My first attempt at a spray tan;)

It's always so busy and I really feel like I'm out of the groove of writing. It's nuts. I started writing this post before we headed to Mexico, and managed to lose it all...so here's the precis! Just before we went friends convinced me that I should get a spray tan so I didn't look like the fat, white English one at the back. So, duly on the Thursday before we left I headed out and got sprayed. Now... I did what they told me and exfoliated like mad the day before and applied moisturizer but it still didn't turn out as planned.

We headed out on the Friday to celebrate our friend Sharon's birthday - see our pics below. You can check out my tan there. On the plus side, I really do think a tan makes you look thinner. It was also the first outing for the new camera.

05-22-09 Sharon's Birthday

New camera and new hair

Check out the pics... the ones off the balcony are zooming in and out of the Empire State......amazing. I love it. Then later on you'll see new hair!!!

New Camera and New Hair!

Busy busy busy....still

I feel like life is going by in a flash right now. Last weekend Trev organized a weekend in the city to celebrate Mother's day. It was great. We went and saw the new Star Trek movie which was AWESOME.....and I mean AWESOME, then we went off to the Joshua Tree for cocktails and dinner. The bar is great - it's all 80s music and lots of dancing. Was a lot of fun.


On Sunday we went out to the new "W" hotel where we live. Very swanky. Brunch was great too - and it's priced just right to keep out the skanks (if you know what I mean...). We met up with Rich, our neighbour for the afternoon.


Back at work time just flew. I had a colleague/friend over from the UK so Tuesday night we went out for drinks with some colleagues to a fabulous bar - http://230-fifth.com/ The views were stunning - right under the Empire State Building. Such a great place - it's an outside bar but if it's chilly there are both blankets and heaters. Very nice. Tuesday I also moved my desk - now I look at a wall and no-one can find me - it's PERFECT!!!!


Wednesday Trev and I were out supporting Rich. He was taking part in a bachelor auction in town on behalf of a charity (it's where guys get up on stage and people bid for them and their prizes). We went to Splash (http://www.splashbar.com/) where the event was taking place. Rich was worried that no-one would vote for him.....so he gave us money to make sure that we bidded for him. Needless to say it was a gay bar so there were some hunky topless guys serving drinks, the host for the evening was Hedda Lettuce (http://heddalettuce.com/), a famous drag queen. Was a lot of fun - we won our auction along with a "bag of booze" and a 90 minute massage. AWESOME.

On the following weekend we tried to rest - saw Angels and Demons, very disappointing. I'll re-read the book while in Mexico. From what I remember the book was far better than Davinci Code....not so with the movie. Weird.

Only a week or so til Mexico. Hopefully my health will keep the pigs away. On the fitness front I've been doing really well - I can now do 200 situps and 50 pushups (not one after the other!)......how cool is that. I actually feel pretty darn good!

Work work work work work and work

I'm starting to get realistic. At the beginning the year I thought this mayhem would last a month, maybe 2. It's May....and nothing has changed. It's crazy.


I have managed to hire someone to help me out - and when I first started working with her she took ownership and like projects. I'm beginning to think it's me. She was a consultant, now she's hired (since Apr 13th). Just stupid stuff like I've asked her to set her PC up to work remotely and get a Blackberry. Why is it on May 8th this is not done? Why is it that I've told her for 3 months to get our performance reports out a week after month end and it's still not done? I really think I'm the problem. I've tried setting goals and saying "it needs to be done"....but it doesn't. WTF - my boss is already pissed I'm not as productive (esp with double the headcount!!!!).


I have to take this weekend to figure out how to set objectives and expectations and not interfere. This month I'm wrestling, while sitting here Friday night having worked until 7pm (when getting to work at 7.15am), with whether I check what she did today or I just ignore it and send people to her with questions. She has to learn that I can't carry her and ME. I think I'm sending people to her -and I'll do the one report my boss looks at. That way, I've got both bases covered.


Enough about work. Tonight I have zero energy to go out -I'm watching Biggest Loser (I'm a geek, what can I say), drinking a cocktail and catching up with you all.


Last week Pia visited and I had so much fun. She worked out with Billy alongside me - and he was soooo great with her. She's getting married in July and wants to lose weight. Being Italian she eats so much pasta so I'm convincing her to try my diet. In 18months I've lost 35lb.....and I feel (and look) so different. I love it. She did really well - Billy was great, she was so enthusiastic, but I did feel bad when she couldn't sit in the afternoon.....and worse when HER BOSS messaged me to say she was raving about us and her legs still hurt several days later. I've never seen myself as a diet and exercise guru....or that anyone would listen to me in this regard....I guess because I'd not seen Pia since last summer there was such a difference.

And on rain.....we're on our 7th straight day of rain. Fed up to say the least - it's like England in summer. Not fair - c'mon, bring the sun!

Pia visits

My friend Maria Pia came to New York last week and we had a blast! She was here for work, but we got some socializing in....! First we walked around Soho, then made our way to China Town for dinner. Then, on Friday she came to our town, we had drinks and dinner at Sushi Lounge. On Saturday Pia worked out with Billy and I and after she'd recovered we went off shopping....what a blast!

04-30-08 With Pia in NYC