Ah, Atlanta

With its omnipresent fried chicken joints, most of them at the airport, assaulting my delicate nostrils with the aroma of all things bad for you.

I'm hungry.

On my way back home to Boston. Sitting at the very busy AirTran gate. Going white water rafting in Maine this weekend. And also moving boxes from bedroom into kitchen to make way for Meg's things to move into my room so Kim can move into hers. Advantage Realty (my godawful broker) was very pain-in-the-arse like with this entire getting me a new apartment experience and I swear it is the most useless $1650 I have ever spent in my entire life. If you're moving to Boston, beware the broker. I've never met one that was actually good. So boxes and heavy furniture has to be moved around this weekend and I actually get to move in on the 3rd. That move I have movers for. Now if I only had a doily IN the apartment, it wouldn't be so bad.

There's a storm moving in. Joy. I'll bet my 5:59 pm flight does not take off on time. Why I expect it to do so, I don't know.

I shall read my Wired now.

Belko goes home!

So like, three cities in one week. Very nice. I'm tired.

Lots of packing up house to do this weekend. In fact, ALL the packing up house to do this weekend for big impending move to Cambridge. Took ages to get out of Atlanta yesterday wot with traffic and freak thunderstorms. Didn't get to NYC until 1 am which took care of aspirations to eat fine Japanese food for supper on 3rd Ave.

Can I just say - you know those little air nozzles on planes above your head? I really hate those. They have this annoying way of blowing air in your direction even when they're not pointed at you. And why the hell don't airlines carry enough blankets for everyone?! I swear, American Airlines has a total average of 5.3 blankets in their entire US fleet. I shall take to travelling with cardigan and shawl like old rickety person.

The Chrysler building is nice but rather small on the inside. Also, something is very odd with these windows because I'm on the 30+ floor and I can still hear traffic and honking and sirens. There's a constant din in this city which makes it much like Mumbai and therefore, if you ask me, overrated.

Sadly, I have to leave for the airport soon for my flight to Boston and this weekend jaunt in NYC had to be cancelled due to mad last minute packing up of house so no Blue Room for me. Perhaps next time.

Can't wait to get home.

In other news, sprained ankle is doing well and healing nicely but twinges of pain in heel still remain. Watch this space for accounts of how I'm going to become the first bionic woman.

'tis a lonely life I lead

There was once a consultant named Barzini
And all she ever wanted was a martini
But instead from Atlanta she took a flight
And imagine puir Barzini's plight
A thunderstorm drowned her martini

So now she sits on the tarmac
For due to the training she lacked
They sent her to New York
A later flight! No lark
And woe, one less blouse she has packed

But hope!

Soon the clouds will clear
The man next to her will stop his leer
Airborne she will be
So desperately she needs to pee
A veritable force of nature, no fear!

So back to her song
No more Blackberry pong
For to Times Square we go
To stay at the Marriot, dontcha know
Perhaps to dine at the House of Fong!


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Must not bitch-slap collegues

Even when they're being snotty and nasty and generally bitchy.

Can I just say though, it's nice to be back home in Boston. Landed last night. Flight was delayed 1.5 hrs (thank you AirTran) and went to bed tired and hungry thinking to myself that I'd better start getting used to this and that it was so nice to be back home in Boston. Heavenly Beds notwithstanding. Don't get me wrong, I love the Westin and the fact that I can lounge about nekkid but there's nothing like one's own satin sheets, knowwotimean? Sadly I don't think I'll have time to go sailing this weekend either.

I have an office to myself today which is nice so I don't have to worry about people peering over my shoulder and if dem bitches get really annoying, I can always close the door.

That ham and cheese croissant I had for breakfast was so good, I think I'll have another for lunch.

Lots of packing to do this weekend. Would be nice to get some friends together though. Wot are your plans?

I do like St. Paul's Cathedral

So, like, you'll be pleased to know (or not, given that you're in an obnoxious mood these days and don't care for my writings anymore) (in which case I wonder why you keep popping by) (because deep down inside you know you adore me) that I have scored a flat. Yessiree bob, I have me a very nice 1 bd/1.5 bth/bney/air/pkg unit right by Central Square for September on. Yay me. It was hell getting it and it's stupidly expensive but at least I'm not homeless and now all we have to do is pray I get the keys before 7 pm on Aug 31 or the movers will have moved me with me not having a place to move to. You are, of course, welcome to visit whenever you like. There will be fluffy towels and lots of chocolate biccies for you.

Was back from Atlanta Thursday night, ran around signing leases on Friday and flew to London Friday night. London is a fantastic city with some very fantastic people. Sadly, I did not get to meet Walshy but perhaps next time. There will be a next time. There will be plenty of next times for I feel strangely drawn to that town. Perhaps it has something to do with all dem chocolate biccies.

Spent the weekend with RK and his clan and the rest of my clan in Rickmansworth. Black Cobra was very pleased to see me as I was to see her and full of Norway stories (remind me to scan in the postcard from the North Cape). Mum bought me a black cardigan and two pashminas which was much appreciated for London can get chilly in the evenings. Pops was in top form which is always good to see. RK's family were loud and plentiful (as usual) and a jolly good time was had by all. Except on Saturday when I sprained my left ankle (yes, again) (don't start on my case now, I'll get the damn surgery when I have the time to get the damn surgery) and was sulking for most of the day. A few quick ones at the Peking Garden and I was alright though. Becoming a member of the Barracuda Club was an added bonus.

Then I went to Horsley in East Surrey for company induction with a bunch of very odd but also amusing people. Horsley, if you've never been there, is by far the smallest village I've seen in a developed country. The people at induction were fine enough and there were a few I wanted to slap a number of times (but didn't). There were also the token drunken half-wits who thought it would be good fun to stagger into sessions hungover and sullen and general pain-in-arses after spending the better part of the night standing on pub benches belting out dirty Swedish jokes about seamen and penises. There was this one awful day when I had to walk 45 minutes to find a shop that sells toothpaste and hobble back on a very swollen foot and the center was a little primitive but it had a castle and a moat and some nice countryside with sheep and lots of gourmet food with gourmet wine and all that so it wasn't so bad.

Back for the weekend in Herts with RK and clan with the highlight of the trip being a visit with The Bean who I've always secretly been in love with and more so now that I've re-found him after 2.5 years. Sadly, he's seeing Malay nephrologists and is therefore not available and that besides the fact that we live on opposite ends of a very vast ocean puts a damper in my plans to have as many babies as I possibly can with him.

Saw many a London landmark but I couldn't possibly tell you about any of them because..well... quite frankly I wasn't in the touristy mood at all. They were very beautiful and memorable but I don't remember them. I think I was a little lonely. Well, I think I was very lonely. Seeing Beans was good for that. I had forgotten how much we had in common and how alike we were. It was refreshing to reconnect with an old pal who I once used to proudly call my twin. He has done very well for himself and seeing him happy made me happy. It also made me envious but mostly happy. He did say something that resonated with me about putting down roots and how we kids from Dubai who are third nationals always wonder about where we come from and where we belong. Before I do so, however, I think I want to do some intense European travelling and possibly living. I need to see more of the world.

I'm at crowded Heathrow now surrounded by annoyingly loud children (why is it illegal to slap other people's nasty kids?) and my BTOpenZone signal is very weak so this post will have to wait until I get back to Boston to be posted.

I did see Bar de lune's 3 cd collection of Punjabi Lounge music at the Duty Free but I think I'll just download it online instead. Bloody hell, I've just remembered I've checked in my headphones. Looks like I'll have to put up with the horrid screamers a little longer.

Back to Atlanta tomorrow early am.

Leave me a nice comment this time.

Didja miss me?! Huh? Huh? Didja?

Look listen, before you get on my case for being a statistic, let me impress upon you the stresses of a travelling consultant. There are plenty. And stressful too.

So lets see, wot have I been up to. Well, since the new job started, I had been whining about being off the clock because while it was nice to take long leisurely lunches with Khan, it was starting to get annoying having to rip the cobwebs off my feet and someone must have overheard becuase next thing I know, He Who Looks Like Sleepy Mouse is shipping me off to Atlanta to shadow on a client site. Very nice I think to myself. Off I go and bang, I get sold. So now it's Atlanta till the end of September. I leave at the crack of bleedin' dawn on Mondays and I stagger back home on Thursday nights leaving me Fridays to make sure my access still works at the Bosotn office and hang out with Khan on the weekends. The travel takes a little getting used to. I have now joined the hordes of travelling consultants who, the moment the fasten seatbelt sign has been switched off, reach for their laptops and in the eerie blue glow work on complicated looking spreadsheets. And it's always spreadsheets you notice? Never anything else. Just to be different, I worked on Visio diagrams instead. Just let them try to pigeon-hole me now!

I stay at the Westin in Buckhead (you simply must say that out loud in a Southern accent like so - Buuukhayed) which is very lovely hotel overlooking the Lenox Square area where there are such fine establishments such as Macys, Bloomingdales and Computer Depot. Thanks to Starwoods, I get the coveted pink key to the executive lounge, that haven of free breakfast, booze and dessert. Always a joy to stay at a Westin. I highly encourage it. And I'll bet you didn't know that the Heavenly concept came out of an MBA case competition.

Today has been a stressful day. I landed in Boston last night from Atlanta and took the day off today. Not to put my toesies up (or in soaking hot water because by god they need it) but to run around in 95 degree weather looking for a place to live come next year. And after many a disappointing visit, I am pleased to report that I have found me one. Apartment that is. In Central Square. On Mass Ave. Next to a communist pub. It's a largish affair with a balcony the size of my ego on the 10th floor with lovely views. Hopefully the skunk that's in there now will leave before Aug 31 and they can clean it for me and I don't have to cancel the movers. Keep your fingers crossed (release them if they turn blue).

I did get jipped on the price though. Paying through my nose AND had to fork over a broker fee. This world is not fair sometimes. But still, at least I won't be homeless again.

I'm at the airpot now and thanks to the wonders of iPass have replied to important email, ignored the calls to send in work and am booking my flights to Atlanta for the next month. This way I can be ensured that elusive window seat.

I have done something rather stupid in that in the rush to pack and get to the airport in time to beat the Red Sox traffic, I've forgotten to pack my laptop docking station which means I have no disk drive thereby rendering the DVD I had to watch on the plane, useless. I shall now have to buy a book. Any recommendations? Better make 'em quick - flight leaves in 2 hours.

Yes, I'm actually 2 hours early for my flight. Lets just say I got tired of running from security to the other end of the blasted airport with 3 minutes to final call all this last month. Plus I swear this is the first time the check-in line was not spilling over around the block.

Oo, better find the money exchange and get some pounds. That's right, I forgot to mention where I was going. Sunny London. Only apparently its not sunny there at all, something I find out when I check the weather at Logan airport after I've checked in my bags and realize that I've packed rubbish clothes for the trip. Oh well, Marks and Spencer it is.

Pops, Mum and Black Cobra are in London fresh off their Norweigian cruise. They very kindly twisted the knife into my heart about not being there and sent me a postcard from the northernmost habitable point in the world in which aurora borealis was nicely mentioned. Blast it, I should have taken the summer off. Oh well. Such is life.

Lets see, anything else? That's pretty much it I think. The rest is all mundane everyday stuff which isn't that interesting anyway. Wouldn't want to risk putting Connecticut Yankees to sleep and all.

I do have to say that I miss Khan in all this. Wish I could take him with me but sadly his 6'2" frame stubboarnly refuses to fit in my carry-on. Should learn to sleep on planes so am not so tired when I land so I can hang out with him. I haven't really been able to enjoy the Boston summer with all the concerts and things in the parks. But then again, such is life.

Some poor sod's missed their flight to Ireland on Air Lingus (giggle). There's a woman over there teaching her son the correct French way to say Au Bon Pain. There's a woman sitting across from me who has fallen asleep and I'll bet you she was supposed to be on that Dublin flight. There goes another kid with those wheely shoes. I should get me a pair of those. Why aren't there any spas at airports? I really could use a pedicure and a foot massage.

Oh, did I mention, I went to The Police reunion concert at Fenway? It was brillant.

So, didja miss me?