New York

Day 0 - we arrived at the airport and took sooooooo long to get through customs that by the time we got to the hotels it was about 10.30pm and too late and knackered to do much, so we just checked and got as much sleep as possible for the next day.

 

Day 1 - met up early and went for a fantastic breakfast at a diner in the centre of Manhatten, which has singing waitresses and the food was superb also.

 

After breakfast we went on a movie style guided tour of the island, where our guide would point out the locations and sights that had been used in hollywood blockbusting movies and also successful tv shows like Seinfeld, Friends and the Cosby Show.

 

Following the tour we went up the Rockerfellar Centre, took a few photos and admired the view. What was very cool is that just when we chose to go they were doing a live outdoor weather forcast and so we loitered around and managed to become part of the crowd scene making this my first ever time to be shown on live tv around the world. Yay, go me.

 

From their we then split up our little band for the day as they were off to watch a baseball game and I chose instead to grab a stage show of Avenue Q, not being the greatest lover of baseball.

 

Day 2 - met up early as we had a stunning helicopter ride all planned, but it was pushed back due to poor visibility in the uncharasteristic morning fog. So instead we grabbed another diner breakfast and went to see Wall Street and ground zero { site of the ill fated twin towers } before going back for the helicopter ride, which was awesome.

 

After the helicopter ride we did some shopping and investigating the city before we all headed off back to out rooms to get changed for the evening. The rest went to see the stage show Mary Poppins but I had already got my sights set on watching the movie Bourne Ultimatum { going to the cinema is something I always try to do in a foreign country }.

 

The film was good, and the cinema itself was plush and well looked after and then we all met back up again for a meal and drinks til we all fell asleep. The rest eventually wanted to go nightclubbing but I had an early start that morning so I took off.

 

Heading off from the meal a little drunk I got a bit turned around and totally lost track of where the underground train station was and once I found by bearing I started walking to where I wanted to go and hoped that I would bump into an entrance soon. However once I got started walking I was like Forest Gump, I just kept on going, and ended up arriving at my hotel room about 3.15am after walking almost the entire length of Manhatten Island.

 

Day 4 - Sadly I had done so much walking the previous night that I totally overslept and missed my tour bus departing for Boston, and as it was a day trip the others already had made other plans and were gone from their hotel room by the time I woke up.

 

So instead of a 12 hour round trip to see the sights of Boston I just did more of the same walking, movies, shopping and sight seing.

 

We had all arranged to meet up at the top of the Empire States Building at 10pm this night, however I had overused my cellphone as a camera and by the time I got there the queues were so long and thick I was unable to find them in the throng, so I just did the top myself, bought a few soveneirs and postcards { that I have still yet to post ... arghhhhh } and then headed back to my room for a good nights rest.

 

The next day the gang were again up before me and already at the port to see the Statue of Liberty when I was calling them to see what the days plans were, so we agreed to meet up later while I made my own leisurely way down to see the famous lady myself.

 

After the river cruise round Ellis Island, I chose to grab a bite to eat in Little Italy and sample China Towns own authentic foot and back rub specialists. The massage was good, but a little too firm for my liking and I very much doubt I will ever ask to be walked on again for as long as I live.

 

Then again more of the same, before I ducked back to my room to grab some rest for the night clubbing. This was all arranged for the last night to keep us all awake in time to catch the 3am bus ride back to the airport as we had a very early flight the next morning and I doubted my chances of normally waking up at 5am if I was not already still awake from the night before.

 

The night clubbing ended up being a Karioke bar called the Black Cat Pussycat Club, which was funky and the only thing that spolied it was that I got too drunk and ended up knocking some poor guys drink all over the floor as I was leaving.

 

Day 5 - met up again with the gang before a very quick ride to the airport where I had grossly overestimated the time needed to arrive in time for the flight and so we all ended up falling asleep, me on the floor as the seats were not as confy as my padded rucksack and bomber jacket.

 

It was a shame that my flight back was away form the others and also that the Virgin flight attendants seemed to have it in for me, as they would not let me sleep no matter how many times I tried to ignore them and their stupid rules about what I could or could not do during take off and landing.

 

Arriving back in the UK late I had just enough time to say a quick farewell to the others before catching a trian home, arriving around midnight and still jetlagged from an exhaustive week away.

 

All in all, it was a good holiday but it could have been better if we had managed to meet up as a group more, but then it was the first time I have done a group holiday and learned many things through the experience.

Emotional Pain

It is a sad day when I have to stop blogging over the internet because so many of my close friends and family around me just don't understand me.

 

They just don't like the emotion that I put into things, and I often have people say "oh please dont say that about me" even though it has nothing to do with them.

 

It really is a bad sign when the only way to get through spending time with people is to tone down my own emotions towards them and sensor what I talk about or else face the wrath of upsetting them plus being branded a weirdo, loser, freak, stalker or whatever.

 

So what to do, well firstly just back away slowly from them all and secondly accept the harsh fact that the life of a hero is mostly a lonely and misunderstood one.

 

I cannot share this with anyone else, I cannot except or ask for much help along the way, and I must accept that I will go out as I came into this world ... alone.

 

 

 

 

Wedding of Choice

In the last two weeks I have had the pleasure and honor to be invited to two wedding. Being that I am a firm believer that in almost all cases numbers and space are at a premium when it comes to weddings, so I considered it to be rude to not attend unless I already had some else equally important prebooked for that same day.

 

What made these two particular weddings made me feel a mixed bag of emotions was the brides and grooms. I am trying to find the words to explain this, but it is nevertheless going to come over wrong, as so often do inner emotions when you try to get them to come out.

 

I knew both the brides, knew them both very well, knew them both longer than the grooms had, got on incredibly well with both the brides and to quote what I was informed on one of the weddings "Well you missed your chance there!".

 

The truth is that there was a strong probability that I could have / should have / would have been a groom for either of these beautiful woman had I not been me. For some unfathomable reason I chose not to progress things with either of the brides when I had ample opportunity and when they showed signs of being interested in me.

 

I can't say it more clearly than that I am mad or perhaps deluded myself into thinking that I could do even better or maybe I am just afraid to commit. My main defence that I might venure was that at the time I had a nagging doubt that any relationship between us could last and thus I sought to protect them from any possible heartache by not starting the relationship in the first place.

 

And the lesser defence would be that although I care for them both deeply, want only their well being and love them as a person I didn't quite feel head-over-heels in love with them, as I have for other women.

 

So what am I bellyaching about then, I hear myself say, if you weren't in love with them then what the problem? The problem is that I am still single and I do want children and to get married and here are two lovely women, both of good character and background, and both liked me at one time or another and yet I did nothing about it, and now I have lost that chance forever.

 

The thought did occur to me to voice my "just impediment" when prompted by the vicar and then declare my undying love, but dismissed it just as quick as I knew I would never do anything to spoil their big day and also I am still unsure if I could ever truly fall in love with either of them.

 

But the fact remains that I happily went to two weddings, gladly toasted the good health and happiness of the bride and groom at both and yet left both reception parties early feeling more than a little sorry for myself.

 

I am unsure if it is better to live alone or to engage in a relationship that without true love, but what I am 100% sure of is that if ... IF ...  I ever do get married I pray to all that is good in this life that my bride will truly love me half as much as I will no doubt love her, as it will utterly break my heart to know that she married me for the wrong reasons.

I am still alive

Yes indeed, I am still alive - contrary to the fact that my blog and emails have been remarkably scarce in the last two weeks.

 

Indeed even this entry will be short and later deleted to be replaced by a proper one, so no need to leave comments on.

 

All I want to say is that I have had a hectic few weeks :-

continued on a gym regime waking me up at 6am every morning,

invaded germany,

remet up with half a dozen old school friends via facebook,

remet up with a few girls that I had a crush on as a youth { and wouldn't you know, despite the years the embers still glow dimly ! },

been to two weddings { which need a WHOLE LOT of discussing },

lost and replaced an annual season ticket,

bought a bike { that was faulty and broke the first time I gave it a proper test, thus off it goes back to the shop },

bought another bike,

repaired a broken few fence panels,

set a time and date for my heroic journey to begin { 11.30am, Monday September 1st 2008 - yay, go me } and,

learned about an unfortunate relationship that is very close to me that seems to be floundering on very rocky ground.

 

And that's just all I can remember off the top of my head, so let alone all the other small stuff that goes on in the day to day traffic of my life.

 

So for now, enjoy your day and have a great one and this will probably be replaced some time before I leave for New York next Thursday.

Dickonius is coming!

I can't help but feel that at things are looking up for me and my trip around the world later next year.

After being invited to a close friends barbecue on Monday night, I was introduced to a Danish lady who has been to over 30 countries and lived in places as far away as Thailand.

Her story is inspiring stuff and we had a great time making a nuisance of ourselves on the train from London to Chatham, as we did nothing but talk long and excitedly about the forthcoming trip to Scotland where we will meet up again.

Meanwhile, at work yesterday I decided that perhaps time management was a key in overcoming my desire to get more active and fit for my voyage. So ignoring how it might have looked or sounded, I devised a schedule of housework, fun time and an early morning regime of trips to the gym between 6.30 and 7.00.

Last night I put the first part of the plan into operation and insisted we go to the cinema at the earliest possible opportunity, and once we had returned I did not switch on my pc, but instead tidied the house, ironed a shirt in preparation for this morning and then was in bed by midnight.

Waking up at the ungodly hour of 5.45am I was up, more housework, exercises and then off to the gym for a half hour of cross training and rowing. A sweat induced half hour later I was in the shower before calmly strolling out the door and catching a train into work a good half hour earlier than I have for months.

The next hour I plan to make use by studying Spanish, but as its not yet stored on my mobile, I took advantage of the situation and fell asleep til the train pulled into Victoria.

Then it was another calm and pleasant stroll through Green park to stop off at the supermarket to grab some fresh fruit and muesli before arriving at work early enough to be the first of my department into work with time enough to spare to write this entry before I have to start work.

It is too early to say yet if I will be able to stick to this for an entire year, especially as there will be the occasional drinking session and party to juggle, but so far I can only say that it's 100% success and the breakfast juice I am quaffing right now has never tasted better.

Look out world ... Dickonius is coming !