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 Charlie Knox26, m, resident of spa, northern ireland, a thinker, who tries to be real, enjoys the company of nala(left), indebted to jesus for his grace and instruction in life and whose, amongst other things, studying sports science at UUJ. enjoy rugby a whole lot! |
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Monday, August 30, 2004 Thinking of getting a mobile phone. Haven't had one yet. Resisted for a few different reasons. 1/ Very few people seem to be able to leave them down, switch them off, be alone for a while - don't want to be like that. 2/ Tend to interupt alot of conversations 3/ Cost a fair bit to buy and to use - other ways for money to be spent. 4/ What do those waves do to one's brain? One friend reckons mobiles are to today what cigarettes were to the 60's - no-one knows what damage they are doing - it's only down the line when the truth comes out..... Anyway, still hold these few reservations but been thinking that if used with a little balance a mobile could be a good and useful thing to have. I think i'm going to do 'pay as you go' first just to see how much i use it. posted by charlie | 5:47 PM | A snap machine Just purchased a digital camera for the second time. Bought it out in the states thinking it would be cheaper only to find it was £20 more expensive than Dixon's online. So i took it back, got a refund and bought it today. Went for the Canon IXUS430. Pretty good MP and zoom and also a good Canon lens. posted by charlie | 5:43 PM | Pete McClintock is keeping us posted on his year studying (etc) out in Pennsylvania. posted by charlie | 5:40 PM | Well we're back online at home with a new, much better oiled computer. Well i didn't really talk too much about the closing week in the US. So here we go..... Arrived in Nashville after meeting a lovely family called the Kloess's on the plane. After a little chat i went and picked up my hire car - i got a white Chevrolet Malibu - looked a bit of an old man's car but after a week in it i was very happy. Super light steering, lots of gadgets and a fair bit of gas! The highlights of Nashville were.... Spending time with friends - defintely what the trip was all about - i got to stay with some of my favourite people and also got to meet so many other old friends and catch up with the changes in their lives. Really glad i took this trip just to do that. Plenty of Mexican food- even 2 in one day once - we need a Mexican in B'Hinch!!! Live Music - You're not in NAshville if you don't see live music....well actually i've been there twice before and not seen live music...however this time i wasn't fortunate enough to see a few outfits. The most enjoyable were the fortunate sons - a bunch of older guys who were just superb on their instruments and really enjoying themselves. Olympics - watched the olympics in many different places across the week. only downside was the NBC coverage which was probably the most biased presentation i've ever seen (certainly compared to the BBC) - they only ever showed American athletes or teams and made it quite clear who they were supporting. Was glad to watch the final few days at home!! Soccergolf - we invented this game out there basically like golf except you use a football. Pick the target and see how many (leg) strokes it takes to hit the target. A Day in KNOXville, TN - travelled the few hours up to Knoxville just to see some friends at University up there. Did intend on picking up some tacky souveneir up there but never got round to it. Highlight up there was playing in the fountains at World's fair park. Massage - One of my mates in Nashville is half way through a year long massage course and he offered his services to me. Was absolutely fabulous - he used some aromatherapy oils - and took about an hour to cover all the necessary spots - he's hoping to come here for a holiday which i am looking forward to very much!!!! Lowlight was definitely wrecking my ankle half way through the week when during a game of beach volleyball i decided to kick the padded post holding up the net only to discover the padding wasn't quite as thick as i thought - result was a very swollen and sore ankle. posted by charlie | 5:07 PM |Tuesday, August 17, 2004 the rest of SF allo, allo days have moved on and i'm now in nashville TN. Driving in San Fran was a lot of fun - up and down those hills just like in the movies. On Thursday we drove over the Golden gate bridge although we couldn't see the top of it due to the fog. We then drove over the Bay bridge (8 miles long) and met our hosts at theri place. That night we went to the brides home for a feed and to meet all the wedding guests - was weird to walk into a house in SF and see so many NI people. On friday we alcatrazed - was alot of fun - firstly it gave some amazing views over the bay area. Secondly we took an audio tour of the cell house - some cool stories. One of a guy describing the time he saw a woman for the first time in 5.5 years.......others of a guy keeping himself occupied in 'the hole' by throwing a button in the air and then trying to find it in the dark cell. After alcatraz we went to golden gate park where ryan nearly got attacked by some low flying hawks and then to Grace cathedral - coool lady playing a harp and singing - was nice to have some space in the busy city and in my busy schedule. then watched the olympic opening ceremony with the greek connected host family. On saturday we went to North Face outlet - got a couple of good deals. then got a chep electric razor to shave- bad idea i later found out - took about ninety runs over the face to work - thus resulting a fairly reddened face. Wedding was fun - cool, open, heartfelt, occasionally humourous speeches. and then a fun dancing period afterward. Also a pleothora of pretty young ladies (par to the course over here!!) but no advances were made due to the impracticalties of such aqquaintances!!!! left SF early sunday morning for Nashville. posted by charlie | 11:09 PM | Thursday, August 12, 2004 Hilly San Francisco Arrived in SF without any problems. First impression were good - a fairly swanky airport and trains into the city with carpet - must be a nigthmare to maintain. Lovely hotel - just been renovated and the decor is superb, also got realy nice staff. Last night i dandered around the city. It's a heck load more hilly than i thought - those streets you see in the movies that are steep and theen flatten at intersections (usually used as ramps in the movies) are everywhere. I went to Chinatown first - was disappointed at first - alot of tacky chinese souveneir shops - like a chinese version of Newcastle!! So i took off the main route and found my self in some Chinese market street (with back alleys and all!). All i can say is that there wasn't too many english speakers about and to spot a white man was a rare thing. The markets were interesting to see, particuarly the meat places that had tons live fish lying in these tubs and then the two big boxes at the entrance to one store that were filled with these massive live toads. I decided i wanted to eat in the chinese district (cultural experience etc) and found one place that had an english menu. Sat in and ordered the old faithful S + S. Tasted great but got the feeling that the texture was a little un-cooked - seriously expected to come down with stomach bu last night - fortunately i didn't! From China town i headed up some very steep streets up to Coit tower which has some great views over the bay and it's bridges. Alcatraz was alos lurking in foggy background. I then hit Lombard street - the windy one with red paving - was very steep and alot longer than i had picttured it - it's a whole block long - the TV makes it appear smaller. From Lombard i just dandered for a few hours around the city before grabbing a few snacks and heading back to the hotel. Now just about to go back out to the airport where i'll pick up a mate and a hire car (that'll be fun!!) ....... posted by charlie | 5:15 PM | Some things taking a bit of getting used to....... Traffic lights... in northern ireland the wee green man usually means it's safe to go - over here it seems people drive on through anyway( i think it's maybe something to do with being able to turn right even on red lights!) Toilets.....Toilets are considerably shallower which means one must be much more considered with the amount of toilet roll chosen - either that or just make sure you are very particular about the way it is folded. If you don't manage this you get one wet piece of roll! Horns.....In Ballynahinch if someone beeps the horn it usually means they are trying to get your attention, mainly trying to say hello, so in response you look around quickly expecting to see someone you know- in Chicago and San Francisco that wouldn't be the case.... posted by charlie | 5:08 PM | Wednesday, August 11, 2004 A full day Been a busy day. Grabbed some breakfast from a local supermarket then walked for a few miles taking in a few sites on the way, including the newly constructed Millenium park - an amazing sight - particuarly the Jay Pritzker Pavilion - i wish i could get to a concert in it - the pictures just don't give you an accurate feeling for the size of the place. I also passed close by Buckingham fountain. At the end of my dander was the Field Museum - a massive museum - i reckon i added 2/3 miles on to my dander just walking around that place. By the end of it i was just by passing exhibits because my head was full and my legs getting tired. Suzy the T-rex is unbelievable - just the size of the her - especially her head. Totem poles also got me very impressed. Was also impressed by the stuffed Bison - again it's size. Other than that just the tons of stuff from all different cultures around the world were cool to see - the different clothes, tools etc, etc. People in days gone by really did seem to have a good relationship with the natural world and seemed to be so inventive with the resources they had. All in all i suppose I was just impressed by the creativity i saw - both in the natural stuff and in the man-made stuff. After coming back from the museum I retired to the hotel for 20 minutes and a feet rest and then took to looking around the shops along Michigan Avenue (which are all very expensive but interesting to see!). The sum total of my purchases were a couple of CD's from the authentically American 'Virgin Megastore!!' I bought scissor sisters and i can't remember the name of the other guy! After shopping i headed to the gym and struggled both physically and mentally - mentally cause i couldn't convert the weights from 'pounds' into the kg's i'm used to, physically because i ain't been at the gym anywhere near enough recently. After the gym i enjoyed a dip in the pool, then a sauna(very big and all male which has it's advantages!), then a steam room(very big also!) and then a lovely shower. This evening i took a dander d'town and then ordered a pizza from Giordano's. I'm ashamed to say i wasn't even able to finish half of the smallest 10" cheese pizza - in fact maybe i;m not ashamed -carrying the thing for 5-6 minutes back to the hotel killed my arm - the thing weighed a ton. Anyway - been a fun day - nice to see Chicago from a 'walking' perspective - notice a lot more wee things. Tomorrow morning i head to San Francisco........ posted by charlie | 4:19 AM | Tuesday, August 10, 2004 In the windy city Arrived last night with no problems along the way. Watched Shrek 2 on the plane - a pleasure even on the second watch! Was 82 degrees last night when i arrived - humidity makes it feel even warmer. Went for a dander down the magnificent mile - alot of expensive shops! Then had a mexican dinner, some quesidilla or something, was good whatever it was, plus some mountain dew on tap! Then came back to the hotel for a swim on the outdoor deck - amazing to swim with skyscrapers surrouding you and the noises of the city wafting up from the ground floor. In the distance i could see a lightning storm that lasted for the whole time i was out on the deck - absolutely awesome - like a firework display on a much, much bigger scale. Well must shoot on, heading to see a few of the sites today... posted by charlie | 2:11 PM | Saturday, August 07, 2004 Been a little while since i posted. INternet is down at home. Currently standing in a phonebox in B'hinch using the internet - handy! Going to States on Monday -will hopefully be able to post some while i'm away. adios. posted by charlie | 6:16 PM | |
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