Sep 24
I’m back in Chicago this week with work, although as I’m in Chicago I intend to catch up with a few people and places as well.
I will be downtown except for a work client trip out to Blue Island one afternoon, which is not an island at all, and from the pictures it doesn’t look very blue. Described here as “gritty” and “a must-see for anyone serious about railroading.” It has Addick written all over it.
Travelling to one of my favourite places on the planet this afternoon. Chicago. A place I truly miss everyday, well apart from those -17 celsius kind of days..
When I first planned this trip back home I also fully anticipated driving up to Shrewsbury tomorrow. At that time Lee Bowyer had breathed life back into all of us, I hadn’t been to the New Meadow (or Gay Meadow come to think of it) and, well, what else was I to do on a Tuesday? I looked at hotels to stay in, and I would have driven to Gatwick Wednesday.
Anyway, fortunately I guess, I now have to be in the office on Wednesday so need to fly back tomorrow and instead, and not for the first time recently, I will be on a plane for the whole duration of the game.
I like the Commonwealth Games, it gives lesser nations and athletes a chance on a big stage. Bermuda has only ever won one medal at an Olympics, and five at a Commonwealth Games, the last being a bronze in ten-pin bowling in 1998. Luckily for the rest of the Commonwealth there isn’t a rum drinking contest, because they may have medalled in that as well.
Flora Duffy is the women’s world number one in triathlon, so it was no surprise that she won gold last night in the Gold Coast’s first medal final. She surprisingly missed out on a place at the last Olympics, but has emerged as the world’s best since winning the last two ITU world titles, and despite the weight of 63,000 Bermudians on her strong shoulders she romped home 43 seconds ahead of England’s Jessica Learmonth to claim gold.
Us men can normally shake the worse case of the flu. A Bloody Mary, a swig from a bottle of Day Nurse, a tin of mushroom soup, we just get up and get on with it, don’t we?
However then comes along the real bloody flu, and that’s a whole different kettle of oily fish. I was fine last Friday, was at work, had some sushi for lunch, then at my desk in the afternoon I started to feel a bit weak and pathetic. Could have been the mackerel sashimi I thought. Got myself home and wham, I felt awful. I went to bed around 8pm and that is pretty much where I stayed until Tuesday. Temperature of 104, shakes, hot and cold, aches all over and someone carrying out an experiment with a bunson burner behind my eye balls!
About 32 miles north east of Tampa is where I’m heading smack bang in the middle of today’s FA Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon. With work, how inconsiderate.
I have to be there for Monday morning which meant travelling today. Bermuda to Miami to Tampa and the 32 mile drive. I am heading to quite a cool place though. The Saddlebrook Resort is a golf and tennis mecca with 45 tennis courts, two 18-hole golf courses, as well as a 16-acre golf training academy and a 7,000 sq ft spa. Shame I’m there for work, but I might be able to sneak in a bit of recreation, hopefully a tennis lesson at the very least.
The American’s are responsible for a lot of things – disposable nappies, the light bulb, mac & cheese, the computer (these are in no particular order) and of course Thanksgiving, once described by my old boss as a 4-day Sunday where all you can do is eat, drink and watch sport on TV, with no added pressure of buying anyone presents. God bless America and all that sailed in The Mayflower.
Smoke replaced fog drifting across downtown San Francisco when we drove in from the airport last Wednesday. People talked of ash settling on their clothing as they criss-crossed across diagonal roads in between famed cable cars. In the distance towards the mountains a grey hew hung below the sky.
Despite thinking we could still make a day of it, we decided in the end to switch our Friday Napa Valley plans and instead our group travelled the shorter journey across the East Bay from San Francisco to Livermore Valley, One of the oldest wine regions in California, but untouched by commercialism and usually occupied by the local wine connoisseur and not by bus loads of tourists.
I stared at the Arrivals board at Miami airport today to see which carousel my bag was going to end up at and for the life of me I could not remember where I had just flown in from. It was San Francisco and last week was every part of fun and successful, but the time difference was a killer for me this time as well as carrying around a stinking cold.
Vegas was low key, we could feel the numbness and it was quieter than I remember it from other times. Los Angeles was hot, and hectic. Burbank we saw one of our largest clients and home to the ‘happiest place on earth.’ The San Francisco days were long and exhausting mostly stuck in a room, and when we went outside it was chilly.
I have had a tremendous summer of travel, but my head spins when I think about where I have been and some of the absolute sadness and tragedy that many of these places have had to deal with, and how lucky I’ve been to miss some of these awful events.
Back on a plane again later and the relative short flight from here to Philadelphia. I’m at a conference but going to take the opportunity to do some other work things whilst I’m in the City of Brotherly Love. It’s all Greek apparently.
My daughter broke up from school a couple of weeks back and as both the other half and I are working we have to do a lot of juggling and role her around camps for the 10 weeks holiday she gets. Already bored of that, us not her, we’ve decided to take her to Miami for the weekend and then possibly up to the coast to Palm Beach early next week where I am at a conference, or work vacation as my 7-year old calls it!
Taking our 7-year old to Miami of course is a little bit of a ruse and we will eat, shop and people watch well whilst there. But mostly the family all appear knackered, so there will be lots of pool down time.
I’ve spent the last few days staying in Brooklyn, at a hotel at the foot of the iconic suspension bridge that connects Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River. I hadn’t previously spent any real time in Brooklyn, one of New York’s five boroughs, but I did get a little opportunity to explore.
Close up the Brooklyn Bridge is an incredible feat of architecture with it’s immense granite towers and thick steel cables, not to mention its birds-eye views from a span of 1,595 feet. Built in 1883 at a cost of $15m, my hotel room looked out onto it and I found myself just staring at this moving art installation as the sun lit it, the mist hid it, helicopters flew over it, ferries and barges moved underneath it and 120,000 vehicles and 4,000 people criss crossed it on any given day.
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I’m in Orlando for our annual work Symposium, a regular bazaar of back to back meetings, break out sessions, early mornings and late night’s. We moved the whole shebang from Miami Beach to Orlando last year and it went so well we are back. Shame, because nothing beats a ‘work conference’ in South Beach but as my boss says less people got hurt and we didn’t lose anyone. So Orlando it is, in a different hotel a little bit nearer to the wonderful world(s) of Disney.
I have been in Colorado since Sunday night at the spotless and snowy Beaver Creek, which is about 13 miles from Vail. 50cm of snow has fallen since we arrived and the four mountains (Beaver Creek, Grouse Peak, Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead) which make up the resort are awash with fresh powder.
I went on a snowmobile tour yesterday which was exhilarating. Two and a half hours flying along snowy trails hugging mountain ridges and forests with panoramic views of Vail’s back bowls and surrounding ranges. Our guide Perry was straight out of a marijuana dispensary, and was no slouch when it came to leading us through the 20-mile trail.
As I sit here in my pyjamas with a beer with far too long to wait until midnight I feel content that I don’t have to go out and pretend tonight will be the best night of my life. Movies are downloading, my daughter sits at my feet and we have a fridge full of snacks. Good enough for me.
I turned 50 this year and we spent a couple of memorable weeks in Rio at the Olympics to celebrate it, although I’ll be honest I’ve struggled moving into the next decade of my life. Not physically, I feel good and I think I look alright but it has made me very introspective and I question myself a lot, especially when I wake in the middle of the night, which happens more and more. Must be old age and my eyes are going and my ears are getting bigger as well….
My 2016 had its challenges. Personally and professionally. Questions without answers. Vacillant sometimes, headstrong other times.
Charlton are no longer an escape for me or sadly for the majority of us. I never ever thought my love for them would wane, but incredibly it has and it breaks my heart.
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After an excellent week in California I flew back today to Miami, where the family will meet me tomorrow for half-term.
So, I have a night on my own in Miami, and after checking out the DJ line ups in South Beach, I have made the executive decision to not leave my bed, and after 5 hotels in 6 days, it is a treat to not have to be running out of the door. My night is set, I have wine and I will watch the Chicago Cubs hopefully secure a World Series spot for the first time since 1945.
I have arrived in Anaheim, California tonight after a long day of travel. I am out on America’s west coast for the week with work and Anaheim, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Napa Valley are all stops along the way.
Napa is a great way to finish a trip, but I have an interesting day tomorrow when I spend a day at Disneyland. I can see you rolling your eyes, but hear me out.
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Two places 40 miles apart but callously grouped together by almost everyone. Known as a metroplex and encompassing over 9,000 sq. miles. Dallas Fort Worth with it’s airport in the middle, and as far as I can make out the only thing named after the North Texas metroplex.
Dallas big and brash and snarled with traffic, Fort Worth quaint and understated with cycles more likely than pick up trucks. Whilst top chefs cook in trendy restaurants in Dallas, Fort Worth still has daily reenactments of cattle drives through it’s historic Stockyards!
Hidden away for a few days in Florida at a very nice hotel in Amelia Island, the southern most point of the chain of barrier islands stretching down the east coast of America. I have been here before, and am happy to be here again, even if this time is work. It says here!
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Work has been a long slog these last six months, but in my business July 4th signifies a slow down for the summer, and a chance to take a breather. Our office is closed today to ‘observe’ America’s July 4th holiday and my daughter, who finished school for the summer last week, and I will be hanging out at the pool if anyone needs us!
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Like many of you I sat at home and watched the little known Sheffield boy Danny Willet win The Masters last night with a confounded cheeky smile on his face. His own personal week was one that are dreamt not made. Meanwhile Jordan Spieth’s baby face told a very different story. Spieth is just 22 and will be back, but the young American will have to fend off a whole host of exciting young British golfers.
For me watching on TV last night made it all the more dramatic as I was at Augusta 24 hours previously. Watching the cameras pan around that historic course made it so much more for me after walking around it the day before.
The Masters should be on every sports fans bucket list and I was privileged to be able to attend on Saturday. Mind you, it is long old drive from Atlanta, almost 3 hours each way and Augusta itself is situated east of Atlanta nestled on the border of golf-course laden South Carolina, touched by southern charm and blessed with history.
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After a crazy work end of the first quarter, this week with the family I escaped to Florida and the unusually hip and arty city of Sarasota (photo), situated on the gulf coast just south of Tampa and St Petersburg. There are more museums, galleries and top rated restaurants than anywhere else in Florida and this part of the United States is also renowned for its tennis. World class academies attract the best talent and as such we watched a couple of excellent women’s finals on Sunday at the Wilde Lexus USTA finals in Osprey. 60th world ranked Madison Brengle won the singles.
The family go home today but I am travelling to Atlanta this afternoon and then after a night in Buckhead, 8 of us drive out to Augusta, the home of the iconic Masters. I am fortunate to be an invited guest for Saturday’s round and we stay overnight in our house close to the course no doubt wind swept and thirsty before an early return to Atlanta, which is a good couple of hours from Augusta, before flying home to Bermuda.
I’m at the airport flying overnight to Gatwick for a week in London mixing work, family and friends. I had planned to be at The Valley next Saturday but Sky Sports scuppered my plans, so I will almost certainly make the trip on Tuesday instead for what is the ultimate six-pointer.
MK Dons have on a far regular basis than us this season collected vital wins that sees them 7 points better off than us. But when Ms Meire talks about budget I would expect Karl Robinson’s side to be below us in the wage and spending stakes but on a different planet when it comes to forward planning, strategy and stability.
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I arrived in Orlando today, a city that for us recently has been all about Mickey and friends, but I am here for work this week as it is this year’s venue for our annual Symposium. We outgrew the hotel we have used for the past few years in South Beach, which has been a bitter pill to swallow as the extra curricular activities of Miami were always a nice distraction to days spent in large conference rooms with no windows and the air-con jacked up to the highest setting.
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Ever since the 2017 America’s Cup was awarded to Bermuda last December the buzz has gradually built into a crescendo. There has been a real feel good atmosphere around the island supressing the negativity of poor economic conditions, the countries debt and record unemployment.
However the 2017 America’s Cup has already seen some green shoots of recovery with new hotels under, or ready to start, construction and hundreds of competitors and their families already living here and bringing a boost to the island’s economy.
This weekend the island, particularly the capital Hamilton was fully decked out to celebrate the The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. This is a qualifying race for the main event in two years time.
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The last day of an exhausting, busy but fun week on America’s west coast. The work trip began in Los Angeles on Sunday in 90-degree heat. There were meetings Monday morning downtown, the afternoon seeing a client in Santa Monica and the evening in Newport Beach. It was a long day and sleep-wise one I never recovered from struggling with the time difference, only last night sleeping for more than five hours, our final night, just in time to leave for home. Of course.
Tuesday and Wednesday we were in the great city of San Francisco, comfortably in my Top Five of American cities. Meetings started early were back to back and ended with great dinners and too much to eat and drink. We wrapped up the trip yesterday with a day in Napa Valley, 17 of us travelling out over the Golden Gate Bridge on the Gillig Bus, to St Helena for our first tasting stop, the beers on the bus serving as a base.
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Tomorrow a group of us fly out to Los Angeles mirroring a work trip we did last year. The group is slightly different, as is the schedule but the purpose is the same.
We get to LA on Sunday night, hopefully with my luggage unlike last year, then Monday is busy running around downtown, then out to Santa Monica for meetings before driving down to Newport Beach, about 45 miles down the coast from LA. There we’ll have dinner, and will crash before flying early Tuesday to San Francisco.
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He’s talented boy the 24-year old from Suffolk. Ed Sheeran lit up the stage last night in Washington DC with an energetic high tech one man band show. His 2-hour set delivered the whole range of his songs using a whole mix of styles.
We were in a box exactly opposite the stage at the Verizon Center, a hockey and basketball stadium by day. Sheeran was surrounded by large screens showing an impressive light and image show and the young audience mixed with the odd parent were enthralled.
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I leave for Washington DC this morning for a conference in the nation’s capital and Pope Francis is coming too. No, I haven’t had a career change it’s just that his Papelness is making his first visit to the United States and starts his tour in DC tomorrow. He is also visiting Philadelphia and after DC, like me, he is heading to New York. I am sure we will bump into each other!
That’s all very nice but it does mean that New York and particularly Washington DC is going to be in a security meltdown for the entire week and getting around the capital is going to be nothing short of a nightmare, and to make matters worse, they have even banned selfie sticks. Disaster.
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Out of the frying pan and into the fire as I escape a scorching and sweaty Bermuda for a scorching hot and sweaty London!
I fly to London tonight for a week primarily to see family and take my son into the City for the day and attempt to show him what the old man does for a living, albeit nowadays not in the square mile but in Bermuda.
Careers week for me when I was at school was an hour with a scary lady sat in an office talking to me about apprenticeships and higher education, and writing a letter to every company listed in the Yellow Pages, which I actually did, pretty much anyway.
The topic of careers advice was taken away from local authorities and given to the schools under the coalition government, and I think has been met by much negativity mostly because many schools have neither the skills nor the finance to provide any external services.
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The Harlequins Rugby Club have been in Bermuda this week to play the Bermuda Barbarians and Friday night I was invited to the ‘gala dinner’ which is a fund raiser for the Beyond Rugby charity, a very worthy cause that in Bermuda offers the opportunity and encouragement for kids to turn away from gang crime and instead put all of their energies into competitive sport.
The dinner was attended by around 400 people and what with tickets, prizes and numerous auctions, which of course in a maze of alcohol reach silly portions – I give you a Juan Mata signed Man U shirt sold for $2,500 – the evening’s events would have raised an awful lot of money.
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I was in Banff sometime ago, 18 months to be precise but I never got around to writing up my Travelogue of my experiences, and the beauty of the place fully deserves my recognition.
I was there for a work event and had flown into Calgary International Airport and spent the night at a downtown hotel. The next day I got myself out of bed early, aided by jet lag, to whiz around and see a bit of this city situated at the foot of the Canadian Rockies.
The downtown area is dominated by the 626-foot scepter shaped Calgary Tower. There is a restaurant on top as well as a ‘torch’ which is lit for special occasions, but alas not for my morning walk.
I walked through Olympic Plaza, a park containing a skating rink. It served as the medal ceremony arena for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Not far away was another park called Devonian Gardens, which had not long been re-opened on my visit. The difference with this park is that it is all indoors occupying two and a half acres of a shopping mall.
Back nearer towards my hotel was the cool area of Eau Claire, a hub of pedestrian walkways, shops and restaurants plus a market backing onto the Bow River, which runs for 365 miles through the province of Alberta.
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Home after a week in Florida, the majority of which was at a crazed work event in South Beach, where having a pee, let alone sleep, was at a premium. I had the two girls with me, so we schlepped it up to Palm Beach on Thursday morning to get a couple of days of family time, and sleep, which was great.
I do like Palm Beach, kind of like Eastbourne, but with high hair and false boobs. The place is dripping in money and a cooler, swankier street than Worth Avenue is hard to find.
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On my way to Miami Beach this morning with the family for the week.
You might find it hard to believe but I am actually working, proper working. It is our group’s annual Symposium which is my favourite work week of the year, but it entails back to back meetings and presentations from early morning to late at night starting this afternoon.
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Late last night I arrived in Lake Tahoe in California after a long day of travelling. I am here until Thursday, er working…. it says here.
The week consists of early morning advisory boards and late afternoon breakout sessions, but in between times is reserved for winter sport activities, but Lake Tahoe hasn’t seen snow since the end of December and I think I am going to get more use out of sun lotion than snow boots.
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So I have decided to come home. I will scoop my son up from school on Friday, go and grab my brother on Saturday morning and we’ll head to The Valley early for drinks and conversation with mates before giving Bob and the team all our support.
As my brother and I have always said to each other: “they need us bro.”
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2014 wasn’t the smoothest of years. At home we had to come through some personal anguish, my other half also lost her job and I attended a funeral of someone close that came all too suddenly. Work is never easy and will continue to be challenging and not in a revolutionary way.
On the flip side I went to a couple of great weddings, headlined by my brothers, where he and his now wife pulled off a glorious day in the middle of a forest. My daughter started primary school and is absolutely flourishing and my son continues to make great strides at his school in Kent as he approaches his GSCE’s head on.
I got to cross off more places to visit on my long list and we were lucky to have a couple of fabulous holidays.
Charlton Athletic of course continue to be both the ying and the yang of one’s frame of mind, but that is why we love them and undoubtedly the Addicks sit in a better place today than they did 12 months ago, although the sacking of Chris Powell wasn’t one of my year’s most endearing moments.
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After collecting my lost suitcase just an hour before I left my Los Angeles hotel, I flew north this morning to San Francisco where I will be until Friday.
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What’s your worst nightmare?
I’ll tell you mine.
It is landing in Los Angeles airport late on a Sunday evening after 16 hours of travel and to find out that your suitcase has not arrived with you, and in fact according to American Airlines it decided to see Mickey in Orlando instead of coming to LA with me to work.
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Breakfast in Bermuda, New York for lunch, Chicago for dinner, Kansas City tomorrow for lunch. That is the itinerary and then stay a few days in the home of the barbeque, before Dallas and Miami next Friday night.
A week of work travel mostly at a conference in Kansas City, which is arguably the hardest place to get to in the world from Bermuda. Six airports, hopefully a bucket load of barbecue ribs and I have even got an invite to the speedway.
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In New York City for a couple of days of working, and continuing to work on my project of how the World Cup impacted the life of American’s.
My Chicago homecoming last week was short and sweet and left me craving for more. It certainly is my kind of town, and as anticipated I ate well.
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I’m on way to Chicago today, mostly for work stuff, principally a licensing exam, but I have built in some down time too. Shamefully I haven’t been to the Windy City for almost two years, and I’m looking forward to catching up with some mates and doing plenty of eating.
I am also on a mission to find out if the World Cup has had a lasting affect on Americans. Chicago is one of the more ‘soccer-centric’ cities mostly driven by a large immigrant population, but the American preoccupation with Brazil 2014 interests me, and I watched news programmes portray it with a mixture of delectation and awkwardness.
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When the other day my inqusitive-other-half asked me what we were doing for her birthday next Monday my quizzical look clearly did not portray mystery but worthlessness!
I’ve been out every night this week with clients, including Sunday and me and the other half have mostly been communicating by email plus the odd groan when staggering around the bedroom past midnight, I’ve taken the occasional tumble.
My other half sends me calendar invites on a regular basis so whatever she wants me or us to do it goes straight into my work calendar. Shall we say, I can be a hard man to get hold off. Although, if she bothered to read this Blog then she would have some kind of clue at least.
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After two weeks away from home today we are back on the ‘rock.’ I can’t remember the last time I had two consecutive weeks away from home, and although I was working – 6am starts in Colorado, and 7am in Miami and every night was a late night – it was enjoyable, particularly as I had my family with me.
I’m not going to pull the wall over anyone’s eyes, I am very lucky. Working from 6-10am and then again in the evening but in-between the Colorado mountains calling you to play outside or in a windowless conference room in a Miami hotel from 7am to 6pm with very demanding clients, whilst all the while Miami South Beach’s temptations lie await for later, is nice life, as long as one is prepared to think about little else but work save for the odd bad dream about football!
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In a warm Miami this morning after a journey back from a very snowy Colorado yesterday evening.
In the last three days we were in Beaver Creek 36 inches of snow fell, the most at this time of many years. This had caused earlier airport issues with a bountiful of cancellations and the tiny Eagle airport near Vail was stretched to breaking point yesterday, as was my patience.
Our flight had a weight problem, so they had to throw a few fatties off and some luggage which caused a lot of consternation and an hour delay all the while after I had to push a wheelchair, carry 7 bags, and herd a 4-year old.
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I had another aborted attempt in trying to get to New York this morning. At least this time my flight was cancelled even before I had thought about packing last night. A fortnight ago I had to spend 3 hours at Bermuda airport where there is nothing to do except get progressively more annoyed at American Airlines’ incompetence.
While the cynic in me thinks American Airlines just didn’t want to fly a two-thirds empty flight and would rather save the fuel, the official reason was the weather, and to be fair the Big Apple is getting hit pretty hard this morning with a snowfall of upto 14 inches expected – bigger than the dump they got two weeks ago.
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Back from Atlanta after another fun and tireless Christmas weekend in the ‘Big Peach’ with the family. We did everything we set out to do despite the weather being unusually uncooperative, the city witnessing overnight temperatures touching freezing and bang in the middle of nine consecutive days of rain.
We ended last night with a trip to the beautiful Botanical Gardens, just over a year to the night when me and the other half made our long relationship a bit more proper by me putting a ring on it.
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A decade ago today I flew from Heathrow Airport to Chicago with two suitcases, a rucksack stuffed with some photos, a work visa and an address of an apartment building.
I had always wanted to experience living and working abroad, and on that Tuesday 10 years ago, I was finally going to realise my ambitions. Mind you if I was told before boarding that plane that I would still be away 10 years later, I wouldn’t have got on, no chance. That was certainly not in my plans.
I wrote a diary those first few months, and I re-read back the first week recently. It was a mixture of sadness, apprehension and wide-eyed excitement.
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I was in New York last week and I spent a lot of time walking Lower Manhattan’s streets which always wakens the senses. This part of NYC is the oldest part of the original colony of New Amsterdam that evenutally became New York City and is a maze of history and a myriad of architecture.
Wednesday night I was in Chinatown, the largest of its type in the west. A few pints in the Whiskey Tavern and we asked for a recommendation of a non-touristy Chinese restaurant with the only insistence being that it was licensed! The barman suggested Hop Kee, and we proceeded to eat ourselves into a MSG coma. You simply cannot get good or even average Chinese food in Bermuda and it was a big treat as we all live on the island.
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I was just downstairs at reception asking for a new key as I’ve managed to misplace mine. “What room are you in sir?” I was asked. “Um, 1727” I said. “Sorry sir, we haven’t got a room number 1727.”
I had no idea what room I was in, this being the 4th different hotel I’ve stayed in since Monday. I moved from the ultra trendy SLS in South Beach earlier this afternoon to the ultra staid Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne for another worky thing that begins tonight.
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I had a little wander around the downtown streets of Calgary last night. The streets were affluent, clean and modern although not unsurprisingly on a Monday they were pretty tranquil, and it would have been hard to find any trouble, so I settled at the hotel bar for a couple of pints with the other travelling salesmen.
I leave for Banff shortly and have taken a look at what to expect. The town is actually within the National Park and began as the park’s headquarters.
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I am sat at the airport in Bermuda for the start of a 10-day work trip and I have a long day ahead of me. I’m flying to Calgary, which is not simple from here. The journey will send me to New York, where I have to switch airports, although I will make good use of the long stopover by meeting a couple of friends for lunch in midtown.
Then later from Newark I take a WestJet flight to Calgary, which doesn’t get me there until later tonight.
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I’m leaving for London Wednesday night for a couple days of work and then some family weekend time wrapped up with a few beers with some mates on Sunday evening in Bexley Village.
Not for the first time I have just calculated that I will be away for 4 nights and will sleep in 4 different beds, 5 in 5 if you include the overnight plane journey. Sadly, although that sounds very titillating, it, er, won’t be.
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Today 237 years ago wasn’t one of Britain’s best days in it’s history, but I have overlooked that and accepted my companies offer of a day off to celebrate America’s independence. My company are headquartered in London, I am in Bermuda, but hey, small details.
Those of you that have read any of my worky posts, and I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t, will remember that our workload is heavily front-loaded into the first half of the year, getting steadily more frenetic as the calendar rolls around to July 1st.
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Yesterday was my companies Global Community Day. I had volunteered to do some painting at what I mistakingly thought was a kids charity but I later found out was an animal shelter. Easy mistake to make!
Our brief was to repaint 3 rooms that are used as indoor cat playrooms. This was a particular own goal on my part as I hate cats, and these rooms, which probably hadn’t seen a lick of paint for a decade stunk like a feline public toilet.
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I’m in the City of London not as refreshed as I would like after an overnight flight from Bermuda into Gatwick, but this afternoon I have some meetings before I join up with some friends tonight for drinks and dinner.
I’m staying the night in the Butlers Wharf area on the south side of the river, and walking through here this morning it brought back some nice memories. I actually first worked not far from here but that was before the days of Hays Galleria and Butlers Wharf, but I have always liked this part of town.
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It’s the crazy season at work, the 2nd Quarter is huge for us in determining our year. Days are long, sleep is interrupted by a meddlesome brain and we have a continual stream of clients in the office from overseas and any calorie-watching is chucked out of the window.
I have managed to reverse myself out of a work conference in Los Angeles next week. I’m not normally someone that ducks out of a excuse to get on a plane but the journey from Bermuda to LA is pretty oppressive and even though I quite like LA and it’s eccentricities the trip will entail a lot of time travelling across town in cabs and also spending hours upon hours in oxygen infused conference rooms far underground in hotel rooms.
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It’s been nice today not having to worry about what was going on with Charlton. My 3-year old daughter asked me earlier if I “was winning at football.” No, there’s no game I replied, why? You seem happy she said.
England even managed to wrack up an old fashioned score last night, although don’t mention this to Dave, who sounds thoroughly miserable.
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Back from a great but knackering week in Florida with work. I spent the last night of the trip with a client that owns the imposing Westin Diplomat in Hollywood north of Miami. They were very accomodating and it was a restful way to end the trip, which started in similar fashion last Sunday with a few beers with New York Addick on Ocean Drive in South Beach.
A weekend of not doing an awful lot is on the radar, although the weather here doesn’t appear to encourage doing much outside. Hopefully I can catch some of the FA Cup games on the telly, although the one I’d like to see doesn’t appear to be on.
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On my way to Miami for my companies annual Symposium where mostly we’ll be holed up in a South Beach hotel. The event kicks off tonight and ends on Thursday.
The weather will pay havoc with others getting down to Florida as America’s north-east has been stunned by a ‘snow bomb’ including my old mate New York Addick, who was back on his old stomping ground and has hopefully made it down to Florida where he is working next week. I hope to meet him later for a drink.
We flew to Miami this morning and have had a stop-over day in nearby Coral Gables before we set off for a week’s skiing in Colorado tomorrow morning.
We are staying in Beaver Creek, near Vail, our 3rd time at the same hotel. We had decided that a skiing holiday wasn’t going to happen this year for one way or another so a corporate invite a couple of months ago was a very welcome surprise, especially to a hotel we love and a village that has a welcome sign up exclaiming: “Not exactly roughing it!”
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Tampa, Florida
