One year later...

Strange how things happen.

I'm on the same computer, same lounge, same airport, and writing in this blog on the same date, one year later.

My flight back to Chi-town leaves in an hour and a reflective state begins to take over.

Another whole year is about to go past and I think again what I've accomplished and what I've achieved.

But before I even touch that subject I must say this.

How cool are cab drivers?

I always take a cab to the airport when I go home around the holidays because I lug around a large piece of luggage that I choose not to take up and down the stairs of the underground.. Anyway, I distinctly remember both cab drivers I had a year ago, and one I just had on the way to the airport today.

What a vast wealth of information cab drivers can be! Last year I remember distinctly learning about the Lincoln statue by Parliament. Apparently, there was some "law" or ordinance that Lincoln's statue could never be resurrected on non-US soil. But obviously, there's a Lincoln statue just outside of Parliament. Well it turns out, apparently, that soil was actually brought in from the States before the statue was resurrected and place underneath the statue! True or not true, I'd have to google it. But how cool is that if it were true?

Today I learned about the whole Arsenal and Hot Spurs football rivalry. My driver is a big hot spur fan and explains his reasons behind it. He talked about how the English stick to their teams through thick and thin and if its one game a team will win throughout the season, it should be against their rival. In this case Arsenal. Every game he not only checks the Hot Spur score and see if they won, but straightaway checks if Arsenal lost!

The whole conversation was spawned by my observation that the English love their sport. They are passionate about it. Especially football! (soccer) We talked about how the NFL had a game here in London and it was completely sold out, even though, he reckoned, that probably most of the people watching did not know the rules!

Not only if the knowledge I gain from the driver is enough, but the cab route is scenic as well. The ride takes you through all the major sites: London Eye, Parliament, Buckingham, Westminster Abby and the posh neighborhoods of the West.

Anyway, for my lovely friends that read this blog, hopefully I'll see you all soon! Give me a ring or a mail! Cheers!