Is anyone still out there reading this blog? Apologies for this stream of consciousness, but it's about all I can manage for the moment.I'm back in the UK, at last. There are, of course, ups and downs to any arrival back in one's home country after an absence of significant length. To compound these into enormous troughs and peaks, I've been on the road and are suffering some mild reverse

Kevin and Kristy Frew came into town on Sunday to hang out with us. We took in some good eats and then caught a spring training game. Its always fun going to a baseball game with friends. The game was great. The Marlins held the Tigers to a no hitter. We still saw some great plays and had a great time. What a weekend!

It has been difficult locating my Christmas spirit this year. I've been homesick, and blazing hot sunshine and a thirteen hour time difference from old friends and ever-expanding family puts a dampener on any chance to remedy the issue. On the way home last night I was nearly reduced to tears when I saw a tiny penguin chick that was clearly ill, floating with the current in the harbour.I

For this experiment, we took ten women aged between 25 and 35, and asked them to plan a hen's night (bachelorette party) for a colleague who is flying off to India to get married. The hypothesis was that seeing as each individual woman is possessed of at least rudimentary project and relationship management skills by virtue of being employed in challenging roles, this would not be traumatic.

Oops... It sure has been a while since posting. Some updates:

I'm now an instructor at the 6 AM Operation Boot Camp in Bitsy Grant Park. I run around a lot and yell (not at people, of course). And instruct. And sweat. Good times, I tell you. And I am still losing weight and inches. Which is an even better time. Today was bring a friend day and we had Super Phat Mikey from Star 94 come for the workout. See the video here. Can you spot me? Look for the Incredible Hulk green shoes doing fire hydrants... I have to say, Mikey did a great job. He should come work out with us more often... but probably at the 6 PM camp since he's at work when I'm working out.

Peachtree Road Race: I ran it and didn't die. 1 hour 6 minutes. Just a bit longer than I would have liked to have run the race in — an hour was the goal — but I am still happy to have completed it. Next year I will avoid getting soaked on the course from the various water spraying contraptions. Wet shoes are heavy. Duh. The post-race drinking was good. The post-race drinking was, however, interrupted with some tastless, racist remarks from someone who shall remain nameless. I won't be hanging out with said person any more. And if he truly hopes to run for office... well I hope his remarks come back to bite him in the ass. (Had I not been inebriated, my comeback would have been much more swift than the half-assed "That was... off-color..." pun that flew out of my mouth.)

Next 10k is the US 10k Classic on Labor Day. Is there a half-marathon in my future? Perhaps...

Java is not dead yet. Thankfully. Dumbass has probably stopped eating baby wipes for a while.

I still don't have a damn iPhone. Because I have a business discount I can't buy it at the Apple Store. AT&T still has none in stock and their customer service still sucks. No surprises.

We bought a new car. The POS Passat is no longer, we replaced it with a 2009 Subaru Outback XT. This is the turbo model, nice and fast. Not that I can really open it up until the 1000 mile break-in period is done with. No more VWs for me, thanks. And Jim Ellis VW can bite my butt, they are the worst dealer in the Atlanta area for any kind of sales or service. I highly recommend Classic Cadillac and Subaru in Roswell.

I met up with the Atlanta People With Blogs Who Get Together To Drink at 6 Feet Under for dinner. And drinks. Good times were had by all. And it helped me reconnect with an old friend. I've known Tami since my IRC days back in the early 90's when I was in grad school. We've all grown up and moved on since then, but it was nice to reconnect. Maybe she'll come out to drink next time?

We're headed off on vacation to Seattle soon... more on that when we get there.

We left Pak n Save and drove to Ruby Bay, to find the place we were to stay in for the remaining two nights on the South Island. The power of google had brought us to possibly the best holiday home in the universe: it promised sea views, a beach frontage, interesting high-quality decor, organic chicken eggs laid fresh every morning by the local flock, and an olive grove.As the sun was beginning

Regular readers will know that I am a woman who values her mooching-time. I like to spend some time, every few days, with no commitments, and nothing to do. It keeps me sane. Regular readers will also know that Cowboy prefers perpetual motion, and this dependency on activity is the only aspect of his character which has been known to forge in my inner being a white-hot scimitar of fury. We

Where-ever you are, and whatever you're doing, I hope you're enjoying the holiday season!We had a considerably better Christmas than last year. This year someone else did all the food-related work, for which we are eternally grateful. The day was a glorious fusion of Latin-American and British tradition: we kicked up our heels to the sounds of Shakira and Ricky Martin, drank Pina Coladas, and

There's something about being with a group of women.Something indefinable, some bond of shared experience; the humour-filled freedom of just letting go and being. Without undertones of competition, however twisted. Without false laughter: only genuine, fun-filled enjoyment at the company of others to whom you know you can relate.Maybe I've had too much to drink. But I think that the fact that

This post is brought to you with inspiration from Mrs. G, whose blog I cannot recommend highly enough. Mrs G resides in the category of bloggers who I fervently wish lived in the same town as me, so we could meet for mojitos.Here are a few of my favourite things.This painting is called "Birch Forest", and is by Gustav Klimt. If there was one painting in the world which I wish would swallow me

If your from the south and you live in Florida then you know about the World Famous Peebles Bar-B-Q located in my hometown, Auburndale. A good friend of mine came into town to visit so naturally we took him to Peebles. Colin (on the right) loved it.....

Ever since I got back from the trip home, something indefinable has been nagging at me. I'm willing to admit that New Zealand isn't home: there's something very unique about Britain that isn't readily quantifiable but is somehow comforting. I suppose that's true of everyone's home country. That's as much thought as I'd really invested in things since I returned to NZ.Then, on Friday, I think I

I have shaken off most of the jetlag and attended one session of yogic spine re-alignment, and a moment of free time squeals into view on two wheels. I'm grabbing it, lest it veer out of my reach imminently. So buckle up, because it's a long one! These astonishing conclusions hot off the press: first, no matter how many times trans-global trips are made, one never becomes accustomed to the

About 100 miles from the Fort as the crow flies, but separated from it by the very scary Cook Strait, lies Nelson. Nelson attracts all the best people, so we thought we'd go and see what all the fuss is about.And so it was that two people got up early (but not too early) to catch a 25 minute flight in some dinky little 50-seater aircraft. With propellers. Flying in NZ is an almost pleasurable

Some people have names that were crafted by their ancestors and parents to aid them with the unending blending which many choose as their approach to life. John Smith, Emma Clarke, and Michael Wilson win no prizes for dealing with daily mispronunciation patiently. Their names do not stand out on lists. Some people have the kind of name which strikes fear into the heart of others called upon to

Today I met up with Lane and Jason again for coffee, and as is the way when I run on at the mouth, I forgot what time it was (or even that things like time and deadlines exist). Consequently I overshot my parking entitlement by a full hour and a half.I walked to the car expecting that I would have a ticket, and having reconciled myself to the pain of paying for it. Still, tickets in Kiwi-land

1. Driving my new-to-me car to the petrol station and not knowing how to open the pannel so the attendant could fill it up (yes, they have attendants in NZ).2. Assuming that the man who left what in London counts as large gap in traffic was letting me out. After all, I did have my indicator on. Apparently, he just felt like leaving a gap and then speeding up into it. Horn honking. Everyone

Back from Auckland, to a house that still requires various parts to be disinfected, wiped and buffed.In today's news, I walked down the hill to the supermarket, and upon opening my wallet to pay for my goods, discovered a frightening gap where my debit-card usually resides. Unlike Fuzzy, who is on card number nine or ten and is consequently somewhat notorious at his bank, I have never lost a

Who knew emigrating could be such a hassle?Of course yesterday was fun, if manic. We had four (count 'em, FOUR) social engagements in one day:1. 11am-12.30pm: Siblings-in-law and children2. 1pm-3pm: One set of friends and baby, it being his first birthday.3. 3.30pm-5.45pm: Small and Small's partner, and their new baby Surf.4. My parents.I spent today decanting toiletries into smaller bottles