Of course I ate it!

I found this picture in my phone today.

+ 1 Office Vending Machine in NYC
+ $1.00
+ No Sense of Self Preservation
= Big Texas Cinnamon Roll

I am an Ameristuff Mule

Yet another airport line!

In the spirit of my last posting, it seems worthwhile to note the many things I've ferried from the US to the UK.

Yes, I am also an Ameristuff Mule! This time, much like during my flight over, I have no haul because I was so busy working there was never any shopping time.

Anyway, here's a list of items I have been asked to bring to the UK from the US over the past few years:

• Ziploc
• Peanut Butter - ex: Skippy
• Peanut Butter - Natural
• Pretzels
• Lucky Charms
• Fruit Roll-ups
• Cat Scratching Boxes made from cardboard
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
• Crystal Light
• Candy Corn
• Kiehls Products
• Nestle Crunch
• PS3 Games
• Swedish Fish
• Jack Daniels Sticky BBQ Sauce
• Maple Syrup
• Mitchum Ladies' Gel Deodorant

I am a Britstuff Mule

Newark, Ahoy!
My first name doesn't fit on the ticket ..

As I find myself embarking on another trip to NYC, it occurs to me that there is another aspect to visiting home:

Being a Britstuff Mule.

This particularly comes to mind because this trip is such that unless you work at my office*and* are involved in the project that I'm resuscitating and expected to present on Thursday, I probably won't see you. Thus, this is my first trip from London to the US *ever* where I've not had goods.

So, as I wait for take off, please enjoy this list of items I have been asked to bring to the US from the UK over the past few years. I'm sure this isn't all of them...

• Marmite
• Angel Delight
• Fox's Ginger Crunch Creams
• Murray Mints
• Marks and Spencer Tights
• Boots E45
• Frazzles
• PG Tips Tea
• Terry's Chocolate Orange
• Marks and Spencer Percy Pigs
• Blue Dragon Sweet Chili Sauce
• Chelsea FC kit
• Jaffa Cakes
• Robinson's Pink Juice
• A Starbar - just one
• Maynard's Wine Gums
• Ribena 

(I've also included a photo of a haul from a 2007 business trip... that bedspread is the Ritz's not mine!)

"Volcanoed In", whilst in NYC

Twitter was chock full of volcano.
I really should have taken more pictures for this post.

I think it was Thursday when I had the following exchange at work...

Colleague: Is your flight canceled?
Franc: Why would it be?
Colleague: Did you read the flight alert mail?
Franc: Oh, no worries, I'm booked on Virgin. (assuming more strike action by British Airways)
Colleague: ...the one about the volcano?

Needless to say, I never expected to have a flight to the UK canceled because of a gigantic cloud of volcanic ash. I definitely can't pronounce Eyjafjallajökul, and there I was, "Volcanoed In".

Once my flight was officially cancelled on Friday night, there was lots of hold music. Lots. Then came hotel swapping, a whole lot of booking drama, and even more hold music.

Roughing it at the Plaza Athénée

Some people were very sympathetic. Was I okay? Did I need clothes or a place to sleep? I was offered my own room, several couches, an aerobed, and a bedroom full of cats.

There were kind offers of frequent feeding; a BBQ, a chicken, and my friend Elisabeth gave me a bag of homemade cheese sticks (awesome!). A colleague even offered to do my laundry. I felt extra loved.

Reminding myself that life was tough, I tried to be strong. I reminded then that while I was suffering soooo much at the Millennium Hilton (my home for the last 5 days of the trip), it was still at least a smidge better than an airport cot.

Others were apathetic. They didn't relish saying that I had been volcanoed, and well,  they aren't very fun people anyway. 

My view from the Hilton...
The site has come a long
way since I worked on the other side

High on the collective to-do list at work was trying to find an alternative way home once our flights were canceled. My colleagues treated this like a life or death mission..something about having wives alone with hordes of small children seemed to really put the fear in them. I'd get phone calls and emails at all hours, notifying me of the latest Plan, encouraging me to call travel and try to get wait listed for the latest chosen vehicle.

They looked at taking the Queen Mary 2  and at flying to Madrid and taking a car service or train back to London. My employer announced  plans to charter a jet to an undisclosed location from which transport to London would be provided via a British Naval ship and coach bus.

I can think of few greater contrasts in transportation than "private jet" and "coach bus". 
I concluded the ash would have to go eventually and opted to stay put. After all, I had a pregnancy sweater and a lot of hotel shampoo.

Pregnancy sweaters come from precious people.

You see, I began to run out of clothes on d+1 (d= departure) so I began to collect items from others, specifically items they definitely didn't mind not receiving back in the near future. I wore them all at the same time, feeling like a spoiled refugee. That t-shirt with a spot, the pregnancy sweater, and the airline socks made for a fine complement to my new jeans on d+2. 


 By the time I left for the airport on d+6, I was definitely ready to go. Two weeks of not sleeping well and working loads has caught up. Even so, the extra week was a blessing in disguise.

Despite being crammed in the office more often than not...

Bagels, just as planned

-I got to catch up with a number of workmates  
-I even managed to see a few old friends, a highlight!
-I learned that Landmarc will not only deliver fantastic food but also beer!
-I had lunch at Google on their roof deck in the sun, and during my visit, saw a live kangaroo.
-I met a dear friend's new wife and saw him the happiest I've ever seen him 
-I bought many pairs of socks 
-I failed to go to the gym, except for one day
-I never had barbeque. I did have a lot of sushi, though!
-I was reminded how convenient 24 hour restaurants are. Thank you, Bubby's.

So many weird ads on the subway. 888-LAPBAND ?!?!

-I was invited to Brooklyn for chicken, and it was the most fun chicken I have ever had. 
-I learned that restaurants can give you an itemized guest check (key for submitting expenses) after the fact thanks to customer service that rivaled the food at Wolfgang's in Tribeca.

 ...and I learned that there's no place like home, and that I'm truly lucky to have two.

San Francisco & Livermore, CA

A Bit of Background:
We were very excited to visit San Francisco, as it is a city that we both love but have somehow have never managed to visit together. Conveniently, the wedding of good friends finally gave us an excuse.

We had about a week in California, during which we spent most of our time in the city of San Francisco, but as the wedding and wedding related-festivities were in Livermore, we spent two nights out there.

I didn't take as many pictures as I planned. I think this is because having been to San Francisco quite a few times, it feels more like going somewhere very familiar rather than visiting somewhere novel.

On to the Trip:

Day I: Tuesday

Eleven hours of flying, and we arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.

We checked in to our hotel for the first half of the trip, The Clift, and my husband and I did what we usually do in the face of a bit of jet lag. I went for a run and he went to the pub.

Run and Pub completed, we headed out to do a few errands near Union Square. We then headed to dinner at Ozumo on Steuart Street via a pre- dinner drink at a random Czech-themed bar/ restaurant called Cafe Prague.

The food at Ozumo was very good. I tend not to have much sushi back in London, much as I really enjoy it. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but I managed not to point at the menu and ask for, "one of everything". I also was so enthusiastic that I forgot to take a picture until I was well into the meal. The miso soup was perfect, the fish was delicious, and they had a very good sake list.

Dinner was excellent, but we called it a night shortly thereafter. I was the only one who slept on the flight.

Day II: Wednesday
Wednesday started out bright and early (6am!) thanks to a touch of jetlag and what I have been led to believe is a San Franciscan institution, the breakfast burrito. So much yum.

Unfortunately, that burrito couldn't help me really ignore the fact that San Francisco is really cold! London takes a lot of abuse for its weather, and this is totally unfair.

There more more errands, lots of wandering, meeting up with our friend Robin, and an excellent dinner at Firefly out with our friends, Kendra & Markus, whose wedding has brought us here. I had an excellent entree of scallops, and the chocolate mousse was superb.



...and after all that eating, it was definitely sleep o'clock!






Day III: Thursday
After being woken up at 5am, we kicked off the day with an Ameri-tastic breakfast at Lori's Diner. There were eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and no need for a belt. There was also a bit of Darren kissing a cow.

After the morning feast, we took a meandering walk up to North Beach and then back towards the hotel via a visit to the Sea Lions at Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero.

Swimsuits for much warmer Livermore were acquired ($10 at Marshalls!), and I went for a failed attempt at a nap. The afternoon was spent wandering the city, enjoying the smidge of sunshine that snuck through.

After meeting up with a very old friend who lives in SF, we headed out for Chinese at Hunan Homes on Jackson Street. While I was advised to check out a spot across the street instead, my late arrival led me to not disrupt the plan, and we were pleasantly surprised.

Day IV: Friday
Friday morning we wandered up to Washington Square, joined the mighty queue at Mama's and mocked these people on segways.

The decision between french toast and omelette was difficult, but we managed. I went for the french toast sampler, pictured here, with an egg on the side. As Robin would say, we, "ate like big dogs".

Following a much needed post prandial stroll back to the Clift, we checked out and headed to Livermore, where we were a bit startled to actually see the sun.

Day VI: Saturday in Livermore

While I highly doubt I'd seek out Livermore as a holiday destination, we easily enjoyed ourselves. The warm sunny weather was a welcome change, and there was a swimming pool ideally placed for catching up on one's reeading.

Our plans to visit the Livermore Laboratory were more easily derailed than I should admit by a suggestion to visit In N Out Burger. In my defense, I had committed to going to buy sweaters, but after said task was completed, I could hardly say no to a cheeseburger.

After eating enough to fuel a family of eight, I headed to the pool until it was time to head out to the McGrail Vineyards to witness the wedding of our friends, Kendra & Markus.

The wedding was beautiful, and much fun was had. We were seated in excellent company, and we had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new people.

Day VII: Sunday - Back to San Francisco
We returned to San Francisco on Sunday to find that gorgeous weather had arrived. Our change in hotel also meant we had to do some trekking up and down those famous hills.

We walked and walked all day. Many pictures were taken with my new lens, which I managed to get dirty. Nearly every picture taken with it has those two spots on it, as are visible in the shot on the right.

I may post more of the pictures later, but for now, I'm a bit cranky about the lens spots. I always fail to travel with cleaner, and seemingly, I never learn.

In the evening, we met up with our friend Chris at the Fairmont's Tonga Room, where one can sit by the hotel's former pool, which has since been converted to a lagoon, completely with thunder and rainstorm every half hour. It's a bit like falling into a time warp, only better.

Chock full of Tiki goodness, we wandered out in search of Mexican food in The Mission and then, unable to resist the siren song of drinks served in coconuts, we returned for more Tonga goodness.

Day VIII: Monday- the last day of vacation
Despite quite a few trips to San Francisco, I'd never made it to Alcatraz. This remains unchanged.

I did, however, manage to not only ride a Cable Car but also to make Darren take me. Prior to doing so, we wandered around the Cable Car Museum, where one can see the cable mechanism operating the system in the basement.

After a bit more wandering around and even more Mexican food, it was time for us to check out, so we trekked up the hill again, collected our luggage, and headed to the airport.