Time for a final installment.
The last posting saw us taking in New Orleans, last Fall. Fuelled by hangovers and the remnants of an all-night breakfast we eventually made it back on the road, and on to the rest of our tour of the South. Sad to leave this town, but such is the nature of the road trip.
The remainder of the tour took in various towns in Alabama, a family estate in GA, and we finished up in legendary Ashevegas, the Eugene of the East. I'm not really doing justice to our last few days, but now that I'm finally wrapping the story up, it's probably more appropriate to look forward and start planning the next road trip. How time flies, eh?
In the last few months real life has been moving quickly, too. In a short time AAP and I will be making a move to a new city, new jobs and some new directions. Exciting times!
And it's time for a change, blog-wise. I started this incarnation when I moved to the States, and the previous chapter came to a close. It's time to turn the page again. Maybe there'll be another blog, maybe not. We shall see....
Leaving you with two quite different songs, but they're both about the journey, and staying on track. First up, the Dubliners:
And finally, the most exciting new music I've heard in a while, Janelle Monae. This woman is almost certainly the future of popular music:
So long, Twelve Bells!
Monday, 28 June 2010
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Who dat
Yeah, New Orleans. Beautiful, awesome, sad. I want to go back.
First, I should note that the Saints did indeed go to the Super Bowl, as everyone in town told us they would last Fall. Not only that, but then they went and bloody won it, too. Amazing. Alli and I celebrated the match and the win with a gathering here at the cottage, complete with homebrew, ladderball and even a little sunshine.
But back to Road Trip '09. I know, so last year.
By the time we left Anahuac with our lives and our rental car intact, we were done with small towns for a while. New Orleans to the rescue, and once again William Shatner helped us find an excellent hotel, for peanuts, putting us bang in the middle of the French quarter.
Of course, we immediately sucked down several hurricanes, and then careered up and down Bourbon street and the surrounding area. I think it was when I told a barmaid she didn't even look like a stripper (she wasn't) and received a frosty stare to go with a round of Jagerbombs that we knew we needed to change gear. We weren't keeping it real.
And New Orleans seems like the kind of place which helps you change gear when you need it. A chance conversation led us out of the French Quarter and up to Merigny and Frenchmen Street, where we found a neat neighbourhood club and a cool band playing through the early hours. It turned into an excellent night. Good times.
We spent a couple of nights in town, and there was plenty more to do, including an unintended wander around the Iberville project, street-cars across the city, Cafe du Monde and Absinthe in a pirate bar. But for the music, the atmosphere and the food, you've gotta get to this town.
Oh yeah, how about some of that music? We got chatting to a awesome trombone player on a street corner one night, and here's a clip of him 'boning:
(The world is very small. A while ago a commenter on this blog recommended a favorite band of his, the Hot 8. Turns out this trombonist plays for them.)
And this is John Lisi, whose band we saw playing in Merigny:
Now that's pretty cool.
First, I should note that the Saints did indeed go to the Super Bowl, as everyone in town told us they would last Fall. Not only that, but then they went and bloody won it, too. Amazing. Alli and I celebrated the match and the win with a gathering here at the cottage, complete with homebrew, ladderball and even a little sunshine.
But back to Road Trip '09. I know, so last year.
By the time we left Anahuac with our lives and our rental car intact, we were done with small towns for a while. New Orleans to the rescue, and once again William Shatner helped us find an excellent hotel, for peanuts, putting us bang in the middle of the French quarter.
Of course, we immediately sucked down several hurricanes, and then careered up and down Bourbon street and the surrounding area. I think it was when I told a barmaid she didn't even look like a stripper (she wasn't) and received a frosty stare to go with a round of Jagerbombs that we knew we needed to change gear. We weren't keeping it real.
And New Orleans seems like the kind of place which helps you change gear when you need it. A chance conversation led us out of the French Quarter and up to Merigny and Frenchmen Street, where we found a neat neighbourhood club and a cool band playing through the early hours. It turned into an excellent night. Good times.
We spent a couple of nights in town, and there was plenty more to do, including an unintended wander around the Iberville project, street-cars across the city, Cafe du Monde and Absinthe in a pirate bar. But for the music, the atmosphere and the food, you've gotta get to this town.
Oh yeah, how about some of that music? We got chatting to a awesome trombone player on a street corner one night, and here's a clip of him 'boning:
(The world is very small. A while ago a commenter on this blog recommended a favorite band of his, the Hot 8. Turns out this trombonist plays for them.)
And this is John Lisi, whose band we saw playing in Merigny:
Now that's pretty cool.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
You might like it
Aaand...we're back. It's been a busy couple of months. I had a trip to San Francisco, closely followed by excellent Christmases in Georgia and Croydon, with Alli and our respective families. And soon after an Epsom-flavoured New Year I began my new research fellowship, surrounded by snow and ice. Fun times. Actually, a lot of fun, but just not a lot of time for blogging.
In other news, Obama just about made it through his first year in office, the iPad finally launched (my reaction) and airline security was stepped up during my travels, once again just in time to prevent something that's already happened. Sportside, we have another exciting Six Nations, the Super Bowl tomorrow, and both Brits and the Oregon Ducks fell at their final hurdles. Plus ca change.
Now, where was I in terms of our road trip? Ah, Anahuac, East Texas. Sweet Anahuac. This was a place we pulled into on a whim, just past Houston, as we thought back to the small-town good vibes of the 2008 West coast trip.
But whereas every small town on the 101 seemed to welcome the weary traveller with open arms, Anahuac was more Impeach-Obama this and turn-left-past-the-trailer-park and pull-up-by-the-howling-dogs that. We stayed at the only motel in town:
The Batesian image above doesn't capture our rapidly rising anxiety, but it's the only photographic evidence of being in Anahuac. Let me add that although it was a low point of the trip, I think we all learned something important that night.
Next up New Orleans, and that deserves its own post, along with a report on the Saints performance in the Super Bowl.
In the meantime, let me leave you with two snippets. First, this song by Kevin Shields, taken from Lost In Translation. I didn't quite notice it when I first saw the movie several years ago, but it's lovely. A worthy addition to the MBV legacy, which is saying something.
And finally, something which may amuse long-term readers of this blog and its predecessor, Days in the Wake: Anne Hathaway is looking for someone to teach her about string theory. I'll let you trawl through the Wake rather than link you to the relevant post.
In other news, Obama just about made it through his first year in office, the iPad finally launched (my reaction) and airline security was stepped up during my travels, once again just in time to prevent something that's already happened. Sportside, we have another exciting Six Nations, the Super Bowl tomorrow, and both Brits and the Oregon Ducks fell at their final hurdles. Plus ca change.
Now, where was I in terms of our road trip? Ah, Anahuac, East Texas. Sweet Anahuac. This was a place we pulled into on a whim, just past Houston, as we thought back to the small-town good vibes of the 2008 West coast trip.
But whereas every small town on the 101 seemed to welcome the weary traveller with open arms, Anahuac was more Impeach-Obama this and turn-left-past-the-trailer-park and pull-up-by-the-howling-dogs that. We stayed at the only motel in town:
The Batesian image above doesn't capture our rapidly rising anxiety, but it's the only photographic evidence of being in Anahuac. Let me add that although it was a low point of the trip, I think we all learned something important that night.
Next up New Orleans, and that deserves its own post, along with a report on the Saints performance in the Super Bowl.
In the meantime, let me leave you with two snippets. First, this song by Kevin Shields, taken from Lost In Translation. I didn't quite notice it when I first saw the movie several years ago, but it's lovely. A worthy addition to the MBV legacy, which is saying something.
And finally, something which may amuse long-term readers of this blog and its predecessor, Days in the Wake: Anne Hathaway is looking for someone to teach her about string theory. I'll let you trawl through the Wake rather than link you to the relevant post.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Legends of the Road
Back in the early days of my American adventure, I was joined by a couple of Brits to undertake the first annual road trip. Since then I've taken the whole road tripping idea quite seriously, travelling with Allison down to Utah, and taking in some of the Northeast, solo. But we all knew the time would come for a second installment with the same crew, and a few weeks ago, it happened. In the South.
It all started in a little town called Dallas. Actually, it started in next-door Fort Worth, with which Dallas shares an airport. But whereas Dallas was all grassy knolls and ten-gallon hats, its neighbour felt surprisingly like an American Croydon, replete with mega-pubs and hen nights. Fort Worth was however notable for one thing in particular: the first one-armed waitress of the trip. We saw only the one one-armed waitress last year, but this early sighting gave us a lot of hope that we might set a new record this time out.
From DFW we headed South, to the college town and state capital, Austin. (Do you know your state capitals? Some surprises in there.) Brilliant city, though it was disappointing to've missed Henry there by just a few months. Luckily, he left friends behind, and S guided us to some decent food, local beer (Firetruck 5? Fireman's 4? I don't think I ever mastered it) and superb country music. But it turns out that Austin's not just about country music, and is somewhat well known for its indie scene. Here I am in front of Daniel Johnston's landmark:
So, yeah. Texas was going well. And I should mention that thanks to William Shatner and Priceline, we'd been for the first two nights staying in some pretty swanky hotels. You might even say the best hotels.
That was all to change in Anahuac, TX.
It all started in a little town called Dallas. Actually, it started in next-door Fort Worth, with which Dallas shares an airport. But whereas Dallas was all grassy knolls and ten-gallon hats, its neighbour felt surprisingly like an American Croydon, replete with mega-pubs and hen nights. Fort Worth was however notable for one thing in particular: the first one-armed waitress of the trip. We saw only the one one-armed waitress last year, but this early sighting gave us a lot of hope that we might set a new record this time out.
From DFW we headed South, to the college town and state capital, Austin. (Do you know your state capitals? Some surprises in there.) Brilliant city, though it was disappointing to've missed Henry there by just a few months. Luckily, he left friends behind, and S guided us to some decent food, local beer (Firetruck 5? Fireman's 4? I don't think I ever mastered it) and superb country music. But it turns out that Austin's not just about country music, and is somewhat well known for its indie scene. Here I am in front of Daniel Johnston's landmark:
So, yeah. Texas was going well. And I should mention that thanks to William Shatner and Priceline, we'd been for the first two nights staying in some pretty swanky hotels. You might even say the best hotels.
That was all to change in Anahuac, TX.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Turkey Day
Yes, I know you're bored with stories of how brilliant the US is, but one of its holidays is, yes, brilliant. It's thanksgiving.
I'm no expert on the history. But in my three thanksgivings, I've enjoyed the company of some awesome friends, eaten too, too much food and gotten drunk. Plus, I've avoided the excessive present-giving and card-sending that can infect Christmas. It's my perfect holiday: revelry without the reverence. Oh, and we get a four-day weekend.
In the spirit of the day, we again had many people around to eat turkey, and share their own excellent recipes, and I had a great time. I give thanks for Allison, for my friends and for my family. Roll on next year.
Music-wise, I give thanks for Bibio. I listened a lot to this guy a couple of years back, when he was in a folk-electronic phase. His latest album, Ambivalence Avenue has so much variation, I don't know whether I'm listening to Boards of Canada, Prefuse 73, Radiohead or Badly Drawn Boy. Here are three snippets:
Could perhaps have been an edgier addition to Bewilderbeast? And now the track that got me hooked on this album. Listen at least til 1:39, when it blew me away:
And then
Enjoy your week.
I'm no expert on the history. But in my three thanksgivings, I've enjoyed the company of some awesome friends, eaten too, too much food and gotten drunk. Plus, I've avoided the excessive present-giving and card-sending that can infect Christmas. It's my perfect holiday: revelry without the reverence. Oh, and we get a four-day weekend.
In the spirit of the day, we again had many people around to eat turkey, and share their own excellent recipes, and I had a great time. I give thanks for Allison, for my friends and for my family. Roll on next year.
Music-wise, I give thanks for Bibio. I listened a lot to this guy a couple of years back, when he was in a folk-electronic phase. His latest album, Ambivalence Avenue has so much variation, I don't know whether I'm listening to Boards of Canada, Prefuse 73, Radiohead or Badly Drawn Boy. Here are three snippets:
Could perhaps have been an edgier addition to Bewilderbeast? And now the track that got me hooked on this album. Listen at least til 1:39, when it blew me away:
And then
Enjoy your week.
Friday, 6 November 2009
(I'll just confirm that they're dead.)
Another year, another Hallowe'en. Remember Pac-Man and his ghosts? This year it was time for a binary duo, with Allison and I teaming up as the robots from Flight of the Conchords. Here's my costume:
There was really very little difference between us and the originals. Check it out.
Also a massive game in the football, last weekend. Oregon destroyed Southern Cal 47-20. Yes, 47-20! An even bigger win than when I saw them beat SC two years ago, in my first ever football game. Let's hope this time Oregon hold it together and win out the rest of their games.
You might recall that we started the season pretty badly. But right now, our nemesis that first day, Boise State, is in trouble. Against Louisiana Tech. I know it's ridiculously complicated, but if Boise lose they're almost certain to drop below the Ducks in the national rankings. Go Tech!
UPDATE 11/8: the worst possible series of results. Boise prevail against Tech, and then the Ducks lost yesterday. To Stanford! Who're a bunch of geeks, right? The new rankings don't look great, but we can still win the Pac-10....
More next time on Louisiana, trombone players and the second installment of the now semi-legendary annual road trip....
There was really very little difference between us and the originals. Check it out.
Also a massive game in the football, last weekend. Oregon destroyed Southern Cal 47-20. Yes, 47-20! An even bigger win than when I saw them beat SC two years ago, in my first ever football game. Let's hope this time Oregon hold it together and win out the rest of their games.
You might recall that we started the season pretty badly. But right now, our nemesis that first day, Boise State, is in trouble. Against Louisiana Tech. I know it's ridiculously complicated, but if Boise lose they're almost certain to drop below the Ducks in the national rankings. Go Tech!
UPDATE 11/8: the worst possible series of results. Boise prevail against Tech, and then the Ducks lost yesterday. To Stanford! Who're a bunch of geeks, right? The new rankings don't look great, but we can still win the Pac-10....
More next time on Louisiana, trombone players and the second installment of the now semi-legendary annual road trip....
Friday, 9 October 2009
Really Tea
You know, I'm not one to moan, but after more than two years here, the topic of tea still preoccupies me. I make pretty good tea here. I've even converted a Frenchwoman, an American girl (who happens to be Alli) and a Canadian guy to my style of tea-making.
But still, every now and then, someone will offer me tea that isn't really tea. And then they'll claim it's tea. But it just isn't. Is it so hard to accept the definition as being the leaves of a particular plant, steeped in hot water? As opposed to just any old leaves?
But you know I don't write a blog post unconstructively; it takes a while for me to get round to writing one, after all. So, I have a plan. I'm going to buy some excellent kidney beans from Market of Choice, roast (or maybe toast) them over our newly-built fire-pit in the garden, grind them and then serve them as 'coffee'. Then we'll see how they like it. I mean, it's just beans in hot water, right?
Y'all know how much I love the golden age, but when KRS-One keeps making music, you wonder whether it'll go downhill. Except, it doesn't, it's awesome.
But still, every now and then, someone will offer me tea that isn't really tea. And then they'll claim it's tea. But it just isn't. Is it so hard to accept the definition as being the leaves of a particular plant, steeped in hot water? As opposed to just any old leaves?
But you know I don't write a blog post unconstructively; it takes a while for me to get round to writing one, after all. So, I have a plan. I'm going to buy some excellent kidney beans from Market of Choice, roast (or maybe toast) them over our newly-built fire-pit in the garden, grind them and then serve them as 'coffee'. Then we'll see how they like it. I mean, it's just beans in hot water, right?
Y'all know how much I love the golden age, but when KRS-One keeps making music, you wonder whether it'll go downhill. Except, it doesn't, it's awesome.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Are you here to make friends?
I'm on the East coast for a (mainly) work trip, and now back in Cambridge, MA, after visiting Boston, Princeton, Philadelphia and DC. And in a way I was here to make friends. Sorry, reality TV, I f***ed up. But the good news is, I now have some new friends. Plus, I got the chance to meet up with some old friends. So it was friends all round, really.
Work aside, on my weekend off I also got to sneak into a University of Virginia game, thanks to the persuasive powers of SMR. UVA lost miserably, but Georgia and Oregon won, so college football still rocks my boat.
And if that wasn't enough excitement, SMR, Alli and myself visited the federal city the next day. There was something very powerful about seeing the White House, the capitol and the various monuments to Presidents past. Of course, the Smithsonian reminded me how passionately the Americans have hated the Brits throughout their brief history, so you can't have everything.
As I say, I'm briefly back in Massachusetts. Kind of exhausted, and ready for the EUG.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Later, Crater
Yeah, it's not just my blog that celebrates birthdays round here. I had a biggie too, last weekend. So a few folks headed down to camp by Crater Lake (I mean, with me, it's not that they were trying to escape) and ring in the new year in style.
The lake? It's pretty pimp.
And the phantom ship. Ooh, scary.
Finally, it's me, wearing some substantial Wayfarers and grinning like an idiot, as only a thirty-year-old can. Also, Alli.
This makes it look like we were fairly active over the few days we were down there, but I should reassure you that most of our time was spent around a campfire eating s'mores and drinking birthday beers. Happy birthday, me!
We didn't see a bear, but if we had, it probably would've looked like this. Except real.
Hilarity as only Fox can do it.
And now? Now, I am in Boston, which has been fun and productive so far. More of that later, but I should first remind you that the football season began somewhat tragically for Oregon. First, we lose our opening game, with most of our players performing worse than I would in a Ducks uniform. But then, after the final whistle, what promises to become the infamy of the season:
Blount, our best running back last season, won't be playing for the Ducks again.
Here's another song by Songs:Ohia, the guy who did that Two Blue Lights track. You know, the one I keep playing to people and they keep realizing it's pretty much one of their favourite songs ever. This track is live, so quality is suboptimal, but I like it.
I think if I'd brought fiddle and banjo with me this is how we'd have celebrated midnight on the eve of my birthday. Probably would've annoyed any nearby campers.
The lake? It's pretty pimp.
And the phantom ship. Ooh, scary.
Finally, it's me, wearing some substantial Wayfarers and grinning like an idiot, as only a thirty-year-old can. Also, Alli.
This makes it look like we were fairly active over the few days we were down there, but I should reassure you that most of our time was spent around a campfire eating s'mores and drinking birthday beers. Happy birthday, me!
We didn't see a bear, but if we had, it probably would've looked like this. Except real.
Hilarity as only Fox can do it.
And now? Now, I am in Boston, which has been fun and productive so far. More of that later, but I should first remind you that the football season began somewhat tragically for Oregon. First, we lose our opening game, with most of our players performing worse than I would in a Ducks uniform. But then, after the final whistle, what promises to become the infamy of the season:
Blount, our best running back last season, won't be playing for the Ducks again.
Here's another song by Songs:Ohia, the guy who did that Two Blue Lights track. You know, the one I keep playing to people and they keep realizing it's pretty much one of their favourite songs ever. This track is live, so quality is suboptimal, but I like it.
I think if I'd brought fiddle and banjo with me this is how we'd have celebrated midnight on the eve of my birthday. Probably would've annoyed any nearby campers.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Birthday Bells
Something funny happened earlier this month; my blog celebrated (very privately) its second birthday. Kinda took me by surprise.
Of course, this whole thing started when I left the wake, and began my new life here in the States. You've since learned about cheerleaders, getting to know Eugene, and starting a new job. I also worked out what kind of car I'd always wanted without knowing it, and then bought it. I've seen some excellent shows, and after a year out here I moved into the cottage. Oh, how I love it's rosey cottageyness. You've seen me exploring some of the great outdoors, my work has progressed surprisingly well, and I've had some super-fun visitors from home. They even get on well with the new friends I've made here.
But the most important of all? I met Allison. There isn't one particular post to point to, but you'll probably have noticed that she's kind of awesome, and that we've had a lot of fun together.
So, happy birthday, Twelve Bells.
Of course, this whole thing started when I left the wake, and began my new life here in the States. You've since learned about cheerleaders, getting to know Eugene, and starting a new job. I also worked out what kind of car I'd always wanted without knowing it, and then bought it. I've seen some excellent shows, and after a year out here I moved into the cottage. Oh, how I love it's rosey cottageyness. You've seen me exploring some of the great outdoors, my work has progressed surprisingly well, and I've had some super-fun visitors from home. They even get on well with the new friends I've made here.
But the most important of all? I met Allison. There isn't one particular post to point to, but you'll probably have noticed that she's kind of awesome, and that we've had a lot of fun together.
So, happy birthday, Twelve Bells.
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