Stuff This is a long weekend in the States with Labor Day Monday which signifies the end of the summer although the weather is pretty nice here in the Windy City (85 according to my weather chart) at the moment, pity the same can't be said for Florida, which must be awful for the people down there.

It has been nice to just do nothing and relax after travelling loads recently resulting in forever playing catch up at work and being really, really tired. It does seem like I spend most of my life on planes or waiting for them. I worked out that I have been in my 'new' apartment 8 weekends and each one has been mad, half of which I have been overseas.

This week's TV and media was taken up with the Republican Convention in New York where President George W Bush's Thursday night 'Stand with me' speech (clearly not written by 'Dubya' himself) was the highlight. We had tears, smiles (he always seems so pleased with himself), winks and a few self criticisms, "You may have noticed I have a few flaws, too. People sometimes have to correct my English," he said. "I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it". Um, think that is not the only flaw George. Invading countries for no reason at all is one other that comes to mind.

Thursday was a tough day for me. My son started school on Thursday 4,000 miles away. As a parent it is probably one of those days that you need and want to be a part of, I obviously wasn't. However he spoke excitedly to me on the phone afterwards. He loved it. According to my ex, whilst other kids cried and clung t0 their Mum's he went and sat at his new desk and wondered what all the fuss was about. I guess, some of the things he has been through and conquered in his little life have held him in good stead.

I watched the England game yesterday - like my fellow exile New York Addick, it also cost me 20 bucks for the pleasure. How many times have we seen David James make crucial fuck ups like that? I know goalkeepers get more scrutiny than most, but surely now is the time to establish Paul Robinson as our number 1? And maybe it's something they put in the water over here, but like NY Addick I wonder what has happened to David Beckham. He was no threat in possession at all, either looking for a free kick or just needlessly giving the ball away. There were certainly no signs of his acknowledged leading by example qualities and surely Sven can't go on picking him (at present) because of his dead ball qualities? Portugal, Turkey, hello?

I see that huge club Southampton are in the news again with the story that Rupert Lowe is considering employing the ex England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward. "We are interested in learning about the techniques he used to win the Rugby World Cup." (more) Plenty more long balls then. And Millwall have unearthed another gem in Graham Stack. Perhaps he will end up at Aston Villa next season with that other twat.

Charlton fan blog mania has hit the web. There seems to be one born everyday. Among them are Roehampton Addick, the off-the-wall musing's of Reet Smoot, fellow exile New York Addick, Wyn Grant's Addick's Diary (exiled in Leamington!) and Goodbye Horse who has come into the warm confines of blogger after standing outside the fish & chip shop for years. Dave at Forever Charlton calls it the re-emergence of the fanzine days. I don't know about that but it's certainly a wonderful new medium and an excellent way to put dreams, worries, thoughts and pub talk down onto paper (sic) to either share or for ones own piece of mind. To all Charlton bloggers - Keep it going.
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