A living dog is...

And to think that this time last year no-one knew what it was...

2007-06-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

Henry Blofeld and Jon Culshaw are to appear in ads for PC TV device Slingbox. By Mark Sweney.

Blogged with Flock

Don't forget your first life...

2007-05-27T06:22:00.000-04:00

Sky News is broadcasting in Second Life today. One of the guests has said that it "fills a gap", that we don't have in the real life because people can connect with each other and can do things that they wouldn't do in reality. I've not got into Second Life yet, and I don't think I will. I can understand the use of Myspace and Facebook, but I think that the idea of a virtual world, where you spend time living out how you'd like to live out your own life is vastly unhelpful. I think it would breed frustration and even more discontent with the real world because you can't achieve in real life what you are acting out in this online community. Surely it's better to invest effort in doing what you want to in your first life than in your second? If not, people would be likely to spend more time online than developing relationships with family and friends. I believe that social networking sites should be an extension of your real world living, and not a replacement. Second Life seems too close for comfort here, but I may be wrong...

Dominican Republic Video

2007-05-17T05:52:00.001-04:00

This has taken ages to finally get online. Mainly because of waiting for some great pics from the rest of the i-to-i guys. Hope you like it, one particular highlight is my great tan at around 2:28.

Haven't found what you're looking for?

2007-04-24T10:33:00.000-04:00

Loved this... via Vecosys

All a-twitter

2007-04-01T17:50:00.000-04:00

I've just started twittering, which is like mini-blogging. I might keep it up, or I might not have the inclination! We'll see.

How to create your own all-US teen drama soundtrack

2007-03-27T14:57:00.000-04:00

You know the ones... originally crafted by the makers of Party of Five and My So Called Life, the tactic was mimicked by Dawson's Creek, The O.C., and One Tree Hill (which, although I never watched, surely contained the same types of plotlines, montages and over conscious dialogues as the rest of the clan.)

The strategy is basically to comb through indie labels past and present, look for jazzy cover versions of well-known classics, make the soundtrack CD pretty much the only place on earth you can buy that ever-so-catchy-I-must-have-it title song, and hey presto - just shy of an hours worth of tunes that "define a generation" - or at least defines what TV they watch. They'd spend days or weeks looking for heart-string tugging tunes, breathy vocals (think Elliot Smith) and acoustic guitars all to create a cocktail that isn't even an album, it's just an echo of this year's season - but we love them so much!

Anyway, I found out how they do it these days. Go to Pandora.com and click "Create new station". Enter "How to save a life" - great track from The Fray. "Create". Done. It will then create an almost infinite playlist of tracks that all work so well as an all-US teen drama soundtrack... perfect, if you're inviting your sexually awkward neighbour in through the window any time this week. It'll give you some nice classics from usual suspect Counting Crows and Fountains of Wayne as well as stuff you don't know - like Goldenboy, Bernard Fanning and What Made Milwaukee Famous... all legititmate band names.

The one trick that the original guys missed was that New Season = New Soundtrack.... ah think of how much mid-nineties indie loveliness we missed out on!

Losing my conversation

2007-03-17T12:24:00.000-04:00

I can feel my spanish drifting away from me, even with a co-worker from Madrid, I don't have the time or energy to devote myself to the language in the same way that I did in New York. I guess having to work full-time means that it has to take a bit of a back seat, but I'd still like to be progressing. Maybe I'll find a new CD to work through or something like that.

yikEs.....

2007-02-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've done what I wasn't ever going to do... move to an E post code. Without even the EC-ness to blunt the edge. To be fair, I am only one street into E1, and After two weeks of living in the flat, I've not turned into a cockney, so I think all is well. in any case, the six-minute commute to work is enjoyable - so too is looking out onto Spitalfields market from the living area. What's not so great is lack of broadband - and all the city-savvy types who live in out building have secured their networks... Anyway, not to worry, we'll soon have that all sorted out and the blog will be up and running again, possibly commenting on work, play or other stuff that comes up every now and again.

Valentines - Brazilian Style

2007-02-15T05:06:00.000-05:00

Spent last night here where Valentine's night was about as romantic as a sweaty dance floor full of people throwing some all-out samba moves, which is a fairly accurate description of the venue. In fact it was the warm-up event for their carnival season - the real Rio one starts this Saturday - and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Could have done with a few more keen dancers, but with a male:female ratio of about 1:3, there was plenty to do from the edges of the boards. One thing which did make me very jealous of all things Brazilian was their natural/innate claim to coolness. There is no other country in the world (that we could think of) that gives you immediate kudos and cool points, just from being born there. I'll definitely be there more often, the bad memories of my previous visit have been quashed, saca?

Back at the 'Com

2007-02-13T05:37:00.000-05:00

Who'd have thought - just over 150 days after bidding fond farewells to Barnes and this lot, I'd be back in the old office, hungry for more? Ok, perhaps not chewing my fingers for starvation, but more curious to see what today's specials are. Oh, and it's a good excuse to visit the local pushchair brigade at Cafe Nero. Swings... and indeed roundabouts.

New beginnings

2007-01-26T16:52:00.000-05:00

Crikey, it's been a while since I posted and so much has come to pass since returning to blighty. 2006 ended and 2007 came into being, recruitment consultants were met with - some more helpful than others, and some decisions were made. So as it stands, I'll be starting new ventures with ING Media on 19th February, the week after the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona - NFI'd this time darlings, must get mobile client with ample trade show budget for '08. In any case, there are further new beginnings afoot as I'll soon be moving to yet another London address, within a short commute of the Old Street office. I'm looking forward to getting to know a new neighbourhood, what with South Lambeth, Brooklyn, and Santo Domingo all representing some form of stomping ground over the last year, it will be nice to feel settled again, which is really what I hope to feel in the next month or so.

I'm also wondering what to do with this blog since it's no longer being posted from the unknown. There are plenty of media blogs and PR blogs out there and I'm not sure it's my place to imitate them. Yes, yes, I know a blog all about the individual voice on an issue, it's about the internet as a conversation, but if we're all busy reading and writing blogs, none of us would get any work done.

2006-12-15T06:08:00.000-05:00

OK , this took a while, but mainly because the editing is really troublesome in Windows Movie Maker... since I have Premiere on this laptop, I really should learn how to use it. Hope you like it.

Midday tubes and celeb spotting

2006-12-07T07:15:00.000-05:00

When you're looking for work, it means that you travel around London at unusual times - sends me back to student days when the random allocation of lectures meant that going IN to central London at 3pm wasn't unusual - I guess it's temporal reverse commuting rather than geographical reverse commuting (see "Living in Vauxhall, Working in Barnes" for definition). It does mean you see how many tourists are around at this time of year. I'd always known that summer is a huge peak for visitors, but here, as in New York last week (masses turned up to watch the tree being lit at Rockefeller Centre) there's a vast amount of people who show up at big cities for Christmas. I guess it's to see the lights, the shops, the tree at Covent Garden market, the ice rink at Somerset House.... its not really hard to see why London is so great at Christmas.

Travelling at odd times also meant that I had one of those London moments where you realise you're next to a celebrity (albeit a minor one). Spotted on the Victoria Line, Vicki Butler Henderson off the telly... she's the girl on Fifth Gear that you'd probably go for a pint or two with, and after the second you'd probably start to fancy her. Anyway, she refused offers of a seat from several gentlemen - whether or not they recognised her (had to hear her voice before I did) or if they were just being polite had me wondering for... oh, minutes at least.

Ok, NOW it's really December

2006-12-01T10:10:00.000-05:00

Touched down in London at 8.30ish this morning and was actually refreshed to feel the coldness that had been missing from my autumn thus far. Walking around New York in a coat was a start, but it still had that fresh and fruity feeling that made it way too much like being on holiday. In contrast, this morning's coldness was accompanied by that overcast, dreary grayness only found around the 51°N 0° area of the world and I found it surprisingly reassuring and comforting. I realised that I had actually been missing London's autumnal weather. Walking around Santo Domingo throughout November in t-shirts and as much linen as possible was obviously undermining my subconscious perception of what life should be like at this time of year. This is really how December should be, cloudy, damp and with most of the daylight dissappearing by about 4.00pm. This is when coats and scarves and big jumpers are worn and you can see your breath in front of you. I'm sure I'll be sick of it after a week, but for now, the REAL December is most welcome.

Back in Brooklyn

2006-11-29T18:01:00.000-05:00

I'm here... for 24 hrs only, as a quick stop over before making te trip back to London. We have an interesting night planned, that will end up in the Meatpacking district, and since Nadine stayed home today it means that I don't have to rush in to see her straight after getting here. Anyway, the shower is beckoning so I'll sign off here.

Hasta nunca

2006-11-28T14:48:00.001-05:00

It's my last day in Santo Domingo and I really don't know how to sum it up. It's been a bit of a ride in terms of seeing things, meeting people and thinking about what I want to do when I get back to London. It's been tiring, uplifting, challenging, beautiful and thought provoking. The reality of getting back into the swing of things in London is yet to hit and I doubt it will until early next week. I feel a real affinity for the Dominican people, and yet a certain incompleteness at not being able to fully communicate with them.

The country has so much going for it, but at the same time they aren't helping themselves deal with the biggest problems they face. One chat with a taxi driver turned political and we discussed the idea that Dominican governments want to be remembered for doing something big: big projects, hospitals, the Columbus lighthouse, and now - the current President wants to bring a metro to Santo Domingo. So many buildings and towns around the country look as if they were built on higher hopes and overhyped expectations. The economy simply cannot sustain modernisation in one very niche area while the rest of the more important problems go unsolved. Education, health, poverty and simply keeping the city clean are all much bigger priorities right now than the metro - a symbol of a modern country in an environment that tells a very different story. Who knows when the project will be finished, or if the next goverment will give it the same attention as the current one?

I doubt this will be my last visit to the country, but I'm having trouble pinning down what's making me want to return.

Me gustan Cuba Libres

2006-11-24T16:45:00.001-05:00

We really need to stop hanging out here so much. Thursday cover is RD$100 for girls and locals RD$250 for white men... not so much racism as good business sense. With that, you get as many rum and cokes as your liver can handle... it does involves getting your fellow volunteers home - which is usually the white man's responsibility. Odd, given that as he's paying more, he should be drinking more. Anyway, Googling images from "atarazana 9" gives you an idea of the types that go there... it's fun, trust me on that one.

Things I'll miss about the Dominican Republic

2006-11-22T09:39:00.001-05:00

1. Fruit juice - proper freshly squeezed, just fell from the tree fruit juice, preferred flavours: Strawberry, Mango, Chinola (passionfruit)

2. The way people say 'hi' or 'good day'when they get on a bus or into a guaga or public car (six passengers - two in the front and four in the back - have to be seen to be believed)

3. Music everywhere you go, and not the atmospheric background Starbucks tosh either, this stuff is invasive, in your face merengue or reggaeton. It's unavoidable and it becomes something you get used to and is just a part of life here.

4. Cheap travel. 20p to get from our house into the city centre, £1 to get to work, £5 to get to the other side of the country... beat that TfL.

5. Leidy and the way she made me feel like a Dominican, her enthusiasm for everything, her smile and the way she says '¿tu entiendes?' with a look of hopeful expactation that could go either way depending on whether I had actually understood what she way saying.

6. The weather and the beaches... enough said I think.

7. Fresh fish - I can almost see Billingsgate market becoming a new favourite hang out.

8. Endless opportunities to practice Spanish.

9. The kids at school and their keenness in the face of not having the things in life that I take for granted.

10. Being different. This is one for my ego, but here you do get attention for being white (with a good tan by the way), and it makes a change from London where everyone fades into anonymity.

2006-11-20T09:13:00.001-05:00

Trying to cram as much as possible into a weekend here can result in many things when you travel as a group - mass hesitancy on decisions, large amounts of discussion about the check, a little stress on the general timetable. Which is why the past weekend, which I spent in Samana with only two others went swimmingly. We managed to fit three excursions into the two days as well as the coach trip (5 1/2 hours each way) and a visit to Cielito, the world's smallest merengue club. Merengue is sort of the national dance of the DR, not the national egg-based dessert. The music is contagious and great to dance to, but the club was the size of someone's garage and they kept cramming the people in, so it did get a little warm. We were also the only westerners in the place so our arrival did make me feel a little like a celebrity, with heads turning througout the bar.

Samana is the DR's whale watching centre. Every January, hundreds of humpbacks make there way to the bay and are observed by thousands of visitors from around the world. In the off season, there's fewer people around, more chance to chat with the locals and the sights of the area (Parque de los Haitises, with it's otherworldly islands and caves; Cayo Levantado (pic), which is the original beach used by Bacardi as a marketing image; and El Limon, the waterfall that cascades down a mossy cliff and appears white all the way down). El Limon is accessible only by horseback so Karen and I got there early and made our way there helped on the backs of Juan and Palmero, and led by two local guides. When we arrived, we were the first there, and went for a swim in the pool and behind the fall itself. After 30 minutes or so, we got out and the popularity of the waterfall became apparent as group after group of other travellers, mostly sporting the all-inclusive wristbands that come as a part of staying at a nearby resort, arrived at the secluded spot. On our way back, we passed several large groups starting out on their way, and going from feedback from other volunteers who had already visited the fall, we were exceptionally lucky to have the whole thing to ourselves, if only for 1/2 an hour.

When you can't give enough

2006-11-16T12:05:00.001-05:00

Being friendly and welcoming is a trait that the Dominicans pride themselves on. Local guys are happy to hand out tips, advice and information, the club scene is so much less about cliques than it is in London, and in school, the kids just want to talk to you and hang out with you all the time. But the trait has another side to it. Being a westerner in Central Santo Domingo, El Conde, is like being a magnet for beggars, "tour guides", taxi touts, shoe shine boys "They're canvas I don't think boot polish will do them any good." and people who just want your money. It's assumed that all westerners here are loaded - which in relation, we are - but it's frustrating when you receive a look that says "You can afford a few pesos and yet you chose not to give them, where is your heart?" when you're here as a volunteer, doing what you think is a good thing for this country, in an organised and worthy fashion. There's one homeless woman who is often outside our local grocery store who I give to occasionally, but when people are all "buddy" in the streets "Where are you from?" it's as if they've learnt a few key phrases in English in order to tug your heartstrings enough to open your purse strings, and I'm unwilling to give to something so mercenary.

Lewis and the Jet Set

2006-11-14T10:30:00.001-05:00

All of you who follow my attempts at being cool will be glad to know that they took another leap in the right direction yesterday with a visit to a club called Jet Set. it was recommended by a few of the local Dominican guys as the best place in the country to be on a Monday night, and with a cover charge of 2000RD$, which is about 35 pounds, its obvious that the clientele aren't the usual Santo Domingo crew. The ladies (I say ladies as it's an older crowd) are all dressed up to the nines - tens and elevens in some cases - with corsets doing a massive amount of work throughout the night. There were two live music acts, one merengue group, the name of which I can't remember, and a salsa artist called Victor Manuel (pic). He is very famous, apparently, but I've not found much about him online, which is a shame, as I wanted to know if his gaudy dress sense (grey silk waistcoast, white tie - huge knot, stripey blue and white shirt) was at all related to his sexuality (ambiguous at best). We also discovered that there are many songs you can do in a merengue style, including George Michael's "Faith" and the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony", prompting the idea of a "Now that's what I call unusual pop merengue 1" CD launch. Date to be decided.

Sleep deprivation, Santo Domingo style

2006-11-12T09:47:00.001-05:00

I don't remember the last time we stayed in of an evening. For the last two weeks, there's been something going on every evening, either in Santo Domingo, or on one of our jaunts around the country. That means a lot of dancing, talking in Spanglish - which is massively tiring in itself - and generally meeting new people. With the heat/sun/noise of the others having breakfast meaning that there's a consistent wake-up time of 7am, I'm beginning to feel a night off is in order. There is a lot to do in this city, and although we are keeping things fairly mainstream by spending time in the colonial zone, mixing in with the locals has been a great experience. Latin girls have a passion that I admire and really know how to enjoy themselves without taking it all way too seriously. Being Western and "the Other" when we go out means that its easier to talk to people - they're more open and more interested in you, whether its for your money or not is a different question, and something you catch onto pretty quickly.

The week just gone, Gisela, the school's language teacher switched from English to French classes. I'm unsure of the value of this since the grasp of English is so poor and of the two languages, English is of more use for these guys, with the US being the country's major political and economic investor. in any case, teaching French, in Spanish, was an interesting experience and something I will have to repeat before leaving since Gisela worked out that I speak more French than she does.

This weekend we stayed around Santo Domingo, visiting some amazing native indian caves - Los Tres Ojos (pic), the National Aquarium, and a beach nearby San Cristobal called Playa Najayo. It was pretty much deserted and the water was lovely. The one cafe at the beach was taken over by a family just having a great afternoon chilling out and chatting. The mother asked if we wanted some fish so she and I took a walk to chat with some local fishermen, who had been out in the ocean minutes before, catching whatever it was they could find in the shallows. Mirella - I think that was her name - then proceeded to cook the best seafood I have had in a very long time, if not ever. There was plenty for us and we couldn't even finish it, throw in a couple of drinks and you have a feast for three all for the bargain price of 800 pesos, that's about 4 pounds each. She also wanted us to go and see her house (a bed and breakfast place that looked pretty nice on the flyer) but I felt a little odd about that and we returned home. Today's sign of poverty, a family home with no money for a Christmas tree or decorations so a regular tree sits in the garden, with used fruit juice cartons as replacement baubles.

Thanks

2006-11-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the wishes and messages that I received yesterday. It was odd having my first birthday outside of the UK, and my first birthday in which the weather was great. I went to work as usual, but didn't mention it to any of the staff or children, it felt a little odd sharing something like that with people I barely know - although doing this was a little inevitable, given the timings of my little outing. As it happened, we had a very relaxed evening, ending it with drinks - including a nice bottle of Louis Latour Pinot Noir, it's not all roughing it down here - in a terrace bar at Plaza Espanyol (picture). I think I had my first pangs of homesickness, although I'm not sure what it was I was missing, a mixture of people, places and things that are spread out around the globe rahter than a "home" of sorts. I had a longing for a sense of normality, but no idea about what I want that to be. I know it involves certain people in the ways expected of them, and in an ideal world, it would involve others in ways that I know are not possible. This all sounds very vague, I know, but in a country where my principle frustration is not understanding or being understood at a basic level, the realisation that language isn't the only barrier in communication is somewhat heightened.

Country for sale

2006-11-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

Not having the internet working at the house any more is a major annoyance and it means that I've not been able to post in a week or so. So much has happened over the last days, its impossible to put it all down or even remember it all. Although the pace of life here is pretty slow, time does fly when you're enjoying yourself. Last week we dropped by the baseball stadium to catch a midweek game. We had great seats, but the atmosphere is a lot better at weekends according to the locals - especially when Licey (pretty much the Manchester United of Dominican Sport) are playing. We also went out on Thursday night to a bar/club where we encountered some serious reggaeton dancing, which is mostly reminiscent of a Sean Paul video only not taken so seriously, its all about having fun, the looking cool aspect isn't so important amongst friends. We met some really great people there, and I expect we'll see them again at some point, SD's a small town at heart.

This weekend we made a trip up to the North coast. Although the main focus of tourism in the area is the swathe of all-inclusive, walled-in resorts of Puerto Plata and Playa Dorada, one beach has risen up as the destination of choice for the independent traveller. Cabarete is known around the DR as a centre of watersports such as surfing and kitesurfing. Unfortunately, on the days we were there, the waves weren't up to much, and the kitesurfing schools are very precious about letting novices loose on the equipment, so I had to be content with swimming and generally chilling out on the beach - not such a hard consolation to accept in all fairness. The town is very relaxed and quite small, with a few bars and restaurants pulling in the majority of an audience that is mixed between American, European and Dominican about equally, the European influence being mostly from Scandinavia, which is a little odd to witness when you've spent the last two weeks living amongst the locals.

The drive from South to North takes about 5 hours in total, and taking a cross section journey through the middle of the country gives you an idea of some of the issues facing it's economy today. "Se Vende" is the most widely read sign, almost every plot of land is looking for development and it seems it has been that way for years. Land owners simply don't have the resources to develop the land themselves and when investment comes in from outside or from the goverment, the results are often a sorry sight. Unfinished houses, apartments and even hotels are dotted around the landscape, construction abandoned, with funds running out and no-one with enough earning potential to move in, these "shells" are an all too real reminder that the most that many Dominicans can hope for is a life in the US, with Dominicans now representing the fourth largest Latin immigrant group in the States. One sorry building was a medical institution, billed as groundbreaking, but standing hollow. In another town, a large mall had been built less than 100 metres from a slum in which one of the houses was made from old fast food restaurant signs, yet the modern building was only half filled with retail space, supply outstripping demand by a huge factor, a sight that seems to be repeated where the objectives of eradicting poverty and developing into a "western" country come head to head and the latter inevitably wins out.

Protection

2006-11-01T10:31:00.001-05:00

Getting to the project has become a lot easier since we found the right place to catch the express bus (25 minutes rather than 1hr and a half), and the football has become a lot easier after a little trip to buy footballs, keepers' gloves, kit bag and some plastic bowls as we couldn't find proper cones. The kids still play like they're in the playground, with everyone chasing the one ball, I'd love to help them take more time over the game and play more tactically, but only time will tell. At present, our time is spread so thinly that we don't really have the chance to develop proper teaching strategies with any one group, and the fact that volunteers are only around for 4-8 weeks means that there is a real lack of consistency there.

In addition, the children aren't really learning that much English from their current teacher, who doesn't know enough of the language and teaches from a book in a way that makes it easy for them to guess answers rather than really know what it is they're saying. I really want to see if this can be changed, but without permanent staff that can teach English well, it seems a little doomed. I've already had one offer of donation, so if anyone would like to give, please email me with ideas and I can buy things for the kids out here on your behalf.

If the forms of transport in SD are unreliable and unsafe - mostly private bus operators that cram barely working Toyota mini-vans full of people and stop on every street corner - then its grocery stores are the most well protected I've seen. Our local one makes you check your bags with a security guard, who is a nice enough chap... he doesn't say much but I try to stay on his good side, mainly because he's armed with a shotgun. In fact there are a lot of guns in the country, in the club that we went to in Jarabacoa, they guy who went ahead of us in the line had to leave his gun at the door, a little offputting, but better than having them handed out with the cover charge.

Mountain Weekend

2006-10-30T09:14:00.001-05:00

This weekend, a few of us headed north to the mountains, a place called Jarabacoa. The highlight activity was whitewater rafting with this organisation. There were a few nerves, but it all went well, no one falling in the water, the boat staying upright, we did all get very wet, especially those of us at the front (one being me). Jarabacoa is a strange place, with more motorcycles than people it seems, though with the roads in the condition they are, its the only efficient way to travel, the other being to ask whoever drives past in a Daihatsu pick-up if you can jump in the back... it works very successfully. Jarabacoa sprawls out into the surrounding countryside, with the quality of life deteriorating the further from the centre you go - aside from a few holiday homes built by the country's middle class as mountain retreats to take advantage of the cooler weather (25C rather than 35C) in the summer. We also saw one of the waterfalls in the surrounding area, Salto Jimenoa. Jimenoa is the name of the river that it's on and this one is called "Jimenoa Dos", they're not so imaginative on names there it seems.

We returned on Sunday night and went to the Malecon, SD's main waterfront street, where there was a parade going on, some Catholic feast day that wasn't really explained in full by our guides - a few of the kids from the orphanage where there's a volunteer project that make the Sunday night "salida" one of their week's big deals. I'm a little envious of the guys who are involved in that project because of the closeness of the relationships they have with the kids. With the orphanage being in the city itself, its easy for us to hang out with them at weekends or evenings when they're allowed out. For me, working in San Cristobal means that not only is there a geographical distance between myself and them, but there's also the gap in intimacy that the 30km creates. I guess I'll just have to work at getting to know the guys at La Refor as much as possible.

We're the kids of San Cristobal

2006-10-26T19:11:00.001-04:00

Two things about Santo Domingo - one, it's still hot (until it rains... hard) and two - you can't buy a watch anywhere that you'd usually expect to. We managed to get to the project in San Cristobal - emphasis on the "to" syllable) despite getting the non-express bus, which translates into having one guy drive while the other hangs out the doors and tries to convince potential passengers, especially the cute girls, that they need to go to wherever the bus is going. There's also the frequent stopping to chat to the motorcycle taxi guys and buy random stuff from street vendors, which isn´t great when you've got the seat that lets in the beating sun.

The kids at the school - a reformatory run by the Catholic church - are great, always smiling (less so the older ones who probably want to be perceived as too cool) and keen to find out where we're from and what we are doing there. I'm sure this will wear off as time goes by and as we have more structured lessons - something that I'd like to see happen sooner rather than later. The first football session was pretty deflating as the school has precious few resources for training and only one ball that qualifies as half decent. There may be a shopping trip to try and find cones later on. Let's just hope they're easier to find than watches.

Sweating like a P. I. G.

2006-10-25T19:02:00.001-04:00

Have arrived in the Dominican Republic (DR as it's known by the Yanks) and have been introduced to the staff at my placement - San Cristobal, which is about 30km to the west of Santo Domingo. The folks at the guesthouse are really nice and my Spanish is massively underprepared for the barrage that hits you wherever you are. Last night we went to a bar that puts on traditional dance shows, very entertaining and... umm enlightening. I'm not sure I'll have the chance to upload photos at all, but I´ll do my best to describe the place - it's like no-where I've been before, but I'm going with the flow (another Dominican thing). More to come, I have to go shower as I am behaving in the titular way.

Return to Ocean City

2006-10-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

Just recovering from a crazy last few days in the US in time to catch my flight to Santo Domingo. It went roughly like this.

Thursday PM
Cram in final shopping and sightseeing - rowing on the lake in Central Park... thank you Anny for coming with me and making the afternoon so enjoyable.

Friday AM
Final Spanish lesson and preparations, go nuts about conjugations of "hacer" in particular, thank you Laura for your great teaching and giving me so much work to do. I hope that it's the start of something like learning the language - so what if I end up with an Argentinian accent.

Friday PM
Packing and organisation for Maryland roadtrip to accompany Mary (with Nadine and Megan) to the wedding from hell on Sunday (ex-s, cousins, really shouldn't mix). Rendezvous with the rest of the group to pick up the hire car and buy snacks

Saturday 2.00AM
Leave New York and head to Ocean City, MD to watch the sunrise (6.45am), mission is to keep Nadine awake while she does all the driving and somehow help navigate roads that I know nothing about.

6.45AM
Arrive in Ocean City, watch sunrise, get breakfast, play skee-ball (I lost to the girls a lot!), surprise my old boss by showing up in the store - visit memory lane, tell stories about the summer of 2000, swap life stories of the past six years, get nostalgic about the forgotten memory of signing the stock room wall. Visit my old flat (after remembering it was on 5th and not 7th street and feeling a sense of satisfaction at having had an address two blocks better than the one I'd imagined)

2.00PM
Arrive at Romancoke to drop Mary with her family, meet the world's most annoying pug.

7.00PM
Arrive in DC to visit Robin (friend of Nadine's) and go for dinner here which was fantastic... lovely sommelier who helped us defy convention and drink red wine with seafood, "What's a sablefish?", great people watching/bitching.

12.00AM
Crash on the futon

Sunday 9.00AM
Leave for breakfast in Annapolis (pretty little naval town, full of boaty types) which is within "airlift" distance of the wedding, and to visit the mall, my first since arriving six weeks ago.

2.00PM
Perform mission extracting Mary from wedding (involved me - mystery unknown man - walking across the reception during the speeches and leaving with Mary (who looked incredible) immediately after the last toast.

Rest of PM
Drive back to New York, "Sexy Back" getting us through the traffic and tolls and bridges (nearly blind Nadine and cause and accident after leaving the flash on while taking pictures in the car).

9.00PM
Meet with Masayo (another former room-mate, who's over from Japan) and grab dinner in Gramercy.

12.01AM
Sing Happy Birthday to Nadine on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) and arrive home a few minutes later to finish off packing.

Road trip pics coming soon, but I've got a plane to catch.

Well you can't say it didn't last...

2006-10-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

Just had a look at New York's five day forecast, and although it's pretty gorgeous today, it's going to get cold quickly. I know I said it got cold last week, but that was for two days - then it got nice again... Now it looks like the autumn is here to stay, and London's forecast looks pretty damp too. In any case, the onset of cold weather in NY-LON is ok by me, since I just saw this.

Tatanka Fugit

2006-10-19T00:05:00.002-04:00

Washington DC's a nice enough place. From a visit around six years ago, I remember it being very politically charged, and that was reinforced, although with less gusto than I imagined. As the centre of US politics, the people I spoke with sensed a feeling of rampant positive discrimination that stems from a conservative government trying to rid itself of the perception that minorities are underrepresented. This is the same discrimination that makes it culturally diverse to to hold a black film festival, but racist to hold a white film festival, the same over-PC ideas that make gay clubs acceptable, but straight clubs non-existent. It may even be behind the strange logic that supports the idea that women should have equal pay but expect male colleagues to always buy the drinks.

Superfluous glorification of minorities is encapsulated nicely in DC's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Billed as the museum in which the native Americans finally having the final say in what is said about their history. The museum itself is a great collection of artefacts, displays and multimedia testimonials from Native Americans. There's no disputing that what happened to the indigenous peoples of the Americas during the European colonisation of the continent is one of the biggest tragedies in history both at a humanitarian level – with the unfettered spread of European disease wiping out – and from a human rights perspective, with Native Americans being slaughtered and forced into slavery without much flinching from across the Atlantic. However, the problem is that the Native American culture is inherently linked to particular tribes – of which there are thousands – each with different world views. This leads to a museum that is disjointed, hard to follow and with no real narrative or theme that you can take away from it. It's clear that the past and keeping a balance with nature are the key elements of where they found their identity, but a large portion of the museum was dedicated to life today – which appears to be much like any other American, only with a few special occasions thrown in. Meanwhile, video screens have the elders eulogising their culture and expressing that its so important to remind the children of where they came from.

Its fair to say that the native cultures of Latin America and the Inuit, still live on in everyday life of the people. But for the American Indians of the USA, where certain exemptions from US law have fostered casinos, alcoholism and trailer park mentality, one has to ask if the ideology of their ancestors really lives on in the reservations. If they no longer have the same beliefs and practices, then can they justify the claim that they identify with all that appears in the NMAI? Societies come and go, and we can certainly celebrate the positives that come from each of them, but now the Egyptians have stopped the practices and beliefs of the Pharaohs' dynasties, they certainly do not claim to the same culture that we see depicted in museums. I have to disagree with the Indian on a DVD loop who claimed that “It's so important to let [the children] know where they've come from.” since they are being brought up in a world where its not only those outside of their social sphere that discount indigenous ideologies as irrelevant in today's world, but it's their school friends and in all possibility many of their family as well. So let's celebrate the positives of native cultures, but please let's not celebrate culture for culture's sake by pretending or insinuating that life on the reservations is any more valuable or culturally rich than my life in my comfortable London flat.

Having said that, the restaurant (buffet style) is fantastic, with all kinds of traditional recipes, breads, and meats – including buffalo – which I had to try and actually enjoyed. The meat is naturally more tender than beef and has both a taste and texture that has no real close comparison I can think of.

Next door to the NMAI is the Air and Space museum, full of things that fly (at a variety of speeds and altitudes) and a revelation that the Chinese invented the rocket launcher. Plenty of lunar modules to gaze upon, although I hear that the real excitement is in an out of town extension which can house bigger stuff (read: Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Enola Gay and Concorde). I'm also down to five days left before I'm off to the DR, “time flies” as they say.

Spoon overlooked in not enough awning space shocker!

2006-10-16T00:47:00.000-04:00

Saturday night, after a good chat with GL about life, work + flip-cup, went to a restaurant called Knife + Fork, which is tucked away on E 4th Street. There's almost no option for true vegetarians there, but there's a great selection of seafood (Pan seared scallops + caviar, followed by grilled black sea bass were my choices) on the menu. We (Nadine + Mary + Me) also had an in depth discussion about a forthcoming trip to Maryland, which may or may not involve a view of the sunrise from the beach at Ocean City. The last time I experienced that was about six years ago, when I was still drunk from the night before, decided that I also wanted to go surfing + I had to start a shift at work in three hours.

There's also a pretty dingy hookah bar around the corner from the restaurant, which was more compelling than the desert menu (The dish having run away with the Spoon meant that they only had a choice of two from the menu) so we decamped there until the early-mid hours of the next morning. The hookah bar seemed to be a big hit with the NYU crowd, American students experiencing cultural diversity no doubt, and was run by a bunch of guys from the Lebanon. I think at some point I did apologise for Israel's demolition of their home country, but it was more out of empathy than an apology on behalf of the Israeli goverment - which I don't think I'm eligble to give. But they were very accomodating and the apple hubbly bubbly + more drinks got me ready for bed + slightly dizzy (Julien is going to have to give me more lessons on the pipe to avoid that in future).

Sunday to the coach to Washington, DC to visit Courtney for a few days and get a new passport after the old one took a trip on the Electrolux-Warm-Cycle-Fast-Rinse ride. The journey isn't as quaint as the New England scenery, more of a schlep through such East coast charms as New Jersey, Delaware + Baltimore.

Oh yeah, it also got cold a few days ago... just so you know.

The antiretroviPod?

2006-10-14T02:20:00.000-04:00

An iPod to cure AIDS? Well that's what I understood from the headline in this story... Apologies for lack of medical knowledge, but I'm not sure a portable music player will have any effect on the virus?

The red iPod costs $199 and - get this - $10 of the purchase price goes to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. With Apple set to post yearly profits of circa $1.9bn, am I the only one thinking, "That's probably not the most altruistic thing they'll ever do"? Another great headline from the news was "Bono to Fight AIDS With RED iPod and RAZR." I can't wait to see how he gets on with that...

Will brands please stop using the red gimmick as something to make us all feel so much more warm and cosy? Motorola, Apple, AMEX - you all exist to make money for your shareholders, not to fight global pandemics... please do not insult our intelligence so much by insinuating that the token 5% of revenue from novelty products is really doing your best to help one of the world's biggest problems. Anyway, if you really want to "fight AIDS" then you're probably better off without an iPod, and putting your $199 straight here anyway.

Chicago, the show not the place

2006-10-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

Just got back from seeing Chicago... Usher was meant to be in it, but he called in sick (lame) but it was pretty good nonetheless. Despite my natural inclination away from musicals, I enjoyed myself and would recommend it - the jazz isn't groundbreaking, but the band was very tight and the cast looked to be enjoying themselves, which is always a good sign.

Other recent gems have been the Met and the MoMa (Museum of Modern Art - the New Yorkers like to shorten things into acronyms or similar e.g. SoHo = South of Houston; Tribeca = Triangle below Canal; Nolita = North of Little Italy and my personal favourite DUMBO = Down under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) although I lament the US' lack of subsidy for museums so that most charge an entry fee unlike the ones in London. It's worth thinking whether the Tate Modern would be so popular if there were a £15 entry fee to navigate?

What's next? GoogleSpace?

2006-10-10T00:43:00.000-04:00

Is there any pie this company doesn't want a substantial piece of?

We come in peace.

2006-10-09T23:43:00.001-04:00

I couldn't help notice the irony of reading a deeply troubling passage from my current reading material, which I'm ploughing through in preparation for my trip to the Dominican Republic in a couple of weeks, and watching a parade on Columbus Day, to celebrate the explorer's arrival into the New World in 1492.

While the colonisation of the Americas is broadly recognised as a good thing in the long term, and while we now have a multitude of committees, charities, and trusts set up to preserve the heritage of indigenous cultures, the initial outlook towards the native people of these countries was less than hospitable.

Colombus' reports regarding the people of Hispaniola, what is now the DR and Haiti, outlined two tribes (Taino and Carib) and highlighted their suitability for slavery, the Taino for their submissive and accomodating nature and the Carib, simply because he believed their 'barbaric' ways made them undeserving of anything more than subjugation.

So why is the day set aside for celebrating his achievements? Has Colombus been mythisised or assimilated into a fictional adventurer by those who retell the story with movies and novels? Is the spreading of European culture and religion a sufficient enough outcome to counter the atrocities of almost 500 years ago? I don't know and I'm not in a position to make a judgement on it even if I did have an inkling, so I'll just keep reading.

Want some Chaada?

2006-10-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I returned from a three day trip to visit Suba (LSE friend) in Boston, where she's studying for her Masters in Public Policy at Harvard. Aside from the usual sightseeing activities, I was smuggled into one of her classes on ethics - Utilitarianism to be precise. The class was an interesting mix of those who understood how philosophy works, and those who just have strong opinions. As far as comparing it to my own experience of University teaching goes, I was told that it wasn't the standard, which was a relief, but it was a little eye-opener into just how mythical the gap is between the UK's top postgraduate programmes and those of the big brand name US ones. Very reassurring and some points in the pro column of a potential Harvard Business School MBA in a couple of years.

Boston is what you'd call a nice town, its rich in American history and culture, and has a central place in the country's story of independence. This results in a mix of architecture that spans colonial through to recent times - although in keeping with its small town mindset, the John Hancock Tower at 200 Clarendon Street, named after the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence, is perhaps the town's only true skyscraper.

Boston is also home to the well known Museum of Fine Arts, which - when we visited - has the added bonus of an evening reception for members/friends/interested folk on the first Friday of each month. This included access to a part of the museum that is usually closed at that time as well as a free cocktail, compliments of the lovely people at Bombay Sapphire. The MFA obviously relies on the bulk of the attendees being well to do and upstanding arts fans, muddling sinus-cleansing martinis with priceless European renaissance paintings without too much concern for potential damages.

On the eating and drinking front, I tried my first ever Clam Chowder (pronounced something like "Chaada" in Beantown) and was pretty pleased with it, and a lobsterburger - not so good.

Newbury Street is the central shopping, eating and hanging out area, and although it doesn't take any more than an hour to wander down it, there are a couple of gems including a perfectly decked out Ralph Lauren "Rugby" store and a Puma shop, where you can design your own shoe by scanning individual pieces of material to designate certain parts of the trainer. An online version is available here although its more bulky and less impressive than the real thing.

I-95 and all that...

2006-10-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

The I-95 - where I stands for Interstate - is the road that takes you from the Bronx, in the northernmost part of New York City, along the Connecticut coastline past Stamford, New Haven and eventually to Providence, Rhode Island. The road makes up about a third of the trip to Boston and takes you past some fantastic scenery - expansive rivers and creeks, gorgeous houses with their own private jetties.

After New Haven, the route turns inland where the notorious autumn foliage of this part of the country becomes more and more prevalent as you approach Massachusetts.

There is such a huge contrast from the last time I made this trip back in March, when there was a covering of snow over the landscape, looked over by a grey and forboding sky. Where the trees were bare, the starkness of the branches has been replaced by a symphony of leaves that are a unique mix of light and dark greens, copper, orange, olive, ochre, maroon, chartreuse and rusty brown; where the ponds and lakes had frozen over, the sun now reflects its brilliance from their still water surfaces, fecund with plant life and beautifully unaware of the highway running past its own idyllic mini-ecosystem. It's strange feeling a sense of familiarity about a place or setting that has become so radically different to that which you know. Boston is a new town to me, yet I've been here before, it seems more alive, more positive and more friendly - is it simply because the sun is out, the snow is nowhere to be seen, Frog Pond is no longer an ice rink and it's not -8C outside?

Half way through the US sojourn

2006-10-05T10:05:00.000-04:00

The half way point of my stay in the US was marked with a trip to two of my favourite places in New York in one day. Veselka is a Ukranian diner that sits at the heart of the East Village, a pretty gauche part of town with boutique vintage clothing shops, dive bars and record stores characterising the streets around the southernmost part of 1st and 2nd Avenues. Its reminiscent of Old Street and Hoxton with some Camden charm thrown in for good measure. Veselka serves the usual diner fare as well as its Slavic specialties such as a great borstch (beetroot soup) – which harbours beans and vegetables in contrast to the Polish mushroom dumpling version – pierogi, and kielbasa. Clientèle is a mix of Ukrainians, Russians, and other interested parties, mostly the creative student types – one of NYU's college buildings is a just across the street – musicians, fashion conscious Asians, and fans of Ukrainian food such as myself. In fact, the place seems to have developed a bit of a cult following and has been able to profit from its Manhattan monopoly, adding extra outdoor seating since my last visit (maybe two years ago) as well as a kiosk serving a take away menu just outside the nearby F line subway station. The waiting staff are also very friendly, and appear to be truly flattered by any foreigners ordering their native cuisine.

The second place was Pegu, a very laid back and sophisticated lounge, named after the original Pegu Club in Rangoon, which was a favourite spot of British colonial officers in the early 20th century and renowned for the skill and creativity that goes into making a cocktail. The place does have a Burmese feel to it, with dark woods, decorated trellises at the windows and soft lighting throughout. Those who know where I like to drink will know that its my kind of place, and whilst my date was content to play it safe with a glass of Pol Roger, I tried the Jabberwocky Fizz - London Dry Gin, Drambuie, Lemon and Lime Juice, Soda, served in a hi-ball - which has a sharp sparkle to it that was rather enjoyable.

Brooklyn Sunday

2006-10-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

After Arielle's birthday and the McKinsey party last night, today's ingredients for relaxation were brunch at our local haunt - The Farm on Adderly, a trip to Brooklyn's botanic garden, rounded off with a movie - Little Miss Sunshine - yes, in Brooklyn. If you're not sure if you like photos of natural things like plants, look away now.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is 4 years off its centenary and is a 52-acre urban garden featuring more than 10,000 different kinds of plants. It's not on the same scale as Kew in London, but the effort they've put in to creating a real variety of environments in which to provide an inspirational and educational setting for visitors is notable. The Japanese garden is particularly well designed, and seemed to be one of the more popular spots. The gardens also contain Brooklyn's very own walk of fame. A lot like Hollywood Boulevard's version, only with fewer tourists and less glitz, Celebrity Path has stepping stones inscribed with names of famous Brooklynites past and present. The walkway was donated by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company in 1985. Each celebrity honoured has their name embedded in an 18-inch by 24-inch concrete paving and decorated with a stylized leaf outline cast in bronze. Each paving also contains a bronze medallion of the Brooklyn Bridge, encircled by the phrase, "The Greatness of Brooklyn Is Its People." New names are added to Celebrity Path each June on the borough's annual Welcome Back to Brooklyn Day, and current honourees include - Woody Allen, Lauren Bacall, Steve Buscemi, Aaron Copland, Neil Diamond, Richard Dreyfuss, George Gershwin, Rita Hayworth, Harry Houdini, Harvey Keitel (second name check), Norman Mailer, Barry Manilow, Arthur Miller, Mary Tyler Moore, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Smits, Barbra Streisand, Marisa Tomei (another second name check), and Mae West. Jay-Z isn't up there yet, but it can't be too long.

More information on our eating hangout of choice... The Farm on Adderley comes from an expression that the founder's family used when something was a long shot. They would say, "If that ever happens, I'll buy you a Farm on Adderley." Adderley is a busy, commercial street in Cape Town, South Africa where having a farm is impossible. For them, the restaurant has always been a dream, something he never thought would happen... Ditmas Park was once occupied by farmland, and by using ingredients from local and sustainable sources, The Farm is being true to those roots - and the food is good too.

Impressed by art

2006-09-29T20:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I had a hit of culture in the form of the Frick collection. Henry Clay Frick was an industrialist and patron of the arts who commissioned a large family home to be built on 70th and 5th Avenue, overlooking Central Park. It is thought that at the back of his mind, Frick intended this place to become a gallery, in which the public could enjoy the works in his collection, which includes Vermeers, Turners, Rembrandts, several Van Dycks, and Holbein's portrait of Sir Thomas Moore.

The house is quite spectacular, not ostentatious, not showy, but the way in which art is central to its design. The West Gallery actually made me smile as I entered the room. Not only because of Turner's picture of Cologne that make an immediate bid for the eyes' attention, but because the proportions, colours, textures and lighting of the room make it one of the most compelling settings for looking at 19th century painting that I've ever come across.

The evening was less cultural, and a lot more energetic, we ended up at a place called PM in the meatpacking district, which is a little ironic when you think about it ... Pictures, plus more of the evening outings of the week are available here.

Sunday service

2006-09-25T20:22:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I went to a church with Heather (friend from TBT) called Redeemer. It's held in Hunter College on E68th and it was rammed full with people, at least 1,000, at 10.30 in the morning. Nice service, a little more traditional than I'm used to, but I have nothing against that. The church is running a series on some questions that come up a lot, and this week's topic was "How can there just be one true religion?"

Tim Keller is a really good speaker and his main focus was on secularism's three common arguments or angles to put to religious types.

1. "Let's just say that all religions are an equally valid path to God"
2. "Religion is fine, but you shouldn't try to convert people to your own set of beliefs about life and the world."
3. "Religion should be kept to one side when discussing things like public policy."

1. This is a judgement about the nature of God, not about the nature of religions. Religions contradict each other, so if this statement is true - that all religions are equally valid then either a) There is no God and all religions are equally wrong, or b) There is a God but one that does not hold us accountable on the way we choose to live our lives. The reasoning for this is that for two contradictory religions to be equal, they both have to be wrong about the way God judges. So if this is a statement about the nature of God, then it is itself, a religious viewpoint and one that assumes itself higher than those it is saying are all equal.

2. Taking a step back, saying this to someone who believes the opposite is an attempt to convert one's own way of thinking about life and the world. Telling someone that they should keep their beliefs to themselves is the ultimate hypocrisy as its doing the very thing that is saying you shouldn't do.

3. Theses are written on this one and I must admit I got a bit lost at this point (after less than 4 hrs sleep can you blame me?)

Just some things to think about.

My first movie

2006-09-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

Sleep deprivation, NY style

2006-09-24T04:25:00.000-04:00

Just got in from my second consecutive 4am night out so I'm a little worse for wear... has been great though. Friday went from here to here, and Saturday started here and ended here, at Mr Orr's habitual stomping ground. Bed is beckoning... and, since we're in the centre of the Jewish district, happy Rosh Hashana!

Lewis the tourist

2006-09-21T23:37:00.000-04:00

Today I did the very touristy thing and went to the top (not quite the top but it's only an extra 16 floors) of the Empire State Building because... well, because it's there and I hadn't been up for about six years. So I got some other tourist to take a photo of me, and in the background... Queens. Anyway, this one aside, there are some other pictures that are worth a look - all taken from 86 floors up (except the one of the dog, and the spooky building refelection one).

Jimmy Carr gets intimate

2006-09-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Last night, I took two of my American friends to see Jimmy Carr. A bit of a risk, given his style of humour isn't particularly suited to the easily offended (or the difficultly offended - as Mr Carr himself admitted.) But they both liked it, laughed a lot, cringed even more.

The show itself was in a small theatre on Barrow Street in the West Village and Jimmy isn't really that famous over here, so in his opening night crowd there were about 40 of us which meant the show had a very personal feel to it - perhaps a little too personal at times. But another admission from the comic "I'm very famous somewhere else" set the scene for a very enjoyable night of comedy.

Baseball and the beach

2006-09-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday: Another glorious day in New York, which was mostly spent outdoors, taking a walk around the Upper West Side - where there was a big outdoor family festival going on - and through Central Park. Some great pictures as the lake was so flat and the camera picks out the reflection nicely.

There are a pair of red tailed hawks that have made their nest on one of the buildings around E 71st Street, and there are a crowd of enthusiasts and other interested parties look on through telescopes, binoculars etc. Mostly elderly UES jewish types, but all very lovely and obviously have a great time on their Sunday afternoons. I had a peek at the female and a chat with one of the regulars who explained that the male has been through three or so partners as they've died from eating rat poison and the like.

The evening culminated in my first ever baseball game, courtesy of GL. The New York Yankees playing host to the Boston Red Sox - big local rivalry, despite the teams being hundreds of miles apart. Apparently there are some big cultural differences between the teams, but the Yankees fans are pretty quick to remind the Sox that they have about 20 more World Series titles than their New England counterparts. It's actually really easy to uderstand at a basic level and I totally enjoyed myself. The chants are rubbish though, with anything more than about four syllables being beyond the crowd's capability. I tried to start my own that went, "We're the New York Yan-Kees, New York Ya-a-an-kees, we're by far the greatest te-am, the World has ever seen!" but it didn't catch on.

Anyway, the game was going really well until Boston decided to score three runs in the last two innings and we lost 4-5, but there was a phenomenal catch by a guy called Coco Crisp, which won them the game - so can't complain too much.

Oh, and the beach - yesterday I went out to Coney Island, which used to be a fantastic entertainment hub for New York and the area, but various fires and the passing of time has meant that it's derided by most now as a bit of a joke. Still, New York has a beach, one that you can get the subway to (it's about 70-80 minutes from Manhattan) and the water was lovely so I'm not going to knock it. If you want more proof that it's cool, Harvey Keitel was there.

Who is Gianni Russo?

2006-09-17T11:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's complete turn in the weather was very much welcomed and meant that the Feast of San Gennaro took place under gorgeous sunshine. Mulberry St was pretty rammed full of people and after going there all by myself, I had a stroke of luck and ran into Arielle and some of her friends.

The feast may have actually been the cause of San Gennaro's demise, since the diet contains masses of cholesterol and seriously fatty foods including - deep fried Oreos, candy apples, cannoli (fried pasta roll filled with cream), doughnuts, as much fried sausage as you can imagine, funnel cake (just deep fried batter with icing sugar as far as I can tell), and zeppole - which are like the most unhealthy doughnuts you can think of. In any case, the issue of not being able to trust a thin chef wasn't raised throughout the day. More pics here.

Around 16.4% of the state of New York are Italian American, and there's a huge amount of patriotism that goes on on a daily basis. Coupling that to a New Yorker's own sense of pride leads to a massive feeling of solidarity on these occasions. The guest of honour was Gianni Russo, who appeared to be enjoying the attention of his fellow compatriots almost as much as he was enjoying the wine they'd loosened him up with. We were stumped as to who he is, but apparently, he's an actor and was in The Godfather, which gives him the perfect credentials for the role. I can't think of many other more revered Italian Americans out there (except maybe Al Pacino, Carly Fiorina, Robert De Niro, Sam Palmisano, Quentin Tarantino, Alyssa Milano, Mickey Dolenz, Danny De Vito, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Montana, Marisa Tomei, Mario Andretti, and a couple of others).

Under the weather

2006-09-16T10:46:00.000-04:00

It has been raining in New York for two straight days, and my bones are starting to feel a little damp. Each trip inside is like a momentary respite, but there's only so many times you can walk round the Brooks Brothers store without feeling a little stupid about not really wanting to buy anything.

We ended up not catching up with GL yesterday due to lack of mobile credit, but did have an excellent meal at the Hudson, where there was something vaguely celeb going on that may or may not have been linked to this. In any case, during the unfulfilled wait, there was a silver lining of a free G&T compliments of the delightful Sarah (what would her boyfriend say!?)and her other waitress buddy.

Today is the feast of San Gennaro, which is some Italian thing with a procession...let's do it.

Trout and Rosé appear to soften jet lag...

2006-09-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

To be fair, it's more like jet hysteria - the feeling you get when you've been up for longer than you should have been, your body is telling you it's 1.00am, but the balmy September evening and the deep blue sky that goes with it is telling you that it's just gone eight, and that dinner was a little early by the usual standards.

No profound pilgrimage to Ground Zero, no deeply moving photographs of mourners, no thoughts from a cross section of New Yorkers, other than Nadine who commented that it was a pretty good (uneventful) September 11th, culminating in said dinner at this place which I can see turning into a favourite, food is great, well priced and the staff are attentative, pleasant and rather cute.

The photograph is the line of taxi's outside JFK terminal 4 at about 2.30 this afternoon. Settling in hasn't been a priority thus far, but I do now have a US mobile, so if you need to get the number for texting purposes...

The luck of the Irish

2006-09-10T18:29:00.000-04:00

Well, my quest to make all those with whom I have the slightest aquaintance very jealous has got off to a faltering start. My Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to JFK was cancelled and now I'm here having a night's sleep before we try again with a plane that works this time. I've just spent the last half an hour trying to understand Irish football (no rules as far as I can tell - and getting the ball over, under, in the vicinity of the posts seems to score points or at least get the crowd shouting.)

So my hopes of being able to write a poignant take on the commemoration of 9/11 is rather jeaopardised right now. Still, I'm due in at 13.00EST so there may be some time for reflection in the evening.

Eerie, UK

2006-09-07T10:59:00.000-04:00

The team has set off for IBC leaving me to last out my final hours of work at home base. It's strange not being the one on the plane today, and that's only after four years. Still have so much to do this weekend and so many people I won't be able to see before I jet off. It all feels very odd filing off emails and telling clients that I'm not going to be around any more. I don't know what I'll miss yet, but nostalgia is already peering over my shoulders like a watchful schooolmaster.

The Digital Future of Weddings

2006-08-07T06:46:00.000-04:00

The last ten days have proved that life in Tech PR is full of some interesting juxtapositions, with my time being spent in some fascinating briefings and roundtables on the digital future of Radio, TV, general all round entertainment in the home, listening to experts in their particular field shows how many options are out there for content owners, media companies, telco operators, and mobile brands, and how difficult it will be for all of them to make their desired amount of revenue from the user.

Massive consolidation has to happen for the connected home to ever happen, with cable and satellite bickering and attempting to prepare for the onslaught of competition from companies such as Virgin (now the first company to have the quad-play option open to them), not having one part of the puzzle is no longer an option. In 3-5 years, homes will have a sole provider of TV, broadband, fixed and mobile services, there will be BT homes, Sky homes, Virgin homes, Orange/Wanadoo homes and maybe one other, perhaps along the lines of an AOL/Time Warner group where a content owner links up with a media company. As for radio, again, the mobile operators want to make money out of their networks so are less keen to get DAB chips put into their phones, instead looking to charge for streaming services over 3G. It's an interesting time now for music, video, games - I'm glad to be here.

The other half (the "life" part of the work/life equation) has been filled with typical summer explots, namely Weddings and Polo matches, where digital media ceases to be interesting and more of a formality in small talk. Two beautiful weekends, spent enjoying good company, good food and fantastic weather. Of course dressing the part is also a big element of the fun to be had at these things, prepping it up being a particular hobby of mine. It makes me wonder how, when some things are changing at their very essence, there will always be certain ways to spend an English summer, and during this time, when work and play combine, such as when colleauges are wed, it brings a certain charm to the air.

Get me on IMDB

2006-07-27T13:43:00.000-04:00

What better way to kill time when there's a thunderstorm raging outside than to write my first entry in this blog? After being a relatively vocal advocate of the whole concept, I'm finally writing my own contribution to the great conversation in the sky. So let's take this landmark post to mark up a few (un)usual and non career related things I would like to achieve over the next year - that way I can refer back to this post and see if they ever got done. In no particular order, here they are:

1. Learn Spanish
2. Have a story published in GQ
3. Take up falconry as a hobby (any hints welcome)
4. Run 10km in less than 45 minutes
5. Get on IMDB

This isn't me, I'd have turned the role down, dying in bed isn't my thing. But now I feel I should watch my namesake's breakthrough appearance in Zombies of Mora Tau.

Plot Summary: Zombiefied sailors guard the treasure of a ship they went down with 60 years earlier. A group of sailors scoff at the legend, and decide to retrieve the diamonds from the ocean floor only to discover the hard way that there is some truth to legends.

To get on IMDB, all I have to do is play some bit-part in a movie... any movie, and I can get a new Lewis Webb (II) entry on IMDB. Everyone who has ever had anything to do with a movie is on there, even Joe Montana is on there, and he's not exactly an actor. So that's the tough one, but I think a little help, a little spin and may be Jim'll fix it for me - or something like that.