Saturday, September 30, 2006

Savannah, GA

Having spent the week here in Charleston, Rachel had expressed an interest in paying a visit to the city of Savannah - just over the State border in Georgia - and, having not been there myself yet, i suggested that i drive us both down rather than have Rachel take the train. So, on Friday, after a rather long day at work, it was a short hop down (approx. 2 hours) and we checked into the Courtyard Marriot for the weekend. Having consulted with a couple of workmates (who had previously lived in Savannah prior to here), we had some suggestions of things to do and see. After a nice meal on the Friday night, the Saturday started badly with me having to drop my car off at a motor shop to have the front tyres changed (there was a nail in one of them - and i was gonna have to have both changed at some point anyway, so though i'd get it all done there and then). Still, not too downhearted, we took an open bus tour round the city for $10 - well worth the money given the amount of information that we learnt, and what we saw - far more than if we'd been walking.

Unlike Charleston, Savannah was a planned city (the first in the US) and is essentially a grid system like other cities - but with the exception of having 24 small squares dotted throughout the town. With considerably more greenery and shading about, this gives the place a character very distinct to that of Charleston - and very pleasant just to walk around and take in the scenery. With repaired car, we had a short hop out to Fort Pulaski, where they did some great cannon and artillery demonstrations for us (without cannonballs i should add) and then the rest of the day was taken up with walking back to some of the more interesting sights spotted on the tour. With a wonderful meal at a nice little place called the 'Firefly Cafe' and a walk on Sunday morning before i headed back up here, it was altogether very relaxing indeed. And adds up to a place i would certainly pay a visit to again. And with all that, i bid au revoir to Rachel, as she was catching the train back up to Washington DC that evening. I've had a wonderful time with her visit, and i hope she did as well.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Lab Meeting Number 2

What with being here in the US for 15 months now, it was going to be time for my second lab meeting to come around (the first, as some may recall, was way back in March - I say 'way back' as, in science terms, six months is a very long time). Anyway, sure enough, i had been scheduled for my second meeting at the end of September - the 28th to be exact - and, in a fit of organisation, had actually started putting my lab meeting together whilst on a couple of train journeys in the UK. In August. Anyway, this paid off dividends as my meeting presentation (everything is Powerpoint these days) was pretty much finished and ready before Rachel arrived meaning that i felt very little guilt about skipping off to do lots of sight seeing this past week.

Anyhow, the day arrived this Thursday and, as is usual for me, i was feeling somewhat jumpy and nervous - despite the uninformal air and setting, as well as the fact that i know all the people in the audience. This usually carries on until about 10 minutes into the talk when i actually tend to realise that i DO know what i'm talking about, and then it's pretty much plain sailing for the rest of it. Thankfully, the presentation and discussion went well, my boss and i had a very good tete-a-tete afterwards, and i feel like i've got some good direction for the next few months. Now it's just a countdown to my next lab meeting which, i suspect, will be around the end of April next year. Seven months and counting...

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Middleton Place

Of course, a visit to Charleston (from Rachel's Point of View) would not be complete without heading out to a plantation - of which there are a good number in the area. Never-the-less, we decided to head out to Middleton Place - perhaps one of the best known in Charleston and with good reason. Whilst not cheap (the entrance fee plus a tour of the house cost $34, about 20 pounds), we both felt that it was worth it. The grounds are, to be frank, huge and with some stunning vistas of the Ashley river and a lot of original pieces here (that managed to survive when the Union troops came down the River burning a lot of the Confederate-supporting locales). The house tour was very interesting - comprising the remaining building of the old house that was rebuilt into the main house following the destruction of the other two buildings (burning down and earthquakes tend to do that). What was most surprising was the involvement of a number of generations in many major aspects of the early colonies.

Thus, where one family member (the first to live at the plantation having inherited it by marriage) was a representative of South Carolina that signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (of which there is a copy in the house), a couple of generations later and his grandson is signing the Declaration of South Carolina's secession from the union in 1860 (of which there is also a copy in the house). Thus, one marked the Plantation's place in history, the other meant that it was targeted by the Union troops. One thing of supreme interest is the insight into the lives of the slaves that worked on the Plantations, particularly how they were treated and how they lived. One exhibit - 'Eliza's Place' consisted of a very small one story house (with loft) split into two 'apartments' of two very small rooms. One of these, it is said, housed a family of ELEVEN people. Incredible, really. Ultimately, it was a very enjoyable few hours of exploring the place, with some nice history and insight into the Rice Plantations of old.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Fort Sumter

Having had a relaxing lie-in on Sunday morning, followed by a leisurely stroll to the nearby Hominy Grill for something of a traditional Southern Sunday Brunch, it was decided that we would head out to Fort Sumter for the afternoon. Heading North across Calhoun as far as possible, you get to the Charleston Aquarium and the Fort Sumter Museum. For free, you can just go round the museum or for the reasonable sum of $14, you can hop in a boat and have a tour of the harbour including a stop off at the Fort which is located pretty much in the middle of the estuary where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers join. In American terms, this is a very historic place given that they first started building it way back in the 1800s. It is also quite a place of historic importance as it was a focus point for the start of the American Civil War.

Y'see, whilst i knew that Charleston was important as it was the place where the Declaration of Secession from the Union was signed, i was unaware that the first shot of the Civil War was fired in Charleston. When the declaration was signed, a Union regiment took over the then almost complete Fort as it was the best point of defence. For a couple of days, Charleston was unaware of this until the then Union flag was raised. After some heated negotiations, ultimately a shot was fired over the fort which was the signal for the Conferderate troops to start bombaring Fort Sumter from all sides. Miraculously, no-one in the Fort was killed in the bombardment. However, the first death of the Civil war did occur there (by accident) when the Union troops - being allowed to leave by the Conferderates, were in the middle of a 100-gun salute and the cannon accidentally discharged killing a person and injuring a couple of others. Suffice to say, after the battle of Fort Sumter, things were not going to be the same again in the US for some time.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Plantations and Vineyards

Firstly, apologies for not having updated these posts sooner - this is largely because of the amount of sightseeing that Rachel and I have been up to in the past week, and also because of the fact that i've been busy in work whenever i've not been out sightseeing. Anyway (and writing in hindsight), for the first day of Rachel's visit, i decided we would drive out along the Maybank highway on James Island leading to Wadmalaw Island. Our first port of call was the Angel Oak - which i have mentioned before, but actually got a photo of this time (watch out for it in the future) - a nice peaceful short stop on the way to our primary destinations for the day - the Charleston Tea Plantation and the Irvin House Vineyards.

The Charleston Tea Plantation is actually the ONLY tea plantation in the whole of America and they make a couple of types of tea - namely, black, green and oolong. The tour itself is pretty short and sweet (a 15 minute video tour with the equipment in front of you) but still interesting none-the-less. The lady in the shop was also incredibly nice to Rachel and I with us both being English (she called us 'connissoeurs (spelling?) of tea. After here, it was off to the vineyards where the wine is made solely from the muscadine grape - as its the only one that will grow here. After a short and very interesting tour (for free), a small fee of $2.50 is paid to taste all five varieties of wine (four types and one blend) which, because of the grape, all are in the sweet variety. For us, the best one was a brand called 'Tara Gold' (cause of the grape rather than 'Gone With The Wind') which was, at least, semi-dry and had a nice kick to it.

Friday, September 22, 2006

The Visitor

Today is an exciting day for me - at last, my first visitor from the UK is finally making it here to Charleston; my college friend Rachel, no less - someone i have known for over 11 years now. Having had all major stuff out of way at work, and having some holiday owing, Rachel took the chance to have a long break and flew into Wsahington DC last Saturday. Having spent a few days there and then a couple in Richmond, Virginia, she will be arriving here in Charleston at some point this evening (hopefully around 7pm assuming that the train isn't majorly late). Having worked extra hard to tidy my apartment and arrange my experiments (well, my cells actually got contaminated so i had to throw out and start again), it means i have a reasonable amount of time to stay out of the lab and spend with Rachel whilst she's here. Naturally, i have a list of touristy things that i am interested in doing - and have been waiting for someone to come so I CAN do and not feel embarassed. So im sure i will get as much out of it as her. Anyhow, i have to sign off now and get ready to go and pick Rachel up at the Amtrak Station in North Charleston. Look for some touristy posts in the next day or two. Oh, and for a picture of Rachel, go back to my 'Photos from a Small Island 3' post and look around there.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Cleanin' Out My Closet

One thing i've noticed since getting a pet kitten is that i've been doing an awful lot more cleaning than i was before. Not that im saying Jasper is a messy cat, just perhaps that im being a lot more....oh, who am i trying to kid. What with him shedding fur, eating food everywhere, scattering litter and ripping parts off of his toys, i feel like it's a constant battle to keep the place clean. I guess this is a good thing - ultimately, it means that i'm living in a lot tidier place (not that my apartment had things scattered randomly all over). Also means that i have to tidy up less if friends or visitors come round. Now all i have to do is to replace those toys he's been destroying. Still, at least he's got a scratching post.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Road Rage

Having discussed the joys of American car park etiquette a couple of days ago, my attention now turns to the roads themselves. Now, before i begin, let me first say that there are a number of bad drivers on the roads in the UK - and, i'm sure, in almost every country that has cars. This post is not intended to point the finger at American drivers and say that they are an exception to the rest of the world; it is intended to be merely some observations on American drivers in general. Having said that, i don't think i have been in a country where so many people use their cell phones and drive at the same time. Some of you may recall an earlier post where I recalled a number of near misses because of drivers to busy talking and not paying attention to the fact that i was crossing the road. Believe me, the same holds true when you're behind a steering wheel as well. Not only that, there are a good deal more people prepared to run red lights here - in the three weeks i have been driving regularly, at a number of junctions (sorry, intersections for all US readers), i have had to pull back because of people who think the red light doesn't apply to them.

The same can also be said for speeding. Whilst speeding is also rife in the UK, there are at least a couple of measures to crack down on it (speed cameras) - even if they are just ways of generating revenue for the government. Over here, there is nothing - and there seems to be little general enforcement of it (at least in the immediate Charleston area) but rather a couple of spots that are well known to the public are targeted instead (such as the Cooper River Bridge). One thing that ALWAYS struck me as crazy and dangerous (even BEFORE i got a car) was the number of people who seem quite happy to go out for a few drinks and then hop behind the wheel to drive home. On my walks to and from the downtown area, there were often some cars where the driver was clearly 'a bit tipsy'. In short, there seems to be an air of 'if you can get away with it, it's okay' in terms of driving in Charleston. As for me, given that my insurance was pretty high anyway (being an 'alien' and all), i'm certainly not going to be pushing the envelope as far as this is concerned. I'll just have to restrict myself to cursing loudly at anyone who cuts me up. At least it gets rid of my aggression!!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Park(ing) Life

Without a car for the previous 14 months or so of being in America means that i have generally been ignoring what was happening on the roads as i was being driven to various places by friends and workmates. Of course, this was rather short-sighted of me in terms of directions as i found out to my cost when i was driving around and took a few wrong turns. Anyway, having found my way to the shopping malls, and supermarkets a number of times since aquiring my vehicle (as yet, still unnamed. Any suggestions?), I've actually begun to pay a bit more attention to the US habits of parking and come to the conclusion that there are a few different 'parking personalities'.

1) The "As Near As Possible to the Door" Parker - spends most of their time driving round the car park wasting valuable petrol until that perfect spot right next to the door appears meaning minimum distance using their own two legs. Recognisable by their size (huge) and their fondness for using drive-thru fast food outlets.

2) The "My Car is My Baby" Parker - will look for spaces as far removed as possible from other cars, whether it's near or far from their intended destination. Would hate for their precious baby to get a scratch or dent by some redneck idiot. Recognised by their talking to car as if its a person, and their ability to park across two spaces at once - so as to minimise possibilities of scrapes

3) The "Get Out Of My Way" Parker - aggressive drivers of Humvees or Pick-up trucks. Known for speeding round the car park as if their lives depended on it, pedestrians, shopping trolleys and animals be damned! Anyone think they're trying to compensate for something with the power of their engines?? Recognised by their baseball caps and beer guts.

4) The 'Honestly, I'm Disabled' Parker - a sub-class of type 1, these folks utilise elderly relatives disabled badges in order to secure a place nearest the door as possible. Predominantly under the age of 20 and often identified by their occasional limp that changes legs (cause, y'know, they have to justify it somehow!)

I'm sure there are many more that i have missed - please feel free to contribute your own in the comment section. It should also be noted that these do not occur strictly in the US - anyone in the UK (or, indeed, elsewhere) wishing to chip in with their own thoughts, please do. In the meantime, i'm going to keep on driving till that spot near the door opens up. Should be any time now....

Friday, September 15, 2006

Going to the Vets

As you'd probably be aware, one of the first things that has to be taken care of after adopting an animal is the locating of the nearest vet facility and, in my case, taking Jasper for a final booster shot (and also to get his nails trimmed). Whilst not the nearest vet to me, i chose to take him to a surgery high up on Meeting Street - as the lady in the pet store had heard many good things about it. Having given them a call, and found out that they don't do appointments as such but deal with 'walk-ins' (it's been that long since i was at a vet in the UK, that i couldn't tell you if they did that or not), so i duly arranged my experiments to give me a suitable length of time to take Jasper there and back, and with a reasonable amount of waiting time in between.

The first thing that struck me about the place was the amount of dogs there - it seems that they are far more the preferred animal of choice in Charleston. Of the 9 people in the waiting room over the time i was there, all of them had dogs apart from me. Naturally, Jasper was immensely curious as to what was going on with all the whimpering and stuff, and spent a lot of time peeking out of his carrying case. Anyhow, the time came and we went through to the back. The main impression i got was that this was definitely being run as a business, there was an immense air of efficiency and speed of getting through a lot of patients (indeed, all the consulting rooms were adjacent to one major room at the back so the vet could go between them quickly and easily. What the vet, himself, may have lacked in the personal touch, his nurses/assistants certainly carried in spades so the balance was fine. And more importantly, the price was reasonable indeed. Jasper was very well-behaved, and didn't meow or get overly agitated once. A good result all round.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Impediment

As i have almost certainly mentioned in the past, one of the most entertaining things about living in America - at least to me - is the differences in language - primarily the differences in words and/or phrases. For example - to pull for someone over here, means that you support them; whereas in the UK, if you are on the pull, it means something entirely different. One early faux pas of mine was to ask people 'how's tricks?' which means, in a general sense, 'how's life?' - whereas the term 'tricking' over here (and, to an extent, in the UK) refers to prostitutes hanging out on street corners. Of course, now that i've been here for some time, i'm pretty much able to navigate these with ease (at least, that's what i tell myself) and any confused looks are met with the standard phrase 'It's a British thing. Don't worry about it'

Since my return from the UK (I guess because i was used to people understanding what i was saying), I've noticed on more than a few occasions, the slight difficulties that people have with what i'm saying, not only on the different words/phrases, but on words that are the same, but with a different pronunciation. When i was getting a fruit smoothie at the local coffee shop the other day, i had joked that i was having this (and not my usual coffee) as i needed the vit-a-mins - to be met with a slightly confused air that disappeared when i rephrased as vi-ta-mins. The same thing happened at subway with Tom-ah-to and Tom-ay-to, and oregano. These are but a couple of examples that immediately spring to mind. One thing is for sure - you know when you're back in America 'cause nearly every reply you hear is 'Huh?' or 'What?'

Monday, September 11, 2006

Five Years On

As the fifth anniversary of September 11th arrives, we must remind ourselves not to forget the events of that terrible day, and the subsequent consequences that have spread around the world. We live in uncertain times.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Meet Jasper

Having had my cat Jasper for coming on a week now, you can well imagine that he's beginning to settle into my apartment very well. After an initial spate of hiding under the sink (don't ask), he's now beginning to become a bit less shy. And also a bit more frantic when playing with toys. Talk about a crazy cat!!! Anyway, demand for a picture or two of Jasper has been high - with my mother, at one point, ordering me to leave work and go home so she can see him via webcam. So, at last i give in to demand - here are two pictures for your perusal. Enjoy!!




I'm sure you'll all agree, he's adorable. And very affectionate. At least when he's not running around after his toy mouse!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Photos from A Small Island 3

Apologies for the slight delay in this - work is it's usual hectic self at the moment. Even more so as i have my next lab meeting at the end of the month. Joy!! Anyway, as promised, here are some more photos from my UK sojourn.


From Left to Right - Rachel, Michael, Me and David - at Emma's Wedding


Emma (the Bride) and her three Bridesmaids


The (usually) camera-shy Tracey.


Me on Canal St in Manchester


Lindsey (left), Me and Anita (right) in Brannigans - the bar I used to work in, on my last night in the UK

Monday, September 04, 2006

From a Car to A Cat

Having finally made the commitment to buying a car, you can probably guess that i've been doing a fair bit of driving about town - in order to get used to the feel of the thing, driving on the right hand side and, of course, changing gear with my right hand instead of my left hand. And you'd be right. Generally, i'm beginning to get used to it, after an initial couple of hiccups of putting the windscreen wipers on instead of the indicators. But, hey! Everyone is allowed a couple of mistakes (provided they don't result in a crash! At least that's what i say). Anyway, one of the major things that i had wanted to do now for sometime (and not gotten around to) was getting a cat. Having had workmates go through the 'adoption' process here, they had agreed to take me to the right place so i could sort it all out.

So, today, the day came and after leaving work early (it WAS Labor Day today after all - a bank holiday), we headed out to Petsmart, a pretty big Pet store over in Mount Pleasant so i could see if there were any animals that interested me. After having a bit of a faff-on over paperwork (i had to come back into town and go back out again), everything was duly sorted and i was now the proud 'owner/parent' of a 4 month-old ginger tom cat whose working name was OJ (obviously for his colour but unfortunately reminding me of OJ Simpson). A short journey and 'OJ' was at his new home and having a wander to see what the place was like. Of course, OJ has now been ditched and he is now officially called Jasper (thanks, Mum!). And he's adorable. Pictures will no doubt follow at a later date - just to let visitors take note. I hope they're all cat people.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

(You) Drive Me Crazy

Having returned from the UK, one of my major aims for the near future was to finally get round to buying a car - something i had been thinking about for nearly a year now but only just now had the financial ability to do so. Before leaving for British shores, i had put out feelers with a local dealer (and friend of a workmate) who contacted me this week with a car that i might be interested in (a manual aka 'stick shift' naturally). Having given it a test drive, and expressed an interest, today i decided to take the car to an independent garage and see what their impression one. Fortunately, it was largely favourable save for a minor problem (dim left headlight, tyres need changing soon) but given the deal that i was offered, i decided to go ahead and buy it. Thus, i have a car. At last. I was considering telling the story of how i couldn't get the car to start and had to get the dealer to come over, only to find that it was because i wasn't pressing the clutch down (potential title: "How to Drive An American Car") but decided that it wasn't worth my humiliation (hey, i have a PhD. Doesn't mean i can start a car, right?!). Anyway, photos are attached for your perusal. Enjoy.