Dixonstock

 THE BLOG

I just realized that I had only posted about work but somewhere over the past month or so I have actually managed to take at least one break.  The Dixon's farm is a staple for Memorial Day fun and also the site in which a few beverages are "partook" (responsibly of course).

Some time honored traditions of games were practiced

 

and this year we went down to the river to hit up the rope swing... or in my case recover in the cool water...

As always it was a great weekend and also served as the last time we will see Bob for a little bit.  He flew off to Peru the day after the weekend.  With any luck I will be seeing him there in a month.

Smashed Thumb

Apparently starting a lawnmower can be dangerous.  It has gotten a lot more purple since the pic was taken, trust me.  I busted the vein that runs along the top of my thumb with the grip that is tethered to the cord on a lawnmower.  It hit a catch and snapped back out of my right hand onto my left thumb.

I guess it is all my fault for trying to make a little cash mowing grass to try and fly out of the country again...

If only there were some way to work safely online from another country I could give up the lawn mowing hustle... oh well.

Working Toward My Escape

I am currently in the process of looking for the cheapest method of getting myself to Chile.  I have decided that I will be moving there (if all goes according to plan) as early as this July.

 

 (with any luck this will be my plane)

Of course I have been to Chile before.... that is how I got to make the flight to Easter Island to see these guys.

 

Right now it appears that the best (most fun and cheap combo) is for me to fly from Washington DC to Lima Peru, Where my friend Bob will be for the next 2 months and staying with him for a while and ultimately renting and apartment in Vina Del Mar, Chile starting in August.

Where am I getting the money for this trip you might ask?  OK so I still haven't got that ironed out yet, but I am working on it.  I have taken up 4 jobs or so that have been going on for over a month now and with another month or so to go I figure I will at least have a start.  I am also certified to teach English as a Foreign language so maybe that will pan out down there.  If not the plan is live cheap and try to make ends meet.  Wish me luck.

I fell into a Red Ring of Death

Click here to access the BLOG

After 4 or 5 years of faithful service my Xbox finally flashed me the infamous Red Ring of Death... this is odd because my brother's unit and one of my friends system just crashed in the last month (conspiracy theories to follow)

Apparently you can send it back to XBOX and they will pay to fix it, but with my urge to leave the country in a hurry I have sought out a short term fix with the "Towel Trick". This involves wrapping the Xbox in 3 towels, setting it upside down, and turning it on for 25 minutes. This overheats the system and somehow gives the user about a week of gameplay before the process has to be repeated.
Surprisingly the first attempt to do this actually worked and it allowed for me to play FIFA 10 for another week. I will probably send it back to Xbox right before I leave the country so it is finished by the time I return (if I return that is).

It should also be noted that with the lack of time spent on the XBOX it should be easy to notice that my blogging increases steadily in the near future.

Prague

After being in Poland I have found my way back to Prague but sadly haven't got to post nearly enough due to no wifi at the hostel so right now I have found a cable from the wall to post for a sec.

The city of Prague is one of my first real conquests in life (2003 I think) but I lost all the photos so I have taken a few more this time around.

Here I am up at the castle overlooking the city.


This is the famous Charles Bridge in town.

From across the Charles bridge though the castle really is a sight to be seen. I am hoping to get the chance to post more on here but I am staying about 3 days everywhere so I might have to just collage it all into a video in a couple of days.

Off to Berlin, Germany tomorrow... wish me luck

Bratislava and back to England

To wrap up my European tour I went to Bratislava Slovakia for a few nights to see another city. The city has been reinvigorated by their recent transition to the Euro and boast many beautiful sights right on the Danube.


The old downtown is nice and tiny so it is more of a walker's paradise.



Sadly I was so exhausted from my travels that all I wanted to do was pass out... luckily now I am back at my own bed in England and recovering from the trip.

Walking around Moseley Birmingham England

Trekking in Santiago

Despite a bum leg I decided to do a little walking around Santiago... granted I did not intend on walking so much when I started. This morning my friend Cami had some classes so I opted to be taken into town and meet back up with her when she was leaving. I really hadn't taken the time to walk around, mostly due to the first time I was in town was after snowboarding and I could still barely walk.

The weather was much rougher than it has been today, but that didn't stop me.

I went by the National Zoo, but it seemed to be terribly busy with school children.

Although the view of the city from up near the zoo was nice.
On a warmer and clearer day I would have made it up to the top of the mountain above the zoo for more views, but the cloud was a whopping 20 feet above me.



I also snapped this picture. The building looks important, but I have no idea what it is. If you figure it out please let me know. In total I would say that I walked well over 10 miles today. If something looked interesting I checked it out. Now just a few more days left before Buenos Aires.

I AM WALKING AGAIN (VIDEO)

After 9 weeks of hobbling around on crutches after colliding with a tree out in Colorado I am now back in (limited) action. I have gained my Docs approval to start walking around and using my leg.

One more round of X-rays (Time number 5)

Waiting for some good news

Waiting can also be educational...

The spur coming up from the lower bone is what re-attached to my leg and is now hopefully connected to the bone and a healthy ACL.

This is my cheesy inspirational video.

50% Walking

So I went to the Doc today for my appointment and got X-ray set number 4.

I am refusing to chop the beard until I can walk... or until it bugs me beyond belief (which it is doing)

This is the video of the doc giving me the news and the rest of my day

I did get a cheap membership to another gym in town to use the in-pool treadmill. Hopefully I will have it to myself like I did today (I ripped this pic off their website)

All in all a pretty good day, should be walking in 2 weeks or so (if I am lucky)