Heading West...
Well, it is departure eve here on the isle. It has been a very quiet day. Zoe spent a better part of it helping Bob & Wendy organize old items while I stood and made wise cracks and carried the occasional trash bag outside. Bob's brother, Mick, came to visit us later on in the afternoon and Paul and Sam stopped by as Mick was leaving. Paul & Sam promised to keep us updated on the twins progress. Everyone is really excited.
Tonight we are going over to Tasha's where Ant is going to be making us dinner. We will go to bed hopefully in good time and then will be up at 4:30 AM local time to make the 5:45 catamaran. That will be rough. 4:30 here is 11:30 PM back home. The return trip is always the worst.
This blog has been an interesting experiment. I hope it has provided some insight as to what life is like over here. I have at least highlighted the differences in my own off center way. It is a very rewarding experience to be taken completely out of your comfort zone and thrust into a whole other country, environment, culture...or whatever. Although it is alien to me, yet also familiar, I look at it as almost a "time out" in the game of life. It is extended trips like this where I tend to evaluate where I am and where I am going. I know if I had the opportunity, I would like to live here for a short period of time. Unfortunately in my career and our way of life, that is not always the most prudent step at this juncture. It is not uncommon in English culture to take a year off after studies and see the world. Gilly told me last night that he spend two months just traveling the US.
This has hardly been a vacation in the typical sense. Although, I have read two books (I finished The DaVinci Code in two days...great book), worked on the blog, ate well, drank well, drank really well and met and made a number of new friends. For Zoe, this is simply coming home. Although our suburban landscape can change drastically in a short amount of time, little changes on the Isle of Wight.
I feel something burning inside me and I am not quite sure what it is...no intenstinal jokes please. 2005 closed the book on a number of, it seemed, neverending chapters. 2006 is fresh, new and hopefully full of something new to quench whatever it is pushing me. Zoe says that I am never satisfied and to a point, I think she is right. But is that a bad thing? I think not. There are always bigger hills and larger challenges. To steal a Rush lyric:
Tonight we are going over to Tasha's where Ant is going to be making us dinner. We will go to bed hopefully in good time and then will be up at 4:30 AM local time to make the 5:45 catamaran. That will be rough. 4:30 here is 11:30 PM back home. The return trip is always the worst.
This blog has been an interesting experiment. I hope it has provided some insight as to what life is like over here. I have at least highlighted the differences in my own off center way. It is a very rewarding experience to be taken completely out of your comfort zone and thrust into a whole other country, environment, culture...or whatever. Although it is alien to me, yet also familiar, I look at it as almost a "time out" in the game of life. It is extended trips like this where I tend to evaluate where I am and where I am going. I know if I had the opportunity, I would like to live here for a short period of time. Unfortunately in my career and our way of life, that is not always the most prudent step at this juncture. It is not uncommon in English culture to take a year off after studies and see the world. Gilly told me last night that he spend two months just traveling the US.
This has hardly been a vacation in the typical sense. Although, I have read two books (I finished The DaVinci Code in two days...great book), worked on the blog, ate well, drank well, drank really well and met and made a number of new friends. For Zoe, this is simply coming home. Although our suburban landscape can change drastically in a short amount of time, little changes on the Isle of Wight.
I feel something burning inside me and I am not quite sure what it is...no intenstinal jokes please. 2005 closed the book on a number of, it seemed, neverending chapters. 2006 is fresh, new and hopefully full of something new to quench whatever it is pushing me. Zoe says that I am never satisfied and to a point, I think she is right. But is that a bad thing? I think not. There are always bigger hills and larger challenges. To steal a Rush lyric:
A spirit with a vision is a dream with a mission...
So, thanks for tuning in. I will leave the Blog up, but I'm not sure what I am going to do with it. As we all know, routine life can be somewhat dull and boring to read. If it is interesting, it is probably something that we can't talk about...or photograph. To leave with a quote from another great English sitcom, The Royle Family:
Denise Royle: Dad! Your flies are undone!
Jim Royle: Ah, the cage might be open, but the beast is asleep.
Barbara Royle: Beast my arse!
Mike Lang