Musings of a Road Warrior

Is anyone out there??

2010-07-11T14:40:00.002Z

So it seems my hiatus from international travel is coming to an end... I will be flying to Hong Kong in a few weeks for my new client. I have never been to Asia, so this will be a great opportunity to see another part of the world. Unfortunately, I will only be there for a week - and, it happens to be monsoon season. Hot, humid and lots of rain. So, stay tuned!

How do you get there from here???

2008-07-27T19:14:00.002Z

This is Mary and I on our flight to Cape Town. Delta started direct service from JFK to Cape Town (via a stopover in Dakar, Senegal at 4:00 AM). The flight is about 18 hours and with the fight to JFK and the layover, its about 26 hours of travel time total. We were unbelievably lucky to be UPGRADED on the flight, though. For those season travellers out there - what are the chances of being upgraded to business class on an international flight when you only have Silver status? The answer is, when the airline oversells the coach cabin by 44 seats - pretty damn good! I, of course, am on the left. Mary is in the middle and our new friend on the flight, Barrie is on the right. Our flight attendant for the JFK to Dakar flight looked suspiciously like my boss - I am not kidding. He agreed to let us take his picture, but he left the plane before we got a chance. It was weird, I tell you.

Mary flew back home this past Friday and I am anxious to hear if she managed to get upgraded for the return flight as well. Keep your fingers crossed.

Alive and...... well, Alive in South Africa

2008-07-27T19:05:00.002Z

Hey - remember me? It's the long lost blogger. On my last trip home, I was assured by various friends and family that if I started to blog again, they would, in fact, leave comments. So, I am taking you at your word and will invest some of my previous free time to update you on the goings on in Cape Town.

Since my return to the Motherland 2 weeks ago, there have been many hours logged (not blogged!) at work. A good friend and co-worker, Mary, flew back to Cape Town with me as she is our corporate trainer and was coming down to the train the future users and administrators of the application we have been building and configuring for the last 5 months. It was Mary's first trip to Africa and I *think* she enjoyed it. When she wasn't working 12 hours days or preparing to work 12-hour days, that is! We did manage to squeeze in some fun times - she got to see the famous jackass penguins (pictures to follow) and we spent our one free weekend at a private game reserve about 2 hours outisde of Cape Town and got to see some amazing animals (again, pictures to follow). She kept a list of all the *crazy* things she observed in South Africa - she has promised to send me a copy. I'll be sure to share it with you.

Our project goes live on August 20th, so the countdown has begun. I fly home in less than 6 weeks.

Words to Live By

2008-05-22T10:08:00.000Z

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.
— Anonymous

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T08:54:00.003Z

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Sorry I am not there to spend the day with you, but I am sending you these "virtual" flowers!

And to all the other Moms in my circle of friends - Happy Mother's Day to you as well. Kathy, Jane, Sherry, Melissa, Cheryl, Collen, Muffin, Debbie, Anne, Ann, Amy, Joanie, Kelly, Kim, Anita, Elise, Candi, Stephanie and Holly.... I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Black Out

2008-05-07T20:49:00.003Z

Have I mentioned the power issues in South Africa??? Evidently, the greater Cape Town area (I am not sure exactly how widespread an issue this is in South Africa, but I am willing to bet it is huge) - outgrew its power grid in 2006. Mind you, they were warned that this would happen in 1998. But it seems someone thought they knew better. Uh huh.

As I sit here, in downtown Cape Town, I am typing in total and complete darkness - my only source of light is the screen of my laptop. I can hear the rather loud hum of generators outside my slider (remember the picture from last night? well, picture all that with no city lights).

Since we got here in February, we have become rather used to the scheduled, rolling blackouts at the office (usually on Thursdays), but they last for a minute or 2 and power is restored. Generally, the power will cut out 3-4 times and then you are safe for another week.

This is my second black out in my apartment in Cape Town. The first one was not so fun and I will simply tell you that the security guards at my building are quite nice and they seem to know me now as I was locked out of my apartment with no way to get in without power (security doors and elevators do not work without power - hmmmm - someone should have thought of that!). That power outage lasted at least 4 hours and came back on sometime in the night.

Since I can barely see the keyboard, I guess I will have to stop working for this evening. Darn.

PS - I think I am going to invest in a rather large flashlight tomorrow. Do you think that is a reimbursable business expense? Sue?????

Pictures, pictures, pictures

2008-05-06T19:50:00.008Z

I finally remembered to take a picture of the really cool vase I bought down here and promised a few people pictures of. Low and behold when I downloaded the picture to my laptop, along with it came a ton of pictures I had forgotten all about. Not sure why some of these have not downloaded before now, but here comes a virtual smorgasbord of pictures - in no particular order!

Here is the long awaited vase picture - isn't it cool???

This is the view from the slider in my living room at night. Sometimes I can see the port of Cape Town in between the 2 buildings on the left.

Here is a sample of some of the shells and sea glass I have found in Africa. Dan is convinced I don't leave an intact shell on any beach we stop at and he may be right. I brought a gallon-size Ziploc bag FULL of shells and sea glass when we came home a few weeks ago.

This signpost is in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. As you can see, we are 12421 km from home. That means we are 7718.052 miles (approximately) from home. Somehow, the flight seems much longer!

The grow things BIG down here. This is a picture of a cricket - at least, they TELL me it's a cricket. I have my doubts. Now that it is cooler, I have not seen as many of these ugly things, but let me tell you - they are *everywhere* at Sh*prite. And on Monday mornings, it's the worst - I swear they manage to get inside the buildings just so they can commit suicide. Ick.

There is a display of statues on the V&A Waterfront called Nobel Square - Dan wanted his picture taken with Desmond Tutu.

Time Flies...

2008-05-01T13:36:00.002Z

when you are having fun or just when the time at home is too short and fleeting. It seems hard to believe that my 2-week visit home is over - there are still people I have not seen or had a chance to even call. There are still a few hours left, though, so I will be trying to squeeze in as much as possible. Of course, that is in between some lingering work tasks I still have to complete, shopping for supplies to bring back to Africa, some personal business that still needs to be attended to (maybe the tax return I still have to file?). All that and I seem to have acquired a nice chest cold. That should be *really* fun during 18+ hours of flight time.

I am charging up the batteries for my camera, though. Boston to Cape Town via Amsterdam. I hear Matt Lauer was in Amsterdam earlier this week on his "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" series. I was also informed that the tulips are still in bloom - maybe I can ship some back to Natick? Then I just need to make sure I am *home* next spring to enjoy them!

Dorothy knew what she was talking about...

2008-04-22T19:43:00.002Z

There is NO place like home. I think I may have said that once before, when my project assignment was in Manchester. Well, its true and I will say it every time. As much as I enjoy seeing other parts of the world, there is nothing like coming home after a long trip. And I am blessed to have good friends and family who make that home-coming even more special, like: Mom and Dad, who stopped by my house and left me bagels, cream cheese, milk, OJ and Cheez-Its! Bill, Cheryl and Erin who stopped by and left me blueberry muffins, cheese & crackers, cookies, more milk & OJ and some beautiful tulips. Kathy - who in addition to bringing in all my mail for the past 2 months, left me a 12-pack of Coke Zero (they don't have that in Africa yet) and a huge Easter basket of treats since I missed Easter at home this year. It seems my friends are also well-aware of the general emptiness of my refrigerator! LOL. It was wonderful to wake up at 5:00 in the morning and actually have food to eat without having to run out to the store and it made me smile to think of the wonderful people who made that possible.

Quote of the Day

2008-04-22T19:23:00.002Z

Real Simple magazine sends me a "quote of the day." This is one of my faves:

Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.'
— Lao-Tzu

Easter Sunday - Afternoon

2008-04-14T22:00:00.009Z

When I returned from tree-surfing, Dan appeared to be feeling better, so we made reservations to go sailing on a harbor cruise. Shortly after we left the dock, Dan decided his stomach was not as well rested as he thought it was, so he pretty much stayed in one place. As for me, learning to sail is on my list of things to do in life and it has been years since I have been on a sailboat. So needless to say, I think I had more fun than Dan did on Easter, but he was a good sport about it. Here are some pictures:

I can't resist adding another picture of Dan with a drink in his hand, but actually the drink was mine and he was just holding it for me. Really.

The water was a bit choppy, so the captain determined it was not safe to make it through the 300m wide inlet and head out to the open ocean, so we spent our time cruising back and forth through the harbor. However, that also gave some of us the opportunity to take the wheel.....

That's the captain on the right and the first mate on the left. They don't look too concerned, so I figure I must have been doing an OK job.

It was a beautiful afternoon for a sail, and I only wish Dan had been feeling better.

The Map of Africa

2008-04-14T21:21:00.004Z

OK - going back to Easter weekend, Dan and I took advantage of the long weekend by heading to Knysna (pronounced NY-sna), which is east of Cape Town and near the border of the Eastern Cape Province. One of the folks at our client was nice enough to give us an itinerary of things to do and places to stop along the way. We stopped for lunch in a town called Wilderness and also made a stop at the local beach where I picked up a ton of oyster shells. We also saw a sign for something called the "Map of Africa," so we took off to see what this was.

After driving up a rather steep mountain and down a dirt road, we were about to turn back after the next bend in the road when we actually arrived at the mysterious destination. The "Map of Africa" is actually a look-out point - and when you look down, you see that Mother Nature has actually carved out with land and water the outline of the continent of Africa! I am sure that the picture does not actually do this justice, but here you go:

Can you kind of see it??? If not, you'll just have to trust me - it was pretty cool.

It's BACK!

2008-04-14T21:07:00.005Z

I have NO idea where it went or why, but suddenly the "magic" toolbar is back. Just when I was going to make a quick post and go to bed. Well, now I have to upload all these pictures I have been promising. Well, here goes:

The long-awaited baboon pictures! This was quite a few weeks ago, when Dan and I ventured down to Cape Point. It was also my first day at driving on the left-hand side of the road, so these pictures were taken by Dan. Can you see the baby on the back of one of them?

OK, I am pretty sure Dan used the zoom on this one, as I don't remember the baboons getting quite that close. The glare on the photo is due to the fact that we were dafe in the car, with the windows rolled up!

There was about 6 baboons in this group, just hanging out by the side of the road, or on the road itself. Needless to say, they stopped traffic, but we had a great view.

Technical Difficulties

2008-04-07T03:26:00.001Z

If you are wondering why there have been no posts lately, well, there are 2 reasons. One - Dan and I have spent the past 2 weekends working, so there has been nothing fun to take pictures of or blog about. We are preparing for our conference room pilot, so its been all work and no play. Please wish us luck this week. Two - even when I have found a few spare moments to compose a blog entry and post a few pics from previous "fun" weekends (I know I promised you baboon pictures and I know you are all still wondering what we did on Easter afternoon - I hope its not been keeping you awake at night), Blogger has seemingly "dropped" the toolbar that allows me to attach pictures. I am stumped. Can't find the darn thing. I thought maybe this was an IE error, so I tried logging inwith Firefox. No go. So, if you want to see more pictures, someone is going to have to help me troubleshoot this. I know quite a few techies are *supposedly* reading the blog (although NO ONE seems to be commenting - ah hem). If you have any insights into my Blogger issue, we can resume the pictures from CPT. Rest assured, Dan and I will NOT be working next weekend. Nope - NOT AT ALL. So, there should be some good pictures to post.... if only Blogger would cooperate with me. Sometimes, I just hate technology! LOL. :-)

PS - this same "missing" toolbar also contains the spell check. So, please ignore any mis-spellings.

Easter Sunday - Morning

2008-03-24T16:44:00.013Z

There are many pictures from our weekend in Knysna, however, most of them are on Dan's camera and I need to download them to my laptop so I can post them. However, there are one set of pictures that never made it to Dan's camera, so I will share them with you now.

One of the "suggested" activities we were given for this weekend was a visit to the "Tsitikamma Canopy Tours." Tsitikamma is one of the national forests east of Knysna and is technically in the Eastern Cape Province. You need a reservation, and the only booking we could get was for Sunday morning at 10:00. Dan woke up feeling rather sick to his stomach, so we agreed this was not an appropriate excursion, given his condition. You will see why shortly. So, I headed out on my own as it was an hour's plus drive from our hotel. Dan went back to bed. :-)

So, what is a "Canopy Tour?" It is the opportunity to see one of South Africa's indigenous forests - from the top down. Suspended from a series of cables, you cross from one platform to another - 10 "slides" in all. I would like to say that you gain an appreciation for the trees and vegetation on the forest floor, but it truly goes by too fast. I was more concerned with braking in time so I did not crash into the next platform.

Here are some pictures....

Suiting up....

Yes Mom, I wore a helmet!

Suited up and ready to go.

Yeah, well - we kept going.

You could call this "tree surfing"

A safe landing!

Stay tuned for more pics - including "Easter Sunday - Evening"

Holy Week

2008-03-20T14:39:00.002Z

OK, I know the blog has been a little light this week. But, a) long hours of work have prevailed and b) the batteries in my camera died.

However, the good news is that South Africa celebrates Good Friday as a national holiday as well as Monday. It is undecided as to whether Monday is actually "Easter Monday" or "Family Day," but I am not going to argue with a 4-day weekend. Unfortunately, I was not able to schedule a trip to Victoria Falls as by the time I realized the 4-day weekend was fast approaching, there were NO accommodations left at The Falls. Plan B - a trip up the eastern coast of South Africa, also referred to as "The Garden Route." It is supposed to be a beautiful route and we have made reservations at a nice Inn that I have been told can be a "base of operations" for sightseeing around the area. Among the activities I've been told not to miss is the "tree-top tours" where you actually fly between really large trees suspended to a cable. I saw pictures and it doesn't look nearly as dangerous as I just made it sound. Never the less, I will be sure to take pictures. Right - camera batteries are dead. I will suck it up this time and buy a set of batteries. Mom and Dad are mailing me a CARE package, and it contains the battery charger. However, it probably won't be here before tomorrow. Oh, well.

I will miss the celebration of Easter at home this year, but I will be thinking of friends and family, to be sure. I am lucky that I will not be alone, but have my new friend Dan with me to enjoy the sights in Knyzna(he doesn't know it, but I gave the Easter Bunny a heads up as to his location this weekend. LOL). My niece asked me on the way to the airport when I was leaving Cape Town what I had given up for Lent this year. I told her that I had given up my home for the next 6 months and I thought that was sacrifice enough this year. She agreed.

Happy Easter, everyone!

68% Peaceful

2008-03-15T02:09:00.003Z

My good friend Jane finds these really cool surveys online and posts them on her blog: buildingtheark.blogspot.com This survey was to determine how peaceful you are. Since it's Friday night (or Saturday morning, depending on your time zone) I figured my "peaceful" outlook was pretty good since I have 2 days of rest ahead of me. Now if I had taken the survey earlier today, I am not so sure I would have scored even this high. LOL

You Are 68% Peaceful

You are a very peaceful person. All is good in your world, no matter what's going on.

Occasionally you let your problems get to you, but you generally remain upbeat.

Your inner strength is inspirational - much more so than you may realize.

How Peaceful Are You?

Spa Services

2008-03-13T04:44:00.002Z

Another great thing about South Africa - even the prices of spa services are cheaper than at home! A 1.5 hour basic facial is R250 - depending on what exchange rate you use, that is about $35. A full 1 hour manicure is $15 (a pedicure would be about $17). Guess what I am doing this weekend???? I am also thinking that I will treat myself to a manicure every week while I am here. :-) Its not a safari, but it makes me happy.

Kaapstad

2008-03-13T03:26:00.002Z

Another thing we have noticed in South Africa is that the highway signs do not include directional indicators (that is, north/south/east/west). Rather, they use the names of cities as an indication as to what direction you are headed in; e.g., this way towards Cape Town, this way towards Paarl. That's all well and good if you know the area. For temporary residents like ourselves, it means we go nowhere without a map and even then we sometimes get confused. So it should come as no surprise to me when I was informed the other day by the project manager at our client when I told her that those directional indicators would *really* help me out, that in SA, they make it even harder by randomly switching the language of the signs between English and Afrikaans. "Really?" I said? Uh huh. As it turns out, Kaapstad is Afrikaans for Cape Town. Now see, Dan and I just thought that was another town that was not on our map. No wonder we were confused.

Kalk Bay Improvement Association

2008-03-11T19:27:00.004Z

There is an effort, it seems, to generate jobs across South Africa to combat the astronomical unemployment rate. Not long after we arrived in Cape Town, we noticed that there are "security" guards in most of the parking lots of area shopping centers. These folks actually direct you to open parking spaces (wouldn't that be just *great* at home during the Christmas season? No more stalking people in the parking lots????). As it turns out, many of them expect a tip. As we were leaving the parking lot behind the resturant we ate at Saturday night, the "guard" stopped us and "asked" for a donation to the Kalk Bay Improvement Fund. We gave him some Rand coin (about R5 --> less than $1) and he was happy. I can live with that.

Driving on the wrong side of the road.....

2008-03-09T21:02:00.004Z

I need to download some pictures, but I figured I would update you on the happenings of the past few days.....

Work is, of course, busy. But, it turns out, the client celebrates the end of each work week with a braai in the courtyard of the offices, complete with beverages and their award-winning sausages. We missed our first braai last week, but we managed to drag ourselves out of the office Friday afternoon to join our new friends for the festivities and made a few new friends to boot. We might make this a weekly event. In fact, I think the IT department has responsibility for serving in a few weeks, so Dan and I have already volunteered to help. As long as no one tries to order in Afrikaans, we should be OK. Or, they will just get what we serve them. LOL.

Saturday, I decided to try driving in Africa for the first time. Since we got here, Dan has pretty much been the designated driver, but I figured that was not really fair. That, and the fact that he is taking off next weekend with some friends that are coming into town and if I do not want to be stranded, I better figure out how to drive on the wrong, I mean *left* side of the road. It went pretty well, actually, especially when you consider that a) I have not driven a standard transmission in several years, b) they drive on the wrong, I mean LEFT, and c) you also sit on the *right* side of the car and shift with your *left* hand. It took me about an hour to figure out the friction point in our little VW, but I think I have that down straight. The bigger issue is that my hand seems to want to pull to the right and I keep shifting from 1st to 4th instead of into 2nd! I am working on it and I am happy to say I have recovered quickly and there have been no stalls or near death experiences.

So on our driving tour on Saturday we went back to Chapman's Peak and, since Dan was the passenger this time, he could really enjoy the beautiful views. We also drove down to Cape Point, which is one of the most southern points in Africa. On the drive into the National Park, we came across a group of baboons right next to the road. Since I was driving, the pics are all on Dan's camera, so I will get them and post them later this week. We took a tram up to the top of the mountain and then climbed the rest of the way up where there is a pretty cool lighthouse. The wind could just about knock you over. But the views were great - again, more pictures later in the week.

We are hoping to finally secure long-term accommodations this week, so we will let you know how that goes. So far, we have been pleasantly surprised by the inexpensive cost of food here. It is only marred by some strange shortages of key food items. At the top of the list is Diet Coke (referred to in SA as Coke Light). There seems to be some issue with CO2 supplies and as a result, the local stores are literally OUT of Coke Light. I am seriously hoping this is resolved soon, or I may be asking for care packages. Perhaps the local bottling company could benefit from the services of a fabulous supply chain management software? The other odd shortage seems to be whenever we order a dish with tuna - two separate places over the past week have been out of tuna. Not sure what the story is there.

Lastly (and then I am going to bed), there seems to be some concern that my buddy Dan is doing nothing but drinking down here. Here is the reply I sent in response to one such pointed question earlier this week:

"Rest assured that I am trying to keep up with Dan as best I can, but since I am (strategically) behind the camera (and it’s *my* blog), the incriminating pictures will pretty much only reflect my drinking buddies. However, we are taking the “work hard, play hard” ethic very seriously. We only drink after we have billed 40 hours for the week (whether that occurs on Wednesday night or Friday night will be up for review)."

Since we have to start over on our 40-hour cycle bright and early tomorrow morning, I will say good night. Check in later in the week from some more pics.

I need a replacement.....

2008-03-06T04:16:00.002Z

Many of my blog readers know that I am a regular platelet donor at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Because of my extended assignment in Africa and the potential that my extra-curricular travels may take me into a malaria zone while I am here, I will most likely be not be able to donate for the next year and half (you are automatically deferred for one year after you have left a malaria zone). This is difficult for me, as donating at the Farber has become part of my routine over the years and the staff at the Farber have become my friends (I promised I would at least stop by when I get back!). I am hoping that I can convince some readers to consider donating platelets - if the Dana Farber is not convenient for you, there are many blood donation centers around the world that collect this live-saving blood product.

I suppose I should tell you why this is so important. I am going to plagiarize the brochure from the Dana Farber here, but I am pretty sure they won't mind:

Platelets are the clotting agents of the blood, which help to control bleeding. Cancer patients, trauma victims, and transplant recipients are only a few of the many patients who may require platelet transfusions. At the Dana Farber alone, they transfuse more than 8,000 units of platelets a year. And that number is not decreasing....

The only source of platelets is a healthy donor - there is NO substitute. Because platelets only have a shelf life of 5 days from the time they are collected to when there are transfused, there is a constant need for donors.

Platelets are collected via procedure called apheresis. Basically that means they draw the blood from your arm, spin it through a centrifuge to spin off and collect the platelets and then they return the red blood cells back to you. It's actually a pretty cool process and takes about 90 minutes. You get set up in a comfy bed with lots of blankets and you can pick out a movie to watch on your own screen. Then they give you a snack and a drink and you're on your way. Because your reb blood cells are returned to you, you can actually donate platelets as often as every 2 weeks, whereas there is 56-day waiting period to donate whole blood.

I started donating platelets when I was in my early 20s and wanted to make a donation to many of the worthwhile organizations in the Boston area. I could not afford, financially, to contribute as much as I wanted to, so I figured I could always donate my blood. Over they years, I have come to realize that there is no greater donation than giving of yourself (literally!)and there are so many people who will benefit. What requires only a couple hours of my time will directly impact the health of several people within the next 5 days. Medical research and technology has delivered tremendous achievements over the years, but they cannot reproduce blood products. They rely on the human donors to meet this need.

I hope some of you will consider this worthwhile experience. If you have questions about the process, I would be happy to give you my perspective. Better yet - call the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at the Dana Farber and they will answer any questions you have. Their number is: (617) 732-6620 or you can email them at: blooddonor@partners.org - and tell them I said Hi.

Penguins

2008-03-04T17:34:00.007Z

I know Mary has been waiting to hear about the penguins. Well, we found 'em! There is an area near Simon's Town called Boulders where 2300 South African jackass penguins live in a protected colony. I wish I had taken a picture of the sign that is posted as you are leaving the reads, "Please check under your cars for penguins." Yikes! We saw that sign a little too late, but I don't think there were any casualties. They are just the cutest things and they look at you and tilt their heads as though you are having a conversation. Adorable.

Chapman's Peak

2008-03-04T04:44:00.005Z

There is a stretch of road just south of Cape Town that basically "hugs" the coastline. It's actually a toll road (about $3), but the fare is most definitely worth the views. As the designated driver, Dan did a great job navigating the curves, but once I start driving down here (nope, haven't tried that yet), we should go back so Dan can get the full effect. There are several places you can turn off and take pictures or have a picnic. Here are a few of the pictures of this amazing view.

Team Dinner

2008-03-02T19:30:00.008Z

Thursday night, Tr@deStone hosted a dinner for the core members of our new project team. At their recommendation, we went to a venue called Moyo at the Spier wine estate in Stellenbosch. According to my guide book, "Moyo is about much more tha a meal; it's a Cafe African culture experience. Food is served as a delicious buffet, while indigenous dancers and musicians entertain with traditional drumming." That pretty much sums it up, except that the experience is much more FUN! At one point, I turned to Dan and said, "I feel like I am in the middle of 'The Lion King'" and sure enough, the singer started singing, "The lion sleeps tonight." I can't make this stuff up. There are so many great pictures from that night, but here are a few:

One of the traditional African dances they performed.

This lady had a great voice and sang songs in English and other African languages (don't even bother asking me which ones!).

Everyone has their face painted when they arrive - this is one of our team members at the client, Willem. The resturant even drapes a blanket across the back of each chair in case you get cold (we were eating under a huge tent).

This is a group picture of *most* of the core project team. Note the face paintings on everyone! It looks like I am wearing the drum, but I am really just standing behind it. :-) From the left, Photy (our project sponsor), Chirag, Lourena (the project manager), Dan, me, Chris (from the logistics team at the client), Jaco (a Tr@deStone partner in SA) and Willem.

These are some ducks that were wandering around the estate and came right up to our table. Dan was trying to decide whether to pet one (he didn't). Willem did, however, and he said it bit him!

Braai

2008-03-02T19:19:00.005Z

Braai is the South African term for a barbeque. And our hosts at the guest house invited Dan, Chirag and I to join them for a braai Wednesday night this week. Robert and Corrina have been wonderful and I think it is safe to say that all three of us would recommend their guest house to future visitors to the Brackenfell area.... Robert also introduced us to a traditional South African liquor called Amarula. Its a cream liquor made from the marula fruit. It is traditionally served over crused ice with a sprig of fresh mint. It's very, very yummy. We will be bringing some of this home! We had grilled chicken and lamb chops - the lamb was actually raised on Corrina's parents' farm! You all know how much I love a home-cooked meal and this was a wonderful treat.

Robert and Corrina, our hosts

The bottle of Amarula (now empty).

Dan enjoying his Amarula.

Daily Thought

2008-03-01T20:23:00.000Z

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
— Anais Nin

SPAM

2008-03-01T09:22:00.002Z

Anyone with an email account these days undoubtably receives alot of what is termed, SPAM mail - that unsolicited mail that gets circulated around the globe. You know what I mean - forward this email to seven of your closest friends and Microsoft will send you a check for $10k or you will have tremendously great luck for the next 5 years, etc, etc, etc. However, once in a while you get an email that makes you stop and think. These are the ones I like. Since this is my blog and I can post whatever I want to :-) I have decided to post the following content of an email I received from my Dad last night. I did not go check the authenticity of these stories at snopes.com because its irrelevant. Whether or not Colin Powell actually said what is claimed below is not the point. The point is that, as Americans, we have a lot to be proud of - regardless of political affiliation. Would Bill Clinton have sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia during the same crisis - absoultely he would. So read on and remember to thank a Veteran today.

Every American should read these Four Great Stories

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was
asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just
an example of empire building' by George Bush.
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has
sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight
for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever
asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then there was a conference in France where a number of
international engineers were tak ing part, including French and American.
During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying
'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an
aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intended to do, bomb them?' A Boeing engineer stood up and
replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can
treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply
emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three
cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a
day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from
sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use
in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck..
We have eleven such sh ips; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that
included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French
Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with
a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of
those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped
their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas
Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.'
He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these
conferences rather than speaking French?' Without hesitating,
the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits,
Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak
German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France
on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in
Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his
passport in his carry on. "You have been to France before,
monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted
that he had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to
have your passport ready." The American said, "The last time I was
here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Americans always have to
show your passports on arrival in France!" The American senior gave
the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. "Well,
when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this
country, I couldn't find any damn Frenchmen to show it to."

You could have heard a pin drop

Henry Ford's Polar Opposite

2008-02-26T19:02:00.004Z

So you remember the saying that Henry Ford once told people that they could order his Model T in any color as long as it was black? Well, they seem to have the opposite perspective in South Africa - Dan and I have noticed that about 90% of the cars in the parking lot at our office seem to be white. Now, you *could* assume that this is due to the strong African sun and that white reflects all that sunlight - EXCEPT that the interiors of these cars all seem to be BLACK. Go figure.

Preparations........

2008-02-26T18:42:00.002Z

Never let it be said that PSO is all work and no play. We spent part of our weekend preparing for the new project. As you can see, Dan was anxious to impress everyone on his first project. With a glass of fabulous South African wine in hand, he was diligently studying the Retail Supply Chain Management textbook he brought with him from the States - on a SATURDAY night, no less. I thinking that is a far cry from what anyone would call fun, but we will have many more weekends to drink wine *without* the textbook! :-)

OK, I lied.

2008-02-25T19:52:00.005Z

I just noticed that I promised to add more comments and pictures to the blog on Saturday and here it is Monday night and I am going to upload a few pictures and go to bed..... Today was our first day on the new project and I think it went really well. Its a very complex business, but I think there is a lot we can do to add some value here (geez - do I sound like a consultant or what???). Anyway, my brain is pretty fried, so this will be a short post, but there will be more to come, I promise. The highlights so far - we have already ate lunch at 2 of the local wineries, driven down into Cape Town (well, I must be honest - Dan is doing all of the driving, and so far he's only almost gotten us killed once), I put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean (it was *way* colder than the Cape Cod - I swear!)and stopped at a roadside bazaar/crafts market (I bought a gorgeous seashell and have my eye on some other items to bring home). The scenery is just as gorgeous as you hear about - the coastline is just amazing. The wierdest thing so far is to keep reminding myself that it's summer down here and winter at home. Here are a few pictures from the past few days - keep in mind we did quite a bit of sleeping this weekend, so the weekends to follow will have more stories and pictures, I'm sure.

This is a picture of Dan, Chirag and our teammate, Hashaam, who lives in London and did us the tremendous favor of picking us up at Heathrow and taking us out for lunch at a true English pub.

The Hind Head Pub in Bray, England

Gorgeous Camps Bay Beach where the water is freeeeeeezing!

More pictures later - this internet connection is so slow it is taking forever to upload pictures......

Are we there yet?????

2008-02-22T21:18:00.003Z

No, really - are we there YET? Well, if I am blogging, I must be somewhere with an internet connection. We landed, safe and sound in Cape Town this morning. It was a long, long, trip; I will blog more details and post some pictures tomorrow. But for those that have been wondering and praying for our safe travels, we are at the guesthouse in Brekenfell. We are meeting for breakfast in the morning, working for a few hours and then meeting a business associate for lunch. Hopefully we will do some sightseeting in the afternoon.

24 hours.... and counting!

2008-02-20T02:00:00.002Z

So, in less than 24 hours I will be on the plane headed to London. Am I packed? Nope. Will I be? Sure. I figure I will just keep running on adrenaline until I get to the airport. At that point, whatever did not get done at home will just have to wait. I changed the blog template this evening - this one is called, "Harbor." I thought it was appropriate. I also thought I would post a quote I have been holding on to for a while now - I think it is just as appropriate.

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging becuase things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."

-- King Whitney, Jr.

Ironically enough, this quote was left on my pillow at the Annaheim Marriot a few months back. It was the first and only time I received a quote instead of the standard pillow chocolate. But since I never really ate the chocolate anyway, I figure this was a great substitute. :-)

Here's to challenges! The next post will probably be over the weekend, but perhaps I will have a picture or 2 from our layover in London.

Transitions - Quiksilver

2008-02-14T13:08:00.005Z

I started this blog to document my travels for work - specifically when those travels took me to Manchester, England earlier this year. When I left Manchester in July, I was assigned to a project in Huntington Beach, California working for Quiksilver. Quik started selling boardshorts to the local surfing community back in the '70s and has transitioned into a multi-billion dollar company specializing in sportswear for men, women and children. There are not many pictures to share from this project as I flew home every week (which should also explain the lapse of blog entries over the past 6 months - I have been in a near-constant state of jet lag). But I would be remiss if I did not include a least a few pictures. So, here you go.

I was really lucky to have two great Tr@deStone team members on the project with me - Alicia and Kevin. And they must be represented in the blogosphere! I will miss working with them - I spent more time with them then anyone else in the past 6 months! We had a running joke at Quik that we were "in the closet."

Let me explain - as most consultants will agree, we (consultants in general) are not exactly given top of the line accomodations at client sites. Since we are transitional "employees," there are not generally offices or even cubicles available to us. We work where there is space. As long as we have a table, a chair and an internet connection, we are good to go. Phones are sometimes optional. That's one of the many reasons we have cell phones. :-) At Quik, we were assigned workspace in the "Sportswear Closet" (that's what the phone said as our caller ID whenever we called anyone). Basically, it was the sample room. We were surround by next year's collection of boardshorts, ski jackets, shirts and pants (and some of them are really cool - you'll see). Near the end of the project, Quik needed to relocate us to another workspace, so our joke then became that we "came out of the closet." I don't have any pictures of the closet, but here are some others.

Alicia hard at work in our "new" workspace

Kevin in front of one of the many great surfing posters that can be found all over the offices

This was the poster I looked at from my desk in the new workspace - pretty much looked at this model's behind! LOL

Sunset on Sunset Beach - Alicia and her boyfriend Sam hosted a roll-off barbeque for Kevin and I. I was able to take off my shoes and walk on the beach in February and I even picked up a few shells to bring home.

Catching Up Part 7 - Cancun

2008-02-14T07:50:00.005Z

In October, Mom and I took our annual Mother-Daughter trip - this year to Cancun, Mexico. Neither of us had ever been to Mexico and for me, this trip was *all* about rest. In fact, we only left the resort twice. Once to go shopping at a local outdoor mall (of course) and once to venture out to find the local Hard Rock Cafe (Danny and Katie needed another pin, after all!). The rest of the week, we ventured no farther than the hotel next door for an occasional meal. We got lots of sleep (I averaged 11 hours a night) and the biggest decision we made was where to park ourselves for the day - the pool? the beach? the pool and then the beach? You get the picture. The surf was incredible - the undertow was very strong, which made it hard for Mom as she was still awaiting her knee replacement surgery and even I was exhausted after an hour of playing in the surf. The color of the water was incredible, as you can see from the pictures below. We came home rested, a little tan (yes, even I had a *little* bit of a tan!) and with some great new silver jewelry. We are already planning our trip for next year - we are thinking Aruba...

I guess I could have taken off the t-shirt, but I was trying to avoid a sunburn!

The color of the water is just gorgeous!

We stayed at the JW Marriot - they have an "infiniti pool" which was just beautiful. Mom and I would highly recommend this resort - their spa is also top-notch! You know I am *all about* the spa!

Catching Up Part 6 - Packard Weekend

2008-02-13T04:59:00.015Z

As many of you know, my Dad is an antique car enthusiast and his favorites are Packards. He is currently serving as the Director for the North Atlantic Packards Club. Among the many social activites the Club participates in, Mom and Dad have hosted a "Packard Weekend" on the Cape the past few summers. This year's event included a driving tour of Route 6A with stops at Annie's Crannies (a local cranberry bog, the Dennis Manse, crafts shop co-owned by one of the club members and Sydenstryker Glass, a local studio that creates beautiful glass pieces with stencils and powdered glass.

Everyone met back at Mom and Dad's for a cocktail party before heading to the Hyannie Yacht Club for dinner. Brunch back at Mom and Dad's the next morning brought a wonderful end to a beautiful weekend. Here are just a few pictures of the gorgeous cars and great friends in attendance:

Dad and Mom - host and hostess extraordinaire!

Catching Up Part 5 - A Bad Day at the Beach....

2008-02-13T04:53:00.003Z

....is still better than a good day at work. Truer words were never spoken! Now, that's not to say this was a bad day at the beach. A) there is NO such thing and B) we had a wonderful day. I had been telling my friend Kathy about this beach in Newport, Rhode Island for years and the great beachcombing to be had there. Shells and sea glass galore. I could spend hours walking up and down this beach, picking up sea glass (wait a minute - I HAVE spent hours walking up and down this beach!). Kathy, Justin, Connor and I spent a wonderful day on the beach relaxing and catching up. I am already looking forward to next summer.

Catching Up Part 4 - There's no place like home

2008-02-13T04:33:00.007Z

Boy, Dorothy had it right. There's.NO.Place.Like.Home. On Sunday, I drove down to the Cape to spend the week at Mom and Dad's. In addition to spending some quality time with the 'rents, there was the added bonus of a mini-family reunion. Although I was still working from home that week to support my client in Manchester for one more week, I was able to spend some time (but not nearly enough) with my cousins. It was especially nice to spend time with Kim, Kelly and Paul as they joined me for dinner on several occasions when I was on a project in Lyndhurst, NJ for 11 months last year. We didn't grow up near each other and we didn't even meet until we were all adults, but I am so lucky to have great friends that are also my relatives. Mom and Dad generously hosted a barbeque for the whole clan and we managed to take some group pictures of each of the 3 generations in attendance.

The first cousins and their spouses

The second cousins and their spouses

The third cousins (but no spouses yet!)

And a few other pictures that are just so great, they need to be blogged:

My cousin Kim and Paul's daughter Mia

My cousin Kelly and her daughter Julia

Catching Up Part 3 - Home Again

2008-02-13T04:15:00.006Z

I flew home on Friday, July 13th. On Saturday the 14th, the Marcoux clan arrived in Boston to celebrate the wedding of Jane's brother Pete. It was so great to see them!

The Marcoux girls all dressed up for Uncle Pete's wedding.

Two of the Marcoux men

Jane with Baby T

Kim came up and joined us for breakfast

Catching Up Part 2 - Edinburgh

2008-02-12T23:13:00.000Z

I decided that if I had to work on my birthday and the 4th of July, that I was going to need something to look forward to. I was working really long days at that point, so I booked a weekend at the Marriot Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club in Edinburgh, Scotland. I took the train up to Edinburgh after work on Friday and returned on Sunday night. Edinburgh is gorgeous - I would go back in a heartbeat. The scenery is amazing, the people are friendly, the food was delicious and I was able to relax for a few days. I was lucky to have my room upgraded at the hotel and they put me in a corner suite.

Me and the Guard at Edinburgh Castle

The castle overlooks the entire city

Of *course* I had to fit in some shopping - this is the inside of a tartan weaver right outside the castle. I bought several yards of various plaids. I have NO idea what I am going to do with them, but how can you go to Scotland and not buy tartan and a good bottle of Scotch Wiskey? Did I mention the tastings at 10 AM? That'll wake you up!

The Royal Mile descends from Edinbugh Castle down into the city. It is lined with shops and restaurants. One of the nestest things I saw on the Royal Mile was a museum of sorts called "Mary King's Close." A "close" was another name for a street. In old Edinburgh, the streets were extremely narrow, the buildings with many stories high and people literally lived on top of each other. With no indoor plumbing, waste and refuse were literally tossed into the streets where it ran downhill to the lake below. The lake is now a park and the flowers were beautiful - must be all the natural fertilizer from centuries before! Here's a link to the website in case you might be planning a trip to Edinburgh - a word of warning - this tour is not for those who leans words claustorphobia.

http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/

Catching Up Part 1 - Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-02-12T23:00:00.000Z

If there are any remaining dedicated blog readers out there, you are well aware that I have been, well, lax about keeping up with the blog since oh, about July. My last couple of weeks in England were pretty crazy - trying to get as much done as possible before heading back to the states. I was pretty bummed to have to work both my birthday and the 4th of July in Manchester. For some reason, the English don't seem inclined to celebrate American Independence - go figure! They were very good natured about it, however. And if I had to work on my birthday, my friends at JDW made it the nicest day possible. They brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and treated me to a "Victoria Sponge Cake." Yummy. The entire team also joined me out for dinner that night. I could not have asked for a better group of friends to celebrate with.

While I was away, I tried to come up with a great souvenier to bring home for Danny and Katie. I decided to start them a collection of pins from the Hard Rock Cafe - that way, I could add to their collection from all of my travels. So, I stopped by the HRC in Manchester to pick up their first pins. I got into a conversation with the guy running the gift shop and he informed me that they actually had a pin to commorate July 4th. A pin from the Manchester, UK Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate American Independence? Of COURSE I had to have one. It's an American eagle with stars and stripes and sure enough, it says Manchester. I wonder if there was a big demand for this pin???? Needless to say, the irony was not lost on me!

Preparations for Africa

2008-01-03T20:49:00.000Z

So, I thought it would be a good idea to update my vaccinations and see if I needed any new ones before heading to Africa. Turns out that was a good idea. Based on my potential travel itinerary, it was recommended that I get vaccinations for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Polio and a Tetanus booster. Three series of shots and I will be all set. They also called in a perscription for anti-malarial drugs and an antibiotic I can take with me. I was shocked to find the co-pay for the anti-malarial drug was $50 (that was the co-pay!), but I guess it sure beats getting malaria, so I will just suck that one up.

I checked out the holidays in SA and it seems that Good Friday and Easter Monday are recognized holidays, so I am thinking that might be the perfect weekend to take a trip up to Victoria Falls. I don't want to pass up the opportunity to see one of God's Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Cross your fingers that I can make that happen and you can be sure I will post lots of pictures!

Folks have been asking when I will be leaving. The short answer is "I'm not sure." Right now, it is looking like the end of February, but I am hoping to know more this week. The project I have been working on in LA since August will not wrap up until February 15th. So, stay tuned. All I can do for now is prepare as much as I can in advance.

Happy New Year! 2008 is already shaping up to be an adventure!

I couldn't resist...

2007-12-16T19:40:00.000Z

...taking another quiz. Since the title was, "What City Do You Belong In?" I wanted to know if happened to be any of the cities I have been (or are going to). Turns out, I shouldn't be surprised. I *love* Paris and I'm actually trying to figure out how I can coordinate a stopover in Paris on my way to Cape Town. Stay tuned.

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris.

The art, the fashion, the wine!

Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park...

You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

"Tis the Season

2007-12-16T19:34:00.000Z

I know I promised to update the blog, and I will. I promise. When I get home from LA next Friday, I am home for *TWO* whole weeks. I have a rather large list of things to do and preparing the blog for my next adventure is most definitely on the list. In the meantime, here's a link to a quiz posted by my friend Jane - couldn't resist the opportunity for a quiz. So, the question is.... what reindeer are you?

You Are Prancer

You are the perfect reindeer, with perfect hooves and perfect flying form.

Why You're Naughty: Because you're Santa's pet, and you won't let anyone show you up.

Why You're Nice: You have the softest fur and the sweetest carrot breath.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Is Anyone Still Out There?

2007-11-17T02:19:00.000Z

Okay, so I know its been a while. Well, let's be honest, it's been 4 months since I last blogged. As most of you know, when I left Manchester I went pretty much directly to Surf City, USA (a.k.a. Huntington Beach, California). The cross-country commute has been a killer, so the blogging has taken a back seat. That, and there has not been much picture-taking going on.

But, I do have some catching up to do, so look for more blog posts this week as I am on vacation this week! Woo Hoo!

Never Dare Mother Nature

2007-07-12T08:52:00.000Z

So, I left the hotel this morning without a jacket or raincoat (see blog entry below). Basically, I dated Mother Nature to rain on me on my last day in Manchester. Never DARE Mother Nature. She *always* wins. I should have known better.

Oh, well.

Living Dangerously

2007-07-12T05:27:00.000Z

It's my last day! The countdown is over, even if the work is not. By this time tomorrow, I will be making my way to the airport and coming home. Hard to believe. I have one more week at home, supporting the client over here, but that's it. My teammate Paul will be coming back to Manchester to pick up where I have left off and hopefully get this project live (I may have mentioned the ah, minor, project set back we've had?).

Anyways, thanks to the blog readers who have posted comments and kept me going through this experience. You never know where I might be.... next project is in sunny California - after that, who knows?

Why have I titled this entry "Living Dangerously?" I decided, as I walked out the door this morning, NOT to wear my rain jacket and NOT to carry an umbrella. I just dare it to rain today. Hah!

2007-07-11T06:31:00.001Z

Not sure why I can't seem to put titles in any more, but just add that to my ever increasing list of technical difficulties this week..... Sigh. Some days, technology just stinks.

So, the countdown continues.... TWO days from now, I will be headed to the airport at this time. Tomorrow is my last day actually at the client site. But, that only means there is MUCH to be done between now and then. So, I had better get back to work. Many, many thanks to Katie and Debbie Jo for blogging a comment. It's nice to know you're out there.

I do have pictures to post, but I keep falling asleep when I get back to the hotel. I actually fell asleep the other night with all my clothes on. I vaguely remember waking up in the middle of the night, realizing I still had my clothes on, but just couldn't muster up enough energy to do anything about it.

2007-07-10T06:46:00.000Z

I am really not sure who, if anyone, is reading the blog besides Katie and Jane. But if anyone is interested, I am coming home.On.Friday. It seems hard to believe that all these weeks have come to an end. I wish I could tell you that my project would be completed before I fly home, but that will not be the case. The project suffered a major set back last week when one of the users at the client mistakenly overwrote a major piece of code. After spending 2 days trying to resurrect it, they decided to install the last back of the code that was taken - a week previously. What that means, to the non-technical out there, is that this process effectively deleted a weeks' worth of my work. So, if it wasn't enough fun the first time around, I get to do it all.over.again. Ah, clients. Can't live with 'em; can't live without 'em. Sigh.

So, my last few days in England will be spent getting them to the place where they can begin testing everything I have done (so maybe its not such a bad thing that I will be 3 thousand miles away next week!). Although, I will be supporting these guys for 1 more week from home (well, technically, Mom and Dad's home). And then it's off to.......

Sunny California. My boss has already assigned me to my next project in southern California. So, now I will begin a 3 thousand mile commute in the opposite direction. Thankfully, it is only a 3-hour time difference to the left coast and I CAN come home every weekend, if I so choose. This new project is slated for approximately 5 months. I understand I will be very close to Disneyland, and several friends have mentioned the possibility of coming out for a weekend (what? you'd rather come visit sunny California than dreary, rainy Manchester? I'm shocked).

If I can stay awake long enough tonight, I will try and post some pictures from my trip to Edinburgh this past weekend. Beautiful city, would love to go back. I have my requisite bottle of scotch already packed in the suitcase. Yes, I am already packed to come home. :-)

England Goes Smoke Free

2007-07-01T08:30:00.001Z

Today is July 1st and England officially goes "Smoke Free." Mancy cities and towns across America have instituted smoking bans in public places over the past few years. Today, England insitutes a country-wide smoking pan in public places - including resturants and pubs. :-)

Not sure if it applies to Scotland. I'll let you know next week.

That is your English trivia for today.

Countdown

2007-07-01T08:21:00.000Z

12 Days...... until I fly home. Seems hard to believe, but its true. Of course, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work to do between now and then, but I am looking forward to going home and re-establishing my own routine. While this has been a great experience, there's "no place like home."

Today may be July 1st, it does not seem like summer to me. I feel like I am in a bit of a time warp. Each day is like the previous. I have heard that it has been HOT and HUMID at home. I can't say its been hot here at all. We are lucky to get to the mid-60s most days. As far as humid, well, I guess we are generally at 100% - that is - RAIN. It has rained here for several days now. I still see people wearing winter coats. I myself am still wearing a sweater - wool or cotton - every day and sometimes adding a jacket on top of that. I will be throwing out my umbrella before coming home as the darn thing just doesn't close right anymore. Too much overuse, I imagine.

Do I sound homesick? Yeah, I guess. But 12 days is nothin'.

The Name Game

2007-06-26T06:51:00.000Z

One of the folks at my client started asking me yesterday about the names of English cities and towns that also exist in the U.S., specifically in New England. He started firing off names from England and I fired back their U.S. counterparts. We came up with quite a list in just a few minutes:

Plymouth, MA (of course!)
Gloucester, MA
Worcester, MA
Manchester, NH
Bristol, RI
Portsmouth, RI
Dover, MA
Weymouth, MA
Boston, MA
Cambridge, MA
Brighton, MA
NEW London, CT
Derby, CT
Norwich, CT
NEW York
Birmingham, AL

There were several others. In fact, the only 2 I could not think of U.S. counterparts for were Leeds and Liverpool - is there a Liverpool anywhere in the U.S.??

Can any of you blog readers add to the list? Get out your Atlas!

A London Landmark

2007-06-25T20:17:00.000Z

Among all the famous landmarks in London, nothing seems more iconic to me than Tower Bridge. It's a beautiful bridge, from the water, from land and from the bridge itself.

Look Kids - Big Ben, Parliment

2007-06-25T20:11:00.000Z

I couldn't resist the quote from "National Lampoon's European Adventure." We didn't get stuck in a roundabout, but decided to take a cruise on the Thames, instead. We went right by the houses of Parliment, under London Bridge, under Tower Bridge and by the Tower of London (more pictures of that later).

If you look closely - you will see another boat in the Thames - that lucks suspiciously like a Duck. Yup, there are "Duck Tours" in London, too!

Family Picture

2007-06-25T20:06:00.000Z

I was not all that interested in having my picture taken (I would rather be *behind* the camera), I did agree to one family picture in London. Mind you, there are several key members of the family missing, but these are the family members that were present.

Look Who We Found.....

2007-06-25T19:59:00.000Z

Dedicated blog readers will remember my earlier posts about the statue of Abraham Lincoln that I found in Manchester. Well, look who stands in the shadow of Westminster Abbey? There is no plaque on the statue, but it was nice to see that his greatness as a leader is recognized outside the United States.

London

2007-06-25T19:36:00.000Z

So, when I couldn't get home for another visit in June, Mom and Dad flew to London for a visit. We had a great time - Mom and I were interested in checking out the antiques in London, so we went to the famous Portobello Road Market on Saturday morning. We found a few souveniers and Dad was a great sport while we poked around. From there, we went to the Winston Churchill Museum and The Cabinet War Rooms. Very cool. If you ever have a chance to go to London, this museum is a must-see. The Cainet War Rooms operated around the clock from the beginning of the war in 1939 to its end in August 1945. As the story goes, the day after V-E day, the soldiers stationed at the Cabinet War Rooms, straightened their desks, shut off the lights for the first time in 6 years and locked the doors behind them. That's the way these rooms stayed until the late 70's when the rooms were opened up. Today, the museum gives you a great perspective on what life was like in this underground bunker. The maps are still on the walls - complete with pins marking troop movement and pivotal battles. The walls have been removed and replaced with Plexiglass in many areas so that you can get a perspective on what life was like while the Germans were bombing London over their heads. You can see where Churchill slept, ate and made secure phone calls across the Atlantic to the American President, planning their strategy. It is an amazing look back into a period of time that changed the face of history. Here's a picture of Mom and Dad outside the entrance to the museum and a link to the museum itself.

www.iwm.org.uk/cabinet

More Faces I Can't Wait to See Again

2007-06-25T19:21:00.000Z

So, I am trying to catch up some pictures I have not been able to post while I was having some IE issues. Here are pictures of Danny, Katie and the newest Hickey - Jack, taken on the Cape when I was home at Memorial Day. Jack is a year and half and an absolute sweetie. He has even managed to win over Suzi, who was not too sure about the "new kid." Jack is a total love and it absolutely dedicated to his family. He has earned the nickname "Lickey Hickey" (for the obvious reasons) and visitors to the house are subject to a "Jack Attack." I can't WAIT to see these guys again.

Edinburgh

2007-06-22T08:37:00.000Z

So, I decided that I needed a treat to look forward to over the next few weeks. There are many long days ahead of me before this project will go-live and I will be working on my birthday and the 4th of July this year (as you can imagine, the Brits don't celebrate the American Independence Day). I just booked myself a weekend at the Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club in Edinburgh. There's also a spa at the hotel, so I will be calling them as soon as they open this morning to make a few appointments. :-) It's already improved my mood today. I'll get a change of scenery, a chance to relax and the opportunity to see another part of the world that I have not been to before returning to the States on July 13th (for those of you keeping track, that is THREE weeks from today).

My good friend Paul has been in Edinburgh for work this week, so I am sure he can give me some sightseeing tips. Edinburgh Castle is a must. Since a good part of my Saturday will be spent at the spa, Sunday will be my main sightseeing day. It will be a good orientation to a new city - and I can always return.

Did you ever wonder....

2007-06-22T08:32:00.000Z

what the difference is between "England," "Great Britain" and the "United Kingdom?"

I did. So, here's the answer. England is the country of England itself. Great Britain includes England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdon includes Great Britain and Northen Ireland. Got it? Okay - that is your trivia for today.

Happy Summer!

2007-06-21T11:55:00.000Z

Happy Summer, blog readers (whoever you may be!). Today is June 21st, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. And, the "official" start of summer. May you all have a long, fun, safe and enjoyable summer.

Dig out your beach gear and fire up the bar-b-que!

Mark Twain has never been to Manchester

2007-06-20T10:45:00.000Z

So, I think most Americans are familiar with the quote from Mark Twain, "If you don't like the weather in New England, wait a minute."

I am going to make the broad assumption that Mark Twain never traveled to Manchester, UK.

I woke up this morning, convinced I had overslept because it was *so* bright in my hotel room. When the phone rang, I thought it was going to be my client wondering where I was, but no, it was my wake up call at 6:45.

Walking to the office this morning, I made a point of saying to myself that I just HAD to blog what a beautiful morning it was in Manchester. Clear blue skies over the gorgeous Town Hall. It was going to be a great day.

Then I got to the office, started checking email, etc. and looked out my window. Gone were the blue skies of only a hour before. Now it looks like rain is headed our way.

The speed with which the weather can turn over here can make you dizzy. Mark Twain's got nothin' on Manchester. Enjoy the blue skies when you can! They sure don't last very long.

A License for your TV?

2007-06-18T07:55:00.000Z

There's a small billboard outside the office in Manchester that I see every day on my walk to and from work. They recently changed the billboard and the new message is essentially that "they" have a database and know where ALL the TVs are in Britain and to make sure you have a license for your TV.

A license for your TV???? OK, I'll bite. So I asked one of the Brits I work with what that is all about, and sure enough, you need a license for every TV in your home. The fee is 200GBP (approx. $400) a year - per TV.

Evidently, the licensing fee is used to fund the BBC. The BBC does not show any commercials.

So, there is your British trivia for today.

Technical Difficulties

2007-06-18T07:52:00.000Z

OK, I know I *promised* to post some pictures from London, etc. this weekend. And I DID download the pictures from my camera. However, everytime I uploaded a picture to the post, Internet Explorer shut down on me. Every time! And it's not a Blogger issue as it also happened when I was checking my work email through the internet and other sites I may have visited. I checked for IE updates, but it says my laptop is up to date. Does anyone have any ideas?

Some days, I just hate technology. :-(

A Prayer for Fathers

2007-06-17T09:19:00.000Z

When my Grandpa died, back in 1974, my Dad found the following prayer among his things. He read it at my Nana's funeral a few years ago as the prayer could just as easily apply to mothers as fathers. I post it here in honor of Father's Day:

If fathers, by and large, weren’t pretty admirable men,
we would find it difficult, if not impossible to pray the Lord’s Prayer without having the words turn sour in our mouths.

But we do not find it difficult at all; we find it easy.

And that is so because countless fathers, by their kindness to their children, their watchfulness over them and their sacrifices for them, have endowed the word “father” with lovable meanings.

8 Random Things....

2007-06-17T08:54:00.000Z

So, my good friend Jane has a blog and she was "tagged" by another blogger to post 8 "random" things about herself. She, in turn, tagged me and some other blogging friends to do the same. It is not easy to come up with random things about yourself and as Jane found out, her friends were more than happy to point out some random things about HER! So, here goes. Feel free to add comments if I have left out any pertinent randomness about myself.

1) My contacts prescription is -7.25 (no, that is not a type - I wish it were). Many people don't even know that I wear contacts and that is because you will never see me in glasses if I can help it. Think about how thick my glasses would be. I would love to have Lasik surgery, but that brings me to randomness #2.

2) I have a total eye phobia. I think this stems back to an "art cinema" class my Mom took when she was finishing her degree at Regis College. I happened to watch a black & white film with her that was part of her homework and let's just say, I would NOT call it art. There was a scene, that I will spare all of you by NOT describing, but suffice it to say, my stomach rolls just thinking of it. I explained all this to my eye doctor a few years ago when we talked about Lasik and he said they could give me a LOT of Valium to get me through the procedure. I'm still considering it.

3) I can only wink with my left eye. This is a source of great humor for my family, especially my niece and nephew, who can effectively wink with either eye. Obviously, I possess some sort of genetic defect within the family. (no further comments are necessary).

4) Speaking of nieces and nephews - I have one of each. Most of you probably know this, so perhaps it is not random. I do, however, have three godchildren. Katie (also my niece) will be 12 this summer; Logan (the son of one of my best friends from college) just turned 6; and, Thomas (the newly adopted son of my best friend from high school) just turned 1. I can think of no greater honor to have been asked to fulfill this role and they are very special to me.

5) I have kissed the Blarney Stone twice. Again, this may not be surprising to any of you, as I can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. My Nana, shortly before she died, starting calling me "Chit Chat" which was also a source of great amusement to my family.

6) I have NO idea how to work a sewing machine or hem a pair of pants. Cross-stitch, needlepoint, embroidery - I can show you examples of each. Put me in front of a sewing machine and I would just stare at it. I actually own a sewing machine, too - my Nana gave me one years ago!

7) If I were to have been born a boy, I would have been named "Daniel Patrick." My nephew is named "Daniel Joseph," so we ended up with a Danny in the family after all! ;-)

8) I'm stumped to think of an 8th random thing about me, so I am challenging all of you to come up with one. Post some comments - I'd love to hear what you come up with - I am sure I can count on Jane for a few suggestions! :-)

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T08:46:00.000Z

It's still bright and early back at home (well, it's early, at least!), but I wanted to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day! I'm sorry I can't be there to hang out and do Sudoku with you or go to a car show, but I am trying my best to get home on the appointed date so we can have that family BBQ.

Happy Father's Day as well to my brother, John (a.k.a Bro) and to the other fathers I know (Paul, Pat, Jeff, Mohammad, Bill, Nate, Justin, Todd, et al).

Love,
Faith

Nightlights

2007-06-08T08:55:00.000Z

I was talking to one of the project team members the other day that reminded me about something else I should post about the life of a consultant.....

Natasha was telling me how she cannot sleep without it being completely dark in the room. She has room darkening shades, wood blinds AND curtains on the window, which she closes every night. She still sees light peeking through (it is light in Manchester until about 10:00 these days) and has to tuck the curtains around the window to block the light.

I, on the other hand, have developed the ability to sleep soundly through the night with ALL the lights on in the room. No problem. I developed this ability out of necessity. Spending as much time in hotels as I do - I have, on occasion, woken up in the middle of the night with NO idea where I was. In fact, I remember a particular occasion earlier this year when I sat straight up in bed, my heart **racing** because I had NO idea where I was. For one seemed like minutes (but was probably only seconds), I stared at a lamp on the other side of the room, wondering where in the world I was. After a few seconds/minutes of panic, I realized I was in my own room, at HOME! I fell back to the bed and was asleep within seconds.

So, although I don't **need** a nightlight, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.......

The Mountain is Coming to ME!

2007-06-06T17:01:00.001Z

You know the old saying about how if Mohammad can't get to the mountain, the mountain just has to get to Mohammad? Well, since I can't squeeze in another trip home in June, I convinced my boss that I should be able to fly someone over for a visit instead.

So, Friday night, Mom and Dad are arriving in London! Funny, they weren't all that interested in coming to Manchester...... Anyways, I have been wanting to get down to London myself as I have not been there since I was a senior in college. So, I redeemed the rest of my Marriott points and will be taking the train from Manchester to London after work on Friday. The three of us have a nice long-weekend planned for ourselves. Everyone was interested in seeing a show and Dad requested to see Phantom; I wanted to see Wicked. So, we're seeing both. Dad's logic is that he only gets to London once every 10 years, so why not do it up right? Sounds fair to me. So far, Mom is just going with the flow.

Also on the agenda for this weekend: the Tower of London (I want to see the Crown Jewels and the Torture Devices exhibit - my morbid sense of curiosity, I guess), a double-decker bus tour, Westminster Abbey and a tour of Buckingham Palace. Mom and I would love to check out one of the London Antiques markets. We'll see if Dad will go for it. :-)

So, stay tuned next week for some pictures from our excursion!

The life of a consultant

2007-06-04T17:53:00.000Z

I was just talking to a friend/co-worker who told me that at a previous project, he and his team had concocted a list: "You know you have been a consultant too long when..." He could not remember everything on their list, but I decided to start my own....

1) You refer to the hotel as "home."
2) You dial "9" before making a phone call - from HOME (I have a really funny story about this one - ask me about it sometime).
3) You have memorized your credit card number, expiration date and that little security code they ask you for now.
4) You have memorized your most frequently used Frequent Flier account, know exactly how many miles you have in said account and the number of miles necessary to reach the next level of "status." The same holds true for your favorite hotel account.
5) Your mailman is more familiar with your travel schedule than your family and close friends.
6) Being home on "Garbage Day" is a reason for pure excitement (my garbage day is on Wednesday. Now I ask you - when was the last time I was home on a WEDNESDAY?)
7) The term "vacation" is most cherished when it has nothing to do with a hotel reservation.
8) Being home long enough to actually unpack and put the suitcase away in the closet feels strange.

I am sure I could come up with a few more if I thought about it..... or feel feel to contribute you own. I am quite confident there are some blog readers who can relate to this.......

Sweet or Salty?

2007-06-03T19:37:00.000Z

I am somewhat at a loss of what to do on the weekends, as I am used to having SO much to do at home that having "free" time seems a bit strange. I have been reading lots of paperbacks and doing some needlework and going to at least one movie every weekend. There has not been a whole lot to choose from at the movies this spring and some of the movies being released in the US are not being released over here (e.g., Georgia Rule - although my friend Erin says I am not missing anything with that one!). There are 2 movie theaters in walking distance from my hotel, so I check online at the end of each week and plan my movie strategy! The first time I went to the movies over here, I went to the concession stand to get the obligatory "movie snack" of popcorn and a soda and the guy behind the counter asked me if I wanted "sweet or salty" popcorn. "What's sweet popcorn," I asked? It's got a light coating of toffee on it. YUM. I am addicted. I have done a good amount of complaining about the quality of British food, but let me tell you, they do toffee right. I brought some home for Kathy (remember she is the one bringing in all that mail every few days) and some to my family. It was a big hit with all involved. Kathy's son Connor has requested replenishment already! And I am sure Danny would not turn it down, either. ;-)

So, if you are ever at the movies in England, I highly recommend the "sweet" popcorn.

There's NO Place Like Home....

2007-06-03T19:28:00.000Z

Once again, I apologize for the gap in time since my last postings. I actually managed a trip home last weekend. I flew home on Friday, landing at Logan around noontime. Dad picked me up at the airport and we made our way back to my house (after first satifying my craving for a good old American hamburger!) and promptly fell asleep - Dad in the chair and me on the sofa, for a good hour and a half! Dad got to work on a project in my basement and eventually I made my way over to Kathy's to pick up my mail - all FOUR shopping bags of it. When I brought it home, I stood in the kitchen next to the garbage and filtered out all the junk mail. Over the course of the weekend, I managed to flip through most of the catalogs, but I saved the People magazines (thanks again Justin and Connor!) to bring back to England. I was *still* opening mail on Wednesday before flying back to Manchester that night. I can only imagine how much will be waiting for me when I get back in July. Many, many thanks to Kathy for taking on the job of bringing in my mail every few days and letting me know when something important comes through.

The rest of the weekend was a blur - and I am not exaggerating. I am not sure where the time went and it already seems like forever ago that I was home at all. However, now I am on the home stretch of the project and I am bond and determined to get everything live so I can fly home on July 13th for good. On the bright side, I am expecting visitors next weekend! Mom and Dad are flying over to London on Friday and I am going to take the train down and meet them after work. I am still debating as to whether I will take Monday and Tuesday off or just Monday, but it will totally depend on how much work I can get done this week. Wish me luck! Mom and Dad are staying through Wednesday and I made reservations for us at the Marriott on Regent's Park - thank God for all those Marriott points! All those nights in Lyndhurst, NJ are paying off! ;-)

Two of the Cutest Faces I Can't Wait to See Again...

2007-05-22T21:04:00.000Z

Are these 2 of the cutest faces you've ever seen or what? Wouldn't you miss these faces, too?

For those who have not had the pleasure of meeting these guys, Ben is on top and Suzi is on the the bottom.

Go Car

2007-05-22T20:56:00.000Z

This one's for Danny.....

So there are a lot of cars in England that we don't see too often in the U.S. Among them is what they call a "Smart Car," but I think they look so silly, I've been calling them "Go Cars." They are tiny 2-seater cars that look like they would fold like a house of cars in an accident. But, I have heard that they are fabulous on gas mileage, and when petrol is 95 a litre (with the exchange rate, that's about $8 a gallon), I guess they make sense. But, they are silly looking.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho.....

2007-05-22T20:47:00.000Z

I just realized I have not posted anything to the blog in over a week. Last week was all about work. Things are really getting busy and we were preparing for Proof-of-Concept sessions this week, so we were working against a deadline. I am now on a first name basis with the head of security and the lady that cleans our office.

However, we had our first of three Proof-of-Concept sessions today and it went pretty well. So, its all worth it. And, in case anyone is keeping track, I fly home in 3 days. Woo Hoo! I get into Logan about noontime and Dad is picking me up. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend, but it will be nice to sleep in my own bed, spend some time on the Cape with the family (of the human and canine variety) and generally relax. It will be my only trip home until I finish the project in July and I am sure it will just fly by.

I have been told by my friends at the front desk that I am now a "VIP" at the Arora International, so there is a chance I'll get upgraded when I check in again next Thursday. Somehow, being a VIP doesn't feel as special as it should.......

Alarm Clocks

2007-05-22T20:36:00.000Z

At home (and by home, I mean the greater US of A), I have used my cell phone as my alarm clock for several years now. It works for me. Now, I have always wondered why the snooze function is set for 9 minutes. Why 9? Why NOT 10? I know its not just my cell phone that has the "9 minute snooze" - I have had alarm clocks that did the same thing. If anyone can shed some light in this, I am listening.

Now, why do I mention this now, are you asking? Well in Manchester, I am not using my cell phone - in fact, it has been turned off since I got on the plane in Boston. So, I am using the hotel's wake up call service. Now, if I set the alarm for 6:15, the call comes in 6:10. And no, this is not a case of my clock or watch being 5 minutes slow. The voice on the other side of the wake up call TELLS me they are waking me up at 6:10. Now, I ask you - if I wanted to be woken up at 6:10, wouldn't I have set the wake up call for 6:10????? However, the snooze function is an even 10 minutes. :-)

The Project Team

2007-05-13T19:17:00.000Z

So, it's always nice to see where people spend their time. Here are some pictures of where I spend the majority of my days right now.

The first picture is the desk I share with Paul, the other TradeStone consultant on the project with me. Paul is a Brit and lives down by London, so he takes the train up on Monday mornings and goes home on Thursday evenings (I remember those days.....).

The other picture are members of the project team from the client who share the project office with us. On the far left is Jackie, who just turned 30 last weekend and threw a big party. Moving to the right is Gary, Sam and Natasha. They are a great group and are definitely the liveliest project team I have ever worked with.

101 Things to Do....

2007-05-13T19:09:00.000Z

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a maker of lists. At any given time I have a list of things to do - even now, I am adding things to the list that I want to do when I get home this summer. So, when I came across this book at a shop in Manchester, I had to buy it. I am thinking if I start now, but the time I am *old* I should be far from boring. That's the plan anyways.......

Anyone else want a copy?

Blog Central

2007-05-12T08:54:00.000Z

So, I showed you a picture of the outside of my hotel, I thought I would show you a picture of the inside of my room - my true "home away from home." If you think the couch and chair look uncomfortable - you're right. I do not sit in them. The main purpose for the sofa was to store my super large suitcase for the first two weeks I was here. Taking this picture finally prompted me to clean it out and put it aside!

I just realized you can't see the couch - it's behind the dresser. Take my word for it. Very uncomfortable. Not like my nice sofa and chair at home...... sigh.......

1996 Bomb

2007-05-12T08:33:00.000Z

As many of you will remember, there was a major bomb explosion in the city of Manchester in 1996. According to my travel guide:

"The IRA placed 80,000 lives at risk on a busy Saturday morning in the city centre by detonating a 3500lb bomb. But in a remarkable operation, the emergency services, given 45 minutes warning, cleared the streets and nobody was killed. The bomb was inside a van and positioned next to the postbox pictured here. This survived the blast, and is the only thing that carries any memorial to this event. The damage estimates from the explosion, which ripped out the prime retail area of the city, amounted to 700GBP, with 670 businesses having to relocate. The city response was lively and positive and the atrocity was turned into an opportunity. Within a few weeks and months, a Lord mayor's fund had raised money to help those affected and a decision had been taken to rebuild the city centre better than before."

I can tell you that today, the city's main shopping area surrounds the former destruction and on a Saturday morning, the streets are literally teeming with people out shopping. There are street performers and open air markets. I was told by the tour guide that the removed this post box from the site during the renovation, but returned it to the same position. Today there is a small gold plaque attached to the post box to mark its place in history, but you could walk right by it and never know the piece of history you just experienced.

The plaque on the post box reads: "This postbox remained standing almost undamaged on June 15th, 1996 when this area was devestated by a bomb. The box was removed during the rebuilding of the city area and was returned to its original site on November 22nd 1999."

PS - of course, someone on the tour also suggested that they construct the buildings out of whatever the make those post boxes out of. Hmm... not a bad idea.

The Peace Garden

2007-05-12T08:23:00.000Z

When I was taking my walking tour of Manchester a few weeks ago, we started right outside the Visitors Center, behind the Town Hall. I'll post some pictures of the Town Hall as it is a beautiful building. But, this is about the Peace Garden. Evidently, a few years ago, Manchester's City Council declared the City of Manchester to be a "nuclear free zone." So, they erected a Peace Garden and placed this statue to commerate the event. Since doves are the international symbol of peace, there are quite a few of them in the statue. However, locally, this statue is known as the "woman with the pigeons." Now, I'll tell you - I have seen some of these pigeons and they are among the fattest pigeons I have ever seen. One of the young men on my tour, when the guide told us this was a nuclear free zone, commented - "No Bombs Allowed." I thought that was quite funny and will dovetail nicely into my next blog. :-) Hah! Dovetail! I didn't even catch my own pun at first!

The United Nations of Flight Crews

2007-05-12T08:16:00.000Z

First of all, my apologies for the lack of blog postings this week. Work (you know, the *real* reason I am over here!) has started to pick up and I anticipate some late nights next week. However, I am **coming home** in less than 2 weeks to celebrate Memorial Day in the good old U.S.A. I fly home Friday morning and fly back Wednesday night. Somehow, I am sure it will all fly right by. By the time I come home, I will have been gone 5 1/2 weeks. So, I am ready for a nights' sleep in my own bed, some good American television and a hamburger!

So, why have I called this posting the United Nations of Flight Crews? Well, my co-worker Paul (who stays here Monday - Thursday) and I have noticed that pretty much every morning as we get ready to leave the hotel to walk to the office, there are one, two, sometimes even three - flight crews in the lobby of the hotel; checking in, checking out. From American, British Airways, Lufthansa and others. Their uniforms are all pretty similar, so its sometimes hard to tell. We are curious as to why they stay here instead of someplace closer to the airport, but I thinking when I fly back here in a couple of weeks, I may just ask my flight attendant where their staying - and hitch a ride!

Pub Night, Part II

2007-05-05T21:45:00.000Z

So, being yesterday was Friday, I joined some of my new "chums" from the office at the local pub. I was expecting the same huge crowd I saw last week, so imagine my surprise when we got there and the place was compartively empty. When I asked why it was so much more crowded last week, they reminded me that last week was a payweek. Yikes.

Lincoln Square, Part Deux

2007-05-05T21:29:00.000Z

For those of you that are keeping up with the BLOG, here is the second part of the inscription on the statue of President Lincoln in Lincoln Square in downtown Manchester......

Extract of a letter to the working people of Manchester 19th January 1863

...I know and deeply deplore the sufferings which the working people of Manchester and in all Europe all called to endure in this crisis. It has been often and studiously represented that the attempt to overthrow this Government which was built on the foundation of human rights, and to substitute for it, one which should rest exclusively on the basis of slavery was likely to obtain the favor of Europe. Through the action of disloyal citizens, the working people of Europe have been subjected to a severe trial for the purpose of their sanction to that attempt. Under these circumstances I cannot but abide your decisive utterances upon the question as an instance of sublime Christian heroism which has not been surpassed in any age or in any country. It is indeed an energetic and re-inspiring assurance of the inherent truth and of the ultimate and universal triumph of justice, humanity and freedom... ...I hail this interchange of sentiments, therefore, as an augury that, whatever else may happen, whatever misfortune may befall your country or my own, the peace and friendship which now exists between the two nations will be, as it shall be my desire to make them, perpetual.

Abraham Lincoln

Adding a Comment to the BLOG

2007-05-05T21:24:00.000Z

OK, so quite a few of you have emailed me, telling me that you are trying to leave comments on the BLOG, but get prompted to enter a password. So, here's the scoop: when the comment window opens after you click the hyperlink, select the radio button that says "Other." It will give you a spot to enter your name and you might have to enter a code displayed on the screen for security. If you're still having issues, let me know. I'd love to hear from you!

Cheese Toasty

2007-05-01T16:49:00.000Z

So my family and close friends will not be at all surprised that I have found the English equivalent of a grilled cheese sandwich. Its called a "cheese toasty" and they make them with cheddar cheese over here instead of American cheese (makes sense). Throw in a few tomatoes and you have a great lunch steps away from the office. :-)

Don't call them....

2007-05-01T16:46:00.000Z

So, I've learned a few vocabulary words since I've been here. Among them:

bobbys - yes, if you call a police office a "bobby," everyone will know what you are talking about, but its a pretty outdated term, so they will probably guess that you are a foreigner (if your accent didn't already give you away).

Also, an English muffin is a "crumpet." I guess that goes along the same lines as that age-old question of what is Chinese food called in China?

Inferno

2007-05-01T08:21:00.000Z

I was going to label this post "fire," but then I saw a newspaper headline on my way home last night that said, "120 Firefighters Battle City Inferno" and I thought that "Inferno" might make a catchier blog title. So, what am I talking about? Well, on my walk to the office yesterday morning, I could smell smoke, but could not tell where it was coming from. Well, the closer I got to the office, the more smoke I could see and smell. Turns out, one of the old Victorian mill buildings just a block from our office had caught fire sometime over night. As I walked by, they were hosing it down from one of those really tall ladder trucks over the building. Here's a picture - the red arrow is pointing at the building I work in, so you can see how close we were.

As of this morning, you can still smell smoke in the air (although not as bad as yesterday), the roads are still blocked off (its a "diversion," not a "detour" over here) and you can still see a bit of smoke coming out of the building.

Lincoln Square, Part I

2007-04-28T18:40:00.000Z

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that Manchester was the world's leading textile manufacturer in the late 19th century and imported most (if not all) of its raw cotton from the souther United States. As such, the American Civil War had a tremendous impact on the Manchester economy and contributed to the Lancashire Cotton Famine from 1861 - 1865. There is a memorial to Abraham Lincoln in a small square not far from City Hall. What I have copied below is from a plaque on the statue and is an extract of an address "from the working people of Manchester to His Excellency Abraham Lincon, President of the United States of America."

Free Trade Hall Public Meeting 31 December 1862

"...the vast progress which you have made in the short space of twenty months fills us with hope that every stain on your freedom will shortly be removed and that the erasure of that foul blot on civilisation and Christianity-chattel slavery - during your Preseidency, will cause the name of Abraham Lincoln to be honoured and revered by posterity. We are certain that such a glorious consummation will cement Great Britain and the United States in close and enduring regards..."

Pretty cool. On another side of the monument is an extract of President Lincoln's repsponse to the people of Manchester. Stay tuned for Part II.

This one's for Dad and Danny

2007-04-28T18:33:00.000Z

One of the most famous hotels in Manchester is the Midland Hotel. Its a beautiful old building, not too far from where I am staying. It's claim to fame is that it was the site of a meeting between 2 gentlemen: Charles Stuart Rolls and Fredrick Henry Royce in 1904. This meeting led to the formation of the now world-famous Rolls Royce car company. There are 2 plaques outside that commerate this event (if you look closely, you can see my reflection in one of them as I took the pictue!).

Pub Night

2007-04-27T18:37:00.000Z

Back in college, "Pub Night" was generally Thursday nights. That's because, by the time we were old enough to drink (legally, that is), we were seniors and had pretty much arranged our class schedules to have Fridays off. A three-day weekend - EVERY weekend? Those were the days. Here in England, ANY night is pub night, but I guess the Friday night following payday is an especially popular pub night. And since most Brits get paid at the end of the month, tonight was the night. However, the non-smoking ban has not taken effect in Britain yet (I am told it is sometime this summer, although exact dates differ by who you ask), so I was not prepared to come back to my room smelling like an ashtray. :-(

However, I had a good excuse for leaving early, as my good friend Sherry has promised to give me a call tonight and I can't pass up a good chat fest from home. Especially since the only ringing phone I hear these days is my wake up call each morning!

Somehow, I feel quite confident that next Friday will be a "Pub Night," too.

Virtual Stitch

2007-04-26T20:57:00.000Z

Among the many things I miss at home, is the opportunity to attend "Stitch Night" at my friend Cheryl's with the girls. It is sometimes the only opportunity I have to work on my cross-stitch or needlepoint projects (plural - there are always more than one!) and I have the added benefit of catching up with old (and new) friends from Talbots. Sometimes Cheryl's husband Bill cooks dinner and then I get to add a home-cooked (delicious) meal to the evening! What could be better? So, since Stitch Night is usually on Tuesdays, I have implemented "Virtual Stitch Night" where I will do my stitching from my hotel room and send them pictures each week with my progress. We'll see how that goes. At the moment, I am trying to find a needlework shop in Manchester so I can see what the English have to offer. No luck yet. I know there are some in the surrounding towns and certainly in London, but I need another project like I need a hole in the head. :-)

My magnetic personality

2007-04-26T20:51:00.000Z

The room keys at my new home are imbedded with microchips (as opposed to the credit-card like strips that are found on most US hotel keys). You need a room key to access the elevator (or "lift" as the Brits call them), which is a nice safety feature. The other cool thing is that, once you enter your room, you place your room key in a small box on the wall right inside the door. The main purpose of this is to turn the lights on and off (the other purpose, I am sure, it to remind you to take the key with you when you leave). I think this is a great energy- saving feature and should be more widely adopted. Of course, it does not prevent me from sleeping with a few lights on (occupational hazard - I have, on occasion, woken up in the middle of the night and had absolutely NO idea where I was. Quite terrifying, I assure you).

Anyways, what does all of this have to do with my magnetic personality, you ask? Well, since checking in last Wednesday (I have now been here a week and a day!), I have had to have my room key re-keyed or replaced six times. The front desk is baffled and it has become somewhat of a joke. The best my friend Paul and I can determine is that my magnetic personality must be decoding my room key. What other explanation could there possibly be?????

My home away from home

2007-04-26T20:43:00.000Z

I thought you might like to see where I have taken up residence for the next few months. This is a picture of the outside of the building; if I can remember to take some pictures of my room while the bed is still made, I will. Maybe this weekend.

Just in Case

2007-04-26T20:39:00.000Z

On my way to and from the officce each day I pass the following storefront. I guess it's a good to know where you can find one of these services....... just in case! ;-)

Tuckers 24 Hr Criminal Lawyers (the sign's a little hard to read)

Ooops....

2007-04-24T08:07:00.000Z

So my favorite 11-year old brought to my attention that you could not add a comment to my blog unless you were signed in..... Looks like I had a setting messed up. I have since changed it and you should be able to add comments now without an issue. Try it out - I would love to hear from you. :-)

PS - still raining today.

Mom always said....

2007-04-23T20:08:00.000Z

to look both ways before crossing the street. That was never more true than here. Whereas we American are conditioned to looking left, then right, then left again before stepping out onto the street, that methodlogy would surely get you killed over here. Unfortunately, there are exceptions to every rule and Manchester seems to have more than its fair share of one way streets that totally negates the reverse logic of looking right, then left, then right again! So, I try to be as careful as possible and just follow the crowd (at least I will die with company, I guess!). My biggest fear is that about the time I finally adapt to crossing the street in England, I will get back home and immeadiately step in front of the first MBTA bus that comes my way.

It finally rained

2007-04-22T21:59:00.000Z

I checked out the Vistor's Center and low and behold there was a walking tour leaving in 10 minutes. So, I joined in. Among the many interesting things I learned on the tour is that, during the American Civil War, many Manchester citizens wrote letters of support to President Lincoln. This is quite notable since much of the cotton harvested by the southern slaves was transported to Manchester as it was a large producer of textiles. The impact of the abolution of slavery had a significant impact on the Manchester economy. None the less, there is a statue of Lincoln in a square near the city hall. I did not get a picture of it, but I will try and make my way back and post one soon. Also, I need to post a picture of the City Hall as it is an absolutely beautiful building. Very gothic.

Today I checked out the art museum and I will definitely be going back - its free and right across the street. What could be more convenient? When I left the museum, it had rained, so now Manchester has lived up to its reputation. We will see how the weather holds for the rest of the week.

The internet service at the hotel was down for most of the weekend, which had me feeling a bit isolated at times. But, here it is 11:00 (when I should be getting to bed), but I thought, let me check one last time - and it's up. I feel like an addict getting a fix! What did we ever do without the internet??

More tomorrow.

Jolly England

2007-04-21T19:54:00.000Z

Well, I guess it is best to start at the beginning. I arrived in Manchester bright and early Wednesday morning (how early depends on the time zone your frame of reference is in). For me, it was about 2:30 AM, but in England, it was 7:30 AM, so I've spent the rest of the week adapting to my NEW frame of reference.) :-)

Those famous black London cabs are also prevalent in the north of England and I had a nice cabbie named John, who took me to my hotel and chatted all the way. He was very specific in telling me that I should *never* hail a cab that is not a licensed black cab. He apologized for sounding like my father, but I assured him that my Dad would appreciate his dispensing with that critical advice.

My co-worker Paul was waiting for me at the hotel and since there was no room available for me to check into, I stored my luggage, brushed my teeth and off we went. Everyone at the client is extremely friendly and it was a pretty low-key day getting acclimated to the office, etc. I have to keep reminding myself that, over here, *I* am the one with the funny accent.

Today is Saturday and I slept in quite late. My plan is to head over to the Visitors Center nearby and collect some brochures on things to do & places to go over the next few months. I did bring my camera, so I will be posting some pictures soon.