will summarise the january options in the next post

but first.... they've finally decided on a place to start work on a nuclear Fusion plant!

nomadlife gathering

there's been some rumors about a nomadlife gathering this january...but apparently surya says turkey's too cold at that time of the year. any disagreement?
(who am i to speak - and i won't reccomend london)
But if we're going to do this we should start talking seriously now. we've got hordes of bloggers in the middle east and some newbies in africa...anyone out there up for hosting/showing off with pride your current location?

i'm supposed to be a sustainability consultant

but i rode in a vovlo over 1,200 miles this weekend to france, to watch a car race. the le mans....24 hours, 3 categories, and 90 something gorgeous cars. not to mention 1/2 a million car buffs from all over europe who towed, drove, and even flew their (sometimes) amazing race/classic vehicles to north western france. i'm ignoring the CO2 emissions!!

you think, a car race - they all line up, go by a couple of times, and then the one with the most sponsorship wins. this starts on saturday at 4 sharp, and about 15 minutes later (3 or so laps) you realise what 24 hours means. it means dinner with a dull roar in the background, walks through dark french forests at 3am with cars roaring at 200mph beside you, waking up to catch the news on the radio... it's an endurance race, and the cars that survive win. drivers change every 3 hours. 3 hours of tight corners, acceleration to flat out, deceleration, more tight corners: 8 miles of tarmac, done over and over. if you break down, you loose time and laps, and it's difficult to catch up.

don't worry, i did spend sunday tasting wine in the loire, and eating great cheese. and i left my laptop behind. no tv, only french or race radio, and gorgeous scenery.

north west france looks a lot like kansas, or even flat texas. industrial agriculture for miles, with bits of trees between.

junk usa

so there's this organic store in surrey, england that sells - among the locally grown no pesticides added veg and fruit - american junk food. andrew bought me a shipment of strawberry poptarts, betty crocker premade chocolate icing, a superpack of oreo cookies, and a jar of vlasic dill pickles. i vetoed the froot loops, marshmellow fluff, and kraft mac and cheese. you know what i love the most? the dill pickles. i never thought i'd sit at my office desk craving the juicy coldness of water, cucumber and salt. but i fish them out of the glass jar, suck off the juice and slow...wait, this sounds like a cheap porn.

ohyeah

ohyeah
Originally uploaded by wonderwomanyank.

he be off

sarahmeljesse
Originally uploaded by wonderwomanyank.

his highness is moving to cameroon in september with the peace corps, and i'm gonna to miss him. i don't even live near him now, and i'm gonna miss the man. but he's closer now, so perhaps there is an equitorial christmas coming on.

millenium bridge

millenium bridge
Originally uploaded by wonderwomanyank.

newcastle. after a few rounds...

boom boom

E-cyclopedia's first annual guide to youth-speak for the not-so-young. bbc

boom boom - a slogan of approval in inner-city London. There was much debate during the election campaign about whether Tony Blair was booed or boomed at the Lilian Bayliss Technology School in London.

what's your pirate name

My pirate name is:

Dread Pirate Read

Like the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, you have a keen head for how to make a profit. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

reflection

i had a bit of a think about my last two weeks and thought i'd share some of it after all. highlights include -
*running at 6am along the river in newcastle, under some of the most gorgeous bridges in the world with the smell of the sea rising up into the city
*oysters and venison at cafe 21
* jumping fences at jesus college in cambridge to scare the swans
*helping run a visioning session with local residents in newcastle on what they want thier city to be in 10 years (what's the essence of your city?)
*getting kicked of the lawns at downing college twice in three days (no walking on the grass!!!)
*wearing a linen suit and drinking chablis at dusk while missing texas' jeans and beer
*listening to a lecture on energy policy in america (at our office) and discussing planning policy with the deputy mayor of london
*running after cabs in deserted london 3am streets because david's late for the airport
*representing my company at a tender presentation alongside architect and urban design firms

i have photos somewhere. they'll be up soon.

are you even in london?

jen's txt yesterday. i hadn't seen my flatmates for more than a few minutes since weeks ago.
work's been busy and all over the country, but good. i've learned more in the last two weeks than i can begin to write. seminars on community and urban regeneration with some of the best minds in the UK, a day on accesibility and movement, trying to debate naked streets and car parking standards....

ill try to write more soon, as i'll be at home in london for the next few days. then off to france for the le mans with friends. today however, is for cleaning and relaxing alone. time with me.

before death

the tangental slash of contessa's question brought back memories of my pre-job psychological battles - what is the point of life? what do i want to do before i die? how do i want to live my life? it's horrifying to realise, but i run the daily grind - the hamster wheel - because it provides a definable framework for motivation. i don't have time to ask what i want in life when we're hosting a site vision and design workshop tomorrow in Newcastle and i need to learn about ecohomes and parking standards for the masterplan tender in Southwark on thursday. i know that if i do well these months, i'll advance within my company.

but if someone presssd the 'reboot' button on me, would i load the same programme again? yes. i like what i do, i just haven't figured out where I want to take it. i like where i live and how i live it, i just need to earn a higher salary to take full advantage of london's opportunities. and as i keep reiterating to myself, it all takes time. and i've grown up quick enough already.