What a great day!

And I am actually not being sarcastic for once. Yesterday was a beautiful day, it was warm, the skies were clear, there was a light breeze...lovely.

Now what is my forecast for my trip?

You guessed it - Rain

and not just simple rain showers, oh no, we are talking downpours and a potential of another 2 inches. Probable Coastal flooding as well.

hehehe - what does this mean for me?

A good umbrella, and more time in the Lounge at JFK...

Yes, I am REALLY spoiled ;)

Rain

Can there be too much rain??

UMM YEAH!!!

today was not the day to run errands. Let me tell you. It was either raining or pouring.

Public transportation is hard in bad weather,...and very tiring...

*sigh*

Well at least I have work tomorrow ;)

I don't get it

I am being almost forced to part with my old friends due to the fact that they are insensitive jerks!

I mean what is it with men who are married or in long term relationships??

Ok. Before I go any further, I will qualify this statement. What is wrong with the few jerks who are married or in long term relationships who think it's fine to have a bit on the side?

I have one major rule in my life (well I have more but this one is appropriate here ) I don't mess with married men. I don't knowingly go after married men. My male friends know this. All my female friends know it as well. Then why in the world would I get basically propositioned by not one but two men, one married and they act like they don't understand why I'm pissed. These are now former friends because I can't abide being near them in any way shape or form.

So I guess I'm trying to say is, I'm not your bit on the side. You having problems with your relationship....Either fix it or get out. Don't bring someone else into it, don't screw around. And if you are going to get married at the end of the week...Try to stop the cybersex long enough to respect your wife. Sheesh

Still focused on London

I got some good suggestions on places to go while I am in London, thanks to those that commented :)

I am currently looking into renting a cell phone while in the UK. Have looked at a couple of companies. The pricing seems to run about the same, either making a minimum of 5 minute calls a day or flat fee plus usage time. It may be a bit expensive but keeping in touch with my family is very important.

The great thing about going for work is that I get a weekend off. I have a few friends who live in the UK so, it will be cool to hang out. One of my friends is a DJ, hopefully he will be off when I go, then we can hang out.

I am beginning to wonder how hard it will be to get around London. I know that London is about 45 minutes train ride on the Gatwick Express from where I'll be staying. (Staying near Gatwick...go figure)
I think I will go research that -

One thing I am grateful for is that London subway or underground is so easy to read and get around. I grew up in NY and sometimes the subway could be a tad confusing to me, when I was younger.
My mom used to say , the best way to test someones skills on getting around in NYC was to give them a map and a subway token and see how long it took them to reach the destination. Thankfully my mom didn't do that to me.

So it's about 2 1/2 weeks till I go!!

- gotta check more cell phones.....

Hi5

I was referred to this site by a new friend of mine :)

it's a networking site, and I figure - what a cool way to try and get to know people.

I linked it here

Enjoy and tell me what you think! :)

Gearing up for the UK

It's official, I will be going to the UK for two weeks.

I like going on trips, especially for work, but trying to get everything together for a trip this long is madding.

Here's a bit of insight for you:

My mother has been on and of sick for the last 2 years, prone to seziuers and such. While this doesn't always affect her, sometimes she has an attack and it can be a bit scary for those around her.
So I go 3,500 miles away and who know what may happen in Two weeks.

SO I have come up with a plan to keep in touch with my mother and my son, I am going to be getting a Cell phone that can be called anytime if there is an emergency.
Of course now I am trying to figure out how to do that...but I have a few leads.

And know that i will write something here to update my progress on that front.

For those worrying about my son, he's 11 and has decided that until HE can go to London...it's an evil place. *sigh*

Hence the need for a cell phone, and also a planned trip in August --- shhhhhh he doesn't know about it yet ;)

Poetry

I have talked about poetry before.

and even written some of my own, and have a poetry forum highlighted on my links.

This time I wanted to highlight another site

PoetryBang.

I stumbled on to this site when I was looking for alternative places to express myself.

This one is really cool. It has alot of avenues for people to express themselves and see other very good poets. I like alot of the main posters humor and thier honesty to what they see.

So go check it out.

I am still looking for new places to be...but this one is a really good place to visit :)

Ever feel so tired

That you agree to do anything to make someone go away??

I have, and I really need to stop doing that. For one, it raises my stress level and we all know that doesn't need to be raised. For another, it affects my time, because I usually have so much less of it.


*sigh*

oh well...

it's late, and I am getting tired...
think I'll hit the hay

realitique

realitique


Ok the piece about Bush and Math I have to admit I found funny :)

Ok...I am awake now

I can say this about American Airlines, overall their staff is pretty cool. I will admit I received alot of attitude from staff at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport, but I can say the staff at San Francisco and Raleigh/Durham really did make up for those who were rude at Dallas. Now to be perfectly fair..All of the employees at Dallas were not mean nasty and rude. There were some there that went out of their way to help people and be pleasant.

Now given that there were delays, I would be ready to excuse the rude behavior due to stress and abnormal work conditions. But the staff at RDU (Raleigh/Durham) had the same delay problem, due to weather and they were nothing but lovely and helpful. So I would fly American again...Just not into or out of Dallas.

San Francisco is a GREAT city. I must say it. I was floored by the friendly people the nice hotels..EVERYTHING! And I was such a tourist. I got to ride Cable cars with my son and we went to the movies and walked down some massive hills...And went shopping in Chinatown...Awesome!

Ok this is a recommendation...If you need a place to stay near the Airport in San Francisco a wonderful place to stay is the Quality Suites Hotel in Millbrea. This is approximately ten minutes away from the airport, and right next to BART. (Bay Area Rapid Transit) . The rates are reasonable and has buses that run if you need transportation. There is a quaint shopping center down the road a bit and cute restaurants as well.

The second place I stayed could be considered Heaven. But it's really called the Stanford Court. Stanford Court is a beautiful hotel right down the street from Grace cathedral and a couple blocks up from Chinatown. There are cable cars that intersect on the corner so you can get to all the touristy places very easy. The hotel itself is charm, a perfect hotel for the business traveler as well as the tourist. A doorman is right there to help you with your bags and guide you to check-in, the check- in process is fast and easy, and they deliver your bags so you don't have to lug them yourself. My room was spacious with a view of the courtyard and very comfortable queen size beds. I particularly like the heated towel rack...my son liked this as well.

The concierge service at the hotel was impeccable, never once talking down to anyone. Just truly helpful explaining the area and pointing out things to do. The restaurant they had was lovely as well. I couldn't have asked for a better breakfast. One small this about the hotel that impressed me was that when I made a call to any service the hotel provided, the staff knew who I was, I didn't have to identify myself. Always answered with my name. Yes, it's a small thing but it really made a difference. If this hotel isn't considered a 5 star hotel, it definitely should be.

When I finally got to Raleigh/Durham, I stayed at the Comfort Suites and this was a very nice room, refridgerator and microwave. Spending time in Raleigh is always fun as my family is there.

Now had to stay in RDU on the way home for about 11 hours, but the staff was so great, and tried to get me and my son on a flight as quickly as possible. That just turned out to be the next day. I stayed another night in Raleigh that I didn't plan for at La Quinta Inn and Suites. This place is very cute. The next time I have to get a room down there I will be staying at La Quinta. Decent rates as well.

All in all my vacation was good...Even with the over 20 hours of waiting time I did for flights. Though I am happy to be home, I am glad I made this trip.