It's Official - nearly 50% of Americans say sorry

One of the nicest sites I've seen a long time. Americans - or at least 49% of them - say 'Sorry Everybody' for the events of the 2nd of November. We appreciate your sentiments.

What are you doing?

It's Bloggercon today! Go here now to read all about it.

Move along now. Nothing to see here...

Culture Clash

University Avenue, Palo Alto
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

What would you rather have? Borders or a 1930s cinema? And what, indeed, does this say about how we entertain ourselves in 21st Century?

But enough musings... Here I am in Palo Alto, wrestling with the inconsistencies of my BBC laptop and its on/off relationship with my log-in account.

Today was spent emailing, printing out masses of documents from work so that I can read and comment by Sunday night (I actually bought a pack of paper for the hotel printer at reception, I felt so embarassed at hogging it for 45 minutes in order to print out 25 documents) and doing the odd bit of shopping. Went a bit mad buying things for my nieces and nephew. Nothing too expensive - Spongebob toothbrushes, Hello Kitty plasters, weirdly-flavoured lipsalve - stuff they can't get at home.

And tomorrow is Bloggercon and an early start. Need to go and power up my multiple gadgets so that I can capture as much as I can without resorting to analogue paper and pen.

Oh, and eat... Now, I’m as open to new food experiences as the next person. I’ve tried grits and wee tomatoes in jelly and stuff like that (that’s what living in Atlanta does for you) but here’s a taste sensation in crisps I never thought I’d try – and, frankly, don’t intend to again. Lime flavour??? I suppose it’s a fatty, crunchy version of the salt-on-back-of-the-hand and suck-of-lime tequila experience. But I think you should know it doesn’t go with French white wine…

Here I am at 35,000 feet...

Flying over California
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

…on a relatively quiet flight to San Francisco, with the Well Being radio channel in my ear, playing a mixture of Irish flute and whale noise.

I have managed to commandeer a whole middle row to myself and have decided to hammer away on the laptop for a bit – at least until the battery begins to falter – instead of watching the array of movies on offer in the seatback screen in front of me.

Awake at 04.00 – isn’t that always the way when the alarm is actually set for 5.15? –for the first BA flight down to Heathrow and now awaiting my no-doubt delicious gluten-free lunch. The cocktail trolley has been and gone (gin and tonic, since you ask…) and now the wine trolley is here (white Bordeaux).

Talking of which, how’s this for pretention gone badly, badly wrong? Years ago I made a film about wine, shooting in Bordeaux and the Corbieres region of France . Having travelled through the country with wine expert, Oz Clarke, tasting merrily and learning lots, I flew home with Air France from Bordeaux. The drinks trolley came round and I asked for a glass of red. Following the tradition of the previous few weeks’ filming, I lifted the small plastic tumbler to my nose to give it a good sniff and managed to inhale a large nose-ful causing me to choke, expel a significant amount onto my shirt and generally look a complete fool. Now, I bypass the nose malarkey and go straight to the mouth…

Gluten-free lunch was basically a fish-fest. Salmon salad (x 2, oddly) as starter(s) followed by baked cod. As my second fishy starter arrived, I asked – innocently – what the gluten-free pudding was. It appears that us weirdo, dietary freaks don’t get a dessert. But, two salmon starters were a bonus. And I had bought a packet of Cadbury’s Chocolate Buttons and they certainly did the trick, sugar-wise.

PS Actually, this picture probably wasn't taken at 35,000 feet as I THINK it's the Cascades and we're well into our descent over Northern California. Anyone recognise it??

The People have Spoken

And no one in this country can quite believe what they've said. In voting Bush back in, I have to ask myself if the American people are HAPPY to be lied to? They're content to let this happen for four more years?

We're trying to understand it - but it's hard...

And you have to figure the country will be even more divided than it already is. And even more isolated from the rest of the World. A sad day for what used to be a great Nation.