Brooklyn - New Neighbor

He Adds Class to the Place
We sat down to breakfast this morning and turned our attention to the backyard as we usually do.  No birds, no squirrels, no action at all.  Unusually quiet.  Then Jean yelled out "look - there's an owl up there!"  I jumped out of my seat and pressed my face into the window, squinting up into the sky.  Quite a surprise.  An owl in Brooklyn?  He's hard to see.  Can you see him?

London - Best of the Isles

No, Not Beer - Cheese
Luckily, my colleagues love cheese.  We went to a cheese shop last night and stocked up on three interesting varieties from the British Isles.  On the left is a Stichelton - an unpasteurized blue that uses the original Stilton starter.  On the right, something called "Stinking Bishop" from Gloucestershire, which is washed with fermented pear juice of the same name.  Not shown is a Welsh variety called Gorwydd Caerphilly.

London - Catching Up

With Old Friends
I worked with this dude for three horrible years in Paris.  Wayne, my counterpart from London, made the weekly trip to Paris and without him I might not have made it.  He always had a way to make me laugh and lighten up.  He retired a few months back and we caught up in a pub near Covent Gardens. It was great to see him.

London - The Agency Lifestyle

It's a Step Up from Cubicle Hell
The UK office of our department shares space with some of our ad agencies.  What a difference that makes.  Both Saatchi and Leo Burnett share the building.  After a hard day, you can take the elevator to the pub for a drink.  Matter of fact, this is London so you can drink any time of day.

Paris Getaway - Part 2

Gorging and Walking

Joseph, Ileana and Jose wanted to take a bus tour and see all the main sights.  I walked them to Notre Dame, which was about fifteen minutes from where we were staying.  They caught a bus from there.  I had other plans - the usual Paris plans: walk around and eat.  Repeat.  One thing you could rely on in Paris is the same old spots would be there waiting for you with the same old good food.

Paris Getaway - Part 1

Twin Birthday Celebration
I found out that Joseph, one of my Costa Rica colleagues, had a birthday a few days after mine so I suggested we all go to Paris to celebrate for the weekend.  I didn't expect them to accept, I figured I would be going alone.  Joseph had been to Paris a few times and he talked the others into checking it out for the first time.

London - The National Pasttime

Arsenal vs Swansea City
When our London colleague asked if there was anything we were interested in doing while in London we asked for the impossible.  His eyes widened when we asked for tickets to an Arsenal game.  "You lot are quite cheeky, aren't you?" he asked, laughing.  Some how, some way, he came through.