Destroy All Onions!

Yesterday I worked out that maybe it hasn’t been raining every night when I noticed a sprinkler going. But it definitely rained heavily last night, since it woke me up. But also today there was finally a little sunshine at lunchtime, the first I’ve seen.

Finishing work a bit earlier, I managed to get to the hotel gym last night. Small panic when the cycling machine told me my heart rate was 190, which is a just a bit high. Fortunately, the next machine reckoned it was 90, which is a little low given I’d been cycling for 10 minutes. But the average was probably about right. Made it back to the gym tonight.

Today I got hold of a hire car, and have managed to successfully drive it back from the airport, and out and about for tea. It’s a Kia Optima, which does not fire my imagination, but it works fine, and it does have Sirius XM and an Ipod connector. Sirius is pretty cool – lots and lots of radio stations to choose from, including Radio 1 and the BBC world service. As long as I stay away from the 50 country stations and Radio 1, I should be fine 😉

I’m clearly not from round here – I caught a couple of people staring in my direction on my way back from the office this evening. It could be because I was walking (which is obviously unusual for the US) or it could be because I was wearing a coat. Wearing a coat seemed perfectly sensible to me, since the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms, and according to Fleetwood Mac “thunder only happens when it’s raining”. But I was nonetheless the only person I saw all day with a coat.

Maybe it’s related to the not walking much thing…

So, 17 hours after arriving at Belfast City Airport, I arrived safely at my hotel in Dallas. And I’ve managed to survive my first day in the states.

The office is just across the road from the hotel, which is very civilized as I can walk to work. I spent most of the day in a meeting with my new team, which could have been in any office building, so I kind of forget where I was until we left for the evening, when it once again became obvious I wasn’t at home any more – the cars and buildings were all wrong for Belfast.
And rather splendidly the guvnor here took a couple of us out for tea, so I had a chance to see a little of the local area, and enjoy a nice Mexican meal.

My doctor told me that I had to rest my sore leg as much as possible, which means not walking to work for a week or two.

So this morning I tried out the bus. I took the number 5a from the end of my street, which arrived at the bus stop pretty much the same time that I did, so I had no waiting about. Even better, I was able to sit on the front seat of the top deck of the bus, which is one of the coolest ways on earth to travel, so I was all pleased. I was also quite entertained by the amazing underwater effect that the vibration of the bus gave the music on my radio. But it wasn’t a particularly fast way to travel – I reckon it took not far off half an hour door to door, which is pretty much how long it takes me to walk to work.

To get home again I had to take a different route (number 6), since it works out better due to the nature of one-way systems. I guess it also adds variety, which is no bad thing. I met a friend on the top deck, and once some quite entertaining children got off we were able to sit in the front seats again.

So my initial experiences with the bus have been pretty good. Let’s hope it lasts.

It doesn’t take much for gadgetry to impress me, as I always like a new toy. But I was completely stunned when I found noise-cancelling headphones on the plane to Japan yesterday. They always make a difference to the entertainment experience on the plane, so I usually carry a pair. But I’ve never found them supplied by the airline. Well done ANA!

Oh and thanks for not going bankrupt before we got to travel too.

I spent most of the week staying in a hotel this week. It was quite a nice hotel. But as usual, it was impossible to have a shower without flooding the bathroom.

What is the deal with hotel showers?? Why is it so difficult for them to work out how to put up a shower curtain that keeps the water in the shower, instead of all over the floor? I don’t understand why almost every hotel is the same. What is wrong with these people?

And I can’t believe I have chosen to talk about shower curtains on the internet.

Nurse – sedate the patient!