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Published: February 4th 2008
Tuesday 22nd January - Sunday 27th January 2008
This is more of a photo session as I have just eaten a steakbomb sub, which has a week’s worth of MEAT in it and am feeling a little lethargic and thus cannot be bothered to summarize what has happened in too much detail. I apologize for my laziness and the very dull approach to my last few blogs, but you know how I feel about winter and creative motivation. On Tuesday I made a big Bangers and Mash dinner for Laura and we drank a bottle of champagne for absolutely no reason. I am not a fan and it changed my mood significantly putting a bit of a dampener on an otherwise great evening, taking my mind off the insulating work that would take up the entire week’s work time.
On Wednesday, I had the first three chapters of my second novel, fiancees and ski jackets workshopped by the Boylston Public Library motley crue, which was great and quite helpful in determining what an American audience might like or dislike about my very English style of writing. Called Ryan and he was feeling a little down about his life, but plans
to move to North Carolina after a stellar weekend their with some buddies. As always though, he wants it to be perfect when he gets there so needs to save $10,000 and move in November and go buy a foreclosure place with parents help. Good luck, but as you are well aware life is rarely perfect. If I was not feeling great I would move a.s.a.p. as something always turns up and the struggle is often part of the fun of getting to know new places and people. Makes you appreciate a place more for seeing it from both levels, assuming everything goes according to plan that is. Still not sleeping great because of my wrist - convinced I have trapped a nerve in there!
On Friday we had a half day and we would complete all the work on Monday 28th, ready for the dudes drywalling, which could take over a week and thus be my last day of work, as the other apartment work was withdrawn at a very annoying and unprofessional eleventh hour by the Cambridge Housing foreman who has decided to do it in-house. Wanker! That’s $600 less for me to travel with, oh well.
A few days off might get my sleeping back on sync. Got home and changed the tyre on the car before packing a bag and driving (well Kev did) the four hours up to Maine. Kev has a $180k large holiday home in Lincolnville, two miles from a winery in one direction and two from the Atlantic Ocean in the other, and just 6 miles from the little quaint harbour town of Camden and it’s ski slope, Camden Snowbowl at Ragged Mountain. Lovely. It was so dark at night and so many stars and about ten degrees colder there so we really had to rug up. After Saturday’s snowboarding (the only slope in North America where you can see the ocean), which was great craic, Sheila did a bit of Raiki on my arms and back which relaxed and helped me. We all hoped to go tobogganing or tubing down the hill and out onto the ice of the lake, where people were also ice fishing, but never got around to it. Few beers in a nice little deserted pub with some Prawners on Saturday night, and a great brekkie Sunday in an awesome little café in the town gave
a little clarity to the pictaresque scenery. A state the size of Ireland with a third of the population, maine is the setting for most of Stephen King’s novels, and the isolation of a few places definitely brought back memories of Stand By Me and Misery. Instead we ended up playing Harry Potter with the kids for most of the day Sunday, after 4 hours of audio book on the way up and subsequently, four on the way back. It was quite good to be fair, but after 4 hours of anything you need to get away. After a game of chess with Kev, we drove back home and ate dinner around six. I was still not sleeping so we got in bed early, but it didn’t help and I vowed to go get my mega-numb arms sorted out at a drop-in clinic in Malden on Tuesday night and try and get a prescription. When we got back another snow storm was heading our way and I had seriously had enough of this weather now and am looking forward to lying on an Ecuadorian beach for a few days! Decided to shave my head in preparation for trip.
On Tuesday
29th, QPR lost 3-1 to Baaadiff (boo!), so I was in a bad mood when I headed to the drop in centre walking the 5 miles there (and back). I saw a nice doctor and her protégé diagnosed me, but seemed to think I might need a small operation to detach the nerve in my arm. Gutted! I was given a free blood pressure test (fine), and a free flu shot. Amazingly I was given a free ($75) prescription for 500mg Naproxen as an anti-inflammatory painkiller to take twice a day and I bought a $20 wrist splint support as well. I was advised I could also buy some herbal Valerian sleeping pills to help with sleep if all else fails and its quite a good idea considering the long bus journeys etc we will be undertaking in South America in less than 10 days (woo hoo!)
Weds 30th - sorted all my MP3's out. Have about 100 songs now, and hopefully a few more to add before I go. Spent the day and Thursday editing fiancees before the computer crashed ruining my life! Spoke to Solly for his 35th birthday and mum who was a bit upset by
a bad dental proceedure and a broken boiler double combo! Watched The Heartbreak Kid (Farrelly Bros film with Ben Stiller) and it was actually a lot better than I had imagined. On Thursday night, Aidan took us out for dinner as a going away present and I had ribs and shrimp and didn’t eat again for about 16 hours. Didn’t sleep either so was up Friday morning at 5am cleaning the kitchen and stuff for our impending move. God we had accumulated so much crap. Watched March of the Penguins and did a bit of Spanish before the end of the day and then we rented Blades of Glory for our final night - the first of February - can you believe that!!.
On Saturday morning, we got up early and moved all the stuff to Kev’s house. Bag after black bag filled his house and loads of food the fridge. Then at 9am we drove to PJ Ryan’s pub and watched Ireland 16-8 Italy and England’s woeful 19-26 loss to the taffs. Fair play to Wales but England were so bad in the second half it was like watching a bad rugby version of QPR’s defence. Talking of
which we like playing the better teams, beating second place Bristol Shitty 3-0. The R’s are on the up and just have to get some consistency away from home and we could finish in the top half. The future for once looks bright and I look forward to going back to Loftus Road at the start of next season. After the games, brekkie and a few early pints, we cleaned the rest of the house and left the keys and sorted the thermostats etc. Then Sheila took us to REI where Laura spent $200 and a few hours getting a backpack and other essentials for our trip. Then I got a pair of breathable light trousers for $20 in Marshalls and soon we were home eating Turkey burgers with the kids, watching Napolean Dynamite (Kev’s xmas prezzy) with a few beers and crashing before midnight.
Spent Sunday at Target getting travel speakers and other things for the trip. Got a pair of jeans for $13 too and now I am totally ready for the trip, all I have to do is fix the zip on my jacket and a hole in my trackies pocket. Also got in touch with
Roger and am working Wimbledon 2008 - for an eighth year running, what a joker!
Then Aidan drove us to Stones where we met Melissa, Alex, Jeremy, and Jess for the Superbowl, a few beers and an amazing Fish ‘n’ chip supper. Well a new favourite beer is the Berkshire Brewing Company’s Cabin Fever which is a pale ale/amber ale crossover and delicioso. Also Alex and I were the only two in the place supporting the Giants, so when the won in the last 30 seconds we couldn’t help jumping up and laughing out loud much to the shock of the pub and the rest of the sporting (it would seem) world. The Scotch fucked it up losing to the Frogs by 21 points, so it looks like the latter will win it again unless the Irish can pull something out of the fire with 2 more home games. England and France away though?! Booked our Quito hostal for two nights as wqe get in late Thursday so that’s a weight off too.
Monday 4th February - Going to send out some of my novels to Boston and New York publishers tomorrow and send my bruvva a package. Spent
today walking the dog and chilling out. Tomorrow is pancake day too and I fancy a slice of Rambo with Jamal if he is up for it. All left for me to do then is watch some of the International football on TV this week, learn some more Spanish, and call a few people.
So until next time, which will be live from Ecuador, take care of yourselves...and each other!
X Tom
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Stev Mayo
non-member comment
ohyi
'On Tuesday I made a big Bangers and Mash dinner for Laura and we drank a bottle of champagne for absolutely no reason.'.. this is not lazy or bad writing.. thats a fantastic opening to a blog, it could be the opening of a novel or screenplay or song! Safe travels! x