Vermont

What does Trinidad and Tobago and the state of Vermont have in common? The outsider's perception that everybody is smoking weed all the time. Isn't that great? Thanks alot Bob Marley. Other than that, I cant think of much more there is... it woodsy? Well its not quite the same look, plus that would be vermont in general, and only a few parts in Trinidad, maybe tobago would be a better comparison.

On the other hand there are MANY things which are immensely different:

1. FRESH air!! In case you didn't know, Ver-mont comes from french for green-mountain. When you go up there and everything is open and green, you KNOW and FEEL the air is fresh and clean. And not just away from the towns that its cleanER, but that its clean throughout. Meanwhile, as I said here, Trinidad is right up there with countries producing the most carbon emmissions. Lovely!!

2. Big dogs and Pick-ups. Everyone in VT has a big dog and a pick-up truck haha, no kidding. BUT these people actually need these things whereas trinidadians just playin de ass. Huge vehicles to show off, and big dogs? also to show off. steupssss....

3. Huge properties and wildlife. Who thought I would ever say that sighting deer would be an almost mundane occurence LOL Well!! The fox I saw bounding across my friends property with a crow cawing in the background, was quite exciting! All I needed to top off my visit up there was for the elusive moose to come meandering out of the woods, as I was told they do ever so often. You have to be real living in the bush to spot any such wildlife in trinidad (manicou etc don't count, lest I get into all the racoons and skunks I see right outside my building).

4. Surely I must mention driving at the speed limit. Of all the states I have been to, I don't think anyone sticks as close to the speed limit as they do in VT (highways not included) Kudos to them :-) In the meantime people exceed the speed limit just in getting out of the driveway in Trinidad, so stupid it makes you laugh.

5. The "hippie" culture. Self-proclaimed hippies. It's a different sort of laid back than in the Caribbean. Must be the weather. Difficult to describe... like wearing nice "home clothes" to go out...or sitting wherever on the street/in a park as long as it looks dry and it's sunny out. LOL I guess you have to know a Vermonter to know.

All in all it was a great few days I spent up there, DEFINITELY one of my favourite places to visit. I need to track which seasons/months I haven't been yet and plan a trip then.

Till nex time....

Hail!!

No not hail anything or anybody, the thing that falls from the sky hail. Supposedly there was a hail storm not too far from here yesterday. Did I see it? nope. Was hail forecast for here? Yes. There was spectacular lightening. There was wind. There was some rain. No hail. Again disappointment. I live too close to the sea, but thats only now. What about the other years before now? Can you believe I've never seen hail? And it's even funnier to think that people only a few miles away say "oh yeah it looked like it snowed yesterday!" I'm like "damn!!" Even small hail I think would fascinate me, not tiny like freezing rain, although I think technically freezing rain is a type of hail. And even THAT fascinats me anyways! lol Watch how it'll be my bad luck to experience a really bad hail storm the first time I actually do see it (shaking head). What a waste of time that year I lived in South Dakota....

i'm baaaacckk!

No I have not abandoned my blog, as someone so pointedly asked me. The problem has become my time/coaching schedule: it is weird being able to now sleep in (the mornings the dumpster doesnt wake me) and then coaching/playing in the afternoons and nights. That is just a recipe for laziness, when other people being productive, I home playin de ass, and when is time to relax in the evening I now heading out. Well you know who will never have a shift job.

What makes it worse is that since Memorial day weekend I have had to get up early on the weekends to go coach, this will include this weekend. This getting up early unfortunately spread to other days of the week. Thus I get up early, lie around trying to go back to sleep, and eventually get up horribly late. I tried telling myself its good practice for getting up early at camp, but really, I DON'T need to practice from all now :-S

On a good note, my u-11 girls team won their league! Moving up a division in the Fall! Guess who is a hero of a coach?? Yes yes they are all going to kiss my feet at the end-of-season party LOL It's been a great time with this team, I feel quite proud of them :-D A few are even coming to residential camp so that'll be fun, I've been threatening making them do chores for me anytime someone makes a smartass comment LOL They're great kids tho, such a good-natured and enthusiastic group. And the parents have been nothing but keen and appreciative.

Ok I'm going to try to be active now seeing as I managed to be up at a reasonable time today. Hopefully I will get some more inspiration soon, probably after my trip to Vermont next week :-)

Till nex time

so what happened to the bike?

*taken with permission from the blog of said friend

"....At night, when I came back, all that was left was the cut-open lock. My bike was stolen!!! I was too tired to get mad, but I just thought “blæææææææææææææææææææ” Frick-it! I figured I’d never see my bike again..

I went to the police and reported the crime (yes we do that here in Norway…). The police lady said I’d receive a letter in a couple of weeks that said that they’d left the case.. Oh well.. I checked with the insurance people and started moving on from my loss. Still cursing the stupid people who stole my ride…

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT!

Yesterday as I was walking to school I saw a man riding MY bike I’m BROKE and want my bike back, so I called out to the man (in a smiling, friendly tone)

“Hi! Excuse me?!”

- uhmmm, yes?

- I just wondered, where did you get that bike?

- Uhmmm…I borrowed it from a friend in Skien..

- Humm.. that’s weird..That is actually my bike… It was stolen last week..

- Oh.. woops..

- Can I have my bike back?

- …

To make the story short: He, an old “druggis”, gave me my bike back!!! ! I thanked him for his cooperation and he walked away.. expecting a few hits in the face from his “friend” in Skien!

I got my bike back!!! And! The best of the story: The thief had brushed off all the stickers (okay, that’s not cool) but he also brushed off the rust, tightened the loose breaks, putting on new “dirt-stoppers”, and putting “5-56” on the rusted nails and such!!!! LOL! MY win! "

See what I mean? I need to go live over there for a while!