The Sensible Rebel

Road trip June/July 2008

2009-01-11T03:36:00.000-08:00

So, last year June/July I went for a little drive with 3 friends, a couple of tents and a roof-mounted space saver. We left from Leesburg, Virginia and after driving southwest to the Gulf of Mexico, west to the Pacific Ocean, North East to Lake Michigan, and east to the Atlantic Ocean, all with random stopovers in between at various points of interest, we then headed south, back to Leesburg Virginia. All in it took 5 weeks and we covered about 14 000 kms, give or take a kilometer or two.

People warned us before we left that, “4 people in a small sedan would end badly” and that, “You will be sick of each other after two weeks!” Admittedly there were a few occasions where mildly terse words were shared and teeth were gritted, but for the most part the intrepid adventurers got on famously. The little band of travelers included my Aussie mate Andrew, Andrew’s Dad Colin, Andrew’s American girlfriend Meghan, and yours truly.

35 days through 29 states allows you to see a lot of stuff, both absolutely random (like Foamhenge, a life size reconstruction of the famous Stonehenge made entirely out of Styrofoam) and mind-blowingly breathtaking (like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley). I know how boring looking at somebody else’s vacation photos can be, so I have decided to just share with you the highlights of my trip.

Memphis, Tennessee:
Home to both Beale Street with its famous blues bars and clubs, and Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home. The music and atmosphere on Beale Street was awesome and there seemed to be a never ending festival feel that permeated through everything as we walked up and down trying to decide where we wanted to listen to some old school blues music and dine on gumbo, barbeque and other southern fried delicacies.

Graceland, Elvis’ home snuck onto my favourites list. I have never been a huge fan of “The King” but after touring his home and the various museums set up in his memory, I was gob smacked by the extent of his accomplishments. I left Graceland with contradictory feelings about Elvis of both opulence and humility.

Monument Valley, Utah:
Natures artistry at its best. For me, it was one of those places where, while sitting in silence on the top of a huge rock, the power of the forces of nature can be experienced, illustrated in the way the sandstone and shale has been eroded and shaped over millions of years.

Grand Canyon, Arizona:
Again, it was one of those places on earth that have to be seen to be appreciated. We were fortunate enough to witness both a spectacular sunset and a superb sunrise over the canyon. Andrew, having visited once before, remembered the route of a walk that took us about halfway down into the canyon and afforded us some special views of the canyon.

Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, Nevada:
Both of these were just so unexpectedly mammoth in their presence that they couldn’t not make it onto my favourites list. The temperature at the gargantuan concrete behemoth that is the Hoover Dam was pushing 45ºC which was an experience in its own.

Las Vegas didn’t disappoint the expectations that I had created in my mind. We left our hotel, The Riviera, at about 9:30pm, and took a six hour walk up and down ‘the strip’ stopping at various casinos and hotels including Ceaser’s Palace, The Bellagio and New York, New York. The energy and the excitement, along with the heat, didn’t abate for even a second. I even flushed $10 down a slot machine just to say I have gambled in Vegas.

San Francisco, California:
A highlight for two solid reasons; I got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge, and I caught up with an old friend and blog-inspirer, the BCB.

Lake Tahoe, California:
This was probably one of the biggest highlights of the trip for me, as it was so unexpected. We had not planned on stopping there but once we saw the crystal clear lake and the quaint little towns, it was a definite highlight for all of us. In winter it is a skiing and snowboarding Mecca, and in summer the hills offer running and mountain biking trails galore and the lake begs to be swum in.

Yellowstone National Park, Montana & Wyoming:
Just awesomely beautiful, and because I got to see ‘Old Faithful’, grizzly and brown bears, a bald eagle and some moose. (Or should that be meese?)

Dubois, Wyoming:
Meghan’s cousin’s home. We spent a day hiking and fishing at a lake called Jade Lake, up in the mountains. Incredibly pure and peaceful.

Chicago, Illinois and Boston, Massachusetts:
Both awesome cities with great bars and people. In Boston we walked the Freedom Trail through the city and took in some of the US’ most significant history.

After all was said and done, it was a road trip of a life time and one that will live on in my memory, and my photo book for years to come.

And we're back...

2008-12-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

After a few months in the cyber wilderness, that and settling back into life in Cape Town after being a citizen of the Northern Hemisphere for a year, I have given the blog a mild makeover and decided to brag about some of my road trip exploits around the United States of America. However, 14 000km (or about 9000 miles) in 5 weeks definitely deserves its own post, so watch this space.

In the meantime I will be casting my sometimes cynical, sometimes sarcastic and often times skeptical eye over life, in and around Cape Town.

Right now though I need to be part of an ever so important discussion over who should win the prize for scholar of the year in grade 6 for 2008, cause it is so important who the top academic in the grade is when you're 12 years old.

Life's Cruel Blessings!

2008-06-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Life is governed by cycles. The cycles of the moon around the earth, the cycles of seasons, the cycles of man-made schedules that govern our days. There are beginnings and inevitably there are endings.

I have never been good at the endings part. The cycle of yet another academic school year has ended and some of the people I have had the incredible joy of meeting and becoming friends with are now moving on. It hurts! I have never been okay with idea of not seeing someone again, especially someone that I have become close with. I get it that feeling the sadness and the emptiness of that person’s departure indicates that the relationship was real and sincere, but it doesn’t make it easier.

An ending means that a new beginning is about to happen though. The cycle of life continues. The sadness will become bearable, and eventually fade, and the excitement of the adventure will arise, phoenix-like, from the ashes.

I once heard a saying;

“People come into our lives in three different ways,
Some, for a reason,
Some for a season,
And some for a lifetime!

To the wonderful people who have come into my life for a reason, or for this season, I salute you and thank you. Know that your departure is not taken lightly. Those that have come into it for a lifetime, I’ll see you soon!

61º N 150º W and then some…

2008-04-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have been back from Alaska for almost ten days now and I haven’t been able come up with some smart angle to describe my trip into the Arctic Circle. But then that is perhaps the exact effect that Alaska has on you. Not the proverbial ‘speechless’ description, but simply that Alaska is not fancy, it doesn’t try to be clever, and it doesn’t have illusions of grandeur. Alaska simply is. It is real, it doesn’t make excuses, it is raw and it is unforgiving. At the same time its pure beauty reaches in and touches you in a way that you can never forget.

I spent a week in various places, and in that time I came across very few people who were born and bred Alaskans. Every one of these Alaskan immigrants that I spoke to made an almost identical comment. The comment was one that I too uttered on more than one occasion in that week. The comment being, “Alaska is a place I always wanted to see!” They had all heeded the call and found some way to make a stay of varying lengths in America’s 49th state. Many of the guide books and biographies set in Alaska make a similar statement intimating that a little piece of Alaska stays with you when you leave. That little piece that stays with you, in my opinion, is a simple unadorned realism that transcends the superfluous nature of living in modern times.

But before I get ahead of myself and come across as a Zen touting tree hugger, let me explain my reason for heading north into the Arctic over Spring break, while all my colleagues headed south to the equator. As a young kid I saw an advert for J&B whiskey on television featuring the Aurora Borealis and a Polar Bear. I don’t recall the connection between the scenery and the whiskey, but I do know that those swirling, dancing lights left an impression on me. Witnessing the Northern Lights became one of the things that I had to do in my lifetime. And let me tell you it is so worth the time and money spent to get to Alaska. Nobody can actually describe what it is like actually witnessing the Aurora Borealis first hand, and I am not even going to try, save to say that for about two hours around midnight of March 17, 2008, I was oblivious to the -30 degree temperatures and was completely in awe of one of natures most incredible phenomenon. I have included some photos below that give you an idea of what I witnessed, but again they don’t even come close.

After that the rest of my trip was spent dog sledding, snowmobiling, flight-seeing and just simply ‘being’ in the raw beauty of Alaska. I toured around Fairbanks, popped in to see Father Christmas in North Pole (yes, it is an actual place, and no, he wasn’t home), strolled around downtown Anchorage and just for fun went snowmobiling again.

In Transit.

2008-03-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

I am busy sorting through my digital mountain of photos from Alaska. As soon as I have cropped, lightened, darkened and generally edited to my liking I will post a report on my completely phantasmagorical trip. In the meantime I want to share some of the observations I made while in transit between the East and West coasts of this country.

1. Why is there Braille lettering on the overhead reading light button? Did they think this through completely?
2. Why is there a disposal specifically designed and marked for hypodermic needles in the lavatory of the airplane. I don’t even want to know who is using so many needles that they deemed it necessary to have a specific disposal.
3. The little Asian woman in the seat across the aisle from me is tapping her foot in time to my music. The interesting thing about this is that the music is in my head!! Freaky!
4. In the 60 minutes I have been sitting in the waiting area of the Minneapolis airport, there have been at least 8 public announcements for people to retrieve lost items from security. I can understand misplacing your keys. I can understand leaving a book somewhere. I can even see how you might forget your coat. But I am having trouble understanding how you can misplace your fishing rod.
5. Some completely useless facts from the pilot. The airplane weighs about 115 000 kg. 15 000 kg is accounted for by passengers. The flight from Minneapolis to Anchorage used 24 000 liters of fuel.
6. The 10 year old kid in the seat next to me convinced me that the chewing gum he offered me just before landing had edible paper around it. It didn’t. His response; “If the worst thing that happens to us today is that we eat a bit of paper, I think we’re in good shape!”

In honour of peanut butter.

2008-03-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

I like peanut butter. Many people my age, and many younger and older than I, graduated from school with the help of the energy and the nutritious ingredients on a good old fashioned peanut butter sandwich. Not only were they a good breaktime snack, but peanut butter sandwiches were also a good form of hard currency. I occasionally traded them for cheese sandwiches with the boy at the desk next to me and I swapped out with the boy at the desk behind me for his strawberry jam sandwiches. Peanut butter sandwiches are also the food fight weapon of choice. Nothing sticks quite like peanut butter when hurled at the right velocity! Peanut butter sandwiches are also the ultimate fast food. What is quicker to prepare than a layer of creamy (or crunchy) peanut butter on a slice of bread. Peanut butter can also be accessorised. It is easy to add a smattering of jam (or jelly if you're American), syrup or even honey. Peanut butter is ageless, which doesn't mean it keeps forever, but rather that I still enjoy a peanut butter sandwich 16 years after completing high school.

However, yesterday, my world was thrown into temporary turmoil. While choosing my next jar of peanut butter, I came across two new somewhat disturbing options. Cashew butter and almond butter! When did peanuts' snooty cousins, cashew and almond become a spread? Why would you even want to mess with the legacy that is peanut butter? Now while I will try anything at least once, and I am aware of the health benefits of both cashews and almonds, I am proud to say that I placed a jar of organic peanut butter into my shopping trolley and brought it home with me.

Long live peanut butter!

Environmentally Friendly!

2008-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post this picture for a while now. Don't you love how in their efforts to keep the gardens and greenways of our neighbourhood neat, tidy, and presentable, the local government has provided these posts with a supply of plastic, non-biodegradable bags for you to put your dogs biodegradable doodoo in when you take them out for a walk! And should you be caught allowing your dog to head the call of nature and not pick the biodegradable deposit up, not put it into one of the non-biodegradable bags and not throw the non-biodegradable bag into the convenient receptacle, in order that it be taken to a landfill somewhere with kilotons of other non-biodegradable waste, they will fine you up to $200. Does anyone else see the irony in this?

Rocket Scientists?

2008-02-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

On my little sojourn into Houston, Texas we stopped by and visited the Johnson Space Centre. This is where all NASA's expeditions out of our atmosphere are controlled from. From the early days of the Apollo missions to the current Space Shuttle Atlantis expedition to the International Space Station. It is all watched over from there.

Part of the tour took us to the training facility where they have mock ups of the shuttle and the space station for the astronauts, engineers and scientists to muck about with. The funniest thing though was the warning sticker placed on a table in the training facility. I apologise for the poor picture quality but the table was reasonably far away.

I think the sticker speaks or itself. Apparently the more obvious dangers in life are not always that obvious if you are a rocket scientist.

Priorities?

2008-02-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

So I went out this morning to shop for a few items of clothing. The items in question were a suit, which I had heard was on sale, a new pair of running shorts and some seriously thick socks for my coming trip to Alaska. What did I come home with? A case of beer and some toilet paper! Men! Go figure!

I would like to present the following explanation though, before you throw your head back in dismay, or disbelief, or complete amusement, whichever comes first. On my trip to Houston, Texas this weekend, fortune served me a Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale at dinner. It is an auburn coloured seasonal ale that has been brewed with dark roasted caramel malts and then aged on bourbon oak casks and whole Madagascar vanilla beans. Needles to say you have to taste it to appreciate it. It is quite possible one of the finest beers I have tasted on my travels. Hence my reason for buying some when I happened to see it in the local wine and beer store. Ok, so I went looking for it.

PS. The toilet paper purchase has no reflection on the ale. We simply needed toilet paper in our apartment!

Freezing Rain!

2008-02-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Living in Africa can limit your winter weather experience to some degree. Not that I am complaining at all. I love the weather patterns we have. Find me someone who grew up on the highveld and didn't love its awesome summer afternoon lightening storms and thundershowers and I will show you someone who should probably immigrate back north again. While it does get cold in SA, it rarely goes into the really low single digits and it is a severe winter that sees subzero temperatures, unless you live in Southerland or Bethlehem of course.

This rambling discourse, in case you are wondering, serves as an introduction to the reason I am at home posting this blog, and not at school enriching the lives of my students. I received a phone call at exactly 5:02 this morning, via the phone-tree, that schools have been closed for the day due to the "freezing rain" that fell during the night. Not a blizzard or heavy snow, but "freezing rain."

Now this "freezing rain" is a concept that, until this morning anyway, I had not been able to get my head around. Freezing Rain? What exactly is "Freezing Rain"? I had images in my mind of the DC/Marvel character Subzero, cruising round on his frozen surfboard shooting streams of frozen water at people and things making them freeze instantly in their tracks. I had images of droplets of rain suspended, or frozen, in midair, with people having to walk around them as they made their way in and out of buildings and cars. I had images of magical drops of rain that turned your entire car or personage into a statue the moment it hit you.

As it turns out, it is none of the above. What it actually is is the fact that it is so cold outside, that the raindrop freezes almost immediately after it makes contact with any exposed surface. When enough raindrops accumulate and freeze on any flat surface it forms a slick plane of ice that is usually not visible to the naked eye. This of course makes walking on the sidewalk a little tricky. More to the point though, is that the layer of ice that forms on the road is also invisible and potentially deadly. And with 95% of students being transported to and from school on the public school's bus service, they decided it was safer to keep the students at home for the day. Hence the reason I am here rambling on about the weather.

Personally I still prefer the “Subzero superhero” explanation, but either way I get the day off school. I took a couple of pictures this morning, without managing to fall on my arse, although I did come close a couple of times. If nothing else, nature is a superb artist!

You can't make this stuff up!

2008-02-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

Two things;

1. I have yet to find someone who can explain to me why they call their spelling competitions here in the US, a "Spelling Bee". Not my team leader, not my principal, nor any other member of the faculty has been able to explain that to me. Hmm!

2. Upon returning to school the day after receiving a spelling guide, given to the winner and runner up, in my class Spelling Bee, the young student in question turns to me and says, "Wow, there are some interesting words in here. Some words I knew like 'magnificient' but some words, like 'megalopolis' I thought were made up words from Sponge Bob!"

You just have to love teaching on days like that!

Things that wouldn't work in SA!

2008-02-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ten things that wouldn't work in SA, but are part of every day life here in the US.

1. Crossing a road in a parking lot with 98% certainty that cars will stop for you.

2. Self-checkout aisles in supermarkets.

3. Leaving your bicycle outside a convenience store without locking it up.

4. Leaving your kid's toys out on the front lawn.

5. Getting an awesome tax payout after only working for 5 months. This in addition to the fact that it takes two weeks from submission of forms to payout!

6. Leaving your cell phone somewhere and having it returned to you.

7. Being able to buy marshmallow in a jar. Its called fluff! Seriously! Apparently you put it onto a sandwich with peanut butter.

8. Leaving your coat or jacket on your seat in a sports arena while you go and buy more beer.

9. Buying tequila at a sports match. (I think I've spoken enough about this though!)

10. Calling your used car dealership "Koons!"

American Natural Roadkill Museum

2008-01-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Seriously! While walking through the American Natural History Museum in New York we came across the following exhibit. I really am not sure of its purpose. The rest of the museum has very tasteful and delicately laid out displays of all manner of animals from around the world, all in various mid-action poses. They have endless halls of reconstructed dinosaur fossils, some reaching 10 meters or more into the air. They have a wonderful temporary display of mythical beasts and creatures. They have whole halls showing time lines that span trillions of years in the evolution of the creatures on our planet. And then you come across this. You have to start asking questions when you see displays in a premier national museum of what in my mind is clearly roadkill!

NEW YORK!!!!

2008-01-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

To be completely honest, New York kind of snuck up on me. “How can one of the biggest and most famous cities in the world sneak up on you?” I hear you ask. Well, firstly I was fairly engrossed in the movie that was being shown on the bus, and, secondly, it was raining, overcast and generally gloomy outside, all of which “hazed” our view from the bus. It was only when someone on the bus gasped at what must have been their first sighting that we looked out of the foggy windows to see the grey, New York City skyline. Our first real view of the city was a momentary sighting as we headed down towards the Lincoln Tunnel, which takes you under the Hudson River, and brings you out right in the city for about two blocks before the bus once again dives underground into the multi-story, underground bus terminal.

From the moment you step out of the bus terminal though, your senses are assaulted, and the visual, aural and olfactory bombardment doesn’t cease until you leave. Not once in the 6 days that we spent in New York did the noise subside, not once did the lights stop flickering and flashing, and not once did we cross a street, without seeing some guy selling either honey-roasted nuts and/or hot dogs, which filled the air immediately around him with, shall we say, 'interesting' odors. That was in addition to the non-stop chicory aromas permeating from the Starbucks that are located on virtually every corner. In fact, on our second or third day, we were going to have a contest to see who could spot the most Starbucks from the top of the open top bus tour, but as we were already up to 5 before we had even traveled two or three blocks towards the Uptown area, and had missed several points of interest being pointed out by our guide, we decided to halt the game. (For the record, I was winning though!)

It is true what they say; New York, literally, does not sleep. On every occasion that I got up in the night, to head the call of nature, there were always the sounds of people laughing and shouting, cars hooting, trucks unloading goods, and emergency vehicles blaring their sirens.

We were fortunate enough to get accommodation right in the centre of Manhattan, which meant we were only a few blocks up from Times Square, only a few blocks down from Central Park and only a few blocks west of 5th Avenue. In fact, our apartment was in a building that is on the corner of W 53 Street and Broadway. The Tonight Show, with David Letterman, is recorded in a studio that takes up most of the one side of the building that we stayed in. And no, we didn’t see David!

I could go on and on about New York and the myriad of things to see and do. In the 6 days we spent there we were on the go all day every day, and most nights, and only scratched the surface. For the sake of brevity then, I have made a [short?] list of the things that stood out for me. I have also included a few of the over 400 photos I took while in NYC. (Thank goodness for digital cameras! Are you hearing me BCB?)

1. Times Square at night.
2. Times Square in the day. (Times Square is just really cool all the time. Except perhaps on New Year’s Eve, when you need to share it with about a million other people all hoping to catch a glimpse of the giant electronic bauble, which descends to mark the New Year slower than a scene from Titanic. In fact it probably takes longer to drop than the Titanic itself took to sink.
3. Starbucks lattes and Starbucks hot chocolate when it was cold!
4. Our guide telling anyone on board our open top bus with scruples to look left, while showing us the only “clothing optional yoga studio” on the right. They must have been on a break though, as there was nobody inside!
5. Pizza at Angelo’s on Broadway!
6. Greenwich Village. Home to odd people, delicious delis and interesting architecture. It is the one place in NYC that I would definitely visit again. The restaurants are original, affordable and serve good food. Well the one Mexican Restaurant we went to was.
7. The Empire State Building – from the outside. Getting to the top is a minor mission. Unless of course you are Spiderman. Even the supposedly “fast-track” lanes can still take you over an hour.
8. “Top of the Rock” observatory at the very top of the Rockefeller Building. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! It takes you 20 minutes from entering the building to getting out of the elevator onto the deck at the top. And it cost half of what you pay to go up the Empire State Building. The views in my opinion were better, the service outstanding and the building itself was spectacular.
9. Grand Central Station!
10. The unexpected jewel of a discovery; the fresh produce market at Grand Central Station.
11. Central Park in any way you want to look at it. Except of course from the smelly back seat of one of the horse drawn carriages that circle the lower east corner of the park in an unending sausage machine cycle. The 20 minute ride costs a small fortune and its flippin’ freezing. But on the other hand, when you are only likely to be in NYC once, I guess it’s worth it.
12. Chinchins Chinese restaurant and the crazy dancing waiters, as well as Jimmy the awesome owner, manager and host.
13. The 'free' Staten Island Ferry at sunset with views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
14. Seeing a show on Broadway! Okay, so the production of Hairspray, that we watched wasn’t much better than your average high school musical, but it was a fun evening non-the-less.
15. The “H2O” exhibit, the “Dinosaurs” IMAX film and the “Cosmic Collision” show in the planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.

Crossing over with Apple!

2008-01-16T18:52:00.000-08:00

It has finally happened! I gave in! I crossed over to the techno-dark side. After swearing blindly that I couldn’t see the sense in having earphones jammed into my ears while doing exercise, and coming up with so many reasons as to why it is unsafe and just downright ridiculous, I crossed over tonight and joined the ever-growing number of people who wear some sort of MP3 player while exercising. Having received an Apple ipod as a gift at Christmas this year, and finally loading some music onto it, I took it to gym with me and ran my regular 5km on the treadmill, while listening to some excellent 80s music. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of hearing Mr. Roboto by Styx half way through my run.

An old friend and a new city!

2008-01-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Back when I was a scrawny teenager embarking on my high school career I became friends with a guy called Ryan. Ryan was born in the USA, but as a baby moved to South Africa with his parents. As teenagers we were both of the adrenaline-seeking persuasion and would spend afternoons and weekends sneaking into places where we probably really shouldn’t have, in order to find new and exciting places to rip up on our skateboards. (Although I can’t prove it, I am going to boast that we, along with another mate Ralph, were the first and possibly only kids to sneak in and skate on the roof of the Arwyp Medical Centre in Kempton Park. I can see my mother shaking her head as she reads this little boastful admission.) When not skateboarding we would take Ryan’s Kawasaki off-road motorcycle and head at break-neck speeds along the sandy trails and paths around the outskirts of the neighbourhoods in which we lived. In hindsight we probably should have been wearing something more protective than the t-shirts and jeans that we had on. (But Mom, if you are reading this, know that we did at least wear a helmet.) Irresponsible and slightly dangerous choices aside though, with the exception of a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, we came through it unharmed. The only possible negative side effect that my mother might argue is that it was these little excursions with Ryan that probably fuelled my current penchant for scuba-diving, mountain biking, bungee jumping, and my desire to still go skydiving. Physical dangers aside, our extra-curricular pursuits were wholesome, outdoor activities and we never once felt the need or desire to experiment with drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. In fact, by the time that Ryan and his parents moved back to the USA at the end of 1993, we had never once shared a beer or gone out to a club, pub or bar together.

Unfortunately Ryan and I lost contact with each other for the next 12 years and it was only through a set of fortunate circumstances that I managed to track him down again. As a result of the combination this good fortune and the timing of my little adventure to the USA, I was able to not only catch up and spend Christmas with a dear old friend, but also visit another city for the first time. So while Ryan didn’t become the storm-chasing climatologist I had always imagined him to be, he does still ride and race motorcycles, and he owns his own production company, called Lionstarfilms, which makes corporate video for many of Atlanta’s and the US’s top companies. And on top of that he makes a pretty darn good tour guide of Atlanta as well. And as neither of had a skateboard handy we decided to sit down and enjoy a drink together for the first time.

Atlanta really is a huge city. In fact, as a result of its location and not being impeded by any physical landform, it is continuing to grow sideways rather than. That is not to say that the city doesn’t have an abundance of plate glass and steel skyscrapers. It has that and more. There are the old, historical neighbourhoods, the esoteric, eclectic, and alternative suburbs and the trendy, yuppie post-modernistic design, living developments, all thrown into the mix too. The one warming observation that I did make while visiting all these areas though, was that it is clean. The city definitely takes pride in its appearance. The city can also brag being Martin Luther King Jr’s hometown, as well as being the venue for two excellent tourist traps, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca Cola. I also got to experience my first ice-hockey game while in Atlanta. The Atlanta Thrashers verse the Toronto Canadiens ice-hockey game proved to be a really fortunate game to attend, as not only did the game end in a tied score, resulting in an exciting and relatively rare penalty face off, but I had the hilarious pleasure of witnessing someone proposing on the big screen to his girlfriend. (And here we thought it just happened in the movies!)

All in it was both an exciting and nostalgic trip to Atlanta for Christmas.

If you're gonna drink together why not make it single malt, 15 year old, at the top of the Westin Hotel, in a revolving restaurant on the 70th floor, while enjoying the night lights of Atlanta?

$50 first prize if you can tell me where the puck is?

Beluga whales, which occur naturally in the Arctic Ocean, but have been brought to the Georgia Aquarium by way of Mexico! Huh!

So how much pressure can that glass take anyway?

The World of Coca-Cola!

High fructose corn syrup anyone?

Not to be too obvious, but, um, Atlanta at night!

And while we are stating the obvious, Atlanta's skyline during the day!

Body Clock!

2008-01-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

Having grown up and gone though my entire primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Africa, a certain cycle of Southern Hemisphere life is entrenched in me. In South Africa, as with most Southern Hemisphere schools, the academic year begins a week or two into January. The smell of lush, green grass on the school sports fields, freshly mowed after the summer rains, heralds the arrival of a new year of possibilities, a new year of challenges, and a new year of mischief of some kind or other. The school year then plays out in the same routine. Four academic quarters of about 10 or 11 weeks filled with mornings in the classroom and afternoons out on the sports fields. During the year, each academic quarter is separated by a much anticipated break of anywhere between ten days to three weeks. During these vacations we would have the much needed “down time” from school, running around with our friends, riding our bicycles, swimming and generally getting up to innocent mischief. Come November/December and the end of the fourth quarter, we would write our end of year exams, attend the final assembly and prize giving and happily run the teachers over in our enthusiasm to get out the school gates and start six weeks of glorious summer vacationing. As well as occasional family trips to either the beach or mountains in one or other part of our beautiful country, these holidays would also bring with them Christmas and New Year celebrations, ultimately signifying the end of another year and the completion of another turn of the cycle.

You can imagine then my complete sense of having my world turned upside down by coming to teach in the Northern Hemisphere. If you have grown up in the Northern Hemisphere, then of course this cycle of things would make complete sense. But to me, starting the school year in August, having the academic quarters measured by report ‘due dates’ and not holidays, only two short school breaks (between 3 and 6 school days off for each) for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years, neither of which signifies the start of a new year, all in the first 18 weeks of teaching, just sends my whole body clock out of sync. You can also understand then, how my mind is telling my body that the time of year is early January, which is associated with the first cutting of the lush, green grass, afternoon thunderstorms, and the beginning of a new cycle, yet my body is telling my mind that it is 2 degrees Celsius outside, the trees are bare and that running around in a pair of swimming shorts all day is just not an option right now.

I guess the point of all this is that is amazing how our lives are so dominated by routines, cycles and comfort zones, and it is only when we take ourselves out of those routines completely that we become aware of them. Therefore I am going to go and crack a beer on this frosty Saturday here in the Northern hemisphere and celebrate this wintery January and all its un-cyclical beauty, all while quietly praying for a couple of snow days.

'snow problem at all!

2007-12-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago we had our first and, to date, only snowfall. By local standards it wasn’t a biggie, only about 2 -3 inches at best. By South African standards of course this was a climatological adventure of note. As far as I can remember I have only ever experienced snow up close twice in my life. One occasion being a freak snow fall in Johannesburg in 1982 at the tender age of about 8 years old. The second time was on a college geography tour to Lesotho to see the construction of the Katse Dam as part of the Highlands Water Project. While the first was seriously memorable (ask any kid who was in school in Johannesburg in 1982) the second was somewhat disappointing as there wasn’t very much snow at all. Hence my complete enthrallment with the icy precipitation two weeks ago.

The danger of course with snow is that if it gets cold enough over night, the snow freezes and becomes solid ice and not the easiest surface to drive on. So at the first sign of snow and or icy driving conditions, schools are closed in our, and surrounding, counties. Well, usually anyway, but not this time. It was deemed by the powers that be, that 2 – 3 inches of snow did not warrant a snow day, and that it was still safe to transport students to school. I just happen to have witnessed at least three cars skidding across various roads with shell-shocked drivers who might disagree with this sentiment though. Never-the-less, on the second day of snow we were all contacted at about 5:00 in the morning and told that school would be starting two hours later than normal, in order for the surface ice to melt and thereby make the roads safer to drive on. What nobody took the time to tell me was that apparently that doesn’t apply to teachers. Apparently teachers are supposed to report for duty only one hour later. Oh well!

I have included some photos below of the snowfall around our apartment complex and a few photos of my students having a snowball fight. It was only upon our sodden return to the class that I was informed that we are apparently not permitted to take the kids outside and let them play in the snow. Oops! Oh well! Again!

...and at 3am you have a slice!

2007-12-10T16:04:00.001-08:00

There is a small suburb in the northern part of Washington DC called Adams Morgan. It reminds me of Melville in Johannesburg, or even Rocky Street, Yeoville, as we used to know it back in the early 90’s. It is an eclectic mix of pubs, clubs, restaurants and coffee shops servicing a smorgasbord of people from all walks of life. On one side of the street, within the space of about 50m you will come across a bikers bar, an Ethiopian restaurant, some standard issue sports bars, a jazz lounge, a night club and a piano bar. With names like “Anarchy”, “Tom-Toms”, "Millie and Al’s" and “The Reef”, you can just imagine how it makes for an interesting evening of people watching.

And at 3am, after all the clubs, bars, restaurants and lounges have rung the bell for last round, everyone spills out onto the sidewalk and makes their way up to one of three little pizza take away spots and ends the evening (or should that be early morning) by having "a slice” of pizza. What is so remarkable about that you might ask? This “slice” is not your standard issue “slice" of pizza. It is a "slice" of pizza, not a whole pizza, which measures about 40cm from crust to tip and about 30 cm at its widest point along the crust. And it tastes great!!! NO! That’s not because we were all on a "good beer buzz early in the morning!" I have had one of these slices at about 4 in the afternoon and it was just as good. In fact my good mate, Andrew the Aussie, actually packed away two slices on one particular night. But that’s another story!

Ten Things I learned in Pennsylvania and Ohio

2007-12-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

For the Thanksgiving holidays I was fortunate enough to visit parts of the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio and stay in the home of a colleague's family from school in order to experience a traditional Thanksgiving . It turned out to be a great way to see another part of the USA, with a local as a guide, and a learning experience of some note. Some of the lessons were one's you would expect I should know already, and others were genuine first time experiences.

LESSON 1: It is possible to put your whole lunch order between two slices of bread and make it taste good.

We stopped in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for lunch. The restaurant is called Primanti Brothers and is famous throughout the Northeast and Mid West states for its sandwiches. I should mention that this restaurant is at its busiest at about 3am, just after last call at the pubs in town. How much this factor affects the restaurant's infamy, I am not sure. For the record, I had a corn beef and cheese sandwich with coleslaw and fries... all between two slices of bread.

LESSON 2: Pictures taken through the sun roof and back passenger window can turn out better than expected.

These are two fairly random pics of the city of Pittsburgh. The city lies at the confluence of three rivers and was at one time the hub of the metal industry in the USA. There are many interesting bridges that need to be crossed to get round the city. Pittsburgh was voted into the top 5 most beautiful cities in the USA at one time. It is an interesting mix of post-modern metal and glass design, and old style Gothic churches and redbrick warehouses.

LESSON 3: The Amish community was not invented for the movie "The Witness" and do actually exist in all their unique non-materialistic splendour.

As part of my Standard 9 curriculum we did a film study of the movie "The Witness" with Harrison Ford and a very young Elijah Wood. This was my introduction to the Amish religion. The Amish are actually a sect of the Pennsylvania Dutch which originated in Switzerland and have at least 2o other sects. Each sect has its own unwritten laws pertaining to how they integrate themselves into society at large. Chris, my host and chauffeur, was kind enough to drive me through a small Amish farm community on our way to Ohio.

LESSON 4: Pumpkin pie is best eaten with loads of whipped cream.

As part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, pumpkin pie is served as a dessert with whipped cream. The jury is still out as to whether or not I liked it.

LESSON 5: Not everyone is born to be rock star, and that's okay!

Electronic entertainment has risen to new heights. X-Box have a game that comes complete with microphone, guitars (both base and lead) and a drum set. You then stand glued to the television set watching your particular cues to strum and play various combinations of coloured buttons on the neck of the guitar and thereby belt out scary renditions of some of the classic rock songs from the last 35 years. I could just feel Mick Jagger cringing. Even so, it was great entertainment for the evening.

LESSON 6: Snow is cool... literally!

It snowed on Thanksgiving day. This was my first experience of snow in the US. It WAS cool! And we were warm as toast indoors playing RockBand! We actually had about 3 inches of snow, but I just took too long to get outside and take photos. Hence the grass showing through in the pictures.

LESSON 7: Lebron James IS the king of Cleveland.

Chris, his bother Alex, and I got tickets to see an NBA game at the Quickens Loans Arena in the city o Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Toronto Raptors and won by 111 - 108. Lebron James, the Cavs' captain, score at least a third of his teams points, as well as leading the stat in rebounds and assists. And if the there is something the Americans do well, it is keep record of game stats!!!

LESSON 8: Tequila should always be consumed in moderation!

I am not going to expand too much on this lesson. Suffice to say that courtesy of our old friend Jose Cuervo, we were too late to visit the Rock 'n Roll Hall of fame. I did get some great pictures of the outside of the imitation 'Louvre' museum though.

LESSON 9: Wind energy may be efficient and renewable but it is an eyesore on the horizon!

Being somewhat environmentally conscious, I was thrilled to have my first sighting of the turbine blades used to generate wind energy. While it was a personally exciting experience to witness these giant power generators, I couldn't help but notice how these 6 story high towers cut into the horizon. In my book though, it is still better than the cooling towers and accompanying smoke stacks of a coal power station.

LESSON 10: Black and white pictures of snow scenes can come out awesomely too!

The one they get right!!!

2007-11-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

America has become so PC that it borders on the sublime. I understand the ideal of not wanting to rub someone up the wrong way or not wanting to make individuals within an organization or team feel excluded, but seriously, there has to be a limit to how much you pander to people. And it would seem that American education system, or at least the chapter that I am currently part of has lost complete sight of that line. In order that we don’t offend anyone, or lead them to believe that we are not conscious of their religious or cultural differences, the names of the most joyously, and rigorously, celebrated holidays in America have been ‘altered’.

Since I started teaching in the US in September, which feels years ago at this point, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of two traditional holidays. The first was Halloween. However, as the foundations of Halloween apparently have connotations and associations that are considered taboo in certain religious quarters (although the Celts to whom this refers might themselves feel somewhat insulted), we were instructed to refer to this particular occasion as “The Harvest Festival” or, more commonly “The Fall Party” being that the Fall (Autumn for all my South African readers) is the season in which Halloween occurs. However, and here is the ironic part, every second house or apartment, is decorated to the gills with pumpkins, skeletons, cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows and other generally monstrous type adornments. Every restaurant, pub and take away has its windows draped with all manor of orange and black trimmings and every grocery store has whole aisles dedicated to selling the aforementioned ornamentation, as well as islands of chocolates and candy specially wrapped for the occasion, and all of the above is marketed under the very explicit label of "Halloween". On the evening of the 31st of October, the same students, who were encouraged not to use the term "Halloween", dress up as ghouls, ghosts, goblins and many other monstrous creatures and take part in the ‘trick or treating’ tradition. So which message is stronger at the end of the day?

In a similar vein to the PC approach to Halloween, we will not be breaking for Christmas holidays, but rather we will be celebrating the Winter Holidays. Taking into account that the day after Halloween, almost every store had already unpacked its Christmas decorations and repacked the aforementioned aisles with Christmas, sorry, Winter Holiday decorations, I am interested to see how the students react to this particular holiday branding.

However, having had my cynical swipe at the holidays and their related entrapments, there is one holiday that the USA gets 150% right. This particular holiday is Thanksgiving, and were it in my power, I would make it a worldwide holiday. Putting aside the actual history of the day, it is a holiday celebrated with sincerity and generosity of spirit. Family and friends unite to celebrate and give thanks for the things that they have. They sit down to a simple, yet hearty meal in the warmth of their homes and spend more than just a few hours in that old fashioned (and unfortunately somewhat forgotten) cathartic pursuit of conversing and laughing, with, at and next to each other. There are no gaudy decorations, no obligatory gift exchanging and no commercial hype. Just pure appreciation of being able to spend a couple of hours, at the very least, with loved ones. Once the meal is complete, it is traditional to all gather in front of the over sized television and watch some American Football. (The ironic part of this last little chapter in the tradition is that the players playing in the game were unable to partake in the holiday. But then I guess someone has to play in order for the rest to be able to cheer over their full bellies.)

Here’s to Thanksgiving! Cheers!

A Tribute!

2007-11-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Jack, be a gentleman,

Jack, be a rogue,

Jack, is a legend

wherever he goes.

Jack, on the rocks,

Jack, down straight,

Jack, best enjoyed

with a gracious mate.

Autumn

2007-11-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

I have just realised why Americans call 'Autumn', 'Fall'. Its got nothing to do with the leaves falling. It's so they don't have to bother trying to remember how to spell 'Autumn'. Seriously though, Loudoun County, Virginia, shares a border with the state of Maryland. Maryland in turn is part of the North East region of the USA. One of the bigger tourist draw cards to this North East region is the change of season from Summer into Fall, when the leaves go through a spectacular colour change. As nature doesn't particularly adhere to political borders and boundaries, I am in the fortunate position of witnessing mother nature's little magic show right in my back yard. The pictures below however, were taken on a walk through a place called Great Falls, which is actually in Maryland. It is also worth mentioning that one of bigger national parks on the east coast of the USA has a 24 hour hotline for the public to call in, in order to find out if the leaves have reached their peak colour change yet. My only question is, who the heck is lying awake in the early hours of the morning wonder if the seasonal leaf colour change is at its peak yet?

The Griffon

2007-10-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

What is it that makes us deliberately and willfully stand in a queue for an hour in order to strap ourselves into a plastic and metal contraption that we know is going to be travelling faster than the human body was designed to go, is being controlled by a pimple-faced college drop-out with a bad sense of humour, and inevitably brings us back to where we started about 2 minutes later? Probably sheer stupidity and the desire to see our ashen faces on a 8" by 11" television monitor, screaming like girls.

This particular roller coaster ride is located in an amusement park called Busch Gardens - Europe in a town called Williamsburg, VA. It is hailed as the world's tallest, floorless, dive coaster. The ride is called The Griffon as it is supposed to swoop down and rise victoriously as an actual griffon may have done. While I am not going to argue the mythological accuracy of naming the ride as they did, I will tell you that it involves being suspended for about 6-7 seconds over a 90 degree drop, subsequently being released to drop down the 90 degree drop for about 75 meters, reaching a speed of 120 km/h and apparently allowing you to experience 4G's of gravitational pull.

Having said that though, it is an incredibly smooth ride and I did not need to change my underwear afterwards. Not everything is bigger and better in America, but they sure do know how to put an amusement park together.

The other personal highlight of my day was the haunted castle ride. Curse of DarKastle is a ride requiring 3-D glasses and nerves of steel. If you have ever been made to feel like a twit, and not for how ridiculous you look wearing 3-D glasses, but for ducking away from computer generated arrows and flying rubble from a castle wall being ripped open by who-knows-what kind of ear-piercingly loud, nerve-wreckingly scary monster, then you know what I am talking about.

And yes, I did scream like a girl, again!

Sunday is great day for football

2007-10-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

If soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, and rugby is hooligans game played by gentleman, where does that leave American Football? Who knows, but on Sunday October 7, Andrew and I managed to secure tickets to a NFL American Football game between the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions at the Redskins home ground, FedEx Field. For a game that only has 60 minutes of actual game time, it takes about 4 hours to be completed, give or take a timeout or two. Having said that though, the intensity in the stadium was such that it seemed as if the game passed in the same amount of time as a rugby match. Not once in those four hours did the crowd's enthusiasm waiver, not once did the chant of "DE-FENCE" fade, and every time the 'Skins' scored a touchdown the cheerleaders led a rousing chorus of "Hail to the Redskins," the teams war cry-come-team song. The beers were cold, the nachos and chicken wings were hot, at half time the marching band played, and all the while the sun beat down incessantly. All in, a highly recommended day out!

One for my South African audience.

2007-10-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

So there I was, cruising through the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, in absolute awe of some wildlife photography on display in a special exhibit, when I came across the following photo. The photo itself is pretty impressive, you have to admit. A lot of thought went into taking it as is evident from the explanation on the board crediting the photographer. What I would like to know though is which part of the Transvaal exactly was this photo taken?

Overheard one day at the zoo...

2007-10-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 30, saw my erstwhile Australian acquaintance and I, taking a leisurely trip into Washington DC for a spot of zoological research.

Now for those of you who are thinking, "Aha! We knew it! They were checking out the birds again," I would like to point out that the Smithsonian Zoological Park does not have a very impressive bird display. In fact we didn't even get to see any birds, barring one exception, which I will expand upon later.

As with many progressive cities around the world nowadays, Washington DC does not charge entrance fees into museums and monuments. As a tourist on a reasonably firm budget, I appreciate these well thought out, educationally sound policies. However, this does mean that just about anyone and everyone who would like to, can enter these facilities. You can therefore imagine the variety of interesting comments that I overheard from the smorgasbord of visitors while appreciating the animals on display. I have included some pictures to go with each amusing little interlude. I must add, in the defense of the unnamed ignorants listed below, that I am from Africa and have grown up with many visits to game reserves, national parks and a general interest in wildlife documentaries, and therefor have the advantage of some empirical information and experiences.

The first prize winning comment went to a volunteer-guide at the cheetah enclosure. After being asked by an awestruck visitor why cheetahs were endangered, he replied, "Mainly because the farmers in Africa shoot so many of them. The speed at which these creatures can capture a cow is worrying for the farmers, so they have to defend their herds."

Enough said!

Prize winning comment number two.

Little girl says, "Ooh mommy, look at the pretty peacock!"

Mother replies, "Ooh wow, yes honey, isn't she beautiful!"

Firstly, peacocks would be of the male persuasion. Secondly, as the sign slightly to right of this photo states, this is an emu! To digress quickly, the sign also stated that there should have been some wallabies in this particular enclosure. My Aussie mate and I had a good look around and were unable to see any rugby players behind the fence anywhere. We think the sign may have been slightly incorrect.

The rest of the afternoon passed quite pleasantly and I would probably come across as arrogant (if I haven't already) if I were to point out each and every little misinformed comment or statement so I will just add a few more of my favourite pics from the afternoon.

The stuff that urban legends and chain-mail jokes are made of

2007-10-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

The following conversation actually happened. A colleague across the hallway from my class was teaching a math class. Keep in mind that we teach fifth grade and that her class is supposed to be the second to top math group in the grade.

Teacher - Please do page 82 #7-8
Kid - How do I know which numbers?
Teacher - It says 7-8
Kid - But what about the ones in the middle? Do I need to do those?
Teacher - Uhhhhhh! - what numbers are between 7-8 that you are wondering about?
Kid - Hmmmmmm..... (actually pondering the question).
Teacher - (Just stared stupidly at her)
Kid - (Finally) Oh there aren't any
Teacher - (Still staring stupidly at her)
Kid - (walks away...)
Teacher - (Still shocked)

Underground, overground, coming are we...

2007-09-23T16:26:00.001-07:00

On Sunday August 26, Javier, Javier, Jose and I (yes there were two Javiers in the car) took a little drive out of town to the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for about 105 miles (or 160 kilometers if you have grown up and adopted the metric system like the rest of the world.) It is a scenic drive and if you are lucky you get to see some deer, the odd raccoon and some awesome scenery. There are a multitude of trails and viewing stops along the way and it must be said that taking the drive (or half of it as we did) and then stopping for a picnic and a quick 5 mile hike is a very pleasant way to escape from the suburbs and fill an idle Sunday.

The other Javier, Jose and I at the entrance to well, you get the idea...

Skyline Drive

An original carving by Mother Earth

Scenes from an amble

The other Javier

On our way up to the caves we thought we would check out some caves called the Skyline Caves, as advertised by the giant 20 foot billboards all along the roadside on our way to Shenandoah. If the ridiculous adverts weren't enough warning you would have thought that the troll shaped tour guide would have been. Never-the-less, we paid $16 for the opportunity to see how NOT to run a cave-touring operation. Unfortunately, in the name of public safety, they had managed to run some sort of cable or piping over or along every meter of the path we walked along, as well as drill hand rails into the rock on just about every corner. Now maybe this is just me, but I find that his unfortunately detracts from what can be a reasonably pleasant excursion. Even though they managed to turn the caves into a badly designed electrical substation, there were one or two things that I am glad I saw. The pictures below show some of the crystals that were discovered in the caves. Apparently the crystals have not grown any bigger since being discovered in the earlier part of last century. Perhaps it has something to do with destroying the conditions required to grow by adding vast quantities of metal, plastic, foam and concrete? Or am I just being cynical?

Fate smiles again.

2007-09-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

One of the concerns that a person has when setting up a life in a foreign country is hoping that you will meet somebody decent to set up a digs with. You hope that you will meet somebody that you will get along with, who is like-minded in their habits and will generally add to the adventure of teaching in another country, rather then detract from it.

So naturally, before leaving SA to come to the US this played on my mind quite a bit. One, if not the biggest, blessing that I have had since arriving in the US then, has been the extremely fortuitous meeting with one, Javier Covo Grandes. Javier is from the Basque Country in Spain and is teaching Spanish at a local high school. Javier is a gentleman and a friend, and although he has no idea of how to cook paella, I am extremely grateful for meeting him and have no doubt that we will share many a beer and a laugh over the next year at least.

And we're back in business

2007-09-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

Here we go. I have finally found a way to update this blog. It’s a Saturday morning here in Ashburn, Virginia, I am using my flat mate’s laptop and have picked up somebody’s unsecured wireless signal emitting from somewhere else in the complex. You do what you need to do.

Below are selected picks from my first trip into Washington DC. The centre of DC in my opinion doesn’t really have much going for it once you leave the mall. The mall being the incredibly long (and I know it’s long ‘cause I walked it) strip where all the major memorials and monuments to wars and presidents of the past are situated. This observation is based completely on one afternoon visit in the company of a hard to impress Aussie and a nonchalant Spaniard. I am told however that the bars, clubs and music venues just outside of DC are awesome. The only problem with that is that the cops here are seriously strict about drunk driving. Which is a good thing of course. There are far too many people in the world who have a tipple too many and think themselves bulletproof. So a big"good on ya" as they say in Australia, to the local policing authorities. Virginia has a project running at the moment called "Operation Strikeforce" ( I can just picture Chuck Norris heading up this particular operation, can't you?) to curb DUI incidents. So getting to these places, unless you have designated driver or are willing to pay an astronomical cab fare is not easy.

We went in on Sunday August 19 and had a little stroll around. Managed to miss most of the tourist flurrying. Can’t stand tourist myself! I thought I would try out the ‘black and white’ function on my camera in order to emphases the history of the places we were visiting.

The White House

We knocked but apparently George W was busy with a geography lesson and wasn't taking visitors. Just out of interest, apparently foreign visitors need to apply a month in advance through your local consolute to take a tour of the White House. So taking into consideration that my current immediate mates are comprised of an Aussie, a Canadian 2 Spaniards, a Costa Rican and a Colombian, I don't think we are getting inside in a hurry.

The Stars 'n Stripes in black 'n white at the base of the Washington Memorial

The Washington memorial. Apparently the worlds highest all-masonry structure. How long did they have to search before they found that little piece of info?

Two examples of the many metal engravings that adorn the World War 11 memorial. Each one is abot two meters by a meter in size.

Another view of the WWII memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial.

Uncle Abe

The National Mall viewed from the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Memorial and Capitol Hill in the background.

Arlington National Cemetary. Final resting place of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, JFK and his family, including his brother. Also final resting place of the crew of the ill-fated Space Shuttle and the unknown soldier amongst many others.

JFK's eternal flame

My First American Cultural Experience

2007-08-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

Need I say more?

Richmond, Virgina, USA.

2007-08-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

So here I am in the big ol’ US of A. Twelve months after applying to the VIF program I finally boarded a plane and spent 24 hours in transit, eventually landing at Richmond Airport. Fate dealt a fortuitous card along the way and seated me next to the only other South African VIF teacher on the plane. So going through immigration and customs was a doddle and the wait in between flights was made a little easier. Since arriving here in Richmond it has been a veritable international smorgasbord. When not busy with various mundane administrative activities and trying to get my head around driving on the wrong side of the road, I have met Philipinos. Canadians, Argentineans and the usual Kiwis and Ausies who manage to sneak in everywhere. I took a walk about Richmond yesterday. It is an interesting mix of historical architecture and modern expression. The area is rich in American history and there are loads of museums. I took a walk about some of the nearby roads and took a couple of interesting photos. The dairy building is obvious but the most interesting thing was the metal sculpture adorning the Richmond Police Headquarters.

Curious Culture

2007-05-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if this is a world wide phenomenon, but it is strangely true for South Africa. There is a curious bond that binds complete strangers for a brief but intimate few seconds and then disappears again until a new random opportunity presents itself again for another fleeing moment.

Let me take a step back here and set the scene that for you. I woke up on Sunday morning and decided (ironically, with onset of winter just around the corner) that it would be a good day to get my running regime back into shape. As I live a few hundred meters from the beach front (I can feel your envy), what more desirable setting could you ask for as the back drop to my re-entry to the running world? With my fluorescent orange running shoes laced up, my moisture wicking running shorts and shirt comfortably adjusted, I found myself on that part of the beach where the sand is still firm enough from the pre-dawn high tide to provide a comfortable running surface. The fresh sea air, tinged with a taste of kelp rushed into my lungs as I headed down the beach.

As I ran along I passed one or two other people out walking in the early morning but for all intents and purposes they didnt even register in my mind. Then out of the distance a blue-clad figure slowly emerged running towards me. As this complete stranger passed, it happened. There was momentary eye contact and an almost imperceptive head nod, all part of an unspoken acknowledgement of the brotherhood of runners that we were both part of. We continued on our paths and never saw each other again.

I have experienced this same phenomenon under other circumstances too, and with more regularity. On many of my sporadic bike rides I will pass other cycling enthusiasts. For that split second there is the subtle, yet obligatory, nod of the head or a slight hand gesture indicating that acknowledgment of the fraternity of cyclists.

Other instances in which I have witnessed this strange phenomenon was while behind the wheel my friend Roy’s Land Rover Defender. Barrelling down highways en route to one of our annual weekends of camping and testosterone filled festivity; I occasionally passed other Land Rover Defender drivers. Just as we passed each other there was a quick flick of the headlights, a nod of the head and once again that shared moment of acknowledgment of the secret clan of Land Rover Defender drivers. Note that it was not shared with Land Rover Discovery drivers nor Land Rover Range Rover drivers nor any other 4x4 vehicle that we passed.

What is so interesting, and equally sad, in all of this is that when we pass any of these same bonded strangers in an aisle in the supermarket, or stand behind them in the queue to buy tickets for a movie, we don’t give each other the slightest acknowledgment. We rather hush our voices or avert our eyes. It could very well be the same runner I passed on the beach, or the cyclist who overtook me on a trail, or a fellow Land Rover Defender driver who passed me on the highway that morning, the reaction is the same. Blissful ignorance! It seems that by not having shields in the form of our signifying outfits or our tell-tale equipment with us, that politeness and cordiality becomes too much to ask.

Sometimes a t-shirt says it all

2007-03-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

Being part of an email network has as its bonuses. I do find myself sifting through lame jokes and endless repeated chain mail rubbish but every so often I get something that I really identify with and makes me laugh. The first is my absolute favourite. (Sorry Haley Joel!) I am definitely going to get a T-shirt printed and wear it whenever I move house and some daft neighbour comes up to me and asks, "Are you moving?" No you idiot, every now and then I just like to pack all my stuff into boxes to see how many I can fill!"

Toyota vs Porsche

2007-03-02T01:57:00.000-08:00

I had one of the most exhilarating experience last week. I was stopped at a traffic light in my sensibly rebellious dirty white Toyota when a sexy silver grey Porsche pulled up next to me. Like most red blooded males, I looked across in admiration and took in the sleek lines, the low profile and the gleam off the chrome mags. I listened as the engine purred like a hungry feline watching gazelles drinking at a watering hole. Shielding my eyes from the brilliance of this machine I peered at the drivers seat and smiled appreciatively as the gorgeous blond driver applied some lipstick in the review mirror. The caveman in me suddenly had to defend its territory. I slid down low in my seat and brought my elbow in from the window in order to maximise my aerodynamics. I carefully revved the engine as I pulled my sunglasses off of the top of my head and expertly placed them over my eyes. I slowly glanced across at this vixen who had the audacity to challenge my manliness. Keeping my sun shielded eyes on this temptress I put my car into first gear and then with a determined turn of the head fixed my eye on the traffic light. The light suddenly flicked to green, I dropped the clutch and layed down half a months salary worth of rubber on the road leaving the Porsche to cough and splutter embarrassingly in my smoke. My heart was racing as the adrenaline coursed through my body in victorious defiance. I must be humble though and admit that it was not a fair fight! If only the driver of the Porsche knew we we racing!!!!!

Ops us a section!

2007-02-15T04:49:00.000-08:00

Driving along one of Cape Town’s life threateningly clogged arteries last week I noticed a factory or warehouse for a local company called “Pozzi.” Now while I have no idea what it is that “Pozzi” are responsible for, the name reminded me of some of the horrendous, yet warmly accepted and veraciously used slang that was rampant during my high school years. Here follows a conversation that would typically have taken place during register period every morning. Obviously a fair amount of expletives have been removed, not that it helps in the understanding of what was said!

Scott: Howzit bru!
Greg: Howzit! I’m hungry. Whats on today?
Scott: Naught bru, leave my samies alone!
Greg: Aag come on man! Ops us one!
Scott: Naught bru! I’ve got a long trap home today.
Greg: Chill bru, just asking. Score us a section of your naartjie then!
Scott: Aah shot hey, now you wanna score my fruit too?
Greg: Naught! Score me a samie and I’ll score you a durry at break!
Scott: Kif, check you then!

Joey: Hey Shel, you’re in my posi!
Sheldon: Don’t be a chop! This is my posi I got here first!
Joey: You think you lank cool parking in posi hey?
Sheldon: So what you gonna do about it? You wanna wrought?
Joey: I’ll rumble anytime.
Greg: Chill okes!

I don't know if the quality of high school conversations have improved with time, but my guess is that while the choice of colloquialisms have changed, the absurdity of it all hasn't.

Spiderman and the Environment

2007-02-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

As far back as I can remember I have always been a fan of DC and Marvel superheroes. In my formative years of the late 1970’s, and those fashion disaster years of the 1980’s, I remember being fascinated by the superhero collectable trading cards that you could buy and then swap amongst you your mates. I would save all my pocket money (or alternatively nag my mother for the duration of an entire shopping expedition, that it was imperative that I get a pack of these cards as everyone else would have them and I didn’t want to be left out!) and at the first available opportunity head on down to the nearest CNA to buy a little pack of cards. There was always much nervous excitement involved in doing this as you would never know which cards you would be getting. Would you get repeats of the minor heroes such as Robin, Dare Devil or Supergirl, or would it be a rare valued commodity of the likes of Captain America, Spiderman or Thor? I have one particularly fond memory of trying to convince one of my erstwhile Std 2 peers that it would be to his advantage to swap his Thor card for my Robin card. To sweeten the deal I would also give him my really valuable, and extremely rare Green Lantern card (of which I had two, but business is business.) He must have thought the deal lucrative as I ended up with the much treasured Thor card.

As a youngster these super strong, ultra quick, sharp witted and very often bullet proof beings provided a shining example of choosing sides in the fight between right and wrong, the battle between good and evil, and the desperate need of many superheroes to get a fashion consultant. Men in tights? Often with their underpants on the outside? What were they thinking?

Which brings me to my point. Spiderman has always been amongst my preferred superheroes. I have no idea why I took a liking to him, but his wall-crawling, web throwing, agile abilities mesmerised me. However as an adult, with images from the Toby Maguire Spiderman films, and a matured sense of environmentalism, I came to ask myself the following; whatever happens to the webs that are left hanging from lamp posts and windowsills as Spidey makes his way hastily across town to aid some damsel in distress, or battle some incarnation of The Goblin? Do they simply disintegrate? Or would we find that if the camera was to pan back as he swung by, that some innocent bystanders simply going about htheir daily business, were caught up in the trails of his extra sticky string? I am not sure of the chemical make-up of the arachnid-like man's webs but do they present an environmental threat? Do the mini fibres that may come loose from his web-sprays affect the lungs of developing children? Are they flammable? What would the consequences of a carelessly discarded cigarette butt landing on a forgotten spider-strand be?

Maybe its just me, but this Spiderman adoring boy believes that Marvel Comics need to consider the environmentally damaging actions one of their prime heroes.
;-)

Aaarrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

2007-01-30T01:35:00.000-08:00

I really don’t mean to use this blog as an outlet for my workday frustrations but the core of what is annoying me is something worth talking about.

I am one of a rare species. I am a male teacher, teaching in a primary school. While I don’t know the exact stats on these things, I would hazard an educated (excuse the pun) guess that there are approximately 2 male teachers for every 20 female teachers in primary schools in South Africa. For a long time teaching was seen as a profession suitable for a woman as it was (like nursing) an opportunity to apply their inherent nurturing skills, didn’t involve having to make important decisions, other than imparting the ability to read, write and do sums correctly. It also provided women with something to keep themselves busy during the day while their husbands went out and worked hard in order to support the family. (I can feel the feminists cringing, but this is simply a personal reflection on the history of the profession.)

As times have changed, so has the structure of society. The rate of divorce has rocketed around the world. Family values have taken a nose dive and with the ever increasing pressures of the unscrupulous marketing world telling us that we simply cannot survive if we don’t wear the correct outfits, listen to the correct music, drive the correct cars and drive ourselves into debt buying useless kitchen gadgets off of ridiculous television infomercials, we are raising children that need more than just the ability to read, write and do their sums. We need to be educating children with ability to think independently, have enough self-confidence to stand up to peer pressure, and the ability to make healthy daily decisions about their lives. I am not saying that women teachers cannot meet these needs. In fact I know many women teachers who have had the most remarkable, profound and lasting affect on children. I am suggesting though that many women who ended up in the teaching profession for reasons as mentioned above may have found themselves unable to make a positive difference on the child of today. An even more serious concern is that there are many teachers (men and woman alike) who are simply out of touch with what it is that we need to be doing for the children of today in order for them to be successful in the world of tomorrow.

This brings me to my current frustration. Through a series of events I found myself teaching at a relatively new private school in Cape Town. The school markets itself at face value. Therefore we spend many hours making sure that the pin boards and display areas have sufficient “wow” factor so that any prospective parent entering the school premises is suitably impressed. Similarly, the academic results of the school are often touted as a reason to enrol at the school. But given the newly developing education system in South Africa I would be wary of using paper bound statistics as a measure of a child’s competence. In fact we should never judge a child’s worth based on a subjective report analysis with no bearing on real life. Don’t get me wrong though, there is much good in the new and developing education system, I just don’t believe that we are doing it justice just yet.

I am not a teacher who sticks to routine and convention but do understand the institutional policy that in order to regulate achievement (there’s an oxymoron of note, and an all too frequently used term that makes my balls itch!) and to monitor success we do need certain structures and systems in place. However when it comes to education I do not believe in doing things simply for the sake of doing them, or because they will make us appear to be doing marvellous things on the education front. I would much rather spend my time with enthusiastic teachers, brainstorming new and innovative ways of reaching and affecting children’s lives. I believe that if we had less policy and more freedom to experiment and play with new ideas we would achieve far greater things. Rather than debating the colour of mapping pins for our displays let us be creative in making the best predictions of the skills and knowledge that a child will need in twelve years time when he or she leaves school and enters the real world. Let us find ways to bolster self worth, to instil morals and tolerance and to maximise understanding in a world that has gone mad!

Here endeth the lesson!

The Tower of Babble

2007-01-19T02:56:00.000-08:00

I sat with a huge grin on my face watching the Brits stick it to the general Hollywood population at last weeks Golden Globe awards. At last count, well before I fell asleep to the sound of some self loving starlet thanking some even more unknown crew members of an equally unknown show ( I do live in South Africa where we generally only get the new shows about six months after everyone else has forgotten them already), the Poms had managed to bag at least five of the strangely desired iconic paper weights.

Hugh Laurie and Jeremy Irons also managed to give the pompous audience a lesson in “thank you” speeches and how not to bore the world to tears. A well timed politically incorrect joke and a not too subtle stab at the dress designers who cue up to woo the beauties of the red rug into wearing whatever monstrosity it is they deem to call fashion this year added a level of humour that was clearly lost on most of the onlookers in the room.

I do have a couple of questions though. How did Eddie Murphy beat out actors of the calibre of Jack Nicholson and Leonardo Di Caprio. Now don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of 80’s films like Beverly Hills Cop and I was well impressed with Eddie’s voice over technique in the “Shrek” films, but let’s be honest here. The 80’s didn’t exactly produce a plethora of memorable let alone classic films, so how did he ever manage to beat out the previously mentioned masters of the craft? Perhaps I don’t have a clear understanding of what exactly the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is, or what it is that they are responsible for adding to this world, but would I be far wrong in suggesting it is a bunch of decrepit old farts with bad taste in films?

My second guffaw of the evening was aimed at the numerous category and award presenters who consistently managed to screw up the pronunciation of the title of Brad Pitt’s new film “Babel.” Now if I have got this correct, the title of the film refers to The Tower of Babel, which according to the Book of Genesis, was an overambitious tower that people on earth started to build, causing God to show his anger by making them speak different languages, which led to the collapse of the project and ultimately to the scattering of people across the world. Now, to everyone who was unfortunate enough to have to make a comment on this film during the course of the evening, (Yeah right, like they would be reading my blog) I would like to point out that it is pronounced with a long “a” sound at the first vowel, and not ‘babble’ as in the gibberish utterings of an infant. I would hate to think what the producers and directors of this film would think if they knew that the title of a film that makes definite comment on world issues is being reduced (in name anyway) to the utterances of a baby.