tough week

On Monday night myself and my friends went to a bar called 'Jillians'. We wouldn't normally have done this as it is quite far away, but on Monday nights they have a very special promotion. Jillians is a big place with a few bars, an eating area and loads of pool tables, but its most attractive feature is a large arcade area. Now on Monday nights, you pay $5 and all the arcade games are free, which is wonderful. So we went down there and grabbed some diner and then went to town on all the games. For me, the highlights were a basket ball game and a flight simulation game. The basketball game was simple, but brilliant. There where four basket ball nets lined up next to each other for the four players playing. Once the game started, you had to make as many baskets as you could in the given time, the balls of course were continuously returned to you. The flight simulation game was as it sounds, I simply had to take off and land a regular commercial airliner, but couldn't. It was very realistic but destroyed any lingering confidence in the safety of air travel. If I couldn't land that thing, I have no idea how pilots can do it.

I recorded the football on both Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but won't go into detail here. As soon as Google let go of my new sport blog I will post my thoughts and deepest emotions on there. They seem to have disabled it under suspicion of it being a 'Spam blog'. I am currently appealing that decision.

Work on Wednesday came and went although it was very enjoyable. We played hide and seek pictionary as well as a 2-axis version of the 'shoe game'. The shoe game devilishly simple; you have two chairs facing each other with a bottle of water in the middle. You have two teams with each person assigned a number. When you number id called, you do battle with your opposition by mounting the chair and throwing your shoe at the bottle, first one to hit it over wins. Genius huh? We simply added another axis and had 4 chairs in a N,S,E,W configuration.

Last night a group us went to a baseball match/game. Thankfully it was pretty exciting as they can take forever to finish, and it was flipping freezing. Baltimore beat Seattle 8-7 which I am reliably informed is pretty high scoring for a baseball game. Unfortunately we hadn't eaten before hand which meant I had to pawn my watch to get a soggy burger and a beer. I decided to pay a dollar less and get a 'domestic draught beer' rather then a 'speciality draught beer'. What an idiot. The domestic beer happened to be Bud light and it was terrible. I've had stronger sticks of celery! wahay!

Today is my day off and i intend to do nothing except maybe play Wii or watch baseball. I also need to get the chain on my bike fixed so I can start to go places again.

This blog entry has been a real struggle as I feel I have had writers block all week, or maybe its just blogger block

Zac Efron and those damn lost thoughts

I'd like to start this post by issuing an apology to the legions of young girls who descended on my blog after yesterdays post title. I should have been more clear that this is not a High School Musical website nor is it an affiliate of the Disney corporation or HSM franchise. However as a good will gesture to said young girls as well as a cheeky lunchtime treat for my more dedicated, mature female readers, I will open with a picture of the good man himself to keep everyone happy. Have a Diet Coke break


I didn't end up going to 'soccer' on Saturday morning, but instead chose to watch the Blackburn v Man Utd debacle on the slightly embarrassing but nonetheless essential 'Fox Soccer Channel'. Despite the terrible result it was actually quite exciting, especially towards the end. My female roommate even enjoyed it which is a great step forward in US-UK soccer relations. It finished 1-1, so if an American female can find a low scoring 'tie' entertaining then there is great hope. I would encourage any females who are offended by that last comment to refer back to the opening photo for a cool down before continuing.



I picked up my friends from home tonight, they were pretty heavy. But seriously, I went and got them from the airport which was a miracle in itself as once again they gave me no information other then flight time. After the pick up nothing blog-worthy happened so we'll move on.

It's late so I will end with just one more thought. Tonight we went to a Mexican restaurant after our work activities had ended. At the end of the meal I thought of something and got excited, except the thought coincided with the bill's arrival. Instantly distracted by the inevitability of spending money, I forgot the thought. The funny thing is I remained excited, except now with a considerable amount of frustration at not being able to dwell on it. I thought this was most bizarre and it reminded me of other times when I have been worried about something only to forget what it is I was worried about. But nevertheless, the same thing occurred. Forgetting the worry didn't end the worry, it just made it indefinite, which is even worse! I discussed this with some people and they confessed to the same problems which was a relief. To this moment though I regret to say I still have no idea why I was excited which is a real pity. Can anyone else sympathise with that? I must say I'd much rather be indefinitely excited then indefinitely worried. I don't mind surprises though, so whenever the lost exciting thought becomes a reality, it will be all the more enjoyable.

sexy letters and wild cats

I need to blog again. Not simply because it is public duty which I have selflessly committed myself to, but to get rid of that ghastly picture of the Chevy Aveo. Hopefully this post will be significant enough to shove it down, so no one bar the most dedicated Chevy fan can find it. Incidentally, if anyone from the Chevrolet cooperation is reading, I don't have enough dignity not to beg for a free one. I would even consider putting more Aveo pictures up.

My friends from home arrived on Wednesday. It was a little confusing because when I asked them to email the flight details, I got an reply saying ''we get in at 1424''. To say that was a little vague is an understatement, but I added it to my own intelligent assumption that they might well be using a airplane to get here, so decided the airport would be a reasonable place to start. It was, but needless to say there was a mix up as their plane arrived from Chicago, not London as I had guessed. After some brief and tactful bedding negotiations, they seem to have settled in well, but through no fault of Seattle they have gone back to Chicago this weekend for a wedding. They have been good enough to inform me however that their return flight gets in ''around about 2230 on Sunday night'', so the airport game will most likely resume then.

But this isn't a blog about them, no sir.

An interesting discussion took place last night over a Margarita about the alphabet. The highly controversial and somewhat risk-ay question of ' 'If you had to date a letter of the alphabet, which one would you date?'' was tabled by my roommate. Naturally we were dealing in capitals. Interestingly 'R' was the unanimous favorite for the 2 ladies in attendance, whilst 'Q' seemed to be the men's favorite. What we can draw from these results I am still unsure, but research is on going. Spare a thought though for the chap who innocently went for the capital 'B', before we all pointed out its uncanny resemblance to the female anatomy, albeit rotated 90 degrees. You're thinking of your letter now aren't you?

The other conversation I've been involved with recently has been the old favorite, ''If you were an animal, which one would you be?''. This question is a little confusing as I have heard it argued that we are already animals. Far be it from me though to be the smart ass who replies with dismissive ''a Human of course'' before adjusting my glasses and getting back to my science project or er.....blogging. Without wanting to go into too much detail though, I think I would be a Panther.

As I type 3 inches of snow has descended on Seattle, its crazy. Crazy enough that I felt compelled to capture it on film. This means I probably won't make football tomorrow morning.

I said on previous post that this was an equal opportunities website. However if you've found yourself here on the back of a 'sexy wild cats' Internet search, you're not welcome.

Chevy chase

I rented a car today, which is the most exciting thing I've done for weeks. It's probably going to cost about $45, but you can't put a price on freedom, and for one magical 24 hours that's what I'll have. Or at least feel like I have. The problem is there is surprisingly little you can do with a car in just 24 hours. I feel obliged to go shopping, but then I'm spending $45 to......spend more, which isn't efficient. I would also LOVE to go to the gym, or at least go sign up which is half the battle, but again it seem futile to whizz down there and bust my ass on a cross trainer only to never go back. Incidentally I have rented a Chevy Aveo (you heard right girls, a Chevy Aveo), so perhaps 'whizz' may be a tad strong, 'bumble' would make more sense. I feel if I threw a saddle on the roof and gently heeled the windows I'd have more luck overtaking. I could maybe try a carrot tied to a stick...

I got it because I thought I'd need a car twice for long journeys in this 24h period. The second is tomorrow when two of my friends arrive for a visit and I'll have to go get them from the airport. But I thought I'd also need it for football tryouts this evening. The co-rec clinic I attend on Saturdays is fantastic, and great fun, but I do feel I could be pushed harder. Its much more rewarding to score past a properly trained and competitive goalkeeper then a 4ft Mexican reading a book.

A Google search led me to 'FK Pacific' a semi-pro team based in Tukwila, about an hour south of me. A quick scan of their website and I found this wonderful quote;

''If you are looking to play for fun, without getting serious, and giving 100%, don't bother....Try another club!''

Huh, I could do that. It said they had tryouts every Tuesday in April, then they quickly removed that message off their website, leaving me hanging. It's a long way to travel for something not to be on. What I didn't count on, was the fact that this country is run by Robots, or at least the telephone network is. I know what you're thinking, just give the team a call and ask if there are tryouts tonight, I did, and immediately entered a robotic labyrinth of options, hundreds of them. You see, we have this problem in the UK too, except just as you're securing the noose around your neck and rocking the chair, one of those humans come on the line and all your problems are solved. Over here, the robots are entrusted with actual problem solving itself! So you never speak to a human. Ever. All this to say I got very frustrated, and didn't end up risking it.

Fricken country music man! My roommate made me endure the CMA's, or 'County Music Awards' for the educated. We have countryside back home loads of it. We have farms too, but not once did anyone feel it necessary to construct an entire music genre based around cattle, heartbreak, or the struggles of working an 8 hour day! At one point Billy Ray privileged us by singing a song entitled 'Ready, set, don't go'! can you believe that? I found myself wondering how hard I would have to blow my nose whilst holding it to make it all stop. Let's get one thing straight, America has a lot going for it, a lot of positives. But I consider Country music to be the concrete block that its feet are cemented into as it gets thrown into a lake. A real shame.

Today I bought 'I'm yous' by Jason Mraz and

listened to Football podcast weekly

you should too

Brtiney Spears Naked

Monday is one of two days i very much look forward to in my week. The other is Thursday. On both these days my favorite podcast is recorded and posted on iTunes. Its called 'Football Weekly' and done by the Guardian newspaper writers and the fantastic James Richardson. Its great, but I won't bore you, for some reason its not up so i'll wait until tomorrow.

On that theme it was great to see Chelsea drop 2 points to Wigan, always a pleasure, and in the last minute too. So nice. What else.....Nantes got their campaign back on track at home, and an interesting shock in Portugal as Braga lose to Liera at home. Now for those of you who think I'm being a little pretentious I say ''not so!''. Being in a mysterious foreign country, where football isn't fully appreciated yet, or if it is, its played with your hands, has made my appetite of the European version even greater.

The Dalai Lama was in town this weekend. If you don't know who he is, I inserted a photo, a rather good one too. I'm not sure who exactly he is, but if his personality is anything like his photo suggests, I'd buy him a beer. But just one. Wouldn't it be funny if he was making that gesture to Jesus, as a sort of sign of mutual respect? I'd take them both out.

I'm sure by now you are wondering why I have titled this post the way have. I dare say a few of you may well be quite excited too. Some of you may well be here for the very first time after your Google search led you here. Well, i'm sorry to say that that was the intention. In a moment of inspiration I figured a good way to publicize the new blog would be to put popular web searches into the title. Smart huh? I know the 'Britney Naked' craze peaked around 2001, but searches should still be high enough for a few extra readers. And hey, I'm not judging, just glad you're here supporting my work. It's an equal opportunity blog, and that includes perverts.

clumsy

Bought a new song today, 'Clumsy' by Fergie. Woof, she's a hit machine. Genius.

With a bit of luck and the right management i think she could make it, especially with extra blog publicity.

You're welcome Fergie.

poverty

For 78F yesterday, read 50 today. And rain. But there are better websites to catch up on Seattle's weather.
Sundays are busy for me, and after the pounding heat of yesterday and not enough fluids to satisfy my body, I wasn't feeling great. Had an interesting discussion with my room mate though.

It was about poverty.

I said you'd have to wait to next year to hear about Mexico, well it came up again today. Every year, a group of students travel down to Mexico for a week to build houses for people who 'need' them most. The reason for the inverted commas is coming up. This, you'll agree, is a wonderful gesture and I was fortunate enough to get to go this year. As i'm sure you can imagine, the term 'poverty' came up quite a lot over the course of the week, which got me thinking; What makes these people in 'poverty'?

Here's what I thought; The living conditions of some of these people are really quite bad, several people living in one cramped room, poor plumbing, animals running around etc etc. But were people not living quite happily like that thousands of years ago? Is poverty only a relative term when used in relation to the 42'' TV's, fine education and SUVs that we enjoy? would dropping the poorest people of the world today into another time and culture not instantly make them middle class? I don't know. If you could design the world from scratch, on the condition that everyone had to have the exact same stuff, what would be the things you'd give to everyone? But then maybe the giving is more about the giver then the receiver. Maybe improving the lives of the poorer is actually secondary to the richer learning to share. Like I say, I don't know.

I need to drink more water. We discussed that too. I heard somewhere that we should drink 2 litres of water a day, so i'm going to start that tomorrow after the hydrating debacle of yesterday.

Had a terrible incident crossing the road today too. Its so awkward when you see someone you know at the other side of the road, waiting to cross in the opposite direction as you. After the initial wave or head jerk acknowledgement, there isn't much left to do other then look away or attempt to shout a joke. Nightmare.

Tomorrow is Monday, and we know wha that means......

a day in the sun

I won't bore you too much with Saturday if I can help it. After only one post, I can pretty much assume no one is reading this just yet.

The new excitement of having a blog means that for now, I have the enthusiasm to write daily whether I have anything to say or not. But rest assured this will gradually wain, and quality will become the focus ahead of quantity.

Anyway..

I had a tip off from a television weather expert that today would be quite the treat. That it was, and it took no effort to make the decision to go to my soccer clinic. Ever since I have been agonising over the best way to write up an honest report, while at the same time remaining humble. I haven't been able to, so I'll be honest but fast. I was amazing. Right, let's move on. The puzzling thing is, I still can't find a team which is a frustration, but in the meantime, even though the standard isn't the highest I've played at, the clinic is great fun...especially when its 78F.

The only other point of marginal interest today, was a Mexico sponsor reunion this evening. I'm making it my blog policy, or 'blolicy' not to recap anything pre-blog, so if you don't know what I'm referring to, then you will hopefully find out in a years time. but for now it is not important. It was a fun evening, but now I have a headache because of the sun.

This is my third attempt at a 'Web log', and already I can feel it will be more successful then the first two. For starters, I haven't tried to be clever or humorous with any aspect of it. Anything you find amusing about it is a mistake. I'm not sure what the purpose of my blog is going to be yet, but I'd be lying if i said i didn't want to try and take over the world, or at least some of it. For those of you who don't know, I moved from Scotland to Seattle to take a job. Seattle is a bit different from civilized Scotland, so I may well treat you with some anecdotes from time to time relating to my new life here.

I would love to go further, but i won't just now. Tomorrow is Saturday and I have to decide if I want to get up early and go to my 'co-rec' 'soccer' clinic. I paid 20 of these American 'bucks' which entitles me to attend 4 clinics. I have been to one so far and it was good fun, so we'll see how my body feels the morrow.