The Jet Set

Well - it happened again...

I just got back to Europe on Monday after a (mostly) great trip back to the states for DJ & Rena's wedding. Was great seeing everyone, the weddings were awesome (Josh & Melissa also got married), ate mexican food three times, got to spend a little (not enough) time with the family - and got to catch up with a lot of people...apologies to anyone we didn't have time to hang out with :( (especially the Wooster and Seitz families). Unfortunately, I had to work more than I had originally anticipated (hence the "mostly"), but c'est la vie.

So, what about the "it happened again" comment you ask? I am updating my blog right now from the Press Centre at TechEd Europe in Amsterdam...found out this past weekend that I was going, and was back on a plane to the Netherlands only 17 hours after arriving in London ;-). So this is what the Jet Set is all about...although somehow I don't think ol' blue eyes was singing about flying off to exotic locations to attend a trade show :).

The show's going well - meeting a lot of cool/interesting people, catching up with colleagues & contacts, and having a good time while we're at it. The event organizers threw a great Press/Analyst reception last night at the Maritime Museum...music, free booze/cigars and a guy (who was dressed like a cross between Popeye and a greek sailor) walking around shucking oysters for people.
Haven't had much time for sight seeing so far - but hope to walk around a bit tonight...going out to watch the Netherlands/Portugal semi-finals in UEFA 2004...should be a laugh.

So - I'm out here until thursday night - and then it's back to London for one day in the office and hopefully a very relaxing weekend.

Oh - Good news! Looks like the beast is finally going to a new home!!! Will definitely feel good to get that off my back...and get it out of dad's hair (HUUGE thanks for looking after it for so long).

Jeez - almost forgot the other news. I got promoted at the beginning of last week! I'm now a Senior Account Executive (title levels are a bit different over here...in the US it'd be equivalent to an Account Executive...or so I'm told) - anyway pretty cool stuff, definitely looking forward to this next year.

Well, I guess that's about it for now - we're closing down for the evening and are in desperate need of a good meal (and beer and football). Hope all are well - will update again soon (hopefully with more pictures).

Best,
Jeff

Back in the saddle again...

Ugh - it's been a while...many apologies to those of you who have faithfully checked back now and again, promise to post at least every couple of weeks moving forward!! (I’ll do my best, anyway).

Well, have been really busy over the last month or so, but have been making sure to have lots of fun too. Where to start...

Had our Ocho de Mayo (Cinco de mayo...except on the 8th of may) party at the beginning of last month - which I think turned out really well :). The food turned out ok - from what I heard - and had lots of people, and the tequila and negra modelo was flowing freely :). Was a good way to break in the flat - we'll make sure to get some pictures up soon (which tell the story waaay better than I can ;-)).

Have been traveling a fair bit over the past month as well. Started the month by going to the Isle of Wight with our friend Danielle from the US. Very cool place to go - lots of British culture/history there (thatched cottages, windmills, pub food, a LOT of WWII history) and I highly recommend it to visitors (pics coming soon).

For our May bank holiday, we took a long weekend and went to Mallorca - in the Balearic islands off the coast of Spain. What an amazing place! The landscape was amazing - high mountains, blue water, castles, fortresses, forests, hidden valleys...and all very easy to check out in 3 or 4 days. The food and people were very nice as well - had some good paella (minus an unfortunate incident with a fly), awesome seafood, and good booze (good wine and sangria). Even got some swimming and snorkeling in! It is very touristy in parts (especially where we were - more English pubs than any other restaurant) but it was easy to get out of those areas.

I went back to the US last weekend for my friend Eric's wedding (Penny didn't go as she's coming back for DJ & Rena's wedding). It was great to go back - but was rough since I was only back for four days :(. Arrived in Seattle on a Thursday evening - went to the rehearsal dinner, did an impromptu bachelor party, played golf, did the wedding, did the reception, did the day after brunch, went out for drinks, woke up, got on plane, arrived in London at 8:40 on Monday morning - and went straight to work. Whew. Like I said - was a bit rough...but was definitely worth it. Had Dick's cheeseburgers twice, but didn't fit any Mexican in...oh well, next time. Congrats Eric & Christy!!!

This week's been a bit exciting (and exhausting) - as soon as I got back to work on Monday, found out that I was going on my first real business trip since starting in London. Went to Paris on Wednesday this week for meetings, then on to Brussels for the night and meetings the next day.

Didn't really get to see much of either of the two cities, other than the Microsoft offices ;-). Got in a taxi accident in Paris...which was exciting. Nothing major...just a good story and a minor inconvenience. Also managed to drag myself out of the hotel in Brussels on Wednesday to explore a bit...saw a couple of blocks of the city and then parked at some outside seating at a bar in central Brussels for some good Belgian beer. All in all- pretty good trip actually...got a fair bit accomplished...and even got to butcher the French language a bit with my high school French skills :-).

With everything that's been going on - this weekend has been awesome. We've done nothing :). Came home on Friday and made some Spag-bog (Spaghetti and meat sauce to the Yanks reading this :-D) and caught a crappy movie on TV; slept in on Saturday, walked the neighborhood (checked out the local pools), watched a movie, and went out for Tapas; and spent today walking around Richmond park - wrapping up with dinner at our favorite Gastropub (all organic), and are now watching the French pull a last minute victory over England in the Euro 2004 football (soccer) championships. It's been great, although another day in the weekend would definitely be welcomed.

What else is new - work is going well for both of us; and Penny, a.k.a "the world's greatest travel agent" has been researching like crazy for our upcoming trips. We're going to the U.S. for DJ & Rena's wedding this week; Carcassonne, France for the Tour de France in July; the Olympics in Greece, as well as Prague, in August; and Oktoberfest in Munich in September (with DJ, Rena, and anyone else who happens to join us). Whew. It's going to be a great summer :). Also starting to figure out what to do in winter (a good mix of skiing, and sunny getaways no doubt).

Ok - I think that's a pretty good recap of the last month+! It's Sunday night, my laptop battery is running low, and I have Ben & Jerry's waiting...think it's time to sign off. Check back soon, I hope to be posting pics from: Ocho de Mayo, Isle of Wight, fun in London, and Mallorca (hope I have space for all of that!!!).

We'll post again soon - best wishes to family and friends in Oz and the US, hope you're all well and we hope to see and hear from you soon!!

Best,
Jeff & Penny