Saturday, February 19, 2005

Let me know if you are at all interested.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 4:30 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

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Friday, February 18, 2005

Well my weekend is almost done, so thats okay. The crap thing is that the weather is already starting to heat up, over 20C today in the sun. I know that is a lame complaint for those of you in still snowy Canada, but what it means is that in another few weeks it'll be scorching here again. I was kinda hoping the weather would stay cool until end of March, but it doesn't look like that is gonna happen.

Just got back from a Friday morning coffee at Starbucks. I am a corporate whore, I know, but it is either Starbucks expensive coffee or instant expensive coffee. Good chit-chatting company anyway, so that helps the weekend go by. I tell you, the first thing I am gonna do when I hit Canada is take my $1.50 and go to Tim Hortons and get a large cup of good, relatively cheap, no-fancy-confusing-names, regular old coffee. Oh and by the way, that will be in April, as I booked my ticket yesterday. I fly into Calgary, as that is where Megan in doing her LAST EVER placement on the 14th of April. I will most likely be in and around Etown for the weekend of the 16/17th, and then the rest of the time will be back in Calgary. I leave on Thursday the 21st, so I get a good week of normalcy before the last 2 months of Kuwait. It's not the best decision I ever made from the financial point of view, but my mental health needs to have me break up these last 4 months. So good news on that front. And yes, Al, you can buy me a beer or three. What a nice offer.

And in nerdy news, I am reading "Hegemony or Survival" by Noam Chomsky, which is a devastating look at US foreign policy from 1945 to 2002. It's left wing, super good, but reads like a thesis. I am enjoying it, but can't lose focus for even a second, or I am totally lost. But it is a good read, definately some food for the ole brain.

Some of the other books I read over my break:
The Arctic Grail: The Search for the Northwest Passage by Pierre Berton
I enjoyed this historical account of the British expeditions into the Arctic, which started in 1818, and was amazed at the ignorance the majority of British politicians and explorers showed of this vicious land. The failure to adhere to the "savage" (read: Inuit) way of life doomed many many explorers to death. Fascinating, really well researched, and with insights into the 'appearance is everything' world of British exploration. Definately recommend.

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
My Da gave me this one, and it is a good read. John Steinbeck's true journey across America in 1960, when he was 60, with his faithful dog Charley. It struck me as how psychic Steinbeck was, as he mentioned what he saw as the inevitable upheaval that was coming in America. He made a few editiorial comments that turned out to be scarily true in ten years time. He died in the mid 1960s, but his ability to comment on America is fascinatingly accurate. Recommend.

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
I picked this book up in Dublin, and it wasn't too bad. The main character, Smithy Ide, is in his late 30s, obese and going nowhere, when his parents die in a car crash. His mentally unstable sister disappeared years ago, and he receives a letter stating that she has died in California. This happens all in the space of one week, so he cracks a little and starts riding his bike across the US to take care of his sisters arrangements. Jumping back and forth from the present to the past, this novel flows decently well and is told from a just-slightly-smarter version of Forrest Gump. Not as lovable as Forrest, and sometimes the writing lags/repeats a little, but not a bad book to read over a summer holiday.

Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman
Yes, that Ewan McGregor of Hollywood movies. Not the reason I bought it, I swear. Details the trip of a lifetime, as these two pals rode BMW motorcycles from London to New York, via Ukraine, Mongolia, Siberia, and North America. An interesting idea, but it is clear that the authors' talents lie in acting and not in writing. Lots of the book is dedicated to "I miss my family sooooooooo much,' stuff, which gets a little old. Plus they had a whole caravan of support people with them, kinda taking away from some of the risk. But they did have guns pointed at them, a few accidents, and more than a few horrendous roads, so they weren't totally pampered. Not a great literary read, but if it is dirt cheap and you are looking for some armchair adventure, pick it up.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Mr. T, of blog fame, recommended this book and as always, he was dead-on correct. Set in the near future, it describes life in The Republic of Gilead, which was formerly the USA before it was taken over by ultra ultra orthodox Christians. Women are reduced to mere baby makers and dissenters are shot. Think of the Taliban except Christian in nature, and written with a 1984 vibe. I have become an Atwood fan as of late, and enjoy her dense use of language. I would recommend this novel for anyone who needs to break free of the pupl-fiction crap. Its a good read and hopefully, like some sci-fi books of years past, does not predict the future with any accuracy.

Ok, that is enough writing for now. I will bid ye adieu and do hope that you come back to this little corner of the internet sometime soon. Cheers.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 2:34 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

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Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Thus ends a hectic 4 day week, another weekend of nothing looking me in the face. 56 more days until my April break and a damn-near-certain trip back to Canada. A bit of a joke month February is, as this week was only 4 days, next week is 5 days, 2 of which are Track and Field. Then it is a 4 day weekend, as Saturday and Sunday are Kuwaiti National Day/Liberation Day, thus making the 3rd week of this quarter a measly 3 days long.

Am I complaining? Yeah, but only because there is very little to do here on the weekends, which is when time drags the slowest. At least when I am teaching, the days fly by relatively quickly, speeding me ever closer to Canada. But a four day weekend, in Kuwait, is a long time. Mind you, today is February 16, exactly 4 months to the day before my last day at the school. That number looks better every month.

In odd news, it came down from 'on high' adminstration today that no teacher is allowed to take their classes into the 'library.' Now you must keep in mind that our library is very poorly stocked, probably less that 300 titles. And if one was allowed to go there, they first have to go get the key from the maintenance guy. And the check out system doesn't work. In fact, to date only one teacher has taken his class down there. It is pretty depressing to call oneself an English teacher at a school that for all intents and purposes, doesn't have a library.

So orders come today that no student is allowed to use the library until the all the books have been 'spot read.' What this means is that the teachers, probably when Hell freezes over, have to read the books to ensure that no student morals will be co-opted if they read something deemed inappropriate. And as always keep in mind that what is deemed inappropriate in Islam is a fair bit more strict/restrictive than in the West. So basically, if this continues on, the library will probably not open for another year or two. Pretty sad, I think, especially in what is effectively an ESL school.

Mind you, I still have all those books I raided from the library for my own reading. So I'll just lay low until this issue, like most issues that the administration hits on, fades into the abyss. Then I'll get the key and return them, no big deal. This school has a history of outright censorship, especially when it comes to history/social studies and anything related to Jewish people. I have heard some stories of a few years ago, where teachers were asked, or told, to participate in censoring sessions of new textbooks. Heaven help everyone if I am ever approached to do this, here or anywhere. Progress doesn't come by sticking one's head in the ground.

Over the break I got my music back, along with my MP3 player, and a CD player from Megan for Christmas. So I've been transferring music around, from disc to computer to MP3, which I then take on the dog walks. Makes life sound a lot better, drowning out the calls to prayer from the mosques. But it's funny, and I mean no slight to anyone who helped me get my music back, but I truly miss just listening to CKUA on my portable little radio, walkin' and rockin'. Does this make me old fashioned? Maybe, but for all the technology I have nowadays, I still like the eclectic radio and a dog-eared book. I dunno, just crossed my busy mind.

So I am going to be working on resume/job application stuff this weekend and next, hopefully starting to send stuff out in early March, both for teaching jobs and anything else that looks interesting. Keeping my options open, ya know how it is. Hope to have something in place for the summer at least. Gawd, I can barely handle a 4 day weekend, what would two months off do to me? I got a bit of my Unca Dale in me, I hate not being busy, which I suppose is a good thing. I hope the week is treating you well and that those of you in Alberta have your eyes firmly set on the upcoming long weekend. Cheers and outta here.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 6:33 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

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Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Ok so I admit that picture of Al was a low blow, but getting drunk and dressing up like a cheap Yukon hooker has a way of coming back to haunt ya.

The trip was good. London was awesome, from finding Megan in Heathrow to not getting lost on the tube (except once, Jay's fault) to me not stumbling over myself when I got down to propose. I was thinking of proposing on the first day we were there, but after visiting the torture chamber of the Tower of London, the mood just didn't seem right. "Hey baby, speaking of torture and long term imprisonment, what say you and I get hitched?" Nah, better wait. Megan was surprised though when I did ask her the next day, which was good, as I was a little worried that she might be expecting it. And after I asked, I was suddenly exhausted, like I had been holding my breath since October. I suppose I had been in a way.

Wandering London was cool too, even when Megan tried to (and did) ditch me on the tube, hopping onto a departing train while slow-moving Jay tried to comprehend what was happening. Uh, Meg gone. Bad. Uhhhh.

Saw some outdoor markets in London, some being pretty good and some not being open until summer. Oops. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc etc, lotsa tourism. Oh and Piccadily Circus, which is where all the people with money go to shop. And man, were people ever well dressed in London, all looking like they were going to a fashion shoot. And it seems to me, as it occurred in Ireland too, that people in this portion of Europe are doing one of two things: Either texting someone on their cell phone or smoking. That's it. I was amazed at how often I saw people texting each other and I wondered how despite the fact that they all have phones, the communication process has been reduced to abbreviated words instead of an actual voice. I dunno, future food for thought....

Said goodbye to Meg, which sucked terribly and then off to Ireland with my folks (and Jeff, which was a total surprise to me). Into Dublin for two nights, then off to Cork. Dad did a decent job of driving on the other side of the road. I will give him credit for getting us all the way around without killing us, but that is not to say that there wasn't a time or two that I saw the beginnings of my life start to flash in front of my eyes. Man I was an ugly baby.....

From Cork to Doolin, via the Blarney Castle and the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs were one of the hilights of the trip for me, clear skies and stunning scenery. Doolin was cool, Jeff and I got pretty tipsy at Gus O'Connors Pub, which has been around since 1832 and has a nice warm fire. Oh incidentally, I froze my ass off, this desert life has weakened me. Saw some dudes surfing in the north Atlantic near Doolin, which was cool. Literally. Oh man, I kill me....

Then we drove to Galway to drop me off, and the family headed back to Dublin and Canada. I stayed a night in Galway, then took off to Derry, where I spent two nights. Derry was cool, you could feel tensions between the Catholics (west side of the river) and the Protestants (east side). Wandered about, felt a little lonely, but enjoyed the murals of Bloody Sunday and the relaxing hostel I was at.

Took the train up to a town called Portstewart, a beautiful trip and town. I dropped my stuff of at the hostel and took the local bus to the Giant's Causeway, which is either the remanents of a giant's attempt to woo a good looking female giant in Scotland or a geological phenomenon. Beautiful though and amazingly uniform. I enjoyed it right up to the point that I realized the bus wasn't coming back for another 3 hours and it was starting to rain. And I was cold. Then I started to hate Ireland, and by association, Kuwait. I was sitting in the bus station, cursing life for about an hour when suddenly one of the Causeway workers drove by, taking the little shuttle bus back to Portstewart. He drove past, stopped, and backed up. Need a ride? Damn straight. So I hitched a free ride back with Andy, a guy who had been born in Northern Ireland and said that despite travelling all over Europe, he never found any place that was more beautiful than the west coast of Ireland. I haven't seen much else of Europe, but I am sure he had a good arguement. He restored my good mood and faith in humanity. Cheers to Andy, one of the world's unsung heros.

Left Portstewart for Belfast the next day, again on the train. Belfast was pretty good, although my hostel was shit. But I wandered all around, including the museum, the university, the downtown, and the rather impressive city hall. Spent two and a half days there, then off to Dublin again.

Dublin for my last three nights. I can say that I like Dublin best of the big cities in Ireland. My hostel was cool too. I was in a room with a really eclectic bunch, from the two "Ohmygawd' US girls who couldn't hold their liquor, to Aussie Rob, an alcoholic teacher from Darwin who was in Ireland to sell his own mandolins. He was a hell of a musician. A Yank, from Michigan, a couple of French girls (no excessive hair that I could see), and some other hangers on. Got pretty drunk watching Ireland whale on Italy in 6 Nations rugby, in a rocking bar full of people that apparently all thought I was decent bloke, as I spent very little on beer. Eh, won't complain. Spent the days just wandering Dublin, going to the museum (closed on Mondays, after a 45 minute walk, oops) and just enjoying the last few hours of western culture. Oh by the way, the Lonely Planet book was worth it's weight (which was a lot), so thanks to all those who chipped in on it.

I flew to London and then to Kuwait, and I must say I had a hard time getting on the plane to the Middle East. If the dog and the computer weren't here, I probably would be in Canada now. Maybe not, I dunno. But I am doing ok now, Monday was happy to see me and promptly slept for two days straight. I'm looking at an almost-for-sure, don't-wanna-eat-crow-though trip back to Calgary and Edmonton in mid-April. I should know for sure by the end of this month, and if you are betting on it, don't bet against me, as I am pretty determined to get back once to break up the last stretch of sand.

It's funny, as an aside, I was looking through the photos I have on my computer. Got some of the Rockies when Megan and I took a holiday last summer. Though to myself that I will never take that scenery for granted again. But I can manage for a little while longer. My last day at school is the 16th of June (lovin that American curriculum) and I plan on being on a plane no later than the 17th, dog(s?) in tow.

So it was a good trip, although I miss Megan terribly right now. But soon, only 58 more days until April 13, so the countdown is more sane than the 150 days that it was from August to January. I got some books (a small fortune spent in Dublin) and my music so it's looking better. Plus no more shitty dean of English or teaching snotty G6s. I have some stories for you all over a mid-April weekend beer night in Edmonton. Looking forward to it. Especially the part where Cross picks up the tab. Until later, take care of one another.

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 6:54 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

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Monday, February 14, 2005

Al on a regular Wednesday night. Or any other night for that matter...

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I think this is in Dublin. Or maybe Derry. Hmmmm....

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Murals in Derry, where 'Bloody Sunday' happened in 1972

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The Blarney Castle

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Finally

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Cliffs of Moher

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Cliffs of Moher

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Cliffs of Moher

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Doolin

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This explains so much....

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Chauncey the tour guide

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Scenery in Doolin

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Surfing in Doolin's north Atlantic waters.

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Courthouse in Dublin, where many a drunken lad ends up.

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Mom and Dad in Dublin

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Jeff in Dublin

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Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

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Inside the Tower of London. Artistic, eh?

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 5:53 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

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Buckingham Palace, pre- engagement. Megan doesn't know whats about to happen. (Evil laughing)

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 5:52 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

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Tower of London, from across the river Thames

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Sunday, February 13, 2005

Hey all, back in the sand again. Sigh.

I don't have internet yet in my apartment, hopefully within a few days. I will then give you all lots to read about, including pictures of my galavanting throughout UK and Ireland. Suffice to say that it was good and that getting on a plane to come back top Kuwait was not so good. But only a few months left and I may be making a visit in April, providing the costs aren't too sky high. I will post again soon, and thanks for all the comments and patience when I was away. Cheers to you all, later

A sovereign thought, delivered to your door at 3:02 AM ~~ 0 bonsai trees

shout out out out out out

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