Just put away a very good cooked breakfast on BA flight to Belfast. Makes me disappointed that I didn't go BA to Dallas, but sadly the £2k price difference was just too much! AA food and quality of service was rubbish by comparison, as I had been warned. Must tell Phil - he will be pleased!
Early start today. Was up at 4.45. Was glad to be staying at hotel linked by walkway to T5 having come by tube yesterday afternoon (24 stops from St Pancras). Didn't sleep well. Combination of jet lag and concern at oversleeping. Saw Lansdale interview with Cameron on News 24 a few times through the night. Mildly entertaining to learn that he won't serve a third term - let's wait and see if he gets a second one first!
Will report back on Belfast day on flight home ...
And this is the flight home report. Good day in Belfast and a window seat on the plane home with a few good pictures. More later as the phone battery is a bit low!
And now it's Wednesday and I forgot to send this so sending now.
Wednesday 25 March 2015
Sunday 22 March 2015
Saturday
9.30am - at breakfast in the restaurant. First time in here since last Sunday which seems a long time ago. Enjoying a slower start to the day!
11.20am - at the station waiting for the train into the city. It has started raining again, but only a light drizzle, nothing compared to the downpour of yesterday. I was extremely grateful that Nicky suggested packing Jake's waterproof jacket. Yesterday was full hood up mode, and fingers crossed for no repeat of that today. Took full advantage of the hotel buffet (eggs over easy!) and then packed up and checked out before the (pavement) walk to the station. Still can't work out Las Colinas Urban Center. Very few people about. Saw one couple walking their dog, and only other people at the station are a group of 4 who I think are visitors speaking what sounds like Japanese.
1.30pm - have found the Dallas arts district (via walking past the Deloitte office) and am currently in the Nasher Sculpture Center. Very happy as not only do they have some Matisse and Rodin, but at the bottom of the garden there is a Hepworth and even better a Henry Moore vertebrae piece. The light even got a bit brighter for photos! Next stop the Dallas Art Museum.
2pm - taking pictures of Impressionist paintings in DMA.
2.50pm - bonus FaceTime chat with Nicky thanks to DMA wifi, sat in their cafe having a drink and a snack.
4pm - having a food truck deli sandwich.
5.15pm - book to remember - Bugliosi - Four days in November.
5.30pm - back at the station waiting for my train. Not much more to report from the city, other than wanderings and photo taking. Ended up back at Dealey Plaza, so this time took some photos in the dry! Complete failure in the Texas-themed souvenirs, so let's hope I do a bit better at the airport later on.
7pm - waiting at hotel for taxi service to pick me up and take me to the airport.
8.20pm - in the Admiral's Club lounge at DFW awaiting my flight. Boarding is due to start in about half an hour so might read for a little while. Think I'll send this collection of snippets from today now. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.
(Last study book message for Nicky - will delete this later as this is temporary and just for her - "Roses are Red" - you know what to do!!)
11.20am - at the station waiting for the train into the city. It has started raining again, but only a light drizzle, nothing compared to the downpour of yesterday. I was extremely grateful that Nicky suggested packing Jake's waterproof jacket. Yesterday was full hood up mode, and fingers crossed for no repeat of that today. Took full advantage of the hotel buffet (eggs over easy!) and then packed up and checked out before the (pavement) walk to the station. Still can't work out Las Colinas Urban Center. Very few people about. Saw one couple walking their dog, and only other people at the station are a group of 4 who I think are visitors speaking what sounds like Japanese.
1.30pm - have found the Dallas arts district (via walking past the Deloitte office) and am currently in the Nasher Sculpture Center. Very happy as not only do they have some Matisse and Rodin, but at the bottom of the garden there is a Hepworth and even better a Henry Moore vertebrae piece. The light even got a bit brighter for photos! Next stop the Dallas Art Museum.
2pm - taking pictures of Impressionist paintings in DMA.
2.50pm - bonus FaceTime chat with Nicky thanks to DMA wifi, sat in their cafe having a drink and a snack.
4pm - having a food truck deli sandwich.
5.15pm - book to remember - Bugliosi - Four days in November.
5.30pm - back at the station waiting for my train. Not much more to report from the city, other than wanderings and photo taking. Ended up back at Dealey Plaza, so this time took some photos in the dry! Complete failure in the Texas-themed souvenirs, so let's hope I do a bit better at the airport later on.
7pm - waiting at hotel for taxi service to pick me up and take me to the airport.
8.20pm - in the Admiral's Club lounge at DFW awaiting my flight. Boarding is due to start in about half an hour so might read for a little while. Think I'll send this collection of snippets from today now. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.
(Last study book message for Nicky - will delete this later as this is temporary and just for her - "Roses are Red" - you know what to do!!)
Saturday 21 March 2015
Book depository
Today was the last day of conference, and we finished at lunchtime, including an opportunity to meet with the CEO and CFO which was good as we were so close to head office.
As for this afternoon, I headed into Downtown Dallas in the DART train. Unfortunately it chucked it down with rain all afternoon (and I think the forecast is for it to do so again tomorrow). I went to the Irving Convention Center stop to head into the city, and in true American fashion, where there were a couple of blocks between the hotel and the station that aren't developed yet, there is no sidewalk, and so I was traipsing across the grass. Unfortunately it was rather muddy due to the rain, and I'm not sure if my sketchers will ever be the same again!
On the way back I got off at Las Colinas Urban Center, which is probably a little bit closer, and also can be walked to and from entirely on pavements. One to remember for tomorrow!
Las Colinas "urban center" is an interesting place - the hotel (Marriott "Las Colinas") is on the edge of it, and it is obviously an area of rapid and recent development, with a large amount of office space and apartment buildings. However, as far as I can see, that is all there is - no sign of any other sense of community at all - no shops, restaurants, or other facilities at all. Maybe they are going to catch up at some point.
The Dallas city centre area that I have seen so far is interesting, but not much of a 'city centre', although I've only seen a little bit - some of the West End district. The rain was a real pain - it was absolutely chucking it down, but I stuck it out, and had a look around the Dealey Plaza area, where one of the most famous events of the 20th century took place.
This first picture is of the former Texas Book Depository, from which Oswald took the fateful shots. The sniper's nest was on the sixth floor (and remember that floor counting starts at 1 on the ground floor in the US) which is the one where most of the windows are arched, but the shots were taken from the square window on the corner, as the presidential motorcade was heading away from the building.
The second picture is taken looking across the road towards the "grassy knoll" (from which we can be
pretty sure no shots were fired!). If you look in the middle of the street there is an 'x' on the road, which marks the point at which the first shot hit. Also, the cream structure at the top of the grass bank over the road is part of Dealey plaza, and to the left there is a plinth. Abraham Zapruder was stood on top of that plinth filming, and was the only person to capture the entire assassination on camera.
The final photo is taken from underneath the plaza structure shown in photo two (a brief opportunity to get out of the rain!) and shows a monument that was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the assassination. The writing isn't very legible at this size, but the quote reads:
"We in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than choice - the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of "peace on earth, good will toward men." That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Having taken photos outside, I went to the "Sixth Floor Museum", which as the name suggests, is actually in the sixth floor of the former book depository, and was well worth a visit. It didn't shy away from the controversies and the conspiracies, and talked through them all, acknowledging the mistakes that had been made along the way with the various investigations over the years. It did seem to come down on the side of the conventional conclusion that Oswald acted alone, but to be honest (and without being an expert in the subject) that does seem to be the most likely answer.
By the way, the quote above came from a speech, but one that didn't go to plan.
JFK was due to deliver it on 22 November 1963.
As for this afternoon, I headed into Downtown Dallas in the DART train. Unfortunately it chucked it down with rain all afternoon (and I think the forecast is for it to do so again tomorrow). I went to the Irving Convention Center stop to head into the city, and in true American fashion, where there were a couple of blocks between the hotel and the station that aren't developed yet, there is no sidewalk, and so I was traipsing across the grass. Unfortunately it was rather muddy due to the rain, and I'm not sure if my sketchers will ever be the same again!
On the way back I got off at Las Colinas Urban Center, which is probably a little bit closer, and also can be walked to and from entirely on pavements. One to remember for tomorrow!
Las Colinas "urban center" is an interesting place - the hotel (Marriott "Las Colinas") is on the edge of it, and it is obviously an area of rapid and recent development, with a large amount of office space and apartment buildings. However, as far as I can see, that is all there is - no sign of any other sense of community at all - no shops, restaurants, or other facilities at all. Maybe they are going to catch up at some point.
The Dallas city centre area that I have seen so far is interesting, but not much of a 'city centre', although I've only seen a little bit - some of the West End district. The rain was a real pain - it was absolutely chucking it down, but I stuck it out, and had a look around the Dealey Plaza area, where one of the most famous events of the 20th century took place.
This first picture is of the former Texas Book Depository, from which Oswald took the fateful shots. The sniper's nest was on the sixth floor (and remember that floor counting starts at 1 on the ground floor in the US) which is the one where most of the windows are arched, but the shots were taken from the square window on the corner, as the presidential motorcade was heading away from the building.
The second picture is taken looking across the road towards the "grassy knoll" (from which we can be
pretty sure no shots were fired!). If you look in the middle of the street there is an 'x' on the road, which marks the point at which the first shot hit. Also, the cream structure at the top of the grass bank over the road is part of Dealey plaza, and to the left there is a plinth. Abraham Zapruder was stood on top of that plinth filming, and was the only person to capture the entire assassination on camera.
The final photo is taken from underneath the plaza structure shown in photo two (a brief opportunity to get out of the rain!) and shows a monument that was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the assassination. The writing isn't very legible at this size, but the quote reads:
"We in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than choice - the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of "peace on earth, good will toward men." That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Having taken photos outside, I went to the "Sixth Floor Museum", which as the name suggests, is actually in the sixth floor of the former book depository, and was well worth a visit. It didn't shy away from the controversies and the conspiracies, and talked through them all, acknowledging the mistakes that had been made along the way with the various investigations over the years. It did seem to come down on the side of the conventional conclusion that Oswald acted alone, but to be honest (and without being an expert in the subject) that does seem to be the most likely answer.
By the way, the quote above came from a speech, but one that didn't go to plan.
JFK was due to deliver it on 22 November 1963.
Friday 20 March 2015
Madness
Been to Paddadeaux for dinner this evening.
Now going to watch some of the Kentucky first round match in the NCAA basketball March Madness.
Now going to watch some of the Kentucky first round match in the NCAA basketball March Madness.
Thursday 19 March 2015
Budget
I see that the budget took place back at home today.
A quick look at the news shows it to be a piece of shameless electioneering.
The bit that caught my eye is the decrease, yet again, in the lifetime pension tax free allowance by another 20% to £1m, which may sound like a lot of money but really isn't over a lifetime of pension savings, and then isn't a huge amount to fund a hopefully long retirement and ensure we don't become a burden on the state eventually.
However there won't be much of an outcry about this because it will come across as though it is the whinging middle classes. And the Chancellor knows this so he gets away with it. What a git.
A quick look at the news shows it to be a piece of shameless electioneering.
The bit that caught my eye is the decrease, yet again, in the lifetime pension tax free allowance by another 20% to £1m, which may sound like a lot of money but really isn't over a lifetime of pension savings, and then isn't a huge amount to fund a hopefully long retirement and ensure we don't become a burden on the state eventually.
However there won't be much of an outcry about this because it will come across as though it is the whinging middle classes. And the Chancellor knows this so he gets away with it. What a git.
Wednesday 18 March 2015
Cool River
This evening I have been for dinner at the Cool River Café.
I had a steak - it seemed the appropriate thing to do!
I had a steak - it seemed the appropriate thing to do!
Tuesday 17 March 2015
Fort Worth
Just in case you were wondering, these international conferences are non stop hard work ...
Sunday 15 March 2015
Breakfast
I have arrived safely in Dallas. In fact right now I am sat in the hotel restaurant tapping away on my phone, having put away an American buffet breakfast. I may head back for some toast in a minute. No rush, as the mall that I'm heading to today doesn't open until 11.
Flight was uneventful and smooth. I finished off The Great Gatsby, read most of Marty Sklar's book, and watched Big Hero 6 and The Imitation Game (and did no work at all!). The only slight disappointment was that after landing early at DFW there was no gate available for us so we had to wait on the tarmac for almost an hour before getting off.
Still, getting through the airport was easy and there was a man waiting to bring me to the hotel. Plus I have his card and can call him for a ride back to the shops this morning.
Slept ok, started to wake from 4ish onwards. Had a lovely long chat with N & J over FaceTime. Funny isn't it how with distance comes perspective. What a truly wonderful family I have.
Flight was uneventful and smooth. I finished off The Great Gatsby, read most of Marty Sklar's book, and watched Big Hero 6 and The Imitation Game (and did no work at all!). The only slight disappointment was that after landing early at DFW there was no gate available for us so we had to wait on the tarmac for almost an hour before getting off.
Still, getting through the airport was easy and there was a man waiting to bring me to the hotel. Plus I have his card and can call him for a ride back to the shops this morning.
Slept ok, started to wake from 4ish onwards. Had a lovely long chat with N & J over FaceTime. Funny isn't it how with distance comes perspective. What a truly wonderful family I have.
Saturday 14 March 2015
Lounge
After a too long pause, the time for blogging is back upon us, and this one comes to you from the AA lounge at Heathrow T3. Early indications are that it is not the best lounge I have ever enjoyed by quite some considerable distance, but I am making do with a glass of apple juice and some nice cookies for the time being. No sign of a full English buffet available anywhere, so just as well that I had a Leon porridge with Nicky before coming through security. Maybe I'll have some soup and a roll before heading off to the gate in a little while! Still the two lounge winners by a country mile are the Singapore Airlines lounge at Changi in Singapore, and then the Singapore Airlines lounge in KL (but then I did get to enjoy the first class facilities there!).
Ah, that's interesting, I think that they've just made an announcement about boarding, but I think I've managed to tuck myself away in a corner of the lounge where the announcements don't actually reach, so maybe I'll move once I've finished blogging. Still, it's at least 40 mins or so until boarding for my flight, and hey, I'm sure they won't go without me ...
I probably should be working right now rather than blogging, but to be honest it has been a busy enough week already, and one of the nice things about travelling is actually the opportunity to disconnect for a little while. I'd much prefer to decide between which book to read or which movie to watch on the plane, rather than which file to review (mind you, next week is also going to be pretty full on in the US and the demands from the UK aren't going to slow down much either).
Still, I think Nicky was a bit surprised that I didn't want to put at least one of my reading books into my suitcase, so I have three books in my hand luggage to choose from on the plane. One is The Great Gatsby, which I am half way through and will probably finish off during the trip, and then the other two are from my Amazon order (of 6!) that arrived yesterday, which was my first order with gift vouchers from my birthday (and thanks again to all those who contributed to the gift voucher fund!). I had a hard time deciding which 6 to buy first from Amazon, and then a hard time again trying to decide which 2 of 6 to bring with me on the plane. In the end, I have brought one fiction and one non fiction. The fiction that I have brought is "Who is Tom Ditto?" by Danny Wallace, and the non fiction is "Dream It! Do It!" by Marty Sklar, and I am looking forward to both of them.
Lots more to talk about on the topic of books. Firstly I finished "Letters of Note" earlier in the week, which quite simply has to be one of the best books I have ever read. Amazing, just amazing. (Again, a birthday present, and a big thankyou to John and Margaret for getting it for me.) Deserves its own post, if not several, and deserves many visits to the related website which you can find here.
The other thing that simply cannot go uncommented upon is the passing of Terry Pratchett this week. So so sad. A remarkable man with a remarkable imagination. I have only just started to realise this, having finally, finally cottoned on and read "The Colour of Magic" this January. I feel extremely lucky to know that I have 40 books-worth of Discworld out there to be enjoyed, but sad to know that it is now a finite resource.
Right, that's enough for now. Maybe time for some soup before my gate gets called, and maybe time even for a chapter of something as well. Who knows, perhaps a bit of offline onboard blogging to be posted later - depends on how engrossed in books and movies I get!
To the people who know that this message is for them - "Missing you already and see you very soon. xxxx"
Ah, that's interesting, I think that they've just made an announcement about boarding, but I think I've managed to tuck myself away in a corner of the lounge where the announcements don't actually reach, so maybe I'll move once I've finished blogging. Still, it's at least 40 mins or so until boarding for my flight, and hey, I'm sure they won't go without me ...
I probably should be working right now rather than blogging, but to be honest it has been a busy enough week already, and one of the nice things about travelling is actually the opportunity to disconnect for a little while. I'd much prefer to decide between which book to read or which movie to watch on the plane, rather than which file to review (mind you, next week is also going to be pretty full on in the US and the demands from the UK aren't going to slow down much either).
Still, I think Nicky was a bit surprised that I didn't want to put at least one of my reading books into my suitcase, so I have three books in my hand luggage to choose from on the plane. One is The Great Gatsby, which I am half way through and will probably finish off during the trip, and then the other two are from my Amazon order (of 6!) that arrived yesterday, which was my first order with gift vouchers from my birthday (and thanks again to all those who contributed to the gift voucher fund!). I had a hard time deciding which 6 to buy first from Amazon, and then a hard time again trying to decide which 2 of 6 to bring with me on the plane. In the end, I have brought one fiction and one non fiction. The fiction that I have brought is "Who is Tom Ditto?" by Danny Wallace, and the non fiction is "Dream It! Do It!" by Marty Sklar, and I am looking forward to both of them.
Lots more to talk about on the topic of books. Firstly I finished "Letters of Note" earlier in the week, which quite simply has to be one of the best books I have ever read. Amazing, just amazing. (Again, a birthday present, and a big thankyou to John and Margaret for getting it for me.) Deserves its own post, if not several, and deserves many visits to the related website which you can find here.
The other thing that simply cannot go uncommented upon is the passing of Terry Pratchett this week. So so sad. A remarkable man with a remarkable imagination. I have only just started to realise this, having finally, finally cottoned on and read "The Colour of Magic" this January. I feel extremely lucky to know that I have 40 books-worth of Discworld out there to be enjoyed, but sad to know that it is now a finite resource.
Right, that's enough for now. Maybe time for some soup before my gate gets called, and maybe time even for a chapter of something as well. Who knows, perhaps a bit of offline onboard blogging to be posted later - depends on how engrossed in books and movies I get!
To the people who know that this message is for them - "Missing you already and see you very soon. xxxx"
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