En route to CrackBerry-dom

So I've finally decided that I need a Crackberry - not just because I'm a gadget addict but also so I can check my email on the treadmill at the gym in the morning! I'm only part way through my existing contract, so will have to shell out a few hundred $ to get the gadget, but who cares... The decision now is which one to get.

FriendsReunited - OK, so it does work

FriendsReunited.co.uk so it does actually work...

I had dinner on Saturday evening with someone who I was at primary school with - amazing to get in touch with someone after 10 years.

Thanks Jessica =)

France, Italy & UK - 3 countries in 2 weeks

A brief whirlwind tour is coming to an end...

1-Aug: JFK-NCE followed by lunch in Italy is one hell of a way to start a vacation.

14-Aug: London-Paris EuroStar... Dinner at Kong (tbc)

16-Aug: CDG-JFK & I'm hoping the security alerts aren't going to cause any problems.

Thanks to Caroline for a fabulous wedding and congratulations to you both.
See you soon!

Choosing a city...

With my little European jaunt underway, I stopped to think this morning about how one should choose a city to live in; it's clear that not everyone has the luxury of dreaming a city and saying "I want to move there" but there are times (I've had a couple) when you need to decide where to go.

So in order to make the next move easier - I'm listing some criteria - we read a nice book during MBA (Smart Choices) that explained how to make decisions based on weighted criteria and decision trees; of course under the emotions of a decision we never stop to be logical, but who knows, maybe next time...

* Climate
* Lifestyle
* Cost of living
* Social network
* Employment opportunity

Any contributions greatly appreciated!

Oh Delta; how do I love thee... let me count the ways...

...or not.

In this 'mild' heatwave we've been having, the worst thing about travelling is the thought that you are going to get hot, bothered and sweaty on your way to the airport and then have to sit like that for X number of hours as you fly across the world in your tin can.

So this morning, I decided to plan:
First step was to carry my enormously heavy bag down to the curb and look for a yellow cab - it might only be a 15 minute walk to my office, but one that can easily induce unnecessary body heating as you cross Union Square -
$5 later and I'm safely in the AC environment of the building.
Next was lunch - an easy solution, just order in and there was no problem there.
Finally my car to JFK pulls up in front of the building, and a small exertion to get the dead body weight bag into the trunk and I'm back in the AC on the way out of town.
It's at this point that I was feeling very pleased with myself and thinking that I'd wake up in Nice the next morning feeling relatively fresh and clean... how wrong was this.
Arrival at the JFK Delta terminal and what do I see? A line of approx 200 people on the sidewalk and even overflowing onto the street waiting to check in. Of course the ever optimistic me was sure that these were people without tickets, without passports, who wanted to overheat and breath exhaust fumes in the street or at least not on the same flight as me... So I wander up to the officious looking employee at the head of the line to ask where Nice check-in might possibly be located... "You need to go to the back of this line."

Need I say more?

Let's just add that one of the call buttons was jammed on the plane, so they had to turn off all the audio system for the duration (7 hours) of the flight and although they offered free (alcoholic) drinks in compensation, at that point I'd already spent my $5.

Oh Delta - I do love you - but I'll also be avoiding you at all costs in the future - that's the way love is!

The Taproot Foundation

I've joined the Taproot Foundation, www.taprootfoundation.org which is a volunteer group offering marketing consultancy services to charities & NGOs.
Click on the link and find out more.

We are currently working on the annual Report for Achievement First, www.achievementfirst.org a group of charter schools in CT & NY.

Trading in my TX license

It was a sad day at the DMC when I had my eyes tested and handed in my TX license to replace it with one from NY state...

The system could easily by compared to French bureaucracy - and I'll probably be murdered for saying this - and it might even be a little bit worse organised.

My only saving grace was that through sheer miscomprehension of the system, I skipped the queue (line for the locals) and ended up in front of all those who had been waiting outside with me for the last 45 minutes - my apologies fellow New Yorkers.

So $45 and 45 minutes (inside time) later I am one TX license down, and one shabby temporary NY license up.

Goodbye Texas The Lone Star State