Cheers, Air Canada (Day 1-1.5)

While this may not be the most interesting first posting, I thought I’d at least mark my arrival. Granted, it’s a couple days in, but really the first chance I’ve had to write a bit (and the last chance I’ll have for a while, given that arrival day for students is tomorrow).

My flight left Denver on time, no problems. In fact, the only real issue on day 1 came with my curious decision to confuse my seat number with my gate number. Fortunately, there simply is no gate 3C at DIA, which prompted me to hurry back to the train and, eventually, B80 (oddly, the guy at the counter in Denver hassled me more on the purpose of my trip than UK immigration…not sure what the deal is there).

I connected through Calgary, and had to wheel my bags the 50 yards from the claim through customs (a job that really could have been done by a conveyor belt…I mean, seriously, Canada). Hoping for a comfortable hop across the Atlantic, even at my own expense, I asked if there were any upgrade options for the next leg. Apparently, you can only get an upgrade if you have the special red voucher. Not only did I not have said voucher, but the lady at the desk was very careful not to explain how to get one. A bit of an oddity there. I had an aisle seat, so no real complaints.

Which brings me to the point. Air Canada is, aside from the strange voucher thing, absolutely aces in my book. More leg room than any other flight I’ve been on (good for 8 hour flights), along with a free entertainment system, free food (it’s a crime not to feed you, surely), and…drumroll…free booze. Brilliant. If you’re wondering, I finished reading A Star Called Henry and then watched The Losers and Hot Tub Time Machine. I was punchy enough to find both films entertaining, but have no intention of watching them again, lest they be ruined for me (the same experience as when I flew to Germany, where I watched The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Talladega Nights…neither of which I ever intend to view again).

Arrival was nice, and though it was still Day 1 for me, it was Tuesday in London, and foggy. With rain. Seemed appropriate.

I took the train from Heathrow to Paddington Station (!), then a cab up to Hampstead. Ann was nice enough to drag me around all afternoon to help fight off the jet lag, which was helpful.

I did get a good night’s sleep, and then it was off to London proper the next day. Which I will write about as soon as I get back from the pub…

A Bold New Dramatic Re-purposing

Welcome to the International Edition of beta cite, the title of which makes more sense now that it ever has before! [Imagine the most dramatic fanfare you've ever heard and the most impressive fireworks, then pretend that both somehow occupy this space.]

Over the next three months I will document to the best of my ability my time abroad. This will include narrative, commentary, photo graphic evidence, and a few trite quips and attempts at wit.

I'll do my best to keep the thing timely, though the ebb and flow of my commitments will inevitably influence how well I maintain this space (in short, I'll probably get lazy after a few weeks). I'm totally unfamiliar with the conventions of travel writing and journaling, so this will be an unequivocally amateurish effort. Comments, banter, and correspondence are all welcome. Enjoy!

It lives again. Again.

So, it's been awhile. I'm fine, how are you? A lot has happened.

I'm safely ensconced in Denver (Colorado, not Denver, North Carolina. This is a fairly critical distinction) and in my studies. I've managed to kill an entire week of graduate school without it killing me back. Of course, it's hard to know if you're back in the swing of the quarter system until it takes a swing at you.

Anyway. As promised in an earlier post, I will do a quick plug for Kevin Winchester's Everybody's Gotta Eat at some point, but I'd like to do it justice, and at the moment I'm a bit worn out from homework, of all things.

The most interesting thing I have to report this evening? Well, I thought I was a bit under-read going back into school, but it turns out I have a huge advantage over Microsoft Word. I've been adding words to the spell-check dictionary like mad. And it's not JUST the Greek and Latin rhetoric-y words. I can always count on Word to make me feel better about myself. Especially my vocabulary.

Spring Book Promotion, Part 2

So it's been a while since I've been on here, but a lot's been going on.

I did, however, want to continue my book promotion thread, so for anyone looking for a good read, check out Aaron Gwyn's The World Beneath, which is now available from Norton (The link will take you to Amazon).

Aaron has already been compared (favorably) to Flannery O'Conner, and he's started putting together a living, rich fictional setting, ala Faulkner. On top of all that, this is a fantastic murder mystery, so pick up a copy if you want something nice and fresh to read.

If you want a preview of Aaron's stuff, check out Esquire online and his latest short story, "The Gray."

Trust me, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Next time, Kevin Winchester's short story collection, Everybody's Gotta Eat.

HA HA HA!

HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA! HA HA! HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA HA HA HA HA!

HA!

Snow Daze

I don't talk about work much here, and there's a number of reasons for that. Today, though, I'm bending that rule a little bit. I need to vent a bit about snow days. I've always been under the impression that a snow day happened when, you know, there actually was enough inclement weather to cause major problems or dangerous conditions. Now, granted, Charlotte in general and the university in particular are fairly ill equipped to deal with winter conditions (don't get me started on the rain thing...we really do get a lot of that. You'd think you'd work the drainage out...), but that doesn't keep it from being a bit annoying when you lose a whole class meeting worth of instruction time. Frustrating.

Well, we had another one yesterday. Snow day, that is. This one, at least, was pretty legit. Fortunately, my classes don't meet on Mondays, so I just missed work in our writing center (which, of course, pays by the hour). Now, that would have been the end of it, and I did get some grading done, but because there was so much legitimate rain and snowfall the last three days, there was still a lot of moisture around this morning (see aforementioned drainage issue). And, of course, the temperature dropped below freezing overnight.

So...surprise! It's sunny! The roads appear clear! BUT the university is delaying opening until 10am this morning, canceling my first two (of three) class meetings. This, of course, is a problem, since one class was work-shopping a paper that would have been due Thursday. You know, the last meeting before spring break? The class that is meeting? Yeah. We're watching a movie today. And that was already planned, mind you.

Anyway, bitterness aside, I dropped by campus yesterday afternoon to get some work done, and I found that pretty much everywhere, there had been some concerted efforts to make the most of the snow. I took some camera photos of the snowmen around the parking lot of my apartment complex, most of them 2-3 feet tall (one on the hood of a car!). But, the best stuff was near campus.

This one put a smile on my face:This is about 4:45pm. Note the grass.

Of course, there's always another side to this, and this is the example. I had to snap a picture as I drove by, but it is exactly what it looks like:

And there are your "winter" greetings from Charlotte! Hope everyone is having a real pleasant week.

Lost and found

Well. Since the advent of Facebook, I haven't been worth much in terms of updating this thing.

This is sad.

And...that's all I've got. Geez.

Beta Cite recommends:

In the first entry of a two volume set this spring, I'd like to plug a book.

Check out Kyle Beachy's The Slide

(from Dial-Random House, take a look @ Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Kyle's Website).

I got an advance look (way in advance...) a few (like, 6) years ago at the School of the Art Institute, and the final product is a fantastic read that kept me awake long after I finished it (and this was at 2am, mind). So check it out. Buy it from an independent bookseller if possible.

For volume 2 of the book plug series, see April of this year. Or, hell, just pre-order your copy of Aaron Gwyn's The World Beneath

It's so obvious

Supernatural powers? Naw.













Genetically engineered superhuman?







Nope.


Half demon? Not so much.


What you really need to kick ass is the full length red coat and mirrored shades. These things, I might even be able to afford.

Just Stop

"...i won't be enjoying this moment
knowing that
all that you want is to criticize
something for nothing
and all that i want, is forgiveness one more time
i know that all that we want is to feel inside
some kind of comfort
and all that we've done we can't hide..."

I hope this is the last time I listen to this song and think of grad school apps. Done and done. In the mail tomorrow.

(Disturbed, "Just Stop", Ten Thousand Fists)