US and Thailand 2010

Last day in Pattaya

2010-04-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10th

It was a quiet day for my last day here. After breakfast and dropping off my laudry, I headed for Tukcom, the tech centre. As it happened I was a bit early and so I walked down the road and around the temple there. I haven't been to this temple before despite this being my 3rd trip.

Back at Tukcom, I bought a game for a friend and looked at other options but didn't buy anything.

Back at the hotel I installed the game to make sure it worked (a golf simulation) and tested it out. I then had a brief swim before heading out for a late lunch. I had some Pad Thai at a fairly basic restaurant at the side of the road. I'd eaten there several times last year but when I'd gone there this time they'd been closed.

From there I tried to find the second hand book shop I remembered from previous trips but it seems to have gone, as does the one that was near the hotel. I caught a baht bus to the Central shopping mall but there was nothing there so after taking 2 more buses I got to Festival and bought "the girl with the dragon tattoo".

By the time I got back to my room it was getting on to 6 o'clock so I picked up my laundry and went to Le Katai. There were 3 of our group still there watching the replay of the Masters. We watched a fair bit of that before Bruce and I headed round the corner to the place that Marie and I ate at the other day. The food is fine but more importantly it is airconditioned. We were able to see more of the gold as well.

I've now packed my golf bag and most of my suit case so I just have to chuck in the bathroom gear tomorrow morning and I'll be ready to go.

Monkeying a round

2010-04-09T04:41:00.000-07:00

Friday 9th

Today we played the so called Monkey course at Bangpra. Monkeys are quite common on this course and we were warned not to leave anything loose in the cart. There are stories of phones and cameras disappearing into the bush.

We saw the first ones around the first green and while they weren't everywhere, they were on a lot of holes. On the 17th there was a group of them having a swim in the water hazard.

I had a shocker of a round today but I was not the only one. My 21 points was the worst of my scores here and it was only a par on the last hole that kicked me over 20 points. Again my driving wasn't all that bad but chipping let me down and I wasted quite a few shots in sand traps.

The course itself was very good certainly as good or better than any of the others we played, with the exception of the greens, which had been cored. I didn't think I putted too badly nonetheless but others got very frustrated with the greens.

The course is very pretty with lots of water and flowers about.

When we got back to Le Katai, Danny got one of the buses to drive to our hotel with our bags. When I checked my email I found that the wife of a close friend passed away a few days ago. I was able to call him and will be back home in time for the funeral. It puts the bad chips into perspective.

The truth is out there, Scully

2010-04-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday 8th

This morning we finally got to the Sanctuary of Truth. This is a large wooden temple like structure which has been under construction for 28 years or so and is expected to take another 18years to complete. One of the guys went there last year but I didn't know about it till after he gave me a copy of his photos.

Marie and Bruce came as well and we found a Baht bus driver who was happy to take us there for 100B total. He then waited and bought us back for a similar amount.

The entry was 500b and they tried to sell us a pony ride as well, which included a massage for 750 but we declined. We did, however, get the free pony ride from the entrance to the lookout point. There you can get an overview of the building before climbing down the steps to the lower level. They give you a gard hat to wear since it is technically a construction site. However most of the workers don't wear them so maybe its a liability thing for the tourists.

The building itself is made from wood, intricately carved into scenes of gods, animals and so forth. Obviously a lot of work to create something like this as the wood seemed very hard. The workers were hitting their chisels with mallets to make progress.

The site is on a bluff by the beach with bays both sides. There are some small lagoons behind the building and there was a dolphin show but we didn't want to wait another 40 minutes for it. I did see one dolphin who seemed very lethargic. Maybe just resting up before his performance.

It was quite pleasant to get back to the air-conditioning at the hotel. Our outing took a couple of hours which was about right as we had enough time to enjoy the sight seeing without getting overly bored and hot.

I emrged a few hours later for lunch at Le Katai, having a pasty of all things. There were a couple of the guys around the pool but I decided I didn't really want a swim and that it was more pleasant inside than out. I eventually fell asleep and woke up after 6. After picking up my laundry, I returned to Lekati for Dane's 50th Birthday party.

They had a pig on a spit and it was just melt in your mouth delicious. There was also a smorgasbord with chicken, salad, spring rolls and fruit. There was a big turn out - most of the Collier crew plus a lot of the other golfers he'd met over here plus his family who'd flown over the previous day.

I left about 11 and answered a few emails before heading to bed.

Great play at Great Lakes

2010-04-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 7th

Today we played the Great Lakes course at Rayong country club. Danny had put the 4 ladies together today - Myself and Marie, with 2 Thai ladies, Pim and Jenny. Since I was only playing with ladies, I played off the red tees, which is where I should play all the time since that is the basis for my handicap. However when I'm not in a comp and playing with men I usually play off the same tees as them.

The course really is much shorter from the reds, in this case 1300 yards shorter. This didn't necessarily make it easier as the pars 3s were only 85 to 109 yards long so I couldn't take a full swing. I missed one long, one short, one right and hit the last for a birdie.

I finally found some form today also scoring a birdie on the par 4 second and 7 pars. overall I had 38 points, 2 better than my handicap. The Thai girls had 45 and 41 with Marie bringing up the rear with 37, still better than her handicap.

I was playing so well I almost forgot to take any photos but took this pair that show 2 of the par 3s that are effectively side by side although one is the 5th and the other the 12th.

One of the guys had a new video camera and unbeknownst to me, took a shot of one of my drives. This confirmed my suspicions that I have gone back to my old style - pre lesson and that is why I am getting a sore elbow. Finishing with elbows apart like chicken wings. Actually it wasn't too painful today and my knee which gave me lots of trouble just around town yesterday was also not causing any problems today.

I only had a couple of drinks and then came back to my room. I have changed my flight to Thursday extended my stay here 1 night and booked a hotel in Bangkok.

No golf today

2010-04-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 6th

Now that I don't have to be back home for pennants on Sunday I am plannign to have a few days in Bangkok. I'd originally planned to stay there before I came to golf but finished up going to Wichian Buri instead. Of course I have to check that I can change my flights first. I called the Qantas number in Bangkok and found out today is a public holiday here. I was transferred to an international call centre but gave up after 10 minutes.

I was wandering down to Le Katai after a late breakfast and dropping my laundry on the way. I heard my name called and turned around to see Kevin, the last of the Collier Park group to arrive waving from his taxi. I dropped my laundry and went back to see him. We both then headed to Le Katai.

Dane, Dave and Jason were there and we had a few drinks and then headed for the Soi Bua Khao Markets. These are under canvas and within a very short time after entering I was dripping with sweat, enough to elicit comments not only from the guys but from one of the stall holders. If you weren't in front of a fan or getting some breeze it was stifling. I wasn't in any state to try stuff on, even if I foiuund something than may have been in my size. I wandered ahead of the guys and when they didn't catch up heade round the corner to the air-conditioned Tukcom building.

Here is where they see the technical stuff. Phones, cameras computers and DVDS, CDS etc. I looked around for a while but didn't buy anything. eventually I took a baht bus back to the hotel, put on the air con and read for a while, possibly having a nap as well.

At 6 i returned to Le Katai and 15 of us got on a baht bus and when to Porn's restaurant. She is a "friend" of one of the guys and her niece is with one of the others. Her place was the other side of the main rad to Bangkok and certainly no place we would have gone to accidentally. Most of us had steak and then she presented everybody with a "lady drink" these turned out to be some 39% proof spirit with some sickly cordial in it. very sweet and quite potent, if you could stomach the sweetness. Most of the glasses didn't get finished. we also had plates of sweets and then apple pie and fresh fruit. All this and some soft drinks for under $7.

They had a fish tank in the corner with one very large white fish in it. When I put my face close to the tank it shook its head opened its mouth as if it was laughing at me. Some of the others come up and it did the same thing to them, to everybody's amusement.

I was happy enough to come back to the hotel once we returned. It is reasonably pleasant out now but it was very hot and humid during the day. Marie and a couple of others played golf and she is quite burnt on her shoulders. I wore the same tank top I wore in the garden back home one day which left me sunburnt for 3 or 4 days. This time I made sure the sun screen reached all the way to the edge of the shirt.

We're in the Navy

2010-04-06T03:53:00.000-07:00

Monday 5th

Today was the first official round for the Collier competition, although since I am no longer a member I am not part of it. In fact there are 3 tourists who are not members as well as some others from Le Katai who are playing with the group as well. Only Dane of our foursome was actually competing.

We played at the Royal Navy course at Plutaluang about 40 minutes south of Pattaya. Last year we played the East and West courses and this time we started on the South. Once again my short game let me done with some lovely drives turned into bad scores, although I did start to get more confident on the putting. I had a run of 2 pars on the from 9 for 11 points. I guess the most "interesting" hole was the 9th. I was sharing a cart with Gerald, another Canadian and after birdie-ing the 7th he'd had a bad score on the 8th. My drive was within 100yards of the hole but Gerald's drive hadn't even rolled all the way down the slope in front of the tee, then he had a miss and was still well behind my drive after his 3rd. When he asked his caddie how far it was to the creek in front of the green I replied " about 3 shots the way you hit them". He then had another miss before passing my drive with his 5th shot.

However, I stuffed my 2nd into the water, dropped out, hit the bank with the next shot and dropped back in before chipping onto the green and 3 putting for a 9, the same as Gerald. The other two had likewise hit into the creek and had 7 or 8.

Then things got a bit unsettling. The caddies first directed us to the East course but we wanted to play the North, since we hadn't played it before and it has the signature lighthouse hole. We were so far ahead of the next group that Gerald rightly suggested we'd better send a caddie back to tell them where we were going so that we all played the same holes. Dane and Jason meanwhile had already hit off and weren't happy to have to wait. Things settled down after a bit and we did play the Lighthouse. I overshot and had to drop and play a second ball, Gerald and Dane (in red) gave up after a couple in the water but Jason (in Yellow) manage to hit the island an putt in from off the green for a birdie.

In the end my back 9 wasn't too bad with 16 points - 2 over my handicap. My 18 hole score was still dismal - 27 points, 9 over my handicap.

I had no problems with me knee today but my elbow was very sore at the end and for the last few holes, every shot was painful.

Ditto

2010-04-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday 4th

It is Easter this weekend and the second year in a row that I have been in Thailand for the holiday.

The weather here has been hot and humid since I arrived, with temps in the mid to high 30s.

This morning the 5 of us who are staying at the Areca headed up to the Pattaya Sports Club. Dane had been given applications forms and photos by half a dozen of us so he could join us up before we arrived. However I was the only one who had actually read the form and realised that a 1" x 1" photo was required not the usual passport size. Consequently only Dane, who was their in person for a replacement photo and myself were actually enrolled. The other 4 were heading there to get their photos taken and make their application today. We grabbed a Baht bus and the process, once we arrived was fairly quick and easy.

After that we went to Lotus where I got some more coat hangers and Marie a power converter. We didn't get inspired by the clothes. We'd left the boys to make their own way but they were still in the coffee shop when we came down. We joined then for a drink and then Marie and I headed off to the Festival shopping centre. Lots of nice shops but again no sales for me but Marie bought some gym gear. WE visited Grand Plaza after that and then headed back to the hotel. We actually went passed it and had lunch at a cafe around the corner.

After that we went back to the hotel and joined the boys at the back pool. I had a few swims, read a bit and had a short nap. Tough job but somebody's got to do it.

About 6 I headed to the embroidery shop and picked up the caps and took them to Le Katai. The same 4 were there and just as we were heading off for dinner an hour later, the bus with some of the others pulled up so I gave out theirs as well. I then caught up with the Areca group for dinner at KIss followed by a walk through Mikes mall and a coffee before retiring.

A lazy day

2010-04-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday 3rd

Once again I was awake around 5 and again I did some work for Houston. If I can't sleep I might as well be getting paid for being awake.

I headed for breakfast just before 7, which turned out to be a bit early as they were still setting up. Since the pre-cooked eggs and the omelette chef were not ready, I had some Asian food instead, realising it was the first of that fare since I arrived 4 days ago. It was very nice although a little out of the ordinary for me for breakfast.

The hotel has 2 pools. Once is in the courtyard between the reception area and the restaurant in the front building and the other is between the 2nd and 3rd buildings. My room is in the second building, on the 4th floor.

After breakfast, I headed for Lotus/Tesco. However I got on the Baht bus on the wrong street and it only got about half way there before it turned onto a cross road. I walked up to the next road to catch another bus toget there. Fortunately, they are open from 6 am so I was able to go right in. I tried on one dress but it wasn't a good fit but bought some sunscreen and coat hangers. I then checked out the big jewellery store across the road but didn't buy anything, but looked at some dangly Topaz earrings. I walked a bit further and saw a hairdresser was open so I got my haircut there. - B400 or about $12. After that I caught the baht bus back to the grand plaza shopping centre opposite the beach. It was still closed as it wasn't 11 am yet. I walked back along the beach to Mike's mall which was also closed but one of the stalls out side was open and I bought a couple of light dresses for about the price of a haircut, each. It is quite humid here so even though I have polo shirts and skorts for golf, it is cooler wearing dresses otherwise.

I gave up waiting for the malls to open and headed back to the hotel where I went for a swim, read my book and had a nap by the pool. I went out for a late lunch and then spent some time chatting with Bruce, who was at the other pool. About 3 I headed for Le Katai, but none of our crew was there so I had a foot massage nearby. Dane and Jason were back when I'd finished and Bruce and the Rev turned up later. I had another couple of beers before heading out for dinner with Bruce. We went to the smorgasbord place I've been to a couple of times on previous trips. I'd got all the details for the caps so we headed to the embroidery shop, catching them just as they were about to leave. However they stayed to take our order, so I don't need to go there in the morning.

There was an email telling me I won't be needed for pennants so I may stay a few extra days now. I was only leaving Saturday to be back in time.

Its only 9 now but I'm ready to call it a day.

More long drives

2010-04-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

Friday 2nd

I was awake about 5 this morning so I decided to do a small job for the guys in Houston. One of the calculations was not including a particular correction, that was present in the otehrs, and they needed it for a current job.

After that I had breakfast and then took my clubs to Le Katai. This is about 500m from my hotel so rather than carry the bag, I wheeled it there in the travel bag, which I then bought back to the hotel. It was bad enough wheeling it.

I then got my dirty clothes and found a laundry that would have them ready by the end of the day. I am running out of clean stuff.

A couple of the guys were at Le Katai when I went back at 9 to catch the mini bus to golf, including Dane who was very happy to get his wedges.

Today I played my first round of golf in Thailand for a year. We played Emerald which was one the the courses we played last year, which I thought was reasonable but not great. I still have that opinion this year, nothing wrong with it but not extra special either. The course was designed by Nick Faldo and one of the characteristic features would be the mounds that are present on virtually every hole.

I was the only one from the Collier group to play, with the rest of the group of 10 being part of the Le Katai golf group. We played in groups of 3,3 and 4. I played with Steve, an English guy, who shared a cart with me and Thomas, a French Canadian, who walked. We got round in under 4 hours which was more than acceptable. The greens fees with a cart and caddy were about A$40 and with transport, drinks, tips etc it was about $60 all up.

I started very well, just missing a par putt on the first then getting birdie then par on the next 2 before the wheels fell off. I drove really well but my chipping and putting were not very good. This was nowhere more starkly illustrated than the 340 yard, par 4, 11 th hole. My drive was on the fairway no more than 20 yards from the green and I still finished with a 7 - 3 chips and 3 putts.

I did finish well, putting in from off the green for a birdie on the 18th. I missed only 1 fairway and 1 green on the back 9, but still only had 12 points. With only 11 on the front 9, it was a fairly dismal score, 13 over my handicap.

We spent about 1/2 hour at the bar after the game, waiting for everyone to finish their rounds, shower etc. I even had a beer it was that hot. I think it was probably her last year when I had the previous beer.

Once we got back to Pattaya I went back to the hotel, showered and changed into the halter dress I'd bought in Houston. It was much more comfortable with the heat and humidity. I have one otehr similar dress so I'll try and get some more here.

I headed to the embroidery shop, took photos of patterns and got prices for our souvenir caps. I have organised these the last 2 times I came but surprisingly (!) no-one bothered the year I missed it. I was told they that wanted to get some but couldn't find the shop.

I had fish and chips for dinner, at Le Katai, since they was the Friday special and the guys at golf had recommended it. I had a number of soft drinks but no alcohol. Various members of the Collier group turned up as the evening progressed. TB and Marie had flown in from Laos that afternoon and arrived later in the evening. I got some preferences for caps and headed for bed about 10.

A long drive

2010-04-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday 1st April

I had another reasonable night's sleep although again I had a few hours awake in the middle of the night. This despite the mattress being rock hard. Fortunately this was my second and last night.

I had mostly packed so after breakfast, I had only to clean my teeth and pack my wet pack. We were off to the office shortly after 8. I finished a few things from last night and was working on anew report when it was time for the show and tell meeting. This went fairly well I hope and at the end some of the younger techs were keen to learn about the graphics options.

I spent the rest of the morning finishing of the new reports and adding extra info to some existing ones. They then wanted me to change the order of the wells on the daily report to group them by licence. This changed the way the data was scanned but was not too difficult. I put up the new version ofn the server and after a few more bugs fixes we agreed it was done.

I left for Pattaya about 1/4 to 4. Again they had organised a minibus as their drivers were all occupied. While it was even more comfortable than the one up, the disadvantage was the driver hardly got above 100kph and sometimes was driving even slower. My driver from last year woudl have been doing at least 120 all the way.

Consequently it took 6 hours to get to Pattaya. I read a bit for the first part and was able to lie across the seats an get a bit of a rest. We stopped at a service station after turning off the main road to Bangkok and onto the one to the airport, where I got a drink and some chocolate bars. It was dark by then and when we headed off I discovered that the left most seat reclined almost flat. I fell asleep after that and woke up when we were nearly to Pattaya, so I must have had 2 or 3 hours.

We found the hotel easily enough and I left without unpacking to change some money. I still had about 2500 baht but had to put a 100baht deposit on the key. I then headed for Le Katai where 5 or so of our group were ensconced. I caught up with them and had a few iced teas.

Dane had my Pattaya Sports club card for me. Apparently he'd been asked to join up half a dozen of our group but I was the only one who's read the application and provided the right sized phot, which was much smaller than a normal passport.

I headed back to my hotel about 11 and showed the card, which reduced my rate by 10% and will save me 1400 for the 900 it cost me. I then unpacked and had a shower.

This hotel (Areca Lodge) is much nicer than the Opey where we started the previous times. It actually has a bath for a start so the floor doesn't get completely wet when you shower like the OPey and indeed like the Pyramid in Wichian Buri. The room seems bigger as well and I have a view over the back pool. There's another one in the front building.

I'm organised for golf tomorrow so I should get some sleep.

A long night's journey into day

2010-04-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 30th

The flight from SF to Hong Kong was not too bad. It was after 3 am Houston time when we boarded so by the time we had a meal it was well past bed time and I fell asleep easily. I had about 4 1/2 hours before I woke up. I watched the latest Twilight film and then tried to get some more sleep with some success.

Once in HK I headed for the Cathay lounge, going up the escalator and down again several times before I finally found it.

I nearly missed my flight to Bangkok. I was doing some work and looked at the time, realised I had about 20 minutes and packed up. I had not realised how far it was to the departure gate and that I'd have to take a train to get there. I was still on the escalator when one train left so that added a few more minutes to my time. When I got to the other end a girl was asking if anyone was for Bangkok and radioed ahead to say I was on my way. I was the last on the plane and they said my bags had been unloaded put they would try to put them back on. The flight itself was ok and too short for a movie but I watched an episode of top gear.

Both my bags were on the plane but it took a while before they came out. Then I was through the exit doors and looking for my driver. He was where I expected after last time holding up a sign with an approximation of my name. Fortunate, since they'd changed the driver again (for the 3rd time) and I didn't see the email with the new name and number till I got to the office. Rather than a staff driver in a 4 cab ute, I was in a 9 seater mini bus, the only passenger. I asked to stop at a 7-11 and got a sim card and some minutes. We then headed North and I was able to read for a bit and even got a nap in before waking with about 1/2 hour to go. I tried to ring Jim on his mobile and the office without success. However the driver took me to the office anyway. Jim it turned out was in Bangkok abut arrived later in the day. I talked with Pon and Amuwat, neither of whom I remembered from the last trip. There has been quite a few changes in personal in the last year including the loss of one of the field managers and a group of locals. The company has put in a middle management level of locals which is helping to get things sorted out.

However there were a number of people that I did know from previous trips and they greeted me with what seemed genuine affection.

There have been some obvious changes, since my last visit, which was just under 12 months ago. The 2 buildings at the office have now been joined together with the gap now containing another couple of offices. There are a number of new storage sheds as well. The office I used, which seemed to have been empty while I was away now has 2 people in it. The one across the hall has 3 desks instead of one.

At the hotel, the canteen has been glassed in and air conditioned. I also see that the pink house near the office is now occupied. It was mostly built when I came on my first trip nearly 2 years ago but worked stopped due to lack of funds, I was told. The River is low but not as low as last year and the potato field are ready to be planted.

I left the office about 6, just as the sun was setting. I had a steak for dinner and watched the news. I was trying to read the Sunday paper and fell asleep so headed for bed. I tried to ring Ed, one of the golfers, who was supposed to be here already but got no answer. I fell asleep before 8 and then got a call back from Ed which woke me up. He has booked me for Friday's game.

I slept through to 7:30 although I did have an hour awake around 4 am.

Wednesday 31st

I'd asked the driver to pick me up at 8 and it was about that by the time I finished my shower and got dressed. I had a quick breakfast and put out my washing.

The office that I used the last few times now has 2 people in it and generally there are more people in the office now. I was set up in the old operations room which will become a radio room later.

I was able to get the changes for the gas production made as well as extra fields that were to be imported from the new well sheets. I also wrote a new report and updated a couple fo others. At the end of the day I updated the live system and converted the data. I heade back to the hotel about 6.

I had another steak, followed by icecream and was starting on the blog when the phone rang. They were having a problem and wanted to go back to the old version. They sent a driver to take me back to the office. I couldn't find a recent version on either my PC or their server but it turned out to be a simple fix anyway, so I updated the server again and they seemed to be happy.

I tried to connect to the net at the hotel and briefly had google on screen before losing the connection. Ironically, I can send and receive emails at the office, upload via FTP but can't access web pages. I think its an issue with the DNS server but won't worry about it.

Unfortunately I missed the laundry pick up this morning and don't want to risk delaying my departure tomorrow because its not back, so I'll just have to get it done when I get to Pattaya.

Last round please

2010-03-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday 28th

I put through a final load of washing last night and packed as much as I could. Once I had my shower this morning the last few items went into the suitcase and I started loading the car. It was a bit after 10 when I left and I drove passed the mall and took a few more photos before heading to the TPC for a final round of golf for this trip.

It was even quieter today with only 6 players, including me, from The Rack. I played with Terry, one of the organisers and whom I'd been talking to yesterday after the game at the Player course. The other 4 played behind us.

I was hitting the ball really well today but an OB and a top in the water plus some putting lapses gave me a poor start before I started getting some pars. I finished with 91 a few better than when I played this course 2 weeks ago. It was fairly sunny today but quite windy.

Because of the low numbers there was no comp organised so I have in fact finished with a bit of $30 to take home. Not a bad amount as it'll be a starter for the next trip without tying up a lot of money.

I headed to Tony's dropping my library books off on the way. I had enough time to clean and pack the golf clubs and have a bit of a chat before having a shower and changing for the trip. I had a bit of a shock when I checked my itinerary to see I was flying out of San Francisco and not LA, until I check the domestic and found that was also going to SF. I remember the travel agent saying there were no ticket left to Hong Kong from SF when I first made my enquiry but forgot that she had looked at the wrong day and the second visit had shown they were still available.

I left Tony's about 6pm and by the time I'd returned the car and got to the terminal an hour had passed. I nearly only checked my baggage to SF but they were able to grab my golf bag before it disappeared and then reticket them all the way to Bangkok.

It was till 1 1/2 hours till my flight with no access to the lounge. I walked to the departure gate which was literally the farthest one from the check in counter and went to the loo where I found a phone (and some tickets) some one had left earlier. I tried to call the number that had 4 missed calls but it was blocked and eventually got through to customer service telling them the phone had been found and was being handed to airline staff. This filled in some of the wait time and i did some crosswords until the flight boarded.

I was in seat 1A so had a good view of the lights of Houston as we took off and some other cities we flew over but unfortunately it didn't photograph. I watched some standup on the TV, then the end of the cartoon movie 51 and then the golf before dozing off for a bit.

Check in at this end was quite quick and I was in the lounge within half an hour of getting off in the domestic terminal. there's only 15 minutes till boarding.

Re-Player

2010-03-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday 27th

The Rack golf group was playing at the Player course again but becuase many of them were at a tournament, there were only 2 groups. This caught me out since I had been practicing chips and bunker shots and hadn't hit any drives or putts. The last couple of times it was nearly and hour between the first group and my group.

I again played in a 5, with 3 of the others being the same 3 as 2 weeks ago and Dan being the new one. Lee was at the tournament.

However, I still started with a lovely straight drive, but caught the bunker with my second and finished with a wipe. In the end I played somewhat erratically with often a string of pars then some horrible holes. I had a 93 - 4 worse than the first game. I did notice that I only missed 1 fairway on the back 9 and had some massive drives of 270 - 285 yards. I again played off the blue tees.

Because of the small numbers it was decided each of us would put in $5 and play skins only - ie you only won if you had a solo lowest score on a hole. I finished up winning $20, although I think I may have been over paid.

Still it was fortunate. I bought some replacement padlocks and had only slightly over $200 left in US currency. Green fees are $86 and we put $20 into the comp normally, so I could have been already over that on 2 normal days. I bought a sandwich after the 9th and then thought that it could have caused me to run out of money on Sunday. As it is I think I have just enought for tomorrow as long as I don't get into any side bets.

I am currently putting through a final wash before starting to pack. When I got to the laundry, 1 machine was half way through its cycle and the other 2 had finished and had baskets on top. I emptied one and was amazed at how much they managed to stuff into a single load. I'm surprised the machine could even spin.

I'll play golf with these guys again tomorrow, so I'll need to be ready to leave the room by 10-30.

I get a Brazilian

2010-03-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Friday 26th

Today was the last day in the office and I sepent some of it with fine tuning and bug fixing and some of it discussing concepts so that I have some idea when the enhancements come to my inbox.

There seems to be general agreement that my visit has been worthwhiole and that our achievements have justified the cost. Tony seems keen to get me over twice a year (possible) but Goke was suggesting every 3 months (not likely).

Eventually the day was over but most people had already left and made their goodbyes.

Tony and Lisa invited me our to the Brazilian Restaurant, with Andy and Leslie, who I'd met at the concert last year also came. This is the gaucho style, where there is a big salad bar where you serve yourself, but the meat is delivered to the table on long skewers. You choose which of the offerings you want and how much. There were 4 or 5 types of steak, chicken, pork and prawns. Needless to say, it is tempting to overeat. However, I at least didn't have any desert unlike some of the others.

Middle little pigs

2010-03-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday 25th

I seem to be back to normal today, thank goodness. I worked with Brandon today sprucing up the raw data plots. I also fixed a bug in surge and swab that I introduced recently.

Then Richard and Brandon takes about imaging the data. Ie using coloured bands to indicate values rather than displaying curves.

I did a proof of concept on the raw data displaying up to 9 tracks side by side as images. Richard supplied me with a default colour mapping which I then incorporated.

I then discussed how we might implement this with Brandon and came up with some ideas.

On the way home I stopped in at a new subdivision and took these photos to illustrate why Americans are like the middle little pig - the one that built his house from sticks.

I had bought a lasagne for lunch but I also bought some soup which was more than enough. I went to the dining room at the hotel to try and get some salad dressing and decided the pasta and salad on offer was good enough, so the lasagne will be for another time.

After dinner I worked on my idea for the imaging and was able to complete the option by 9 o'clock.

Sick and Tired

2010-03-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 23rd

Was it some thing I ate last night or just the cumulation of too much rich food? I went to sleep about 10 but from 3 onwards I slipped in and out of sleep. I forced myself to get into the shower about 7 but was so tired I had to lie down again. I was also a bit woosy in my stomach. I eventually got to work via the chemist.

I really plodded along for the morning and about 1pm I headed back to the hotle and had a couple of hours sleep. After that I felt a bit better and was able to work on the surge and swab calculations which I eventually got working by about 10.

Wednesday 24th

I felt much better today and spent most of it with Tony running through the new options, fixing any bugs that came up and generally tidying up.

After having just 2 apples since yesterday morning, I had a turkey wrap for lunch but still don't feel like eating tonight.

The Maine event

2010-03-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Monday 22nd

Back to spring weather today. Hard to believe we had such a rotten weekend with both Friday and today being sunny and warm.

I decided to wear my new t shirt and cardigan today. The t was fine but when I went to put on the cardigan I found the sales assistant hadn't removed the security tag. There was a warning that tampering would release ink.

I spent most of the day working on little bugs that had been around for a while or newly discovered rather than making any great new improvements.

Tim, Mao and I went to lunch at a hamburger joint. It was a bit upmarket with burger, chips and drinks costing $15. Quite nice though.

I stopped off at Sears to get the tag removed and had a further look at the clearance items. Nothing grabbed me, but I noticed the extra 40% off tags had been removed from the racks where I got the clothes on Saturday, so timing for that was pretty good.

This evening I finally got to Red Lobster, the seafood restaurant just near the hotel. It was decidedly less busy than when I tried last time. I ordered one of the "Maine Lobster Month" specials which had prawns, crab and (small) lobster tails. The drink was the lobsterina which is a huge strawberry margarita.

Frozen out

2010-03-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday 21st

The weather prediction for today has been getting worse all week. Early on, they predicted sunny but cold - 64 deg. The temperature gradually decreased all week and in today's prediction it is supposed to be 56. Winds were also predicted to be 25mph or more in the afternoon. It looked quite pleasant after breakfast but I called Lee and he said he wasn't playing but that some of them would still go out. He also said the wind chill factor would make it seem much colder than it was, so I decided to give it a miss as well.

Next weekend is back to 70 plus, so assuming that doesn't change, I'll get 2 more games in before I leave. At nearly $90 per game, I really want to enjoy it when I do play. A big storm swept through the US from the East yesterday with snow in a lot of the states north of Texas, so just being cold and windy isn't so bad.

I decide to drive up to Conroe, the next town North on the I-45. It didn't take long to get there but I had set the hotel as "home" on the GPS and then click on Go home so as soon as I was under way it started nagging me about how to get back to the hotel. IN the end I had to reset the target address to Conroe and just picked a street at random. This turned out to be in the middle of nowhere. In fact Conroe in general is pretty non-descript with most of the shops lining the I-45.

I had lunch at a Chinese buffet which was quite tasty and fairly cheap and then decided to head to Lake Conroe. This was about 10 miles away and Tony had mentioned having a picnic there last weekend. Agin in order to program the GPS I had to select a destination and picked Walden on Lake Conroe, which turned out to be a golf course. On the way I stopped at a marina and took a few shots. However the lake was very choppy, the wind was blowing a gale and it was overcast so not very picturesque.

I drove on the the golf course and pulled in at the pro shop but didn't even try to get a game becuase the wind was really ripping along. However I got a card and the guy there talked about "the point" and showed me a pic. I decide to have a look myself. There are 3 really nasty holes there, even on a good day. A par 5 with a narrow fairway between 2 lakes curls around to the green, followed by a par over water to a green right at the edge of the lake, then back over the water. At the time the wind was blowing at right angles across the par 3 so it would have been very difficult not to finish in the lake.

As it turns out the father of one of the guys in the office is a member, and I might be able to get a game if I want.

I headed back stopping at a resort course on the way (Tragic isn't it) and the guy at the pro shop there said there were only 6 people on the course.

I picked up some nibbles and drink at the Walmart on the main road back to Conroe and then headed home. There was a major traffic jam, with (I think) fire engines blocking the road but I did a U-turn before I got close enough to see. I then headed away till the next major intersection and followed a farm road back to town. I nearly got cleaned up when I stopped at a red light and the women some 100m or so behind me decided she was going to run it (or maybe she just wasn't paying attention). She finished up in the turn left lane with her car further ahead then mine. I also saw one of those huge utes they have here with the double back wheels.

Once I got back to the I-45 it was a quick run back to the hotel.

I was able to call my client in Perth and discuss the mods, coming up with a simpler plan.

Washed out

2010-03-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday 20th

Yesterday, I finished off the last few options for the log data. Lunch was with Richard and Tony at an upmarket sandwich bar in Market square.

My repaired 4 iron arrived in the morning so any worries about it not being back in time for my departure next weekend were exaggerated.

I was thinking of going to the driving range after work but I had worn jeans and didn't feel like going bakc to the hotel to change. I did however call into the golf shop and buy those wedges for Dane. I also hit a new hybrid on there launch monitor as well as my current one and the be honest there wasn't much difference so I decided I just stick with the status quo.

I had dinner at the Outback restaurant, the chain of steak house that has a supposedly Australian theme. This is most obvious in the stupid names they have for there dishes. eg Aussie-tisers instead of appetisers. The meals are typically American with some items I've never seen in Australia (such as the large friend onion as an appetiser). It did have the advantgae this it is right next to the hotel so I just walked there.

After a lovely sunny day on Friday, Saturday, the official start of spring was a reversion to winter weather. It rained most of the day and after breakfast I was wondering whether to play golf at all. I was saved from that decision by a message from Lee saying they had cancelled.

I decided to try a waffle this morning since I'd seen the waffle maker all week. It was particularly bland.and the syrup made little difference so I put some yoghurt on it. I did see packets of so called "Breakfast syrup". This rang a few bells after reading the "Omnivores Dilemma" in book club last year. The main ingredients were corn syrup and High Fructose Corn syrup. Definitely a product of industrialised corn.

I put the washing on and started working on an upgrade for a client back home. After I couple of hours I was ready for a break and headed out, first to the library, but my book hadn't arrived, and then to a Mexican restautant for lunch. After that I checked out the golf shop again, this time looking at shoes for myself. I saw a cute little umbrella designed to be put in the bag and cover the clubs for $18.

No purchases there but the next stop was the sports store that looks like a church or court house or lodge (see last years blog for a pic). However I thought I'd crossed the freeway too far North so wound my way back through the suburbs to the Mall. I decide instead to head south to a second hand book shop where I picked up a couple of paper backs for my flight and time in Thailand.

I then headed North again and found I had in fact not been too far South for the sport store after all.
They had Footjoys (green joys) for $40 but I didn't really like the colour and I already have an unused pair at home.

Further up the I45, there is a driving range with a golf shop attached, so I stopped there as well. After a lot of trying on of various shoes I found a pair of Addidas Clima cools on the $30 clearance table that were very comfortable. They will be great for Thailand and next summer at home. I also bought the club umbrella which was only $12 there and some slips ons for under $10 at a nearby shoe discount place.

Back at the hotel I did another couple of hours on the upgrade till it was time for dinner. I headed to the Mall and went in there for the first time this trip. This is quite a large mall with 4 department stores as week as a museum and speciality shops, with a lot of up market restaurants outside. (again pics in last year's blog.)

My first purchase was a Halter neck terry towelling dress for throwing on over bathers, bought in JC Penny's. It had been discounted to around $20 which seemed quite a reasonable price. I then checked out Macy's but didn't find anything. Then in Sears, I found that had an 'extra 40% off' sale even on already discounted items. I bough a couple of 3/4 length t shirts for $3 each and a teal cardigan for $6. Unbelievable!

I had dinner at Landry's, an upmarket sea food restaurant. I had the blueberry mojito, as I've had twice before, but found that a shrimp and crab appetiser size fondue was more than enough for me.

I did see most of Saturday night Live tonight although I nodded off for part of it..

Knees up

2010-03-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday 18th

The last few days have seen steady progress at work but nothing startling on the personal side.

I sent my 4 iron to the Wilson repair centre on Tuesday, with the help of Gina who found a package that fitted and organised the Fedex to get there and one to get back via overnight express. It arrived on Wednesday and has already been repaired and picked up for the return journey. I may have it for this weekend.

However the weather is not looking as promising as last weekend with thunderstorms on Saturday and sunny but quite cold on Sunday.

I got to sleep in past 7am the last 2 days. Dare I hope the jet lag has passed?

However I have another problem. My left knee is giving me quite a lot of pain. Fortunately not all the time, but whenever I try and walk, especially after sitting at my desk for a period, I get very sharp pains and have to limp a bit to avoid them. I had an operation last October and everything seemed to have recovered, so after 20 weeks, I played a game of hockey. This seemed to cause some problems and when I couldn't play the following week I decided to retire. However now I'm worried that I may hyave done more damage than I first thought. Or worse, that it's the golf that is making it worse.

I have been eating in lately, with some more crabs from the supermarket tonight. Yesterday I was planning to go out but passed the dining area and saw they had ordered in pizzas so I had that instead. They provide dinner Mon to Thu, free of charge, at the hotel, but it tends to be fairly basic.

Sleepless in Shenandoah

2010-03-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

Monday 15th

I woke up about 3.45 this morning, showing that my jet lag, at least, has adjusted to daylight saving.

I was able to convert the user defined plot option and write most of the Log data option before lunch while Brandon was busy with other things. Just before lunch we had a discussion on the broad aims for this next part of my visit and then 4 of us headed to lunch at an Indian restaurant. That was different than last week but typical of my previous visits, with a group from the office eating lunch together at some restaurant.

While I was there I noticed a missed call from the Golf shop, which was only a block away from the restaurant. I called in there afterwards and was told that only Wilson could repair the broken shaft an was given the address of their repair centre (in Illinois) and cost ($28+$5 shipping). A phone call had me wondering whether it could be done before I left but I have since decided that I might as well send it off. It will probably not be any cheaper if I wait till I get home and may also need to be sent to a Wilson repair facility there. At least it will get fixed and hopefully, if not in time before I go, they will send it home for me.

After lunch, I fixed a few bugs and added an option to test the user defined plots. I then had a meeting with Tony and Brandon. There are 2 Brandons at the office, called senior and Junior to avoid confusion. This was senior, a Vice president, like Tony, in the company before the take over.

I showed them what I had done so far and we talked about what else was required and how we might do it. When Brandon said he had to go we finished up and I went back to my office expecting to do some more work, only to realise it was already after 5-30 and most of the office was empty.

I bought some cooked crabs at the super market planning to have them with a salad in my room for dinner. I lay on the bed to watch TV around 7 and was asleep before the first show finished. I eventually woke enough, about 11-30, to get in to bed properly and slept through to after 5.

TPC

2010-03-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

I had a reasonable sleep again. I never really know if this will happen even after a week here.

The clock by indicated it was about 9 but the time i was up, showered and dressed. So did my PC but I had a suspicions that Daylight saving started today. As it turns out it did and both of these clocks adjusted automatically since my watch said it was 8. I had a horrible feeling I might be an hour late for golf.

I headed to Golf smith to see what they might do with my broken club and arrived before they were open. This gave me time to get some drinks at the supermarket.

They also said they'd need to order the shaft in specially and would call me tomorrow. They had a range of second and clubs and I saw a lone Mizuno 4 iron. I thought I might buy it if it was cheap enough but it turned out is was misplaced and part of a full set.

We played the Tournament players course today. This was the last of the 3 courses I played last year with Tony and has water in play on all bar 4 holes. There are a lot of pretty holes which are also pretty difficult and I lost 4 balls in the water today.

We again played in a 5 ball. Lee said he'd partner me and we would play the 3 pair combinations of the others for $5 per 9 and for the 18. It wasn't too big a bet and I thought he'd have to play better than yesterday.

However we were still at a disadvantage since the opponents had handicaps of 6, 9 and 12 vs Lees, 9 and my 16 (playing handicap), since we played off scratch.

Nonetheless we finished up winning 2 of the front 9 matches and drawing the other. Unfortunately we didn't play as well on the back 9. On the final hole I had a downhill chip from 3 m passed the green to a pin only a few m from the waters edge. I managed to finish 4 ft passed the hole and get my putt for a par to save us about $15.

This was 1 of only 5 pars for the day and I was pleased in the end to break 100 with 48 on both 9s. My net 80 turned out to be the best nett in our group.

The rest of them had gathered in the Men's locker room because the balcony was occupied so I couldn't join them. Lee said he'd fix both my $20 comp fee and the $5 bet loss, which was quite generous of him.

On the way home I stopped at a display home in a new area near the hotel. The house that was open was around $400,000 and had 3 bedrooms and a study downstairs with 3 bath rooms and a large living area. The kitchen was also quite big with a formal dining room and a 3 car garage on this level. Upstairs was a large games room. It was interesting to get a feel for what you get for your money here, but the shocker was that the rates were over $11,000 per year and this was a "cheap" area, because the commercial strip along the I-45 subsidised the council. I was also told there was 1 police officer for every 17 residents, so it was very safe but they were strict about enforcing the speed limit.

I was invited to Tony and Lisa's again for dinner, this time we had roast pork on the BBQ. It was another very pleasant evening and so much better than eating on your own, no matter how fancy the restaurant.

Players

2010-03-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday 13th

I woke up about 3.30 again and after lying in bed thinking about a report I was going to write, realised I wasn't getting back to sleep so got up and wrote it. I got back to bed about 6-30 and dropped off before the cleaner woke me at 9. I didn't realise the breakfast service lasted till 9-30 on the weekend so after a shower had some toast in my room.

About 10 I headed out to golf at the player course of the Woodlands Country Club. Once I got in the car I realised I didn't know the address to type into the GPS, so had to look it up on Google Earth back in the room. Even then I got the spelling of the name of the street wrong so the GPS couldn't find it. However I knew where to go to get there and the name of the main cross street so headed off. I hadn't realised how far it was and it was quite a bit later than intended by the time I got there. However, there was no panic since I was in the last group that hit off just before 12 so had plenty of time on the driving range and the putting green. I should also have gone to the chipping area as well since the first hole I chipped over the green 3 times. The greens here are a lot harder than at home and there is no bite and spin back like I expect there.

The course is not as lush as last time and the grass off the fairways is brown after the winter, which was harsher than normal. I was told it will green up in a few weeks. It was supposed to be 75F today and was sunny, so great golf weather.

We played as a 5 ball as did a number of other groups, so it wasn't a fast round. Bad luck for the 2 ball that hit off after us as they had a lot of waiting. Apart from Lee who I played with last year, the other players were Jobie, an optician, Dewey who has a fireworks business and Doug who is a pastor.

I was quite pleased with my round, since I played off the blue tees and had an 89. The blues are the second to longest and have a "slope" of 140 - which means they are nearly 25% harder that a standard course. My 13 handicap would be adjusted to 16 so I was only 1 stroke over. I had 2 birdies and 6 pars and a number of doubles and one triple (because of a lost ball). I putted really well with only 28 putts and one chip in from off the green.

I also manage to break my 4 iron hitting out of the trees on the second hole (which I parred).

I played with a group called "The Rack" and they have several comps amongst themselves. Apart from individual scores, they have a draw for pairs and play skins. Each of us puts in $20 and the winners get $50 or $60 and so on. The skins are awarded to anyone who has a solo best score but unfortunately several others birdied the 2 holes that I did. When they finished I asked Lee what handicap he'd given me and discovered that one of the guys had put my score in as a net 85 rather than 73 or 74. This cost me a bit because that would have been a winning score in the pairs since my partner had 73. Lee apologised and refunded my $20.

I visited Golf Galaxy to see if they could fix my club but realised this would be an issue since it has an uncommon "fat shaft" only used by Wilson Golf.

I finished up eating dinner at a Mexican a few 100m from the hotel and then decide to watch Saturday Night Live on the TV, but kept falling asleep.

Time flies

2010-03-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Friday 12th

I can't believe a week has passed already. It seems that although I have done quite a lot of work, we have come up with more things that need to be done. I did finish the relative curve calculations and plotting routines. Here's a shot of the new building. Last time I was here they were still in the converted house but had already organised the move to the new premises.

After work I headed to the driving range again and again had a decent period there. I then headed to Golfsmith which also did not have the 48 in oil can. I did hit the new Callaway Hybrid on the launch monitor. However it seems that picking up hybrids is a bit tricky and only 1 shot in every 4 or 5 was getting registered. However it seemed that I was actually getting better results with my old club than the one I was testing. I also tried on golf shoes but in the end only bought a couple of gloves.

Since I was down that end of the Woodlands ((the southern end) I decided to go to Crab Daddies for dinner. However there were no parking spots so I continued on back to the hotel. I then decided to walk to Red Lobster which as probably 500m away down the I45 access road. Because this is one way getting back to the hotel would involve a big loop and I figured I could do it quicker on foot.

They told me there would be a 25 minute wait so I went to the Kebab house next door. Vegetarians need not apply. I had the mixed platter with kebabs, sausages etc. about 6 different types of meat.

I did another load of washing once I got home before heading for bed about 11.

A short time ago, in a galaxy not far away

2010-03-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Thursday 11th

A better night's sleep last night waking around 7-30 and hence I managed to stay awake and concentrate till 5 today.

I had suggested to Tony that we both go to the driving range at lunch time but he suggested instead we play 9 holes from about 4 with Lisa joining us. However later he realised he wasn't going to get away and I was too busy as well. In fact I skipped lunch altogether although with the snack bar in the lunch room, you'll never starve in the office. There are baskets of chips, biscuits, chocolates etc.there as well as juice, water and soft drinks.

I was asked to have a meeting with Brandon junior who was having problems with well path planning to meet certain instructions from a particular client. Essentially they wanted a near horizontal well but didn't have a precise starting point, kick off or initial azimuth. Really too many variables to solve automatically. However we were able to come up with an manual iterative technique which got an acceptable solution much quicker than the method he was using, so he was happy by the end of the meeting.

I finished the new calculation routines and am now upgrading the plots. Already most of the first week has passed and I can see how, if I had the time, this trip could have been extended as well. However apart from the golf, which has a fixed window, I am now doing a couple of days work in Thailand for POE as well. This means I miss my shopping days in Bangkok. They will pick me up from the airport on Tuesday and hopefully drop me in Pattaya, not too late, on Thursday.

I left work about 5-30 and headed to the TPC for some practice on the driving range. I seemed to be much worse than yesterday! I also spend a bit of time on the putting green until the groundstaff collected the flag sticks and the light failed.

I picked up a book I had reserved at the library. I also have a copy of the same book waiting for collection in Perth but the hold date is much to soon for me to actually collect it. That one I reserved months ago.

From there I headed to nearby Market street to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Chicken fajitas and a margarita with some change from $20.

My last stop was Golf Galaxy, to check up on the wedges. Dane got back to me with his decision and I wanted to make sure they were in stock. Unfortunately one of them was not available in the finish he wanted and will need a special order from this store. I'll check Golfsmith tomorrow and confirm the finish.

I tried out a Callaway FT hybrid while I was there It'll be around A$175, so I'm not sure that I'll buy it. I did buy some more balls - the Pro-V1X cross outs at $30 a dozen ($45 for the standard boxes) and a magnetic ball marker.

This is my office. I started in the one next to Tony's which has 2 desks in it. However they are extending the office space and the new section is the other side of that wall. Apart from the noise of the fit out, that room will soon become part of the corridor. The new office is a few doors closer to the entrance and has only one desk.

F...Lag, Wavering

2010-03-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 10th

Work has been good so far with some great ideas for extending and optimising relative curve functions. Had a few iterations but think we got it right finally. However I was too tired to concentrate to finish the actual programming this afternoon.

Monday night I slept well getting up around 7. On Tuesday,Tony invited me to dinner at his place along with a neighbour, a Shell geologist. However due to some confusion about the "tomorrow" mentioned in the email invite, he thought it was Wednesday, so there were just the 3 of us.

Lisa cooked a roast and we had berry pie for desert. A couple of Margaritas got the night started.

We had a very pleasant evening and discussed all manner of things. Last time I was here Tony was away for all but the first and last few days of my visit, but this time he'll be here all the time, so we will probably socialise a number of times.

Last night jet lag caught up to me. I woke about 3-30 this morning and just couldn't get back to sleep. I was at the office too early to get in with my pass but some one else was there to let me in. I worked fairly steadily through the morning.

I went down to the TPC (Tournament players course) at lunch time and hit some balls on the driving range and then had some putting practice.

The range itself is mostly brown with some very green target greens. The bit of the course I could see also had very green fairways but the short rough was also brown. I haven't been here this time of year before so I'm not sure if this is normal or not. They have had snow here which is apparently not always the case.

After this, I got back to work and then hit the wall about 3-30 pm. I had a hard time staying awake let alone concentrating and eventually gave up and left a bit before 5. I picked up some pre grilled chicken breast and salad at the supermarket and just ate in my room.

The last 2 days have been overcast but not raining and quite balmy. It seems as we head to the weekend it will be getting sunnier but colder. Seems counter-intuitive to me.

A good start

2010-03-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Monday 8th

I had a fairly solid night's sleep. Although I woke up a few times I got back to sleep fairly quickly afterwards. I was quite surprised when I looked at the clock and saw it was 8-45. It was past breakfast time but I was able to get some anyway and then headed to work.

It was fairly easy to find but all the reserved parking was in use so I had to go up a couple of floors to the unreserved places.

It took a while to get set up but eventually I had a power supply, mouse and monitor and was ready to go. I also got a tour of the new office and met everybody again. Quite a few were away as is usual for this business.

Tony and I had a good discussion and came up with some good ideas for extending the relative curve function to include planning and input data. It didn't take too long before I had that working for the new rock mechanics option. We then headed to lunch at a Thai restaurant. Since the move the nearest restaurants have changed and this one was quite busy. Apparently the one we used to go to, which was always fairly quiet and has now closed.

I worked on upgrading the Surge and swab planning to use the Rock Mechanics tables but was having trouble concentrating and didn't finish it all today. It was still after 5-30 when I left and there were only a handful of people still in the office by then.

I headed to Golfsmith to start researching wedges I am looking at for Dane. The good news was that they were $10 off the internet price, but I had forgotten that tax is added to prices here rather than included in the price as it is in Australia.

From there I headed to the TPC golf course to see what time they stayed open till. I talked to a couple of guys practising on the putting green, despite the drizzle. Apparently the whole course is closed every Monday.

From there, I headed to the library where I borrowed 3 books. I looked at the DVDs but didn't see anything that appealed.

My last stop was Golf Galaxy. They had the wedges at the same price but also the old model another $20 cheaper again, although not the full set he wants. They had some Pro-V1 balls in a box that had been sponsor branded. These were the overruns and only $3 each rather than the standard price of nearly $4. I picked out 4 V1x's.

It was nearly 7-30 by the time I got to the hotel and the complimentary dinner was already finished. Apparently it was chicken nuggets so no great loss. Back into the car again and across the highway to Sport Authority who had no wedges of the required brand.

A bit further down the road I stopped for dinner at Pappadeaux and had 2 lbs of cajun crawfish and the special cocktail based on Barcardi and strawberry liqueur. Crawfish seem to been in season at this time of the year and are only $3-95 per pound.

Still no golf clubs.

Tripping, but not light nor fantastic

2010-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Sun 7th

Here I am in LAX, a -hole of a place. (Please feel free to prefix that with appropriate modifier)

I am about 25 hours into the 30 hour journey and feeling fairly wretched - sweaty and tired. Another 20 minutes or so till the next flight and as usual business/first class tickets don't get you into the Continental Airlines club so I'm in a fast food joint, the same as on a previous trip. No photos so far since there's really been nothing new.

David picked me up and took me to Perth airport about 9pm Saturday for an 11pm flight to Sydney. Had a chance to read a few golf mags in the lounge before taking off. The movie was "Up in the Air" - quite appropriate and not too bad. I nodded off somewhere in the middle however. We arrived about 6am and I had arranged to meet my Aunt and Uncle, who I haven't seen for 20 or so years. They picked me up around 8-30, so I had breakfast in the domestic Qantas lounge and read the Sunday papers.

We headed to Brighton for coffee and a catch up. After showing them photos of my kids, house and last trip to the US and seeing those of my cousin and her family, we were back to the international. Then I realised we were so busy looking at photos, I didn't take any. I guess sometime in the next 20 years we can try again.

I had about an hour to wait before my flight after buying a couple of duty free mini whisky bottles.

There's no doubt the flight to LA is long and even in business class it is a trial, so the economy trip must be awful. I sat next to the keyboard player from Whitney Houston's support band, heading home after 2 months on the road. There were quite a few others from the band scattered around the cabin.

Unfortunately, the entertainment system was playing up and after watching the missed bits of Up in the air (only about 5 minutes as it turned out), started to watch "The Informant". They turned it off and then rebooted some time later. It still wasn't working 100% and after trying to fast forward to the right spot, couldn't stop it and it fast forwarded all the way to the end. After that I wasn't even able to get it to load. I gave up and had a nap instead. Probably 3 or 4 hours. I was able to watch the general broadcast movies and saw "the Blind Side" which was again quite good. Sandra Bullock has earned her Oscar nomination.

There was still another 3 hours after that but eventually we landed. Passport control was quick and my bag was out early but there was a bit of a wait for the golf clubs so the exit queue was building up.

Once through I put the duty free in the suitcase, put my bags on the conveyor belt and headed to the Continental check in counter, which is probably a 1km walk. Check in was again pretty quick and I got through the security with minimum delay. I've got some US money from an ATM. So here I am ready to get on yet another plane.

Later

The flight was no better or worse than the others but it was over 3 hours. The entertainment has improved from the previous trip on Continental, with asmall screen in the back of the seat which had a very large choice of TV stations. I found one that was showing back to back episodes of "The Unit" and saw 3 of them, although whenever they made an announcement, we lost the sound. Being TV, rather than a film, I also got to watch the ads.

I had a window seat, for a change, and although a lot of the time we were flying over clouds I did get shots of the Rockies and the dessert.

My Limo driver was waiting for me holding up a sign with my name on it and my suitcase was in the first 20 off the plane. However we waited at the oversized luggage area for 30 minutes, seeing a number of other golf clubs being delivered before I headed to baggage services. They confirmed it didn't get on the flight and said it will be delivered to the hotel, but has not yet arrived.

However, Gina had got everything organised for me with a phone, car and a welcome basket waiting for me at the hotel. The room is more than adequate although a bit smaller than at the other Marriott I stayed at 18months ago. It has a lounge and a small kitchen as well as an LCD TV.

I headed out to the supermarket and bought some salad, some snow crab legs ($5 per lb) and some soft drinks. When I got to the check out I didn't have my purse. Fortunately I keep a credit card separately in my bag so I was able to pay for the shopping and when I got back, it was just lying on the bed, so no real damage done.

I called one of the 2 golf contacts but got disconnected only shortly into the conversation. A second try went to voice mail. I dialled the other guy and something similar happened. After several unsuccessful retries I dialled the first guy again and got through. He said he did something so it wasn't my phone playing up, which is what you think when the same thing happens twice. Anyway, he was quite friendly and said if I dropped his name at the pro shop, I would be able to use the driving range during the week. However, tomorrow doesn't look likely as they are predicting 1/2 to 1 " rain in the Houston area. Last time I came here they had even more rain the day after I arrived.

I have managed to stay up till after 9.30 so far, so hopefully I will get my body clock in sync quickly. I have only had about 6 hours sleep since getting up at 6am on Saturday, some 2 days 6 hours ago. I have been watching the golf channel while eating my crabs and getting technical support to send emails from the hotel (about 20 minutes on hold) but now working.

What happened before

2010-02-19T02:49:00.000-08:00

That catchy title was used in a book I read recently to get you up to speed on the first 2 books in the 3 part series.

If you have been following my blogs then the last one covered my Hockey trip to Tasmania and 2 weeks later a visit to my parents and a Mensa conference. At the stage I was still suffering from my knee operation. A week after getting home I saw the specialist again and he gave me some new drugs. A week after that I was playing golf again.

In the next 4 weeks I proceeded to drop 4 strokes including a win in Festive week. I should have broken 80 for the first time ever but had a brain freeze one the last and topped a ball into the pond. An 81 was still my equal best ever score. That put me on 13 and for a weekend on was on 12, which was my lowest handicap ever, before easing back to 13.

I finally played hockey again some 20 weeks after the operation and got through the first game with no apparent problems, although a few days later there was some soreness. The following week I couldn't run at all, so called on the sub after only a minute or so and retired from the game. I certainly don't want to ruin my golf by stuffing up my knee playing hockey, (although now its a few weeks later and it is still a bit sore, so maybe I have already done the damage). I have also achieved everything I'm likely to in Hockey , including several premierships at the club level, a couple of gold medals in the state vets and once played for Australia.

Late last year we started talking about another work visit to the US and the initial vague "February or March" finally crystallised into 3 weeks in March. The timing was excellent as I later found out that my old golf club was having its competition in Thailand just after this period. I will be stopping over in Bangkok and the way home to join them. Marie who went to the first one in 2006 is also going this year so I won't be the only female playing.

I am still in the final throes of arranging accommodation, car rental etc. but hopefully it will all be finalised in the next few days. I will be staying in a long stay motel (ie in a room with a small kitchen attached) as for the first trip in 2008 but possibly in a different Marriott hotel.