Dr. P In London? It's More Likely Than You Think...

My esteemed colleague and friend, the honourable Dr. Pangloss (or my good buddy T as I call her) is currently in London for an extended stay. It's been her dream to go for several years and as of this Monday, it is now a reality!

So, feel free to stop by and read her adventures. Amusement, merriment and tons of neat stuff will most definitely ensue!

Click here for Londony goodness!

I Love To Drive And It Shows...

What surprises me the most is that people actually still fly Delta, American or any of the "upscale carriers." Just about every time that I've ever had to pick anyone up who flew Delta (or American in particular), their flight was a minimum of two hours late.

I wish that I could say that I am exaggerating, but I'd be hard pressed to do so. The notion that the airliners seem to foster about their customers being little more than "cargo that eats" is quite apparent in this clip alone.

When I have to fly, I choose Southwest. Typically, the staff are more friendly and the flights are rarely late in my experience. The only problem I have with SW is the feeling that they are packing in people like tinned salmon. Suppose they are less expensive for a reason. Heh.

It's The Line Between Shame And Dread...

It's been an interesting year of self-discovery.

I moved into town (instead of living on the outskirts as I had previously) with the greatest intentions. I would be living closer to work, be saving money and would be working more on QTV by living with my good friend and QTV collaborator, Doug. Plans were made to jumpstart the life and would move me towards making a more respectable income, advancing my career path and, most importantly, start shaking this cloudy mental funk that has hovered over me for... years?

Then life starts creeping in.

You know, it's funny. I had no idea that a year later that I would have made not only little progress on QTV, but that I also didn't manage to save much money and would eventually greet the departure of my friend not with a sense of sadness but with slight relief. His destiny lies elsewhere and rather than sit here like the Count ticking off the days left on the lease (THIRTY-FOUR DAYS, ah ha ha!), he's started packing moving his girlfriend's and his possessions way over to a whole other state.

I keep my counsels close to myself for the most part. It wasn't the easiest of years. We still got along, but there was always a sort of tension that lingered. Some of it was my cause, personal issues which I tried to either rectify or keep out of the house. Some of it was result of his and his girlfriend's decisions. The rest? Who knows.

It's that feeling you get when dynamics shift. It was nobody's fault, it was just the natural progression towards the door that friendships will take sometimes.

The thing that gets me is that I know that as I type this, somebody out there is contemplating a "friends come and go, that's life, buck up little camper" style reply. Sorry, kids, that's why I killed the comments on this one. I've heard that enough from my mom over the years. I know all that. I accept that.

Believe me, this isn't intended to be a pity party type post. I'm not indulging in something that will serve no purpose. I'm merely observing something, perhaps mourning a bit for the end of almost seven years of constant hilarity and co-comedy creation.

Yeah, we're still pals. Yeah, we'll still see each other every now and then, but there is now a vacuum that cannot be denied.

All that's left is to pack my shit, find a new place of my own and moveondotorg with my life. Perhaps it'd be easier if I still had my other best friend still with me. Today was her birthday and it felt strange not buying a birthday bone for her to gnaw on while I was at work. It's been six months and still I miss my dog. Huh. Yeah. Moveondotorg with the life. At least I still get to see Addycat on a reasonable and regular basis. That little blue-eyed meowbox really worked her way into my heart, boy howdy.

Soon, it will just be me and QTV. A few friends around here to grab the occasional/rare beer with, a few friends to converse with via teh internets, a few co-workers to nod and grumble hello to.

I think what is most striking is this feeling of physical and mental exhaustion that I am feeling. I've been going busy busy busy for a long time and while I enjoy being busy, it's just time to take a break. I can't afford to really travel via airplane to anywhere since I'm saving for new deposits and whatsit, but what I can do is to pack the truck with my tent, a cooler and a camp chair. Drop $70 for the round trip on gas and just go get lost for a few days.

Some of the best trips I've ever made were by myself and perhaps, just perhaps, it'd be a good idea to reacquaint myself with myself. And if I was to end up finding me a hot lookin' gal on the beach/in the woods/by the lake/wherever I end up, I may just tip my hat at her and say "howdy." Maybe cook her some dinner or something.

Hey, a guy can dream, can he not?

Shit. Looking at my calendar for the next month, I must be dreaming. Time to contract a "serious and debilitating condition" that will last exactly three to four days, leaving me better tanned and more rested... Heh.

All These Worlds Are Yours Except Europa...

Eat it, ET doubters.

It'll be interesting to see how many more worlds we find that support water. There is a theory that Jupiter's moon Europa may indeed harbour a vast under-ice sea. There is a proposal to head to Europa to find out. Should be interesting to find whether or not such a sea does exist beneath Europa's ice sheet.

And if there is any life therin...

And Me Without My Wellies On...

Read the following driving directions very carefully...

Directions like these just don't get any better than that.

One World Is Enough For All Of Us...

In a few hours, Bill will be on his way back to Texas.

We'll be working on a final update upon his return (actually when he's had a chance to decompress a bit), but I cannot express how much fun this project has been. If you haven't seen his latest update, I'd recommend checking it out before reading onward.

Don't worry, I'll enjoy a Dr. Pepper and wait for ya...

*sip*

*burp*

*Sluuuurrrrpppp!*

*brraaaaaaaaaap!*

Oh, you heard that. Sorry. Note to self: Drink Dr. Pepper without typing the experience.

Noted and logged.

Alright, the point I'd like to make is about how Bill has changed just over this past month. He made a comment to me last night about how the whole experience has really opened his eyes to a larger world.

He had really dreaded the possibility of going to Korea in previous years. A lot of that is probably because he worried about being away from his family for that long, but I think a tiny chunk of it was that he was perhaps a bit "skeeered" about leaving his comfort zone.

We went drinking the weekend before he left and I had asked him about how he felt about the trip. He told me that he didn't really know what to expect. After all, the guy had rarely left Texas, let alone crossed International Waters.

A month ago, he mostly worried about how safe things were over there, if he'd be able to fit in and if he'd be able to get out and explore without getting into trouble accidentally.

He mentioned to me the other day about how he just had never imagined having the experiences that he's had this past month. While we joke a lot about Bill being a "dumb redneck," he's not the stereotypical version that pops in most people's minds of a guy sitting on his ass all day wearing a John Deere hat and slapping his wife on the ass to fetch him a beer.

Truth is, Bill has way more of an open mind than he gets credit for. He's the kind of guy who's not afraid to go to a Bob Marley concert even though he sticks out like a sore thumb with his Dallas Cowboys shirt and cop-like haircut. He's interested in exploring the world around him, even if he rarely gets the opportunity.

He was talking last night about how this trip was completely not what he expected. He picked up some of the Korean language and basically just talks to anyone he can. He's made a lot of friends during his stay, not only with co-workers at the Korean side of the company he works for but also with people in the community that he's had a chance to meet and spend time with. While he mentioned that he never thought he could go to a different country and come back with a lot of new friendships under his Dallas Cowboys hat, somehow I always knew he could. He's just this friendly kind of guy, ya know?

I was pretty amused with some of the other pictures he shared because he literally pulled a few people off the street to take pictures with. He told me that he was just surprised as to how much people were happy to be in the pictures. "It was just as much fun for them as it was for me," he says.

Quite a difference when (during the Bob Marley festival, actually) we attempted to get Americans to be in our pictures. Most would look at us like we asked them for a weasel sandwich on toast. Just not the case in Seoul!

Anyway, for what it's worth, I'm glad he had the chance. It really inspires me to get off my ass and go exploring the world a bit. Which also means that I need to save money like a mad hatter, but still, at least the idea doesn't seem so far fetched as it has before...