We’ve had a magical four days off this Thursday through to Sunday because of the American School’s Thanksgiving holiday. As is usually the case when we get to this point, the holiday was dominated by lots of relaxing and sleeping in as, unlike back home, we’ve been going pretty solidly since the start of August without a break. Teachers who read this blog will know what I mean, and I’m sure all others who deal with hundreds of different personalities everyday will know: it’s not really the physical, but the mental sapping of energy that accumulates over time. Anyway, suffice to say, we’ve had a good break and we feel great!I was keen to get some surfing in if at all possible on either Thursday or Friday or both to take advantage of the lack of others in the water. Dan rang and we discussed possibilities of a previously unsurfed rocky ledge called Green Ball (for the rather large satellite tracking stations on the bluff in the shape of big green balls!), but the tide and wind were all wrong so we made plans to meet at 6.30 the next morning. Cassy and I had long planned to tidy up and “re-decorate” our study, and make the most of what could be a really pretty and relaxing room. It’s ironic in a way that we like this room so much because we just spent weeks back home blowing away our study to give us some more bedroom and storage space…I don’t really get it either! Anyway, we found lots of stuff to get rid of including stacks of Taipei foreigner magazines reaching to the roof on our shelves along with surplus wires and leads and old clothing waiting to be transported to the charity bin. We also re-located bags of kitty litter which were blocking the under desk area and finally got rid of piles of boxes of computer goods (just in case I ever needed them again: a definite legacy from my Dad!). This whole process is easier said than done of course: no convenient rubbish bin for us. We sorted what we could for the recycling lady across the street then I looked up my character dictionary to write “operational” in Chinese on the printer and sundry other pieces of equipment we were shedding. Then off shopping! HOLA was just about empty and we breezed through the car park and into the shop. We prevaricated over various mats and rugs, eventually settling on a Japanese one which, although man made, feels and looks like the finest softest Merino wool…it’s just unreal! We got a new office chair for the desk and moved Dad’s old leather chair from the bedroom in to the study. After moving the computer and filing cabinet and shoe cupboard all around and tidying everything up, we’ve got a really comfortable work area again; no excuse now for not doing that Chinese study. After that I drove Cass down to Chili’s in the Miramar building: we felt like real civilized people not pulling up on a scooter for once and had an excellent tasty and filling meal.
We were exhausted after all this cleaning, moving, shopping and decorating but I still struggled out of bed at 6 to meet Dan for a trip over the hill. We got to Jinshan only to discover that while it was a reasonable size, the extra drive round the coast to Green Ball would not have been worth it as the swell drops by about ½ as you go round the tip. Instead, after checking the usual spots we headed back to a previously unsurfed but often longingly gazed upon spot north of Jinshan point. The reason it has never been ridden is that it only starts to work at about 4-5 foot and breaks very quickly onto nothing but huge boulders! To read the full story and more pics check pointyhat story here. I’ve nicknamed the place Kamikazes and we don’t really expect to see anyone else surf there…it was a bit hair-raising.
Saturday dawned on great excitement for me, yet I still managed to contain this election fever long enough to sleep in quite late. Cass went off and did some food shopping, I fiddled around on the computer in the new study, and then we took a bus downtown for a walk around. We saw a rather frequent sight here in Taipei: that of lazy dog owners taking their dog for a walk while they ride a bike. Even worse is the dog owner who rides the scooter while taking the dog for a walk/run, but that’s another story. This dog was sprinting down the street wearing special little dog shoes which clip-clopped along like a tiny horse…it was pretty funny!
Back home to election night, starting Taipei time at 3pm. We both love election night, the analysis and excitement, the revelations and elation and disappointment. It’s a great real life drama played out publicly for a few hours every three or four years where election nerds and election junkies like Antony Green and Kerry O’Brien strut their stuff. I was glued to the set for the whole telecast and we both really enjoyed it. I won’t politicize this blog with my views on the result: everyone knows where we stand politically, but I will say that one impediment to us returning home to live one day has been removed.
Sunday was another possibility for a beach run, but again, strong winds had ruined all the breaks on both coasts according to some rudimentary forecasting and checking of charts and cams. After (again!) sleeping in, and I don’t know how we’ll get up at 6 tomorrow, we lazed around till we took off for the movies at around midday. Before we went up I bought a silicon case for my iPod Touch and a “USB fridge” a novelty appliance that you can plug into a USB port that keeps a can of drink cold! I know this sounds a little ridiculous, but I justified the purchase by using some gift vouchers that some students gave me last year. I still reckon everyone at work will be jealous and covet my tiny fridge when they see it (or maybe they’ll take that as final confirmation that I’ve lost my mind).
After watching the movie “Before the Devil Knows You’re There” I’m glad that I went in a pretty upbeat state of mind. The characters were distinctly unlikable, the story gob-smackingly horrifying and it reeled from one disaster to the next. It was graphic in its telling of a robbery gone wrong and the human tragedy that unfolded before during and after the main event. The leads, however unlikable, were superb in their roles and the movie was a masterpiece from that veteran director (no, he’s not dead), 83 year old Sidney Lumet. It certainly had undertones of that other Lumet classic “Dog Day Afternoon”.
Anyway, a long winded blog today, probably lucky for you we don’t get 4 days off every week! Photos: various shots of the new room, running "horse" dog and Cassy and David at “Thai Town” after the movie today.