From US to UK

I can't even begin to describe this past month - it's been a case of both the extremes.

At the start of this month I was still in the US, coming to the end of my 6-week trip there. Most of it was covered in the previous blog, but it's about time I mentioned the rest - that special place I mentioned? It was a little place down in Florida, you might've heard it...Walt Disney World. 
This was at the end of July, both me and Nicole flew down there, and I just can't put into words how awesome of an experience it was...we were there for 3 days, and while that was nowhere near enough time to see absolutely everything in WDW, we still made the most of it. We saw many different animals, hit the African plains on a safari and took a walk in the jungles of Africa and Asia in Animal Kingdom; had a brief but splashing time at Blizzard Beach; saw a show about animation, walked through a fake New York street and witnessed a Monsters University party at Hollywood Studios; saw Spaceship Earth, walked around the World Showcase, rode on the Journey Into Imagination and had not one but two high speed thrills on the Test Track at Epcot.
Of course there's one part of the park that we couldn't not go to...the Magic Kingdom. We covered pretty much all of it - Adventureland with its treehouse and lively Tiki Room; Frontierland with a boat ride to Tom Sawyer's Island and a late night ride on Splash Mountain (three words: 50 foot drop) and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; Liberty Square with its fancy buildings, classic steamboat and the Haunted Mansion; Fantasyland with its fairytale/circus setting and the classic It's A Small World ride; the futuristic Tomorrowland with the PeopleMover, a rain-soaked Tomorrowland Raceway (still enjoyable though), monstrous laughs on the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and a close-up encounter with Stitch in his Great Escape; and last but not least, Main Street USA, with the classic American street and shops, plus that famous path leading up to the even more famous Cinderella's Castle, which was the backdrop for a spectacular projection and fireworks display, both were just amazing to watch.
It was my first time at any Disney park, and I'm glad I was able to get to visit one - the best part was that Nicole was there with me, and we got to spend our 10 month anniversary there too, which I marked by giving her a dragonfly pin as a present, in front of Cinderella's Castle. Guess there is a little bit of a romantic in me.
Say what you want about Disney, but at the end of the day, both me and Nicole thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and I would definitely go back again.

 Kilimanjaro Safari - Animal Kingdom

 Meeting Chip n Dale - Dale tried to hit on Nicky, while Chip raided my bag for nuts

 Adventureland - Magic Kingdom

 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Frontierland - Magic Kingdom

 Liberty Square - Magic Kingdom

 Tomorrowland - Magic Kingdom

 Fantasyland - Magic Kingdom

 Spaceship Earth - Epcot

 A taste of home - United Kingdom pavilion, World Showcase - Epcot

 Blizzard Beach

 Monsters University party - Hollywood Studios

 Not-quite New York - Hollywood Studios

 Main Street USA - Magic Kingdom

There was also another first a few days afterwards - I got to experience a live baseball game for the first time, the Bridgeport Bluefish vs the Sugarland Skeeters - the Bluefish lost, but regardless of the result I enjoyed the atmopshere of the game.
The last visit of my US trip was to Southwick's Zoo in Massachusetts - only the second zoo I've been to, and by far the biggest, with so many different animals, including a lot that I'd never seen up close before (e.g. kangaroos, lions, lemurs). The zoo also had some unique features - a chairlift that travelled over the exhibits, including an alligator pool; a forest where me and Nicole got up close to deer and were able to feed them; and a giraffe encounter, where we got to hold up tree branches for giraffes to feed on them, all of those were great experiences.

 The Bridgeport Bluefish and Sugarland Skeeters in action

 Skylift - Southwick's Zoo

Giraffe encounter - Southwick's Zoo

 Deer Forest - Southwick's Zoo

My last night in the US ended up in a hotel in Nicole's town, which me and her parents arranged on the sly without Nicole knowing, and needless to say she was very happy with the surprise. We spent the night taking a dip in the hotel pool, having a meal at an Italian restaurant, and some wine and snacks back at the hotel, and above all, spending some quality time together.

We were both dreading August 5, the day I had to fly back to the UK...and it was hard to let go, as anyone in that position will know all too well. My flights back home were a little on the bumpy side, but I made it back safely, mad dash for my flight back to Newcastle and all.
Arriving back at home felt alien to me, almost - even more so this time round, because it was the longest I'd been away from home. The jetlag had something to do with it as well, of course. It took me a little while to get back into the normal routine, but it all fell into place in time. I was happy to see my family again, and it was good to be back with my home comforts as well. I couldn't see out this summer without taking one last visit to my favourite beach at Tynemouth, either.
I can't say everything's been OK though...with being away there was bound to be issues regarding rent and finances, had to poke the council more than once about stuff, but I think it's all been sorted now. As well as that, the situation on the job front is the same as ever, absolutely no joy whatsoever. And something's also happened that makes me think that keeping my mouth shut is better for everyone - I don't want to go into it.
In the end, I just had the most amazing time in the US, it's something I will definitely not forget for a long time, and I'll miss being face to face with Nicole most of all.

Some summer themed artwork to leave you with:

Fyfe & Sparkplug: Summer Dragons

 

Summer in the States

Well, to say that this last month has been a break from the norm is putting it very lightly - as I type this, I've been in the US for over a month, and quite a lot has happened, which I won't be able to cover in huge detail here, so I'll try and give you the basics.
It's been great spending time with Nicole of course, and even though she's been at work most days we've still made the most of the free time that we've had with each other, and even though it probably won't hit me until the day I fly home, I'm gonna miss her being around. I think I'll keep the mushy stuff between me and her though, I'll spare you that.

 Me and Nicole

Been to quite a few places during this trip, some that I visited on my last trip in 2011, some that I hadn't been to before - Branford Point (mine and Nicole's favourite spot to hang out), Newport in Rhode Island with its beautiful beaches and coastline and an enjoyable cruise around the bay; Stony Creek - one of my favourite places from the last visit, still as picturesque as before, even more so as we got to take a cruise around the Thimble Islands there; the distinctive Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos; saw a terrific fireworks display at the Sailfest in New London; the bustling Boston; the sprawling Long Island with its scenic towns and beautiful coastline, including the Montauk Point Lighthouse; not one but two aquariums, both with a great range of sealife on display, in Norwalk and Riverhead on Long Island; and also not one but two separate trips into New York City, which was still as hectic as it was adventurous just as it was 2 years ago.

 Montauk Point Lighthouse

 Stony Creek

 Thimble Islands

 Easton's Beach, Newport, Rhode Island

I also met up with a few friends, some I'd met on my last visit, others I hadn't - those I previously met included most of Nicole's friends, her parents, plus Shane and Paula (PierreAndAndre and youlittlemonkey from deviantART respectively), and Shane's family; those I didn't meet last time were Ryan, Dawnsy, Victor and Paul (friends of Nicole), Ben (a fellow Brit who is also friends with Shane) and another deviantART friend, Rich (FAC-AgentC) - it was great getting to meet them all.

 L to r: Nicole, Shane, Paula, Ben

Back (l to r): Alicia, Paul, Michael, Crystal

Front (l to r): Ryan, Dee, Kristin, Nicole, me

I also have to mention how the weather's been - I was definitely not prepared for the humidity, much higher temperatures than what I'm used to back in the UK, though it made for some good walking days out to Branford Point, although I nearly overdid it one day. However I got the opposite as well, I was able to witness a thunderstorm approaching on Long Island, it was actually very cool to see.
This trip is not over yet - myself and Nicole will be taking a trip to Massachusetts on the last weekend before I leave, and before that I'll be getting to experience my first ever baseball game, and before that we're going somewhere special, which I'm not going to reveal until it's been and gone, but we'll be celebrating our 10-month anniversary while we're at that place.
I honestly don't know where the last month has gone, I feel like I've been in the US much longer than I actually have, and I'm really not looking forward to the day I have to fly back home (August 5) - but I'll have the memories.

I managed to do some artwork during this trip, so I'll leave you with this pic of Bob & Flyer, but not as you know them:

"Stoopid Bugs" - my entry for Granitoons' "Super-Stoopid Art Jam" on deviantART

From UK to US

Well, in my last blog I did mention that in June I would be heading over to the US for the fourth time - as I type this, that's right where I am. I'm in Connecticut for the second time, staying with and visiting my girlfriend of 9 months ago today, Nicole. So far I'm having a great time, hoping to meet up with a few friends and see a few places, but most of all I get to spend time with Nicole. My first week of 6 is almost over, but there's still lots to come.

As for the rest of the month before I flew over, spent some of it going out walking as there was a bit of a heatwave back home (not as warm as in Connecticut though!), as well as preparing for the US trip, which involved a bit of worrying over nothing. I was a bit reluctant to say bye to my family, anyone who goes on holiday for a while, especially if they're going abroad, will know how that is, but I just had to remember it wasn't a goodbye, more like a "see you later".

Now for the getting there - I stayed overnight at the Doubletree hotel at Newcastle airport, it was spot on, had a nice room and bathroom, and I also had a good meal at the hotel's Italian restaurant, though I went and overdid it a little but I having a margherita pizza and a garlic bread pizza (I didn't realise it would be big!). Unfortunately, because of some noise outside and my excitement for the trip, I didn't get very much sleep at all.
Checked in just fine at the airport the next day, however my flight down to London Heathrow was delayed by about 20-30 minutes because of the sucky weather. The flight itself was a little choppy, but nice and quick all the same, and despite the delay I still got down to Heathrow with plenty of time to make my connecting flight to New York JFK, which was a canny long flight at 7 hours, and again that also was a bit choppy in places, but the seat-back entertainment and views of the sky, sea and land were worth it.

 The view from my seat on the Newcastle-Heathrow flight

 The view from my seat on the Heathrow-JFK flight

And then, the part I was dreading most of all, US customs - as far as the actual interrogation goes, it went better than last time, I showed the officer my documents to prove I had enough money to cover my time in the US, and she let me through, though not without barking at me for putting my fingers on the fingerprint scanner the wrong way. The only part that was worse than last time was the insanely long queue, because my flight arrived at the same time as two others, so you can imagine how chock-a-block it was. None of that mattered once I met up with Nicole in the terminal lobby though.
In short, it's great to be back in the US with Nicole, and hopefully in July's blog I'll have a lot of stories to tell about my time here, so stay tuned.

To finish things off, because the Wimbledon tennis has started, here's some tennis-themed artwork:

 "Bob & Flyer - Anyone for Tennis VI"

Some May flowers

As the famous saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers". Not completely true this time round.
The weather this month has been pretty much bi-polar - some beautiful warm days, but also some nasty wet days. It never stays settled for long in this country.
The same could also be said for my mood, pretty much - and the main reason for that is because of my fast-approaching US trip. I'm excited about it, but also anxious at the same time, because of worrying about money and whether or not I'll get any further than US customs. I really have to learn to stop letting stuff like this overwhelm me, because when I do I just shut myself off, lash out at people and say or do stupid things, and all it does is make the situation worse. I can't help how I feel though.
No need to say anything about the jobsearch front - same old story there. On a better note though, me and Nicole have now been in a relationship for 8 months, can't quite believe it's been that long already, they've just flown by, much like this whole year has so far. Needless to say, I really want the 6 weeks I'm in the US to drag.
Staying on the subject of the US trip (sorry I keep going on about it), my brother's girlfriend will also be going over to the US, but for a different reason - she'll be working at an AmeriCamp, looking after kids for three months. I wish her the best of luck with that, hopefully she'll enjoy it.

As always, I'll end this with some artwork, and a new character for you to check out:

Meet Dunston the dinosaur.

Spring at last

Well, it took a while to get here, but Spring has finally arrived, the weather's gotten that little bit warmer, and it's generally feeling a lot less Winter-like. Even the annoying April showers are a welcome relief compared to the endless deluge of snow in February and March.

Things on the jobsearch front aren't warmer though, in fact they're the same as always. I'll do what I keep doing though, and keep looking.
I can't seem to go through a month without some sort of problem with the house - this time some heavy winds decided it would be fun to try and rip the faring off the top of my bay window, half of it came undone - however as I type this it's being fixed.
On a much more sombre note, I'm sure most people will have heard about the events that took place at the Boston Marathon. I just can't begin to fathom what could've driven two people to try and inflict death and destruction on others. It's events like this that really make me wonder what this world's coming to.

Onto a brighter note now. My fears about all things finance-wise beyond this month proved to be unfounded. I'll just say that some things didn't go up by as much as I thought they would. Of course, this time next year that might be a different story, but that's a bridge to cross when the time comes.
There was a very significant date for me this month, April 23, for two reasons - it was my lovely Nicole's 25th birthday, and it also marked 2 months until I fly back to the US for 6 weeks to see her. It's getting closer, and it's now more or less at the point where I can say it's weeks away rather than months. I just can't wait for it.

As always, to finish off, some artwork:

 My entry for FAC-AgentC's "Wacky Races Revisited", Bob & Flyer with their Dune Bug.

  

That's that for April. Hope you all had a good Easter.

  
 

The Great Spring Whiteout

Happy Easter to all you readers, whether you had an Easter egg hunt or not.

Indeed, March has been and gone, and normally winter would go with it, except this year it's had other ideas. While this year isn't the first time there's been cold temperatures and snow in March, it's still took most people by surprise, especially considering that this time last year there was some great weather. And all things considered, in my area we were relatively lucky compared to other areas of the country - I saw pictures of 10 foot high snow drifts on the news, scenes normally associated with December, January and February. It can't last though, here's hoping that April will see some warmer temperatures (and more than likely lots of rain).

I'm still on that "work programme" that I started back in October, however there's been a change - instead of it being a drop-in and check up appointment, it's now a group training session for 2 hours on a Wednesday afternoon, once a fortnight. I've had to go on worse and longer such courses in the past, so it's really the best case scenario as far as that goes. Just wish one or two of the others on that course would quit reminding everyone constantly how much everything sucks.

Had some internet issues as well, me and my brother's internet router decided to give up the ghost, so we had to wait about a week for a new one to come through the post. We were still able to get online though, thanks to our next-door neighbours letting us use their internet, many thanks to them for that, we owe them one.

On a lighter note, I decided to take the plunge and get myself an eBay account, along with making my first purchase on it, a model plane (for the plane fans, it's a KLM McDonnell-Douglas MD-11). Whether or not I'll ever sell anything on eBay remains to be seen, though I do have a few things I want to get rid of.

My first eBay buy, a model KLM MD-11 plane

Another purchase I'll have to make is a new camcorder - my current one's record button no longer works, thanks to me dropping it one too many times.

Last but not least, me and Nicole have now been together for 6 months, can't believe those months have gone by so quick, let alone the 10-11 years that we've actually known each other for. Still looking forward to seeing her again in June, it needs to get here already.

As always, I'll leave you with some artwork, this commission piece I did for a cool cartoon artist and a recent new online buddy, Doctormetadragon on deviantART - go take a look at his works, especially his "The Show Goes On" comic:

"If We Should Spend the Night Out" - characters © Wiley Bottcher (doctormetadragon.deviantart.com)

February 2013

For me, February means two things for me: cold winter weather, and the yuck-fest that is Valentine's Day, which I've made my feelings very clear about in the past - however this year's Valentine's was ever so slightly different due to the fact that I actually had a Valentine for the first time in 4 years, the lovely Nicky of course. We both sent each other a box full of slushy romantic stuff, as you do. The dinner date will have to wait though. :P

My feelings on Valentine's are still the same though - it's all commercialised. You have all year to show someone you love them, why does it have to be that one day?

Aside from the slushy stuff, I also did something I normally don't do this month, I took a trip to the cinema, only my third time in total - the first time was in summer 2006, when I went to see "Cars", followed by summer 2011 when I went to see "Cars 2". (See a pattern here?) I think it's canny obvious that the only kind of films I'm interested in seeing at the flicks are those of the animated sort.
On this occasion it was "Wreck-It Ralph" I saw, just didn't want to wait for it to come out on DVD, and I'm glad I didn't, because it was a blast. If you get the chance, please go see it, especially if you like your gaming. My brother also saw it, and being a gamer himself, he loved it.

And now for the bad news - I mentioned that as part of my US trip this summer I was going to try and get Comic Con passes for myself and Nicky. Mission failure I'm afraid - I was in the right place at the right time on the sale day, but it seems the Comic Con site couldn't cope with the amount of people logging in to get passes, and loads of people got locked out of the queue, myself included, so I was unable to get passes. There will be a resale of returned passes at some point, but I've decided not to bother taking part, which means me and Nicky will not be going to Comic Con this summer. There is a reason for this, though - may be going somewhere else instead.

And now, time to leave you with some artwork - and it's a slushy one.

 My Valentine's pic for this year - dedicated to Nicky.