Archive for the 'Life stories' Category

Everything in America seems bigger…

Published
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Andrew
on 6 June, 2009
in Life stories and Travel
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Whopping traffic cones
…Even the traffic cones. Third Street and environs are replete with roadworks at the moment and there’s traffic cones all over the place. But these are whoppers. I’d like to see some drunken student stagger off with one of these beauties and display it as a trophy in the communal living room like they do in the UK. They’d be lucky to get a few feet towards home before exhaustion or police intervention halted their progress. You can’t exactly smuggle one of these along the road eh?! ;-)

Acme traffic cone
I always thought ACME was only found in cartoons! Apparently not!

Rain and DIY / cleaning has stopped play. There’s nothing much of interest to report. So meanwhile here’s some other recently taken photos from around the Jacksonville Beach area.

Jacksonville Beach Fire Dept
The fire appliances always look resplendent, any free time must be spent cleaning these machines

Jacksonville Beach Band Stage
Jacksonville Beach Band Stage being prepared for Friday’s Moonlight Movies, free shows out in the open which start at 9pm. Children’s play area provided too.

It’s a rough life…

Published
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Andrew
on 2 June, 2009
in Life stories and Travel
. 1 Comment

…but only in the saddle! ;-) A fortnight into the US adventure and at this current time life is good and I am happy. I’m building up a simple routine that keeps me focused and the many hours of sunshine each day definitely help. I’ve always suspected that I might be prone to bouts of SAD, affected by the cold dark winter times in the UK, then generally perking up as spring starts and the days become lighter. Over here with an average of nine hours of sunshine most days I rarely feel low, irritated by the humidity sometimes, but I think the climate suits me. Of course there is the bonus of not going to work, which might be a major factor in the stress reduction stakes. ;-) As time goes on having no meaningful occupation may start to become an issue, but I have plenty to be getting on with, once I’ve completed some DIY jobs around the apartment I intend to make a start on some of my other projects like learning Italian and trying to practice playing notes on a guitar rather than just strumming chords. I also have several books to read, and a few ideas about things to write myself.

I think it helps to that I’m getting plenty of exercise on the bike, which is my primary mode of transport. The bike in question is nothing special, in fact it was a kind donation by one of Tina’s friends on my very first visit to Jacksonville. The trusty steed outside of the apartment blockBut it is vital to my life at the moment, and up to press I’m enjoying using it every day. Add the substantial distances between places over here to the equation and it leads to some long rides. For example on Sunday I decided to ride all the way to the Food Lion supermarket on Mayport Road to partake in their special offer of two bottles of factor 50 sunscreen for the price of one - I am on a tight budget after all, or maybe I was living in Yorkshire too long, a county renowned for keeping a close eye on its wallet. ;-) According to Google Maps the planned route was 5 miles each way. However Google didn’t actually show that one road I intended to use was a private gated complex surrounding a lake, and on arriving at it a quick scan of the map revealed I had to double back and take a detour of at least two miles, maybe more. So that trip to save me $6.99 provided around 12 miles of exercise mainly through the pleasant leafy suburbs, until I got closer to the supermarket where I saw shrimp outlets, and my first gun store. Later that evening I went down to Neptune Beach to get some sandpaper I’d forgotten earlier, so that probably brought my daily tally up to 17 miles. Luckily everywhere is flat so there’s little effort apart from battling with the heat.

To give you some idea, the nearest bank and supermarket at Jacksonville Beach are a one and a half miles round trip, after moving it in March the nearest post office is now three miles there and back, while the my bank and preferred stores at Neptune Beach are probably a five miles journey overall. On Monday after a morning of sanding in the bathroom I had to head out to South Beach Plaza to the hardware store. That was another six miles round trip. It is also evident that I travel a lot faster than the average Floridian, who tends to trundle along at turtle speed. Returning to the apartment on Sunday evening I sped past a slow moving group of three riders meandering about the road. One of them exclaimed, “Say I wonder what’s up with that guy, he must have diarrhoea or something!”

Here’s a few more photos of recent daily life…

At the end of the road is the sea
The view when I walk out of the apartment and turn right. At the end of the road is the beach and Atlantic Ocean. Photo taken about 7pm.

Cat Nap
After 17 miles on the bike I’m entitled to a cat nap!

Molly mischief
There are no limits to the mischief Molly gets up to. Here bug chasing.

More photos from May

This is a biscuit…

Published
by
Andrew
on 30 May, 2009
in Life stories and Travel
. 1 Comment

The Southern Biscuit
…in the southern states of the USA. What the British call biscuits are known as cookies as many will know, but while I’ve had them before at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Titusville, I got the chance to observe the southern biscuit more closely when Tina made some the other night. They remind me more of the British scone, and they are very tasty.

Biscuits are apparently a common feature of southern US cuisine and are often made with buttermilk. They are traditionally served as a side dish with a meal which is how we had them, and mighty fine they were too y’all. But they can also be had as a breakfast item, often eaten with butter and a sweet condiment such as molasses, light sugarcane syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, or fruit jam. I can vouch for them with honey. However less appealing in my view, biscuits and gravy (biscuits covered in “country gravy”*) are usually served for breakfast, sometimes as the main course. Gravy? Tsk! It’s just wrong!

I found this recipe for the southern biscuits.

*Country gravy is made from the drippings of cooked pork sausage, white flour, milk, and often bits of real sausage, bacon, ground beef, or other meat. It’s a bit like a Béchamel sauce. The gravy is also often flavored with black pepper. In some parts of the South this is also called “Sawmill Gravy”. I’m not surprised, it sounds foul!

Rainy Riverside trip is no washout

Published
by
Andrew
on 29 May, 2009
in Life stories and Travel
. 2 Comments

Rainy Five Points junction Riverside, Jacksonville. Keep Right is a local political instruction as much as a traffic order
As you might imagine, gasoline here is relatively cheap at $2.35 a gallon, (it passed $4 when I was here last June) so it comes as no surprise that the car is king, and gas guzzlers are aplenty. As a result the bus service is frowned upon, considered the transportation of the poor, a last resort. Not for me, it is the transport of choice for longer distances beyond my capabilities on a bicycle. Yesterday I arranged to meet with my friend and fellow Stoke City supporter, Calvin, to have a coffee or four, moan about the state of football at the Britannia Stadium, and generally put the world to rights. Calvin lives in “historic” Riverside not far from downtown Jacksonville. My journey from the beach was some 20 miles, but cost only $1 on the bus to downtown, and 50 cents on the Riverside Trolley to get to the coffee shop at Five Points. That’s about one Pound Sterling. Admittedly I needed two different buses to get home which brought my overall journey cost to $3.50 (£2.20) for 40 miles. I travelled in air-conditioned comfort and was able to relax and read my book, an autobiography by Stoke City legend Denis Smith, which incidentally is very entertaining but clearly was never introduced to a proof-reader before publication. One passage describes team mate Eric Skeels as being only five feet nine inches, but being able to compete with forwards who were five or six inches tall. I should hope he could. I didn’t realise that the Stoke City team in the 1960s and 1970s regularly encountered opposing sides with a couple of Smurfs upfront.

Anyway if any Jacksonville residents are reading this I recommend using the bus more. It’s cheap, comfortable, and you avoid parking fees. Also you can relax and enjoy the journey rather than fight the traffic, plus you’ll be doing your bit for the environment. As usual Calvin and I somehow managed to pass nearly five hours together. I’m not sure where time goes when we meet but it must be a sign of good company. Fire truck in the Riverside downpour 28th May 2009Alas our usual spot outside, perfect for people watching, had to be abandoned shortly after arrival due to a freak downpour which appeared from nowhere, dissecting a hot and sunny day. So we scurried inside and continued our discussions there. Calvin is already a stalwart of this establishment, it is his regular haunt. However the owner recognised me from my last visits, and my coffee was on the house complete with warm handshake. Thankfully the storm passed by the time I had to head back to the beaches, but it didn’t ruin my trip to Riverside in any case. I enjoyed seeing Calvin again. The return was not without drama, a police car with siren blaring pulling over a jeep right in front of me as I waited at the bus stop. I did my best not to look like a gawping tourist and adopted a nonchalant pose, acting like bus stop busts were two a penny where I come from. Actually in Beeston it’s usually police helicopters…

Memorable Memorial Day

Published
by
Andrew
on 27 May, 2009
in Life stories, Travel and Walking
. 4 Comments

Monday 25th May was Memorial Day here in the USA. It is to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for their country, and is a national holiday although many stores stay open. Tina was also off work so we decided to do something with her two youngest boys. Morning near Ponte Vedra BeachBut before we picked them up we had an early morning bike ride for an hour or so before it got too hot, taking the back roads down to the start of Ponte Vedra Beach, admiring the colourful and impressive houses along the beach front. We came back along the beach for most of the way until the combined force of the sun, and the resistance of the wet sand enticed us back to the easier roads for the last stage of the journey.

The afternoon was spent at Fort Clinch State Park, home to a fine 19th century preserved fort. Although no battles were fought there, it was garrisoned during both the Civil and Spanish-American wars. We picnicked, wandered around the battlements, and then ventured out on one of the trails that runs through the park grounds. We were disappointed not to see alligators and armadillos like last visit, but nature is not like on demand movies, we dance to her tune. Here’s some more photos of the day…

Tina morning bike ride Stork Jacksonville Beach Stork Jacksonville Beach Fort Clinch Willow Pond Trail, Fort Clinch State Park

More photos from May 2009

Normal service has resumed… for now

Published
by
Andrew
on 24 May, 2009
in Football and Life stories
. 0 Comments

Beaches Leader 22 May 2009 - Rain pummels BeachToday is my fifth full day in Jacksonville after arriving on Tuesday night. Amazingly this is the first day I have actually been down to the beach to partake in my “usual” morning bike ride, in fact the first time to the beach for any reason. The sun is out, the sky has patches of blue, and the temperature is up. Nothing surprising about that you might think, but for the last few days we have suffered heavy showers for the majority of the day. I for one have been getting sick off it. Yesterday was Tina’s day off from her main job so we had almost a full day to do something before she did a couple of hours at her second job. But the weather was so dismal it ended up being a day of wandering around stores, and I won’t bore you with that, the only excitement being the discovery of a $8 DVD player at the Goodwill Thrift Store. Needless to say it turned out to be knackered, and a quick piece of internet research convinced me while the likely new part was only $1.59, the act of soldering it back in place was neither my forte nor worth it! So back it went to the store for a refund.

Any road I digress. The weather has been the main talking point around here and you can see that the usual laid back attitude has been affected, a grumpiness more at home on the wet Leeds side streets being evident amongst the locals. They are used to tropical storms, they are used to flash heavy showers that last an hour or so, but several days on the trot is unusual and unwelcome. The local newspaper, The Beaches Leader weekend edition reported that between last Monday and midday Thursday a total of 9.58 inches of rainfall fell at the Beaches area, Wednesday’s storms accounting for 3 inches alone. The rain was also combined with heavy wind gusts up to 53 mph, the average around 44 mph. The wind was enough to force the closure of Jacksonville Beach Pier after boarding broke away. Meanwhile the drainage system has struggled to cope with the deluge, and there has been flooding in some streets, the rain also setting of alarm systems of some of the nearby buildings, the block of condominiums across the road from us particularly annoying. The newspaper also reported that the pier wooden struts showed that around two feet of sand had been blown or washed away during the storms.

But today was thankfully different. I woke to sunshine and hastily set out on the bike to enjoy the beach and test the new rear tyre. Jacksonville Beach 24 May 2009 (I’d been out briefly two days earlier and pumped the tyres at a local gas station. Imagine my surprise several hours later when there was a loud explosion in the lounge, the brief smell of burning, a startled yelp from the cats, and I found the rear tyre had actually blown up! There was a lengthy gash with some strange green seepage trickling out. Unnerving. So my shopping purchases had included a new tyre, inner tube, and foot pump).

Anyway the tide was coming in so there was little beach to actually ride along so I switched back to the road after a few blocks. Sea at Jax Beach 8:30am 24th May 200910th Avenue Lifeguard Seat 24th May 2009Even at just after 8am the sun is very strong, so it was a short trip to avoid getting burnt. The forecast is for more heavy showers today during the afternoon, so hopefully I can get out beforehand to avoid them, but for the time being I’m listening to Stoke City getting a football lesson at Arsenal as half time approaches. The idiot BBC Stoke commentator John Acres opined at kick off that Stoke “could get something from this”, fancying a draw. It’s currently Arsenal 4 Stoke City 1. I ask you.

A new day, a new country, a new chapter

Published
by
Andrew
on 21 May, 2009
in Life stories and Travel
. 4 Comments

When I started this blog I was determined not to litter it with the mundane aspects of life like going down to the supermarket, or hoovering the house. I wanted to post items that might be interesting to the reader, provoke debate, or deliver amusement. Any regular visitor to this blog (if there are any left!) will have noted that I’ve not posted anything for a good while. This is partly because recent life has been taken up with the day to day stuff that isn’t interesting copy, and when I’ve had subjects I wanted to write about, it’s been an effort to find the time. The reason for the sustained activity and lack of time is what leads me to be sitting in an appartment in Jacksonville Beach Florida writing this now - what I nicknamed “Operation Jax”.

Don’t worry, it’s not some covert operation to threaten world peace, but a determined and organised plan to spend six months living with Tina in Jacksonville to see how our relationship progressed. It has seen much saving of the pennies, obtaining a career break at work, a mortgage payment holiday, visiting the US Embassy in London, and selling the car. I won’t bore you with the details but suffice it to say I had about a eight or nine page project plan by the time I’d finished. There’s so much to think about, more than you initially imagine. The US Visitors’ visa is a particuarly complex process, and while I’d expected potential issues at work, my line manager shocked and delighted me by agreeing to my career break within seconds of the request leaving my mouth, something I’d feared might be far harder to obtain. Maybe that says something about how much they’d actually miss me! Most people at work seemed more concerned about whether I was throwing a leaving party or bringing in goodbye cakes! ;-) No it’s actually quite humbling how many people seem genuinely pleased for me that this has come off, and the best wishes I’ve received from so many people is rather touching. It’s taken longer than I’d hoped but I think it will be worth the wait and the modest sacrifice.

So after one final night at my parents’ house, on the morning of Tuesday 19th May we set off to Manchester Airport for my flight to a new chapter. My churning stomach wasn’t helped five minutes into the journey by a surprise tailback on the A500 caused by an accident. A quick diversion round the northern towns of the Potteries, and the scenic route along the A50 through Cheshire saved the day and had me at the airport with bags of time. An emotional farewell later I was at my gate when the ex-footballer and manager Graeme Souness appeared on some stairs, wandered straight past me, urging his companion to hurry up or they’d miss the plane. There’s something about plane travel and me seeing celebrities, I can add Souness to Angus Deayton, Lisa Stansfield, and Paulo Wanchope as people either seen in departures, or actually on the plane. The rest of the journey to Atlanta was fairly uneventful, I couldn’t sleep so watched two excellent movies of differing genres, the moving “The Reader”, and the simmering “Gran Torino”. Clint Eastwood back in top form.

The real drama started in Atlanta. The Customs & Border Protection Service have a laidback attitude to processing the queues of new arrivals, our side of the hall had three officers, while the other side appeared to have three times as many, despite supervisors patrolling the floors. The result was a long wait to see whether I was going to be granted my six months permit. It turned out to be a longer wait than I initially thought. Eventually arriving at the usually routine passport and fingerprint check, I was informed that my “processing” (sounds painful!) would be completed in another office, my documents were placed in a large yellow trimmed transparent folder, and I wandered disconsolately with them to the double doors I’d been directed to. In this back office I waited around an hour to be seen with a wide range of visa / residency seekers of all nationalities. The whole plan came down to what was decided in the next few moments. A bit like a football team’s season resting on a penalty shootout. After what seemed an age my time came, and a friendly officer questioned me for some while, and eventually was satisfied that my story was truthful and didn’t even wish to see my supporting evidence, the presence of them piled on the table was enough! With a smile, a warning to behave myself, and a “good luck” the officer granted me the six months visa and let me out back into the main hall to collect my bags. The plan had taken into account this possibility, I’d factored in a four hours layover between flights, so I still had two hours to make my connection - easy! A huge falafel and hummus wrap later I was boarding the plane to Jacksonville.

Apart from the fact the weather was awful and the landing was a tad fraught, that journey passed easily with the anticipation of seeing Tina. I ran the last few yards along the arrivals route so we came together like the scene from a romantic movie - I think black and white film and a steam filled railway station would have been most appropriate! ;-) So I’m here, and I’m here for a while. I hope to make regular posts if I have things of interest to report. As I complete this the rain has seemed to have stopped for the first time since I arrived. It’s been heavy showers all the way so far. A quick sprint from the Regency Mall to the bus stop yesterday resulted in a right soaking I can tell you. I am getting used to my new surroundings, and the fact that I’m not off back after two weeks this time, there’s drawers for my clothes and I’m no longer living out of a suitcase. Hadley and Molly in a rare moment of peace Hadley Cat is also adjusting to me being here, she doesn’t like disruption to her routine, while Molly Cat is quite the opposite, delighted to have another outlet for her particularly cute brand of attention seeking. Tina is now at work, and the cats are having a moment’s peace after a session of grappling and hissing. I think the sun is trying to burn through the haze, and it’s now time to leave this, shower and get out of the house for a while. More to follow soon.

PS A huge thanks to family and friends who have helped this all to come together whether it be looking after the house, my scooter or whatever. You know who you are and I’m grateful beyond words. Thank you.

Reflections on 2008

Published
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Andrew
on 1 January, 2009
in Life stories
. 0 Comments

It’s a few minutes into 2009 and I sit on my sofa back from a New Year’s Eve party I attended almost out of a sense of compliance because to be honest I don’t particularly enjoy New Year celebrations. However 2008 was such a remarkable year personally that I feel it deserves some moments of reflection. It was a year of many highs, a few lows, but it was never dull, and provided some very special memories.

The year 2008 actually started in a sad way. After spending a wonderful couple of weeks around Christmas with Tina over from the USA, 1st January 2008 was the day I had to take her back to Manchester Airport for her flight home. We didn’t know when we would next see each other, although it was likely to be late March or April when my Annual Leave entitlement was replenished. December had marked the flourishing of our relationship to something stronger than just “friends with benefits”. On the way back from the airport I tried to cheer myself up with a trip on the East Lancashire Railway, but the drizzly day, and the feeling of missing someone special beside me prevented a real upturn in spirits. The house seemed empty, I felt like a part of me was missing, and the year was off to a bad start.

Yet there were plenty of highs too. I lost almost a stone in weight, getting myself fitter and leaner for when I next saw Tina, and making myself feel more positive about my appearance. I started being mentored by our Head of Department in February and the first session alone went a long way to raising my confidence and increasing my positivity. In early March I obtained a worldwide recognised qualification in software testing, and later that month the wait was finally over - I was heading to Florida to see Tina. Those 17 days opened my eyes and I went from showing general disdain for all things American to contemplating a whole new lifestyle for myself over there. Tina and I did some touring around, some highlights being the Ocala National Forest area with Juniper Springs, the JFK Space Center, and walking in the Apalachicola National Forest.

I enjoyed myself so much that I returned home and immediately booked to go back in June. In the meantime I went to Coniston in the Lake District and was taught how to drive a 7.5 inch gauge steam locomotive for the first time, something I’d continue to do regularly for the rest of the year. Furthermore I had a fantastic trip to Brussels in April, meeting fellow Stoke City message board users who have since become friends, and with them experienced the quite surreal moment of being introduced former Stoke manager Johan Boskamp. A week later I was in Scotland walking in the Cairngorm mountains when news trickled through that Stoke City had won promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in 23 years.

May was finished off by a trip down to the South West walking in Exmoor and Dartmoor with my friend Jen, and taking in two preserved steam railways during the Bank Holiday period, while the final Saturday of the month presented a beautiful day in the Lake District walking up 4 peaks around Buttermere. Then came another trip to Florida in early June. Another Stoke message board name became a face as Tina and I met Calvin and his wife Margaret for the first time, and another friendship began, while again there were road trips to see parts of Florida neither of us had seen before. I also met a new addition to the family - Hadley the kitten - and Tina’s youngest son. The trip was enough to make me decide I wanted to spend much longer in Florida, so plans were made to rent out my house, ask for a sabbatical at work, and spend several months with Tina to see how the relationship developed.

This is where the year took a bit of a nose dive. A new boiler and double-glazed windows were needed to get the house up to scratch to rent it out, and I hoped this work might be done by August and October was suggested as a best case scenario for my arrival in Florida. However delays with projects at work, the complexities of arranging finance and the availability of the contractors meant that the house improvements were finally completed at the end of October! I still had decorating and minor DIY work to finish too. I was not in Tina’s good books. The excitement of meeting Johan Boskamp again when he brought his team FCV Dender to a friendly game at Leeds Utd, plus Stoke City starting their first ever season in the Premiership punctuated the downturn. But when it became obvious that Tony Pulis was going to deliver his usual brand of negative football, it took the shine of things. The obstacles in the way of an extended stay in America seemed to becoming more difficult to overcome, leading to a growing malaise and a growing waistline as I put back on the weight I had previously lost. Still I did turn some of my energy to positive things like discovering my political activism again, joining the Green Party and attending an anti-war demonstration in Manchester. Overall the tail end of the year was bleak, and I was angry with myself for not achieving what I had set out to do. Self doubt had returned.

Yet the year ended on a positive note. Tina secretly arranged a wonderful gift for my birthday in November - a ticket to see Leonard Cohen live at the M.E.N Arena - and I also decided to spend Christmas in Florida, luckily managing to obtain a cheap fare. How can anyone complain about a year that saw three trips to Florida?! The final visit in many ways was the best of the three. There may have been no road trips but there was plenty of quality time with Tina and two of her boys, seeing Calvin and Margaret again, and spending time with Tina’s family. It reinvigorated my desire to spend some serious time over there, and strengthened my belief in our relationship at a point where I was beginning to wonder if it could actually work.

The year 2008 has been memorable. I have been exceptionally lucky to experience what I have. Only a perfectionist like me would pick fault with it. Despite the achievements and experiences I still feel a certain disappointment about not being able to see though all my plans and not completing what I intended. This coming year has a lot to live up to, but if I do manage to achieve those dreams then 2009 will be equally memorable. Now it’s time to strap myself in and enjoy the ride however choppy.

Jacksonville Jaguars 24 Indianapolis Colts 31

Published
by
Andrew
on 20 December, 2008
in Football, Life stories and Travel
. 0 Comments

Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

When I was a teenager during the 1980s I was a keen viewer of Channel 4 / Cheerleader’s production “American Football” hosted by Nicky Horne. The Sunday night show brought edited highlights of a main game, and a summary of all the action from the rest of the weekend’s matches. Back then I had no real allegiance to any particular team but looked out for the results of the Washington Redskins, LA Raiders, and New England Patriots mainly because I liked the design and colours of their kits, or because of particular team members. The flying close range touchdowns of Raider’s Running Back Marcus Allen were a reason for my interest in that particular team. One year I even had an American football for Christmas, and my mates would play the game on Wolstanton Marsh instead of our usual football or cricket. As time passed my strong interest waned, although I would occasionally watch the annual Super Bowl match. However since my earlier visits to Jacksonville this year I’ve followed the fortunes of the Jaguars, a franchise that was not around when I watched American Football in the 1980s. So far I’ve never been in the country while the season was taking place. Until this December that is…

I picked up a ticket on the day of the game after a very protracted phone call to Ticketmaster who struggled with my British accent. The cheapest seats were $55, and $10 more after service charges and other spurious additions. An expensive outlay but it would be an experience I kept telling myself. So armed with my Jaguars vest, Jaguars teal cap, and my decent camera I perhaps foolishly set off by bus from the beaches to Downtown. I say foolishly because the stadium is very much geared to serving the King Car of course. There are park and ride services, but frustratingly nothing that seemed to cater for the public transport user. Additionally frustrating as the BH-1 bus hurtles past the Municipal Stadium, but does not stop until the Rosa Parks station about 2 miles away. So trying the memorise the route I set off on “Shank’s pony” to the game.

The game was due to start at 8:15pm so I was giving myself plenty of time by arriving at Rosa Parks at 6pm. The weird thing about Downtown is that by that time of night the city workers have gone home and the place is deserted. The only people wandering around are daft nervous Englishmen and the homeless. The first mile was main city streets, empty and yet vaguely threatening. After that as the stadium got closer fans trickled along East Duval Street with me, having parked in streets and private lots in the vicinity for a price considerably less that the official parking’s $25. My route took me past the Veteran’s Memorial Arena where Barack Obama had addressed his followers the day before his historic election victory. As I got nearer to the stadium, which looked like a huge alien craft lighting up the surrounding area, fans were “tailgating” - enjoying food and drink from the back of their cars often under tent like structures, and generally partying before the game started.

I collected my ticket, bizarrely from a young woman from Surrey in England, and wandered around the huge complex. Once in I got myself some sweet potato fries, and taking advantage of a 30% sale ordered myself a Jaguars gameshirt with my name on it. I don’t think I was really prepared for the size of the place and I think I was walking around with my jaw permanently hanging open in astonishment. This was especially the case when I saw where my seat was up in the “Gods” which gave an incredible view of the pitch, and the massive scoreboard to my left. (Stoke City take note - now that’s a scoreboard!)

Jacksonville Municipal Stadium early doors

In true American over the top razmataz the game was preceded by the singing of the national anthem while troops held a US flag so large it must have been about a quarter of the pitch, and the final lines of the song were accompanied by a flypast of 3 airforce jets. The coin toss was conducted by ex-Jaguar Richard Collier who in September had suffered 14 gunshot wounds outside an apartment building in Jacksonville as he and former Jaguars teammate Kenny Pettway waited for two women they had met at a nightclub. The shots, including five to his bladder and two to his lower spine, left him paralyzed from the waist down, and a blood clot later caused the amputation of his left leg above the knee. It was Collier’s first appearance at the stadium since the incident and he received a very warm welcome and great ovation.

Jaguars take to the field

I wasn’t expecting much from the Jaguars given their recent poor form and the Colts more impressive record. However the Jaguars came out firing on all cylinders, scoring two touchdowns with their first two drives. The Jaguars swiftly marched down to the Colts’ 28 yard line, allowing QB David Garrard to find WR Dennis Northcutt with a fine pass for a touchdown. Their next possession was a 17 play drive culminating with Garrard rushing in himself for a touchdown giving the home side a 14-0 lead. However the Colts hit back with the next drive, moving up the field before QB Peyton Manning fired in a 41 yard touchdown pass which exposed hopeless cover in the Jaguars defence. The next Jaguars drive resulted in a punt on 4th Down and the Colts seemed certain to score again as they moved from deep in their own half to the Jacksonville 9 yard line. However the Jaguars defence held out and limited the Colts to a field goal attempt which was missed. In contrast the final action of the first half was a successful Jaguar field goal to send them in 17-7 up at Half Time.

Jaguars first drive

Touchdown dance

Collecting my new shirt delayed my return to my seat and I was shocked to discover in their opening drive the Colts had pulled back another touchdown through a ten yard pass. Yet it was tit for tat again as the Jaguars spent the rest of their 3rd Quarter possession moving the ball up from their own 24 yard line to the Colts’ 2 yard line where Montell Owens emerged from a ruck of players to rush in for a touchdown. Now leading 24-14 in the final quarter it seemed I might have brought a bit of luck to the Jaguars and they were set for an unlikely victory. However the last 15 minutes were a disaster, the Jaguars offense suddenly shambolic, while Peyton Manning for the Colts was inspired. The next two Colts drives produced a touchdown and field goal to tie the game, and the contest was over when Garrard threw an interception which was returned for another touchdown to give the Colts their first lead in the game 31-24. At this point I left, not in disgust, but because I had to get the last bus home. My return journey was once again edgy as I made my way at speed through Downtown Jacksonville and I was happy to make the safety of the bus five minutes before it departed. I later learned that Jacksonville got as far as the Colts’ 9 yard line with their final drive of the game, but Garrard was sacked on the last play as he sought a touchdown to take the game into overtime.

Jaguars snap

One of the benefits of the Channel 4 programme was watching only the higlights of the game without many of the interruptions, and there are quite a few. The stop-start nature of the game becomes frustrating and starts to grate, as players and fans alike await the next play while some commercial break is being run on TV. While the viewers get their commercial dose, those in the stadium watch farcical competitions such as “John from Orange Park” trying to throw a football through a hole in a shed to win a $2000 shopping spree at Winn-Dixie stores, or seven contestants seeing who has the lucky ticket in their price boxes to claim a year’s supply of Bubba Burgers. (And remember folks, Bubba Burgers are THE BEST burgers). The winner looked like he was already quite partial to a Bubba burger so was no doubt delighted with the prize.

The experience was a novelty for me, but I’m not sure I’d be in a hurry to repeat it. I think I’d rather spend less and watch the games on TV. I think the game was like America in microcosm - at times brash, over the top, highly commercialised, self-important, ritualised, repressed and directed. There seemed to be a lack of the natural passion of football (soccer) matches played in Britain where the crowd is a living organic beast on a wave of emotion in a blood and thunder atmosphere. The American crowd only raised the volume when the opposition were in possession, and burst into life to celebrate First Downs and Touchdowns. There were none of the crowds songs, or “mental” celebrations that follow the scoring of a goal in the game I love. What take place on the field can be exciting and full of tension, which is the draw of any sport, but for me it was interrupted too often and too sanitised. A stadium that size needs a few rowsing “Delilahs” ringing around it! ;-)

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Dogged resistance on the doorstep but NHS deliver quality response

Published
by
Andrew
on 9 December, 2008
in Life stories and Politics
. 1 Comment

Determined to be more than an armchair supporter, a week ago today I started to deliver leaflets for the Green Party. Tonight was my fourth outing, not too far away from the library in Armley. The first street I had to do was a dimly lit back alley, and dispatching the first couple of leaflets easily I had a little difficulty with the next letterbox. At first I couldn’t get the folded paper to go in, so folding it again to increase its thickness I tried again. Second time of asking it went in, unfortunately my fingers slipped through to the other side with it where they were met by the mouth of some unidentified beast.

Given the power of the grip I had to wrestle my hand from I assume it was a dog, but it made no noise to give away its identity. What was certain was my fingers were bleeding quite badly and I was dripping on the pile of leaflets until I fashioned a homemade bandage from my hankerchief. I clearly could not go on. My fellow leafleteers advised that I go to hospital for a tetanus jab, something that did not fill me with delight as I hate needles, and I’m sure the last tetanus jab I had was administered to one’s fleshy derriere. But I duly complied and set off to the Accident Unit at LGI.

It was busy in the reception waiting room as usually is the case. Amongst others there were a collection of gammy legs, kenched backs, and some dazed youth with a substantial bandage around his head. I expected a long wait, my ailment neither life-threatening nor particularly painful. But I was pleasantly surprised. The National Health Service might get some stick but it does a marvellous job in difficult circumstances and with stretched resouces. Indeed I was out before one hour had passed, assessed, cleaned, bandaged up, and armed with a box of antibiotics because I’d been bitten by an “unknown quantity”. “Might have even been human”, advised the Sister. Thankfully I escaped the tetanus injection because apparently the new guidelines state that the inoculations received in childhood will last a lifetime. Whether these are the guidelines of the British Medical Association or NHS accountants I’m not sure. But I’m not complaining, indeed I have only high praise for the care I received. I shall just have to develop a new technique next time I’m delivering for the cause.