Halloween, Caving, and Cleanin' Fat!

Happy Halloween!! They do celebrate Halloween here in England and supposedly it's growing, but it's still mostly considered an American holiday. Look how much of an affect we have on the Limey's... they copy our holidays! Mwahaha! Today was also my last day of work and out of spite, my boss Rhys had me do one of the best jobs in the world- cleaning out the 'fat traps' in the drainage system while taking photographs that he said I could put into my blog! It was smelly, but sorta funny (reminded me of fight club). Definitely comical for a last day gig... that Welsh bastard!

I went caving last night, which I don't think I've done since I was little kid (in Colorodo Mom, Dad?), and I remember being scared shitless and having to leave the tour early (or was that a gold mine?) Anyway, I went caving for a few hours last night with two people here from work in a local cave called Upper Long Churn Cave. We got lost trying to find the first cave because it was so dark and rainy. I think we spent about an hour wandering the fells! Finally, we gave up and drove to another cave, haha. It was fun and wet (we wore water proofs), dark and narrow, and halfway through we sat and drank coffee. At the end, we reached a waterfall in a big open cavern with a pool. Had it been warmer outside I may have gone swimming, but the water was ice cold and nobody was feeling overly brave.

I leave for London tomorrow. I'm so excited. Stonehenge. Rachel. Stephen Hawking- I want to throw a balled-up piece of paper at his head. Is that so wrong? Yes, I know... and then off to Italy! It's been great working here at the Field Centre; everybody here has been so cool even though they call me 'The American,' 'Brent' and a few others. Although, apparently I've changed their stereotype of American's by not being fat, loud and gun-toting. They threw me a little going away thing already, but there may be more celebrating tonight. I will miss them greatly. And I will also miss the Pickles family, who housed me for a month and has shown me such kindness and hospitality. So many good times: shooting a bow and arrow with Will, mountain biking, beating up Martha and Will, running around the tarn, and many-many good meals! Memories to cherish...

I hear the Red Sox won the world series, freaking Boston! The Chargers are also doing better I guess, woot (though I am only a fairweather-fan, I know)! I hope the skies are clearing up and that everybody is making it okay.

Cave pictures and the 'fat trap' are below~

'The Cave'

Having some Coffee... (using water proof camera)

You can kind of see the waterfall here... it was very cool.

Cleanin' up the Fat!

Pure poetry, man..

Fires in the Homeland- no good!

I hear there have been fires all over the place in SoCal. Much to my relief, most of you sound like you are alright. I am glad of this fact and hope everyone else and their loved-one's have made it through.

Next week is the big week. My last day of work will be on Halloween, and on the days that follow I will be visiting Stonehenge, Cambridge, and London again. I will spend two nights in a hostel in London, and then two nights with Rachel at Cambridge until the 5th of November- 'Remember, remember the 5th of November...'

On November 6th I head to Liverpool where I will be flying back to Rome. What I'll do next I have not yet decided, but I begin work teaching English on the 20th .

~ Quiet Days ~

Another week has passed and not a lot is happening. Work is great. I love what they have me doing and of course, the setting! The only drawback here is the temperature, which has begun to drop quit a bit and I am only packed for summer. Lately, it’s been 35 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit, getting to the mid 30’s in the late night / early morning. Sometimes there is frost; a lot to deal with for an under-packed, Southern California guy like me…

The people are alright here, they treat me very well. I’ve started to make some friends now that Rachel is gone, and last weekend we all went out to a pub. The pub happened to have internet access so sorry for any drunken emails, haha. I watched Monty Python’s ‘The Life of Brian’ last night and loved it.

I think I can say that I am healthier than I‘ve ever been. Despite the cold, I run 5 miles around the tarn several times a week and then walk and read on the other days. Last Tuesday I walked 4 laps around the tarn, which is over 20 miles (I drove a lap to see the actual distance). I eat healthy, ‘unprocessed’ organic food. Even the eggs here are free-range. I don’t smoke anymore, at least I haven’t for 2 months. I workout doing calisthenics (but I’m not quite as bulky as some people I know). Life is good.

Next month should be a little more interesting. I am hoping to visit Rachel at Cambridge and while I’m down there, I plan to checkout Stonehenge. It’s actually older than the pyramids, so I am rather excited.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the Fall. If you surf, I hate you. If you think I’m a wuss because I can’t handle cold weather, I hate you. If you play poker for a living, I certainly hate you. But everyone else, I love.

Things are looking up

I have moved out of Shephards Cottage and am now living down the road in Sandhill Cottage. Life at the Field Centre is turning out well and everything seems to be going smoothly. I think I may have found a job when I arrive in Italy that will start on November 20th, teaching English to two teenage boys in Bologna for free accommodation and pretty decent pay. I am stoked. Below are some pictures of my present situaion~

New Living Conditions

Rachel took this a while back and I really liked it. Stormy skies ahead and shit... hehe.




Sandhill Cottage, where I will be living for the next month.


My room...


The other side of my room... I have already banged my head on that !@$%'ing post twice! I hate post... and pole...

Malham Tarn Field Centre

This is the cool part of the Field Centre that overlooks the tarn. I mowed that damn grass and it took forever!!


Another shot of the Field Centre.


This is where I collect weather data. Pretty cool, eh?


A typical meal...


In a typical cafeteria...

A shot of the courtyard at the Field Centre.


Another shot of where I spend some of my time inside the Field Centre, in this case trying to diagnose and then fix those microscopes you see on the left.


This is a portrait that I took and framed of Rachel's family where I've been staying the last month. They are incredibly wonderful people and I just wish I was a better studio-photographer.


This was one of the last weeks before Rachel left. I love this shot.


How very far we have come! From LAX and onward...

Malham and Darwin

The last week has been pretty uneventful, just working at the Field Centre and job hunting online when I get home. My only bit of news is that I booked a flight to Rome on November 6th and that I've been semi-successful in communicating this week with people for possible jobs. I'll be moving into another cottage while I work the next month at the Field Centre, and then it's back to Italy!

I finished Oliver Twist and have started C.S. Lewis' 'The Screwtape Letters.' Twist was brutal near the end but came out okay, and Screwtape is kind of fascinating from a religious standpoint (don't worry Todd, it ain't Scientology so you don't have to run for the hills).

I recently discovered that the Malham Tarn Field Centre building may have once housed Charles Darwin, which is quite inspiring. One of the past owners claimed that he stayed here during the period in which he was afraid to publish 'Origin of Species,' and then there is also an article in some of his work where he mentions Malham and notes how the sheep only graze certain types of the grass, which is bad for the ecosystem and part of the reason they've brought in all different kinds of cows to preserve the moors. It's all really very exciting and makes me want to take up 'Origin' if I can just get my hands on a copy.

Well I guess that is all for now. I Hope everyone is well and I will try to post some pictures of the Field Centre for you to see. I've got to resume my studies in Italian so... Ciao!