Tue - January 31, 2006
33000 feet
A week in London has come and gone, and I'm midway
across the Atlantic. I'm not always the most patriotic of sorts, but there are
occasions where I sometimes feel like shouting "God Save the Queen!" Today had
one of those. As anyone who travels in the US will know, taking a laptop on a
plane always involves an extra few minutes at the x-ray machine for the utterly
inconsistent and completely arbitrary TSA screeners to examine separately. This
new agency, set up post 9/11, is the epitome of wasteful useless American
bureaucracy; petty, ineffectual and more concerned with their uniforms and
looking good on the job than using any common
sense.
Upon reaching the point of no return at Gatwick, I prepared to wrench open my bag and delve down into it to retrieve the battered powerbook, replete with it's wonky O and " keys, to be sent through the machine. "Oh no dear, you needn't take it out" I was told. Hallelujah! Just another reason to pine for home until the next trip back.
Upon reaching the point of no return at Gatwick, I prepared to wrench open my bag and delve down into it to retrieve the battered powerbook, replete with it's wonky O and " keys, to be sent through the machine. "Oh no dear, you needn't take it out" I was told. Hallelujah! Just another reason to pine for home until the next trip back.
Posted at 10:13 am
Wed - January 25, 2006
Salutations from the Big Smoke
Although my phone thinks it's 10.46 am, it is most
definitely quarter to three in the afternoon, and I'm writing this from our room
in Chandos House. The flight over wasn't too bad, especially compared to last
year. The plane was almost empty, the power outlet worked fine, the food was
edible and I even got a good nap, courtesy of half a little blue pill and swift
vodka.
The journey from Detroit's B terminal to the international departures in A was a little odd. Under construction last year, or perhaps excised from my memory, a long tunnel connects the two. The tunnel's walls are lined in frosted glass, backlit with everchanging colours, accompanied by music. Sometimes it's soothing greens and blues and the kind of wishy-washy ambient music you sometimes hear on NPR later in the evening. Then everything turns a deep red along with power chords - not quite as relaxing, and I'd hate to be stuck in there if I was already nervous about flying.
The journey from Detroit's B terminal to the international departures in A was a little odd. Under construction last year, or perhaps excised from my memory, a long tunnel connects the two. The tunnel's walls are lined in frosted glass, backlit with everchanging colours, accompanied by music. Sometimes it's soothing greens and blues and the kind of wishy-washy ambient music you sometimes hear on NPR later in the evening. Then everything turns a deep red along with power chords - not quite as relaxing, and I'd hate to be stuck in there if I was already nervous about flying.
Posted at 10:56 am
Fri - July 22, 2005
NYT piece on the Bluegrass
There's a good article in the New York Times about this area. It describes
it thus:
Start your trip in Lexington, a leisurely university city with antebellum houses and hip new restaurants, which calls itself the horse capital of the world. Justifying the slogan are hundreds of horse farms out in the surrounding countryside, many carpeted in the local bluegrass - so called because it blooms a purplish blue.
Worth a read.
Start your trip in Lexington, a leisurely university city with antebellum houses and hip new restaurants, which calls itself the horse capital of the world. Justifying the slogan are hundreds of horse farms out in the surrounding countryside, many carpeted in the local bluegrass - so called because it blooms a purplish blue.
Worth a read.
Posted at 03:16 pm
Wed - February 9, 2005
End of May. No, beginning of September. No, wait. May. Hrm. What about November?
As some of you might know, Elle and I are getting
married. This much is certain. What many of you might be wondering is when,
and why haven't we been invited
yet?
Originally the plan was to get married at the end of November in San Diego, in a little spot on at the beach in La Jolla, with a reception at Tapenade. There were some drawbacks to this plan. Cuvier Park is on the small side, with room for 40, and Tapenade will only seat 80. San Diego is a long way from London, and a way from Texas too.
In light of this, we were planning on having a reception in Texas with Elle's family, and a reception in London for my friends and family.
Bit by bit the plans started to change, and as we really would like to celebrate with as many of our friends and family as possible, and given the difficulties of that, spread across several continents, as they are, we're still in a state of flux over the exact details. But I can reveal the following:
We will be having a proper wedding reception in the UK, followed by the honeymoon, most likely next spring. One reason for this is the scrooge-like attitude of US companies in giving their extremely hard working employees holiday time. Whereas it's illegal to get less than 20 days off in the UK, and most people get 25, over here you're lucky if you get two weeks. As we popped back to the UK for 2 weeks in November, that's pretty much exhausted it for a while. Yet another reason we'll be moving back to the UK, but that's a topic for another day.
As for the actual wedding, the date has jumped around a little as our plans have been scaled back, but it seems we're back to November, as the weather should be good and it would make a nice long weekend away from the frozen wastes of Lexington. Our plan* is a very simple ceremony on the beach, and then lunch at Tapenade. Nothing formal, and we'd be happy to share the day with anyone who wanted to come, but please don't feel obliged.
*inevitably, subject to change
Originally the plan was to get married at the end of November in San Diego, in a little spot on at the beach in La Jolla, with a reception at Tapenade. There were some drawbacks to this plan. Cuvier Park is on the small side, with room for 40, and Tapenade will only seat 80. San Diego is a long way from London, and a way from Texas too.
In light of this, we were planning on having a reception in Texas with Elle's family, and a reception in London for my friends and family.
Bit by bit the plans started to change, and as we really would like to celebrate with as many of our friends and family as possible, and given the difficulties of that, spread across several continents, as they are, we're still in a state of flux over the exact details. But I can reveal the following:
We will be having a proper wedding reception in the UK, followed by the honeymoon, most likely next spring. One reason for this is the scrooge-like attitude of US companies in giving their extremely hard working employees holiday time. Whereas it's illegal to get less than 20 days off in the UK, and most people get 25, over here you're lucky if you get two weeks. As we popped back to the UK for 2 weeks in November, that's pretty much exhausted it for a while. Yet another reason we'll be moving back to the UK, but that's a topic for another day.
As for the actual wedding, the date has jumped around a little as our plans have been scaled back, but it seems we're back to November, as the weather should be good and it would make a nice long weekend away from the frozen wastes of Lexington. Our plan* is a very simple ceremony on the beach, and then lunch at Tapenade. Nothing formal, and we'd be happy to share the day with anyone who wanted to come, but please don't feel obliged.
*inevitably, subject to change
Posted at 12:08 pm
Tue - December 7, 2004
Back at home
Sorry for the lack of updates
recently.
As you might have gathered, Elle and I were back in London for Brian's 60th Birthday. I didn't mention it before on these pages as it was very hush hush.
It was nice to see the old City again, to revisit some haunts. There was a lot of good food, an awful lot of drink and plenty of great company. Even a late night blast in a Ferrari 360 CS. Unfortunately there never seems enough time to do and see everything when I'm back, but perhaps that's a good thing, a testament to the kinds of friendships I have?
The flight back last week was a lot better than the way over. The Airbus A333 was working properly, and having an AC outlet under the seat meant being able to work and watch movies without being limited by battery life. Returning to the house the cats were overjoyed to see us, and it's nice to be home.
What's less nice is the bug I picked up, and have now given to Elle. Waking up in the morning with what feels like a knife in your larynx, followed by a temperature and energy levels that would shame a sloth, joint ache and general malaise. Yesterday morning the walk from the distant parking lot to by lab left me drenched and destroyed. 15 minutes later I repeated it to return home to continue my convalescence.
Right, time for nurofen plus and some chicken soup.
As you might have gathered, Elle and I were back in London for Brian's 60th Birthday. I didn't mention it before on these pages as it was very hush hush.
It was nice to see the old City again, to revisit some haunts. There was a lot of good food, an awful lot of drink and plenty of great company. Even a late night blast in a Ferrari 360 CS. Unfortunately there never seems enough time to do and see everything when I'm back, but perhaps that's a good thing, a testament to the kinds of friendships I have?
The flight back last week was a lot better than the way over. The Airbus A333 was working properly, and having an AC outlet under the seat meant being able to work and watch movies without being limited by battery life. Returning to the house the cats were overjoyed to see us, and it's nice to be home.
What's less nice is the bug I picked up, and have now given to Elle. Waking up in the morning with what feels like a knife in your larynx, followed by a temperature and energy levels that would shame a sloth, joint ache and general malaise. Yesterday morning the walk from the distant parking lot to by lab left me drenched and destroyed. 15 minutes later I repeated it to return home to continue my convalescence.
Right, time for nurofen plus and some chicken soup.
Posted at 08:38 am
Thu - July 8, 2004
What hump?
Wednesday night Elle and I went out on a date to
the Kentucky
Theatre, our local cinema. Located one street down and a few blocks
over, it's a lovely old cinema that serves beer, shows real movies and all for
the reasonable price of $2.50! Think our answer to the Gate, Duke of York or
such like. Young Frankenstein was showing, and I think it was the first time
I'd seen it.
I start the new job tomorrow, the days up till now have been spent working on finishing off my paper, and dealing with the writer's block that has been slowing the process.
I start the new job tomorrow, the days up till now have been spent working on finishing off my paper, and dealing with the writer's block that has been slowing the process.
Posted at 10:28 pm
Mon - July 5, 2004
Thoughts from the road
We arrived in Lexington last night, the odometer
reading 100450. I meant to write entries on the road, but to be honest driving
600 miles a day really takes it out of you. Following I-40 and the occasional
detour onto Route 66, we travelled from the shining sea
through the heartland of America, the Southwest, the Midwest, the red
states.
The day began with a dream about Abu Hamza taking buying SpeedTV and firing all the presenters. We left San Diego at 11 am, the car's mileage was 98210. If anyone tells you they're going to drive through the Mojave Desert in a car without air conditioning, take away their keys. Or, as Elle remarked to me when we stopped for gas in Needles California, "Did you see what the thermometer said? It's a hundred and fucking twelve".
Once past the Colorado River, things started getting better. We climbed to 4000 feet, the heat lifted somewhat, and the miles started racking up. Driving towards Flagstaff we noticed reddish grey clouds on the horizon. There was a forest fire raging, and we drove through the thick of it, the cars and our lungs covered in a fine coating of ash.
We stopped for the night in Holbrook, AZ. The Wigwam Motel was our rest stop. Holbrook is a town that used to see more traffic as route 66 ran through it, and it was a town that had seen better days. The motel was charming however, managed by John and his sister, the rooms were comfortable, surrounded by old Cadillacs, and where else in this day and age are you going to spend the night in a concrete teepee?
The first 600 miles underway, we rejoined I-40 and set off for New Mexico, with lunch in Albuquerque as the plan. A slight detour from freeway through El Morro proved a lovely diversion, although driving behind a truck who's occupant kept throwing empty beer cans from the window was slightly worrying. After stopping to see some 400 year old graffiti, we set off again.
We made lunch a couple of hours late - hot, bothered but still in relatively good spirits, yet we needed to make Texas by nightfall. We set our sights on Amarillo. Elle is a Texan, and she sighed with delight as we crossed the state line and the high desert gave way to the flat plains of the Panhandle. A few miles outside of Amarillo, an eccentric Helium millionaire and an artist have conspired to brighten the road with a modern day stonehenge.
We stopped in Amarillo for the night at the Big Texan, a motel with a swimming pool the shape of Texas, and an attached restaurant where should one be able to eat a 72 oz (2 kg) steak within an hour, it's free. Not only that, but they had Speed TV on the cable package!
Setting off slightly later the next morning thanks to the change in time zones, we began our trek across the flat plains of the midwest. It reminded me of Holland, except it was about a million times larger. Texas gave way to Oklahoma, then Missouri. On the way we filled up at a gas station that was next to what claimed to be the worlds largest McDonalds, although I don't think it was that much larger than the one in Swiss Cottage on the inside.
The night fell and we kept on through to Rolla, MO, the mileage on my trusty Miata rolling over to 100000 a mile before we arrived.
July 4th and we were 400-odd miles from home. Through St Louis, torrential rain for 10 miles, then Illinois, Indiana and then Kentucky, we stopped in Louisville to fetch Elle's car and then the last 80 miles home.
2240 miles. Approx $140 on petrol, 35 mpg, a strange graunching noise when turning at low speed and we made it, our new home.
The day began with a dream about Abu Hamza taking buying SpeedTV and firing all the presenters. We left San Diego at 11 am, the car's mileage was 98210. If anyone tells you they're going to drive through the Mojave Desert in a car without air conditioning, take away their keys. Or, as Elle remarked to me when we stopped for gas in Needles California, "Did you see what the thermometer said? It's a hundred and fucking twelve".
Once past the Colorado River, things started getting better. We climbed to 4000 feet, the heat lifted somewhat, and the miles started racking up. Driving towards Flagstaff we noticed reddish grey clouds on the horizon. There was a forest fire raging, and we drove through the thick of it, the cars and our lungs covered in a fine coating of ash.
We stopped for the night in Holbrook, AZ. The Wigwam Motel was our rest stop. Holbrook is a town that used to see more traffic as route 66 ran through it, and it was a town that had seen better days. The motel was charming however, managed by John and his sister, the rooms were comfortable, surrounded by old Cadillacs, and where else in this day and age are you going to spend the night in a concrete teepee?
The first 600 miles underway, we rejoined I-40 and set off for New Mexico, with lunch in Albuquerque as the plan. A slight detour from freeway through El Morro proved a lovely diversion, although driving behind a truck who's occupant kept throwing empty beer cans from the window was slightly worrying. After stopping to see some 400 year old graffiti, we set off again.
We made lunch a couple of hours late - hot, bothered but still in relatively good spirits, yet we needed to make Texas by nightfall. We set our sights on Amarillo. Elle is a Texan, and she sighed with delight as we crossed the state line and the high desert gave way to the flat plains of the Panhandle. A few miles outside of Amarillo, an eccentric Helium millionaire and an artist have conspired to brighten the road with a modern day stonehenge.
We stopped in Amarillo for the night at the Big Texan, a motel with a swimming pool the shape of Texas, and an attached restaurant where should one be able to eat a 72 oz (2 kg) steak within an hour, it's free. Not only that, but they had Speed TV on the cable package!
Setting off slightly later the next morning thanks to the change in time zones, we began our trek across the flat plains of the midwest. It reminded me of Holland, except it was about a million times larger. Texas gave way to Oklahoma, then Missouri. On the way we filled up at a gas station that was next to what claimed to be the worlds largest McDonalds, although I don't think it was that much larger than the one in Swiss Cottage on the inside.
The night fell and we kept on through to Rolla, MO, the mileage on my trusty Miata rolling over to 100000 a mile before we arrived.
July 4th and we were 400-odd miles from home. Through St Louis, torrential rain for 10 miles, then Illinois, Indiana and then Kentucky, we stopped in Louisville to fetch Elle's car and then the last 80 miles home.
2240 miles. Approx $140 on petrol, 35 mpg, a strange graunching noise when turning at low speed and we made it, our new home.
Posted at 08:28 pm
Thu - July 1, 2004
So long California, you hardly knew me
Well, my last night in California has arrived. Elle and I spent a lovely afternoon wandering around La Jolla scoping out the location for our wedding, and then having a tasting at Tapenade where the food was outstanding as usual.
Afterwards we went down to Marine St beach for a last look at the ocean, where I said good bye to the Pacific, not just for me, but from both Andreas and Gavin. Despite being flatter than the proverbial, it was a beautiful sight, and although I'm looking forward to Kentucky and its rolling green hills, I'm going to miss the water.
Driving down there this afternoon, I caught Kim Stanley Robinson on The Lounge, talking about his new book, Forty Signs of Rain - expect a book review as soon as I've read it.
Well, tomorrow morning we hit the road, first stop Holbrook and it's concrete teepees.
Oh, and if anyone wants a gmail address, email me and tell me why.
Posted at 01:06 am
Mon - June 28, 2004
T-minus 3 and counting
I'm currently sitting in the living room, waiting
for the moving company to arrive to pick up my possessions and transport them
across the country. Last nights I finished the task of boxing up my stuff as I
get ready to leave the sunny shores of San Diego for the verdant rolling hills
of Kentucky, to start a new job and life with Elle and the
cats.
There doesn't really seem to be so much once it's all in boxes.
We set off the morning of July 1st, and should be in Lexington by the evening of the 4th. I hope we make it by then, so I can catch the repeat of the French GP. Incidentally, the 4th will be our 1st anniversary - complete with fireworks.
There doesn't really seem to be so much once it's all in boxes.
We set off the morning of July 1st, and should be in Lexington by the evening of the 4th. I hope we make it by then, so I can catch the repeat of the French GP. Incidentally, the 4th will be our 1st anniversary - complete with fireworks.
Posted at 01:59 pm
Thu - May 13, 2004
Pretty pictures
I was in San Francisco this time last week for the
ATVB
meeting. Presented my latest work, had lots of interest from some fairly big
names and also won a $1000 new investigator award! Not bad for a weekend away.
Had a good look around SFMOMA
and took some cool pics:
Posted at 04:34 pm
Fri - November 7, 2003
Autumn
Ho hum. This time last week I was in peaceful
little Chattanooga, taking in the sights and spending time with someone I love.
I thought that i could see signs of autumn here in California, but I was stunned
by the colours I saw there - deep reds and golds on the trees, piles of leaves
by the side of the roads. It was quite
marvellous.
Flying out a day early thanks to the brush fires in San Diego, I was amazed by the smoke in the air.
I was pleasantly surprised by my first trip to the south. The people were friendly, the accents were fabulous, and the food was divine. Not only that, but cheap too. $260000 for a house 4 times the size of my flat in Wandsworth, and petrol for $1.30 a gallon. The icing on the cake, so to speak, was the discovery that you can even by Jaffa Cakes! Incidentally, I discovered that Jaffa Cakes are classed as cakes rather than biscuits, and in doing so are exempt from VAT. Apparently, cakes go hard when they get stale, and biscuits become soggy.
Flying out a day early thanks to the brush fires in San Diego, I was amazed by the smoke in the air.
I was pleasantly surprised by my first trip to the south. The people were friendly, the accents were fabulous, and the food was divine. Not only that, but cheap too. $260000 for a house 4 times the size of my flat in Wandsworth, and petrol for $1.30 a gallon. The icing on the cake, so to speak, was the discovery that you can even by Jaffa Cakes! Incidentally, I discovered that Jaffa Cakes are classed as cakes rather than biscuits, and in doing so are exempt from VAT. Apparently, cakes go hard when they get stale, and biscuits become soggy.
Posted at 01:51 pm
Mon - October 27, 2003
The Great fire of San Diego
I've put some photo's up of the fire - bits of ash have
been falling from the sky like a careless giant flicking his cigarette.
I'm currently at work, the place is a ghost town and stinks like the remnants of a bonfire.
See kiddies, this is why you don't build things out of wood.
I'm currently at work, the place is a ghost town and stinks like the remnants of a bonfire.
See kiddies, this is why you don't build things out of wood.
Posted at 01:56 pm
Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 01, 2006 09:52 am
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Feb 01, 2006 09:52 am