The Knight of New Orleans - world chess in the crescent city!

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University of Michigan interview!

Dear England, I am pleased to have an initial phone interview at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The job is for Lecturer in English literature, and would involve teaching upper-level courses in poetry, literary studies, romanticism, drama, digital rhetoric and undergraduate advising. Ann Arbor itself is a pretty college town in the American midwest:

For those of you uncertain where Michigan is, the whole state is surrounded on three sides by the Great Lakes, specifically Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The college town of Ann Arbor, home of the main campus of the University of Michigan, is also very close to Lake Erie and Canada itself - see the map! Ann Arbor is in the south-east corner of Michigan, close to Detroit:

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So far I've visited Ann Arbor three times, twice in the last two years, and I'll be visiting again in September - for the football! The University of Michigan is famous for its American football games, which are played at literally the biggest stadium in America: it holds 100,000. It's nickname is The Big House - also a term for prison in American slang!

Click the pic to learn more about Michigan American football and stadium!

Scuba Diving - 60 feet down!

Dear England, right now I'm learning to scuba dive. I've always been a fan of snorkelling, tooling around at the beach as a kid along the rocks at some bay, looking for brightly-colored fish. It turns out scuba-diving is the best way to sea these critters, and perhaps a turtle or two. Why didn't I think of this before?

Well, the thing about scuba diving is that you have to get "certified" and the best organization to do this with is called PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). It's the most internationally recognized - giving you the best chance of being able to dive in new places, on new adventures! I am currently learning through the National Diving Center in Washington, DC.

When you have all your equipment on, it can be pretty daunting. Actually, the hardest thing in scuba is probably trying to stay balanced, as the tank is pretty heavy. But you get used to this after a few dives. So far I've dived once in a swimming pool, and I'm only half way through my PADI certification. But in two weeks I'm off to Bainbridge, Pennsylvania to dive 60 feet in a murky quarry - the four "open water" dives I need to complete the course. Then it's Puerto Rico in July baby for some real tropical diving!

I added these pictures to feed my idea of how beautiful diving will be. As yet, I have no idea. But from the training videos, it looks pretty amazing - shoals of fish everywhere, coral, massive sea plants to get entangled in, and even the odd shark nosing past (do not disturb). I can't wait!

Crystal Skull!

Eat your heart out Indiana Jones, here's the real crystal skull! The above photograph is from the crystal skull at the British Museum. You can see it there any day for free. The skull was thought to be of Aztec origin, but is most likely German from the late nineteenth century. In other words, a fancy Victorian fake!

Check out all the details here! "Indy, you're looking in the wrong place!"

London transport!

I made it home!

I tried to walk to a nearby cinema. Here's what happened - the walk was a nice hour and a half, a long way, but I caught the bus to shave off the first 30 minutes. Then I figured the best way from Hendon to Kensal Rise (across North London) was the overland train to West Hampstead, then walk. So far so good.

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On the way back, however, I realized that the train was moving quite fast. The first stop flew by (mine was the second) and no one really looked up. Then I realized it was a packed train. Okay, I might be on the wrong train...Then a kind of sinking feeling as Hendon flew by with no sign of the train stopping. Clearly I was on the express, and then it hit me - to Bedford. In Bedforshire. That's Bedfordshire, as in, not London. As in another county, called Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire!
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It took me three hours to get home. Anyway, it was surprisingly okay, as it stopped at St. Albans, half way home. I got the stopping train back, which was empty of course, because who travels into London at 9 pm on a week night? Me apparently.
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Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race 2009!

The Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race takes place today at 3.40pm on the Thames. The race takes about 20 minutes from Putney Bridge to just beyond Barnes Bridge, given no sinkings. Hold the line coxswain!

Above is this year's Oxford crew. (Go Oxford!) Here's the history of the race too, including those above mentioned sinkings, and rebellions!