Trunk of a Tree
The upper trunk of a tree. (For @dailyshoot #ds32)
Lost!
Just because I’m hurting
Doesn’t mean I’m hurt
Doesn’t mean I didn’t get what I deserve
No better and no worse
—- Lost! by Coldplay
I was laid off yesterday. I was let go. I was kicked-to-the-curb. My services were no longer required. And yet I feel fine today.
Honestly, there is no bitterness behind my words. This is not my first layoff, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. Yesterday’s events were completely expected. I’ve been laid off three times before, once having the opportunity to relocate but choosing not to do so. All of the times this has happened its been expected. And yes, waiting for the axe to fall is more difficult than the actual axing. But the most difficult part of yesterday, as with the other times I’ve been through this process, was saying goodbye to the people I worked with over the years. It’s tough.
I don’t like writing about work for fear of getting dooced, so I won’t go much further on this subject.
I’ll spend a few days gathering my wits, then plunge ahead with the job search. I’m a glass-half-full-type-of-guy. There’s a silver lining in this situation. I just need to find it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon I’ll realize what it is - to badly paraphrase a line from Casablanca.
Silver linings do exists. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Room in the Middle
If you haven’t heard, Apple announced the iPad yesterday. It seems everyone who hasn’t seen or used it in person describes it as giant iPod Touch. It seems more than that, but having not seen it in person, I could be wrong in this assumption. The question is, “Will you get one?” I’m leaning towards yes. The price is high, but not as high as predicted.
I’m interested in what the iPad can do for me?
I often use my laptop when watching television - browsing the web, checking email, playing Words with Friends, etc. I use my iPhone before I go to bed, and when I first wake up. I can see using the iPad to replace both of these scenarios. It’s made for consuming content, whether it’s music, games, the web, or even books. It seems like a good size for a nightstand / coffee table device.
I’ve read plenty of the tech-blogs describing the cons of the iPad. Many focus on what the iPad doesn’t have, or that a netbook can do the same things. But the iPad shouldn’t be compared directly to a netbook or an iPhone. It’s supposed to be the product in the middle, a hybrid. I don’t think I’d be editing photos or doing long word processing documents on an iPad. If I wanted to do either of those things, I’d use either the laptop or a desktop. I also don’t think I’d use the iPad as a mobile device. But I can see bringing it to Starbucks, logging onto their WiFi to browse the net. It’ll be easier to carry in my backpack. But if I need to do actual work at Starbucks, I’d bring my laptop.
Who knows, my mind may change when I actually see the iPad in person. At the very least I’m excited to see what it can do.
In London - Catching Our Breath
We are in our rented London flat now. It is a nice one bedroom flat in St. Christopher’s Place, which is off one of most busiest shopping streets in the world - Oxford Street. Luckily, we are off a quiet branch of the busy hustle and bustle of the main shopping lane.
We arrived in London early Thursday afternoon by coach (bus) from our time in Bath. I meant to blog more often then I have and about our lastt two days in Bath, as well as our past two days here, but the jet lag is still hitting me. Farrah and I find ourselves up at 5:00 am, then knackered by 1:00 pm in the afternoon. We get our second wind after a quick afternoon nap. Hopefully we’ll be on full London time by the tomorrow.
Stonehenge and Avebury via Mad Max
On Tuesday we took the Mad Max tour of Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles. Mad Max Tours received very good review in the trip planning references we used. I thought the tour was going to be rough when we first got on the small tour bus of about 12 people. Our tour guide Nick seemed a little flustered in the beginning, but his demeanor and the tour picked up as we moved through the day.
I suppose stone circles can be looked as large rocks placed in unusual but possibly significant positions, but they mystic that surrounds these formations is hard to ignore. We arrived at Stonehenge after an hour ride from Bath. The drive was uneventful. We were the first tour group to arrive at Stonehenge. This afforded us the opportunity to view Stonehenge without the many people to come in the ten minutes after our arrival.
The photo above represents the first time I saw Stonehenge. I know it’s not the best photo, but it is an honest representation of what I first saw. I can honestly tell you my heart skipped a beat upon seeing Stonehenge on the horizon. To see Stonehenge in person is amazing. We were able to walk around the whole structure. I know we took too many photos, but I wasn’t sure what photos were going to turn out with the cloudy slash sunny weather we were having.
After Stonehenge we headed to Avebury, another stone formation. Avebury is not as famous as Stonehenge, but the rock formations are just as impressive. The rocks at Avebury are more natural wheareas the stones at Stonehenge were beaten smooth.
We then took a short ride to Lacock where we ate lunch at a small pub there, the George Inn. We had the fish and chips there with a pint of Guiness for me and a half pint of the local bitter for Farrah. We chatted it up with some of the other people on tour with us, finding out that two of the other single passengers were from California - one from San Diego the other from Mountain View! Small world.
Lacock has been used as a filming location from time to time, since it can represent old England and it is a very small town. It has been used in such productions as “Pride and Prejudice” (BBC version), Harry Potter, and a new Dame Judi Dench BBC mini series.
Family in Bath
Wednesday morning we went to a hairdresser in Bath. Not just any ordinary hairdresser but Farrah’s host mom’s business in Bath. At first Lin (Linda) wasn’t sure who she was seeing peering through her door, but after a quick smile and a “Do you recognize me?” from Farrah, memories of Farrah’s stay in Bath nine years ago came rushing back.
Farrah and Lin talked for about half an hour, which consisted of introducing me, and quickly catching up on the time spent apart. Lin invited us to dinner that night, an opportunity to catch up with Brian and Louise. We spent the rest of the daylight going to the Costume Museum and other sites we wanted to see before we were to leave on Thursday morning.
At about 4:30 pm we started the slightly long uphill walk to Lin’s home. Farrah said she remembered how to get there, questioned her recollection about halfway through our walk, then assuredly guided us to the right place. The rain was steadily coming down that night.
We arrived at Lin, Brian, Louise and Barnaby’s lovely home to smiles and hugs. We spent the next four hours drinking wine, eating dinner, and talking about everything under the sun. It was a lovely evening spent with warm genuine people who I know Farrah can truly call her family across the pond.
Our time spent in Bath was enjoyed to the fullest. I wish we could spend more time there, but we needed to head off to the second part of our journey.
Travel Day
Thursday found us partaking in one last early morning walk around Bath, then a quick breakfast before catching the coach to London. The three and a half our drive to London wore us out. Once we got off the coach, we headed to the crowded Tube station. We bought an Oyster card which seemed more economical for our 10 stay in London. Loading the card took a considerable amount of time as the blasted machine did not want to read my credit card. Imagine the frustration after the tiring coach trip!
We boarded one Tube train then another to our destination. I must stay the Tube platform looked like a movie set. Nice, clean, and unreal. I’ll need to take photos of the station some time later. I couldn’t at that time as our hands were full with the luggage.
When we got out of the Bond Street Tube station to locate the rental office it was pouring rain. Oxford Street was crowded with shoppers even though it was raining cats and dogs. We managed to easily find the rental office, only about a three minute walk from our location. We received the keys from Lizzie - our representative at Globe - then found our flat.
The flat is nice and roomy, having a nice small kitchen, bedroom, bath, etc. We’ve settled in pretty well, having bought the necessary groceries at the local Tesco Express. I am happy we rented a flat, allowing us to live the local experience unlike a hotel room. Plus it almost cost the same as a decent hotel room here in pricey London!
Anyway, as I finish this up it is coming up at 1:00 AM. I better get some rest. Farrah is already asleep.
I’ll blog more when I can.
