Off for a jog

I am in departures AGAIN, this time off to Dublin to run the old marathon (as one does) any to stay with MarcO for a few days. The boy was not happy with me leaving again, and he certainly isn't taking any instructions or repremand from Mr Blow-in. I have to say I think he's right in a way, I am going to have to put in some big time with him next week to make up for my absence.

SCRUM!

Washington was a complete scrum. We landed 30 mins early into Washington due to a 100mph tail wind, courtesy of Wilma. So I though we I would have no trouble making my connecting flight to LHR. But not so. BA had a compleatly understaffed counter to check people in, so I went from being an hour and a half early, to checking in for a flight when the gate was already closed. A fact made even worse by the fact that Dulles is a bobbins airport with a bus to the gates. All a bit stressful really! Then it was a 7 hour flight back in "coach" with screaming babbies and coughing and spluttering abounding!

But its good to be back in Blighty, and as a bonus I had a very nice day off with some most unseasonally good weather. Now what have I got on this weekend.....?

Bring it!

Homeward Bound!

Now awaiting flight out of Myrtle Beach to Washington, from where I will transfer into the loving care of BA which I regard as almost being back on European soil :-)
We have had a fairly productive road trip but both Roger and I are shattered.

The real fun will start when I start trying to implement all the inovative ideas I have had when I get back!

Fun and games await.
More from Washington.

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On this other ocean

The drive down from Columbia to Myrtle Beach pretty much frazzled my nerves to the point that when I had finished the three hour drive all I was not good for much other than panning out on the bed for an hour and a half. when I eventually pulled myself together are went across the road to a big old tourist center that they have here called Broadway at the beach. It's packed with all sorts of the usual tourist rubbish and also a shed load of restaurants. Being the, sort that have however I managed to pick an absolutely duff place called Johnny rocket's, which is a kind of retro '50s style diner. All very good in theory but in practice it's just the same old burger served up by the same old surly youths. I did however have my first malted milk shake, which was pretty good it must be said.


This morning after breakfast I took the 1 mi. walk from the hotel down to the beach itself. This was a strange experience in itself as I was pretty much the only person walking on the street, the car rules over here and its rule is absolute. The beach itself is slightly spoiled by the fact that all of the hotels are built right up onto the strand. It was however really nice to walk on the beach and get my feet in the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. It was also interesting to note that the Sunday morning walkers on Myrtle Beach are not at all dissimilar to the Sunday morning walkers on Tramore beach. I still have sound between my toes as I write this blog.



Meanwhile back at the ranch, the boy has been out in the weather sporting his new duffle coat and wellies! I've been away and nearly a week now and it's too long.

I've got Monday and Tuesday left to do and then it's back to dear old blighty. Not that I get to stay for long as I am flying out to Dublin on Saturday to run the marathon on Monday! Crazy fool!

Slumming it in the District!

This is Wisconsin
Tuesday was spent in Kenosha, which is apparently a fairly typical Wisconsin town, from which this is a fairly typical scene! Its just real middle America. We had a real good day with some very intresting ideas coming out of it. Which is great cos I need new ideas like a hole in the head right now.



Drive Time
Leaving Kenosha we (I) drove down to Chicago. Its my first time driving in the US and it gave me the fear. I only nearly got us killed once, so thats ok. Then it was the usual hurry up and weight at the airport. Flight into DC was good, and landing at Ronald Reagan means that you get a fantastic view of the Lincon Memorial right down to Capital Hill. The cab ride into the hotel was great too, as you drive past all that stuff on the way in.


Room with a view
The hotel is very swanky indeed, this is a shot inside the hotel!! It is certainly been the first time in a hotel where the directions to the room contained the phrase "cross the stream..". The rooms are like 1 bed room flats, and they have a very nifty feature on the alarm clock that allows you to play an mp3 player through it. So dinner was room service to the dulcid tones of Nick Drake. The only down side to all this is that it aint much fun on your own :-(

Chicago again.

Off to Chicago on another one of my East Coast epics. First stop being beautiful down town Kenosha Wisconisan. Least it hasn't started to get really cold there yet! From there its off to Washington to meet with OSMA and the FDA then its onto South Caraloina.
All in all this makes me a very busy bunny indeed (espically as work continues back at the ranch).

Hopefully the weather in SC will be as good as it was this time last year and the hotel has an outside pool.

In other news, ran for 3:30 yesterday. I had done a few 3 hour runs already but its a diffrent game as soon as you go beyond the 18 - 20 mile mark. Boy does it hurt out there. The bear climbed on my back at about 3:05 and I had to carry him for the last 25 min! Still I think he's lost a few pounds since I met him last. Nett result of all this is that my legs are a bit mashed today and I now have an 8 hour flight. I think I might have had a cheeky upgrade however, which would be a bonus!

Yes. Upgraded, but only to plus. Would have been first but it was full. Still the extra leg room will be a big help to my mashed legs :-)

So far so good.
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More from the Master

Good one of the boy cracking up laughing, as he is wont to do. I have also but up a movie and some more recent pics of the boy on the .Mac site

Future art

Art by Jules.
We think it looks like a big raincloud raining on a bonfire. Could it be he is a boy who paints the future?? If it rains on bonfire night (or on Halloween) then the only explanation is the boy is physic!

I'd put it on the fridge door, but he likes to try to swallow the magnets.

Visit to the IEEE

I seem to be doing a lot of talking to engineering institutes these days. On Wednesday we hosted the IMechE at the factory, and did talks and tour, the whole bit. Yesterday I was off to London to do the after lunch lecture at the IEEE in Savoy Place. In genral it was a retired engineers who had more qualifications than one could usefully shake a stick at. I got some particularly pertanent questions as about 10% of the audience had a replacement joint fitted themselves. Talk went well and they looked after me very nicely indeed.

Nice building inside, and the view over the Thames is outstanding.

Really with all this talking to the institutes I should really get joined up and sort out getting chartered!