Ug . .It is late and I am tired! I cycled for 5.5 miles to get to the last Thursday stuff tonight. It was awesome! Spent 3.5 hours walking around looking at nutty people do nutty things, lots of arty/crafty stuff for sale, including a picture I want to buy. I wil lpost piccies over hte weekend.

The ride home was 6 miles, I went a longer but easier route. 2 roads are easier then 8 . . ..

Spoke to Smurf, I think she is hungover! Bless!

I am off for a de-ming shower! Enjoy your friday!!!

So after spending the last 4 months with the worlds worst cell phone it looks like I am now about to return to the Nokia stable! I am so damn happy I find it hard to explain! To start with I found a network over here that uses international standards! Then I found the codes to unlock my Nokia (I think I have anyhow). And to cap is all off, as a back up, I can get the SIM and a Nokia 6020 (very basic phone .. .) for $30. So even if I cannot unlock my 6230 I will still have a nokia J. Oh, and you just do not see the 6230 over here so it is a pretty unique handset too, who would have though!

Now you are probably wondering why I am so keen to get my 6230 up and running again. The answer is as follows:

· Nokia menus, they are intuitive.

· Predictive text. The LG I have at the mo makes Motorola look like a market leader . . .

· PC sync. . . This is a biggie, I keep all my contacts in Outlook and I miss being able sync them (along with my calenda and important notes) on to my phone. I have to carry my PDA around for that crap at the mo . . .

Three points are enough, anymore is just being bicthy!

UPDATE: I have my new SIM and number and $15 of phone credit. It all cost me . . .$15!!! Just need to get home and see if I can get it all to work . . .

Oh, and Smurf is trashed . . . she called me at 9:15pm, walking about town with her friends, absolutely wellied!!!! Very amusing ;)

There are important questions we all ask ourselves from time to time. Important questions like which episode of Top Gear would you choose to show a jolly foreigner?

Now I have to say the supercars in Paris would be my first pick. Marty went straight for the Bugatti (although I am sure he would prefer it if they squeezed an extra couple of turbos on the engine). But how about the Toyota HiLux? Or the Caravan conkers or cheap supercars . . . So many to choose from. . . What would you go for? I mean, this weeks episode must be up there, what with the amazing Parkour and shit Peugot! How about he Koeeeinnsiiiggg, the car that tried to kill the Stig and instead killed the lap record . . .

Top Gear is without a doubt the most consistently great program currently on TV. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

On another note I am definitely getting fitter. I have been alternating between golf and swimming each night with a few bike rides thrown in for good measure. Last night was the first time I really felt fitter. I was swimming in the apartment block pool and normally I am knackered after a few lengths, stop for a minute and go again, but last night was a good 15mins continuous swimming. May not sound much to most of you but it is a big step for me!

I am really hoping when I get back from my next business trip that I can get some people together to play some football. I really think the key to getting fit is a variety of activities that work different muscle groups. It also keeps it interesting.

I am definitely going to Timberline on the 12^th august. This week I have really felt a bit odd, I think it is because I have not boarded for a while. The more I think about it the more I want to go. It has got so bad now that when I get home from work tonight I will strap my board on and jump around the lounge a bit! lol!!!

Actually tonight is the now infamous “Last Thursday”. This is labelled as a counter-culture event. I say counter culture, but that is media bollocks for street party. It (apparently) started some time ago as an alternative to the “First Thursday” Portland Yuppie scene. That is something that local press coverage and is basically pseudo high society cock knocking . So the last Thursday event is a big old street part, carnival styleeee, in a relatively rough/poor area of Portland. The area known as NE Alberta is a rich diversity of African American, true Origonians (flip-flop wearing Vegan hippies), a load of jolly foreigners, a bunch of extrovert homosexuals and most importantly a contingent of egocentric arty feckers.

I am going along tonight, should be good for people watching! It all happens about 5.5 miles from my apartment, given that is will be only about 85degress today I will cycle there and back. With a backpack of Heineken!

Oh, and to cap it all off, Friday night is the Oregon beerfest . . .I have a 8:15 flight on Saturday morning . . . this will be interesting . . .

One final thing, there is a film coming out called beerfest . . . It looks awesome . . . go forth and google!!!

Stolen from Marty who stole it from Kate .. .

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shitfaced
42. Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Got married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Got divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Got a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Written articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

What a week! I got back from NY on Friday night and had a chance to relax at last! Saturday was a great day. I nice lie in, then I got out to play some football for a couple of hours. I think I am slowly shedding those extra pounds I piled on when Smurf was here, too much eating and drinking!

After playing football for a couple of hours I got cleaned up and went for a bout of Poker at the Bitter End Pub. Problem was once I was there I was more interested in drinking beer then playing poker! So I ditched the car and got on it! Overall I lost at poker, at $5 for a set of chips I lost $15 . . . Not good! By this point we had decided to go over to Ben’s to play more (a band was starting and the smack talk had just started!) So a few Millers later and I had clawed a hand back! $15 back in my pocket! I was now only $5 down. Coolio! As yo may guess by the end of the night I was actually $10 down and very drunk! So the magic car came and picked us up and took us to our respective beds to sleep off the booze . . . .

Sunday was interesting . . . I woke up at 9am, thought, nope. I am not ready for the world yet . . So I dived back under my duvet for another hour. Then I realised. My car. It was at the pub. In a “2 hour only” parking spot.

Bugger.

So I jump up, grab a bottle of water from the fridge, get the bike and start on the bike ride to the pub. Now keep in mind if you go the direct route it is 7 miles direct route but I was hung over, so it was not quick and easy . . . On the way I saw parts of Portland that I had not seen before, really nice rivers and paths, a couple of parks and stuff. I even stopped at PIR and in the car park there were some people getting ivolved in an organise drifting day. Was really cool, wish I had my camera as there was Initial D style corolla (Truero) out there. Don’t worry if that does not make sense to you, it is a car/animie thing! Any how, It took me about an hour and a half to get to the car (Including stopping to watch the drifting and make a call to Smurf). It works out that it is quicker to cycle to the Bitter End then to get the Max. The Max take about 1 hour door to door and cycling is about 45 mins.

Cool.

Anyhow, when I got to my car I felt much better! So I drove home and kipped on the sofa! I popped back to Bens later in the day to help strip his 1993 RX7 engine (B13, for those that understand). We ate pizza (NEVER have a Taco pizza), watched some drifting, played Burnout3, degreased some engine bits and generally chilled. We were supposed to go play football again but the guy organising it was having a major crisis, his wife dinked the new M3 . . . and lied about it . . . so we never found out where the game was happening . . . Booooo-hiissssss!!

So that was the weekend that was!

As some of you know I am in NY at the mo working at our office there. What you will not know is that a tornado hit this area yesterday! All very exciting. The road my hotel is on was closed off and I ended up in New Jersey at 3am trying to find a place to crash out.

I am fine so don't worry about calling, I did not even realise what was happening untill went to leave the office!

Here are some pics of the view outside. These are basically on the raod where my hotel is. The petrol station is the opposite saide of the road . . . I wish I had my camera with me as the view is really wierd!!!