Sturbridge

I went to my friend's house in Sturbridge last night and on the way home got pulled over at a stop light for doing 60 in a 30!? The night was very foggy and visibility was down to feet at best, while I was driving I was playing with lights to see what would give me the best visibility, while I was at the red light I was playing with them again. While I was playing with the lights a car came up behind me, when the light turned green I started to pull out and before I was across the intersection the lights came on. I figured maybe I had a light out or something, she said she caught me speeding, my first reaction was something like 'where, at the red light?'. Seriously pissed me off. I freely admit I do indeed speed, but unless she saw me in another dimension I was not speeding.. So, I guess I will have to deal with that in court..

In other news.. I think I'm going to start up a D&D campaign, thinking one Wednesday night a month. I have not seen 4th addition D&D so if you have and have opinions on it send me an email, I am interested in seeing what people think. I can either do that or an older addition since I have books from when I used to play 3rd.

Too Old To..

Rock and Roll? Nope, just too old to think people should be able to drink when they're 18 in bars.

I went into London today and walked around from 4 till 8, got off Underground at Green Park and walked all over the theater district, soho and the river areas. When I'm in a city I love to do the "what's that cool looking thing over there" style of wandering around, at one point I was in a five way intersection and decided left looked cool, after about 15 minutes of "this way looks cool" turning I ended up back in the same intersection, that's when I decided I was done in the theater district and wandered over to the river. On the way over I went into a comic book store to get some Red Dwarf merch but I didn't really like what they had in stock. The Thames is very pretty at night with Big Ben, the London Eye and the London Aquarium. Took some cool pics, uploading to Flickr while I type this. After wandering around the river I decided to head back to Bracknell, on the way to the train I stopped off in a game store and was very impressed with their selection, just not their prices..

Went back to Bracknell for food because I felt cheap and figured since all beef here is organic and grass fed I would eat some more burger, not to mention the Old Manor has their Burger and a Beer special for 6 GBP. While I was in the bar (about an hour) I saw 4 "kids" get thrown out because of drunken disorderly conduct.

Apparently because of the mad cow scare British beef is now all organic and grass fed, so I guess some good came of the mad cow scare - too bad America didn't follow suit.

Block Crazy

EMC sent out an email this morning saying that they were having issues with the internet blocking mechanism and they apologize for any inconvenience. They are blocking my eRoom which is where I get courseware and updates, they are blocking powerlink (which is their customer portal website), they are blocking Meebo (my IM site), they are blocking MLB, ESPN, CNN, ADP, Facebook, & Bella's and those are just the ones I tried. They are not however blocking Blogspot? OK.. So today's blog is brought to you by luck I suppose.

Last night I went out for the curry club and the Old Manor with a co-worker. For 6 GBP I got a very good Chicken Tikki Masala and Vegetarian Samosas, it came with 2 pieces of nan and some yellow rice. It also came with a free beer! I got the English Bitter again. I was so tired last night after staying up late every night that I ended up crashing in bed around 10. I woke up around 2:30 and had problems falling back asleep so I watched a documentary on TV about British Yogurt sales and how the packaging and marketing evolved over the last 40 years. It was the best thing on.. I didn't watch it all, I watched from the 1960's till the 1990's before I got tired enough to shut it back off and get back to sleep.

I am done with lecture and now waiting for my students to do labs, it's a bit frustrating because they have not even started them, instead they went for a "quick" break before labs about 25 mins ago. I plan to go to London today once they are done and would really like to be sooner rather than later.

Ghost town

Last nigh I decided to just hang out around Bracknell, London is an hour train ride and I feel that if I get out after 6 it's not worth riding all the way into the city just to eat and come back. I went to Reading the other night so I didn't want to do that again. I searched online and found a bunch of music venues in Bracknell, all in an area called "the Ring", so I figured I would walk around and see what I stumbled into.

What I stumbled into were tumble weeds, not literally but figuratively. This town is dead at night, from my hotel I walk past a college and a pub called "The Manor House" to get into the center of town so you figure in a college town there would be a night life. Plus with all the music venues you would assume that too. However, the night life, music venues and night clubs are only open on Friday and Saturday nights. During the week you get a nice quiet walk past lots of closed shops and buildings. I was so stunned when I saw Burger King closed at 8pm that I had to start taking pictures of the empty wasteland that is Bracknell at night.

Speaking of pictures, I uploaded a bunch of pictures from January, February and March onto my Flickr.

Walked through the dead zone and came out near the train station, the only thing open there is "the goose" which is a pub with less than fantastic looking food. I decided after walking around for a while to go back to the manor house. They had a sign up saying favorite beer spot of 2010 so I figured I'd give it a shot. I went in and they had maybe 20 different beers on draft and their menu looked pretty impressive. I ended up getting a mozzarella fishcake as a starter and a bacon cheddar burger as my main. One thing I love about being here is the sustainability of the food, all meat is grass fed as I said before and most places sell line caught sustainable fish. The nicer part is that the menus will clearly say that, for example the fishcakes were called "line caught haddock cake with italian aged mozzarella cheese". When I ordered the burger the bar keep tells me I get a free drink with that, I'm thinking soda, turns out it's beer! I had a Lomond Gold Ale which is an Organic English Bitter, I know beer advocate only gives it a C+ but I thought it was good, maybe the people on beer advocate don't like that type of ale? After that beer I had a Ruby Red Hot Chili IPA which is by the same company "Traditional Scottish Ales", I can't seem to find that one on Beer Advocate. Hoyle, if you're reading this, don't get that beer in hopes of being up to your standard of IPA. It is a very good beer, probably better than the Lomond Gold but I would not call it an IPA. It's got a very smooth flavor and a very smooth finish, there is a hoppy flavor but certainly not when used to the Bastards.

Tonight they are having the Manor House is having their Curry Club which is 6 GBP for curries and a beer, I know it's not as cool as wandering around London but I might just go there tonight depending on what time I get out of class. I'll keep you posted.

Roundabout

I drove to Reading tonight after work to go to the Oracle Center which is a big shopping plaza / mall on the river. I went there because today was the LUSH release of Dirty and I wanted to check it out. Work was a little lame today as I fought with the printer in my classroom for almost 20 minutes this morning before giving up and having the receptionist print out the materials. The classes in the UK start at 10am on the first day so we got a late start then had lunch at 12 which was brought in (chicken cordon blue, which was very tasty). We didn't get to labs till about 3 and the last two students were still there when I kicked them out at 7.

Reading is about 12 miles away and I counted 11 roundabouts on the way, that seems like a lot until you factor in the fact that this morning on the way to work I counted 6 in 2 miles! This smeggin' place really needs to just put in some smeggin' traffic lights and save on the road foot print that a roundabout takes up. Anyway, not to get off subject.. So, the Oracle..

I got there and started wandering looking for LUSH and on the way found an H&M music/dvd store so I stopped in. I ended up picking up the entire series of Extras with Ricky Gervais, it includes both seasons and the made for TV special movie for 20 GBP. As I was leaving H&M I noticed the mall was closing so I ran to LUSH to find them still open, they had the door half closed but there was a ton of people inside, today was the launch party for Dirty so they were open late. I got to wash with the new shower bar and got to try the mouth wash / toothpaste. It is VERY odd to use a scented toothpaste, what is odder is that the toothpaste is a chew able tablet you chew on and let coat your mouth before brushing. I took a sample to try tomorrow morning (or maybe tonight before bed) so I will let you know how it really works, trying it in the store I just chewed on it and rinsed which was very odd. The shaving lotion and hair treatment smelled "eh" but the shampoo gel and spray scent both smelled amazing so I got one of each to try / share. I ended up talking to a guy who works there and was telling him how disappointed I was that they didn't carry The Smell of Weather Turning in the store, he said he thought he had one in the back from a sample pack but when he came back he said he couldn't find it. Oh well.. In the midst of us talking I mentioned that my girlfriend works at LUSH in the US and he actually ended up giving me the employee discount because we were talking and what I know nobody who didn't work at LUSH would know.. Thanks sweetie, you talking about trial baskets and parties saved me some money tonight.. :)

After LUSH I decided it was time to eat so I went to Yo Sushi which is one of those places that has a bunch of sushi on a conveyor belt and you pick what you want as it goes by. The sushi was very good but the star of the meal was the Miso Soup which was out of this world good! All in all I ended up getting 6 dishes (2 rolls, 2 hand rolls, 1 nigri and the Miso soup) for just under 20 GBP.

Got back to the hotel and went to the local pub for a UK Guinness, I really have to say if you ever get to the UK make sure to try the Guinness because it's certainly a treat.

Stormtroopers in Stilettos

I have no idea where that name came from, but it's the name of the Queen 40th Anniversary Celebration in London. This is taking place in the flat Freddie used to rent while he was in arts school.

I got into London and was exhausted, tried to get a coffee but they wouldn't take my Amex or Euros! I get not taking the Amex, but this IS Europe and they should be taking Euros! Last time I was here the Euro was a valid currency, but not anymore apparently. I might change those over to GBP put right now I'm feeling pretty uppity about it. I found a Starbucks which took my Amex so coffee procured it was time to venture over to Stormtroopers in Stilettos. Btw, my overground round trip ticket and an all day/all zone Underground ticket was only 18 GBP which is very cheap considering it's all zones.

Anyway.. Got to SiS around 1pm and left there around 5pm, so yeah, it was worth it! As stated above it was in a flat Freddie used to rent while he was in arts school studying to be a clothes designer. They had an entire room dedicated to each year from 1971 - 1978 and then a wall with snipits from 1979 - 2011. The exhibit was done by fans using old footage and old interviews, they even had Freddie's old bed and lots of costumes that the band wore through the years. I learned lots of new stuff about Queen and their history. For example the band went though lots of bass players in the beginning, one guy only lasted two gigs and Freddie got rid of him because he was too much of a show man and he felt there was not enough room in Queen for another show man. It really shed a lot of light on just how much of a Diva Freddie really was, his being a Diva saved the band a few times from ruin and being taken advantage of by the record companies.

After SiS I wandered around London looking for a LUSH before finally giving in and texting Becca to find me one online. I had a rather large "son-of-a-bitch" moment when she told me there was one in Liverpool's Underground Station since that's the area I started my search, checked around that station and then went over to Tottenham Court and Piccadilly before finally asking for her assistance. While I was searching I found a cheap price theater ticket place and got a seat in row N for Love Never Dies (the Phantom of the Opera sequel) and decided it was time to finally eat something. Great thing about Europe, all cows are grass fed! I guess that's what happens when the government does not subsidize corn. Got a really nice, but expensive, steak with a merlot. I went in an ordered just the steak and they were all like "you don't want any sides with that", "nope (just the big hunk of meat for me thanks)" *note the () was not said, just thought.. The steak was 12oz of amazingly melt in your mouth goodness!

After dinner I had about an hour before the show started so I ran to Liverpool and hit LUSH, they really don't sell anything different in the store. All the UK exclusive stuff is online only. Poo, what a waste of time running back there. I did find out that they are releasing a new fragrance today called Dirty and plan to go to a LUSH near Bracknell tonight to check it out. There is one in Reading which is not a long car ride from here.

Got back to the theater district just in time to grab a coffee and get in line for the show. The main track "Love Never Dies" which Christine sings was one of the best songs in the show, the other being the one the Phantom and Christine's son sing "The Beauty Underneath".

Lyrics below..

Here is "Love Never Dies":

Here is "the Beauty Underneath":

- Love Never Dies Lyrics:

Who knows where love begins

Who knows what makes it start

One day it's simply there

Alive inside your heart

It slips into your thoughts

It infiltrates your soul

It takes you by surprise

Then seizes full control

Try to deny it

And try to protest

But love won't let you go

Once you've been possessed

Love never dies

Love never falters

Once it has spoken

Love is yours

Love never fades

Love never alters

Hearts may get broken

Love endures

Hearts my get broken

Love endures

And soon as you submit

Surrender flesh and bone

That love takes on a life

Much bigger than your own

It uses you at whim

And drives you to despair

And forces you to feel

More joy than you can bear

Love gives you pleasure

And love brings you pain

And yet with both are gone

Love will remain

Once it is spoken

Love is yours

Love never dies

Love never alters

Hearts may get broken

Love endures

Hearts may get broken

Love never dies

Love will continue

Love keeps on beating

When you're gone

Love never dies

Once it is in you

Love may be fleeting

Love lives on

Love may be fleeting

Love lives on

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-The Beauty Underneath Lyrics:

have you ever yearned to go

past the world you think you know?

been enthralled to the call

of the beauty underneath?

have you let it draw you in

past the place where dreams begin?

felt the full breathless pull

of the beauty underneath?

when the dark unfolds its wings

do you sense the strangest things?

things no one would ever guess

things mere words cannot express?

yes

do you find yourself beguiled

by the dangerous and wild?

do you feed on the need

for the beauty underneath?

have you felt your senses served

and surrendered to the urge?

have been hooked as you looked at the

at the beauty underneath?

when you stare behind the night

can you glimpse the primal night?

might you hunger to possess

hunger that you can't repress?

yes

it seems so beautiful

so strange yet beautiful

everything's just as you say

and he's so beautiful

perhaps too beautiful

what i suspect cannot be

and yet somehow, we both see

the very same way

it's the music in your head

have you followed where it led

and been graced with a taste

of the beauty underneath?

does it fill your every sense

is it terribly intense?

tell me you need it too

need the beauty underneath

when it lifts is voice and sings

don't you feel amazing things?

things you know you can't confess

things you thirst for nonetheless

it's all so beautiful

can it be?

almost too beautiful

do you see what I see?

to him it's beautiful

my world is beautiful

how can this be what it seems?

all of my secret dreams

somehow set free

you can feel the lift

yes

come closer

yes

you've no fear of the beauty underneath

you can face it

yes

you can take it

yes

you see through to the beauty underneath

to the splendor

splendor

and the glory

glory

to the truth of the beauty underneath

the beauty underneath

you'll accept it

yes

you'll embrace it

yes

let me show you the beauty underneath

to the splendor

splendor

and the glory

and the glory

to the truth of the beauty underneath

the beauty underneath

you'll accept it

yes

you'll embrace it

yes

let me show you the beauty underneath

Arrived in London

Flight started well, we backed away from the gate and were powering up the engines when they found that one of them was not working.. Had to power down and wait to be towed to a repair gate were we sat for 2 hours waiting for them to fix the engine. They turned on the entertainment system while we waited but my seat (and the empty one next to me) had broken entertainment systems. No problem they said, they will reboot them once we have restored full power and it should work. I could look at the list of movies/tv shows but I couldn't watch any. There were probably 10 of the 50 movies that I really wanted to see so I was hopeful it would work after they fixed everything. Finally got engine fixed and ready to take off.. Entertainment system still broken, oh well, I wanted to sleep anyway.

Landed in London with no further issues. Got my car which is an Audi A6, super nice ride with GPS in dash and climate control. Drive to hotel was no issue, took a little getting used to again being on the "right" side of the road but after a minute I was fine with that. If anyone wants to know how it's like to drive in London, drive in New Jersey. It's the only other place with this many "jug-handles" or as they call them here "roundabouts".

Just checked in at hotel. TripIt failed me for the first time, they had my hotel details but no address so I had to boot laptop in airport and pay for internet to find out address. D'Oh... Anyway, the rooms in this place are SMALL, there is barely enough room for the bed and the bathroom only has a shower! So much for all the LUSH goodies I brought with me to take baths.

I am about to head into London for the day, figure I'll go see the Queen thing today and maybe wander to the theater district to see what's playing and what I can get cheap tickets to.

Because of high price cell phone calls I will make sure to update this blog regularly while I'm here.

"Keep keep it together"

Sorry I've been absent for such a long time, the problem with a public life blog is that when things get tough it's hard to put it all out there.. Well, I've been putting it all out there for a while but never anything bad, now that things are in general chaos I don't feel like blogging the everyday activities because it would involve talking about stuff I would rather not..

What's been going on? Well, if you talked to me recently you know that me and Jessie are not doing good. I'm still not really ready to talk about the specifics of that in a blog, but the bottom line is that I'm looking for (and almost have) an apartment with the theory that if we are not living under the same roof maybe we can get along better and at least salvage some part of our relationship/friendship.

In the last few months I've been travelling a lot which is good and bad, been to Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio, and Austin. This week I'm heading to London and then I come home for a week before going to Seattle. Me and Lynz broke up a while back and me and Jessie are (as stated above) on the outs and trying real hard to just be friendly with each other. Hopefully once I am under my own roof it will give us time to hang out in a friendly way.

I've never lived on my own and this is a great big scary adventure but I think it will be good in the long run. I am not looking on moving far, the apartment I want is in Danielson CT which is only about 15 mins from Putnam.

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Been getting into HeroScape big time, it's an expensive hobby and I'm trying real hard not to get sucked into it. It's a fun game, you build your army out of hundreds of possibly characters (have to buy each one you want) and then it's a turn based strategic battle game sort of like the Shining Force series on the Sega Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. If you play HeroScape and want to play some time let me know.

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My car has been through hell lately, it has already needed more work than my 2001 probably ever did but it's finally running well. Well, except for the stupid brake light that keeps coming on and off. Last month I went to the Fetish Flea Fashion show and after wards was backing out of the parking space and hit the stupid pole denting the drivers side front by the wheel, I was so pissed at myself I punched the steering wheel and broke the horn.. Which made me more pissed at myself, I have not gotten that fixed because it's going to cost lots to fix the horn which involves replacing the whole wheel including air bag.. /sigh

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Last week I was in Austin TX and was very impressed with that city, a block all around the river and lake was the "hidden" part of Austin which was full of new age places, micro brews and vegetarian / vegan restaurants. Part of me is tempted to move there, I would have a job in a heart beat with RackSpace which is a great company. I've taught there twice (once in San Antonio and once in Austin) and they really impressed me as a great place to work. If you have money for random stocks I would buy some of their stock.

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This week, as I said, I'm heading to London.. Well not technically London, I'm going to Bracknell which is close to London via train and underground. I'm looking forward to it because there is a Queen exhibit this week at a bar in London. I think I'm going to go there tomorrow after I land. I figure going into London on a day I don't have class is a good idea because I can see how long it will really be on train, etc. According to the web it's less than an hour from Bracknell to the Waterloo Underground station.

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I guess that's all I have time for, the flight will be boarding in a little bit.. I'll try not to be a stranger.. Sorry for all those who use this as their main way of keeping up with me..