i should have called in sick



We moved desks at our office yesterday, which was a huge bucket of fun. Half the office played musical chairs as we fought over two trolleys, one lift, and tapped our feet waiting for previous desk owners to vacate. Tired, cranky, and sore, we decided to head to the pub for lunch. As I pulled in to the carpark, I heard a horrible scraping sound. Just below eye level, a wire-covered light bolted to the side of a post decided to snuggle up to the side of my car. Now it looks like Freddy Kruger is stalking me and left a calling card on my car. We got into the pub, ready for a nice lunch in the garden and ordered our drinks. A very nice lady informed us that the pub is under new management and they won't start the new menu until tomorrow. So this meant that not only had I scratched my car, I had scratched it for no good reason as we had to leave the pub and go somewhere else. Ah, how we laughed.



Excuse me while I fill my filing cabinet flask with something strong.

but does it do windows?



So we went to look at sofas this weekend. We wandered around row after row of sofas that looked like they had been over inflated or had some sort of severe allergic reaction. We didn't want a big squishy couch that looked like you'd sink into it, never to be seen again. We finally found one that we liked and spent a few seconds sitting on it. A salewoman came over asking us if we wanted to see other fabric swatches and samples of alternative bases. She ran off and returned with a large book of fabric samples and brochures about various cover plans we could get. Paul mentioned that we weren't too keen on the back of the sofa (it looked like a row of gigantic bed pillows) and said that we'd prefer a solid or more angular back cushion. This sent the saleswoman on a mad dash to the phone as she rang the manufacturer to see if they could custom make another back for us. She told us that she couldn't get hold of anyone, but would call us back on Monday and let us know. As we were leaving, she took the bottom cushions off and proceeded to bounce up and down on the base saying, "Look how strong it is!"



God, I love people on commission.

hey, who stole my days?



Gah, where is the time going? I feel like the days are flying by and I'm not getting very much done. Remind me to pick up some spare days from the shop on the way home tonight.



Some random thoughts about our holiday that won't make it into the trip diary:

I liked being in the States more than I had anticipated. You have to understand that Canadians are so inundated with American culture/news/politics that it's not exactly an exotic place we know little about. Because of this, it's never really interested me as a place to visit. It's a bit like never being a tourist in your own country (I envy people who have actually travelled around Canada as it's something I've never really done); I hadn't considered a holiday in America. There was something very comforting in being in a land filled with sights from home, and I think this is something I appreciate a lot more now that I live overseas. I loved seeing familiar stores and restaurants along the roadside and being able to get a decent bagel. I was thrilled to eat a big pancake breakfast (and not those thin crepe things they call pancakes here), stuff my face with American junk food, and gulp down thick chocolate milkshakes. At the same time, I still had the distinct feeling of being foreign. Paul knew more about the local shops than I did (especially grocery stores) as he'd been to the States many times over the years. I couldn't get a decent cup of tea, and that really bothered me. When we told people we were from England, they'd look at me and say "Oh yes, I can tell from your accent". I fought with a gas pump until we both figured out that you had to prepay before it would be activated. Understandably (post Sept. 11 and Iraq war), there were a lot of American flags on houses, cars, tshirts, buildings, and shops. We saw lots of "God bless America" signs/bumper stickers and there was a strong "I'm proud to be American" vibe throughout the state. This strong, overt patriotism is (what Canadians think of as being) more characterstic of Americans, and although there were many familiar sights, things like this remided me that I was not entirely back home.



Still, it was lovely to be back in a land where they don't think I'm weird for eating peanut butter, I can say "tom-ay-to" without getting looks of dismay, and shops are open past 5pm. People said hello to us everywhere we went, shop clerks and waiters/waitresses really did want to provide good service, and a complete stranger helped us figure out the incredibly convoluted process of getting a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco) ticket and finding the correct track. For all the jibes we like to make about Americans, I cannot be critical about our short stay last month. I would go back to California again in a heartbeat.

seesaw



It's been such a strange time lately for the people around me. One friend lost her husband in a car crash a few weeks ago. Another has recently told me that they are expecting their first baby. A person I know just had a miscarriage last Sunday. And another is due any minute now. It's been weird to go from telling someone that you're so pleased for them to telling someone else that you're so very sorry.

holiday snaps



Pictures from our holiday are now available for your viewing pleasure here. Thanks to Martine for the tip to use JAlbum! It's a fantastic little product for generating photo albums and to top it all, it's free.



Thrilling trip diary with all the gory details coming soon.

and now for some special messages



Happy birthday to my Mom! Even though I'm 3,000 miles and a time zone away, I never feel far from home thanks to my Mom. She sends care packages that keep both myself and my workmates extremely happy. Plus, now that she's disovered the world of email, we can exchange gossip on a regular basis. I'm glad you had a good weekend, Mom - now come and visit us soon!



And finally, I'd just like to say: we saw The Matrix Reloaded on May 15th! HAH!*

*(taunting applies to UK readers only)

so the jet lag ends...when?



Oh how we long for a normal night's sleep. It's always worse coming back to the UK, and this time is even harder - I'm used to adjusting to a 5 hour time difference, so the extra 3 hours is doing me head in. Pleh.



I've finally sorted through all the holiday pictures, cropped, and resized them. The trip diary is going to take a while, so apologies in advance for the delay. Some sections will be easier to write than others (e.g. "Got mild food poisoning today. Spent the day trying not to throw up in the rental car and slept a lot."), but the high calibre of writing I intend to produce for these pages will take time. Nothing but the best for my web site, yes sir. Just as a teaser, here are a couple of pics:






Here's a shot of all the fine Californian liquor we brought back with us, minus the duty free stuff. From left to right: Madeira from Sattui, a gorgeous white port from Prager, two wines from Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard, sparking wine from Mumm, a very pricey bottle of special brandy from RMS (who have gone belly up), and a bottle of port from Rutherford Hill.







The "canals and gondolas" that run through the Venetian casino in Vegas.







The sun setting over San Simeon.







The Big Sur.







Seal lovin' at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.