Coffee

Coffee is like my 2nd kid (Latte, our dog, is my 1st). The only difference between the two is I take one outside on a leash and consume the other twice a day. But I truly love them both. I'm really excited about this new stovetop coffee maker I got for the wedding. It's called a Moka Pot and it supposedly makes a form of espresso; almost every family in Italy makes coffee like this according to the box and website for Bialetti. The brand of coffee I am looking forward to using most is Illy, but I cannot find a freaking store in Williamsburg that sells it! I'm also really excited about Starbucks because I will soon be able to get free refills and free shots of syrup with my registered Starbucks card. Since we're on the topic of SB, I would really recommend the Starbucks Duetto Visa credit card. I get like $10/month in SB money for using it. Well, that's all I have for now. I am in need of some good coffee...

Jamestown Turned 400

I have not posted anything on the 400th anniversary of Jamestown yet, which is a shame because more has happened here than I would have ever imagined. There was quite a buzz about the anniversary when I first started the job; many could not believe that 2007 was finally here.

I know you guys are begging for a history lesson on why Jamestown is important so I will tell you. 104 men and boys from England sloshed across the Atlantic 400 years ago in a journey that took almost 5 months. They arrived at Jamestown Island on May 14, 1607, changing North America forever. The English laid the foundations of a representative form of government in America, while introducing slavery to American soil. Harsh treatment of the Indians was frowned upon at first, but became the norm and set the standard of brutality that would affect future generations of Native Americans throughout the rest of the country. Lastly, the manner in which business was conducted from Europe set a gradual tone of independency that would eventually lead to the American Revolution.

I’m sorry for boring you, but it’s important. Now let’s talk about what happened in more recent history. The 400th anniversary commemoration at Jamestown began on May 4th with a visit from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. I had to get in to work at 6:30 AM that morning to direct the waiting public, and wasn’t even promised to see her myself. As the time of her arrival drew near, I was told that I would not be able to see her because the barricaded areas had been filled to capacity. However, another co-worker and I were able to bypass the restriction by bribing one of the Secret Service guys (not really, but he did let us in). What’s more is we were able stand right in the middle of the fort where the main ceremony took place! This was reserved only for media and VIP’s, but we were able to slip in anyway.

The fort was accented with historical interpreters that were dressed in either shiny armor or deer skin and war paint. Rich donors were dressed in their Sunday’s best, and many women wore huge sun hats along with dainty white gloves. Anticipation of Queen Elizabeth’s arrival was tremendous for every one. Her approach to the fort was signaled with the waving of a replica 17th century British flag; every spectator in the fort became still and quiet. The Queen finally appeared and there was a crescendo of excitement that rose with her entry. She was escorted by Vice President Dick Cheney, and she was welcomed to the fort by Governor Cain of Virginia and Susan Day O’Connor. Seeing the reigning monarch (and the descendent of King James and King Henry VIII) was almost surreal. Although the Queen or Duke did not speak, O’Connor and Cheney both gave fine speeches.

OK, so that was the kick off. The actual Anniversary Weekend was two weeks later, and it was busy. I will say that I had expected it to be bigger than it actually was even though thousands of people came each day. Some of the highlights of the three-day event included an appearance by James Earl Jones (who I did not get to see), a concert by Bruce Hornsby and Chaka Khan (I didn’t care to see either one of them), and a combined VA orchestra and choir (I heard they did a phenomenal rendition of the 1812 Overture, but it was after my shift and I didn’t want to stay).

The last day of the event, Sunday, was the best day for me because I got to see President Bush and the First Lady. Before May, I had never seen a sitting Royal monarch or a sitting US president -- now I had seen both. It was neat seeing the President; he gave a patriotic speech and some how tied in how the war in Iraq was related to the Jamestown spirit. I’m not dissing W; I actually support most of what he is about, but that is another blog entry. He received a warm welcome and a long applause from most of the good old Southern crowd. After his speech, he was quickly escorted by the Secret Service, and he flew away on Airforce 2 (I believe that is the name of the helicopter).

Anniversary Weekend was interesting, but I am happy it is over. It was hectic and there were too many people.

Kayaking

So I went kayaking for the second time today; this time all by myself with no Elaine (she was studying for law exams). It was a very nice run. I will share a list of what I saw and imagined. Keep in mind, I was all by myself with no one else around. I think I kinda started scaring myself, but it was fun. Wow, I'm a dork!!

Cool Things I Saw:

Crane
Turtles
Big Woodpeckers (the size of a large crow!)
Hawk with a fish in its talons
Frog
Geese
Squirrel
Pine trees


Crazy Things I Imagined:

Small Octopus floating by
Huge Octopus on the bank (actually tree roots)
A human arm floating in the water (actually a tree branch)
A dead person in the water (actually a large tree)
Indians
Stealth fighter plane (I don't know why)
Eagle

April Snow, Sun, and Showers

Ok, I will at least leave 1 post a month. I will probably leave more over the summer (once Elaine is gone). Then I will have more time do things like: Blog, Kayak, Read, Play WarcraftIII, Go to museums in DC, Hike, and Watch old movies (Lawrence of Arabia and the Zulu movies come to mind). Anway, snow in April was weird. It was the first time the annual Dapholdile Festival of Glouster, VA had to be cancelled -- sad. The weather is finally warming up, which is awesome because I am so going kayacking in VA for the first time today! SWEET!

I feel like I am writing an email to someone. It sounds like a little summer letter I would have written to my mom while I was off at summer camp when I was 7 (I never went to summer camp, but that's how it sounds like to me). I did go to preteen camp when I was in the 6th grade. It sucked and I did not really like it at all. That was back when I was a big mama's boy. Gay. Those days are behind me now. JK. I mean, you can still call me a "mama's boy" because I'm still really close with the mother hen, but I am not as queer about it as I once was. Rabbit trail. Back on track.

So the spring weather brings out all kinds of animals and birds. They are all cool, but there is this one bird that keeps making the Nelson from the Simpsons laugh. You can picture it, right? HA, ha. Over and over and over again. Elaine said it is mocking me, and I really think it is! The flowers are pretty cool here in the spring. Sara, Elaine, adn I went to DC 2 weeks ago to see the Cherry Blossoms, but they died because of the snow the day before we could get there. I don't think I've ever really been able to appreciate spring as much as I have here in VA. Sounds gay, but it's true.

Update on America's 400th Anniversary. The Queen of England will be in town May 3-4. President Bush is going to make a speech here on May 13th. And we are going to have a concert by Bruce Hornsby and Chaka Khan. OK, so the last two people are boring and actually kinda weird.

The Eagles

Here in Williamsburg live Bald Eagles. Yes, and I've seen them. They live by the James and York Rivers (and I'm sure by other rivers around the area). I once saw one flying just above the York River with a large fish in his talons. Yeah, it was pretty cool.

Hey There

I've never been a big writer. I hate To Do Lists and I've never kept any kind of journal. But I will try to keep this thing up -- I know it's been months since I've actually written anything here. I am living in Williamsburg, VA now. I am currently living in some married couple's house in the country (they rent 2 rooms out upstairs and I have 1 of them...rent is pretty cheap). Technically, I live in Toano, 15 minutes outside of Willyburg. It's not a bad drive, and I really don't have to make it more than twice a day. I spend most of my time with Elaine or Starbucks when I'm not working.

I work for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, which means I get to work at both museums here in VA. It is pretty cool being able to work at both museums, although I spend most of my time at Jamestown. I am getting ready to do some volunteer work for the curatorial department at J-town, which I'm excited about because it will put me on track for doing that sort of work in the future. I currently do visitor services stuff, which is fine but a little boring to be honest. I mainly answer questions and direct people where to go all day. However, I will start giving tours of the museum in a few weeks and that will be pretty cool.

I am looking forward to warmer weather here so I can kayak. Baylor's marina was OK but it was a little confined. I'll try to get Elaine to canoe with me too sometime, but we'll see how many times we actually do that. ( ; I've started playing racquetball again with this guy (Pat) I met through Elaine's friend (Kristina). It's one small step to being constantly active again. I miss the SLC at Baylor. I miss playing basketball and racquetball for hours upon hours.

That's all for now -- I told you, I hate writing.

Nena should get a blog!

And I'll update soon-ish.