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America was always going to be the easier part of this trip, …. from the very beginning I’d convinced myself that this would be true. I’d left Taipei airport at 00:47 on Saturday 16th August, I’d flown for 11 hours and landed in Seattle at approximately 21:00 on Friday 15th of August, .. 3 hours and 47 minutes before I’d left. My computer now tells me that it’s 22:12 on Sunday 17th of August, … my senses and the density of traffic outside of this cheap motel room tell me that it must be a weekday, .. I guess Monday 18th of August. It feels as if I’ve lost a day, .. possibly two days, … I’m totally disorientated and have only two urges; Sleep & Food, … Food and Sleep.
Whilst in Thailand and Taiwan, China had headed the Olympic medals table with USA (or Michael Phelps) in second place. By the time I’d arrived in America, the medal count remained the same but the tables had changed, ….. America was now leading with China in second place. I wondered when American TV had decided that the tables would be based on ‘Total Medal Count’ and not ‘Gold Medal Count’, …... I wondered if there was any known mathematical formula that could be used to promote Great Britain to the top? It all just added to my state of jet-lagged confusion, but at least now I could more easily understand how George Bush was twice elected to the Presidency.
I’ve been watching TV for the first time in months, 240 channels of 24 hour viewing. American sports that I don’t understand, … it’s the top of the 5th and somebody has a ‘5 & 2’ record, I’ll be able catch the next game at ‘9pm Eastern Standard Time’, .. but only if I subscribe to HBO? In an unofficial advertisement sponsored by local business people I hear that the current Governor of Washington State, Dino Rossi, voted for fuel tax increases but voted against a drug price reduction bill, ….. but in the next infomercial the Governor himself tells me that he didn’t and did respectively. I can buy a new Chevy, nothing down and payments of only pennies on the dollar, … but surely they use ‘cents’ here and not pennies?
The Triumph will arrive today in Fife, just south of Seattle, …. but Fife looks to be several miles from the Ocean and the Triumph arrives by boat. I have two telephone numbers to call, ….. when tried, both inform me that the numbers have been temporarily disconnected. I have an email telling me that the bike will be ready for collection on the 20th, 21st or 22nd of August but I must obtain customs clearance on the 20th. They will explain the procedure when I telephone the number provided, … ‘we’re sorry but the number you are calling has been temporarily disconnected’.
In search of sanity, I go to the local gas station to buy some beer. I’d tried to buy beer yesterday evening, the gas station had been open and indeed they sold beer, …… but unfortunately as it was already dark, … they’d refused to accept my cash. Today they were more accommodating, It was daylight and they gladly accepted my money. Outside I bumped into Dan and Stan, … or possibly Stan and Dan. They’ve ridden up from California, Route 101. They are meeting their wives who’ve flown into Seattle Airport before heading up into Canada for a few days riding on their Harley’s. I’m jealous, ….. I need to start riding again soon, … I’m missing the Tiger, America is already driving me insane.
www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas
Whilst in Thailand and Taiwan, China had headed the Olympic medals table with USA (or Michael Phelps) in second place. By the time I’d arrived in America, the medal count remained the same but the tables had changed, ….. America was now leading with China in second place. I wondered when American TV had decided that the tables would be based on ‘Total Medal Count’ and not ‘Gold Medal Count’, …... I wondered if there was any known mathematical formula that could be used to promote Great Britain to the top? It all just added to my state of jet-lagged confusion, but at least now I could more easily understand how George Bush was twice elected to the Presidency.
I’ve been watching TV for the first time in months, 240 channels of 24 hour viewing. American sports that I don’t understand, … it’s the top of the 5th and somebody has a ‘5 & 2’ record, I’ll be able catch the next game at ‘9pm Eastern Standard Time’, .. but only if I subscribe to HBO? In an unofficial advertisement sponsored by local business people I hear that the current Governor of Washington State, Dino Rossi, voted for fuel tax increases but voted against a drug price reduction bill, ….. but in the next infomercial the Governor himself tells me that he didn’t and did respectively. I can buy a new Chevy, nothing down and payments of only pennies on the dollar, … but surely they use ‘cents’ here and not pennies?
The Triumph will arrive today in Fife, just south of Seattle, …. but Fife looks to be several miles from the Ocean and the Triumph arrives by boat. I have two telephone numbers to call, ….. when tried, both inform me that the numbers have been temporarily disconnected. I have an email telling me that the bike will be ready for collection on the 20th, 21st or 22nd of August but I must obtain customs clearance on the 20th. They will explain the procedure when I telephone the number provided, … ‘we’re sorry but the number you are calling has been temporarily disconnected’.
In search of sanity, I go to the local gas station to buy some beer. I’d tried to buy beer yesterday evening, the gas station had been open and indeed they sold beer, …… but unfortunately as it was already dark, … they’d refused to accept my cash. Today they were more accommodating, It was daylight and they gladly accepted my money. Outside I bumped into Dan and Stan, … or possibly Stan and Dan. They’ve ridden up from California, Route 101. They are meeting their wives who’ve flown into Seattle Airport before heading up into Canada for a few days riding on their Harley’s. I’m jealous, ….. I need to start riding again soon, … I’m missing the Tiger, America is already driving me insane.
www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas
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1 comment:
Yes, we Americans can be crazy. But not crazy enough to elect GWB even once. Take a look at the history of the 2000 and 2004 elections and you'll find that he was illegally appointed by the Supreme Court in 2000 and that he won by fraud in Ohio in 2004.
Just back from a visit to the UK this Summer, and already we miss the London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh terribly. London was a totally different experience from what we expected, and became one of our favorite places in the world in a heartbeat.
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