Friday, August 31st 2007, Wake up time: 12:20pm
I woke up very late due to staying up watching the news and late night talk shows with Ralph (something that became a regular habit, even when I was meant to be going to school.) I had waffles with honey for breakfast. After breakfast, Lyle, Claire and I watched a bunny film of some bunnies doing tricks...
This may not be the specific video but it is still adorable bunny rabbits doing tricks.
Bunny Tricks
After watching it, we decided to try and get Claire's bunny to do some tricks of her own. It was a fun experience but we didn't get very far...possibly because we're not trainers? After our small task failed, I went to read more of the Mayflower...as I didn't have much longer to finish it. I quickly gave up...it was so dull! I went on the trampoline for a little while and then settled down to watch Spaceballs.
Spaceballs is a comedy film by Mel Brooks that spoofs many science fiction films (primarily Star Wars.) It is very amusing and took my mind off the stress of having to finish Mayflower. After the film, I had a dinner of burgers and hot dogs. After dinner, I had an ice-cream sandwich (which is actually not a sandwich, but chocolate biscuits around ice-cream...designed so it's not a huge mess!)
After dinner, I watched 13 going on 30 with Claire. It's not a bad film, just not hilarious or great. I then did the dishes and bid for Scarface (Platinum Edition.) I didn't win and I already had a copy, but this version had extra features that my version was lacking... It's the only film I've bothered to buy twice, as I got it later on. I then cleaned the dishes before heading to bed.
Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Monday, 30 August 2010
Tae Kwon Do!
Thursday, August 30th 2007, Wake up time: 10:35am
Before coming to America, I practised Tae Kwon Do (and was up to Blue Belt...(which is two beneath Black) and I wanted to carry it on if I could. I had done some research and found a local class that was easy to get to as you only had to take the bus down Mass Ave and get off at one of the stops which was right nearby the dojan (or place where you practise Tae Kwon Do.) I got to the class and met the main instructor. I was marginally impressed that he was Korean. Tae Kwon Do is Korean, but it's rare to find an actual Korean teaching it, so he must know what he's doing. I signed up for class for three months as a minimum and then a uniform as well...it cost a grand total of $339! It was rather pricey for something which I ended up regretting...more on that later.
We left to pick up Lyle and then Bev, Lyle and I headed to Lowell for a historic visit of the area. We started off with lunch, I had Pastrami and Cheese sub which was delicious! We went into a museum and looked at some of the exhibits and watched a film titled 'The Lowell Revelation.' It was about the Industry Revelation in Lowell, which because one of the leading texture mills of the industrial age. It wasn't the most interesting of exhibits but I like history as a general rule so I enjoyed it.
We then went on the boat tour down the river and we were told by a guide about the history of the dams and locks in Lowell. It was quite an amusing tour even if the facts weren't thrilling. After the boat tour, we headed home, where I put my washing on. I then headed out for my first Tae Kwon Do lesson (sort of.) The first thing he did was test me and this is where things went wrong... Due to his thick accent, I couldn't understand half the instructions. I did some patterns (specific moves in a set order) for him...which was always something I did quite well. Apparently they were all wrong... I have a feeling, looking back, that it was a different Tae Kwon Do. There's two types, ITF and TAGB and I had always practised ITF. He said I should just start from the beginning... which annoyed me because I had previously been a high level!
I went out to join the rest of the class. We warmed up (one thing I did right) and then practised various moves. I tried to keep up, but I didn't recognise any of the fighting moves! I felt a bit stupid, lamely attempting to copy people. I came home rather depressed about the whole ordeal, but vowed to stick at it. The rest of the evening cheered me up as I watched television with Ralph and laughed at some of the stupid news stories! Thankfully, the Tae Kwon Do was only one of few regrets during my entire stay.
Thanks for listening.
Before coming to America, I practised Tae Kwon Do (and was up to Blue Belt...(which is two beneath Black) and I wanted to carry it on if I could. I had done some research and found a local class that was easy to get to as you only had to take the bus down Mass Ave and get off at one of the stops which was right nearby the dojan (or place where you practise Tae Kwon Do.) I got to the class and met the main instructor. I was marginally impressed that he was Korean. Tae Kwon Do is Korean, but it's rare to find an actual Korean teaching it, so he must know what he's doing. I signed up for class for three months as a minimum and then a uniform as well...it cost a grand total of $339! It was rather pricey for something which I ended up regretting...more on that later.
We left to pick up Lyle and then Bev, Lyle and I headed to Lowell for a historic visit of the area. We started off with lunch, I had Pastrami and Cheese sub which was delicious! We went into a museum and looked at some of the exhibits and watched a film titled 'The Lowell Revelation.' It was about the Industry Revelation in Lowell, which because one of the leading texture mills of the industrial age. It wasn't the most interesting of exhibits but I like history as a general rule so I enjoyed it.
We then went on the boat tour down the river and we were told by a guide about the history of the dams and locks in Lowell. It was quite an amusing tour even if the facts weren't thrilling. After the boat tour, we headed home, where I put my washing on. I then headed out for my first Tae Kwon Do lesson (sort of.) The first thing he did was test me and this is where things went wrong... Due to his thick accent, I couldn't understand half the instructions. I did some patterns (specific moves in a set order) for him...which was always something I did quite well. Apparently they were all wrong... I have a feeling, looking back, that it was a different Tae Kwon Do. There's two types, ITF and TAGB and I had always practised ITF. He said I should just start from the beginning... which annoyed me because I had previously been a high level!
I went out to join the rest of the class. We warmed up (one thing I did right) and then practised various moves. I tried to keep up, but I didn't recognise any of the fighting moves! I felt a bit stupid, lamely attempting to copy people. I came home rather depressed about the whole ordeal, but vowed to stick at it. The rest of the evening cheered me up as I watched television with Ralph and laughed at some of the stupid news stories! Thankfully, the Tae Kwon Do was only one of few regrets during my entire stay.
Thanks for listening.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Youtubing it Up
Wednesday, August 29th 2007, Wake up time: 10:25am
Breakfast was a healthy choice of doughnuts that I picked up from Dunkin' Doughnuts. I had a Boston Kreme and Choco Frosted. After breakfast, I went on youtube for a while. Youtube was a new phenomena for me. I wanted to re-watch my favourites of British comedy. I also discovered a new youtube show... 'We Need Girlfriends'. It's a show about three guys who have just moved out of college and have all been dumped by the only girls they've ever been with. All the episodes are up on youtube...so go watch it now! It's classic and I love the character's story. I also discovered a band (Plushgun) as some of their music and other independent artists music is used in later episode. Check out 'Just Impolite.' You should thank me for how cultured I have made you.
After watching a couple of episodes, I played LOTR on Lyle's computer and then went on the trampoline with Katelyn and Claire. Bev's brother Chris came round for a quick visit and after socialising with him, I went back to Youtube. I wanted to re-watch Extras...a show by Ricky Gervais which I dearly missed from the United Kingdom. It's such a British style of humour... risqué jokes, awkward pauses and casual racism. All meant in good humour of course! I was getting pretty hungry, so I had a late lunch of hot dogs and cucumber.
After lunch, Bev and I left with Claire to watch her 'soccer' game. She played with a girl's team and she did like playing it. They didn't win though :( and Claire wasn't happy! We got back about 7pm and had a small dinner of bread and grapes (as I had only recently had the hot dogs) while watching some television. The main show we watched was America's Next Top Model...Claire's favourite before finishing the evening off with a lovely slice of chocolate cake. Youtube was going to become a serious addiction...
Thanks for listening.
Breakfast was a healthy choice of doughnuts that I picked up from Dunkin' Doughnuts. I had a Boston Kreme and Choco Frosted. After breakfast, I went on youtube for a while. Youtube was a new phenomena for me. I wanted to re-watch my favourites of British comedy. I also discovered a new youtube show... 'We Need Girlfriends'. It's a show about three guys who have just moved out of college and have all been dumped by the only girls they've ever been with. All the episodes are up on youtube...so go watch it now! It's classic and I love the character's story. I also discovered a band (Plushgun) as some of their music and other independent artists music is used in later episode. Check out 'Just Impolite.' You should thank me for how cultured I have made you.
After watching a couple of episodes, I played LOTR on Lyle's computer and then went on the trampoline with Katelyn and Claire. Bev's brother Chris came round for a quick visit and after socialising with him, I went back to Youtube. I wanted to re-watch Extras...a show by Ricky Gervais which I dearly missed from the United Kingdom. It's such a British style of humour... risqué jokes, awkward pauses and casual racism. All meant in good humour of course! I was getting pretty hungry, so I had a late lunch of hot dogs and cucumber.
After lunch, Bev and I left with Claire to watch her 'soccer' game. She played with a girl's team and she did like playing it. They didn't win though :( and Claire wasn't happy! We got back about 7pm and had a small dinner of bread and grapes (as I had only recently had the hot dogs) while watching some television. The main show we watched was America's Next Top Model...Claire's favourite before finishing the evening off with a lovely slice of chocolate cake. Youtube was going to become a serious addiction...
Thanks for listening.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
A Comb, A Water Gun, Some Bubbles and a Ring
Tuesday, August 28th 2007, Wake up time: 11:15am
We woke up and got bags packed as we were going to Hampton Beach for the day. It was quite a long drive as it's in New Hampshire, so we had to go into a different state. We eventually arrived and I had some fried mozzarella sticks and a root beer which I enjoyed on the beach.
I then went for a swim (how typical). After swimming for a while and wrestling with Lyle and Claire in the water, we walked up to the arcades. There were a number of games there to win prizes on, including the very fun skee ball...which is similar to bowling, but you roll the ball up and attempt to get into any of the holes marked out with points. After getting the hang of it, I quickly racked up a decent score. I then played some mini basketball and finished with some electronic poker. They were games where you could win tickets...and I won enough to swap them for the grand prize of a comb, a rubbish water gun, blowing bubbles and plastic rings!
After the arcade adventures, I tried my first corn dog. We can't get them in the United Kingdom and they are delicious! It's a hot dog in batter basically...cornmeal batter (hence the name). I also tried some of Claire's fried dough. After the delicious snack, we went swimming again before taking a walk and I had some pecan ice-cream before leaving for home.
Upon arriving home, we had dinner of carrots and burgers and some popcorn for desert. After dinner, Claire and I bounced on the trampoline and had a good talk for a couple of hours. I finished the evening off with some classic British comedy of Only Fools and Horses...which made me miss British television and our dry humour. :( It's one thing I can't quite love about America...they're just not as funny as us.
Thanks for listening.
We woke up and got bags packed as we were going to Hampton Beach for the day. It was quite a long drive as it's in New Hampshire, so we had to go into a different state. We eventually arrived and I had some fried mozzarella sticks and a root beer which I enjoyed on the beach.
I then went for a swim (how typical). After swimming for a while and wrestling with Lyle and Claire in the water, we walked up to the arcades. There were a number of games there to win prizes on, including the very fun skee ball...which is similar to bowling, but you roll the ball up and attempt to get into any of the holes marked out with points. After getting the hang of it, I quickly racked up a decent score. I then played some mini basketball and finished with some electronic poker. They were games where you could win tickets...and I won enough to swap them for the grand prize of a comb, a rubbish water gun, blowing bubbles and plastic rings!
After the arcade adventures, I tried my first corn dog. We can't get them in the United Kingdom and they are delicious! It's a hot dog in batter basically...cornmeal batter (hence the name). I also tried some of Claire's fried dough. After the delicious snack, we went swimming again before taking a walk and I had some pecan ice-cream before leaving for home.
Upon arriving home, we had dinner of carrots and burgers and some popcorn for desert. After dinner, Claire and I bounced on the trampoline and had a good talk for a couple of hours. I finished the evening off with some classic British comedy of Only Fools and Horses...which made me miss British television and our dry humour. :( It's one thing I can't quite love about America...they're just not as funny as us.
Thanks for listening.
Friday, 27 August 2010
Unpleasant Swimming Experience
Monday, August 27th 2007, Wake up time: 9:35am
We were going to a lake for the day with Bev's mother. We got our stuff together, lunch, towels and swimwear and we went to pick up Nana. We also picked up some chairs to take with us, so we had something comfortable to sit on.
We arrived at the lake and I had lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and also ham and mozzarella cheese sandwiches, it was delicious! For desert, we had cheese doodles and peanut butter cookies.
Claire, Lyle and I then went swimming...it was very cold! We played in the water, and Claire thought it would be funny to put the small rocks from the bottom of the lake in my hair! It was rather annoying but we had fun and a laugh. We got out for a while, and I attempted reading the most boring book in the world Mayflower. I didn't get very far, and I was putting it off. Bev insisted I read it though as I needed to for class and there would be some sort of test on it. Despite this, I gave up after a couple of pages and went back in the water with Claire.
This time, Claire and I did flips in the water and I lifted her a couple of times which she enjoyed. We swam for a while and then packed up and left for home. On the way home, we stopped for ice-cream, moose tracker (which was a peanut butter ice-cream.) We arrived home and I had a shower (to get all the rocks out my hair!) Bev's friend Pam came round for a cup of coffee and I renewed my library books online before dinner.
Dinner was mac and cheese with chicken and cucumber. After dinner, I went to Walmart with Claire to pick up some Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I was starting to get addicted to them! I got to ride on the electronic scooter we had purchased from Eben's family before they moved away. It wasn't super fast, but it made the journey fun! An interesting end to a lovely day out.
Thanks for listening.
We were going to a lake for the day with Bev's mother. We got our stuff together, lunch, towels and swimwear and we went to pick up Nana. We also picked up some chairs to take with us, so we had something comfortable to sit on.
We arrived at the lake and I had lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and also ham and mozzarella cheese sandwiches, it was delicious! For desert, we had cheese doodles and peanut butter cookies.
Claire, Lyle and I then went swimming...it was very cold! We played in the water, and Claire thought it would be funny to put the small rocks from the bottom of the lake in my hair! It was rather annoying but we had fun and a laugh. We got out for a while, and I attempted reading the most boring book in the world Mayflower. I didn't get very far, and I was putting it off. Bev insisted I read it though as I needed to for class and there would be some sort of test on it. Despite this, I gave up after a couple of pages and went back in the water with Claire.
This time, Claire and I did flips in the water and I lifted her a couple of times which she enjoyed. We swam for a while and then packed up and left for home. On the way home, we stopped for ice-cream, moose tracker (which was a peanut butter ice-cream.) We arrived home and I had a shower (to get all the rocks out my hair!) Bev's friend Pam came round for a cup of coffee and I renewed my library books online before dinner.
Dinner was mac and cheese with chicken and cucumber. After dinner, I went to Walmart with Claire to pick up some Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I was starting to get addicted to them! I got to ride on the electronic scooter we had purchased from Eben's family before they moved away. It wasn't super fast, but it made the journey fun! An interesting end to a lovely day out.
Thanks for listening.
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Birthday Boy
Sunday, August 26th 2007 (Ralph's Birthday), Wake up time: 12:25pm
As with Bev's Birthday, Bev had helped me pick out Ralph's present. We began with a Ralph's favourite breakfast of bacon and blueberry pancakes. We then gave Ralph his presents. I got him some clothes with fish on them (he loves fishing.) I then went to jump on the trampoline for a bit before we left to Greg's for a small get together his family was having.
At Greg's, we had some appetizers to start off with and I met Greg's mother's friend Mary Lou. Julia was there with her family, she was a friend of Claire's. We were hanging out by the pool and so naturally I went for a swim with Lyle, Greg and Greg's brother Stephen. There was an inflatable tiger which we fought over to play with (I don't know why...) We swam and wrestled and then got out for lunch.
Before lunch, we went to quickly meet Claire and Julia's friend Bob and then came back for a lunch of burger and hot dog with pasta on the side and salad. We went swimming again and then decided to leave to Julia's house and then go to Lexington as Julia was meeting her boyfriend. We arrived at Julia's and met Julia's sister, another Claire!
We headed out to Lexington and met at the Starbucks. I had another Frappacino with chocolate and caramel. We then met Evan, Julia's boyfriend and his friend Issace. We were hanging out in a grassy area, and we saw a minor car crash! (That was pretty exciting!) We walked to Julia's friend Tim's house then came to get Evan's drink and Claire got her stuff. I quickly went toilet and then Claire and I left for home.
Once we got home, Claire had to clean the upstairs bathroom as part of her chores. Being the altruistic person I am, I offered to help her and that's what the rest of the evening was spent doing before I went to bed.
Thanks for listening.
As with Bev's Birthday, Bev had helped me pick out Ralph's present. We began with a Ralph's favourite breakfast of bacon and blueberry pancakes. We then gave Ralph his presents. I got him some clothes with fish on them (he loves fishing.) I then went to jump on the trampoline for a bit before we left to Greg's for a small get together his family was having.
At Greg's, we had some appetizers to start off with and I met Greg's mother's friend Mary Lou. Julia was there with her family, she was a friend of Claire's. We were hanging out by the pool and so naturally I went for a swim with Lyle, Greg and Greg's brother Stephen. There was an inflatable tiger which we fought over to play with (I don't know why...) We swam and wrestled and then got out for lunch.
Before lunch, we went to quickly meet Claire and Julia's friend Bob and then came back for a lunch of burger and hot dog with pasta on the side and salad. We went swimming again and then decided to leave to Julia's house and then go to Lexington as Julia was meeting her boyfriend. We arrived at Julia's and met Julia's sister, another Claire!
We headed out to Lexington and met at the Starbucks. I had another Frappacino with chocolate and caramel. We then met Evan, Julia's boyfriend and his friend Issace. We were hanging out in a grassy area, and we saw a minor car crash! (That was pretty exciting!) We walked to Julia's friend Tim's house then came to get Evan's drink and Claire got her stuff. I quickly went toilet and then Claire and I left for home.
Once we got home, Claire had to clean the upstairs bathroom as part of her chores. Being the altruistic person I am, I offered to help her and that's what the rest of the evening was spent doing before I went to bed.
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
One of the Greatest Films
Saturday, August 25th 2007, Wake up time: 10:20am
I woke up and the majority of the morning and some of the afternoon was spent doing some heavy moving. We were trying to move a wardrobe into my room from upstairs but it was quite impossible to get the angles right and we eventually gave up and put it in the basement. I was very tired and sweaty, so I took a shower and then went on the trampoline, which was finally fully built.
I used the rest of the afternoon to clean my room to earn my $10 for that week. I then talked to Rory and Amy on msn before having dinner of lamb, garlic mash potatoes with stirfry. We had pie for desert, and over dinner, Ralph suggested we go see 'Rocket Science', which was an independent film playing in a cinema that wasn't too far away. Before the film, I got myself a large popcorn and drink and I got some M&Ms too!
As this blog entry is rather short, I'll go into detail about the film itself. Rocket Science isn't a film that many will have seen. It's a film about a boy who has a stutter and to fight it and attempt to overcome his nervous nature, he joins the debate team. I can't tell you much about the plot, as this will ruin it. I will say that you should definitely see it and I enjoy it every time I see it. It has a fantastic cast of small time actors, i.e Reece Thompson (most of which hadn't done anything beforehand), the story works out in a beautiful and realistic sense. There is some symbolism that is perfect and the soundtrack by Eef Barzelay (another person you won't have heard of) is one of my favourites from any film and accompanies the mood perfectly...
After the film was over, we headed home, chatting excitedly about all our favourite moments (except for one major plot flaw, see if you can spot it) and when we got home, Claire and I finished off the evening with a popcorn fight. Another great evening, despite the day being mostly wasted! I suppose you could call it a workout though...
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and the majority of the morning and some of the afternoon was spent doing some heavy moving. We were trying to move a wardrobe into my room from upstairs but it was quite impossible to get the angles right and we eventually gave up and put it in the basement. I was very tired and sweaty, so I took a shower and then went on the trampoline, which was finally fully built.
I used the rest of the afternoon to clean my room to earn my $10 for that week. I then talked to Rory and Amy on msn before having dinner of lamb, garlic mash potatoes with stirfry. We had pie for desert, and over dinner, Ralph suggested we go see 'Rocket Science', which was an independent film playing in a cinema that wasn't too far away. Before the film, I got myself a large popcorn and drink and I got some M&Ms too!
As this blog entry is rather short, I'll go into detail about the film itself. Rocket Science isn't a film that many will have seen. It's a film about a boy who has a stutter and to fight it and attempt to overcome his nervous nature, he joins the debate team. I can't tell you much about the plot, as this will ruin it. I will say that you should definitely see it and I enjoy it every time I see it. It has a fantastic cast of small time actors, i.e Reece Thompson (most of which hadn't done anything beforehand), the story works out in a beautiful and realistic sense. There is some symbolism that is perfect and the soundtrack by Eef Barzelay (another person you won't have heard of) is one of my favourites from any film and accompanies the mood perfectly...
After the film was over, we headed home, chatting excitedly about all our favourite moments (except for one major plot flaw, see if you can spot it) and when we got home, Claire and I finished off the evening with a popcorn fight. Another great evening, despite the day being mostly wasted! I suppose you could call it a workout though...
Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Football, Friends and a Film
Friday, August 24th 2007, Wake up time: 6:50am
I put on my football gear and took a walk down to the school for try-outs. I couldn't actually try out until I had my health forms sorted so I just stayed and watched soccer practice but just ran and kicked the ball until 11:10. I then left for home.
Once I got home, Alex called me up and asked if I wanted to meet up. I grabbed a slice of pizza and then went to meet him. He was with some friends of his, Julia and Marisol. They loved my accent (as most American's did) and most of the afternoon was spent with me saying, like a performing monkey, all the stupid words they wanted to hear with a British accent, for example, 'Dolphin', 'Water Bottle' and 'Strawberry'.
Alex and I then headed to Starbucks for a Frappuccino and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing the country name game. This is where you guess a country by the clues the other person gives. Alex's mum called and he was going on a boat trip with his family. He invited me along, so we went back to Starbucks to be picked up. We then went and picked up Adrian and went on a boat ride.
Before we left on the boat, I got a rainbow cookie and some water! We then sailed until about 10 to 6...it was actually Alex who was sailing as he'd been trained in it. His parents were lovely but it was pretty embarrassing that a 13 year old could sale and I couldn't... We sailed and then I had an Oreo ice-cream. We then left for Alex's house.
We just hung out at Alex's and then had dinner. We played some Guitar Hero...which I suck at. We then had some pizza for dinner, (I should really not have eaten so much pizza) and I met a French girl who was staying with Alex. Alex was part French and his parents wanted him to learn it fluently, and to help they'd got an exchange to come over and live with them.
We left Alex's at around 7:30, as they were showing a screening of 'Fever Pitch' in Menotomy Rocks Park. It's a film with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. It's not a great film. It's the American version of 'Fever Pitch', based on a novel by Nick Hornby about a man's obsession with Arsenal. Except in the American version, it's about a man's obsession with the Red Sox and how it affects his relationships. It's not terrible, but not as good as the original and they had to change the end for the release as the Red Sox won the World Series! (Which nobody was expecting.) I met Laura (Claire's friend) and we met up with Claire and Bev.
I made people laugh, because part way through, the film stopped and everyone groaned and I said "Boo, this was free!" A very fun day all round, despite not being actually able to try-out due to my lack of kit. I had found out that if you're on the 'soccer' team, you can't take part in the Fall (or Autumn) production at school and acting was what interested me more. I had a decision to make...and you'll have to find out what route I took and for now,
Thanks for listening.
I put on my football gear and took a walk down to the school for try-outs. I couldn't actually try out until I had my health forms sorted so I just stayed and watched soccer practice but just ran and kicked the ball until 11:10. I then left for home.
Once I got home, Alex called me up and asked if I wanted to meet up. I grabbed a slice of pizza and then went to meet him. He was with some friends of his, Julia and Marisol. They loved my accent (as most American's did) and most of the afternoon was spent with me saying, like a performing monkey, all the stupid words they wanted to hear with a British accent, for example, 'Dolphin', 'Water Bottle' and 'Strawberry'.
Alex and I then headed to Starbucks for a Frappuccino and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing the country name game. This is where you guess a country by the clues the other person gives. Alex's mum called and he was going on a boat trip with his family. He invited me along, so we went back to Starbucks to be picked up. We then went and picked up Adrian and went on a boat ride.
Before we left on the boat, I got a rainbow cookie and some water! We then sailed until about 10 to 6...it was actually Alex who was sailing as he'd been trained in it. His parents were lovely but it was pretty embarrassing that a 13 year old could sale and I couldn't... We sailed and then I had an Oreo ice-cream. We then left for Alex's house.
We just hung out at Alex's and then had dinner. We played some Guitar Hero...which I suck at. We then had some pizza for dinner, (I should really not have eaten so much pizza) and I met a French girl who was staying with Alex. Alex was part French and his parents wanted him to learn it fluently, and to help they'd got an exchange to come over and live with them.
We left Alex's at around 7:30, as they were showing a screening of 'Fever Pitch' in Menotomy Rocks Park. It's a film with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. It's not a great film. It's the American version of 'Fever Pitch', based on a novel by Nick Hornby about a man's obsession with Arsenal. Except in the American version, it's about a man's obsession with the Red Sox and how it affects his relationships. It's not terrible, but not as good as the original and they had to change the end for the release as the Red Sox won the World Series! (Which nobody was expecting.) I met Laura (Claire's friend) and we met up with Claire and Bev.
I made people laugh, because part way through, the film stopped and everyone groaned and I said "Boo, this was free!" A very fun day all round, despite not being actually able to try-out due to my lack of kit. I had found out that if you're on the 'soccer' team, you can't take part in the Fall (or Autumn) production at school and acting was what interested me more. I had a decision to make...and you'll have to find out what route I took and for now,
Thanks for listening.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Results
Thursday, August 23rd 2007, Wake up time: 10:05am
I needed to get football gear for my try-outs and so we headed to the shops to purchase some. I bought some boots (cleats) along with footballing socks and shin pads. After I'd got them all sorted, I came home and called my Mum as I was getting my GCSE results. My results were pretty average and I wasn't thrilled, but my mum said she was proud of me and that due to the severe lack of work I did, I should be proud.
I talked with Amy and Rory as they had both got their results and we had a good laugh and I said how much I missed them, etc. I then went to have lunch, which was a big pizza! After lunch, I hung out for the afternoon and then cleaned the kitchen.
I took a walk to return videos and then took a walk up the bike path to AHS as this was the quickest route to school and I wanted to learn it before the term started. On the way home, I bumped into Claire and we walked home yesterday. Once we got home, I spent the rest of the evening watching television with Claire and then went to bed early as I had to get up for football try outs.
Unfortunately, a very dull day where not a lot happened but once again,
Thanks for listening.
I needed to get football gear for my try-outs and so we headed to the shops to purchase some. I bought some boots (cleats) along with footballing socks and shin pads. After I'd got them all sorted, I came home and called my Mum as I was getting my GCSE results. My results were pretty average and I wasn't thrilled, but my mum said she was proud of me and that due to the severe lack of work I did, I should be proud.
I talked with Amy and Rory as they had both got their results and we had a good laugh and I said how much I missed them, etc. I then went to have lunch, which was a big pizza! After lunch, I hung out for the afternoon and then cleaned the kitchen.
I took a walk to return videos and then took a walk up the bike path to AHS as this was the quickest route to school and I wanted to learn it before the term started. On the way home, I bumped into Claire and we walked home yesterday. Once we got home, I spent the rest of the evening watching television with Claire and then went to bed early as I had to get up for football try outs.
Unfortunately, a very dull day where not a lot happened but once again,
Thanks for listening.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Hello to New Friends and Goodbye to Old
Wednesday, August 22nd 2007, Wake up time: 8:25am
I woke up extremely early as I had decided to join the 'soccer' team and there was a meeting about try-outs. I wasn't the best at football but I genuinely thought these kids would be shit because they're American ;). I left at about 9:50am and the meeting started at 10. I didn't say much, just listened and introduced myself and was asked if where I lived was near London. All Americans who haven't really been to England use London as a way point, it's mental...
I left the meeting at about 11 and met some kids from the meeting. It was easy enough to get on with them because being British they asked me a lot of questions about where I lived and what life was like. We also talked for a while about our favourite football teams (they knew more than I thought.) One of them was called Nick, and we met another called Nick...I thought they were pulling my leg. I also met (no lies) another Nick and Mike who asked me a lot about Cockney Rhyming Slang, which is a LONDON dialect. I didn't want to disappoint so I said all the Rhyming Slang I knew.
I had another meeting at 12 about what I'd need to get before try outs and then I walked home. This was good as I'd be mostly walking to and from school and wanted to learn the route. It wasn't a bad walk...but a good half n' hour. When I got home, I had leftover pizza and American Chop Suey...I loved it.
After lunch, Bev, Lyle, Greg, Eben and I left for a harbour tour. We got to Boston and got on a boat that took us to George's Island and we saw Fort Warren. Fort Warren was primarily used during the Civil War, where many Confederate troops and political leaders were kept. It was also a wartime defence during both Wars. It's now your typical tourist spot. I had a diet coke and we also stopped at Spectacles Island before heading home.
Upon arriving home, we said goodbye to Eben who was all ready to set off for California. After we'd said our goodbyes I finished the night off with a small dinner of a pork roll as I was quite full from lunch. A very interesting day and I was looking forward to getting to know people from school. Although I was having fun, part of me just wanted to be around kids my age again! Hopefully the football team was my answer.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up extremely early as I had decided to join the 'soccer' team and there was a meeting about try-outs. I wasn't the best at football but I genuinely thought these kids would be shit because they're American ;). I left at about 9:50am and the meeting started at 10. I didn't say much, just listened and introduced myself and was asked if where I lived was near London. All Americans who haven't really been to England use London as a way point, it's mental...
I left the meeting at about 11 and met some kids from the meeting. It was easy enough to get on with them because being British they asked me a lot of questions about where I lived and what life was like. We also talked for a while about our favourite football teams (they knew more than I thought.) One of them was called Nick, and we met another called Nick...I thought they were pulling my leg. I also met (no lies) another Nick and Mike who asked me a lot about Cockney Rhyming Slang, which is a LONDON dialect. I didn't want to disappoint so I said all the Rhyming Slang I knew.
I had another meeting at 12 about what I'd need to get before try outs and then I walked home. This was good as I'd be mostly walking to and from school and wanted to learn the route. It wasn't a bad walk...but a good half n' hour. When I got home, I had leftover pizza and American Chop Suey...I loved it.
After lunch, Bev, Lyle, Greg, Eben and I left for a harbour tour. We got to Boston and got on a boat that took us to George's Island and we saw Fort Warren. Fort Warren was primarily used during the Civil War, where many Confederate troops and political leaders were kept. It was also a wartime defence during both Wars. It's now your typical tourist spot. I had a diet coke and we also stopped at Spectacles Island before heading home.
Upon arriving home, we said goodbye to Eben who was all ready to set off for California. After we'd said our goodbyes I finished the night off with a small dinner of a pork roll as I was quite full from lunch. A very interesting day and I was looking forward to getting to know people from school. Although I was having fun, part of me just wanted to be around kids my age again! Hopefully the football team was my answer.
Thanks for listening.
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Sorting the Schedule
Tuesday, August 21st 2007, Wake up time: 9:15am
I woke up early to go to a school meeting about my schedule for the upcoming academic year. I met Kathy Hirsch who was a guidance counsellor and I arranged what classes I wanted to take. I was lucky because as I wasn't graduating, I didn't have to take any compulsory classes (e.g. English, Maths or Science.) Each subject had a topical area of study and also a level of study. C2 being the easiest followed by C1 then Advanced and then Honours and finally AP (Advance Placement) the latter being basically college level!
I chose to do:
- Honours Drama,
-Advanced American Literature,
-Honours French (which turned out later to be a bad idea!),
-Honours American History,
-Maths: Algebra 2 C1 (just because I didn't love it and it wasn't my strongest subject),
-Honours Psychology.
After I had sorted out my schedule, I met the school nurse and had some basic health check tests. I talked to Sharon for a little while and found out about some extra-curricular activities. We then left for home and when I got home I played some Command and Conquer: Renegade. Eben came round and he and Leah had decided to sleep over that evening rather than the evening before.
Once they arrived, we had lunch of pizza and chicken nuggets and then baked some cookies. After lunch, we went to rent some films and I met Alex in Starbucks. We walked to CVS, drinking a Frappacino and we were just browsing pointlessly. We met a cool guy though! We hung out for the afternoon and then came home for dinner of Chop Suey. We watched youtube videos and then had cake and ice-cream for desert.
We spent the rest of the evening watching the films we'd rented, Date Movie which is fucking awful, an utterly terrible film, and Mean Girls. Mean Girls is a film which you'd expect most males to hate, but it is witty and for what it tries to achieve it does very well...it's easily one of Lohan's best films and Tina Fey is so good in it! We then settled down for the night after proving Date Movie was awful by reading a review online. 9% out of 100%! Brilliant.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up early to go to a school meeting about my schedule for the upcoming academic year. I met Kathy Hirsch who was a guidance counsellor and I arranged what classes I wanted to take. I was lucky because as I wasn't graduating, I didn't have to take any compulsory classes (e.g. English, Maths or Science.) Each subject had a topical area of study and also a level of study. C2 being the easiest followed by C1 then Advanced and then Honours and finally AP (Advance Placement) the latter being basically college level!
I chose to do:
- Honours Drama,
-Advanced American Literature,
-Honours French (which turned out later to be a bad idea!),
-Honours American History,
-Maths: Algebra 2 C1 (just because I didn't love it and it wasn't my strongest subject),
-Honours Psychology.
After I had sorted out my schedule, I met the school nurse and had some basic health check tests. I talked to Sharon for a little while and found out about some extra-curricular activities. We then left for home and when I got home I played some Command and Conquer: Renegade. Eben came round and he and Leah had decided to sleep over that evening rather than the evening before.
Once they arrived, we had lunch of pizza and chicken nuggets and then baked some cookies. After lunch, we went to rent some films and I met Alex in Starbucks. We walked to CVS, drinking a Frappacino and we were just browsing pointlessly. We met a cool guy though! We hung out for the afternoon and then came home for dinner of Chop Suey. We watched youtube videos and then had cake and ice-cream for desert.
We spent the rest of the evening watching the films we'd rented, Date Movie which is fucking awful, an utterly terrible film, and Mean Girls. Mean Girls is a film which you'd expect most males to hate, but it is witty and for what it tries to achieve it does very well...it's easily one of Lohan's best films and Tina Fey is so good in it! We then settled down for the night after proving Date Movie was awful by reading a review online. 9% out of 100%! Brilliant.
Thanks for listening.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Anarchy in the USA
Monday, August 20th 2007, Wake up time: 10:55am
I woke up and had choco-cereal for breakfast and past the morning with some Red Alert 2. Justin and Greg arrived and we hung out until it was time to go to Eben's leaving party as he was heading for California sometime soon. I had a scribbler and we played some computer games and then left for the party.
At the party, we me many of Eben's parent's friends and had some appetisers. We hung out with Eben and Leah, and I met this kid called Alex (who despite being younger, I got along really well with.) The first thing I allowed Claire and Leah to do was paint my nails...I don't know why I do these things. I showed Bev, who pointed out I had a meeting with the school in the morning and that I should probably get rid of it.
We had some root beer and went to Eben's where his house was nice and empty. We played with some of the stuff that his parent's wanted to sell, such as a wicked cool electric wheel chair. We then played some soccer (*cough* sorry, football) in Eben's back garden. We went inside again and were anarchistic with some water balloons. Leah then showed us her guitar, and we played around with it. I played the few songs I knew (literally I can only play Smoke on the Water which everyone knows and the rift to Sunshine of Your Love.)
It was getting late, and Leah said she would sleep round Claire's. I was about to invite Alex, but hat to get up early for the school meet. Alex had to go, but he did say he wished I was his older brother which made me very happy :D For the last part of the evening, we went to Leah's room and sang along to Spongebob Squarepants (I was having fun okay!) and then left for home. Once we got home, we had a simple dinner of sausage and pasta and then I watched some television before an early night as I had to get up for the school meeting.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and had choco-cereal for breakfast and past the morning with some Red Alert 2. Justin and Greg arrived and we hung out until it was time to go to Eben's leaving party as he was heading for California sometime soon. I had a scribbler and we played some computer games and then left for the party.
At the party, we me many of Eben's parent's friends and had some appetisers. We hung out with Eben and Leah, and I met this kid called Alex (who despite being younger, I got along really well with.) The first thing I allowed Claire and Leah to do was paint my nails...I don't know why I do these things. I showed Bev, who pointed out I had a meeting with the school in the morning and that I should probably get rid of it.
We had some root beer and went to Eben's where his house was nice and empty. We played with some of the stuff that his parent's wanted to sell, such as a wicked cool electric wheel chair. We then played some soccer (*cough* sorry, football) in Eben's back garden. We went inside again and were anarchistic with some water balloons. Leah then showed us her guitar, and we played around with it. I played the few songs I knew (literally I can only play Smoke on the Water which everyone knows and the rift to Sunshine of Your Love.)
It was getting late, and Leah said she would sleep round Claire's. I was about to invite Alex, but hat to get up early for the school meet. Alex had to go, but he did say he wished I was his older brother which made me very happy :D For the last part of the evening, we went to Leah's room and sang along to Spongebob Squarepants (I was having fun okay!) and then left for home. Once we got home, we had a simple dinner of sausage and pasta and then I watched some television before an early night as I had to get up for the school meeting.
Thanks for listening.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Not So Thrilling
Sunday, August 19th 2007, Wake up time: 9:10am
I woke up to a breakfast of an English Muffin. We were going to a baseball game, the Paw Sox this time and they were playing the Syracuse Chiefs, whatever you say about baseball, the team names are awesome!). They're a minor league team and many of their youth players go to the Red Sox (a bit like the Youth Academy of football teams.)
We headed up to Ralph's buddy Don's as we were going to the game with him. We arrived and I met his daughter Leah, who he was bringing to the game with us. We arrived at the game and I had some pizza while we waited for the game to start. It was considerably cheaper food than at Fenway Park, but still expensive! We watched the game (incredibly dull compared to the Red Sox game I'd seen) but the Paw Sox did win! (Even if it was by one run...final score 2-1.) During the eighth inning I had some fries and a hotdog (the most exciting part of this game was the food.)
After the game was up, we headed back to Don's and we met his wife Janice and older daughter Carolyn. We had some Doritos for snacks and got acquainted. Dinner was burgers, coleslaw and corn on the cob! We decided to then play volley ball after (as this was Carolyn's favourite game.) Unfortunately, despite our best valiant efforts...my team lost. We had some cookies and then came home and had ice-cream once we got back. We finished off the evening watching some more boring sport...America n Soccer. New Hampshire playing Kansas City Wizards (what is with the daft names?). The game was only 1-0 to New Hampshire. Despite the baseball game being not as thrilling and us losing at volleyball, I enjoyed the day immensely.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up to a breakfast of an English Muffin. We were going to a baseball game, the Paw Sox this time and they were playing the Syracuse Chiefs, whatever you say about baseball, the team names are awesome!). They're a minor league team and many of their youth players go to the Red Sox (a bit like the Youth Academy of football teams.)
We headed up to Ralph's buddy Don's as we were going to the game with him. We arrived and I met his daughter Leah, who he was bringing to the game with us. We arrived at the game and I had some pizza while we waited for the game to start. It was considerably cheaper food than at Fenway Park, but still expensive! We watched the game (incredibly dull compared to the Red Sox game I'd seen) but the Paw Sox did win! (Even if it was by one run...final score 2-1.) During the eighth inning I had some fries and a hotdog (the most exciting part of this game was the food.)
After the game was up, we headed back to Don's and we met his wife Janice and older daughter Carolyn. We had some Doritos for snacks and got acquainted. Dinner was burgers, coleslaw and corn on the cob! We decided to then play volley ball after (as this was Carolyn's favourite game.) Unfortunately, despite our best valiant efforts...my team lost. We had some cookies and then came home and had ice-cream once we got back. We finished off the evening watching some more boring sport...America n Soccer. New Hampshire playing Kansas City Wizards (what is with the daft names?). The game was only 1-0 to New Hampshire. Despite the baseball game being not as thrilling and us losing at volleyball, I enjoyed the day immensely.
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
They Could Have Warned Us...
Saturday, August 18th 2007, Wake up time: 11:15am
I woke up and the first thing I did was wrap Eben's present as he was having his birthday party and we were going bowling! We left for Eben's party and I met his friends Dennis and Jeremy. We bowled and then had pizza and pie with ice-cream on the side.
While eating we watched a Little League game on television... essentially kids playing baseball. I found it really dull to watch but we did anyway. Eben then opened his presents and we bowled again and finally left for home.
Once I got home, I played some Red Alert 2 and then had yet more pizza (home made though!) After this, Bev gave me my allowance (only $10 as I'd bought the t-shirt) and I went with her on some errands as I needed some stuff too. We went to the bank first and then to CVS as I needed some deodorant, shampoo and some cleansing facial wash (I'm apparently a girl now.)
We got home, and we watched the film 'Harlem Nights' that we'd rented as it had both Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy...they could have warned us it was so rude. We assumed it would be an amusing comedy but it was rather adult. In the first scene, the word 'motherfucker' was used at least eighteen times. I didn't care one bit but Bev and Ralph were not happy and didn't continue watching. I sat by myself and watched it alone...but I still enjoyed it a lot! After the film was over, we sat down and had some ice-cream and then I headed off to bed.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and the first thing I did was wrap Eben's present as he was having his birthday party and we were going bowling! We left for Eben's party and I met his friends Dennis and Jeremy. We bowled and then had pizza and pie with ice-cream on the side.
While eating we watched a Little League game on television... essentially kids playing baseball. I found it really dull to watch but we did anyway. Eben then opened his presents and we bowled again and finally left for home.
Once I got home, I played some Red Alert 2 and then had yet more pizza (home made though!) After this, Bev gave me my allowance (only $10 as I'd bought the t-shirt) and I went with her on some errands as I needed some stuff too. We went to the bank first and then to CVS as I needed some deodorant, shampoo and some cleansing facial wash (I'm apparently a girl now.)
We got home, and we watched the film 'Harlem Nights' that we'd rented as it had both Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy...they could have warned us it was so rude. We assumed it would be an amusing comedy but it was rather adult. In the first scene, the word 'motherfucker' was used at least eighteen times. I didn't care one bit but Bev and Ralph were not happy and didn't continue watching. I sat by myself and watched it alone...but I still enjoyed it a lot! After the film was over, we sat down and had some ice-cream and then I headed off to bed.
Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
The Festivals In Town
Friday, August 17th 2007, Wake up time: 11:10am
I had some waffles with maple syrup for breakfast. We then went to Barnes and Nobles as Claire wanted to pick up another book that was part of a series she was reading through. I bought myself a copy of the Jam's greatest hits (as they also sell CDs) and Claire's book called Uglies. Which I personally found awful from the blurb as it was all about being rejected for being ugly. What a superficial book.
We left for home and then Lyle and I set off for Greg's. I met Greg's friend Nick and we played some Starcraft with them and Justin. After the game was over (Greg winning by another big margin) we went in the pool and had a lot of fun torturing Justin (not properly) but basically dunking him under the water.
Bev picked us up in the late afternoon as we were going out for pizza and there was an Italian market and festival in Boston! We left for the pizza place but it was super busy and we waited ages for a table. Ralph met us from work and we finally sat down. I had a four cheese pizza (Quattro Formaggi), margherita, parmesan, mascarpone and dolcelatte with brocolli and root beer.
After the dinner we saw the festival and I bought a t-shirt perfect for me. At the time I was into Gangster films in a big way, and it had Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Al Capone (The Godfather, Scarface and for some reason a real Gangster.) It wasn't perfect but for only $10 I was very happy! We saw many cool foods and small items on sale and we finally left. Not much happened when we got home as we'd already had dinner and we'd been at the festival awhile so we said goodnight and went to bed.
Thanks for listening.
I had some waffles with maple syrup for breakfast. We then went to Barnes and Nobles as Claire wanted to pick up another book that was part of a series she was reading through. I bought myself a copy of the Jam's greatest hits (as they also sell CDs) and Claire's book called Uglies. Which I personally found awful from the blurb as it was all about being rejected for being ugly. What a superficial book.
We left for home and then Lyle and I set off for Greg's. I met Greg's friend Nick and we played some Starcraft with them and Justin. After the game was over (Greg winning by another big margin) we went in the pool and had a lot of fun torturing Justin (not properly) but basically dunking him under the water.
Bev picked us up in the late afternoon as we were going out for pizza and there was an Italian market and festival in Boston! We left for the pizza place but it was super busy and we waited ages for a table. Ralph met us from work and we finally sat down. I had a four cheese pizza (Quattro Formaggi), margherita, parmesan, mascarpone and dolcelatte with brocolli and root beer.
After the dinner we saw the festival and I bought a t-shirt perfect for me. At the time I was into Gangster films in a big way, and it had Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Al Capone (The Godfather, Scarface and for some reason a real Gangster.) It wasn't perfect but for only $10 I was very happy! We saw many cool foods and small items on sale and we finally left. Not much happened when we got home as we'd already had dinner and we'd been at the festival awhile so we said goodnight and went to bed.
Thanks for listening.
Monday, 16 August 2010
A Bad Dare
Thursday, August 16th 2007, Wake up time: 7:35am
I woke up so early as I was going over to Don's to do more work for him. I weeded for three hours and was paid a very nice sum of $30! I needed it as I needed new headphones for my MP3 player. I went and bought some from Walmart and then came home.
We were going to Walden Pond again for a swim and some lunch. I had a chicken sandwich and raw carrot and then took a swim. We took a walk around the lake after we'd swam and then headed on to Brigham's where I had the 'Big Dig' ice-cream.
We'd bought a trampoline from the Eben's as they were moving to California and were selling some stuff. When we got home, we built some more of it and had yesterday. I had some crackers with red pepper seeds. Lyle and Claire found out I really hated mustard, and so as a dare they got me to put loads of it on one cracker. It was absolutely disgusting! I gagged for a good three minutes.
Bev asked me to clean some windows for her, which I readily obliged and then I had a quick nap before dinner. Dinner was sausages with pasta, and after we watched some Simpson's episodes. For the rest of the evening we built more of the trampoline...it was quite big and tough to put together, we were just working it out as we had no instructions. After we'd finished doing as much as we could for the evening, I cleaned the kitchen and put dishes away before heading to bed.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up so early as I was going over to Don's to do more work for him. I weeded for three hours and was paid a very nice sum of $30! I needed it as I needed new headphones for my MP3 player. I went and bought some from Walmart and then came home.
We were going to Walden Pond again for a swim and some lunch. I had a chicken sandwich and raw carrot and then took a swim. We took a walk around the lake after we'd swam and then headed on to Brigham's where I had the 'Big Dig' ice-cream.
We'd bought a trampoline from the Eben's as they were moving to California and were selling some stuff. When we got home, we built some more of it and had yesterday. I had some crackers with red pepper seeds. Lyle and Claire found out I really hated mustard, and so as a dare they got me to put loads of it on one cracker. It was absolutely disgusting! I gagged for a good three minutes.
Bev asked me to clean some windows for her, which I readily obliged and then I had a quick nap before dinner. Dinner was sausages with pasta, and after we watched some Simpson's episodes. For the rest of the evening we built more of the trampoline...it was quite big and tough to put together, we were just working it out as we had no instructions. After we'd finished doing as much as we could for the evening, I cleaned the kitchen and put dishes away before heading to bed.
Thanks for listening.
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Meet the Animals
Wednesday, August 15th 2007, Wake up time: 11:55
I woke up and read more of Omerta. I had really gotten into it and was enjoying it immensely. Bev's friend Kath came round again and we had a good conversation before I went back to reading more of Omerta. I was getting tired again for some reason and so I had a nap. I woke up and had lunch, roast beef and BBQ sauce.
After lunch, I finally finished Omerta, it had been so good, I recommend it to most! I went to see what Lyle was doing and he was playing some good ol' Counterstrike so I played that for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner was pork and corn on the cob. I had a fudgesicle for desert and then checked my e-mail. I had an ice-cream cone as well. Claire wanted me to meet her stuffed animals (don't ask) and there were many! Mo-moo Cow, Arnie the Bear, Mod the Dog, Flo the Pig, Ellie the Frog, Beverly the Bunny, Claire the Hippopotamus, Peanuts the Elephant and last but not least Banana the Monkey! What a collection (quite well named too.)
Sorry this blog was shorter than most but not a whole lot happened throughout the day...but as always,
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and read more of Omerta. I had really gotten into it and was enjoying it immensely. Bev's friend Kath came round again and we had a good conversation before I went back to reading more of Omerta. I was getting tired again for some reason and so I had a nap. I woke up and had lunch, roast beef and BBQ sauce.
After lunch, I finally finished Omerta, it had been so good, I recommend it to most! I went to see what Lyle was doing and he was playing some good ol' Counterstrike so I played that for the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner was pork and corn on the cob. I had a fudgesicle for desert and then checked my e-mail. I had an ice-cream cone as well. Claire wanted me to meet her stuffed animals (don't ask) and there were many! Mo-moo Cow, Arnie the Bear, Mod the Dog, Flo the Pig, Ellie the Frog, Beverly the Bunny, Claire the Hippopotamus, Peanuts the Elephant and last but not least Banana the Monkey! What a collection (quite well named too.)
Sorry this blog was shorter than most but not a whole lot happened throughout the day...but as always,
Thanks for listening.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Fenway Tales
Tuesday, August 14th 2007, Wake up time: 8:45am
I woke up early as Lyle and I had decided to go on the Fenway Park tour. We got to the Stadium and took the tour. Lyle wasn't thrilled but I found it very interesting, getting an in depth look at the park and also the tour guide told us some very good stories and facts...
Did you know?
- The Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to their rivals The Yankees in 1918 and for 86 years, until 2004, they didn't win the World Series... and oddity no less.
- The Green Monster (the biggest wall in Fenway) is painted a special green and it is licensed to The Red Sox. If you want to paint your room the same colour, you have to buy the team. Got $724 million spare? Go buy them then! :)
- On the side of Fenway, they have many numbers that are 'retired numbers.' This means no other player can have this number because the person associated with them was so famous.
- One of the numbers is blue, number 42. This is Jackie Robinson's number, the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
- The yellow pole that is the right field foul pole is nicknamed Pesky's Pole, named after Johnny Pesky. It's named because he kept hitting the pole and would have found it easier to hit home runs over the fence.
That's all I remember, but not bad as the tour was ages ago. After the tour was over, Bev picked us up and we went to Uno's for a late lunch. I had a Chicago pizza and clam chowder. After lunch, we headed home and I had a nap. After I got up, I spoke to some friends from England and then watched more episodes of Upstairs/Downstairs! I was getting a little sick of it.
We left for the Selker's (Eben's family) for dinner and a small party. I had dinner of chicken, rice and peas and fudge cake for desert. I met Eliza (Leah's friend) and we played some ping pong. After that, we watched some baseball on television and then left for home.
Once I got home, I unpacked the closet in my room as there was some stuff in there that I didn't need and I wanted to free up some space. We had some lemon cake in front of more Upstairs/Downstairs. Luckily, we were near the end of the first series...not that I wanted to watch any more!
Thanks for listening.
I woke up early as Lyle and I had decided to go on the Fenway Park tour. We got to the Stadium and took the tour. Lyle wasn't thrilled but I found it very interesting, getting an in depth look at the park and also the tour guide told us some very good stories and facts...
Did you know?
- The Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to their rivals The Yankees in 1918 and for 86 years, until 2004, they didn't win the World Series... and oddity no less.
- The Green Monster (the biggest wall in Fenway) is painted a special green and it is licensed to The Red Sox. If you want to paint your room the same colour, you have to buy the team. Got $724 million spare? Go buy them then! :)
- On the side of Fenway, they have many numbers that are 'retired numbers.' This means no other player can have this number because the person associated with them was so famous.
- One of the numbers is blue, number 42. This is Jackie Robinson's number, the first African American to play Major League Baseball.
- The yellow pole that is the right field foul pole is nicknamed Pesky's Pole, named after Johnny Pesky. It's named because he kept hitting the pole and would have found it easier to hit home runs over the fence.
That's all I remember, but not bad as the tour was ages ago. After the tour was over, Bev picked us up and we went to Uno's for a late lunch. I had a Chicago pizza and clam chowder. After lunch, we headed home and I had a nap. After I got up, I spoke to some friends from England and then watched more episodes of Upstairs/Downstairs! I was getting a little sick of it.
We left for the Selker's (Eben's family) for dinner and a small party. I had dinner of chicken, rice and peas and fudge cake for desert. I met Eliza (Leah's friend) and we played some ping pong. After that, we watched some baseball on television and then left for home.
Once I got home, I unpacked the closet in my room as there was some stuff in there that I didn't need and I wanted to free up some space. We had some lemon cake in front of more Upstairs/Downstairs. Luckily, we were near the end of the first series...not that I wanted to watch any more!
Thanks for listening.
Friday, 13 August 2010
Too Much of a Good Thing
Monday, August 13th 2007, Wake up time: 9:50am
I started the morning watching more Upstairs/Downstairs. Bev had got the entire first season, and it had been hard to fit in the episodes before the DVD had to be returned, so she was pushing us to watch them! It was a really good show, but you can get sick of something if you have too much of a good thing.
I had a Roast Beef sandwich with cheese and barbecue sauce for lunch (I'm going to stop telling people, it's always basically the same!) I played some Condition Zero until Bev was ready to go with me to send off my camera (as the man who could do something about it was back.) We sent it off to be repaired and then came home.
Claire needed some new clothes and so did I, so Bev, Claire and I went shopping. I got some new jeans for $20 and a shirt for $13. I also picked up another top for $16, with tax, the total price was $49.97. We then headed to the shoe store (the whole area went round in a semi-circle shape, with lots of different shops!) and Claire needed new shoes. I helped picked out some with her and she was very happy.
We made a stop at Panera Bread and I had a Frozen Caramel lolly. We then headed home and watched some television. What did we watch? That's right, Upstairs/Downstairs. I had some dinner of burgers with cheese and barbecue sauce. We then sat down to watch more Upstairs/Downstairs. By this point, I wasn't paying too much attention and found it rather dull. I was watching it for the sake of it, which was a shame because it was quite good. Bev served up some lemon cake as a desert, and we ate in front of the last Upstairs/Downstairs episode for the evening. After the episode was finished, I tidied up and cleaned the kitchen before retiring to bed. At this rate, I was going to experience déjà vu because of so much routine!
Thanks for listening.
I started the morning watching more Upstairs/Downstairs. Bev had got the entire first season, and it had been hard to fit in the episodes before the DVD had to be returned, so she was pushing us to watch them! It was a really good show, but you can get sick of something if you have too much of a good thing.
I had a Roast Beef sandwich with cheese and barbecue sauce for lunch (I'm going to stop telling people, it's always basically the same!) I played some Condition Zero until Bev was ready to go with me to send off my camera (as the man who could do something about it was back.) We sent it off to be repaired and then came home.
Claire needed some new clothes and so did I, so Bev, Claire and I went shopping. I got some new jeans for $20 and a shirt for $13. I also picked up another top for $16, with tax, the total price was $49.97. We then headed to the shoe store (the whole area went round in a semi-circle shape, with lots of different shops!) and Claire needed new shoes. I helped picked out some with her and she was very happy.
We made a stop at Panera Bread and I had a Frozen Caramel lolly. We then headed home and watched some television. What did we watch? That's right, Upstairs/Downstairs. I had some dinner of burgers with cheese and barbecue sauce. We then sat down to watch more Upstairs/Downstairs. By this point, I wasn't paying too much attention and found it rather dull. I was watching it for the sake of it, which was a shame because it was quite good. Bev served up some lemon cake as a desert, and we ate in front of the last Upstairs/Downstairs episode for the evening. After the episode was finished, I tidied up and cleaned the kitchen before retiring to bed. At this rate, I was going to experience déjà vu because of so much routine!
Thanks for listening.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Meteor Shower!
Sunday, August 12th 2007, Wake up time: 8:55am
I woke up surprisingly early and passed morning playing more computer games. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Sue (Bev's other brother) were coming round for dinner, so I offered to clean the kitchen and laid some napkins out for when they arrived.
When they arrived, we sat round and talked and had snacks and root beer. Lunch was a serving of Kielbasa (a common North American type of sausage), chicken and salad with mozzarella. It was all quite delicious! Desert was a serving of Carrot Cake.
After lunch, we took a walk with them to the local park. We passed a house that was giving away free items (Americans do this a lot with anything they don't want.) I picked up a hard hat that was in the pile of items. Why? Because I could, and I wanted a free hard hat! We finished our short walk around the neighbourhood and got home. Once we got home, we sat and talked in the living room while having ice-lollies. We then said goodbye and cleared up the left-over food.
Ralph was channel surfing and he stumbled on a soccer game. I'd never seen Americans play football and as it was David Beckham's new team (LA Galaxy), I thought it would be worth a watch. They were playing the New England Revolutionaries, who were winning 1-0. The score stayed that way, and we watched quite a bit of the first half and the whole of the second. It was an awful match. No wonder people mock American's way of playing. They were playing the terrible tactic of smashing it up the field and hoping someone receives it. The passing was crap, the game didn't flow and the commentary was worse than average, with really obvious statements such as "LA Galaxy need one goal to equalise." There was a shot of Beckham with his head in his hands (as he wasn't playing) and I couldn't help laughing. He probably thought "The money wasn't worth this."
After the abysmal game, I went to do my clothes wash. For dinner, we just finished off what we hadn't eaten at lunch. The news had announced a meteor shower over our area, so we headed to the park again to watch it. It was really quite amazing, and we saw many meteors over head! It was going on a while and it was getting late so we headed home and I cleaned the kitchen. We also wanted to get back as the first televised debates were on. I had visited a good year, as it was the building up to the new Presidential Election (after what have called the Tyranny of Bush) It was only the first stages but it was a good chance to see each candidate that was running. It was more important as in America you vote in the candidate for each party, and then vote for the party themselves.
In terms of this system, I am torn, part of me thinks it seems a really good idea as it is more democratic to elect the candidates. However, it's a Republican candidate and a Democrat. If you have loyalty to a party, you might not choose a good candidate for the other on purpose (hence why some State laws make sure you are affiliated with a party.) The other negative is that it can introduce what is called 'Personality Politics' where people are judgemental and base their votes on superficial reasons (which is why some have argued Obama only did so well because he was mixed-race.) After the debates were over, which I was taking an active interest in as I wanted to learn the politics of America, we headed out into the garden to see more of the meteor shower before bed.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up surprisingly early and passed morning playing more computer games. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Sue (Bev's other brother) were coming round for dinner, so I offered to clean the kitchen and laid some napkins out for when they arrived.
When they arrived, we sat round and talked and had snacks and root beer. Lunch was a serving of Kielbasa (a common North American type of sausage), chicken and salad with mozzarella. It was all quite delicious! Desert was a serving of Carrot Cake.
After lunch, we took a walk with them to the local park. We passed a house that was giving away free items (Americans do this a lot with anything they don't want.) I picked up a hard hat that was in the pile of items. Why? Because I could, and I wanted a free hard hat! We finished our short walk around the neighbourhood and got home. Once we got home, we sat and talked in the living room while having ice-lollies. We then said goodbye and cleared up the left-over food.
Ralph was channel surfing and he stumbled on a soccer game. I'd never seen Americans play football and as it was David Beckham's new team (LA Galaxy), I thought it would be worth a watch. They were playing the New England Revolutionaries, who were winning 1-0. The score stayed that way, and we watched quite a bit of the first half and the whole of the second. It was an awful match. No wonder people mock American's way of playing. They were playing the terrible tactic of smashing it up the field and hoping someone receives it. The passing was crap, the game didn't flow and the commentary was worse than average, with really obvious statements such as "LA Galaxy need one goal to equalise." There was a shot of Beckham with his head in his hands (as he wasn't playing) and I couldn't help laughing. He probably thought "The money wasn't worth this."
After the abysmal game, I went to do my clothes wash. For dinner, we just finished off what we hadn't eaten at lunch. The news had announced a meteor shower over our area, so we headed to the park again to watch it. It was really quite amazing, and we saw many meteors over head! It was going on a while and it was getting late so we headed home and I cleaned the kitchen. We also wanted to get back as the first televised debates were on. I had visited a good year, as it was the building up to the new Presidential Election (after what have called the Tyranny of Bush) It was only the first stages but it was a good chance to see each candidate that was running. It was more important as in America you vote in the candidate for each party, and then vote for the party themselves.
In terms of this system, I am torn, part of me thinks it seems a really good idea as it is more democratic to elect the candidates. However, it's a Republican candidate and a Democrat. If you have loyalty to a party, you might not choose a good candidate for the other on purpose (hence why some State laws make sure you are affiliated with a party.) The other negative is that it can introduce what is called 'Personality Politics' where people are judgemental and base their votes on superficial reasons (which is why some have argued Obama only did so well because he was mixed-race.) After the debates were over, which I was taking an active interest in as I wanted to learn the politics of America, we headed out into the garden to see more of the meteor shower before bed.
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Wouldn't it be Nice?
Saturday, 11th August 2007, Wake up time: 10:50am
I began the morning doing the dishes again (as I wanted to earn the full $20). I then polished the chairs and dusted the house to try and earn some extra money. I had downloaded a game on Lyle's computer, the off-line counter strike game 'Condition Zero.' I then went to wash the blinds down to make the house really clean!
We had decided to go to see The Beach Boys live (once again, a free concert!) We made some corned beef sandwiches with mozzarella and barbecue sauce (I clearly love cheese.) Eben was coming with us, and he arrived with his dad, who I hadn't met yet. We left for the concert, which was by the harbour.
We arrived and it was packed! I was surprised, but then the concert was free and The Beach Boys are very big in America (and around the world.) At the time, I didn't know their music apart from the obvious hits, I get Around, Wouldn't it be Nice etc. However, I still enjoyed the music while sitting by the harbour and having our picnic.
We left before the end, because we wanted to beat the crowds. We headed to Brigham's to get some ice-cream as a desert but unfortunately it was closed! We then headed home, after dropping Eben off. As a finale to the evening, we watched some more Upstairs/Downstairs, which I was really enjoying! I'm quite proud to say I've seen The Beach Boys live, not many people have! I was also smug because I knew that, although The Beach Boys covered 'California Dreaming' it wasn't actually their song, it was by The Mamas and The Papas, despite Bev saying it was.
Thanks for listening.
I began the morning doing the dishes again (as I wanted to earn the full $20). I then polished the chairs and dusted the house to try and earn some extra money. I had downloaded a game on Lyle's computer, the off-line counter strike game 'Condition Zero.' I then went to wash the blinds down to make the house really clean!
We had decided to go to see The Beach Boys live (once again, a free concert!) We made some corned beef sandwiches with mozzarella and barbecue sauce (I clearly love cheese.) Eben was coming with us, and he arrived with his dad, who I hadn't met yet. We left for the concert, which was by the harbour.
We arrived and it was packed! I was surprised, but then the concert was free and The Beach Boys are very big in America (and around the world.) At the time, I didn't know their music apart from the obvious hits, I get Around, Wouldn't it be Nice etc. However, I still enjoyed the music while sitting by the harbour and having our picnic.
We left before the end, because we wanted to beat the crowds. We headed to Brigham's to get some ice-cream as a desert but unfortunately it was closed! We then headed home, after dropping Eben off. As a finale to the evening, we watched some more Upstairs/Downstairs, which I was really enjoying! I'm quite proud to say I've seen The Beach Boys live, not many people have! I was also smug because I knew that, although The Beach Boys covered 'California Dreaming' it wasn't actually their song, it was by The Mamas and The Papas, despite Bev saying it was.
Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Butterflies in Summer
Friday, 10th August 2007, Wake up time: 10:55am
I woke up and had a strange breakfast of waffles and then some Clam Chowder. I then did the dishes as part of my weekly kitchen duty, as I hadn't bothered the night before. Our plan for the day was to go to the Butterfly Farm with Lyle's Grandma. We headed out and picked her up. We then went to the butterfly farm.
They gave us a little guide for us to try and spot the different species of butterflies. There were so many! The place wasn't too large but it was quite hard spotting each different type. We managed to cross quite a few of them off, and they were so beautiful in the environment. Due to time and also the heat, we soon gave up on trying to get them all! We dropped off Grandma on the way home and then went to have some Eskimo Pie, which is delicious!
We got home and watched some episodes of Friends before dinner. Dinner was pasta with sauce. Ralph wanted to play a ping-pong tournament. We set it up and played a few rounds between Claire, Lyle, Ralph and I. We then played a game of pictionairy, which is where you attempt to draw a word to have somebody guess it. Our team lost though! After our games evening, we had some ice-cream for desert and I then finished up by doing my usual cleaning of the dishes for the evening.
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and had a strange breakfast of waffles and then some Clam Chowder. I then did the dishes as part of my weekly kitchen duty, as I hadn't bothered the night before. Our plan for the day was to go to the Butterfly Farm with Lyle's Grandma. We headed out and picked her up. We then went to the butterfly farm.
They gave us a little guide for us to try and spot the different species of butterflies. There were so many! The place wasn't too large but it was quite hard spotting each different type. We managed to cross quite a few of them off, and they were so beautiful in the environment. Due to time and also the heat, we soon gave up on trying to get them all! We dropped off Grandma on the way home and then went to have some Eskimo Pie, which is delicious!
We got home and watched some episodes of Friends before dinner. Dinner was pasta with sauce. Ralph wanted to play a ping-pong tournament. We set it up and played a few rounds between Claire, Lyle, Ralph and I. We then played a game of pictionairy, which is where you attempt to draw a word to have somebody guess it. Our team lost though! After our games evening, we had some ice-cream for desert and I then finished up by doing my usual cleaning of the dishes for the evening.
Thanks for listening.
Monday, 9 August 2010
Stacey's Mom has got it going on...
Thursday, 9th August 2007 (Nan's Birthday), Wake up time: 10:30am
I woke up and continued to sort out any clothes I hadn't washed the day before. I began the morning playing more Red Alert 2 (I was clearly using my time effectively.) However, I soon had to join the real world as Lyle's Uncle was visiting (he's Bev's brother.) I remember meeting him when Lyle's family lived here for two years and he fondly remembers me using the term 'rubbish.' I think he was disappointed I now use harsher language!
We talked for a while, mostly questions about how I was finding America. He stayed for lunch which was tuna salad sandwich. After lunch, I checked my e-mail. Bev then announced that there was a free concert being held at Copely Sq, an area in the centre of Boston. I asked who was playing, it was a band who I had never heard of, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. The second band playing was one that, when I was told, I laughed out loud. It was Fountains of Wayne! Just so you don't think I have a weird sense of humour, it's because they had one hit in the UK 'Stacey's Mom' about a boy who fancies this girl's mum in a typical adolescent fantasy way. They then promptly disappeared from the scene and I was curious as to what music they'd actually made. As it was free, it was a double bonus!
Before the concert, we made up a picnic to have with us. We arrived at Copley Sq and after a short set up time, Sarah Borges and her band came on stage. It was a folk-rock style of music but I actually really enjoyed them! There were some fast songs to get you moving, and some slower ones to just enjoy. The sun was shining and I was already glad I'd come as I'd discovered a new band and some quality time with Bev.
During her set, we had our sandwiches (Pastrami and Cheese) and vanilla and raspberry and cookies. Her set sadly ended and while Fountains of Wayne set up, Bev and I shared some Pomegranate and Lemon drinks. I watched the bag, while Bev went to buy Sarah Borge's album. Bev got it signed for me, and it says 'To James, Welcome to Boston! Love Sarah x" It was pretty cool :)
Soon after, Fountains of Wayne began their set. Again, they were surprisingly good! I especially enjoyed one song 'Strapped for Cash' and I found almost all of their set list better than the one song I knew them by. It's a shame they didn't make it in the UK. It does show how different the cultural taste is. Once their set was over, we packed up our rubbish (I still use it ;) ) and took a short tour around central Boston. We saw an Art Gallery and various famous buildings.
Once we got home, I put on the new CD. Bev had rented a television series which she had loved in the UK, an old programme called Upstairs/Downstairs, starring Gordon Jackson and Jean Marsh. We watched an episode of that and then had dinner. Each episode was about an hour long and it was already late. Dinner was more pastrami and cheese, this time with barbecue sauce and waffles on the side. I was very glad I went to the concert in the end!
Thanks for listening.
I woke up and continued to sort out any clothes I hadn't washed the day before. I began the morning playing more Red Alert 2 (I was clearly using my time effectively.) However, I soon had to join the real world as Lyle's Uncle was visiting (he's Bev's brother.) I remember meeting him when Lyle's family lived here for two years and he fondly remembers me using the term 'rubbish.' I think he was disappointed I now use harsher language!
We talked for a while, mostly questions about how I was finding America. He stayed for lunch which was tuna salad sandwich. After lunch, I checked my e-mail. Bev then announced that there was a free concert being held at Copely Sq, an area in the centre of Boston. I asked who was playing, it was a band who I had never heard of, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. The second band playing was one that, when I was told, I laughed out loud. It was Fountains of Wayne! Just so you don't think I have a weird sense of humour, it's because they had one hit in the UK 'Stacey's Mom' about a boy who fancies this girl's mum in a typical adolescent fantasy way. They then promptly disappeared from the scene and I was curious as to what music they'd actually made. As it was free, it was a double bonus!
Before the concert, we made up a picnic to have with us. We arrived at Copley Sq and after a short set up time, Sarah Borges and her band came on stage. It was a folk-rock style of music but I actually really enjoyed them! There were some fast songs to get you moving, and some slower ones to just enjoy. The sun was shining and I was already glad I'd come as I'd discovered a new band and some quality time with Bev.
During her set, we had our sandwiches (Pastrami and Cheese) and vanilla and raspberry and cookies. Her set sadly ended and while Fountains of Wayne set up, Bev and I shared some Pomegranate and Lemon drinks. I watched the bag, while Bev went to buy Sarah Borge's album. Bev got it signed for me, and it says 'To James, Welcome to Boston! Love Sarah x" It was pretty cool :)
Soon after, Fountains of Wayne began their set. Again, they were surprisingly good! I especially enjoyed one song 'Strapped for Cash' and I found almost all of their set list better than the one song I knew them by. It's a shame they didn't make it in the UK. It does show how different the cultural taste is. Once their set was over, we packed up our rubbish (I still use it ;) ) and took a short tour around central Boston. We saw an Art Gallery and various famous buildings.
Once we got home, I put on the new CD. Bev had rented a television series which she had loved in the UK, an old programme called Upstairs/Downstairs, starring Gordon Jackson and Jean Marsh. We watched an episode of that and then had dinner. Each episode was about an hour long and it was already late. Dinner was more pastrami and cheese, this time with barbecue sauce and waffles on the side. I was very glad I went to the concert in the end!
Thanks for listening.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
I Like The Sims, So What?
Wednesday, August 8th 2007, Wake up time: 11:20am
I was getting into a regular sleeping routine (though I could probably wake up earlier, when school came it would be hard to get up!).My first job of the day was to sort out my washing from the trip. It all needed doing so I had some to wear for the rest of the week. I was getting quite good at being organised with my wash cycle (unlike today!) I also wanted to immediately parcel up any presents I'd bought for my family (mainly being some teddies I had got for my sisters on the fourth of July and my Nan's necklace, there was also the calendar for mum and dad.)
We had two trips to make, we mailed off all my gifts at the post office (for $16!) and then went to the camera shop to try and get a replacement camera with my warranty. Unfortunately, the main camera expert was away and so we just said we'd come back later with the camera and warranty. We returned home after our errands and Lyle said he was heading to Greg's.
We arrived at Greg's and we took a walk to Game Crazy (which is right by the Brighams we didn't have to walk to.) We looked at some games but nothing interested Greg or Lyle enough to buy. Lyle and Greg were playing some N64 games and I wasn't interested, so I amused myself by playing the original Sims, (Greg had all the expansion packs) and building a family and burning them all!
For dinner, Greg's mum made some lovely pizza. We got to put our own toppings on, which I enjoy more than I should really. We went on different computers after our meal to play Alien vs Predator 2 online. It was another game I really sucked at! I came downstairs as the smell of baking cookies attracted me. Greg's mum is a fantastic cook! After the cookies, we had a late night short swim (You'd think I'd be sick of it) and then came home when Bev picked us both up.
When we got home, I wanted to watch Spaceballs on DVD. I hadn't seen it in ages and it's one of the funniest films. There's one brilliant bit with dolls in it, but you'll have to see it for yourself, which if you haven't you must! ;) After that was over, I finished the evening off with one game I do not suck at, Red Alert 2. A relaxing day compared to the previous week of such activity!
Thanks for listening.
I was getting into a regular sleeping routine (though I could probably wake up earlier, when school came it would be hard to get up!).My first job of the day was to sort out my washing from the trip. It all needed doing so I had some to wear for the rest of the week. I was getting quite good at being organised with my wash cycle (unlike today!) I also wanted to immediately parcel up any presents I'd bought for my family (mainly being some teddies I had got for my sisters on the fourth of July and my Nan's necklace, there was also the calendar for mum and dad.)
We had two trips to make, we mailed off all my gifts at the post office (for $16!) and then went to the camera shop to try and get a replacement camera with my warranty. Unfortunately, the main camera expert was away and so we just said we'd come back later with the camera and warranty. We returned home after our errands and Lyle said he was heading to Greg's.
We arrived at Greg's and we took a walk to Game Crazy (which is right by the Brighams we didn't have to walk to.) We looked at some games but nothing interested Greg or Lyle enough to buy. Lyle and Greg were playing some N64 games and I wasn't interested, so I amused myself by playing the original Sims, (Greg had all the expansion packs) and building a family and burning them all!
For dinner, Greg's mum made some lovely pizza. We got to put our own toppings on, which I enjoy more than I should really. We went on different computers after our meal to play Alien vs Predator 2 online. It was another game I really sucked at! I came downstairs as the smell of baking cookies attracted me. Greg's mum is a fantastic cook! After the cookies, we had a late night short swim (You'd think I'd be sick of it) and then came home when Bev picked us both up.
When we got home, I wanted to watch Spaceballs on DVD. I hadn't seen it in ages and it's one of the funniest films. There's one brilliant bit with dolls in it, but you'll have to see it for yourself, which if you haven't you must! ;) After that was over, I finished the evening off with one game I do not suck at, Red Alert 2. A relaxing day compared to the previous week of such activity!
Thanks for listening.
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Suitable for Children
Tuesday, August 7th 2007 (Bev's Birthday), Wake up time: 9:30am
It was the final day at this wonderful place of such natural beauty :( I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast and then I began the day by finishing my packing. Lyle, Claire and I got the house tidy and gave Bev a break as it was her birthday. We managed to get everything packed up and cleaned by lunchtime! We left around 12:20, just before the time we had to check out.
We stopped off at some Museum Gardens on the way home. We had lunch at first, a pastrami roll for me (no cheese this time!) We looked around the various exhibitions in the museum. One of them was a Pirate Exhibit. which told us a lot of stuff about various pirates (though it was mainly aimed at kids.) We then went round to the Baseball Hall of Fame (which being in Massachusetts, focused on the Red Sox.)
After we'd finished with the exhibitions, we went on this cool, quaint carousel...twice! We're mental! It was really fun and once again nostalgia kicked in. After the carousel, we went in a Labyrinth, which was surprisingly hard to manoeuvre out of! It was really wonderful gardens though, with such beautiful flowers! I loved it.
We headed to the maze, which we thought would be fun. It wasn't. It was just tall thin trees...which meant you could see exactly where to go. Once again, I have a feeling it was aimed for people with small children as there was no challenge at all! After the maze, we checked out one last exhibit, an Automobile collection. There were some wonderful cars which you could sit and play with. There were classics from all different decades from the last century.
It was late afternoon and we didn't want to be too late home. We headed back home and there was a letter from my Nan. It was about my camera, which had recently broken and she'd sent me the receipt and warranty. Bev wanted to wait for Ralph for dinner. I used the time available to head to Monroe Saltworks, (Expensive and Girly, remember?) because I'd said I'd buy Claire a bag. They didn't actually have it in stock, so I ordered one in.
When I got home, Bev had prepared Kebabs and birthday cake for dinner! It was so great sitting around the table after our trip and then watching Bev open her presents. (Ralph had got one from me!) She was very happy overall with them. I then spent the rest of the evening playing Ping-Pong with Claire. A lovely end to a fantastic trip! Despite enjoying all the swimming, eating and card games, I was glad to be 'home'!
Thanks for listening.
It was the final day at this wonderful place of such natural beauty :( I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast and then I began the day by finishing my packing. Lyle, Claire and I got the house tidy and gave Bev a break as it was her birthday. We managed to get everything packed up and cleaned by lunchtime! We left around 12:20, just before the time we had to check out.
We stopped off at some Museum Gardens on the way home. We had lunch at first, a pastrami roll for me (no cheese this time!) We looked around the various exhibitions in the museum. One of them was a Pirate Exhibit. which told us a lot of stuff about various pirates (though it was mainly aimed at kids.) We then went round to the Baseball Hall of Fame (which being in Massachusetts, focused on the Red Sox.)
After we'd finished with the exhibitions, we went on this cool, quaint carousel...twice! We're mental! It was really fun and once again nostalgia kicked in. After the carousel, we went in a Labyrinth, which was surprisingly hard to manoeuvre out of! It was really wonderful gardens though, with such beautiful flowers! I loved it.
We headed to the maze, which we thought would be fun. It wasn't. It was just tall thin trees...which meant you could see exactly where to go. Once again, I have a feeling it was aimed for people with small children as there was no challenge at all! After the maze, we checked out one last exhibit, an Automobile collection. There were some wonderful cars which you could sit and play with. There were classics from all different decades from the last century.
It was late afternoon and we didn't want to be too late home. We headed back home and there was a letter from my Nan. It was about my camera, which had recently broken and she'd sent me the receipt and warranty. Bev wanted to wait for Ralph for dinner. I used the time available to head to Monroe Saltworks, (Expensive and Girly, remember?) because I'd said I'd buy Claire a bag. They didn't actually have it in stock, so I ordered one in.
When I got home, Bev had prepared Kebabs and birthday cake for dinner! It was so great sitting around the table after our trip and then watching Bev open her presents. (Ralph had got one from me!) She was very happy overall with them. I then spent the rest of the evening playing Ping-Pong with Claire. A lovely end to a fantastic trip! Despite enjoying all the swimming, eating and card games, I was glad to be 'home'!
Thanks for listening.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Sea Life Explorer
Monday, August 6th 2007, Wake up time: 11:40am
I just had toast for breakfast as we were going for a beach walk. It was just Bev, Claire, Lyle and I as Ralph had to go back to get to work on Monday morning. I had also purchased some beach shoes so I wanted to use them to really explore the rock pools and harsher parts of the beach heads. We got to the beach and we walked all the way over some rocks and pools of water to find various sea life.
It was very exciting, we found all sorts of things, from small crabs, to sea snails and mussels. Claire and I also collected any shells that looked particularly interesting. After our walk around most of the beach we headed home to have a lazy afternoon. I also had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon as, after all that swimming, I had developed swimmer's ear :( I'm not going into gritty details of it!
We got home and we decided to finally watch the Matthew Perry film 'Fools Rush In.' I loved Chandler in Friends and Matthew Perry is obviously a fine actor...this film wasn't exactly worthy of him. It was pretty poor, we didn't even get half way through and I got bored of the stupid plot in the first fifteen minutes! It was coming up to Lunch time and I got myself some devilled eggs. After lunch, we sat down to watch another film. Parenthood, with Steve Martin. I didn't finish watching it as I had my appointment, but it was considerably better than Fools Rush In!
We got to the doctors, which we had to wait a VERY long time for....I got a prescription of ear drops (again, costing a bomb) and we headed home in time for Bev to make dinner. She made Swedish Meatballs which I enjoyed very much! After dinner, we played yet another card game (how many is that? I've lost count...) The card game this time was Hearts, which I had no idea how to play. I was quickly taught the rules and we began. I can't really remember the rules but I remember it's based on a point system...and if you hold hearts, for each one is worth one point. You want to end with as little points as possible. I lost, though I blame it on being my first time playing!
We ate some cookies and drank some milk for desert. We sat down to watch another film for the evening (see a routine developing?) Claire picked Dumbo, which I enjoyed immensely (due to the old Nostalgia kicking in.) It was surprisingly short which I didn't remember. While watching, we had the rest of Paul Newman's salsa and potato chips. After Dumbo was over, there was an Al Pacino film (one of my favourite actor, ever) on television. It was 'The Recruit' with Colin Farrel. Although slightly absurd in parts, it was a great thriller with good plot twists and a complex story. I loved it! I was just sad that we were leaving the next day. At least I'd done enough swimming, shown by my swimmer's ear ;)
Thanks for listening.
I just had toast for breakfast as we were going for a beach walk. It was just Bev, Claire, Lyle and I as Ralph had to go back to get to work on Monday morning. I had also purchased some beach shoes so I wanted to use them to really explore the rock pools and harsher parts of the beach heads. We got to the beach and we walked all the way over some rocks and pools of water to find various sea life.
It was very exciting, we found all sorts of things, from small crabs, to sea snails and mussels. Claire and I also collected any shells that looked particularly interesting. After our walk around most of the beach we headed home to have a lazy afternoon. I also had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon as, after all that swimming, I had developed swimmer's ear :( I'm not going into gritty details of it!
We got home and we decided to finally watch the Matthew Perry film 'Fools Rush In.' I loved Chandler in Friends and Matthew Perry is obviously a fine actor...this film wasn't exactly worthy of him. It was pretty poor, we didn't even get half way through and I got bored of the stupid plot in the first fifteen minutes! It was coming up to Lunch time and I got myself some devilled eggs. After lunch, we sat down to watch another film. Parenthood, with Steve Martin. I didn't finish watching it as I had my appointment, but it was considerably better than Fools Rush In!
We got to the doctors, which we had to wait a VERY long time for....I got a prescription of ear drops (again, costing a bomb) and we headed home in time for Bev to make dinner. She made Swedish Meatballs which I enjoyed very much! After dinner, we played yet another card game (how many is that? I've lost count...) The card game this time was Hearts, which I had no idea how to play. I was quickly taught the rules and we began. I can't really remember the rules but I remember it's based on a point system...and if you hold hearts, for each one is worth one point. You want to end with as little points as possible. I lost, though I blame it on being my first time playing!
We ate some cookies and drank some milk for desert. We sat down to watch another film for the evening (see a routine developing?) Claire picked Dumbo, which I enjoyed immensely (due to the old Nostalgia kicking in.) It was surprisingly short which I didn't remember. While watching, we had the rest of Paul Newman's salsa and potato chips. After Dumbo was over, there was an Al Pacino film (one of my favourite actor, ever) on television. It was 'The Recruit' with Colin Farrel. Although slightly absurd in parts, it was a great thriller with good plot twists and a complex story. I loved it! I was just sad that we were leaving the next day. At least I'd done enough swimming, shown by my swimmer's ear ;)
Thanks for listening.
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