Fight or Embrace... The gun culture

For anyone who follows Piers Morgan on twitter (I appreciate this may not be many of you!) you will know he is always tweeting about the gun licence laws in the US and is very critical of them. Last week he tweeted this advert from a 'Moms' group in the US. I was so taken aback by the message of this advert I decided to do some more research on what the laws are actually like out here.

I'll start by saying I'm not wholly comfortable with guns, I have shot them in the past but it wasn't an experience I got a lot of enjoyment from. Matt has a gun in the UK, a concept again that I wasn't wholly comfortable with until I took a lot of reassurance from the process required to buy and own a gun. Forms were required, referencing completed, visits from the firearms officer including an interview. When we moved house, another inspection was completed. Matt was encouraged if he ever felt depressed, to sign his gun over to the police or a friend. I am not allowed to know where the key to the gun safe is kept. And the ammunition must be stored separately. All this made me feel very reassured about the fact a gun was going to be kept in the house.

America gets a lot of bad press about guns and seemingly quite rightly so. There's lots of shootings, some which don't even make the worldwide press anymore like they used to. The referenced tweet by Piers Morgan was the same day a four year old killed another four year old with an armed rifle found under a grandparents bed.

I decided to do some research into gun licences over here. I started with New York state, to see what the process was. I was quite surprised, on face value a long process is required to get a handgun. It takes several months and even more reassuringly you can't legally own an assault weapon in NY. It turns out that NY has some of the most restrictive gun licencing laws in the US, clearly we chose a good place to move to.

I wondered therefore what the fuss was about. So I decided to look into Texas, an area I knew which takes gun owning quite seriously. Texas has NO laws regarding the ownership of handguns, rifles or shotguns by over 18 without felony convictions! The licencing is around people's ability to conceal carry rather than own them. 

Many American's claim a right to own guns is covered under the second amendment and the National Rifle Association (NRA) are very defensive around gun licencing laws (or lack of them in some cases) and claim that they don't impact the mass shootings/crimes committed. I saw a great comedian over Christmas on TV though who I thought summed it up nicely 'If I give you my phone, are you more or less likely to make a call?'.

So, in conclusion, I could never embrace these gun laws. In fact these, along with another subject I will cover later in my blog, are one of my two big pet hates about the USA. How is it possible that a Kinder egg can be banned but a gun not?

Some recent photos

A Sunday afternoon beach walk where Bruno has his first swim

Ethan treated himself to a kitchen with his Christmas money

A cold (and damp) play date in the park

Ethan has his friend Lucy (and her Mummy and Daddy round) on Saturday

Holiday train show

Today my friend Kristin and I (with her son Nolan and Ethan) finally made it to 'The Holiday Train Show' at the New York Botanical Gardens. This was our fourth attempt being prevented by snow and packing before Christmas and this week not realising it was closed on Monday.

I wasn't sure what to expect but it seems to be something that most people do around here in the run up to Christmas so I thought it would be a fun afternoon out.

Here is the website for anyone interested:

http://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2013/holiday-train-show/about.php

It is a very random exhibition. It's trains running through some New York landmarks (which I believe are made out of all natural products like wood) within the setting of one of the gardens domes. However, Ethan and Nolan loved it and were upset to leave the trains at the end. Ethan despite not walking on his own yet, insisted on walking the entire exhibition holding onto my hand (I have a sore back now!) and then shared my Jalapeno crisps in the cafe, clearly a child for whom spicy food won't be an issue! And the day finished with me having to navigate my way home, from (and through) the Bronx in the dark in Friday rush hour traffic. But we did it!

Some photos from our afternoon are below.

Fight or Embrace... Sub zero temperatures

When we landed at JFK last Saturday after a lovely two weeks in the UK, the area was covered in snow. In fact the snow storm and impact on the US had made global news.

We arrived home to this: 

Poor Matt had to get the shovel out to clear some snow before we could get the car up the drive, not the preferred thing to do after a flight.

Then on Monday we had torrential rain and all the snow disappeared. I resembled a drowned rat post run, I won't share that photo with you!

And on Tuesday I woke up to this:

Just a little bit chilly then!!

So the question is when the weather is as it has been this week, what do we do.

Well on Tuesday I admit to being a cold weather wimp. Ethan and I went out to our morning appointment and came home and stayed inside. Poor Bruno went without a run. I even resorted to this (which I never do!)

(Ethan watching Sesamee St for the first time)

But come Wednesday morning it was clear Bruno was not going to skip another run (and rightly so). So we wrapped up warm and out we went. Admittedly it had warmed up slightly to about -11c but still blooming cold!

So we've had to embrace the cold weather, here's a picture of Ethan in his running gear. He even gets to sit snuggled under a blanket too!

Some wintery December photos

Some recent photos:

Rockafeller Christmas Tree

Ethan not liking the snow Part 1

Ethan finding his Christmas present (Mummy needs a better hiding place than behind the sofa!)

Ethan showing me his look of disgust at going running in sub zero temperatures

Trying to get him used to new headphones we've brought him for plane journeys

Hating the snow (part 2)

Our fake Christmas tree which Matt hates!

And finally Like Father like son..

Two months in...

Two months ago our plane touched down on the tarmac at JFK. I can't believe we've been here two months already! Before we came here (and I was worried as two years seemed like such a long time) Mum said not to think of it as two years but 24 months. On that basis we're already 1/12 through our scheduled time here!

It's been a fun two months and we're enjoying the US. Ethan and I are making lots of friends (I've recently been on two girls nights out without Ethan too!) and have a packed schedule with all the classes. We're enjoying spending more time with Matt at the weekend as the advantage of renting is not having any house or garden type chores at the weekend. Matt and I are also getting to spend more time together generally, we are filling this currently with obsessive watching of Sons of Anarchy, a great drama about a motorcycle gang and enjoying having WiFi fast enough to stream tv shows and films from Netflix. On the whole it is a very nice quality of life and one which we are very much enjoying.

We're getting to grips with the different culture. We (wrongly) assumed that the culture was very similar to the UK, but actually it is quite different, the language is probably the main common factor and this draws you into a false sense of security thinking that the US is the same as the UK. It's not a bad culture just different and therefore a great experience.

We obviously miss our family and friends. However with FaceTime and other means of communication the world is a much smaller place. Today I've FaceTimed all the Aspinall's and Matt most the Newnes'. Poor Ethan is getting a little bored of it although its interesting watching his awareness of it change. When we first moved out he seemed confused by FaceTime but now seeing the instant recognition on his face is a pleasure.

We also miss our network of (Ethan) support. For me to go out with friends, it means relying on Matt to get home which as most people know is a challenge! Matt and my date times will be restricted to when we have family to stay, I have considered getting a babysitter but would only leave him in the evening with someone who he has spent time with during the day and has a good level of familiarity. Plus at an average of $15 per hour a trip to the cinema could become very expensive! That said, I am loving all the time I am spending with him and enjoying watching him grow each day. He has settled in well to the creche at the YMCA so I am leaving him there 2-3times a week for an hour at a time so I can do classes which is good.

I can't believe we're a week away from our first trip home. When we moved Christmas seemed like a lifetime away and now its come round quickly. One of my best friends Seetal moved to California in January, when I told her we were going home for Christmas she said 'you'll find its too soon' and I didn't understand what she meant. But now I do. For the avoidance of doubt I CANNOT WAIT to see our family and friends, I've missed people like crazy, but it does feel like we're just getting into the swing of things and a two week break from it all seems like a long time. I worry about all the goodbyes and having to go through the emotional upheaval of leaving the UK again!

So overall it's been a great two months, better than we can have hoped for. We've had some fun times, Boston being a notable highlight, and now are enjoying our first proper winter snowstorm! I'm particularly looking forward to the next few months with February and March seeing the descent of the siblings with Will (Newnes) and Charlotte; Susie (Aspinall) and Matt and Lucy (Aspinall) all with reservations. Personally I'm looking forward to all the lie ins, we did tell you all that guests have early morning Ethan entertainment duties didn't we?!

Fight or Embrace... The basement

I've decided to start a new feature... 'Fight or embrace' where I take a topic/item that is different in the US culture and explain why we are embracing it or fighting it. A bit of light hearted fun and sometimes educational.

I've decided to take an easy one to start with, many of you will have heard me express my view on basements in US houses before I came over.

This is why I hate them...

The window. Yes, the window. The one where the bad guy always gets in whatever film or book you're reading. I won't deny it, I have an over active imagination. These windows freak me out. Before I came over I had no intention of ever entering the basement.

But then I unpacked Ethan's toys. And this is why I have had to embrace it:

The basement is now Ethan's playroom. A great space where he can create as much mess as he likes. And when we host play dates we have a great enclosed space for the kids to play in.

So, I have embraced the basement (well almost, when Matts away I still put a chair against the door!!!)