The Danger of Driving in Devon

I now officially hate driving around Dartmoor and Devon. It all started last March. . .

If you recall from my blog entry back then, I went to the Dartmoor Spring Meet in Plymouth. As this was my first time there, I was using my car's sat nav to get around. Unfortunately, the sat nav tried to take me down what I now term 'cow paths'. . .one lane roads with no shoulders to pass. I really hate these roads. I find them dangerous yet locals fly down them. So, instead of following the sat nav and taking the quick route to the meet, I decided to go the long way around which took me right through Plymouth. Mistake.

As I was excelerating to go up a hill, I came down the other side fast and 'boom' - a safety camera got me. (These are the fixed cameras all over England that just sit there and collect drivers each and every day. I wonder how many millions they've 'earned' from these things?!) Of course, at the time I didn't realize I was being tagged, but about a month later a notice came in the mail.

I think it was about 60.00 for going 39 in a 30 zone. So be it - I speeded, I pay the price. You have to send your license in with these fines, so I sent in my Texas drivers license and my 60.00. Shortly after that, they came back. My fine was returned and I was given notice that I was potentially driving illegally and I would be 'hearing from them'. (Actually I wasn't. The law is that you can drive for up to a year on foreign license before you are required to get a UK one. I was well within my first year here, so I was legal.) But, darn, this didn't sound good.

So, time ticked on. April, May, June, July, August. Then boom. In August, I received a new letter. A court summons. What?! For a speeding ticket?! I was required to be in court in Devon in October, or I could plead guilty by mail. Oh brother. The new problem was that I hadn't gotten my UK license yet. Now I was illegal and they wanted my license again - I couldn't risk sending the foreign one. Quickly I researched getting a license. I would have to take a theory test and a practical test. There was no switch for a US drivers license for a UK one which I thought was what I would have to do. I would have to start at the beginning. I hurriedly sent off for the Provisional License. The first step. With this, I could now sign up for the theory and practical tests and I was more or less legal.

The theory test didn't seem to be too big of a deal. I figured I better get a little book to study or check around online. Thank God I did! This little test was MUCH harder than I would have assumed. In the US, I could have (and have) taken the theory test with hardly any studying. Its not too hard. Really. Not true in the UK. They do a hazard portion which I found to be quite challenging. At least I now know that English drivers are much more safe than US drivers - you have to fairly competent to pass these tests and drive around here. So, I sweated it out, studied and shot off to Guildford for the test. An hour or so later, I found out I passed. Whew. Stage 2 done. Could I get the practical done before I had to send back this court summons?

The short answer is no. Timing was all wrong and I couldn't schedule the test in enough time to get all my documentation back. So, nervously, I sent back my notice with my new provisional license (as least I passed the theory and it said I had up to 2yrs to pass the practical after that - maybe I would be okay afterall) with thoughts of getting a suspension and how would I get around and get kids to school. . .booo. I was equally nervous because they required me to fill out an income statement. My fine would be based on 'if I was able to pay'. What???!!! How unfair is that? What happened to just a standard fee?! How much would I get charged anyway!

Last week was the court date. I pleaded guilty by mail so didn't have to attend in person. This week I got all my documentation and license back. The verdict? 325.oo fine + costs equal 400.o0 total!! and 3 points on my license. Part of me was relieved it wasn't worse, and part of me was so mad at the fine. Have you heard of anything so ridiculous! For speeding. Yes, I should be fined, I admit that, but let's not get stupid with massive amounts like that. Foreigners get fined extra I guess - only the English pay the proper amount.

I've since purchased a speed detector for the car. It's a really cool one - it automatically downloads as you drive any new info on current working speed cameras from their database. Yeah! Hopefully I'll only see one of those monster tickets. I don't think we can afford too many of those at these prices.

And who said the local councils were poor after losing their money in Iceland?! Between pay and displays everywhere and massive speeding fine amounts, they must be making out like bandits.

Ok, well, maybe I'm a sore loser. . .

Some New ARGs to Try

Want to try out some new Alternate Reality Games AND help out a charity at the same time? Check out these two:

http://www.tracesofhope.com/?gclid=CIuN49e2jZYCFRKS1QodW1FLFQ

www.operationsleepercell.com

Wanted: Clothes for the Rest of Us

Every once in a while I run across a funny website or blog that either makes me laugh, tweaks my curiousity, or just seems to hit the nail on the head. After having a depressed moment with clothes one day, I found myself looking on the web for some articles on fashion for the non-stick figure women. (You are aware that it has repeatedly been said that the AVG size for US women is 14/16 - no runway models there.) Anyway, no matter what your size, we all have to find things to wear. But I thought this article about what designers are doing on their end was quite interesting. And the comment about whose bodies clothes are designed for, funny (sorry to all my thin friends out there!). Well, at least it made me feel good for a while. LOL. Anyway, if you fall into the 'yes, I'm carrying a little more baggage than I would prefer but so what?! category', then read on and see if you can relate:

http://www.uppercasewoman.com/wastedbirthcontrol/2007/10/fat-fat-fat-fat.html

September Time

Well it is now autumn in the UK. Winds are picking up. Leaves falling everywhere. Temps dropping slightly, but not too bad. Maybe I'm just adjusted to it now. :)

This time of year from Oct to Christmas always seems a bit manic. Lots of new things with kids and school. Birthdays galore in November. Then we're back to the states for Christmas! Yeah! Hopefully we'll see some snow and get some skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, and ice skating in. Whew.

I have done no letterboxing at all since my last trip to Dartmoor. And haven't ventured out for geocaches for a while now. I'm not even sure I'll be the fall meet in Dartmoor this year. It gets dark so early around here in the winter - like 4pm - that it really hits into your available time.

As I've reported on one of my last few entries, I've gotten really involved with Second Life in my spare time. I thought it was initially like The Sims and mostly for 20yr olds. But there is the whole spectrum of people there from every walk of life finding their interests. I think I must be so drawn to it because I really love visual communications. Graphics and printing are my background so I'm just in my element with SL. I've decided to write more about my adventures there, but couldn't decide it I wanted to clog up this blog or not. I've finally decided to keep this blog as it, and create a new one. So, if you want to keep up with my Second Life, check out: ripleysaunders.blogspot.com

Finally, a website I've found to be enjoyable to read: www.darkroastedblend.com. No, its not about coffee. It just has the sort of 'bits and bobs' (as we say around here) I like. Check it out and see what you think.

Madonna!

After 20+ yrs of Madonna, I finally got to see her in concert. Yeah! A long trek with delays to Wembley Stadium in N London via Waterloo (remember what I said before, 'all trains lead to Waterloo') and we finally arrived - completely missing the opening act.. Whatever it was. We had good seats. Madonna was great. Obviously working out 12hrs a day by her looks. She sang, danced, played the guitar numerous times (does she REALLY play?), and chatted to the audience off and on. We were there nearly 2hrs. The only thing I didn't like was this trend with 40+ celebs - they feel the need to suddenly loudly voice all of their social, political, environmental, etc. beliefs. Many of her new songs were of this vein. Yawn. But other than that, a great show. And they had the roof open which was really great - even after all the rain we had, it stayed clear last night.

And, while waiting for her start, a scan around the stadium revealed a few notables: Fergie, Gweneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Penelope Cruz.

Good to see all the Americans in attendence. :)

Putting Your DVD Movies on Your iPhone

Time out for 'TeamKing's Technical Corner'. This episode reviews some software that allows you to put your DVDs on your iPhone to watch.

Since I already listen to my music, podcasts, downloaded TV shows, and one or two purchased movies on the iPhone, the next step was getting my own DVD collection on it. Obviously the memory can't handle tons of movies on these phones, but you can certainly put a few on there. I have about 3 or 4 on mine now along with a few hundred songs. It all fits.

Anyway, putting a movie on the iPhone requires some software to make all the conversions and get the correct file type. I've tried a few different programs. The problem is always the ease of use - most just seem to be a bit complicated. I hate software where I have to go to the manual or users guide to figure out or remember how to use it! Boo.

Finally, I ran across this software and it works like a charm. . .Aimersoft DVD Ripper. It costs $39 but you can use the trial copy which stamps the words 'Evaluation Copy' over the movie if you want to try it first. Since I have a Mac, I was glad to find it works with both PCs and Macs. The best part is that it is so easy to use.

Open up the program.
Insert your DVD movie into your computer. The program will automatically scan the disk.
Then it gives you a quick how to on the screen:
Check over the files on the DVD (this is where I like to delete anything but the movie!)
Check the Profile at the bottom reads: iPhone 3G Video MPEG (mp4)
Put in a title if you want.
Then click Convert.
Viola! The program copies the dvd to a mp4 file.

Now you have to get it to your phone.
If you have an iPhone, you must have iTunes. (No if, ands, or buts. Get iTunes.)
Open up iTunes and drag your file into the Movies folder.
That's it!

Now, next time you sync your phone, your movie file will transfer to your phone for you to watch under the iPod icon.

Enjoy!

New Fun & Games

Well, the end of summer is here at last. School starts back this week. I'm another year older. And we're starting year 2 of living in England. Whew.

Summer vacation was 2 wks of fun. We did Disneyland Paris for 4 days. Then back in the UK, we went to: Legoland, Chessington World of Adventure, Coral Reef in Bracknell, Drusillas Park, the London Eye, and the London Zoo. I think of this group, our fav was Chessington. It had the most rides which seems to be the biggest kick.

For my birthday, I got one of the new iPhone 3Gs. Yeah! I really loved my Palm, but this iPhone is cool. I just found some of the new geocaching applications for it, so once I'm up to speed I'll report back on that and let you know how it goes.

And for even more fun & games, I've really gotten into Second Life. (If you haven't tried this before, you should definately give it a go. This is where many future games, socials, and business will head - into the virtual world. Doesn't cost anything to start. But you will spend some money on all the extras down the road - only if you want - like clothes and such.) I'm really enjoying it - have found and/or tried: scuba diving, skydiving, golf, horseback riding, yacht/sailing, cars, pubs, searching for the Loch Ness Monster, skiing, skating, flying helicopters & planes, RPGs of various sorts like Harry Potter/Hogwarts, finding worlds withing this world like mermaids, elfs, gors, etc., and visiting cities from around the world and then going to 'Washington' to discuss politics. Oh, and driving around on my chopper. lol. I mean, it is endless! A neat way to meet people, or just wander about on your own exploring which is more my speed. And celebs are slowly getting into the action - U2, Aerosmith, tons of new bands, and various politicians and others all have been there.

I've tried finding both a letterbox and a geocache in Second Life. More about that in another post.

So. . .its all fun and games for TeamKing - as always. Anything fun happening your way? Let me know if you have any comments on iPhone or SL. Would love to hear from you!