aric with an a

I love boats.

suppose I always have.

there’s a lot down here.

a lot of boats.

and a lot of people who sail them.

I get on with them.

suppose I always have.

there was this grumpy old man,

he taught English in Shanghai.

[there's a lot of grumpy old men teaching English in Shanghai]

[but he was different]

he told me stories and stories of sailing.

what it’s like, 20 days into an ocean voyage.

and other things that excite.

others have told me of things,

spearfishing and stars,

pulling into a foreign port,

and waking up once-an-hour.

it’s a thing, isn’t it…

sailing.

I love a pub.

[what I don't love is the way this photo and the one below don't look good together.]

[hrmph]

it’s a special Friday ’cause I’ve uploaded a lot of photos from this week.

how about that, hmmm?

great.

happy weekend, I’m off to the pub.

[I hope they like me]

I’m knackered.

so all you get is a photo of windows.

two windows.

two British windows.

fantastic.

this is my view from the bathroom.

‘you can’t get more English, in a way’ said an English [in a way] friend of mine.

if you squint, you can see the little micro-homes photo’d yesterday.

obviously, it’s pretty.

but it’s also the south.

and the south here is a lot like the south there.

which is good for us Americans,

who grow up thinking ‘how proper they are!’

every place has it’s…undesirables,

and while few are on this Isle I’m living on,

they’re not too far off.

Google ‘chav’ and learn one of the funnier expressions.

I didn’t speak to a soul today.

the only time my voice worked was when Def Leppard came on during shuffle.

it was fantastic - both were fantastic.

nothing like a random iPod program to justify 80’s angst.

love does bite, well said.

it’s like being a grown-up here,

and that’s nice.

’cause I don’t have the things grown-ups have.

I wake up and have some yoga,

then practice some tea with milk.

walk down to the beach and wake up,

that’s quite nice, even though I’m not a beach person.

it’s a rocky beach - thus the nickname of ’shipwreck cove’

and sister, when the water pulls those little things back into the ocean,

it’s like one person starts wildly applauding,

and then everyone joins in.

I like it very much.

and then I work - dirty building work.

I like that very much too.

painting rooms has always been a joy for me,

3 hours and a transformation - must be nice.

but I’m also a spackling fool.

no lie.

if you have pizza and some good microbrews, I’ll come and do yours.

it feels good to be good at something manly.

and I’m so clean! I think I get this from Tim.

you’d most certainly be impressed by my workstation.

I even vacuumed the tiny bits of wallpaper I’ve pulled off,

even though I’m not done and will start back in the morning.

very, very tidy - well done, Mom.

and now I’m going to make some dinner,

a few beers,

and a DVD.

it might be boring to you, but normalcy,

hot-water,

and free wifi aren’t things I’m used to.

being grown-up is like a vacation for me,

the opposite of most, I suppose.

but to know that this is my bed,

my mug,

and my window for a month,

makes me quite relaxed.

and believe it or not,

I need it.

so, I’m staying in England for a bit.

maybe a month.

on the coast, in a place you might not know.

since the African ‘trip’, I’ve not been writing much,

call it being blue,

or just tired.

but since I’m here for a bit,

thought I might show you around.

with…

a weymouth photo of the day!

isn’t that exciting?

you check in every once and a while,

see a few things,

learn a few tidbits,

and I get back into taking some piccies,

and writing some things in my head.

cool?

cool.

here’s the first:

that in the background is an old something,

from WWI, or, so they say.

bunker? could I call it a bunker?

it’s next to the harbo[u]r entrance.

the only accessible one.

in the other entrance, an old ship was sunk.

speaking of ships, this is the only harbor where a prison ship was berthed.

free photos and free knowledge!

hurrah.

in a town about 50km north of Damascus, I found an old camera store.

there weren’t many monies in my pocket, but I wanted a 35mm back-up,

[for Africa, ha ha - ugh]

so I bought one of his cheaper models.

turned out it was a yashica electro 35 rangefinder,

apparently a very good old camera.

nice - I paid $15 for it.

obviously, I didn’t know how to work it,

but kind of like the first set of shots that it produced.

this is the 3rd entry about photographs.

hmmm.

I’m not a huge museum guy.

Smithsonian? sure - could spend days in there.

and anything with photos.

but paintings? nawwwwww.

a few, once a year…maybe.

my quota for guys with bangs and moleskines ain’t much.

but the contact sheet for robert frank’s ‘the americans’ is somethin’.

seen it three times in the past 12 months.

I’d never read the book, seen the photos.

still don’t own a copy.

should, probably.

but to watch his eye around the country,

especially the one’s with numerous takes.

and the Tate Modern’s free.

so, you know,

go.

or something.

Africa kicked my bottom.

no way around it.

I went with an idea, a good idea,

but no money.

no visas.

and not understanding how things work.

it wasn’t SE Asia.

and I wasn’t prepared.

that’s all it is.

it scared me, but to not have been shaken would be strange.

but I still tasted African soil.

which is what I wanted.

I wasn’t ready.

I most certainly wasn’t ready.

so, with barely enough to afford the airport taxi,

the bank of parents were called - even though they don’t have any money.

33 and calls his parents.

at 33, my Mother was taking care of a 9 year-old me,

at 33 my Father was providing for a family of 4.

something to think about.

dinner in Addis, breakfast in Cairo, lunch in London.

it sounds great, no?

but I was ready for something familiar.

2-3 months I can do - haven’t I already said that?

Nat Geo - here’s where I stand with them,

and here’s how it went.

they had an idea, much like mine.

we traded emails and calls,

they ’shut down’ during the blizzard in D.C.

said we’d reconvene as soon as they were back to the office.

and that was it.

I’m not upset, it was a compliment to be called.

but I’m disappointed, as they know what a call like that does to someone.

and so, the rainy south of England.

I’ll stay here for a month or so,

make a few pennies to get back Stateside.

and then…

oh, f- it.

I’m done planning.

tea - that’s as far as I’ll scope.

a nice cuppa tea.