Updates from Boston's Dour Big Brother, London!

Yeah that was my now 9.20 year old son there in the orange. It was his "big break" or initial break anyway.

I'm not too keen on the acting thing - Hollywood is a sewer after all - but I'm into anything that animates my son. He fancies himself pretty funny and might just dabble as a midget stand-up comedian.

You can read about my London adventure thus far:

Living In London - Week 1

Moving abruptly as we did does present some "clean slate" opportunities.

I'm going to try to get a lot of work done and finally get some substantive ($$$) infoproducts on the market. That is my chief priority not that I am temporarily liberated from teaching my math students (the ones that won't do Skype that is).

I also just joined a gym not 30 yards from my house. It will be about $130 per month which is basically what these things cost in cities. I will get my money's worth however, being so close. I'll be there first thing weekday mornings.

Normally I can exercise sufficiently without equipment (though I did ship a 45 lb kettlebell over) with yoga, running, etc. BUT living in a city, without a car, in a small (1,500 sq ft) apartment.....well, the walls start to close in on you. So a gym is at least a sanctuary from that. I hadn't been a member of a gym (not counting YMCA's) since I was a single apartment-dweller in Philly some 13 years ago.

So being away from NY pizza, walking everywhere (no car), and hitting a gym regularly should do my body well.

I'm also looking at joining a chess club here in London....and a Toastmasters club (public speaking).

And every day I think more and more about trying my hand a stand-up comedy.

The video shoot above was all done by wannabe, "up-and-coming" stand up comedians. And while I was jabbering with them all outside of the studio I was reminded yet again....how much FUNNIER I AM than them.

I recently read a book - I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era - which was pretty good, and inspiring.

All I really need is a one 5-minute set. You see, these comics just say the same material OVER and OVER again.

You just have to go up once...

Moving To London

Yeah. That's going to be our new residence in the South Kensington area of London. We are boarding the plane in a few hours.

Why?

To get away from Obamacare of course!

Kidding...

We orchestrated an ex-pat deal for my wife. So she will work there for around 12 months - I wouldn't imagine it being any longer, but who really knows.

The main reason is so that our kids can see a bit of Europe, i.e. educational reasons. We plan on traveling across the "Continent" often because flights from Europe, to Europe, are relatively cheap.

Almost every single person has said, "I'm jealous....it will be a great experience....and I'll come visit you there."

First of all, they weren't invited!

Secondly, most of these trash-talkers have never even visited us in NYC - which also happens to be A, if not THE, most amazing city on this overheated, freezing, doomed planet. And in NY they (theoretically) have free board.

Whatever.

We only have 1,500 sq feet and 3 bedrooms in our "flat". How much do y'all think that costs on a monthly basis? (Warning - it will turn your stomach.)

To read more about the thought process behind this move - visit the links at the bottom of this post.

My Travel Ambitions

My wife has to go to South America next month for 11 days for work. She asked me if I had any desire at all to accompany her to Brazil (and Uruguay). After all my sister and her family just moved to Brazil so perhaps I could visit them.

But it wasn't a serious question in the sense that I don't know what we'd do with the kids. I couldn't imagine taking them; we don't really have good/cheap family *help* that we could tap; etc.

Regardless of the children I told her that I had ZERO desire to go to South America....and she was shocked.

In fact, I have had ZERO desire to go anywhere exotic really for quite some time now.

Sure I enjoy Florida in the winter, but that is more of a negative trip - an effort to get away from the painful Northeastern winter.

If you pressed me, I'd tell you there are only a couple of places I presently have the urge to go to.

One, I'd like to visit the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

And two, I'd like to fly to California and drive all over the state - sightsee from top to bottom.

(I'd also like to hike Mt. Katahdin in Maine, something I hope to pull off this year since we have two weddings up there to attend.)

The other week my wife spent working in London and Geneva with those *global banking criminals*. I was surprised when she came back beaming about London. She said it was *hip* and *hopping* and that we should definitely think about her doing a 2-year stint there.

Say what?

NO FREAKIN' WAY!

For crying out loud, I told her, we live in New York - it's hip and hopping aplenty here.

There's no sunlight in London, take note you SAD sufferers.

I don't even have an urge to VISIT London, no less make it my 7th home in the past 10 years!

Sure I sound like a closed-minded, provincial here - someone not fit for educating young minds, but whatever.

I'm well aware that my life and family priorities will evolve over time. Heck if you told me 1.5 years ago that I would be moving to stinkin' Long Island - a place I've long detested - I'd have advised you to get your head examined.

Perhaps one of these years I'll tag along with my first wife to South America with the kids.

And perhaps one day I'll see a tremendous opportunity in moving overseas or something.

Realize it's only because we homeschool that these options will be available to us.

Traveling *Veiled*...

As I mentioned yesterday, after moving to NY four months ago I finally got around to switching my driver's license. (Really, just so I could play Bethpage, Eisenhower, and Montauk Downs golf courses at the cheaper resident rates!)

But here's my problem. They issued me that paper, temporary driver's license which, obviously doesn't have my picture on it and promised the real card would come in the mail in *a few weeks*.

However, in less than two weeks I have to fly to Tampa for my annual jabroni golf trip and I don't really have any picture ID to bring to the airport.

Of course I googled this and came up with *It's okay....just bring a copy of birth certificate and Social Security card* - but want to be extra sure that's sufficient before I head off to the airport.

Have any of y'all flown without picture ID recently?