Writing from Memphis

I spent a few days last week in reading with a friend, as I mentioned last post. We had a great time - very busy, but we still had time to hang out and chat also. We went to see The Feeling at the 'Kew the Music' festival in Kew Gardens, which was a fantastic night. It was my birthday gift from my friend, and we took a picnic and drank Rose cider (highly appropriate, as one of our favourite Feeling songs is Rose') and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Noisettes, who also played that night.... What an energetic performer!! Sophie Ellis-Bextor sang a song with The feeling on their new album.... The next day we took the train to Cardiff and spent the afternoon at Cardiff castle, and around the Bay near the Milennium centre and Roald Dahl Plass (in other words, Torchwood Country!!!). I flew into New York from the UK, and had a few brief few hours there with another friend, and we went to see 'Hair'. It was a great performance - all the singers were amazing, musically very tight, and full of energy. It was a little disappointing to not be able to clearly understand all the lyrics, but it was surprisingly easy to forgive, because it just sounded so good. At the end of the show they invited the audience on stage, and as I was sitting in the 2nd row, I was able to make it up there. So, less than 24 hours in New York and I got the opportunity to dance on a Broadway stage, albeit briefly, which was fantastic! I am currently in Memphis, attending and presenting at The Laptop Institute, an educational conference for 1:1 laptop programs in schools. I presented once today, and have two more to go tomorrow. Then I'm off to Raleigh, and am really on holidays, with no work related obligations at all!

The next adventure

I have changed time zones so many times in the last day that it's very hard to keep track how long ago I left home. I think it's about 30 hours, give or take. I am heading to the US once again, to attend both education and glass related conferences. Heading to London first to visit a dear friend who has been away too long, and the most economical way to do that, was a round the world ticket via Asia and Germany. Expected to lurk around the airport in hong kong, but by a fortunate coincidence, my boss was on the same flight, and she kindly took me under her wing and showed me the abbreviated sights. We took a taxi up to the top of the peak, to see some amazing views of the city, and went to 'times square' for dinner. That was an adventure I itself. The restaurant we chose, because of the dumplings on the menu, specialized in a kind of hot pot soup, and you cook your dumplings in it. We didn't have time for that, so they brought us a noodle soup with some dumplings in it. The waiters English wasn't as god as we thought - I asked if they would be pork and he said yes, but they ended up being prawns. I am not a fan of seafood, but they were obviously very well made and I managed 2 before the fishiness overwhelmed me. I was very grateful for the chance to see a little of the city, it always frustrates me to be stuck in an airport in city you have never seen before.... Case in point, I'm writing this from Munich airport, waiting for the final leg of my trip to London. Aim traveling with my iPad and a borrowed netbook ( to present at the conference with) so I won't be able to edit any of the pics I post first - they'll all be 'nude' so to speak. :). Will add some pics of Hong Kong when I have had a chance to download them.