Photos-波士頓所見系列(3)

波士頓所見系列 (3)

Monday, February 20, 2006

Hype, Spine and 6 in 3

(刺激, 興奮, 脊椎部門, 還有 3 個晚上看 6 部)

Saturday was a relatively short day as I spent it in bed watching movies. Terrence Howard is fantastic in Hustle and Flow. It will be hard to decide to wins the Best Actor this year at the Oscars. After opening my eight packet of Raisin Bran in 2 weeks I noticed an irregularity in my cereal box which alarmed me. It came to my attention that there was grit on my raisin and when I tried to clean it I realised it was actually sugar.

After almost vomiting and emptying the packet I realised that every raisin was sugar coated to the brim. I wanted to be sick. I was eager for snow and was told that it should arrive that night around 1am in the Morning. When midnight came around there was enormous commotion in my street. I am not sure to this day what was happening but all the attention was fixated on the building in the next block from me. They had two of the ladders from the firetrucks going up to roof of this one building and everyone (including me) watched with morbid fascination.Sunday I woke up and looked out my window. It was snowing and the entire street was flooded with snow. Cars and roads were buried and it was amazing to see people trying to get by. The buses were still running. I went for a walk around 6pm that night around Copley square and could hardly find another living soul out. It was very cold and the wind chill made it easily below zero centigrade.

Spine began somewhat strangely on Monday and Tuesday as both meetings that began at 7am were cancelled. This meant I sat around for the first hour waiting unbeknownst that the consultants were not coming to the meeting. Both days involved intensive spine surgery which is laborious. I was allowed to scrub in for all the surgeries and Dr Brick was a true legend. Hailing from New Zealand, Dr Brick took me under his wing immediately and looked after me for the remainder of the week. He was a very easy going person and greeted everyone in theatre that he met. He was also interested in teaching and clinic was an excellent experience as I realised that transverse process fractures are actually benign (felt like a right royal retard though telling patients they probably couldn't ride horses for a few weeks only for Dr Brick to tell them they can get on a horse immediately a few minutes later).

It was also around this time that it dawned how everything was going to end very shortly. My 3 month elective-hiatus had come to an end and I realised that I needed to see all the movies I had missed out on before the Oscars were aired in March (a typical ritual). Looking at the nearby cinemas I realised there were around 8-10 movies that I desperately wanted to see and only about 10 days to pack everything in. Tuesday night I saw Brokeback Mountain and Munich with Johanna and Wednesday and Thursday I saw Capote, Walk the line, Syriana and The New World with Sparks. It was six movies in three days and I was drained. I would go to hospital at around 7am in the morning and leave around 6pm. I would then catch a 7pm session followed by a 10:30pm session and return home to bed at around 1:30am only to do it all over again.

It was a good endurance test and it also meant that the movies had to spectacular to really keep my interest. I have to admit that not all of them blew me away but notable mentions definitely include Brokeback and Walk the Line. Unlike Ray from last year, Walk the line has an immersed theme of love throughout and its saving powers. Phenomenal performances and both Joaquin and Reese performed their own singing. It’s going to be tough deciding who between Hoffman and phoenix will win. Capote was equally amazing but intensely disturbing. The rest were all great movies also but did not reach the extra zenith to make them extraordinary.

Friday was spent entirely in clinics and we saw around fifty patients between me, the fellow (Shahan), Catherine and Dr Brick. It was an excellent teaching experience and Dr Brick had more variety in his patients because he performed spine and joints combined. Shahan was an Armenian who actually quizzed me this week. He had some great questions and I have to admit that I could only get 60% correct on most of them. Who memorises the 6 extensor compartments of the wrist anyway ? He was good fun though and definitely a character.

The week ended with Josh, Katie, Neal and myself heading off to a NCAA hockey game. The atmosphere was not entirely mind blowing compared to a premiership football game but it was still excellent fun. Neal was still working up to about 8pm and had to miss the first period. After the game he had to return to hospital to finish paper work and finished eventually around midnight. It was also at this time that I felt tremendous sadness that it was to be my last weekend in Boston. I had 7 days left before I took off for home and my heart sank. Josh saw the change of mood in me and after a lengthy and somewhat random conversation we decided to head into a car and drive into Canada.

Saturday morning we left close to midday and drove to Montreal (about 300 miles or 4 and half hours) which involved going through New Hampshire and Vermont. Both states were beautiful and the snow gave the landscape an unique glimmer in the sunlight. We arrive around 5pm to our hotel and after a quick nap we headed out and explored the city. I felt like I was in Paris. Everyone speaks to you in French automatically and the architecture and streets have a European feel that was definitely absent from Boston. We ended up in St Jeans, a place that only serves Steak and Chips (no joke.. the menu only has steak and chips and there are literally nothing else). After a hearty meal last night we returned back to the hotel and went to sleep. There was a celebration at the hotel as a 40th Wedding anniversary was taking place.

This morning we woke up and decided to do further touring. We began at one of the produce markets in Montreal which had the most amazing vegetables and fruit. IT was all fresh and I felt like I was in a little alley in Paris. I bought a pork and brie sandwich and it was simply heavenly. Shortly after we made our way up to Mount Royal where we all did some ice skating. IT was funny to see Texans ice skate and you can watch a video of Josh making a fool out of himself at http://www.philiphuang.com/bwh/joshskate.wmv

The lookout at Mount Royal was great and Montreal was a sprawling city which masked its size once you entered. Only from the viewpoint can you truly appreciate the size of the city. I must also remark that it has been around -14 degrees centigrade for the last two days. The water on the right was in the car overnight and had become frozen solid. My ears and fingers feel like they are going to drop off even though I have gloves and scarves. I miss Australia terribly and am actually looking forward to some sun.

We ended this afternoon with some crepes in a nice patisserie and drank some cappucino. Josh and Katie have been alot of fun to travel with. It is always a blessing to meet decent people (I'm trying to convince them to come out to Oz) and they are truly unique characters. We definitely shot some serious shit last night over dinner and the conversation switched from love to marriage to religion and to sex. The usual route of course... I can't wait until they come and visit Australia. They are dying to meet Kaz as well. I also got a chance to see some of Kaz' photos on the web and it was excellent to see their Safari Photos. www.pbase.com/dshaw

Tonight we will go and have Indian (yay ! I hope I can find a chicken kashmiri and some pilau) and we will return to Boston Tomorrow.My last week will be spent with the Head Honcho (Dr Thornhill) and of course Neal. I am very excited as I have heard he is a hilarious man. He has come into theatre a few times when Brick is operating and they give each other plenty of shit. I looked into his room the other day and he has an entire entourage following him. At least 5 people scrubbed in. I hope I can squeeze in. There is also another Australian Fellow here who trained at RNSH that I met who is on his team and it should prove interesting.. (# posted by Phil Huang @ 9:16 AM)

上個禮拜六 [註: 應是當地 11/Feb] 我大部份的時間都是躺在床上看影片, 一整天好像是很短,一下子就過完了. 在 “Hustle and Flow” 這部電影中的 Terrence Howard, 他演得很棒. 今年奧斯卡金像獎的最佳男主角獎項, 看來評審委員們將會是有得一番挑選了.

這天, 當我打開在過去 2 個禮拜裡最常吃的第 8 盒葡萄乾穀物片 (Raisin Bran) 要來吃時, 我突然發現到盒子內有一樣東西是我以前沒有注意到的; 那就是穀物片中參雜著的葡萄乾四周, 竟然裹有一層砂礫狀的東西. 當我試圖想要把這層東西撥掉清除時才警覺到, 原來每一顆的葡萄乾都裹有一整層的糖砂. 一想到自己在不知不覺的情況下已經把那麼多的糖砂給吃下肚裡去, 我當場是幾乎反胃想要吐, 趕緊把整盒的穀物片都丟到垃圾桶裡去. 我一回想到此事, 整個人就開始又反胃, 不舒服起來了.

我很期待再看到下雪的情景, 而根據氣象報告說, 應該是在隔天 [註: 應是當地 12/Feb, 當天大雪橫掃美國東北部14州, 波士頓也不例外, 整天都在下雪] 的凌晨 1 點鐘左右會開始下, 所以我當晚一直都還沒睡, 就是在等下雪. 一過午夜 12 點沒多久, 我房間樓下外 [註: Philip 是住在 2 樓] 的街頭, 突然響起了一陣好大的騷動. 我一直到今天都還不能確定, 到底是發生了什麼事; 我只知道當時大家的注意力, 是全都集中注視在隔壁條街的一棟建築物上. 只見那些消防隊員們從消防車上架設兩台雲霄梯, 然後從梯子上爬到這棟建築物的屋頂去. 每一位在下面的圍觀者 (包括我), 大家是都很病態的看得入迷, 覺得非常刺激.

禮拜天 [註: 應是當地 12/Feb] 我一覺醒來, 往窗外一看, 發現外面是正在下著雪, 整條街道都被雪給覆蓋了. 街道兩旁停靠著的汽車, 連同整條街道都被深埋在雪堆中. 看到路上的行人是如何小心翼翼地要繞過埋在雪堆中的這些車子和找出一條可以行走的路徑, 實在是令我很驚異. 公車還有在跑, 所以這個晚上約 6 點鐘的時候, 我就到附近的科波利廣場 (Copley Square) 去散步走一走. 整個廣場裡幾乎看不到有另外的一個人. 天氣是非常冷, 加上又刮著風; 所以這時的氣溫, 很容易地就下降到了攝氏零度以下.

脊椎部門的實習, 在禮拜一 [註: 應是當地 13/Feb] 和禮拜二 [註: 應是當地 14/Feb] 的開始時, 有點怪怪的. 那是因為一向預排在早上 7 點鐘的研討會議 (meetings), 不知為何原因, 臨時都被取消了. 這表示, 我是自己一個人傻傻地空坐在研討會議室中一個小時, 根本就不知道主治醫生們當天早上是不會進來了. 這兩天裡, 都排有很大的脊椎手術, 也很費勁累人. 可是我都有被允許刷手進房觀看, 而且 Dr. Brick 也真是一位傳奇的主治醫生.

和我用紐西蘭人式的打過招呼後, 他馬上就把我納入到他的翼下, 而且在接下來的這個禮拜當中每天都 “罩” 著我, 處處對我也很照顧. 他為人非常地好相處; 每次一踏進手術房裡時, 他都會先跟在房裡每一個見到的人打招呼. 他也很喜歡做教學的工作. 在看門診時, 我學到了一件很棒的經驗; 那就是: 腰椎的橫面向側突起骨折 (Transverse Process Fractures), 原來是良性的 (可是, 我覺得自己就好像是一位超級大笨蛋似的出 “槌”; 先是告訴病人說, 他將會有好幾個禮拜都不能再騎馬了, 幾分鐘以後, 他們卻聽到 Dr. Brick 親口告訴說, 如果想要馬上就再騎上馬背, 都沒有問題).

我差不多也在這個時候突然驚覺到, 時間真的是過得很快, 我的 12 週校外實習生涯, 一切都即將要結束, 告一個段落了. 可是, 通常在 3 月舉行的奧斯卡金像獎頒獎典禮實況轉播之前所上演放映的那些入圍影片, 我仍然有很多部都還沒有去觀賞 (我一向都會把在頒獎典禮前看完所有的入圍影片, 當作是身為電影愛好者個人本身的一件神聖儀式). 我只有剩下不到 10 天的時間, 就要打包行李, 離開這裡走人了 [註: Philip 在哈佛醫學院的教學醫院實習, 將會在 26/Feb 正式結束], 然而看到住處附近戲院正在上映中的影片, 我卻發現至少有 8-10 部電影是急需去觀看的. 因此禮拜二 [註: 應是當地 14/Feb] 晚上, 我就和 Johanna [註: Philip 的多年好友 James Sparks 的室友; 她是從紐西蘭來的, 現在正在攻讀 Neuropsychimmuno 科系的博士學位] 先去看了 “斷背山” (Brokeback Mountain) 和 “慕尼黑事件” (Munich); 禮拜三 [註: 應是當地 15/Feb] 和禮拜四 [註: 應是當地 16/Feb] 晚上, 則自己一個人跑去看了 “Capote”, “為你鍾情 (Walk the line)” 和 “Syriana” 與 “The New World with Sparks”. 一連 3 個晚上, 每天趕 2 部電影; 可把我是看得精疲力盡. 我每天早上是 7 點鐘左右就要進到醫院裡去, 下午大概會是在 6 點鐘左右才離開. 然後我就趕著去看晚上 7 點鐘的那場電影, 再接下去看 10:30pm 的那一場. 通常回到家要上床睡覺時, 都已經是凌晨 1:30am 了; 睡不上幾個小時, 我又要起個大早趕往醫院裡去, 同樣的行程再來一遍; 就這樣, 我把 6 部電影都給趕完了.

這樣的行程, 對我的耐力, 是一項很好的考驗. 可是, 這也代表著那部電影必須是要非常地好看, 它才能吸引得住我的興趣. 我必須要承認, 並不是所有的影片都很好看或是讓我感動, 但特別值得一提的是 “斷背山” (Brokeback Mountain) 和 “Walk the line” 這 2 部電影. 不像去年的那部影片 “Ray” 一樣, 今年的這部 “Walk the line” 電影 [註: 2005 年, 由 20 世紀福斯公司 20th Century Fox 所發行, 它是在描述美國鄉村歌曲傳奇歌手 Johnny Cash 的一生, 有興趣者可到: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/ 與: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/trailers-screenplay-E25590-10-2 ] 是從頭到尾都沉浸在有關愛情的主題中. 它極具後勁的爆發力. 搞不好將會是今年奧斯卡金像獎最佳影片獎項的一匹黑馬得主. 兩位男女主角 Joaquin Phoenix 和 Reese Witherspoon 在戲中的表現都很精湛, 很有互相 “飆” 技的味道. 看起來, 今年的評審團員們是很難在 Dustin Hoffman 和 Joaquin Phoenix 間, 挑選出誰才是最佳男主角的得主了. “Capote” 是不錯, 但我看完後, 覺得這部電影令我非常困擾. 其它幾部電影也很好, 只是我覺得它們並沒有達到特別的好, 來突顯出它們是脫穎而出的好.

禮拜五 [註: 應是當地 17/Feb], 我整天都是在門診室. 一整天下來, 我, 資深駐院總醫師 (Shahan), Catherine [註: 很幫 Philip 的那位脊椎部門的駐院醫師, 她曾在 10/Feb 時很熱心地把這個禮拜應該要做些什麼, 詳細地對 Philip 講解了一下概要], 和 Dr. Brick, 總共是大概看了有 50 位左右之多的病患. 這天的教學對我來說, 真的是很棒. 因為 Dr. Brick 除了做脊椎的手術之外, 他也做骨關節的手術, 所以他的病患是各式各樣的情況都有; 這也讓我這天的收穫, 實在是很多.

Shahan 是一位亞美尼亞人, 他這個禮拜甚至於還當場考我醫學上的機智問答. 他有很多問題都問得很好, 但是, 我在此不得不坦承, 我答對的部份大概是只有 60% 而已. 有誰會去記熟手腕的 6 大延伸肌(6 extensor compartments of the wrist) 名稱呢? 不過, 他這個人的為人, 倒是很風趣; 絕對是很有個性的一位醫師.

這天晚上, Josh [註: 最近曾去過澳洲玩的那位麻醉駐院師, 他曾在 10/Feb 晚上, 邀請他的一些同事和 Philip 他家中小聚, 事後大夥兒還一起去打 Candlepin Bowling 燭管保齡球], Katie [註: Josh 的老婆], Neal [註: 父母雖然也是台灣人, 但他這輩子卻只去過台灣 1 次的那位駐院醫師], 和我, 一共 4 人, 我們一起去看 NCAA [註: National Collegiate Athletic Association 全美大專院校運動協會] 的曲棍球比賽. 它和我平常在澳洲最喜歡看的橄欖球州際盃決賽 (premiership football game) 比起來, 場上的氣氛並不是很熱, 不過賽程還是很有趣. Neal 必須要工作到晚上 8 點鐘才下班, 因此他錯掉了上半場比賽的開打. 比賽結束後, 他馬上又急忙趕回到醫院裡去, 繼續做他一些文書報告的填寫工作, 一直到快要午夜12 點時才終於得以完成回家去. 我在他離開球場的同時, 一想到這晚就是我在波士頓的最後一個週末夜, 心中不禁感到一陣無比的哀傷與難過. 我只剩下 7 天, 就要搭機回去澳洲, 怎不叫我的一顆心往下沉呢?........Josh 看出我情緒上的變化, 因此就陪我無所不談的聊天. 聊了好一陣子後, 我們臨時起意, 決定隔天就一起開車, 到加拿大的境內去走走.

禮拜六 [註: 應是當地 18/Feb], 我們快要到中午 12 點時, 就開始出發, 開車前往加拿大的Montreal 蒙特婁市 (離波士頓大概有 300 英里, 或是車程約 4 個半小時). 途中, 我們經過了美國的 New Hampshire 新罕普仕夏州, 和 Vermont 維爾曼州. 這兩個州, 都很漂亮; 雖然它們有很多地方都是被覆蓋在雪中, 但是在陽光照射下所反映出的那種銀色微光, 反而讓沿途的這些風景, 更有一股說不出來獨特的美. 我們大概是在下午 5 點鐘的時候, 就住進了旅館. 稍微小休了之後, 我們往外走, 開始對這個城市探索起來. 我第一個感覺是, 好像自己是身處在巴黎似的. 每一個人一開口和你說話, 總是很自動地和你說法語. 它的建築風格和街道景觀, 感覺上也很有歐洲味, 而這些, 都是在波士頓這個城市裡, 絕對看不到的. 我們找了家餐廳叫作 St Jeans 的坐下來. 這是一家專門只賣牛排和薯條的餐廳 (我不是在和你開玩笑……, 真的是這樣. 它在菜單 Menu 上, 確實是只有列上這兩樣). 飽餐一頓後, 我們就直接回到旅館內, 各自上床去睡覺. 旅館內有一對夫妻, 正在為他們的結婚 40 週年, 舉辦一項慶祝活動.

今天早上 [註: 應是當地19/Feb] 我們醒來後, 決定要作一些觀光的活動, 因此我們就先到蒙特婁市的一處果菜市場 (Produce market) 裡去看一看. 這裡有很多叫人驚奇的新鮮蔬果, 讓我彷彿是又回到了以前在巴黎時, 所逛過的那些小巷中的蔬果攤子一樣似的. 我在其中的一個攤子裡, 買了一塊豬肉夾著 Brie cheese白色軟乳酪的三明治來當午餐, 如果說它的滋味就像是人間中的至極美味的話, 我覺得那可真的是一點兒都不為過. 過後不久, 我們就到 Mount Royal 山上去 [註: 此山不高, 最高峰頂是叫做 Colline de la Croix , 或是 Mont Royal proper, 高度只有 223 公尺. 想看這座山 360° 的景色的人, 可到: http://www.lemontroyal.qc.ca/], 也在那裡的溜冰場裡作冰刀溜冰. 看到美國南方陽光地帶(Sunshine Belt) 來的德州人穿著冰刀在溜冰, 實在是很好笑的一件事. 大家如果想看 Josh 溜冰出醜模樣的話, 可以到: http://www.philiphuang.com/bwh/joshskate.wmv.

從 Mount Royal 山上的觀景台往下眺望整個蒙特婁市, 景色真的是很棒. 由於蒙特婁市是一個沿著 Mount Royal 山蔓延伸展開來的城市, 因此你一旦進入到這個市區, 你並不會覺得這個城市有多大. 可是, 當你站在Mount Royal 山的山頂上時, 你馬上就會了解, 原來這個城市的面積是很大的 [註: 2006 年行政區重新劃分後, 它的面積被縮成是 366.02 平方公里, 約為台灣本島面積大小的 1/100. 這個第二大城市, 如果根據加拿大政府所作的人口普查資料來看的話, 住在現在行政區被重新劃分後的真正蒙特婁市的總人口數, 在 2001 年時是 1,583,590. 可是, 如果是把它周遭的幾個鄉鎮也包括進來的話, 根據加拿大的人口統計資料顯示, 所謂的 Greater Montreal Area 大蒙特婁市在 2005 年時的總人口數, 則是 3,635,700]. 在此, 我順便要提一下, 在過去的兩天裡, 蒙特婁市的室外氣溫是攝氏零下 14°; 連我昨晚放在車子裡面的一瓶水, 今早起床以後再度看到它時, 已經變成是一瓶堅硬的冰柱了. 縱使我是穿裹著厚厚的手套和圍巾, 我的雙耳和十根手指頭, 還是覺得彷彿是被凍到幾乎要掉落下來似的. 在這樣的氣溫下, 我突然好想念位在南半球正處於夏末的澳洲起來了. 我好懷念它的陽光喔. 就在我們到一家還不錯的法國蛋糕店 (patisserie) 中, 叫了一些 crepes 薄餅和喝了幾杯 Cappuccino 咖啡之後沒多久, 今天下午的觀光之旅, 就這樣的結束了.

和 Josh 與 Katie 在一起作旅行, 沿途的趣事實在是有夠多. 我能夠結交到像他們這樣熱情大方的好人 (我正努力說服他們搬到澳洲來居住呢), 實在是老天爺有在保佑我! 他們真是一對個性很獨特的夫妻. 昨天晚上在用晚餐時, 我們彼此聊了很多嚴肅的話題; 像是愛情, 婚姻,, 宗教, 和性等等人生必須要去經歷過的事情, 我們也都有聊到. 我真希望他們可以早點兒來澳洲找我玩; 他們也很希望早日可以和 Kaz [註: 意指 Philip 的女朋友 Karen ] 見到面, 彼此認識一下.

同時, 我也趁機上網, 看了一下 Kaz 在南非 Safari 狩獵之旅的照片 [註: Karen 在南非做完 7 個禮拜的校外實習之後, 就在當地觀光旅遊. 她將會比 Philip 早一個禮拜返回澳洲雪梨]. 從她的照片中, 看到她似乎也是玩得很開心, 我覺得很高興, 很好! http://www.pbase.com/dshaw

今晚的晚餐, 我們即將要去試一家印度菜的餐廳 (好棒! 我真希望那家餐廳裡有我最愛吃的 Chicken Kashmiri 咖哩雞和一些 Pilau 肉汁飯) [註: Philip 在英國劍橋大學修碩士學位的那 10 個月當中, 不知為了什麼原因, 他竟然從此變得對吃印度菜很著迷]. 我們明天 [註: 應是當地20/Feb] 就會回波士頓去 [註: 20/Feb 禮拜一, 是美國的 Presidents’ Day 總統節公定假日, Philip 不用趕回醫院裡去上班].

我在醫院裡最後一個禮拜的實習, 將會是要跟著 Head Honcho整個骨科的主任醫生 (Dr. Thornhill), 當然了, 還有 Neal. 我聽說這位骨科的 “大老闆”, 他為人很風趣, 也很平易近人. 一想到能夠有機會跟著他來實習, 我就忍不住地興奮起來了. 在 Brick 替病人開刀時, 他曾經踏進我們的手術房裡好幾次, 他們彼此之間也閒聊了好多事. 前幾天, 我曾經偷瞄了一下他在手術室裡的情形. 哇! 真不是蓋的; 他身邊是圍滿著一大堆的隨員, 大家都想要跟著他. 那一天至少有 5 個幸運的隨員, 得以刷到手跟到他的刀. 我希望我下個禮拜, 也可以擠得進去跟他的刀. 有一位我以前就認識的曾在 RNSH [註: Royal North Shore Hospital 皇家北岸醫院, 它是 Philip 在雪梨時的教學醫院] 受過訓練的澳洲人, 他現在是正好在 “大老闆” 底下的手術團隊裡工作. 看來, 我接下來的最後一個禮拜實習, 將會是很有意思了………… (posted by Phil Huang @ 9:16 AM)

[附記]

1) 所謂的 Candlepin Bowling 燭管保齡球, 是一種由我們所常見的10-pin 保齡球所衍生出來的另外一種運動. 它是在 1880 年, 由美國麻薩諸塞州 (Massachusetts) 的 Worcester 市裡一位保齡球館老闆 Justin White 所推廣發展的, 至今廣泛流行於美國的所謂新英格蘭州區域 (New England States) [註: 這個區域是在美國本土地圖的東北角, 它涵蓋有: Connecticut 康乃狄克州, Maine 緬因州, Massachusetts 麻薩諸塞州, New Hampshire 新罕普仕夏州, Rhode Island 羅德島, 和 Vermont 維爾曼州. 波士頓是這個區域的商業與文化中心, 也是人口最多的城市, 60 萬人] 一帶; 在Maine 緬因州, Massachusetts 麻薩諸塞州, 和 New Hampshire 新罕普仕夏州的很多地方城市, 到處都可以看得到這種運動. 在其它地方, 例如在 Cincinnati, Ohio 俄亥俄州的辛辛那提市, 和在美國與加拿大邊界的 New Brunswick 區域, 也有這種運動的保齡球館.

這種保齡球運動的瓶棒, 每根高達 40cm, 很像是燭管, 中間部份的直徑約為 7.6cm (3 英吋). 遊戲規則是: 玩者把手中的球體擲向木製地板球道的另一端, 將那些瓶棒打倒越多根越好. 但是, 它和我們一般所常見的 10-pin保齡球打法不同的地方, 是在它所要擲出的球體上. 燭管保齡球的球體比較小也輕很多, 中間也沒有洞; 玩者可直接將它握在手掌中. 每一個 “得分格”可以丟擲 3 次球體, 每丟一次球體, 倒下來的瓶棒並不會由瓶棒清理機器把它們收走, 而是繼續把 3 顆球體都擲完或瓶棒全倒為止, 才換成下一位玩者. 它記分的方式與 10-pin不盡相同; 得分的機會也較難. 1958 ~ 1996 年間, 很多麻薩諸塞州的電視台, 每週都有這種燭管保齡球職業比賽的轉播, 例如: 波士頓市的 WHDH-TV/WCVB (第五頻道). 由於瓶棒細長而且球體輕小, 因此如果要瓶棒一次就全倒的話, 並不容易; 截至目前為止, 在一局比賽裡最高分的正式記錄, 是 300 分裡面得到 245 分.

2) 美國東北暴風雪 大雪橫掃14州

根據媒體報導:

60年以來的最大暴風雪，12/Feb/2006 肆虐美國東北部十四個州，上千個班次飛機停飛，20萬戶停電，密西根州公路上更發生一起連環車禍，將近80輛車子撞在一起，所幸沒有造成太大傷亡。民眾鏟雪鏟到手軟，停在路旁的車子被厚厚的雪覆蓋住這一場60年以來的大雪，橫掃美國東北部將近14個州，從緬因到賓州被一片白茫茫的大雪蓋住，更造成空陸交通大亂。 因為地面結冰，駕駛們在道路上行駛，特地把速度放慢，卻還是造成車禍發生.

美國東北地區十二日也遭到有史以來最大風雪侵襲，紐約市降雪量創下歷史最高紀錄，同時出現罕見的雪天閃電奇觀，兩千多飛機航班被迫取消，不少旅客被困在機場. 十多萬戶家庭電力供應中斷，多數學校周一停課，遊民收容所人數暴增，上班族通勤嚴重受阻。 入冬以來，紐約地區降雪量極低，媒體不久前還稱暖冬之時，超級大風雪卻於情人節夕的周末襲擊美國東北，紐約中央公園積雪量高廿六點九英寸 (60cm)，創下一百卅七年以來最高紀錄。氣象局說，這是自一八六九年有氣象記錄以來，紐約地區最大的一次降雪。

[後記]

Philip 自 4 歲開始, 就和他老媽和姊姊, 四處出國旅遊. 在他 10 歲時, 也曾到過加拿大的蒙特婁和溫哥華. 有一年, 甚至於還趕在 7 月 4 日美國的國慶日前一天抵達波士頓, 為的就是要看它的國慶日遊行和陽台 “建國宣言” 事件重演劇; 也曾為了它的 Clam Chowder 海鮮濃湯, 一連 3 天都往 Quincy Market 跑.

我不知道他對這些事情是否還有印象, 但是從他這篇 Blog 部落格文章中看來, 他很喜歡旅遊, 也很容易結交到新朋友. 下個禮拜, 他的這部 “ 2005 年校外實習” 雲霄飛車, 就要返站結束這次為期 12 個禮拜的旅程. 據他在電話中告訴我, 在飛回雪梨的途中, 他將要先在舊金山停留 2 天探視童年好友 3 姊妹. 看來這位即將要過他 26 歲生日的年輕人, 回到雪梨之後, 心理上的心情調適和整理成疊的美好回憶, 將是他的首要任務.

[Feedback: 回響]

1) I was surprised to know your son was in Montreal last weekend. As a proud mother like you, you should allow your 30 years oldmate to host your son while he stayed here.

The info you provided about Montreal are pretty much accurate. I love this city. The only correction is Metropolitan Montreal is about 1/100 size of Taiwan, not 1/10.

2) It is so nice of you to share all this to me. From a tradition Chinese Medical View, an Aunty's of a 8 years old boy, a travel agent view, I enjoyed all. Specially the way you put the notes in. I felt so proud and happy for you.