Hello, I had the worst client visit ever this week. I was sent out to give a demo for one of our US products called Remote Plus. The AM was going to go but then something came up and he didn't go. I walked into an ambush, lambs to the wolves, and my ass on a silver platter type of scenario. The client was a prospect (not yet a client) and they had tons of data questions and questions about other products I do not support. Basically I got chewed up and spit out.
This weekend Lynn and Morgan went to Hampton Court Palace and Katie, Gwen and I bought some movies from a nice Asian man on the side of the road. Strangely enough the movies did not have cases, and no graphics on the front of the DVD. I'm sure they are perfectly legal. We also got lunch at a local pub. We had some meat pies which is like a pot pie. Mine was called Mr. Porky. Hmmmmmm Pig...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Week 15: Let the Force be with you
Lynn, Katie's mom, is staying with us for awhile. While I have been working they have visited many of the major sights and even saw the changing of the guard. They tell me they played the theme to Star Wars.
On Saturday we went to Windsor Castle. It was very expensive and it takes well over an hour to get there. It was cool but perhaps not worth the travel and expense. They wanted to charge for Morgan to get in. I lied and said she was four, they didn't believe me for a second, but they couldn't really argue. 9 pounds is way to much money to let a five year old in. Plus what is a five year old going to get out it. Actually she got a lot our of it. She is a big fan of King Henry the VIII. He lived in the castle and his body is buried in the chapel St. George with his third wife Jane Seymore.
I also realized my brother is flying in on a British Airways flight. If you haven't heard Heathrow opened a brand new terminal just for British Airway. Its been a nightmare. They have had all sorts of software issues, lost peoples luggage, and flights have been canceled. As the Brits say "Its rubbish" Anyway it should add an interesting twist to his "holiday"
The slide show has more sub titles then the movie. Enjoy!
On Saturday we went to Windsor Castle. It was very expensive and it takes well over an hour to get there. It was cool but perhaps not worth the travel and expense. They wanted to charge for Morgan to get in. I lied and said she was four, they didn't believe me for a second, but they couldn't really argue. 9 pounds is way to much money to let a five year old in. Plus what is a five year old going to get out it. Actually she got a lot our of it. She is a big fan of King Henry the VIII. He lived in the castle and his body is buried in the chapel St. George with his third wife Jane Seymore.
I also realized my brother is flying in on a British Airways flight. If you haven't heard Heathrow opened a brand new terminal just for British Airway. Its been a nightmare. They have had all sorts of software issues, lost peoples luggage, and flights have been canceled. As the Brits say "Its rubbish" Anyway it should add an interesting twist to his "holiday"
The slide show has more sub titles then the movie. Enjoy!
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| week 15 |
Friday, April 11, 2008
Traveling in London
So your coming to visit and you need to get around the city. What are your options???
Walking = You will do a lot of walking no mater what, but many of the sights are within walking distance of each other. As long as you plan ahead try and walk it. When walking its important to have a map. The best map is the London A to Z, which I have a copy. I also have other maps of London as well that others can borrow, but they are no were as good as the London A to Z. Oh and Z is pronounced Zed here, so if you ask for the book at a bookstore you say London A to Zed.
Hover Bike = oh wait those haven't been invented yet.
Regular Bike = If your have a death wish and access to a bike go for it.
Public Transport = The Tube and Bus are the way to go. Here is the website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
If your only coming for a short while you can get an Oyster Travel Card. This is useful if you are going to be traveling constantly on the Tube (subway) and or Bus and other forms of public transport. Below I have pasted details about the travel card along with the cost.
If, however, you are not going to be constantly traveling on public transport you may opt for the pay as you go Oyster Card. Katie and I both have our own. This is the best deal since we only need to travel on public transport on weekends. We can go on any Bus, Tube, DLR (light rail), and overground light rail in greater London. To obtain one of these glorious oyster cards all you need to do is go to the first Tube station you find and ask for a "Pay as you go Oyster Card" They take US credit cards for payment. You tell them how much money you want put on the Oyster Card and you can add more if you need it later. When your done your trip you return your card to any tube station and the remainder funds are refunded back to you.
Oyster Travel Card Details...
• You can buy One Day and 3 Day tickets up to 7 days in advance of the start date (except at Tube station touchscreen ticket machines which issue printed tickets on the start date only)
• If you normally buy a 7 Day ticket, it may be easier to make the starting day a Thursday or a Friday, to avoid Monday morning queues.
• You can buy a 7 Day, monthly or longer period ticket on Oyster in advance of the start date:
♦ up to 30 days before at Tube station ticket offices;
♦ 7 days before at Oyster Ticket Stops;
♦ up to 4 days in advance from Tube station touchscreen ticket machines.
♦ Up to 30 days in advance online at tfl.gov.uk/oyster or by phone on 0845 330 9876 (7 day, monthly , 3 monthly, 6monthly and annual Travelcards only)
Adult Travelcards
Adult 7 Day Monthly
Zones 1-2 £24.20 £93.00
Zones 1-3 £28.40 £109.10
Zones 1-4 £34.60 £132.90
Zones 1-5 £41.40 £159.00
Zones 1-6 £44.60 £171.30
Zones 1-7 £48.00 £184.40
Zones 1-8 £56.00 £215.10
Zones 1-9 £65.00 £249.60
If you do buy a travel card I would suggest getting one that will allow you to go to Zone 1-6. Zone 1 is the center of the city and every zone after that is another ring around the center. Zone 6 includes Kew Palace and Kew Gardens and of course Heathrow Airport.
Walking = You will do a lot of walking no mater what, but many of the sights are within walking distance of each other. As long as you plan ahead try and walk it. When walking its important to have a map. The best map is the London A to Z, which I have a copy. I also have other maps of London as well that others can borrow, but they are no were as good as the London A to Z. Oh and Z is pronounced Zed here, so if you ask for the book at a bookstore you say London A to Zed.
Hover Bike = oh wait those haven't been invented yet.
Regular Bike = If your have a death wish and access to a bike go for it.
Public Transport = The Tube and Bus are the way to go. Here is the website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
If your only coming for a short while you can get an Oyster Travel Card. This is useful if you are going to be traveling constantly on the Tube (subway) and or Bus and other forms of public transport. Below I have pasted details about the travel card along with the cost.
If, however, you are not going to be constantly traveling on public transport you may opt for the pay as you go Oyster Card. Katie and I both have our own. This is the best deal since we only need to travel on public transport on weekends. We can go on any Bus, Tube, DLR (light rail), and overground light rail in greater London. To obtain one of these glorious oyster cards all you need to do is go to the first Tube station you find and ask for a "Pay as you go Oyster Card" They take US credit cards for payment. You tell them how much money you want put on the Oyster Card and you can add more if you need it later. When your done your trip you return your card to any tube station and the remainder funds are refunded back to you.
Oyster Travel Card Details...
• You can buy One Day and 3 Day tickets up to 7 days in advance of the start date (except at Tube station touchscreen ticket machines which issue printed tickets on the start date only)
• If you normally buy a 7 Day ticket, it may be easier to make the starting day a Thursday or a Friday, to avoid Monday morning queues.
• You can buy a 7 Day, monthly or longer period ticket on Oyster in advance of the start date:
♦ up to 30 days before at Tube station ticket offices;
♦ 7 days before at Oyster Ticket Stops;
♦ up to 4 days in advance from Tube station touchscreen ticket machines.
♦ Up to 30 days in advance online at tfl.gov.uk/oyster or by phone on 0845 330 9876 (7 day, monthly , 3 monthly, 6monthly and annual Travelcards only)
Adult Travelcards
Adult 7 Day Monthly
Zones 1-2 £24.20 £93.00
Zones 1-3 £28.40 £109.10
Zones 1-4 £34.60 £132.90
Zones 1-5 £41.40 £159.00
Zones 1-6 £44.60 £171.30
Zones 1-7 £48.00 £184.40
Zones 1-8 £56.00 £215.10
Zones 1-9 £65.00 £249.60
If you do buy a travel card I would suggest getting one that will allow you to go to Zone 1-6. Zone 1 is the center of the city and every zone after that is another ring around the center. Zone 6 includes Kew Palace and Kew Gardens and of course Heathrow Airport.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Week 14
This weekend it snowed! Friday was almost 70 degrees outside and then Sat and Sun it snowed. Crazy weather. Katie's "mum" (mom) arrived Tuesday morning safe and sound. Hopefully she gets some good weather while she is here.
The company just started an Australian version of the program I am taking part in here in London. We have an office in Melbourne which is our base for South East Asia. My colleague Jayna went out there about a week ago and is just getting settled in now. She says the weather is awesome out there, so I am little jealous. I'd love to go out there too some day. There is a very short overlap in the hours we work. She instant messaged me 9 am (London Time) this morning and said it was the end of her day. The tough part for here is that she will never be working the same time our US office is open, so she can't IM anyone at home. I imagine it must be difficult to phone friends and family as well.
The company just started an Australian version of the program I am taking part in here in London. We have an office in Melbourne which is our base for South East Asia. My colleague Jayna went out there about a week ago and is just getting settled in now. She says the weather is awesome out there, so I am little jealous. I'd love to go out there too some day. There is a very short overlap in the hours we work. She instant messaged me 9 am (London Time) this morning and said it was the end of her day. The tough part for here is that she will never be working the same time our US office is open, so she can't IM anyone at home. I imagine it must be difficult to phone friends and family as well.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Scotland Week 13
We went to Edinburgh Scotland for a five day "holiday" (vacation). We had a great time. The city is very clean and the people are very nice. Its a small city and easy to walk around to all the sites. The old section was very well preserved so it looks much like it did back in the day hundreds of years ago - well minus the raw sewage, rubbish, and plague.
I saw a very cool sign that said "Keep Scotland Green...Throw your rubbish in England" The Scots and English don't seem to get along that great or they might just like complaining about each other. Whatever the case its good fun to listen to their bitching and moaning.
Our favorite part was the HMY Britannia. It has been decommissioned but it used to be the Queen's yacht. We bought a "royal tour pass" which gets you two days worth of traveling on various tour buses and free access to the yacht, castle, and holyrood palace. It was a great deal.
Anyway the boat has been preserved just the way the Queen would have left it. The oddest part are the items the Queen cheaped out on to save the taxpayers money and what she decided to spend the big bucks. The sofas are from the old yacht. Her bed was only a Single bed used by Queen Victoria, but she had custom silk sheets made for it. The boat had several dinning rooms, and multiple lounges with bars. It was very different from the HMS Belfast Morgan and I had visited the week before.
We also had the best steak we have had while we have been in Europe. We went to a place called the Smoke House. Katie got bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and the sausage didn't taste like ass. English sausage has just been horrible. The steak was cooked to perfection on a grill. We don't have access to a grill at the flat so we have to broil or pan fry which sort of sucks the fun right out of it.
Next Monday Katie's Mom flies in to stay with us for a couple of weeks. Hopefully she brings us American supplies or we'll have to leave her at Heathrow. :)
I saw a very cool sign that said "Keep Scotland Green...Throw your rubbish in England" The Scots and English don't seem to get along that great or they might just like complaining about each other. Whatever the case its good fun to listen to their bitching and moaning.
Our favorite part was the HMY Britannia. It has been decommissioned but it used to be the Queen's yacht. We bought a "royal tour pass" which gets you two days worth of traveling on various tour buses and free access to the yacht, castle, and holyrood palace. It was a great deal.
Anyway the boat has been preserved just the way the Queen would have left it. The oddest part are the items the Queen cheaped out on to save the taxpayers money and what she decided to spend the big bucks. The sofas are from the old yacht. Her bed was only a Single bed used by Queen Victoria, but she had custom silk sheets made for it. The boat had several dinning rooms, and multiple lounges with bars. It was very different from the HMS Belfast Morgan and I had visited the week before.
We also had the best steak we have had while we have been in Europe. We went to a place called the Smoke House. Katie got bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and the sausage didn't taste like ass. English sausage has just been horrible. The steak was cooked to perfection on a grill. We don't have access to a grill at the flat so we have to broil or pan fry which sort of sucks the fun right out of it.
Next Monday Katie's Mom flies in to stay with us for a couple of weeks. Hopefully she brings us American supplies or we'll have to leave her at Heathrow. :)
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| Scotland Week 13 |
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