confess, i found more interesting than some of the paintings themselves). What was particularly interesting were the artist' comments on the meeting of the First Nation and 'Western' cultures - particularly shown in one painting depicting an apparently happy meeting between European and Native American - but betrayed by the smallpox spots visible on the european - and creeping over the native and his child. Ultimately, the ever brightening colours (the artist believes that dramatic and bright colours are an essential part of his work) left me with something of a headache. Ultimately, lovers of all art will find something of interest in the gallery - for a reasonable price of $10.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Meeting the Family

The major driving reason for me visiting Ottawa was the chance to meet some relatives on my mother's side of the family - and i have been staying with my mother's cousin (my cousin, once removed) Diana - whom my mother made contact with a couple of years back whilst she was investigating the family tree. When it came to planning my trip here, a major factor in this was Easter - with Diana inviting her brothers and nephew for Easter dinner - which nicely gave me a chance for both me and my relatives to become acquainted. I have to admit that i was a little nervous and apprehensive beforehand but, thankfully, that abated quite quickly. Thus, i finish the day having met my first cousins, once removed (on my mother's side) and one of my second cousins. And very pleasant and friendly they are too.

When i think back to what i knew of my larger family, i was aware that i had some relatives living here in Canada (I also have some on my maternal grandmother's side) but contact had been lost many years back. Sadly, as so often happened in the 1900s, something happened that caused the split and there was, understandably, associated bad feelings that went with it. Hopefully, meeting my relatives here will allow some of that to be neutralised. And i certainly hope that i will have the chance in the future to meet these relatives again. Deep down, i am a family person at heart (one of the toughest things about being in the US is the distance from family) and I relish the chance to meet family - whether near, distant or very distant. After all, blood is thicker than water.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Ottawa from Above

As mentioned in my previous post, the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament building offers some stunning views of Ottawa. Posted below are a few of the snaps i took. Enjoy!!







Friday, April 14, 2006

Canadian Parliament

For my first full day here in Ottawa, my relative Diana (cousin once removed) suggested heading downtown into the city and visiting the parliament building - something that i thought was a great way to acquaint myself with Canada. The first thing that struck me was how pretty the city was - it definitely feels like a big city (a number of high storey buildings) and there is some interesting architecture about the place. The atmosphere was very relaxed - and the weather made it feel very fresh (there was a nice crispness to the air - that is often lacking in the frequently humid Charleston). Heading towards the parliament building, one of the first things that struck me was how very like the British Houses of Parliament it looked in it's design and architecture (photos to be added soon) - but then, of course, Canada is a constitutional monarchy and still recognises the Queen as a head of state.

The tours of the parliament are split into french-speaking and english-speaking naturally (something that you have to get used to is the bilingual nature of signs and labels everywhere) - but there was only a short wait and off we went. Unfortunately having a tour guide whose voice seemed to get higher in pitch with every sentence (i thought she was going to shatter windows) was something of a pain - but there was much to learn indeed. The parliament itself comes across as a mix between American and English - with there being two houses - a house of commons and a senate - with bills going from one to the other. As with both, one of the houses is purely elected whereas the other seems to be more selected by the prime minister or such (as with Lords). However, in the senate, a major rule is for there to be a good distribution of profession and the people who live in Canada. The tour ended, for me, with a trip up the peace tower (the major clock tower) which afforded some spectacular views of Ottawa - photos will be coming soon. All in all, a fine start to the visit - and a good way of seeing the beauty of the capital.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Flying is fun (no, really!!)

I like flying - i can't think why, given that most of it takes place a good mile or so above the ground. Of course, a major hassle for me is being so tall - and the rather limited leg room in a lot of plane seats - usually circumvented by me being legally entitled to ask for the seats at the wings which have a few extra inches of space. This makes all the difference. Anyway, having secured such seats on both my flights yesterday, i was quite happy and looking forward to the journey. Then came the delays. Having been scheduled to take off at 11.40AM from Charleston, the plane wasn't in Charleston until 12.15 and we didn't leave until 12.45 - meaning that i would have a scant 30 minutes to make a connection at Newark airport. Fortunately, my plane to Ottawa was delayed by 5 minutes giving me a bit more breathing room - but, hey, i'm not a huge fan of Newark airport so no great loss there.

Being late boarding the plane to Ottawa was no problem except this meant we lost our take-off slot and then had to sit in a queue of planes for 30 minutes before we managed to get into the air. The upshot is i was about 20 minutes late to Ottawa - but thankfully the staff there were very efficient and i was through passport control, customs and baggage in all of 5 minutes. So, i still love flying - apart from the delays; oh, and the screaming kids and babies, with the incompetent parents who are just a hassle; and the rather blunt flight attendants who are no help whatsoever; and the prices and the....hmmm. That mile down to the ground is looking a whole lot more inviting!!!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Out of Town: Canada, Here I Come

Okay, so i may have mentioned my forthcoming just once or twice in the past few weeks - and now the waiting is over. I'm flying out of Charleston tomorrow morning (11.40am local time) to arrive in Ottawa, ON a little before 5pm - that's assuming no major delays and screw ups at Newark airport (fingers crossed there).

Although I am taking my laptop with me, i'm not sure what kind of internet access i will have whilst i am up there - and so there may not be any postings for quite some time - at least until i get back (April 22nd for anyone who wants to know). Rest assured, when i do return, i'm sure there will be plenty for me to talk about and show (my new digital camera is getting it's maiden voyage!!)

So, for now, au revoir and i'll hopefully see you all soon.

Monday, April 10, 2006

High and Mighty Part 2

Having had the delights of traipsing round numerous shops last weekend, i finally managed to locate somewhere that might actually have a pair of trousers in my size - a shop named Big and Tall - with the only snag being that it was located in North Charleston - a short drive away (20 minutes - short by American standards) - but an absolute marathon for someone without a car. Suffice to say, one of my colleagues offered to give me a ride out there this evening to have a look - only to find i was disappointed once again. Y'see, it appears that the name is wholly appropriate for this store - in that you not only have to be Tall but also Big as well. Whilst they had plenty of trousers of 36 inch length, the smallest waist available was 38" - which, to be frank, would be a bit loose on me - sort of flapping-around-the-ankles loose. Still, i guess you can't sue Big and Tall for breach of Trade Description.

Almost at the end of my tether, my colleague suggested going over the road to Northwood Mall - where there were a few potential department stores. Lo and behold, in a couple of these, i managed to find some 36 inch length jeans - great, but not exactly what you'd wear if you wanted to be smart (although i did go back and get some later). Anyway, FINALLY, i managed to get three pairs of trousers long enough at a store - S and K Menswear. The only downside is I have to hem them myself (take up the bottom of the leg a little - there was PLENTY of room). Now where did i put my sewing kit??

Saturday, April 08, 2006

High and Mighty

What with going away next week, i decided that it was high time i went shopping to buy myself a few new bits and pieces - primarily hunting for new trousers given that the only smart pair that came with me (although i would swear i brought more) were beginning to wear a bit thin at the knee (haven't a clue how this happened either). As you can imagine, this is no easy thing - given my ridiculously long legs (thanks Mum!!) but it had begun to get easier in recent years with a few stores beginning to realise that there are actually tall people exist - at least in the UK - so i was hopeful. Is it any surprise that my hopes were shattered???

Of course, not having a car meant that i had to go purely downtown - but there are a few decent shops. However, as seems to be the norm these days, it's all 30, 32 and 34 inch leg - and that's about it. What was even more annoying is that all the stores i went into DO have longer sizes but they're all online - and you have to order them yourself or get them to do it for you - so quite what they expect people to do if they need them in the next few days, i really can't say. I even had some assistants offering me pairs of trousers and saying that they will take the turn-ups down for me - somewhat like my mother used to do when i was a bit younger (and before all the longer stuff came out) - I politely declined. I just think that, in this day and age, when the average height is slowly increasing, the stores in one of the major clothes retailing industries in the world, would actually want to capitalise on it. Guess not.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Parental Control

I don't mind kids - no, really, i don't. Provided that they do what they're told, i don't mind them having a bit of fun or messing about - so long as they calm it down when asked, or know that there are limits. What really drives me up the wall is when the kids are going crazy and being disruptive - with the parent(s) sat there either oblivious or, as is usually the case, not caring what the hell is going on. Generally, the kids i have come across over here have been in the former category - although my landlord's son can annoy me somewhat (mainly cause he walks very heavily and it echoes off of my ceiling) but for some reason, the good weather seems to bring out some of the latter category and it seems that they're destined to cross the path.

Exhibit A: Whilst in my local coffee shop recently, i had difficulty trying to concentrate on the papers i was reading owing to two young (c. 4 and 6) girls who were running around, moving furniture, screaming and generally being obnoxious. The mother was sat a couple of tables away and didn't do a thing - until they ran into a table and spilt another customer's coffee. Even then, it wasn't too worthy of her attention as she didn't even get up.

Exhibit B: Whilst at the laundrette, this past Monday, i watched as a young boy (about 4 or 5) ran amok with one of the trolleys. His mother (and her friends) merrily carried on with their washing, not even budging as he ran into other trolleys, washing machines or furniture. She only told him to stop it when he ran into another customer - and then did nothing as off he went again. Things finally ended when he was running towards me with it - and i stuck my hand out to stop it. Only then did she see my very unimpressed look and took him off to sit next to her (where he screamed for a few minutes).

Exhibit C: In the local library - a place where silence is supposed to be golden, yet on a number of visits to return books or loan DVD, there have been a kids making general nuisances of themselves (and noise) whilst the parents stand a few feet away apparently oblivious - maybe they're just hard of hearing after years of screaming. Or its the general American hard-of-hearing-ness.

The prosection rests...

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Snapshots of Charleston (part 1)

Okay, so as promised, here is the first post with a few pictures of round and abouts Charleston. Enjoy!


Home, Sweet Home - my place is the lower half of this house.


The remains of an old Charleston Museum that was burnt down - this is in the park at one end of my street.


A shot of the university campus from right outside my work front door.


Marion Square in Downtown Charleston - with the old Citadel in the background.


Statue of John C. Calhoun - a SC native and former vice president. A main road in Charleston is named for him.


A fountain at the corner of King and Calhoun Streets


A house on Calhoun Street - i like it for the architecture.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

A Bridge? Too Far!!

Every year around the beginning of April, the Bridge Run takes place in Charleston - a 10K run or walk that, for the first time this year, took place on the (still shiny) new Ravenel bridge spanning the Cooper River on the North-eastern side of the peninsula - and is the 29th run in total. I have to admit that, way back in January, i had planned to do the run myself and had been training accordingly - but then work got crazy around the middle of February and screwed up my training schedule so much that i decided it best not to do it this year. However, as i am planning on being around Charleston for a couple more years yet, i am definitely going to enter it at some point. No, honestly i am. Anyway, this year, there were a record 45,497 entrants, of which 33,742 crossed the finish line in downtown Charleston - bear in mind, though, that these may not all have been runners - with a separate lane allocated for those choosing to walk the 10K course instead.

The first bridge run way back in 1978 was not nearly so grand - with a total of about 1000 runners registering and 766 crossing the line. The idea of a race across the Cooper River Bridge first originated with Dr. Marcus Newberry of MUSC who wanted to get the Charleston Community involved in running and fitness and thought a run across the bridge would do it. Together with Terry Hamlin, then President of the Charleston Running Club, they set up a committee to work out the details and thus the Cooper River Bridge Run was born. From 1,000 to 45,000 - from little acorns... With this in mind, some respect should be given to a co-worker of mine - Tom Mullen - who ran the course in just under 45 minutes and was placed 750th (or therabouts) in the men's rankings. Pretty good going, in my book.