Day 59 - Swim, Bike and Run

Sunday June 14th

I did it! A very respectable Top 100 finish and a very quick 3 mile run to finish. I have to admit I was not in the best of moods at 5.30am when Kevin picked me up, a mixture of fear of the unknown and leaving Mrs N the day before moving. All that disappeared when we jumped into the lake at 8am. It was a mad dash and my plan to breathe every third stroke and get into a rhythm disappeared out the window immediately. Never train for a triathlon in a warm swimming pool! I ended up doing breaststroke for most of it and emerged ahead of Kevin.

I nearly screwed up the transition by getting on the bike too early but settled down and quite enjoyed that until the turn and managed to slip the chain twice. That made me more cautious and a bunch of bikes went passed me. I felt tired at the start of the run but after overtaking about 10 runners, I felt much better and ended up picking off 40-50. I did 6:26 minute miles so very chuffed! What an unbelievable experience.

Got home and chilled out for the rest of the day, helping Mrs N and we kept the yard sale going for latecomers.

I did a triathlon! TICK

Day 58 - Yard Sale

What a mad day! Up early to set up with dark clouds hovering overhead. Thank God Chris and Aristea came to help otherwise we would have been swamped. The sale went really well. There was one mad hour from 9 to 10am when almost everything went. After that it was just a steady flow of customers. We made about 80% of what we aimed for and very little of any significance was left by 4pm. All our friends came out to support us and I suspect there were a few sympathy buys!

Alice's last game of the season and I left it til now to lose my cool. They played a very strong Pleasantville side scoreless until the last couple of minutes when Nell gave away a penalty with her trademark arms up flinching. This was bad enough but the fact that the referee had not called any of the girls on both sides doing exactly the same thing all game made it much worse. So we lost 1-0, Nell cried, Molly cried and we made the referee cry. I'm not proud of that, well maybe a little.

Finished off with a farewell BBQ at the Nolans and I sneaked away early to rest up ahead of the big race

Day 57 - The Calm Before The Storm

Friday June 12th

Today definitely feels like the calm before the storm. Tomorrow is yard sale, triathlon Sunday, packers come Monday and we close the following Monday..

Kevin and I went for a final swim/bike combo at the gym. It was raining again so couldn't get out on the road. Having suffered the jibe one too many times about "getting ready for all the rain in England", I went and checked the rainfall statistics for Hastings and Winchester. Surprisingly, Hastings gets 20 more inches than Winchester in the average year. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Must be all in June!

Alice had her end of season pool party at the Gross house. Mercifully the rain held off and we got through some beer and the awards ceremony. Alice won Player of the Year. Astonishing given who her coach is :-)

Day 56 - Waterlogged Fields...Again

Thursday June 11th

Didn't get up for track work today so I reckon that counts as bard karma. Sure enough it rained all day, YouTube continued to frustrate me and Alice's final soccer practice was cancelled. Boo Hoo.

On the positive side, we have put together a totally unnecessary but very satisfying spreadsheet of all the items we are selling at the yard sale. We are aiming for $2,000+ so let's see how we get on on Saturday

Day 55 - Perfect American Teeth

Wednesday June 10th

I fear I am leaving way too much Maths til I get to England but I'm having way too much fun to focus on that right now.

Ted had his braces off today and I was there to witness the unveiling of his perfect American teeth. Poor kid has had them in for 15 months and poor me has had to sit and watch him eat with them at the dinner table.

We got tickets to see the Mets v Phillies at Citifield, the new stadium. It was very impressive and prompts me to list my top 5 live sporting moments in the 7 years we have been here. Here we go:

#5 Giants Stadium: Jan 2009 in the snow, sub zero, tailgating with Ted and his friends at play off game v Eagles
#4 Fort Worth: April 2005 guest of honour at Bull Riding event when the whole family was parades around the ring at half time
#3 Watkins Glen: August 2008 boys weekend away with Anthony, Peter, Craig and Jim with beer and cigars and the whole race on top of the pit box
#2 Fenway: July 2006 scorching hot day and we sat just by the Green Monster
#1 Daytona 500: Feb 2006 slept and partied in the infield. A magic weekend

Day 54 - Avoiding Hard Labour

Tuesday June 9th

Today I promised to help my bride organize the house for the yard sale and packing, under a week away. I did not fancy this much so I went off with Kevin to do some more training - swim and bike. Ended up doing the bike at the gym because it was raining...again. We biked for 30 mins which was very dull and watched the other people on the gym. I cannot understand why people go to a gym unless they need someone to make them exercise or they want to watch others/ be watched. What possible reason does anyone have to run on a treadmill when they could be on the aqueduct in the fresh air?

Managed to focus on a few chores when I got home but I sense I need to be more engaged.

Day 53 - I hate YouTube

So this is why I hate YouTube.

I create, with no prior experience, a 20 minute video edit of the Ragnar Relay, using some great music tracks to bring the whole thing to life. I even manage some transitions, slo mo, special effects etc. All not bad for a technophobe. The winning video gets free entry to Ragnar next year so I'm doing it for the team.

I go to post on YouTube. They limit videos to 10 minutes. This is fair enough and I should have checked so I spend another couple of hours editing the 20 down to 10 mins. Not easy but removing most of the slo mo works. I upload again. It works!

5 mins later I get an email saying that the audio has been removed because one of the music tracks infringes copyright. I read up on it. This seems fair enough but annoying so I go through all the approved tracks, select 6, BUY them on iTunes and re-edit the video. Not as good but acceptable. I upload for a third time. It works.

5 mins later I get an email saying that the audio has been removed because one of the music tracks infringes copyright. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE if all the tracks are on their approved list? I get angry. I resolve to contact YouTube to plead my case. No way of contacting them (of course). Irant and rave to anyone that will listen. Everyone has stopped listening as I'm becoming a little obsessed with the video.

I am spitting mad by now having spent the entire day on this. There is nothing I can do about it so end up posting it on Facebook and letting someone else worry about how to enter it into the competition.

As for YouTube....

Day 52 - 2003 Nostalgia

Sunday June 7th

Had a farewell BBQ today. A beautiful day so we were all outside with great food, wine and badminton. It was definitely a nostalgic trip back to 2003 when Gregor, Paula, Geoff, Hillary, Tomoko and Kanau all lived in Dobbs Ferry and we would go over for all day parties in their front yard - chicken wings, rice balls and the only thing missing was beer can chicken.

Day 51 - The Holy Trinity

Saturday June 6th

50 days since I left work. On the one hand, it seems like years ago that I worked at Diageo, a distant memory. On the other hand, I can't believe that the time has gone so fast. We've packed a lot in but now it's a week until we pack up the house, 2 weeks til we leave the house and 3 weeks til we leave the US and start our new adventure.

But first we have to go through the leaving process and that is not going to be easy. I have been thinking about our leaving party and what to do for it and think I've come up with a corker. I just need to find the time to prepare for it. Not so easy.

The Holy Trinity - England won 5-0 in their World Cup qualifier, Ted won 2-0 and then Alice won her game 4-2. A perfect day and then I did something really stupid. I finally did a beer mile. I not only came in third out of three but the Guinness really did not sit well by the third lap........however I have now got rid of the bad karma of advising my brother to drink Guinness for his beer mile.

Day 50 - Jean Georges

Friday June 5th

I almost caught up and now I'm a week behind again. Now we're in June, things are moving so fast, each day is effortlessly blending into the next.

I managed two consecutive days of Maths and was having fun proving that the bisecting diagonals on a rhombus (no really, I was absorbed by it) when Kevin came over and forced me to go running. It was pissing down so we ran to the gym, swam and then ran back up some very steep hills. A full 10k so that was worthwhile.

This evening, the Smiths took us out for the most unbelievable dinner at Jean Georges on Columbus Circle. Funny that it took us 7 years to find the best restaurant in Manhattan - Eggs Caviar, Foie Gras, Halibut, Steak, Cheese and they even had a bottle of Bergerac on the wine list. We got a town car home and I think I was digesting for the next 24 hours. The Smiths have been such wonderful friends and neighbours to us ever since that first week when we were struggling with the house, the kids, the moving van, the heat (where has that gone...it's been raining and cold for the past few weeks)

Day 49 - Busy, Busy, Busy

Thursday June 4th

Not quite sure what I did today but I do know I was exhausted by the end of it. Probably something to do with trying to keep up with a bunch of 12 year olds the previous day.

Clearly not enough recovery time as I declined the offer to run two fast miles with Peter and Mike this morning and instead opted for one lap repetitions...upper legs feel very sore.

Some Maths this morning but mostly admin. I am very excited about the surprise game I have planned for Ted. A complete brainwave (though I say so myself), I am organising a testimonial for him between Eastern and Ted's All Stars. Ray confirmed that we can use Holy Child and he has ordered some Eastern shirts for it. Looking forward to that.

Excellent practice tonight with the girls and then straight to Ted's concert. Not quite the same as Alice's, possibly because Ted is not quite as committed to music.....

Day 48 - Training With Eastern FC

Wednesday June 3rd

Spent a little time in Middle School in the morning and then all afternoon with Greg doing some Pre-Calculus (aaaargh!!) and then working with his 10th Graders. That was very satisfying as I started to interact with the students and help them with their Geometry. Overall, a very rewarding 2 days - just need to collect it all in evidence against the dreaded 33 Standards.

Went to Eastern practice and they let me play with the boys. I was in heaven for 2 hours - took me a while to get the feel of the ball and turf but by the end I was running around like a kid. Me, a grown man of 41. Not sure Ted was particularly impressed though.

Day 47 - Hastings High School Maths

Tuesday June 2nd

Spent the entire day with Greg Stephens in the High School chatting to him and observing a few classes. The aim of the day was to immerse myself in some Maths rather than observe the teaching itself. 

I scared myself stupid because it reinforced what has been at the back of my mind ever since I made the decision to do Maths. My subject knowledge is poor - not in the sense that I can't do it because I can. The issue is that I am not an intuitive mathematician. This means that I can do it when I spend the time to learn a subject and practice it so it becomes second nature.  That's going to take time and effort. Precisely!!

Having said that I did spend an enjoyable day in class. Ellen was positively delighted with me at the end of the day so that was nice. The more I chatted with Greg, the more comfortable I felt with his approach. I will take alot from him.

Alice's concert tonight and it was all going so well until Mr Rubino decides to bring some flowers out and ask Alice to come to the front of the stage. He proceeded to tell everyone there how special she was and how much he and Hastings are going to miss her and the whole family. Didn't see that one coming.

Day 46 - 30 Days Until We Leave

Monday June 1st

30 days until we go. I cannot quite believe that the countdown chart I started almost 2 years ago is in its final stretch. I vividly remember sketching it out when we were on holiday in Yosemite. I was very close to miserable after 8 months in a job that was leaving me cold and I simply did not want to go back. The countdown was a way to channel that feeling into a workable plan and it seems to have worked.

Lots of Maths today and then a complete focus on the Ragnar video. Remarkably, I pulled it together and took a frst edit along to our team outing on the waterfront. We drank some beer, smoked some cigars, ate some burgers and everyone seemed to enjoy the video. A few more edits required but very pleased with my first attempt at editing.

Big Day Tomorrow

Day 45 - Pentecost

OK so we need a time check here. It's now Sunday May 31st and we make it to church for the first time in ages. I actually quite enjoy the occasional visit. Having had 10 years of organised rammed down my throat at school I am not the most tolerant church goer but ever since Ellen asked us to go I've sat quietly and contemplated. I squirm uncontrollably during "The Peace", which requires interaction but other than that I keep myself to myself and enjoy the calm.

Today does feel like calm before a storm. I'm not sure I can afford many more days of just enjoying the day as it comes. "The Big Move" is looming large and I feel the urge to make lists. I think we are well in control, well at least Mrs N is. 

Day 44 - Bore Draw in Morristown

Oh dear...not a good start to the weekend as we drove over an hour to see Ted and his team do everything but score on a baking hot turf field in Jersey. The parents always need something to complain about...I actually think they played a solid game considering they had 5 of their best players not there.

Drove back via Burger King and then back in the car for Alice's game in Briarcliff. This was a completely different kettle of fish. The Olympians passed and moved like Barcelona and ran out 4-2 winners with Miss Alice providing much of the creative spark. A hot afternoon so Rob made good on his promise of free ice-cream until the police bounced the van for being on school property. Spoilsport.

We also arranged to see Chris, Aristea and Oban while we there. I got some NASCAR tickets for Chris on his birthday so they are off to the Poconos next weekend. Now NASCAR is one of those peculiar addictions I have acquired since being here. I do not like cars much, I care not for Formula 1 but NASCAR got me hooked from the moment I set foot on Fontana Raceway in Feb 2005. Funny that. Unfortunatley I will need to follow it on line back home but that's OK.

Dinner out with the Tarricones, Kolberts and Wilts was very enjoyable but ran out of gas by about 10.

Day 43 - 6 weeks

I cannot believe it is 6 weeks since I left work. I've been having a fantastic time and with the exception of falling horribly short of my earnings target Mrs N and the kids have enjoyed having me around. I feel very relaxed. I feel fit as a fiddle. I am very very happy.

Having said that, I am slightly concerned that I have barely started Year 8 Maths. The good news is that I am being meticulous in my note taking. The bad news is that the Maths is very straightforward so far and I am dreading the Year 10 and above stuff.

After the "Crying at Ellen's Softball" incident I am also becoming acutely aware of all the things I am going to miss when we go. Examples include coaching Alice's footie practice tonight. While I am sure I will be doing this when I get home, I will be starting all over again and will need to prove myself again in an entirely different environment - ie - I won't be the only English guy who knows the game! I will also miss just walking through our town and bumping into people I know, whether for a chat or just a "hello". That all takes time to establish and is much easier in a town of 8,000 where we are different v. a town of 35,000 where we are all the same.

Day 42 - Big Night Out

Stood watching the boys run out of the window with a cup of tea in my hands...bad boy but I was feeling a little tired and emotional after my swim and Guinness fuelled afternoon yesterday.

Got into the swing of things with a solid 2 hours of Maths and then started to get organised with the Ragnar video. Somehow I volunteered to edit the whole thing so tinkered with iMovie all afternoon. It's not so hard.

We have also sorted Fred for the 2 months she will be staying here without us. Due to a clerical error, Fred the cat did not get her rabies shot til February. She needs to be here for 6 months from that shot for her not to be quarantined when she flies over so.....Tim has offered to have he goes on vacation and then we need to find a lucky friend to take her to the airport and hand her over to Continental for her "unaccompanied minor" flight home. $700 for a cat. There are humane alternatives.

Headed off to Greenwich for a farewell do with wives. Dan, Mark B, Mark S + the wives that Mrs N has met and got to know since we've been here. After 7 years she really hasn't engaged with the social side of corporate life and hardly knows anyone. That makes the change that much easier but it was nice to go out with a few and reminisce about Hawaii, Loudon (NH) and Gleneagles. Great meal and desserts to die for. We played a few rounds of newly weds and the Buttling "what does Dan towel first after a shower?" question was priceless.

Day 41 - The Day Man Utd Fans Finally Shut Up This Year

Nothing whatsoever to do with my journey but today was Champions League Final and I made the trek in to Manhattan to drink Guinness and sit with smug Man U fans while they won the Champions League. Barcelona obviously did not read the script and I kind of enjoyed watching them go quiet.

Earlier in the day I had done a big swim workout at Riverside. I still feel like I'm drowning most of the time but in the end felt good.

I had lunch with an ex colleague to catch up and left feeling good about my Diageo rehab. She actually met up with the old team for dinner when they were having a meeting in Norwalk the other week. That is too much. I remain interested in the numbers, the people and the success or otherwise of some of the things I have left behind unfinished but I shrink back in horror at the thought of going out with them all at a business meeting. 

Day 40 - Quiet Day At The Office

Not much going on today other some serious studying (no really) and helping out at the Eastern tryouts for a few hours.

The dollar is tanking right now and hit 1.60. This is not good news as we budgeted at $1.50 so we need to focus on what it is rather than what it could be. That's me the eternal optimist.

I made the decision to force the issue on spending time at Hastings High School. Kings want me in class from July 7th and I have left the conversation with Greg Stephens open ended. I got in touch with him and we are all set for some observation next week. 

Day 39 - Memorial Day

Am reading A Rumour Of War by Philip Caputo about the Vietnam War. Very very good. Astonishing descriptions of his year as a Marine officer  in 1965. It's Memorial Day.

5k run with Tim followed by pancakes. He posted about the run on Facebook so I think it made an impression on his lungs and legs.

Very lazy day in the sun and completely forget that Alice has a laser tag party up the road. Ellen is babysitting and Ted is off at the pool. No kids in the house! What shall we do?

Over to Kate and Kevin's for a BBQ and spend a very enjoyable few hours there. It's fun to watch our lot play with very young children. Reminds me of when all they needed was food, sleep and attention.

Back home and what weekend is complete without a visit from the Tarricones and Wilts. Sit up for a long chat and twilight game of badminton.

Day 38 - 1 for 7

Another day, another game. Back up the road for Game 3 and things improve, except for the result. Elson does not make an appearance but the boys play hard against Ironbound X-treme (now there's a great team name) and look like they can get the win but nothing goes in and they nick a winner after Brian drops the ball. 0-3

Head home and straight off to Scarsdale for Alice's tournament. Things are not looking god after games 1 & 2. Horrible defending to lose 1-4 (Alice scores a lovely little tap in..thank you very much) and then 0-1 against a Rye team we should have beaten. 0-5 on the weekend

All smiles after game 3 when the promise of free ice-cream leads to a 4-2 victory. The last game ends 0-3 against a strong Manhattan team but the girls don't care, they have their ice-cream.

A busy busy weekend ends in Tomatillo for a family dinner. Everyone in good moods. Cherish it

Day 37 - Soccer Politics

Very early start today as we head up to Lagrangeville for an 8am kick off. Ray is coaching the U15s, Danny is late and we play FC Westchester. The parents are restless and turn on the boys as they struggle to contain a very strong FC side. Danny S comes over at half time to scold them for negative behaviour and I add my two pennys worth. The mood is savage as we lose 5-0! I feel bad for Steven and Chavo who have to drive 2 hours back to their tournament in LI. Ted has a cracking header that flies over the bar.

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat these two imposters just the same..."

I love these two lines from Rudyard Kipling's poem, If. Our inability to do this is corroding, especially when it comes to kids' sport

The parents meeting goes well and Ray gives some back to the parents and we head back to Hastings where no-one comes to pick up the swingset so we turn round and drive an hour back up to the tournament for another beating, this time 2-5. This one was avoidable  - stupid mistakes turn a great comeback into a loss. The mood is not good as we head back.

Day 36 - Appointment in Yonkers

9.30 appointment in Yonkers was very short. One look at my old job title and salary and the lady asked me to sign on the dotted line and leave. A little awkward but had to be done.

Finally got to show the kids their TV commercials. We met over lunch with some of the parents so in the end it was better than trying to fit in alongside all the other mentoring groups. I think they liked them...I felt proud of their efforts. Five 1 hour sessions is not much time to do what we set out to do. 

Alice went off for the weekend with Bridget so I coached her team without her there. Ellen was out so it was just us and Tiny Ted. Big weekend ahead.

Day 35 - First Tears

Just couldn't squeeze any Maths in today as Kevin and I attempted our first bike-run transition. The bike went well and even the hills felt a little better although we almost got run over going the wrong way up a one way street (why would the driver look our way turning into the street!!). Things changed when we got off the bike. My legs felt like heavy heavy puddings. We still managed sub 7:30s but very funny sensation.

Mrs N and I took Debbie out to Tomatillo to celebrate her birthday. A cold beer, enchilada and hot sun later I was having a little afternoon nap. Very underrated these days but heavenly.

Wandered innocently up to Hillside to watch Ellen's debut for the varsity softball team. Oh my! The coach and captain gave little speeches about Ellen and how great she's been on the team. She blubbed, I blubbed, Philippa blubbed. I can feel myself welling up again now. If that's a sign of things to come it's going to be red eyes all the way to June 30th. She went on to get a hit, a run and a walk. My baby bear.

Tonight was the Safety Council meeting where some nutter proposed taking down the chain on Fairlane during the school run. She dressed it up as being about safety but her agenda was a quicker drive to work and back. Lazy b*tch. She didn't have a hope as she was vastly outnumbered by the militant residents of South Drive. Her husband's name is Randy Paradise. That has to be a porn star's name, surely.

Finished off with some darts at the Tarricones. I just cannot lose at the moment and Mr Tarricone is not happy about it. Serves him right for buying me that copy of Zen Darts.

Day 34 - Mr Nichols, Marketing Consultant

Headed up to Norwalk to return Mark's power washer and take Stephanie out for lunch. Stopped off to buy my very last BAP - 2 6 packs of Smirnoff Ice Light (launched specifically for Mrs N but looks like she was the only one drinking it) and Guinness 250 (my bonus is counting on that selling). Another milestone passed.

Had a long chat with Mark and shared my theories about being able to quit working at my age, provided you have enough capital to pay for a house, car and the necessities. I wonder how little income you can actually live on and then balance that with no stress and the time to do all the things you've ever wanted to do. It doesn't cost me a bean to run or spend time with the kids or read all the books I've ever wanted to. He suggested I write a book. I wonder

Lovely lunch with Stephanie on the terrace and we caught up on everything. I hope they come and visit us. I think they will. Looks like the new job is working out.

Arranged to meet up with Rob and Tom in Darien and three hours later I had done my first paid work as a consultant. Just like that. I was late home but Mrs N was pleased that I had made a belated dent in the financial goal she set me in April. Unfortunately I had failed miserably to set an hourly rate for my services. Much eye rolling.I can't say I enjoyed it that much, especially the Diageo related conversations. I feel this ennui washing over me as soon as we start. Green & Black is a little better but I think it's part marketing, part pursuit of the money that bores me. I was born to be a man of leisure.

Stopped in on Eastern practice and caught up with Ray. I then had to talk Chavo's Dad off the ledge as Danny had been a little aggressive in his attempts to get the boys to the game on Saturday. Don't know for sure but they may be there for the first game against FC Westchester.

Day 33 - My Last Vote Counted

Back in the routine of running at 6.15am. Felt very sluggish but I reckon this kind of discipline is going to be so important when I get back and start teaching. If I can't get the basics under control I'm going to struggle. As my very expensive executive coach kept telling me at work, I have to find ways to bring order to my day otherwise I just leave the stuff I don't want to do until the last minute and that piles on the pressure. For some reason, running has helped me focus on other stuff. Maybe getting up at 6am in the dark when it's below freezing and snowing makes everything else seem easy.

Did some Maths today - first proper foray into Year 8 Maths and had some fun with prime numbers. Yes, I said it...fun with prime numbers. I even started to investigate the rules of divisibility and why they work. Got a  little ahead of myself.

Went along to vote for the school budget and caused some excitement amongst the blue rinses in the gym with my accent. We won't have that when we go back...just one more English voice in an ocean of them. The budget got a yes so my last vote counted.

Nipped up to Chappaqua to meet Tim for a coffee and advice about his business idea. I'm going to step away from it as I think he wants me to do more than I have time or the inclination to do.

Day 32 - Woodbury Frenzy

This week did not start very well as I left myself too little time to burn the DVDs for my Hillside mentoring group. This was just stupid as I had done all the hard work the night before editing their ads. I was very pleased with myself because I had added titles, soundtracks and everything but screwed up the simple bit. That will cost me as a teacher.

Anyway, I weaseled out of it (and the story has a happy ending later in the week).

No work today as Mrs N and I headed off to Woodbury Common to stock up on polyester drip dry shirts and clip on ties for school. Only kidding, DKNY and Calvin Klein for me. We spent lots of money we don't have and I found the whole experience exhausting, much harder than running a 24 hour relay.

The news came through that we came 14th out of 64 in the Ragnar. Wow! didn't expect that

Day 31 - Post Relay Blues

And so the post Relay blues begin.....not really

Still on a high all day today and other than feeling tired, my body recovered very quickly.

Having said that Sunday was very forgettable. Lazy and forgettable except for...

Alice's two goals in soccer

Shaved off the facial hair....much better

Having to deal with the fall out from Ted's cancelled game on Saturday

Day 30 - Sleep Is For Wimps

This has got to be one of my best days ever, especially as I got through it with 0 sleep, all 24 hours....a throwback to the good old Johnnie Walker days of flying to Asia.

We tried to sleep under the stars in Beacon but there was way too much noise so I just lay there and gazed at the stars until it was time to go. I ran my second leg from Fishkill and it was crazy. 3.15am, dark and a nice swirling mist so my light reflected back into my face. At one point I had the surreal sensation of thinking I was still running uphill but my body was going downhill. I just couldnt see that i was up and over the hill! A good run, not great, 7:29 minute miles

Rested up as the sun rose and enjoyed the ride into Peekskill where we almost lost Kevin. He ran a tough leg up to the High School and then Van 1 took over again. By this point we were well over an hour ahead so feeling chipper although fatigue started to really kick in. We rode down to Armonk and tried to rest but just as we settled down the lawn mower started and then we got kicked off the car park. 

The last 6 legs were a blast as we knew we were getting closer and closer to the finish. I felt bad as Mike had a nightmare hill to finish his leg and that turned into a nice down hill for the start of mine. I pounded the 4 and a quarter miles for 6:50s. Would have been quicker without a pause for directions. As I approached the finish, a kid started to run with me and it took me a double take to realise it was Alice. Brilliant! Big sweaty hugs.

The guys ran their hearts out to the finish and Mrs N joined us at Scarsdale. We finished in 24 hours and 37 minutes in Van Cortlandt Park. Incredible feeling that lasted the rest of the day. I even managed to go to a party that night and survived til midnight

What an experience

Day 29 - Ragnar Relay Part 1

The day has finally arrived. Frantic last few hours before Rob picks me up in the Happy Camper Bus. A real buzz as Van 1 heads up the I87 until we hit traffic and almost miss our start time. We are saved by Bill driving like a maniac.....

The day goes in a bit of a blur but the team operates like clockwork. I travel with Van 1 until the handover and then switch into Van 2, aka Orca. We pick up time on every leg and I run 7:17 min miles for my leg. Beautiful run through the woods but a killer hill at the end which kills my splits.

The race gets very interesting as we hit night time - out come the miners lamps, day glo jackets and flashing brake lights. This is actually the scariest part so far as we are travelling through high traffic areas at night on major roads. We hand off at New Paltz and head for the I84 diner for a cold beer and food. Part 1 accomplished, now for some sleep under the stars.

Day 28 - Four Weeks Growth

Progress report on my beard growth is not good. Four weeks and there is certainly enough for a 'tache but the beard part is distinctly patchy. I keep wanting to shave it off but Mrs N tells me to leave it. Another week tops.

Fully intended to do a couple of hours this morning but went for a run instead. By the time I was ready we went to Costco to stock up for the race...are you getting the drift. No work today.

I am actually very excited about the race although my fellow team members think I'm taking it a little too seriously. We shall see.

Packed my bag and finished off the cheat sheets for all 36 legs - quite proud of that I am. No Maths though (unless you count the Excel spreadsheet to calculate our projected time!!!)

Day 27 - Rot

I persuaded Mrs N to come out with me to finish the last 6 legs recce that Kevin and I did not do yesterday. The mood was very different as we were bickering from the start...a very different experience from yesterday. I think Kevin and I are made for each other :-)

Got home and John has exposed the damage behind the back steps. It's not too bad, just some water damage and no termites. The engineer came and was happy with it so we just need to pay for the repair.

Can't seem to settle down and start on Year 8. It's this relay, it's all consuming right now so will have to put down the protractor til next week. Got confirmation from Kings that they want me to work the week of July 6th in the school. That will be a bit of a rude shock if we only get back on June 30th!

Booked our flights back and decided that we would camp in the rental for a few weeks before the furniture arrives for St Edmunds. M&D went round to the rental and mowed the lawn for us and we agreed that they would come and pick us up with a big van at the airport. A fitting way to return after 9 years away!

Day 26 - Final Recce

Left early to complete the Ragnar Recce. We got the course changes last night and they are significant. We are going to have to move runners around which is not great. Kevin and I drove up to New Paltz and got through all the night legs by about 3pm before heading home. Some nasty twists and turns in there. Spent all evening writing up my notes so that the team could have their cheat sheets for Friday.

You guessed it, today was a Maths free zone.

Day 25 - Contract Signing

Today was a momentous day as we finally signed the contract on the house. I guess there is some good karma as I have no idea why we get to sell our house while so many out there are still on the market. This is the final financial piece of the puzzle so that we can buy our house in the UK, leave my pension plans in place and live hand to mouth for a couple of years until my salary improves and Mrs N goes and gets a cracking job. I love it when a plan comes together.

Tonight we had our final meeting before the Ragnar Relay. Over at Kevin's house and we discussed the final running order and logistics. I think it's finally hitting us what we are taking on this weekend.

Day 24 - Mother's Day

A very relaxing day as no sport and we attempted to spoil Mrs N. First up were pancakes and then Ellen and I put together a 3 course dinner of tricolor salad with mango/tomato/mozzerella, followed by slow roasted pork loin with a pomegranate glaze, all polished off with raspberry creme brulee.....yum yum

Day 23 - Waterlogged Pitches

Struggled out of bed for 7am run..last big one before the Ragnar. Didn't want to push much below 8 min miles but David was running strong so hung with him. Ended up with a couple of 7:10s and felt sluggish.

A very quiet day today due to lack of football. Alice's game was cancelled due to waterlogged pitches but we got some sun today and lots of wind so they should dry out soon.

Had the Tarricones over for dinner and lots of drama with EKN...priceless memories. Got the firepit going but the wind kept changing direction and was a little troublesome.

Stayed up to watch Darlington and Jamie run top 5 until...he got tagged. Will his luck ever change so he gets a decent run? He definitely has some bad karma somewhere.

Day 22 - Year 7 Completed

Today I finished the Year 7 text book. At this rate, I will be done with Year 11 in 12 weeks time which would be perfect timing. I know I can do more, there's just so much else to fill my day with.

Long Skype with M&D to catch up on all the news. Mum was a little taken aback by the growth on my face...I could have sworn she was laughing but maybe she was crying about how her little boy is all grown up. I think it was the former.

I don't remember anything else about today except for an evening at the Tarricones playing darts and drinking Gold Label. Scary

Was meant to get the contract to sign today but didn't come through.

Day 21 - The Drought Starts Again

Bugger! No excuse this morning as I didn't get up for running and then zombied out in front of the Mac all morning with not much to show for it except for a couple of items on Craigslist and a Latte. Spoke to Dad who is back from 2 weeks of rain in Italy. It's everywhere.

Mrs N has decide that I need the discipline of lists so she is writing some for tomorrow. She's probably right as today is the first day when I felt aimless and unproductive. This is not a good thing as the next stage is a vegetative state. I did manage a run in the pissing rain. I felt quite good so went at pace for 6 miles - 7ish minute miles. Ran out of puff and my thighs were burning (still from the football on Sunday) but pleased with the pace I managed.

Went up to the Ragnar manager's meeting in Peekskill which was OK. On the plus side, I got to see the Feders briefly and catch up with them. I will miss them.

Colonial Day at Hillside today....look at my angel!

Day 20 - The Maths Drought Ends

Finally some Maths...got stuck in early and managed two hours this morning. I was definitely in the zone but Mrs N distracted me and before I knew it the kids were home from school and I was wandering aimlessly around the house.

Actually went around to see Bob today who is 2 weeks on from his latest surgery. He didn't look great but we sat and chatted for a while. Took my backgammon with me but maybe we'll play next time. I'll try and get him our for a walk when the rain stops.

Went over to Anthony's to listen to a pitch on Amway business. I was curious as to how it works but as I listened I realised that I had no desire to get back into any kind of business right now. It just leaves me cold even though I know we could do with earning a few dollars. Cold cold cold. I just want to focus on my new world and not think about the old one. That will be a  very interesting attitude if this Green & Black thing comes off. Anyway we played darts and I won 3 zip. A very Zen Darts moment

Day 19 - Brooklyn Bridge

Out early for a run and we made it to Ardsley Station with lots of moans and groans. Fully intended to do and hour of Maths but then got stuck on trying to download the last CD for Rob. In the end I gave up and we got the train into the city and all the way to Brooklyn.

Weather continues to be atrocious but Mrs N and I had a very leisurely trip round the transit museum (very disappointing lack of authentic subway wall tiles for us to take home) and I remembered my Godson, Tom's birthday was coming up so got him a t-shirt.

We then walked across the bridge in spitting rain and I made it all the way up to 45th on foot to watch the game at Nation. Man Utd were 2-0 by the time I sat down so that was the end of that. Not entirely a waste as I saw Paul and celebrated birth of his daughter with a fat cigar and finally got to try a pint of 250 only 11 days late. Dangerously drinkable. Didn't talk about Diageo....well not much, only about whether we were on track to get a bonus!

Home in time for dinner - feels like old times! 8 days with no Maths

Day 18 - Blue Stickers

Legs definitely a little stiff today so may give the football a miss until after the Relay! More pottering this morning as we went around and stickered everything that is not coming with us. It starts to get very real when every electrical item has a blue sticker for "Yard Sale"

Coach Dale left after lunch. We had a great time but too short. He has promised to come to our leaving party. More rain in the afternoon and started to get in to a very lethargic state. This is not good. Day 7 with no Maths.

Day 17 - Footie Tennis in the Rain

Up bright and breezy for a spot of early morning footie. Very enjoyable - lungs and legs in very good shape, shooting boots not so good. Headed home for pancakes and bacon and then on to the tennis courts for footie tennis with Coach Dale, Ted and Alice. As we played it started to rain but we had a great game with Alice showing some lovely touches....still beat 'em though!

Rained pretty much the rest of the day as we played a monster game of Trivial Pursuit and then all got in the car for a trip to Morristown to watch Ted play. Usual away game drama as we only had 9 on the pitch for the start but they eventually turned up and we won 2-0. Tidy job, boys.

Back home and a monster Spag Bol. Felt very bloated but happy. It's been 6 days since I did any Maths...bad boy!

Day 16 - Shaggy Comes To Stay

Managed to get up for our run this morning and finished up with a tidy 9.75 miles before heading home. Not very fast but good to get the mileage done.

General pottering today as Ted was at a Bar Mitzvah and all practices were off because of the rain. Should really have done some Maths but didn't so another day goes begging...looks like it's going to be a mad rush at the end again. That is so unlike me.

Delivered Peter K his new Surger unit and stayed for a chat about the move. We are certainly going to miss them and then a mad rush to get to Alice's game in Tarrytown which they promptly lost 3-0. Not happy.

Rushed back for Shaggy's arrival and had an excellent evening outside with steaks on the grill, red wine and the fire pit up and running for the first time in years. A great evening that ended with an Ellen episode in our bedroom at 11pm. Give us strength,

Day 15 - Soho House

No Maths again today as I went swimming. Again I was dreading second time around but in the end we did two lots of 20 laps non-stop, all front crawl, and it felt OK. Tried to breathe every 3 strokes which was a struggle but definitely helped the rhythm.

Took subway down to Meatpacking for lunch with Justin at the Soho House. First real foray back into business world and it was horrible. I walked into the place and everyone was glued to their Blackberrys. Couldn't get out of there fast enough although it was good to see the Hicklins and Michael Stoner was there.

Missed my train back but still managed to get home by 3.30pm and an hour's coaching with Alice and Sophie before the rain set in. Took Alice to ballet and had to tell Miss Jessica that we were leaving. She welled up and so did I

Evening at the Spensers which was very very funny. Great meal and then general chaos with all the kids including Ellen who was on good form. We even found the World Cup Final photos....finally

Day 14 - Engineer's Report

Bitched and moaned this morning on the track as felt very tired. Short work out but finished with a fast mile 6:02, not bad.

Engineer came today so we walked into town and chatted about the move back. We ditched my idea to go home via HK as the Brunners are going to be in London. Instead we will camp out in Nightingale Close until the new house is ready. I hope the kids will enjoy the experience. If not there's always M&D, Charles or Russell we can invade.

We sat and watched Ted's grade out on Reynolds while the buyers finished walking round the house. I took the long visit as a good sign, Mrs N as a bad sign!

No Maths today or yesterday. Work load has definitely diminished but so much else to do.

Day 13 - Lazy Day

Wasn't looking forward to cycling this morning but it cooled down a bit and we  ended up doing 17 strong miles including hills through Dobbs so felt pretty good. Helped Mrs N do some clearing up around the house before the survey tomorrow.

Drove up to Peekskill to give Mr Tarricone a lift back after dropping off his GTO at the garage. He showed me his gas station (very impressive) and we dropped in on his mate who has a storage facility for old, rare and fast cars. Always reminds me of Silence of the Lambs when I walk into a warehouse full of old cars with dust sheets on them.

Back in time to watch the last few minutes of the Man Utd Arsenal game with Mr Spenser then wandered home.

Day 12 - A Day With Dr Beglane

After a gentle early morning jog, I was picked up by Dr Beglane and spent the day at Family School 32 in Yonkers, NY. The objective was to get first hand experience of class room management techniques (good and bad) through observation and the day proved to be very useful.

I was a little nervous but soon settled down and took copious notes. The morning was spent observing 6th Grade and then the afternoon 7th and 8th Maths. I think I saw it all! Plenty of material to learn from and I was pretty tired by the end of the day. I ended up writing a 6 page report so that will go straight into the evidence file under classroom management.

When school finished there were may be 15 kids who came up to me and remembered my name. That felt good.

Weather continues to be very hot

Day 11 - Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

Had the morning to myself today so cracked on with a few more chapters of Maths. Managed over three hours today so very proud of myself. Covered a lot of ground and endured lots of abuse from Mrs N and friends about being in a the classroom.

Felt pretty tired all day with the heat and yesterday's exertions so fell asleep on the sofa at about 9pm and never recovered

Day 10 - The Leatherman

Nichols household was up early and I drove the running crew up to Pound Ridge. Conditions were very hot compared to last year but I made sure I was at the front for the start. Peter fell right at the start but recovered and we did the first mile in 7:45. He slowly pulled away but I kept a good pace up for miles 2,3 and 4 but felt very thirsty. Hit a bit of a wall on mile 5 and walked a bit..very disappointing but got it back together and finished in 54.08, 3 mins faster than last year.

It was a great turn out from Hastings, Dobbs and Diageo and we all shared a few pints of Guinness in the sun before heading home. Didn't need the Surger as the cans were all shook up from the car journey! Ted had lost his Cup game so a little gloomy and even more gloomy when Jamie gets taken out on lap 9 at Talledaga. Will his luck ever change? He's so off the pace now, perhaps even worse than last year and yet has had really good cars all season.

Went off for dinner at Blue Hill with Rob and Christa. Wow...incredible food. Set menu with no clue on what's coming we had 5 courses that were truly outstanding. Managed to stay coherent but very glad to hit the pillow that night. No work tomorrow. Makes Sunday night that much sweeter

Day 9 - Double Header

No run this morning as my foot is hurting so a little concerned about tomorrow.

Not much happening this morning but take Alice to her practice and then head out to Jersey for Ted's double header in very hot and sunny conditions. They boys win their first game 6-2 eith Ted scoring a blinder and then wilt in the second game, losing 3-1. Advised Ray to play Andrew at the back and he did very well.

Quick run back turns into a 2 hour crawl over the GW. If I had turned left instead of right I would have been home in 30 mins. Bugger. Missed the HEF auction which to be honest I was OK with as I wanted a decent night's sleep before the run tomorrow

Day 8 - Signing On

I think I did this once when I was 18 but never actually claimed anything. I vaguely remember a DHSS office in Victoria. These days it's all on line so I filled in my details and find out next week if I get some cash to oil my retirement.

No Maths today as Kevin and I drove up to Woodstock to scout the Ragnar Relay route in May. It was a glorious day and the first 12 legs are going to be on small back country roads with great vies in the Catskills. We ran out of time to do any more but finished up in New Paltz before heading home. The relay is going to be a blast but I am a little worried about Sunday. My foot is hurting  and does not seem to be easing.....hopefully it's psychological.

Today is the official launch of Guinness 250 celebrations and I have hardly thought about it at all. This date was etched in my mind  for months but now it's here I feel a million miles away from it. This is a good thing.

We have agreed a price and closing date for the house. Almost there.

Day 7 - Never Delete Before You Are Sure

Up at 6 for my track work out. Decide to take it easy with 4 sets of 400m with the hill and then 3 sets of 200m with negative splits. Finished strong.

At work by 8am and powered my way through 4 chapters before 10.30am. I am writing this on Friday and simpl can't remember what I covered. I have the retention of a leaky sieve. Good that I wrote it all down. Interrupted halfway through for a house sell update. Doesn't look great but if we sort this out by the end of the week we will be home free.

Very busy afternoon that started with me attempting to download the 3 commercials my mentor group shot on to iMovies. I screwed it up and lost the lot. First complete panic and door kicking of my retirement. Managed to shoot all 5 again and then show them what they had achieved in 5 weeks - from watching an ad to making one. I'm so proud of my 10 budding capitalists.

Back home and then out again to take coach Alice's team for an hour. We practiced "not being scared of the ball" with a bunch of drills. Much better from most of them but still too much flinching going on!

Rushed back for Quiz Night at the High School. "Flamingoes and Flags" looked great and did OK but never troubled the scorers. We had fun though and ended up with a beer and a chat at the Jaegers. 

I didn't get paid a cent for all of that and I was exhausted. Went to bed with a smile on my face.

Day 6 - Isosceles Trapeziums

I now know what an Isosceles Trapezium is. Well, I did this morning and now I've forgotten again. This is the problem. How the hell am I going to retain this stuff so I can teach it. I have decided to go back to the tried and tested model that worked for me at school and Uni. I am writing it all down in a textbook and will just keep going over it until I learn it. It got me 11 As at O Level.

The other excitement today was my first trip to the pool for the third triathlon discipline. We swam about 0.64 miles and it felt like 64. I just cannot do front crawl but know I have to. Not bad for our first swim but I think it's going to be the toughest part of the race.

It started raining this afternoon and hasn't stopped. Ted's cup game was postponed again so I took him to practice and got soaked again watching them train. Got myself a little 5-a-side work out at the end. I love playing against 12 year olds.

Completely forgot that we now have a Mac as our family computer. I lost patience with the PC and it is now up in Alice's bedroom devoid of any internet connection and with a clean reloaded Windows OS. Let's hope it lasts til we leave. The Mac is extraordinary. 4 pieces out of the box, ready to go in minutes.

Day 5 - Whisky Galore

Early morning run with the boys. Didn't fancy the hills today so a straight 6 miles. Big race Sunday so don't want to overdo it.

Couldn't get settled into the Maths as we were haggling about the house. Went to Stew Leonards instead and then straight up to Mt Kisco to meet with Evan and taste some whiskies for a small import company. I'm trying to persuade them to pay me for some consultancy work so I can meet my monthly quota of earnings from Mrs N. This one will be tough as I sense they want my help but don't want to pay. Evan did a great job with some fabulous malts, especially the Port Ellen, but unfortunately their best stuff is the limited bottlings of single malts and their blend was average at best. They promised to call but I don't hold out much hope. Consultancy lead #2 is also a long shot as I met Tim for a coffee to discuss that one. 0 for 2 today...back to the Maths.

The good news is that we got an improved offer on the house and provided we can agree on a closing date and the survey is satisfactory we will have sold the first house in Hastings for 6 months. Very scary.

The scotch tasting prompted me to get my scotch whisky books out again for a read. Good stuff.

Day 4 - Back to School

Today I sat down with Year 7 Level 4 Maths text book for 2 hours. I am aiming to do 2 hours a day starting at Year 7 and ending with perfect GCSE scores in 3 months. An easy start but the hard bit is putting myself in the head of a 12 year old who doesn't understand and explain the subject at hand in a simple and fun way.

What is algebra? quick quick, 5 second explanation...failed that one already. I know how to do it all, I just haven't got the pithy explanation on the tip of my tongue...yet

Mrs N and I made a list of jobs around the house to do today. She of course completed them all and I failed dismally. I did receive my two boxes from the office, one full of whisky and the other full of my old notebooks. Mrs N does not know about the notebooks and if she did they would be straight in the bin. The whisky is for gifting.

I decided today that I am retired not unemployed. It really does sound better and technically I have retired from one profession in order to pursue another.

Went to see Lily Allen in the city. Great show and I was impressed by her stage presence and vocals. I've really enjoyed going to gigs this past year or so, especially in the smaller venues. It pissed down on the way back to Grand Central. We walked back rather than got a cab which was fiscally prudent but miserably wet.

Got back to find out our realtor had called. Nail biting time.

Day 3 - No Sunday Night Butterflies

Finally I get to sleep in and it feels good.

A single viewing of the house today so we walk to Antoinette's just as everyone leaves church....whoops.

Alice's second game of the weekend and she plays like a demon, scoring one goal and marking their best player out of the game for large periods. I ended up as referee in my bare feet. That impressed the parents.

A little nervous about selling the house as the viewings have dried up, every other house is having an open house and the economic outlook is very gloomy with more foreclosures on the horizon. We do have an offer but we are $$$$s apart. Let's see what happens next week.

Sunday night - no work tomorrow and my stomach is not doing its usual somersaults before going back to work. 

Day 2 - The Sun Came to Visit

Up early for a 10k pace run although my legs didn't feel like it after the bike ride. A creditable 7 min mile to finish but 8.46 total. Ouch.

AYSO soccer starts this week and what a great day for it as I watched Alice's practice and then coached her opening Xtra game against their great rivals, the ADFH Silver Stars. They handed us a 2-0 beating which Coach Nichols was not happy about. I don't think it was the reverse Christmas Tree 1-2-3 formation that did it but it could have been the missed penalty and lack of communication. Or it could have just been the hot day and the other team played better.

Complete disaster on the Eastern front. Mrs N and Ted have gone to his State Cup game in Jersey and I get a frantic phone call at 5pm that the referee won't play the game because our coach, Ray, does not have his pass. I have told him a million times that I don't have his pass but will he listen?

In the end, the ref leaves, we play a friendly, beat them 5-2 (Ted scores) and the other team say they are going to find it hard to schedule the game again next week (Oh what a surprise).

I am craving a quiet night in but as soon as Mrs N gets home we are off to the Castle in Tarrytown for dinner with Rob, Tom and partners. It's a great night out and once again I am humbled by their high opinion of me and the gifts that follow - an inscribed "teacher's apple" with a quote from Einstein - "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge". Bloody hell, that sets the bar a little high.

In addition I get the most inspired gift I've seen in a long while - a miniature but fully functioning harp. Beautiful.

We get home and Ellen is not on iChat. Knock me down with a feather

Day 1 - What Shall I Do Today?

This is an attempt to record my journey from being SVP of Marketing at Diageo to a Maths teacher at a school in Winchester. I have absolutely no idea what I will be thinking and feeling a year from now so here goes....

I left work yesterday after 20 years in marketing, 15 at Diageo. Never more than 3 weeks (once for my honeymoon in '93 and once in '99 after Alice was born) away from an office in those 20 years. I now have 5 months until I start work as a teacher. I fear I have become somewhat institutionalised. We shall see

I kicked off the morning with the full back catalogue of Smiths songs. I thought this would be an amusing way of letting Mrs. N know that it's going to be fun to have me around the house during the day......mmmm, maybe not.

I also discovered that I can surge a pint of Guinness from the car. This will be very useful on Sunday when I am running a trail race with a shirt that says "Follow Me For a Pint of Guinness" on the back.

I have decided to do a triathlon in June so went for my first bike ride on a proper road bike with Kevin. I did feel a little like the kid in "Breaking Away". I had an old borrowed bike, borrowed gloves, trainers, shorts and t-shirt and a manky old helmet while Kevin had the new bike and all the professional biking gear. 14 miles later I had a sore rear end, hands and neck but felt like I had accomplished something. We bumped into Bob and agreed to start a new club - "the non-working men's club". We now have three members and will be using his hot tub for meetings.

That evening we went out with friends and toasted my new status. The dinner out was nothing to do with me it was for Bob who is going to have more surgery next week after years of pain. Good Luck Bob! I fussed about the bill for the first time ever.

We get home and Ellen is still on iChat. No change there then

Last night's final dinner with the DGUSA Exec...happy times