Skype In Number

Hi,

I have two new telephone number which can be used to contact me anywhere in the world. They are below:

USA: +1-303-800-GENE

UK: +44-207-193-7213

If I don't answer then I am not online, please feel free to leave a voicemail message. :-)

Gene

HSBC Brilliant Customer Service - Not!

Another example of crap customer service from HSBC.

Google Video

As an avid user of all things Google, I have added my more interesting videos to google. These can all be seen here on video.google.com.

December 2005: Breckenridge Video Short

November 2005: Dad gets angry with HSBC

April 2005: LFN in Lake Tahoe

Have Fun

Audrey in Breckenridge

On the pen-ultimate day Audrey came to visit me in Breckeridge. Here we are enjoying a meal in the local Mexican restaurant. I believe I had Chicken Fajitas, which was nice although not as good as Audrey's.

After Breckenridge we went to stay in Denver, to check out her home town, visited various places and did lots of American things. I had a brilliant time and can not wait to go back there. 

Breckenridge Empty Slopes

The slopes here are amazing, and completely empty. A bliss to ride on.

Powder day

After some fantastic sunny days the weather has changed to full on snowy, bringing with it a fantastic powder day. Boarding down the runs towards the mercury superchair is awesome, empty slopes, fun snow, i could not ask for better. Also practiced riding fakie so that is coming on well too! Here is to the rest of the day!

American breakfast

Grenola for breakfast.

Breakfast at American Diner

Early morning breakfast in american diner, next to the super six express chair lift.

20 minute hike above highest lift

After hiking above the highest lift point in the states this is the view. An initially scary decent but was well worth while and snowboarding skills are approaching something nearing skilful. Another major bonus was being bumped up to the highest snowboarding group, guess i must be doing something right.

Breckenridge - Imperial Express

New Snowboarding Technique
On this vacation I decided to take some lessons, just to check my technique out, aparently I was doing (as most Snowboarders do a lot of things wrong). Always remember to lean forward, stand perpendicular to the board, and close your stance, i.e. your chest should be pointing at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, in a Homer Simpson belly out style (on piste, not fopr deep powder technique). After the instructor told us this, it became aparent that 90% of the people are snowboarding incorrectly, using the "Fear" stance, leaning back with belly pointing down the slope, this is incorrect, and after days of trying the correct stance I am now able to board faster, safer and under much more control.

Highlight of Second Day
On the second day the instructor took us up to the top of the Imperial Express, which is the highest lift operated terrain in the USA. However after getting off the list, he decided that this wasn't high enough so we walked for another 20 minutes further up the slope. It was worth it, the views were fantastic, and we then snowboarded off the top. This is the closest that I have come to the footage I watch in most of my snowboarding videos, the steepest, smoothest terrain I have ridden down. It is making me smile just thinking about it. On the picture it is the little bump the the left of the lift top, you can just see a slice moving diagonally from right to left where we entered this slope.

Beautiful Breckenridge Weather

Well just having the second day of lessons, went to the peak in the picture and tried to ski some blacks. They were ok apart from the bumpy ones. American resorts are fantastic in that the busy days are very quiet compared to europe, and everyone knows how to queue here. Going to spend the next five days putting into practice what the instructor has taught us. We are so tired that every night we are in bed by 8.30 and up around 6am, but it feels good. Well off to practice jumps, fakie, and 180s. Lfn!

Arriving In Style

After travelling to Whislter in similar style, a limo seemed to be the only way to go to get to Breckenridge. The funny thing is that it doesn't cost that much more than getting a taxi, so why not travel in style. I could highly recomend the company that took us (Front Range Limos: www.denvercoloradolimousine.com), as they were the cheapest and it came with a free, yes free bar.

Fantastic Condo in Breckenridge

Arrived at condo in Breckenridge. Amazing facilities, got up at 5am and going out for walk, kinay! Looking forward to trying out the mountain at an estimated -15oC LFN.

Red Mountain Here I Come

Well I am getting quite excited at present, the thought of spending 11 weeks at one of the worlds best snow resorts is well just too damm exciting.

Where I am staying

I am staying in a little town called Rossland in BC, Canada (http://www.rossland.com). Which is close to Red Mountain (http://www.redresort.com/). I will be there from the 5th Jan until the 23rd March, completing my 1 (and hopefully 2) CASI level snowboard instructors qualifications.

Resort Descriptions

The resort sounds fantastic here is a description I found online:

"The resort is made up of two mountain peaks, Red and Granite, both rideable 360 degrees around, offering an awesome variety of lines. There are wide open groomed pistes and a good terrain park but it's the off-piste terrain that gets people stoked on Red. "

And another good one:
"Aficionados claim this funky, old-fashioned cult resort at the old mining town of Rossland provides some of the most exciting and challenging tree and meadow skiing in Canada. Hard-up, would-be heli-skiers adore it - a day in this part of the Kootenays is like a day's heli-skiing without the helicopter."

I cannot fu**ing wait.

People Coming To Visit
There are certain times on the course where I will be busy completing my course qualifications. The CASI ( Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) exam course date are as follows:
Level1: 14th - 16th Feb
Level2: 14th-17th Mar
The group I am going with recommend this company (www.frontier-travel.co.uk), phone on 0208 776 8209. So feel free to contact them and mention "NonStop SKi and Snowboard".

Kinay Kinay Kinay
I guess what I find exciting about this resort is the fact there are no lift queues and that you can ride the mountain 360 from the top. This is something I have never experienced before and the unlimited amount of runs on the way down should be kinay kinay kinay.

Out in Coventry and Leamington

Know what I'm sayin'. Spent a night out in Coventry then Leamington. The bars panned out like this:
1. City Arms - Earlsden - Wetherspoons pub - enough said.
2. Millsy in Earlsdon cool hip-for-Coventry bar.
3. Then got a cab to Leamington and went to three bars I can't remember the name of.
4. Rios, which by all accounts was a major meat market.

However there was a good bunch of us out so it didn't matter where we were really. And they played - and I danced to MJ. From left to Right on picture; Kim (Sister) , Michelle (Australia) , Audrey (USA), James (Bubbenhall) , Gene (Me). 

Lynton 2005

I have just spent a fantastic few days down on the North Devon coastline, with Ian, Laura Bohdan and Marla-Sophia at their current home town Lynton and Lynmouth. The whole area is fantastic, with beautiful scenery, loads of outdoor activities, great walks, and great surf. I don't think I have ever met a couple that cram as much into their day as these two. I had a wicked time down there, and look forward to living or visiting down there at some pomint in the future.

This is easily illustrated by our Saturday Itiniery (5th November).
7.00 am: Roll Call
7.30 am: Leave For Barnstaple
8.00 am: In Swmiming pool for 15 lengths (me).
9.00 am: Shopping and Cappuchino
12.00 pm: Visit school and take a look at the ground
3.00 pm: Back home quich change out to Woolacombe Bay
3.30 pm: Woolacombe Bay Surfing (Awesome).
4.30 pm: Hot chocolate in Red Barn at Woolacombe bay.
5.30 pm: Back home for tea
6.30 pm: Leave for fireworks display.
7.00 pm: Fireworks.
8.00 pm: Back home paned o de.
9.00 pm: Bed

This is all done with a 5 year old (Bohdan) and Marla (12 weeks). Awazing!

Nice hat

With my upcoming departure to Canada, I decided to pick up a new hat to keep me warm. Why a fur hat you might ask, who cares I answer as long as it keeps me warm - if only life was that simple. Whereas wandering around the streets of the fashion conscious (not in a versace way but in a cutting-edge-fashion-student style) streets around Spitalfields, wearing such a hat is a given. The hat would have to be a lot weirder to stand out around there. Adding an indian indian chief's headdress and wearing a dress would barely get me noticed. These are not the writings of someone who is complaining far from it, I love the attitude that anything goes because it is as far away as possible from the thing I detest the most - The Daily Mail, the people who read it and the depressing BS it spews out into the nations psyche. It is a shame that although I have worn the hat around my home town (Coventry) I wouldn't do all the time for fear of being harassed for not dressing in a chav uniform. 

Cardiff Reunion

I am sure I have already blogged this, but it maybe one of those temprary bloogs that you never get around to publishing. I left work on the 30th September; left WestLB not work, I am still working; and this corresponded to a reunion in Cardiff for my university friends.

On Saturday we went for a walk on the Breacon Beacons (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog), which I presumed would be a "gentle stroll in the park", however as we were bing led by a hard core Geography teached ended up being more adventorous (in a good way) than expected. Neverless I felt again like the typical urban fool that turns up at country events in the most in appropriate gear. Result one pair of new ruined Diesel trainers, wet jeans, and a throughly enjoyable experience. Especially the trip behind the waterfall pictured above, in which we were soaked through. Only on the way back up did Muttley suggest that we should have done it in our boxers, mental note for next time. 

Louie babysitting Conran

So cute

Babysitting Louie

Louie and me watching Spider-man 2 on Saturday.

Friendly closure

My second Icelandic visitor was Sigurborg Anna Hjalmarsdottir (my Ex), we split up over a month ago, and in helping with the reconciliation, closing the relationship, she came over to finish things properly. I have had a good 4 and half years with this crazy thing ;-), and am genuinely happy to have been out with her. We had fives days of relaxing, partying and chatting. We were both sad to say goodbye, because who knows when we will see each other again. But I am glad that we have remained friends, not for any hope of reconciliation because I am passed that, but just to ends things well and to be a good friend to her. Thanks Bogga!

Science museum musings

Occasionally there is a working-class mentality that it is wrong, rude, or non-British to blow your own trumpet. Today I am going to break this rule by referring to an article which was recently published in "The Independent".

http://education.independent.co.uk/higher/az_degrees/article26922.ece

The essence of the article is guide to the degree of Civil Engineering and the stars of this subject in the UK. Here comes the trumpet, my course, PhD and subsequent research, is one of the 4 highest rated departments (5*) in the UK, and on a very short list of academic stars in this subject, my supervisor, Prof. B. I. G. Barr, is one of them. Looking for a picture to illustrate this fact is a recent picture of me at the Science museum in the UK.

Another new Jones!

Kims new baby. I love this picture of Kim and thebaby because she has an innocent look of happiness about her. Either that or she is tired after 12 hours in labour. The baby's name is Conran Evan Angel Peake. He was born a month early (puhh I am coming out) on September 4th at around 4pm.

Waiting for Kim

I am sat in the waiting area of Coventry's Walsgrave hospital. It is 15.15 and Kim, my sister, is due to give birth in about an hour. I am tired after staying up until 0500 with Andri and Kolla, however this pales into insignificance compared to Kim's 12 hour labour stint.

Andri and Kolla visiting

Wanting to use mobile technology and wanting to report my latest visitors has led me to post this report from camden. Live from my mobile out an about around some old haunts.

Last day in work for a while

Last day in work for two weeks, yippee!  Although it is not a positive influence to be happy when you are not doing something you don’t want to do.  Therefore the only answer is to do something you enjoy, period.  It also requires a certain amount of relinquishment on the things that you think you want such as unnecessary gadgets, Versace wallpaper, Porsche 911.  However if you have tried something for 8 years and still have found no answer, then the best idea is to look for it elsewhere.

A wise man with a “elongated dorphal appendage” said to me today w.r.t. my new found state of singledom:

“A flying dove is a beautiful thing to watch soaring to ever higher heights, however if you tie two doves together, they fly no-where.”

Perhaps it was just because they were his words, or perhaps they connected within, however they were pleasing to hear.

Blu - Hoxton Square

This was taken in Blu (Hoxton Square) on Friday 28th August teh day before Andy luckily drew me in golf. I have to say it was a good night, and one of the best games of golf I have ever played. Definitely in my top 10,000 best games. ;- )

What is stopping you?

Some say that the idea came to me whilst reading the threads on Goneboarding.co.uk, others say that they gave me the idea. They may well have but my mind has been a little off track as of late. The idea is that I am going to do a snowboarders instructors course, however after mulling it over for a few weeks, I aw this sign in a urinal in a local bar (The Vibe Bar), and i thought, "Gene What is stopping you?". The answer, obvious as it sounds, was my own fear of going on the course, strange environment, new people, but doing something I have a passion for. These are NOT valid reasons for not doing the course, so the next week I booked myself on to it. Kinay Kinay

Start of Copenhagen trip

Waiting as usual in s and m for stuart.

Local Anti-Terrorism Graffiti

Local anti al-quaida graffiti.

Well Hello

With the imminent release of Google's video blogging software I have decided to reinvigorate my interest in the products of this Apple'esque innovative company.

I am now going to attempt to publish some pictures using Picasa.

Here goes nothing..

You don't need a stamp

At a recent trip to the Aquarium with becky and Louie we saw this picture, which I presume is of Triton the Greek god of water. Anyway this picture reminded dus of dad because of two amusing catchphrases.
1. "You don't need a stamp"
I think whilst I was at university I forgot to send mum a mothers day card. Anyway on the day I enrolled Kim (who was about 8 at the time) to write a card for me, placed it in an envelope to look as if it had been sent by myself. Kim had the bright idea of putting a stamp on the card, so she though she'd ask dad for a stamp. About this time Dad had become addicted to playing the Super Nintendo, not sure which game, but he was playing when Kim asked for a stamp. Whilst asking Dad, he lost a life on a particularly high level, and shouted at Kim "YOU DON'T NEED A STAMP". The phrase has stuck ever since.
2. "You won't be saying that when you want a tenner"
Typically used by Dad when mickey taking.

Louie playing the piano, this video makes me laugh eveytime I watch it. I guess it is the expression on his face when he plays.

Here is a picture of one of my ex-girlfriends, Bogga, she is sat with Spongebob (Anna is on the right). I have only just started watching Spongebob, introduced to it by Louie, such a funny cartoon.

Lake Tahoe.
Not a lot I can say about this holiday but LFN LFN LFN - amazing time.