Morning Moon Monday, Oct 29 2007

28 October 2007

As we were finishing our booth set-up this morning, I think it was Mary who pointed out the beautiful white <almost> full moon above the trees on site.  The air was crisp, the patrons hadn’t made their way to us, yet, and I grabbed my camera!  If I remember correctly, Donny actually got a better shot of this, ’cause he had his camera more handy and took his photos right after we spotted the morning moon.  But, I’m happy enough with mine. 

~MB

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Pool at the Poolhall Monday, Oct 29 2007

22 October 2007
Ahh, back to the familar, if droll, life of an airline employee in Ft. Worth, Texas. I love to travel. I also love to come home. Home is where my wife, my life, is. It’s always important to return home for the sheer need to retain, or regain, sanity and perspective.

This is an interior shot of my local poolhall that has, I maintain still, one of the best bartenders I’ve ever seen. On slow days, like this Monday, Trista and I will engage and amuse ourselves with a bit of pool.

She’s quite good. I sometimes get lucky, but more often than not, she takes me to task.
Cheers.

~KR (22 October 2007)

Listening to:
It Might as Well Rain Until September
by Carole King
on Natural Woman: Very Best of Carole King

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Early Morning at Heathrow, London Monday, Oct 29 2007

21 October 2007
The day I’d been looking forward to and dreading simultaneously was here. Terrill, an excellent, travel companion, rang me up to make sure I was awake at about 0445. I’m hoping he went back to sleep. I was so tired, I can’t actually recall how I got to LHR, but I think it was by taxiservice. I checked in with the ticket agent, and asked her to make sure I was on the upgrade list, dropped my single bag of luggage and stumbled on. Got into the quick-moving, but very long security queue. Interestingly, I didn’t have to mostly undress; I didn’t even have to take off my shoes. After getting through that line, it was time for the (oh my gosh!) long walk to the gate. Finally, I arrived there, stopping once along the way to divest myself of the remaining coins in my pocket by purchasing a cup of Americano Coffee. Now, for the secondary queue. Finally, I got to the gate agent who verified my passport and ticket matched. She motioned me through into the waiting area, but before I left, I asked her what my upgrade options looked like. Apparently, the ticket agent had not entered me on the upgrade list, but this kind agent did so for me now. I wasn’t in the waiting area for more than 2 minutes, before my name was called and I was issued a new seat assignment. Seat 1J was now mine, and I was suddenly very thankful and very tired. Minutes later we boarded and I took my seat in a newly-configured, beautiful 777. What a wonderful bird she was. Outside, the day was dawing pink & pretty, but I wasn’t long for the world. I had two pictures left in the life of my battery, I took them and sat back to relax.

I’m not sure we were in the air three minutes ere I was asleep. With about two hours to arrival in ORD, I woke. The wonderful flight attendant brought me a delicious (radish-topped) lunch and I watched a movie. A decent end to a trip, if only it were the end. One of the worst things about flying for work is the class of ticket available. Yes, I do get lucky sometimes and get first class, bt more often than not, there are no employee class tickets available so, I have to fly standby. That happened in ORD. I rolled across three flights, but Chicago being what it is, it’s a little easier. I bought a beer and walked to my gate. When my gate changed, I moved to another gate and, if need be, bought another beer along the way. Finally, I did board and was landing in DFW before 1700 on Sunday evening. A long day, but made better when I went and picked up my pups. The only downside was that MB wouldn’t be home until the next day. Ah, yes, the joy of the working class couple and their travel schedules.
Cheers.

~KR (21 October 2007)

Listening to:
Calling Dr. Love by Kiss
on Alive II(Disc One)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 8.6 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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Fulham Football Club & Me Monday, Oct 29 2007

20 October 2007
Finally. A day I’ve awaited for many, many years, arrived. I was headed to a Live top-flight football match in England! Despite the late night and the forthcoming short night, I was awake and ready by 0800. Even knowing that our ride wouldn’t arrive to pick us up the hotel until near noon, I just couldn’t go back to sleep. What if I should sleep through my alarm and miss the day? The horror kept me awake. I went downstairs and had breakfast while watching some cricket on the telly in the lounge. Finally, (finally!), our ride showed up. The Saints trucking company had secured Terrill & I tickets to go watch my first live Premiership match. They had also arranged transportation to and from Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham Football Club. Goodness was I excited. We clambered aboard the shuttle and were greeted warmly by four youth (of middle to late teen years) and two gentlemen of years slightly surpassing ours. We chatted amiable, enjoying the drive through London to Fulham and Hammersmith. The youth behind me, two of which were Fulham supporters while the other two were fans of the Owls (the day’s opposing team) chattered on about the lineup and who should play and who should be benched; was Clint Dempsey really worth the money paid out by FFC to secure his services; was the new manager any better than the old; and so on and on. It was delightfully amiable and I was, somewhat surprisingly to our hosts, able to join the conversation with knowledge and thought. It felt good! Finally, we got to Craven Cottage. What a beautiful building. Constructed in the 1860s, it’s one of the oldest stadiums still in active service in England. It is looked upon and treated with respect by all who visit its grounds. Perhaps it’s the fence that engenders this respect.
Our seats were in the home section of the grounds and elevated to afford an excellent view of the entire pitch and surrounding stands. Immediately to our right was the Thames river affording both a refreshing breeze and a beautiful vista.
Although the match ended in a rather disappointing 0-0 draw and the teams played with grim acceptance rather than any sort of determination, it was an exciting place to be. The atmosphere of a live Premiership match is something to experience rather than read about. No creating wrangling of words can reproduce that glorious, resounding experience. Here in the U.S. there are some that equate the Collegiate football experience to that that I witnessed at Craven Cottage. And perhaps, at some locations, that may be true. But, neither the single 1984 UT vs (someone) game that I went to nor the TCU vs (someone) game that I went to in the late 90’s could match that intensity and passion from the fans that I witnessed at Craven Cottage. Even though Fulham are prime candidates for relegation and were playing a considerably lesser team that are almost certain to drop back to the Championship at season-end, neither group of supporters gave up voice or hope through the entire 90+ minutes of game time. Passion.

Terrill took this photo of me with my camera just before the match started. Thanks, mate!
When the match was complete, we, Terrill & I decided to bid our hosts a very, very thankful farewell and strike out on our own in a section of London we’d not yet seen. First, a quick stop at the Souvenir shop to pick up a much-needed strip for myself, then off to locate a pub or five. We walked down the banks of the Thames for a short while, and then decided to turn inland. Sadly, my camera battery had decided it was time to quit (my only real complaint about my new camera was the severe lack of warning I got on the battery life. I managed only eight shots after I was first warned the battery life was going), so I got precious few photos of the remainder of the day. We located first a pub called the Crabtree. Had a refreshing pint then moved on. We were looking for someplace to camp for a few hours because at 2000 that evening, England were playing South Africa in the Rugby World Cup finals. All of England was Rugby mad, and in the photo, I’m wearing a supporter shirt for the boys of England. We finally located a Sports Bar called The Puzzle that looked inviting. We didn’t stay; there must have been 700 people packed in there watching the ManU vs Aston Villa game on gi-friggin-normous tellys. But, it was very, very loud and very, very trendy. Not our style not what we wanted. It is the first bar that Terrill & I have walked into together and immediately left. Rude or not, we didn’t want to stay. We walked a little further on and found an inviting place called The Distiller’s. They were showing the Rugby match upstairs. So, we each got a pint and waited for the upstairs to open. When it finally did, we went up to grab seats…too late. Already crowded, we nearly left; but we rationalized that any such place was going to be nearly as (or more so) busy. So, we slotted into the bar space and stayed put. What an amazing experience. The England v Russia football match on Wednesday was great, but England were playing poorly and the pub was quiet because of that. Not so tonight. The match was tight, the rugby was breathtakingly beautiful to watch, the tension was palpable. And, although the room was split along fan lines with England fans taking approximately 65% of the room, there was no animosity to be found. It was genteel, if boisterous (can those two go together?) crowd. A few spilt beers here and there, some genuine tears of frustration (or joy if you were a South Africa fan) and lots of camaraderie made for an absolutely unforgettable experience. If only my camera battery had held out. Finally, the day had to end. Terrill & took the tube back to Central Bus Station, then got a ride back to our hotel. We said our goodbyes and I was off to my room. I was leaving to return home in but a few short hours while he was off to Bern, Switzerland. A long hard week of work, interspersed with some truly memorable events was over. I was sad and excited to be headed home.
Cheers.

~KR (20 October 2007)

Listening to:
Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World by U2
on Achtung Baby

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

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The Royal Oak Monday, Oct 29 2007

19 October 2007
Our final day in the office and still much to do…too much to do. It was, after all was said and done, a profitable day in the office. Terrill and I even managed an extended lunch break where we ran into Staines for a much-needed switch. Also, just prior to our leaving on that errand, I received an email from my wife requesting a trip to Mark & Spencer’s for my father. Fortuitous timing that, as an M&S was very near the computer store we had to go to for the switch. Terrill & I also located a JJB where we acquired some much-expected sporting souvenirs. An Arsenal flag for myself and a surprise for his boy. A good trip out, that. Then we stopped for lunch at a small pub there in Staines. Unfortunately, I was without my camera or notebook, and have no recollection of the name. It was nice enough. Back to work to finalize some training documents and make sure, one last time, that everything was working as needed. 4 o’clock came around early and Terrill returned to the small cave I’d holed up in to announce, “The big man wants a beer.” Therefore, off we went. I drove us back to the hotel while our companion for the evening followed. He had informed us early in the week that he wanted to take us out into the countryside for some real country ales and atmosphere. I’m so glad he did.
He took us to four pubs in this order:
The Royal Oak Public House, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6PE (see photo)

The Parrot Inn, Forest Green, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5RZ
The Cricketers Arms, Stane St, Ockley, Dorking, Surrey RH5 5TP
The Rising Sun, The Street, Nutbourne, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 2HE
Each of them was perfect in its own way. Whether it had a fantastic selection of beers, or people, or both; or perhaps it just exuded its own charm in fully measurable quantity and quality; maybe it was just the cold night air in Surrey, England that performed its magic on me. Whatever the reason, the event was special beyond measure. Terrill and our host got into heated and rambling debate after debate ranging from political ideals and ramifications to the value of NASCAR versus Formulae 1. It was very interesting to hear a Scotsman take my cause in so many of the debates that Terrill & I have had for years both political and sports-oriented. It was refreshing and validating at the same time. He, of course, didn’t take all my causes. I contineu to stand alone on quite a few. We stayed too long at the Cricketer’s Arms because of this valid and valuable discussion time, so we missed the last train back to town. But, our host’s lovely wife drove us back to Gatwick airport where we took a Taxi back to our hotel. It was lovely, refreshing, and overall a very grand evening. But tomorrow was going to be something special and I needed my sleep. It was, after all, nearly 2:30 am and we had an appointment in the morning. I packed quickly, knowing I wouldn’t likely have time on Saturday, called my wife and went to sleep. I slept fitfully being far too excited at what was to come.
Cheers.

~KR (19 October 2007)

Listening to:
Dreams by TV on the Radio
on Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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Dieu et mon Droit Monday, Oct 29 2007

18 October 2007
Goodness. Is it possible for Indian food to hurt more the day after? Unequivocally I can tell you, yes! Oh, my. Never again, I say.
This was a much longer day at the office. We finally had a little bit of speed to the network. Our constant complaining had finally gotten some food into the hamsters that drive the wheels that run the network. They were running a little faster today, thank goodness. We trained some more people, and this time we were actually able to transmit data successfully and look at the results on the website. Hooray!
We worked later into the evening and never really managed a lunch break either, due to the sheer amount of work left in comparison to the amount we hadn’t been able to get done. We finally met with the trainer and trained him for an hour and a half. Not long enough, but it’ll have to do for now. We also trained a batch of other folk that seemed eager to be trained – how refreshing. Finally, closing in on 7:30 p.m., we departed. We drove only slightly out of the way and had dinner at a quaint place called The King’s Arms. Nice enough, but unremarkable, really.

Off to the hotel for an early night. I was knackered and still in a bit of distress from that Indian food. Never again. Really.

~KR (18 October 2007)

Listening to:
Snow Falls in November by Julie Doiron
on Okkervil River

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/5
Focal Length: 18.6 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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The Golden Cross & The Three Lions Monday, Oct 29 2007

17 October 2007
The day broke for me with the knowledge that that evening I was going to experience something I’ve wanted to experience for 20 years and never had been able. I was going to watch the England International Squad play in a do-or-die match while in an English Pub surrounded by a people who live and die by their football heroes. The day was interminably long. Once again, we couldn’t get our work done because of the network traffic, so after training a precious few folk, we headed back to the hotel so we could buy a ridiculously expensive, but blessedly fast, internet connection. Now, we could get some reports done and emails answered and generally catch up to where we should have been. We finished out the day there and waited for one of the folks at the office to come get us. We actually watched kick-off of this incredibly important match in the hotel lobby. A few minutes later, our ride got there and we headed off into the small village where we were to watch the match. We arrived at Ye Olde George to find that they weren’t showing the match (WHAT!?), but hell, it’d be rude not to, so we all had a pint each and a bag of crisps. Someone bought me a pint of Bombadier. Oh my, what a tasty bitter that was. We finished up, got in our vehicles and headed to another pub, the Golden Cross. We arrived at half-time. It seemed to be my lot…that is, to only see the second half of these games. Here, they were out of all the beers I’d never had, so the wonderful ol’ standby, Guinness came to the rescue. There I stood in The Golden Cross in England with an Irish Stout in my hands watching the Three Lions of England play the Bears of Russia.

What an experience. It was, to me, exhilarating and worth the wait. Sadly, on the day, the boys didn’t do so well, and Russia came away the winners in a droll 2-1 match. Miracles must happen for England to qualify now for the Euro 2008. After this wonderful event, Terrill & I were hungry and it was only 6:45pm or so. So, our ride kindly dropped us off at the (again) King William IV where we had a snack and a pint. We then walked over to the Crown (again) because Terrill really wanted me to meet this wonderful Indian lady that had treated him so well his previous trip. While there she treated us to a small tour of her facilities, including a trip downstairs to the tap room. She also drove home to us just how damaging the Third Runway for London Heathrow Airport was going to be to this community. If the Third Runway is approved (it is almost assured), then all of these little pubs and houses are going to be demolished for the sake of progress. I see both sides of the story, but it’s heartbreaking nonetheless. This wonderful person will have her dreams, her savings and her livelihood smashed into tiny shards. For what? To ease the congestion of the world’s busiest airport? That’s exactly what will happen. There will be no more Crown, there will be no more King William IV, there will be no more Holiday Inn (the latter, I must admit to not being overly upset about). They will all be part of a tax and revenue-yielding conglomerate that will make London even more cosmopolitan than it already is. From this rending story, we left and got some more food. This time, I yielded to Terrill’s overwhelming need for a curry. Never again. I ate some sort of shrimp thing that caused me an immense amount of heartburn and other discomfort all night and into the next day. I’ve tried Indian food again and again over the years. Never again. My hair stunk, my clothes stunk and I hurt. Indian food and I just don’t get along. That’s okay. There’s plenty of food out there I do like, and can eat without inordinate pain or discomfort. That’s important. After that meal, I was done. Back to the hotel and to sleep.
Cheers.

~KR (17 October 2007)

Listening to:
Stand on the Rock by Fleetwood Mac
on Behind The Mask

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

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