The Quest

So this is infact the 50th post, ah well. It appears google is innumerate amongst many other things. Whilst on the subject of 50 - thats the number of touchdown passes thrown by Tom Brady, the New England Patriots Quaterback, a new season record. The Patriots infact went undefeated this season (16 games) and now head into the playoffs as sure superbowl favourites. There the only side to go undefeated since the '72 Miami Dolphins when the season was 14 games long.

Moving away from American football, im off to Peru tomorrow so he's a quite idea of what im doing and where ill be:

Monday 31st Dec - fly out of Phoenix via Miami to Lima to arrive tomorrow morning.
Tuesday 1st Jan - 4 hours in Lima airport before the short internal flight to Cusco. 6 nights in Cusco looking around the Inka Ruins and acclimatising the altitude.
Monday 7th Jan - travel by coach to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. 2 nights here at nearly 4000m altitude. Hopefully visit some of the islands on the lake.
Wednesday 9th Jan - travel again by coach to the southern city of Arequipa. 5 nights here just chilling and hopefully getting on a hike up one of the volcano's. El Misit @ 5825m or Chachani @ 6075m. Depending on weather so see how things go.
Monday 14th Jan - Late afternoon flight back to Lima then wait 12 hrs at Lima airport for return flight to Phoenix via Miami on the 15th. Back into Tucson about midnight before classes begin on the 16th.

I should have internet access so check out for some posts and maybe some photos. Should be a good trip, ill hold some awesome bragging rights for a while!

And to finish what will probably be the last post of 2007 - some news from Germany! A well endowed female passenger on a city bus was forced to step off when the driver complained she was distracting him. Apparently, everytime he looked in the mirror (which was probably quite often!) his eyes were caught by the size of this womans cleavage making driving the bus dangerous. Hmmm, a new definition of back-seat-driver!

And so it is very almost the end of 2007. Its been a great year but hopefully 2008 will be even better for everyone. 21st birthdays galore, Bejing Olympics, beginning my last year of uni/finishing uni for a lot of people, IM COMING HOME! (whoo) and no, the world is not going to end even once let alone 3 times! (Tim!) Hope everyone had a good one and see you all in 2008!

50 not out

So Christmas has come and gone for another year. It was nothing too special but hey, i did get a twin pack of gods-own Jaffa Cakes from some thoughtful person back in the UK. And atleast i didn't suffer quite like a family in Wellington, New Zealand who pulled open their crackers after their meal to reveal a dead mouse inside! Aparently the discovery curbed their appetite.

It always makes me wonder why they bother with Miss World or Miss America or Highschool Pageant type events. A few months ago we had Miss South Carolina frankly making an ass of herself when posed with a simple question live on television:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII

Well now Miss France (whose actually from Reunion Island, 6000miles away) got into a spot of bother surrounding some "suggestive" and "scampy" photos recently published in a french magazine. Bizarrely, French politicians, cabinet ministers and a bishop sprang to her defense and she still holds her crown. I'm not sure what it says about politics and the church in France when they seem to gloss over what is essentially porn.

And finally, from a news point of view atleast, a referee in Malaysia (whose day job was in the Police) found a new way of controlling players, something Chelsea may want to take note. After giving someone a red card, the usual childish behaviour from the players ensues so the ref went to his patrol car, pulled out a handgun and fired shots into the air. Police are actually investigating whether the action was justified!

So im off to Peru on Monday morning for 2 weeks of backpacking, hiking and chilling before uni starts again at full throttle on Jan 16th. I should have internet access so i will blog occasionally and upload photos if possible. Theres a pittyful amount of stuff to report this week, its been pretty boring but will defo pick up when uni starts back. Come late february/early March i'll need to book my flight home. Were already planning things to do in our last week here (some of them stupid) to celebrate our time in Arizona. Beer should be involved at some point aswell as a the usual farewell dinners and meet ups but plans are also being drawn to build a ramp and ride our mountain bikes into the swimming pool in true rockstar style. Were hoping it will form a nice end to our Arizona promo-video for uni so, don't worry, there will be plenty of videos!

S'all for now folks!

New York New York...

sweet sweet New York. If theres 10 cities around the world that i want to visit, NY is definately one of them. I'm not a big fan of going to massive built up areas for "holidays", if its on the map then im less inclined to go there, but New York (NY) is different. Ok its busy (worst than London at christmas time), the subway isnt pretty but it works and you can't move for skyscrappers. However...

Central Park is amazing - its kind of like a hilly and bigger version of hyde park in London, Times Square is a mesmorising network of lights, people and shops like no other. The UN building is oddly run down - fittingly a crappy organisation has a crappy headquarters. The Rockefeller Centre towers above almost every other building. The Rock Plaza has an icerink standing below possibly the biggest christmas tree in the world - atleast 50ft. Bryant Park is typically christmas-y - yet another Ice Rink and festive stalls. Speaking of Ice Rinks, it seemed like a good chance to try my hand at ice skating but sense got the better of me. Standing outside the rock ice rink, set below the ground level with 100's of people watching where little kids were flying around like experts and everyone else was falling over or handrailing around the edge. Worse of all, people were pointing and mocking the poor fellows who couldnt stand up let alone make it around the rink.

Anyway enough about NY.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Simple Planning in New York

Whats better than a free music concert? A free music concert with just 150 people being filmed for broadcast! So Tuesday night i was down at the Highline Ballroom in western Manhattan to watch Simple Plan play 7 or 8 tracks + a 5 track acoustic set. There not my favourite band but it was a good performance of nice, catchy music - well worth going (it was free after all!)

The show is due to be aired on youtube on new years eve, ill put the link up nearer the time.

And as for the rest of New York; it was an awesome trip and ill blog about it later.

See ya

Its 03:23am...

and im up and ready to go to New York, well infact i didnt go to sleep - just pondered more on my 4th year project.

See ya

Santa woes

When your young and gullible, most people believe in santa, atleast until you realise you haven't got a chimney for him to fall down. Well, Canada has taken the fantasy one step further. Over 11,000 postal office workers collect and reply to children's "Dear Santa..." messages ever year. Except now, a rotten elf has entered santa's workforce. Police in Ottawa are trying to track a so called 'elf' for writing nasty replies to children. Unfortunately, they didnt include any examples so i see no harm in making some up:

"No, for the last time, you are not getting a stupid pony!"

Dear Santa... i want a ferrari, a train set, a toy chest, a puppy, a bike, a game and a BIG tin of candy! "You greedy little S.O.B"

"No!"

"Santa's NOT real! I'm being paid $5 an hour to listen to your dribble! Get out of my face!"

Dear Santa... i want to be an Astronaut! "Yeah, so? What do you want me to do about it?"

"Listen kid, good boys don't get the best presents. The one's with rich parents do! Your parents are poor, theres no presents for you. Thanks for writing!"

"Santa's dead!"

"Your 15 and you still believe in Santa!! Here's a prescription!"

How does Santa get to every place in the world in one night? "Ok, ill let you into a little secret. Santa has this friend you see, lets call him the 'Fed-ex man'."

"Dear George, thank-you for your recent and lengthy christmas wish list including English language courses, a remote control nuclear weapon 'toy', a new vice president, the extradition of one Mrs H Clinton, a proper presidential election victory, a big juicy Texan-style steak and a pony! It is with regret i have to tell you that Santa's rather busy the night of the 24th and the paperwork required for many of those things is lengthy. I do, however, include a big red button! Yours sincerely, Santa!"

Its 3:32am...

and my geochemistry report is practically finished atlast! Its not due in til the end of the week but i was getting so p****d off with it, i decided to put in a session and get it out of the way. So very nearly finished for this semester - just one take home exam to finish off over the next couple of days and then 4 weeks of well deserve break begins! Whoo!

Last week of the semester..

is upon us at last. And all i have to do is finish the Geochemistry report ive been moaning about for the last week and finish off a "take-home" exam. Then thats it! All my free time from then is open to preparing for New York, meeting up with James and driving the neighbours out with my guitaring! Actually...its not that bad! I can play the Hell song solo now which im really pleased with, and in New York im going shopping for an effects pedal so things are looking up.

The BBC news website reports today about government plans to drastically increase the number of wind turbines around the UK. The tories in general support this. Tory front bencher Alan Duncan accurately pointed out that "Britain is an Island Nation" and added "There is a lot of wind around!". And the conservatives wonder why there not in power!!!

George Bush is again featuring on this blog for another blooper at a White House Press Conference this week. Incase you dont know, the North East US is in something of a house market crisis since mortgage debt is going through the roof. He addressed the nation and directed them to a phone number of an organisation offering free help and advice. It turns out he gave the wrong number! The number he did give was for a bible bashing religious self help group in Dallas, Texas! Whoops!

Right i must go. If i don't get this Geochemistry report cracked soon, i think ill go insane.
Laters!

The wheels on the bus...

Walking home from uni today, after a long day spent pouring over this geochemistry assignment, a cyclist came past me singing at the top of his voice some crappie American country song he was listening to on his mp3 player. Other than the complete lack of self respect - i think he's got onto a new, probably un-necessary, niche in the market of rolling jukeboxes. I felt like asking for a Green Day track or Hey Jude maybe.

In other news; George Bush wrote a letter to North Korea expressing concern over their nuke plans. And who said he was iliterate? New-cle - er. A man reappeared at a London Police Station today after being missing in his Canoe in the North Sea for the last 5 years. Aparently he can't remember a thing except the £450,000 life insurance money now in an oversea's bank account. There also some silly news from Germany (as usual); a thief, ingenious a breed as they are, used a flower pot to steal a Porsche. And now for something completely different...

A photo...

More uploaded in due course.

Laters!

December 3rd

Only 22 days left to go before xmas and it really doesn't feel like it. Its still hitting low-mid 20's out here during the afternoon, a world away from the usual wet, cold and windy UK weather. Still, New York is already getting hit with lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures so ill get my fair share of winter there.

The Rolling Stone Magazine recently published a list of the 50 top songs over 7 minutes in length. Amongst others were Jesus of Suburbia by good ol' Green Day, One by Metallica, Champayne Supernova by Oasis, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands by Dylan and Hey Jude by the Beatles. If your wondering where your favourite 70's and 80's hits like Hotel California are, tough - its not quite long enough! Which is for the best really cos it isnt really that good a song! I was surprised Bat out of Hell, Master of Puppets or Stairway didn't make it though!