WHAT MADE YOU GRIMACE & GRIT YOUR TEETH TODAY?

Just after president Obama's press conference at midnight, I took the Staten-Island Railway and the Staten-Island ferry to Ground Zero. When I arrived around 1:30, there was an exhilarating street part under way. Then I tried to take my first picture, and noticed my camera's batteries were empty. That made me grimace and grit my teeth today.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh that sucks!

Sorry Thomas.

(Sorry us too, would love to have seen your pics! Still interested in your stories tho.)

Only now I've noticed that we can't take more than one suitcase/23kg per person for free on our one-month-USA-trip; in September last year, I had two suitcases with 32 kg each free and stayed only two weeks ....

It's possible that you may find a shipper that's not only cheaper, but delivers to someone's door. That's beginning to happen within the US, and there may be such opportunities from Germany, too. Here, they're just using regular UPS.

Walter, You have one check-in and one carry-on. The carry-on can be 45", plus a personal item. I see people with several shopping bags going on planes all the time, but I'm not sure what the rules are on those. Leave a little space on your carry-on, because I have something for you to take home.

I know, c.i. .... but before November last year, it was different.

Walter - how could you carry / manage all that stuff? I struggle with one, 20kg, bag.

As part of the on-going disaster that was last year's England/Scotland trip, my bag died as I went to get into the cab at Heathrow. Part of my very short time with my friends was spent in purchasing new luggage. It was a bit bigger than the previous one - which does tempt you to add more stuff - which I then can't lift.
For my next trip, I've purchased a carry-on size bag - and I'll give it a run at the end of the month on a short trip. I'll check it - as I need carry-on for my camera, etc., but it shouldn't be too heavy to lift.

That's not just me but more Mrs Walter.
And it's really more than four weeks weeks in not always the very same nice weather.
Plus, I need some new jeans, and this and that for the Missus and me has to be bought as well

Hand luggage for me is the camera .... 10 kg (not more than 8 or 6 kag officially, depending on airline).

Gute Reise und viel Vergnuegen, Herr H.

The predicament of travellers.

Another student conversation. We were reading a book in which the author described a seal skin stretched across the frame of an Inuit kayak. The skin "glowed like the moon" and the ribs of the kayak were black against it. But the writing style is VERY figurative in this book. I'm reading aloud..... after the paragraph I ask:

Me: What is the author describing in this paragraph?
He: um, I dunno... a seal?
Me: Nooooo. It's just a seal skin. Reread, what's it covering?
He: The moonlight!?
Me: No, the skin glows like moonlight, but it's not covering moonlight. Try again.
He: The walrus?
Me: The what? Why would a seal skin be covering a walrus?
He: I dunno, I don't want to do this anymore.
Me: (I reread paragraph aloud) What is the sealskin covering?
He: Someone's ribs?
Me: Not the ribs of an animal, what's the paragraph saying?
He: The seal! I don't know!
Me: Do you know what a kayak is?
He: No, is it a hut?
Me: (I draw a picture with ribs)

Is this one of your autistic students?

classic observation including the student, littlek. How we all learn. Well, at least by a kind of suprise.

The fog of war.

Yes, he is one of the autistic students.

And now for a really gut-wrenching grimace that supersedes the student. An old acquaintance lost control of his car late last night and was killed. He arrived in Athens, GA around the same time as I did. He and his twin brother. They were both artists and, it almost seemed on a whim, they opened a tattoo studio and became some of the best tattoo artists I've seen (not that I've seen many). Their studio was just a few doors down from two establishments I worked at - a coffee shop and a bar - actually, their first tattoo shop was in a side room off the coffee shop. I saw a lot of him. Oddly, since he was just a few years younger than me and a crazy tattoo artist, I felt protective of him and his brother. They were so sweet and crazy and sort of naive.... He'll be missed and remembered by his many friends and countless clients.

Oh, k, I'm so sorry to hear this.
Commiserations to you for the loss of your friend.

Sad to hear it. Especially about the way it came out of left field like that.

So sorry k.




On a lesser note, I had my first ever tooth extracted today. Left upper wisdom.

Seems to be a lot of blood still after 3 hours, other than that I am relatively ok.

Thanks all. That friend and I were... well, not close really. But, I felt an odd protectiveness for him and his brother in the early days (did I say that already?). I'm not alone in that, so I've learned in the last few days. Definitely a unique relationship.

Deb - so sorry about the dental work.....

I am grimacing currently, or maybe it's just my stomach grimacing - due to the heavy and cloying scent of cooked pig's heart which is permeating mu apt. Ugh..... sorry to anyone who likes this delicacy, but it smells retched.

My wife and I went to a relatively new Chinese restaurant that is always packed with people, so we tried it today for lunch. I had the ox tail stew, and it was delicious! I enjoyed it about the same as osso bucco.