Sunday Week 9

Had to get up at 0500 this morning since the half-marathon started at 0730. Got the bus downtown and stood around at the start line. Even here we had to listen to the national anthem before we started.

The course wasn't great, mainly keeping to either highways or residential streets; at one point it went through a very windy woodland path. The marathon and half marathon courses are the same for the first 5 miles, then the marathon course heads off for 13 miles before they meet up again. It isn't a very flat course either; there's a 200m climb on roads stereotypical of San Francisco. This was horrible, but must be worse for the full marathon runners as it happens at the 20mile mark. The last 2 miles are all downhill except 1 final climb for the last 300 yard. All in all it was hard work but enjoyable, and I did my goal time of 1:40; I did 1:38.

Came back to the apartment for a shower and lunch then took mum to the zoo. Its a nice zoo, though the climate can't be very nice for the animals at this time of year. Some of the animals were also slightly stressed; walking around the same track in their cage over and over again.

Saturday Week 8

Got woken up early by someone who was still on UK time. Went down to the ferry terminal to make sure we had a reservation to go across to Victoria next weekend. Then headed to pick up my stuff for the half-marathon. It was whilst queuing that mum noted that she hadn't seen many overweight people. I did point out that the present company somewhat skewed the demographic. I then took mum to my favourite coffee shop, though got offended when she asked what was so special about it. We then went to Pike Place Market, as it was one of the only places in the centre of town that I didn't mind seeing again. Its also so big and complex that every time you go you find a new bit.

Did a bit of shopping before heading back to the apartment for an early night

Friday Week 8

Lazy day off today. Picked up mum from the airport (even though she was an hour late) and took her to the supermarket. Had a quick walk around the canal before having dinner and watching mum fall asleep on the sofa.

Thanksgiving

Quite a lazy morning cleaning the house and doing the ironing.

Then went to pick up a few colleagues and head over to my bosses house for Thanksgiving. In total there were 18 adults and 6 children, though only 4 were actually American. It was interesting hearing different people's perception of what "traditional" Thanksgiving is; the conclusion we came to is its an excuse to see the family.

The Thanksgiving meal is just a carb overload; Turkey, Stuffing, Mashing Potato, Roast Potato, Baked Sweet Potato, Roast Yam and Gravy. No vegetables!

Since we had quite a few Europeans in the team we exchanged Christmas and New Year's traditions; The Spanish don't get presents until the 6th January, the Italians do presents on Christmas Eve and the 6th January. In Luxembourg they do presents on 6th December, and the holiday period is characterised by 2 people; Saint Nicholas and the Grim Reaper. If you are good, Saint Nicholas gives you presents. If you are bad, you get a visit from the Grim Reaper. The Luxembourgers know how to scare their children straight!

Tomorrow is "Black Friday" which is one of the biggest shopping days of the year; its the start of the Thanksgiving sales. Whilst I think its a good concept having sales within a month of Christmas, some people take it far too seriously; people started queuing on Monday despite the weather. Makes me wonder what they needed to buy so urgently. Apparently the woman get very aggressive as well and you risk getting crushed and scratched. Lovely!

Wednesday Week 8

Managed to get back into the office today, but was a very slow day. It felt a lot like Christmas Eve, no one wanted to start any work that wouldn't be completed by the end of the day and most Boeing people left early so that they could "be with their family for the holidays". It was exactly like Christmas, except that its late November.

Did some stocking up at the supermarket and tried a holiday speciality: Eggnog Latte. Conclusion: I don't like eggnog, its too sweet.

Bring on the 4 day weekend!

Tuesday Week 8

Snow day!

I got an email from the team leader to say it wasn't worth trying to get into the office. I had already concluded this, given that any route I take to work will start with a 50ft luge ride downhill onto a mainroad. Given that it was -15C last night, and not meant to get above freezing until Thursday, I think it might be a few days.

P.S. Movember photo uploaded

Monday Week 8

Worked the day shift today as there isn't much to do in the office and I needed to get some paperwork out to Derby.

Was very cold and trying to snow all morning, like yesterday, but wasn't really settling. By 1400 it was starting to settle and we were warned to leave the office as Seattle gets "manic" when it snows. Since Seattle is on the coast, it doesn't get snow that often, so they don't have the resources to grit or treat the roads properly.

It was carnage. Ever major trunk road had multiple accidents on them and it seemed the entire population of Seattle were in their cars. My journey took twice as long as usual, but I was helped by managing to get onto a bypass that had actually been shut.

Watching the evening news I discover that the authorities were using a brine solution to treat the roads, but had got the concentrations wrong and it didn't contain enough salt, so they were basically spreading water on frozen roads.

I chose the wrong day not to have any food in the house; had to walk through a blizzard to get to the supermarket. Snow fell all evening. My evening entertainment was provided by the hill that I live on. Its very step, I needed the 4x4 to get up it when there was only a little snow around. Now, with 2 inches of snow, it was proving impassable. They had already blocked all the roads around me off, but that didn't stop people trying. Everyone failed. 1 guy got very close, but then zigzagged all the way down taking out 3 cars as he went. I'm glad I've got off street parking!

Saturday Week 7

Today was the start of a cold spell in Seattle, where it isn't meant to get above freezing for a week. Its even meant to be -10 at some point. Not sure what that is in Fahrenheit, when the weatherpeople made a big deal about the temperatures being in the low 30's I assumed it was cold. On the plus side, the ski resorts all opened today, so I went out and bought some ski clothes.

Attended at RAeS Seattle branch annual dinner in the evening, at the Museum of Flight. Rolls are one of the sponsors for the evening and had 2 tables. It was also an awards dinner for the Aviation High School, who were the honorary guests. As the name suggests, this is a high school that specialises in aviation. The interesting thing was at all of my team concluded that we didn't like the idea of specialising in something academic at the age of 14.

The meal also made me realise that Americans don't know how to use a knive and fork. They start by cutting everything into slightly smaller, though still not bite-sized, chucks. They then dismiss their knife and proceed to just use their fork.

Some of us then went on into town for a few drinks. The idea of 6 people walking around in black-tie proved too much for most people, and we were frequently asked where we had just come from. After 1 person saying they had assumed we had come from the symphony orchestra, we decided to use this line for the rest of the evening, quickly allocating ourselves instruments. I also discovered my new favourite "holiday" beverage; winter spiced Sangria.

New Update

Just got email this morning to say I've been selected to represent Great Britain at the Junior World Gliding Championships next summer.

Looks like I'll be in Germany for most of August then.

http://www.glidingteam.co.uk/index.php?q=news/british-teams-2011

Movember

In case you didn't know, I'm supporting "Movember" by growing a moustache for the entire month of Movember to help raise awareness of cancer's that affect men. Please sponsor my attempts by clicking this link //us.movember.com/mospace/1277534/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account.

I'm doing this as part of a team in the office, so its in USD I'm afraid. I return, I shall be posting pictures and taking style requests!

Note: I'm also running the Seattle Half Marathon on Sunday 27th November. If anyone wishes to sponsor me for this instead/too then please use the above link as well

Thursday Week 7

Something slightly different today.

Had to do a borescope on an engine up at Everett, so spent the morning taking videos of the inside of an engine.

I then got to spend the afternoon walking round the Boeing final assembly line and driving round the flying ramp. The final assembly line is the largest building in the world in terms of floor area. You loose the sense on size when you're in it, until you realise you've been walking for 20mins and you're halfway down the building! There are 4 restaurants, 8 coffee shops and stall for up to 20 aircraft.

The flightline at the moment can only be described as a 787 graveyard. Overall today, I saw 22 787's in different states of build. At least 12 are sat out on the flightline half finished. More disturbing was that there were 2 "calibrated" anvils hanging off each wing where the engine should be. It looked very odd.

Then this evening I went to a Washington University "football" match. Washington's sports teams aren't very good, so everyone follows the uni teams, or Huskys, instead. There must have been 20000 people there, it was an amazing atmosphere; marching bands, cheerleaders, mascots and a commentator on PA. Though in fairness, this is all needed since the game itself is really dull. It never gets going, its too sporadic. I can say I understand the rules now; except penalties. One interesting moment occurred when the ref declared the Husky's intercepted the ball, but caught it out of play. The video replay showed the player catching it 1-2 feet in play, so the crowd boo'd; a lot. The ref then overturns the decision, but declared the play at the wrong 43 yard line. Cue more crowd booing; ref more play to the correct area. This got me thinking the American way seems to be "if you don't get you're own way, make a big enough fuss that people begin to see your point of view". Obama needs to have this apophony.

Tuesday Week 7

Well, we've got 1 of the aircraft back. They aren't planning to fly again till after Thanksgiving now. Ho hmm.

Vegas pictures are up

Monday Week 7

Hmm, still no flying 787's, though it was close today; Boeing have to get FAA permission for each flight at the moment, buyear t we couldn't get VFR conditions at Seattle today.

So it was another slow day in the office. We've been asked to consider taking a day off this week to ensure we've used all our holiday by the end of the year.

Weekend in Vegas

Left wet and cold Seattle early on Friday morning and headed down to the sunny south. To save money I flew via Pheonix (Arizona) which, judging by the locals, isn't somewhere I will return to in a hurry.
Arrived into Vegas late afternoon and got a transfer to my hotel. The bus driver commented that the weather was going to be sunny but mild for the weekend, so only 25-28 degrees C. Unfortunately the nights were going to be cold, and might go below 20 degrees C. Somehow I felt the coat on my lap wasn't going to be used for a while. Las Vegas airport is basically on the main strip, yet it still took 45mins to get to the hotel; that's how much traffic there is in a Friday afternoon. So walking would be the best way to get around.

So, I was staying at Caesar's, the "exclusive" hotel that only has 3000 rooms (compared to 4000-6000 of most hotels on the strip). The rates were fairly reasonable, but it took me 5mins to realise why: the money you've paid provides you a bed and 4 walls. If you want anything else, you'll pay. Big time. The main bars and clubs on the strip have a strict clothing policy (more than stating you must be wearing some), so a quick shower and change was required then I hit the strip.

All the hotels are connected by walkways and flyovers, so its easy to hop between them. First stop was the Ballagio, one of 2 5* hotels on the strip. Each hotel has gimmicks and free attractions to get you through the door and spending money. At the Ballagio, its the fountains. This made up for the lack of bonfire night in the US; they combined music and lighting to make a true spectacle. I then gradually made my way down past Paris, Ireland, Monte Carlo (see, gimmicks) to the "cheap and cheerful" part of the strip. Like any major tourist destination, there were tacky souvenir shops and cheap supermarkets and food courts. I quickly realised this was the 1 part of Vegas I could afford to eat. It was still a mark up on Seattle; Starbucks was double the price. At this point I should note that the price of Starbucks is the best metre stick (or yard stick on this side of the pond) for the cost of living.

Next stop was New York, where the gimmick was a 200ft high roller coaster. It was an interesting ride, mainly cause you did a heartline roll over a crowded bar. I then discovered my favourite bar in the US; Coyote Ugly. If you've seen the film you get the idea.

Drinking was expensive, beer was $8-10 for a 250ml bottle. Hence most people when for the other option, slush cocktails. You had the choice of 36 fl oz, half a yard or a yard. Hmm, a yard of margarita; never again!

Saturday started with a quick shuttle bus back to the airport, followed by a 3 hour helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon. Saw the Hoover Dam on the way out, then passed into the Canyon and down to a landing strip for a champagne lunch. Managed to persuade the pilot to show me his smoking skills on the way back by "buzzing" the observation deck at the edge of the canyon. We then got a ride down the strip and back to the airport. I always knew that the strip was a mirage in the middle of the desert, but I didn't realise how big the rest of the city is, and how trashy the strip is in daylight.

Back on the strip and I decided to head to Venice and see what the Vegas branch of Madame Tussauds had offer. Whilst there were a few rooms which were very "Americanised", the figures are scarily realistic. It also allowed me to kill time whilst not spending money. During the day on the strip, there is basically only 1 thing you're expected to do; shop. I've never seen so many designer shops, plus posh antique stores and cigar makers.

The "freebie" show as Caesar's is a really odd exhibition about the fall of Atlantis. Tropicana, on the other hand, did an all singing, all dancing pirate burlesque show. Guess which one had the larger attendance.

My first victory of the evening was to find a casino that had a suitably low minimum bet ($5). The key to this: don't go to the hotels. So I played roulette for a couple of hours, and ended up $300 better. Second victory, I knew when to quit. I have to say the casinos scared me. Ordinary people were betting $100, losing and thinking nothing of it. Elderly people who were "members" of the gabling scene could simply put a card in a slot machine and play for days. When I came to check out on Sunday morning the casino floor was still packed, with people chosen to drink a bud with their breakfast.

Another trip via Phoenix and I was back in cold damp Seattle. 1 thing about US domestic flying, you're allowed 1 carry on bag no bigger than a small suitcase and 1 "personal item" ie a rucksack. So what happens: airlines overbook flights, first half of the passengers get on, fill the overhead bins and the rest have to check bags in, thus plane leaves late. This happened on all 4 flights I was on, plus all the flights I saw boarding. You'd think the airlines would twig something wasn't working.

To summarise, Vegas is like Disney for kids but with one disturbing difference. When you're a kid a Disney, you can gaze in awe at the sights and take in all the magic, blissfully unaware at the small fortune its costing your parents to be there. In Vegas, you're reminded repeatedly how much its costing you to be there.

Thursday Week 6

Another dull day with no sign of the aircraft being allowed to fly anytime soon. We aren't even allowed to do engine runs.

Right, I'm off to Vegas!

Wednesday Week 6

Yay, paperwork

Fleet still grounded, so Boeing are pushing random maintenance on the 1 aircraft that's actually in Seattle. So we're ordering in parts and writing the procedures so that we can provide them with more work to occupy themselves.

Tuesday Week 6

Something caught fire on one of the aircraft

The fleet was grounded

All this meant slow day in the office as only 1 aircraft was on site

Monday Week 6

Not a lot to say today except for a shocking discovery:
Sarah Palin has been given her own 13 part reality TV show!

Sunday Week 6

Had an arty day today.

I went to the Seattle Art Museum, where they have a special Picasso exhibit. I was given an allocated time to view the Picasso, but could view the rest of the exhibits in my own time. The permanent collection features works by local artists and heritage from the tribes of the Pacific Northwest; including clothing and cultural narratives.

I've never really appreciated Picasso, in the sense that I wouldn't have queued to see his works if I hadn't been told in advance who the artist was. I'm sure this is true of many of the people who were with me. Whilst I appreciate the cultural and historical significance of his works, I would still hypothesise that the same work by a different artist at the time would not have been met with the same accolades.

My next stop was the Seattle Public Library, which is a tourist spot for its architecture rather than its book collection. The glass building is 10 stories high and contains a maze of helical staircase and elevators as well as numerous public display areas and meeting points. Whilst I was there, there was a kids rock concert going on in the foyer. Interestingly, signs were to up appologising for the "disturbed peace" in the quiet reading areas on floors 3,5 and 6, but that floor 10 would be unaffected. On the 10th floor there is a small platform which protrudes out over the central space, allowing you to see all the way down to the foyer on the ground floor.

Right, to bring you up to speed (was a busy week):

Went to see the Gorillaz earlier in the week. They were pretty awesome, but equally I must have lots touch with their music as I only recognised their encores. I went to a random underground music venue to see KT Tunstall which was really odd; there were 20 people at most in the room and it was like an open mic night. It was weird to think that she's actually successful in the UK.

That engine explosion caused some interesting events over here, and we've been told just to be careful and that everything is on a need to know basis at the moment. Unfortunately cause of the nature of our work, we need to know everything that's happening and the Boeing guys know this.

Anyway . . .

Had to arrange a DJ rental today as there's the RAeS Annual Dinner in a few weeks and RR are going in force; got a complete set for $49. Re-visited my favourite coffee shop in Seattle, which I struggled to find at first. I then went to the "Huskies" shop to get tickets to the next football match. College football is massive in the US, and all matches are televised . Since the Seattle sport teams are useless, they all follow college sports instead. The football season is coming to an end, so I struggled to find a fixture I could actually make. I also visited a record store which claimed to stock "good music from bands you've never heard of". I guess Lily Allen and Amy MacDonald have made it across the Atlantic. Though apparently my music taste can be summarised as "aggressive easy listening".

I then went to Ballard, which is a district in the north of Seattle. Its how I pictured colonial Massachusetts to look. They also have a Salmon ladder, which wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. It was like watching fish in an aquarium.

Friday Week 5

Sorry for the lack of updates this week.

Apparently something went bang near Singapore so its all a bit manic and hush hush at the moment.

Election Night

Yay, the elections are finally here. No more pointless TV adverts and billboards.

The downside: every channel on TV has coverage of it. It would be watchable if there was a "swing-o-meter"