theLaconic

White on white

As promised here is the photo gallery from Tahoe, click here to view.

I've just used the shots I got from the first day in Heavenly which are quite beautiful. All these photos were taken on one run where Nigel and I got separated and I had ten minutes to spare while I waited for him.

It carried on snowing for another 24 hours straight after these shots were taken. Heavenly's website claim they have had 42 inches of fresh in just 48 hours which seeing the snow starting to fall and the snow and rain storms that we drove back through I am inclined to believe them.

Back in San Francicso now waiting for New Years Eve.

A boy called horse

Today I spent the day helping nigel around the house. This included putting up a pot rack (a Christmas present from his Mum) in the kitchen - yes he is getting old and sensible!

To test the hocks had been firmly attached to the ceiling joists I managed to persude Nigel to react a scene from A man called horse.

In the snow

In the vain of the last post this has to be quick - Nigel and I are sitting in a coffee shop in Tahoe feeling knackered after an Awesome day of boarding. As you can see we had some snow, more photos soon.

SF Xmas

Just a quickie - As Nigel and I have a lot to do today - nothing.

Some photos from yesterday. The rest of them can be found here.

One and one

So one day into my two week trip to San Francisco and I already have had a serious hangover (enough to require an afternoon nap).

Last night, Nigel's friends cooked a lovely meal at their apartment which was accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol in the form of 3 bottles of champagne, 2 wine, 2 red and a bottle of port.

This morning was a little fuzzy but at least I didn't have to go to work unlike Nigel...

I'd forgotten how much I love this city or maybe it's just california. Its exactly the change of pace that I need, New York was getting to be a little overbearing. Thats not to say I've had with New York, far from it. It's the perfect place for me now, I just needed a break.

So leave New York in snow and arrive here and it's like a barmy late late summer evening. Today was even better, I was walking around in a t-shirt this afternoon until I realized that everyone else was wearing coats and I stood out like the pasty faced tourist I am.

A small amount of snow

Thankfully it looks like we missed the bulk of the snow. But it's a bit nippy out, I've just come back from the local store and seen a young brass monkey crying his eyes out.

1 Week away

Its easy to tell when I am busy because I never get time to write anything for this blog. This is kind of difficult because when I am busy I am usually doing interesting stuff that makes good content which I then never write about because I am too busy. Can you see my problem here?

Anyway enough of that bollocks. With only one week to Christmas, I have finished work. I have taken an extra week off, I had to use my holiday days or lose them.

So off I fly to San Francicso tomorrow for two weeks of eating, drinking and being merry. Merry includes three or four days in Lake Tahoe.

Hopefully I fly tomorrow. You see there is this winter storm closing in and with my record of trying to fly from New York in December (I got caught by a blizzard last December and was forced to stay an extra 3 days, that and losing my passport but that's another story all together...).

This winter front is worrying me, the severe weather warning says:

UNTREATED ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS WILL QUICKLY BECOME ICE AND SNOW COVERED ONCE THE FRONT PASSES THIS EVENING MAKING FOR HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.

eek. My flight is at 2pm but I am pretty sure it will be delayed, oh joy of joys. Delayed in an airport.

WHILE THE SNOW WILL ONLY ACCUMULATE TO AROUND AN INCH IN THE CITY...WITH POSSIBILITY UP TO TWO INCHES ELSEWHERE...THE BLOWING SNOW WILL MAKE IT APPEAR LIKE A BLIZZARD AT TIMES.

Expect some lovely entries in The Laconic tomorrow or while it happens if I can get wifi access in JFK. I shall try and post as many times as possible in the next two weeks.

Time to change pace and look back over the last week.

We had our Christmas party at work this week, one word.

Disappointing.

Having spoken with Neil about his firms christmas 'do', I have come to the opinion that American firms Christmas parties suck and blow at the same time. Who would plan to have the party start at 4pm with a company meeting that lasts two hours and then has only 3 hours of a free bar that closed at 9pm?

Oh well. At least I didn't get drunk and embarrass myself. I did try, honestly.

I am sick?

In short yes I am. For the third time in six months I have caught something which has knocked me for six.

On Friday night we went to a Christmas party in the worldwide creative directors brownstone in Brooklyn. Beer was drank, bollocks was talked (by me as usual), views were exchanged and some how I managed to leave before that last dangerous beer, you know the one that you look back and think if only I hadn't had that last beer...

So I awoke on Saturday without a hangover but with this horrid cold/flu like virus, which wiped out my weekend. So the Christmas shopping didn't quite go as planned. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Making me laugh

This site is making me laugh. Funny record covers, click here to launch site.

Lets go Knicks

I went to watch the New York Knicks get beaten by the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden last night. The game report can be found here, if anyone is remotely interested.

The game only got interesting in the last quarter (which is in contrast with the cheerleaders, who were interesting all the way thru!) and in the last minute the atmosphere was electric. I'm sure american sports are engineered for beer and food consumption (and television) which seems to work well. It did for me anyway.

Christmas is coming

And the goose is getting fat.

Hang on there is no goose here. But there is some fat people on my TV, I am watching Super Size Me on DVD. I'm just over an hour into it and I can't wait to get to the gym tomorrow morning, I'm so glad that I haven't been to a fast food restaurant in six months. Thats not to say I have been eating healthily, I've tried to eat a balanced diet but I have been known to munch on the odd burger now and again.

That's enough of the fatty side of things, christmas is coming. New York's christmas tree in the Rockefeller Plaza was lit last night. They have spent the last two whole weeks decorating the tree and I have yet to go and see it. I suppose I should so all that effort doesn't go to waste.

The christmas season (or lack of it) in the states has surprised me, I'm so used to seeing all the christmas stuff starting to appear in shops around my birthday (early November) but here it has only appeared in the last week. The reason is obvious: Thanksgiving, with it being in the last Thursday in November Christmas only seems to be acknowledged after its passing. Oh well only three more weeks before I break for christmas (I am finishing a week early to get a long break in).