My view of 2012

I have neglected my blog this year. In all my years blogging, which I think you'll agree are numerous, I have never blogged so little. But today, the last day of 2012, I would like to give you my view of 2012 (this is based on the joke my parents used to make when we were 'revising'..."more like vision" they'd say. You can imagine how well that went down.

Blogging so little makes it seem like 2012 wasn't a good year. And it was, it so was.


Let's (re)view, shall we?

1. I was a vegetarian. For a whole month. One of the highlights of this was definitely Spinach Pie. 

2. I made a spaceship and made a little boy's dreams come true by picturing him with his hero.

3. I saw the stupidest car that ever lived.

4. I visited Emma in Nashville and went back to North Carolina on a mammoth one day road trip.

5. I judged a singer/songwriter contest show in Franklin, TN. (All the restaurant guests did, this wasn't based on my previous experience of CHW's Got Talent 2008).

6. I went skiing in Colorado. I heart skiing. I heart Colorado.

7. I was skiing on St. Patrick's Day - for the third time in my life, quite an achievement I'm sure you'll agree.

8. I saw where the best burger in Denver is served. Unassuming I think you'll agree. They weren't open, otherwise I might have checked the veracity of their claim.

9. I was interviewed for local TV in Denver. I don't know if they ever showed it though.

10. I went to Mile High Stadium on the day Tim Tebow's future was unclear.

11. I had a cake decorated for me celebrating my dedication to CHW. Although, also accurately points out that I have been '1986-2012 minus some'.

12. I joined the rest of the smart phone world in playing Draw Something. These are two of my favourites. I though I really got the spirit of New York and covered Ringo's career highlights accurately.

13. I went to Serbia.

14. I did some Serbian dancing. Well, it seemed only polite.

15. I drank some Serbian rocket fuel. They don't market it as that though.

16. I made cake pops. They are the ultimate in bake-faffing.

17. I saw the Olympic flame. Lots, actually. But this photo is in Belfast.

18. I went to the Olympics. Oh my goodness! I went to the Olympics and had the time of my life! At some point I'd like to blog properly about the experience.

19. For now I will say this: being in the stadium on Super Saturday was one of the best nights of my life. (The Opening Ceremony would definitely be another.)

Jessica Ennis on her lap of honour with the other heptathletes. And, why yes that is the sandpit that Greg Rutherford had just jumped into on his way to Olympic Gold. (We were much closer than this picture would make it seem.)

20. I learnt that Rhythmic Gymnastics is a lifeskill. Granted this was from the commentator in arena; he may have been biased. (Yes, rhythmic gymnastics, it wasn't all about Team GB gold medals.)

21. I rode the London Underground with Becky Adlington and the Team GB swim team .

22. In other famous swimming news from 2012, I met Ian Thorpe. 

23. I got the plane with Austin O'Callaghan. He was on his way back from the Olympics too.

24. I got a fringe. And then I grew it out. 

25. I got to go to meetings where things like this are at your place. Yes! 

26. I made beer butt chicken. And proved that life is a Friends episode.

27. I moved out. Again. And into a house where these get made...and there's spares sometimes! Yes!

28. I spent way too long looking at these blue chairs when I was waiting to hear that I hadn't broken my jaw.

29. I carved an Ulster pumpkin. It was my first pumpkin carving so I was fairly chuffed with my efforts. 

30. I saw Ben Howard live. Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.

So that's 2012. I loved it!

But like Jed would say 'what's next?'

31st International Tina Day

While we're still in the prettiest month of the year, I thought I should tell you about the prettiest day of the year - 22nd July.

As I mentioned before, I went to Dublin. But first of all I got to go to the Transport Museum with John and Kiera. Karen and David came too. They won't mind me saying they're less exciting than John and Kiera. John was hilarious, he was in wide eyed wonderment looking at all the trains, buses and cars. And he even had a new mode of transport to learn - the tram. It's tricky to learn the difference between a tram and a bus when you're only two. Kiera was as smiley as she ever is. She likes being wherever her people are.

After the afternoon there, it was straight to pick up Karen and Lynsey and head to Dublin. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's no finer place to bypass than Newry. I love that road, you don't even have to set eyes on Newry!

After arriving at Chez Jools (and it should be pointed out his directions were tip top) we headed into the city to get dinner and maybe a few cocktails. 

Oh we do like a laugh.

The next morning we were up and at 'em. Well not quite. We headed back into to wander, eat and be cultured and I think all three aims were successful for we wandered, ate and became more cultured. 

Eating at stop 1 and who should be beside us. Only Lloyd Langford. What?! He's a stand up comedian! I've seen him on the television and everything. You can go here for a You Tube video of him (I can't embed it). He might have seen me take a photo of him. Oopsy. I'm not a very subtle person.

You can just breathe in Dublin and get some culture. Or look at these folks who were filming some sort of music video while pretending to play their instruments.

Some wandering required a pit stop in the park.

Lloyd Langford was in town for the Comedy Festival. We got tickets for Whose Line Is is Anyway? with Steve Frost, Phil Juiptus and Josie 'the legend' Lawrence. My cheeks hurt from laughing.

Afterwards we all went for dinner. Our table was bigger than this photo would make it seem.

So after that, it was time to return north so Karen could work the next day! But suffice to say the 31st International Tina Day was fantastic. 

Channel surfing

[Hmm. This should have posted on Wednesday but it didn't. Maybe because Blogger was down. Maybe because I did something wrong. Who knows? But here it is now.]

Don't you just love the way there's suddenly a new channel on Sky that you never knew existed. Not Sky Atlantic; that one was plugged for way too long, made to sound exciting and then turned out to be rubbish.

Just the other week, there I was going through the channels looking for something decent on and up pops Sony Entertainment. Never heard of it. But it couldn't be that back because it was showing Dawson's Creek. Ever keen to remember my trip to Wilmington, NC, I took a look at it, careful to observe anything I might have seen.

Mitch was still alive so the headstone was out, Dawson's bedroom was in it. But then it always it and aside from green paint, there's little to get excited about. So during a bit where Dawson is looking for Joey all over town I looked up my photos of that trip and there it was. 'Capeside' gold.

That's Joey on the pier. She's fallen out with Dawson over something 'monumentally huge in their albeit flickeringly short existence'. Or something like that.

Joey? Joey? Where are you located in this wide expanse we call earth? I think we need to dialogue some of our angst by using a lexicon of words and phrases our contemporaries can only imagine  during their REM sleep cycles.

So you'll notice the bridge and the river. Lo and behold, look where Megann and I were on our roadtrip!

It's only the same bridge and river.

I know! Katie Holmes and James Van Der Beek once stood in a similar spot! A-maz-ing!

Silver Blizzard adventures

I might have mentioned before that I got a new bike for my birthday! I know, ever the 9 year old. It's fun to go places on your bike, especially in the great summer weather we've been having. I thought a bike would be better for my knee than running. I can actually hear it creek when I get up! It's quite disturbing, although not painful (however more on that later). I have taken to taking pictures from where I end up cycling to on my bike. Which is lucky, because now I can post them on here!

This is from my first cycle to Brown's Bay in about fifteen years. This was taken on the saddest day of the year, 23rd July, but the weather made a special effort and it was actually quite good! Self-timer shots are tricky, and I was annoyed that I cut my front wheel off in the photo, so I thought I'd try again.

And got this one of me running into position. I think my phone slipped and it took extra, valuable seconds to put it up again. Not be deterred, I tried again.

Yeah, so the wheel cut off isn't that bad afterall.

I went another day, more cloudy, but better self-timer skills.

Florescent colours are the only way to go on bike.

I cycled to Carrick one day. It was not as bad a cycle as I feared, with the busy main road and all that, but just as I was coming into the town at a set of traffic lights, a big cement mixer went past me. It's weird you'd think you'd hear something that big coming behind you, but maybe because of all the other traffic noise I didn't. I promise he did not move out one inch from his usual place in the road and with the shock, the noise and the wind from him passing I nearly died. I was able to recover enough to display my feelings to him. That's right I...shook my fist at him. I may have sworn too, but he wouldn't have heard that. The people at the bus stop however were left in no uncertain terms as to how I felt.

The traffic light incident didn't stop a beautiful self-timer shot at the Castle though.

On days when the weather isn't great/I can't go far/I can't be bothered I usually cycle up to the cemetery. 

Sure, it's not as picturesque, but I still took a photo.

My biggest cycle to date has been all the way into Belfast! I was so please I made it! The weather was amazing that day. I actually got tan lines on my legs! 

I think the most surprising thing was that it only took an hour to do. It takes 30 minutes in the car! I can see now the appeal of cycling in rush hour.

I cycled along that footpath/cycle path and into Duncrue. It was weird to be as close as this to cars travelling at 70mph and nothing but a bit of wire fence between us. Woooommmppphhhhh! The bit from Whiteabbey on was easily the best bit of it all. It nearly reminded me of East Coast Park in Singapore. Without the acres of park, big jumbo jets landing at the airport and dozens of big tankers in the sea. Well I said nearly.

The next day the weather was still great so out again I went.

Brown's Bay was packed out, packed out I tell you!

There's always some idiot that reckons he's in a 90s Brit Pop music video.

While I was out I noticed that my left knee was a bit sore. That evening it got much worse. And the next day was pure pain. Apparently this can be common when you start cycling a lot. And that weekend I definitely cycled more than my average mileage. So I've put it down to that. I haven't been out since because I've had the cold, but now my knee is better and my sneezes have stopped I think I'll try to get out again soon. Definitely before the summer is out I want to go up the Antrim Coast. Might get the train to Larne though.

All aboard the fun bus

I don't know how these thing happen to me, I really don't.

On my way home from Colorado I thought it was high time I stopped in at the Carolinas. I needed to rent a car here too and to cut the story short I have another SUV.

Jose met me at the airport and so as I'm signing we're catching and all that. The lady gave me the key and off I went to N26, the allotted space.

As I walk down the parking lot, one SUV stands out among all the other cars. Like literally stands out every way possible. Tall ways, length ways, every which way. But I keep telling myself it's not in N26. Mine must be the Rav 4 beside it.

Can you tell where this is going?! Yeah, so this is my 'intermediate SUV'.

I think the Why Bird stop is next.

Are you frigging joking me?! I think my Yaris would fit in its glove compartment.

It has 3 rows of seats. I could run a passenger service.

Not having my bus license I questioned whether they really wanted me to take this 'car' and the guy said it was all they had. Seriously?! You're a car rental company! You must have something slightly smaller, say that actually fits in a regular parking space. But no. This is what I have.

Good luck everybody.

Still more reviewing

Stop 6: San Francisco

After a year of never being in temperatures of below about 20 degrees Celsius, it ended. On 13th December at 9.08pm I thought I died when I left San Fancisco airport. It turned out it was only about 10 degrees C but it may as well have been -15 to my nicely tropical weather adjusted body. The winter coat, the hat, the gloves, and the layers all came out. You'll note the difference in wardrobe I'm sure.


Yet another 400 photos of a world famous landmark bridge.


I went (voluntartily I might add) to Alcatraz. This, I swear, is the coldest place on earth. Maybe that was part of the plan, 'not just a maximum security prison on an island, but let's make it a maximum security prison on a island with sub-zero temperatures! Muhahaha!'It is owned by the National Parks Service and has an excellent tour you can do, hearing all about the history of it, famous inmates like Al Capone and attempted breakouts. Apparently none were successful. I'm not surprised, if the cold outisde their cells didn't get them, surely the water would have.


Mrs. Doubtfire's house. Oh yes! There was even a Merc outside. I thought about ripping it off and muttering something under my breath but I didn't. Must have been the visit to Alcatraz that put me off any sort criminal activity.


I hired a bike and rode along Golden Gate Park, another National Parks triumph. I wore the wrong type of jeans though and carelessly forgot my bicycle clips. Tucking one legs of your jeans in though is how the cool kids wear them. I named my bike Silver Mist, following in the camp tradition.

This video is going around the first of the supports of the bridge. They're huge! But check out my skills at riding a bike and taking a video! I'm not even using stabilisers!




Let me just say this, should you ever go to San Francisco, be aware it has a lot of hills. If you've been to San Francisco thanks for not reminding me. I would look at a map and think 'ah it's only x blocks, I'll walk'. But along with the bicycle clips, I also carelessly forgot my mountaineering rope for the cliff face hills. This is Lombard Street, so steep they had to put bends in it.


Because of the hills, way back when someone decided cable cars would help out. They were right. Except for maybe the name. More a tram wouldn't you say?

I got to be the person to hang on the very front where I took this video. We nearly hit a car!

Stop 7: Lake Tahoe

You know I like a roadtrip so what better way to get to Detroit that to hire a car, ski for a bit, drive some more and fly the rest of the way? So that's what I did.

On the way was the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA so I thought it would be rude not to stop. I went on the factory tour where I discovered that each Jelly Belly takes about 21 days to be made. Who knew?!

The Jelly Bellies go through a rigid qulaity control, but ever quick to make a buck they sell the rejects, or Belly Flops, if you will, onto to people like me. You get super sized ones like this cotton candy one (I put a regular one beside it so you could compare). It looked like a brain.

Interesting fact number 374: Lake Tahoe hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960.


Chair lift fun. It pretty much snowed all day. Brr. But I did get to ski in two states.


I drove to Reno (where part of Sister Act is set) airport. It was such a pretty drive. I stopped in Carson City and went to the Nevada State Museum which was surprisingly interesting. And of course I was stopped for this photo. Driving and taking photos is just stupid.

And two flights later and a delay in Chicago I was in Detroit.