American Christmas: Christmas eve

Another early start - we were woken before 6 AM by noises outside, it sounded like heavy rain.  After a while, when I am properly awake I decide to call the credit card company.  Robert suggested Skype.  Great idea, I ran the sound test, but my microphone is not working.  It has the same problem as my Windows 7 laptop at home - two microphones on one device and neither working.   I tried deleting the device and restarting, but the problem is not cured.  Back to the phone.  I call and get an answer straight away and after the inevitable security grilling I am told he has no idea why the transaction was declined, and that it will not happen again.  I struggle to believe him. The call costs £6, mainly because it was answered straight away.

As we eat breakfast there is just the sound of rain and the occasional blast from the heating. It is quite dull, an odd atmosphere.

At last we begin our journey to see Roberts family in Douglasville. It is a 90 minute drive away.  On the way we see a wrecked Christmas in the shape of a badly damaged car on the median (central reservation).  There are no barriers on the interstate between the carriageway and the median.  The car is being recovered, but there is next to no delay to the traffic flow. Happily we are not involved in any incident and reached Robert's mother's house safely.  After a greeting and a few minutes chat we moved on to his brothers house for lunch.  We had Brunswick stew and barbecue - a tradition, and very pleasant.

In the afternoon we went to the mall to look for the shoes that Mike wanted us to get for him.  It was busy, but nowhere near as crowded as it would be at Lakeside.  Here I was asked to talk more because they love the accent, that was the first time it had happened to me, and would happen another twice during the day.  It was also the first time I have been asked for ID while making a purchase.  At least the card is working. There is a roundabout in the mall - the first I have seen - what confusion is causes, despite the signs ( OK, perhaps just 'yield' is not enough).  Roundabouts are everywhere in the UK, and definitely improve traffic flow.

Then off to Lithia Springs Baptist church for the candle lit service.  Its a long time since I've taken communion outside my CofE tradition, this service was very different. As with all non-liturgical service there are elements that are missing or hard to locate.  Here I missed the confession / absolution, but I won't let that ruin the experience.  The choir sang some of the songs, and the congregation sang some songs with them. The strange and uncomfortable thing for me was the applause at the end of the choir items.    We occasionally get applause at Christ Church when the children have done something - usually as a 'volunteer', and I'm not really comfortable with that, but they are children and it is good to make them feel that extra bit special.  As adults we should know that all we do in church (and outside, but that's a different debate) is done to glorify God.  We should not be seeking the approval of people, but of God (Gal 1:10), so by extension we should not be giving it. The sermon was good, the opportunity to speak to those who attend rarely was well taken and the message about who Jesus is and what he has done (died for our sins) clearly presented.  Communion was a very different experience.  Small pieces of purpose baked bread were distributes among the congregation, and eaten at the same time by all. Then small cups of wine were distributed and drunk at the same time by all.  The words that Jesus used were repeated, but there was no attempt to bless the bread. This is a good thing, as it reminds us only of the act and is therefore a purer act of remembrance.  What is lost is the sense that we are all eating from the same loaf.  We sang 'Away in a Manger' to a tune I didn't know.

After the service we went to Waffle House with Robert's friends and their children.  Waffle house is always open.  It is a diner - so you eat at tables or the bar.  We had to wait for adjacent tables to become clear.  The food is basic, but satisfying. We ordered a big plate to share - we tried hash browns, which are very different for the English version, less formed and stuck together, and grits. Grits has a strange feel in the mouth - hence the name, and a bland taste. In that respect it is like porridge, and like porridge it is normally eaten with something added.  Jo didn't like it, but I did.

Then there was a long foggy drive back to Auburn.


Things I like about America - in no particular order 
Police and recovery teams don't block the road.
Shops don't close at midday on Christmas eve.
Large churches, well attended
Being English here

Things I don't like about America - in no particular order
National Rifle Association
Drivers who don't understand roundabouts

American Christmas: Start of Christmas

For Jo and I this is not a strictly true title, we had Christmas with our family before we came for our two weeks away, but I'll go with it for now, as it is true for the trip.

I was woken at 6:10 this morning by a flashing phone, carefully put on silent to allow me to sleep.  My credit card company was calling to check that my card had not been cloned. "Press any key on your keypad to continue" I did. Nothing happened.  It read me a number.  I called it back, I do not need my card blocked. I failed the security check, so had to phone in again.  The CVV or expiry date had been entered incorrectly twice - trying to buy from Walmart on the web, then going by their call centre because they can't take foreign credit cards. The calls from my mobile cost £20. Some of the information I was given was completely wrong.  This is not a good start to the day.  Poor customer service!
The day got better when Karen made breakfast. Pre-cooked  bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes with maple syrup , cinnamon cakes (from a tube)  and filter coffee.

Then we set off for to Callaway Gardens, it wasn't known by the GPS, perhaps I got the zip code wrong, anyway we chose something close and followed the signs from I85. My credit card was declined at the entry booth, so I had to use the expensive alternative. It reminded us of Centre Parks, though it was much bigger, with driving from place to place an essential element.  We took a look around the horticultural center, where I learnt that the Mediterranean habitat is the most threatened and the most diverse for plant life in the world.  Then we went to lunch.  A long queue and only one person serving.  So the service was slow, the food basic, but acceptable.  The real attraction is the butterfly house, which we visited after lunch.  After that we went to see the birds of prey display. The birds seem to enjoy buzzing the crowds.  Finally, the pioneer log cabin.  I took 105 pictures in all today.
We did not stay for the light show, it was too expensive, but we did see some of the lights on the way out. On that basis we were all glad we had chosen not to stay.
Just down the road (8 miles ish) away is FDR's little White House.  Sadly we were too late - it was closed, at least the route back was now different from the route there.
Once back home Karen cooked tea and we had the start of Christmas as we opened presents from the immediate family.
I missed attending church, but we have had a good day with Karen, and an enjoyable evening with Karen and Robert.

Things I like about America - in no particular order
Showmanship

Things I don't like about America - in no particular order
Tourist rip-offs (I don't like them anywhere).
Adverts on TV

They really shouldn't do that

Perhaps I should post this entry at annoyances.org, but this is about people not computers. The first two are quite serious, the last one isn't (for ME that is).

1 Doctors receptionists
I had a letter from the doctor saying my bone density scan was due -it isn't. I was going to reply, but it isn't a priority. Someone spotted their mistake, and phoned to tell me about it. Patient confidentiality? What's that then? They told my wife! Just supposing she didn't know, just supposing she was just a house sitter. They didn't check, how can they be sure over the phone anyway?
Medical message over the phone to unknown recipients:
They really shouldn't do that.

2 Credit Card companies
This is far more serious. My son wanted to change his car insurance, so he called the company and got a quote. Later he called them back to make the change. He phoned me to say was it OK to charge it to my card again. I said "Yes, its OK." So the charge went through. I did not speak to the Insurance Company, and there is no record of the cvv code being given - because it wasn't. Just how is this a properly authorised transaction? I may well try to find out.
"What have you got in your pocket?" as the tag line goes. Well if it one of those be careful that its not being used by someone else!
Improperly approved credit card transactions:
They really shouldn't do that.

3 Prospective Mother-in-laws
This is another one sided bus conversation that I tried really hard NOT to listen to, but there it was in my right ear. Someone, who is planning a wedding to Andy spent the whole journey talking to her mother about his mother. His mother is insisting on a number of changes, to the venue, and to the guest list. To invite people that she hasn't spoken to in years. This is such a big disappointment to the prospective mother-in-law that she is going to pay for the extra guests herself and as a result of the trauma will be seeing a phycho-analyst. Her (the prospective mother-in-law) life is in ruins and her family is irrevocably split. The wedding she says is nothing to do with the couple, it is the responsibility of the two sets of parents.
This is just the one half I heard unwillingly. I would recommend a psychiatrist, and some family therapy. A quick conversion and the power of real love would help a lot too.
Parents taking over their children's wedding:
- They really shouldn't do that.