Friday, December 10, 2004
Jolly Old Jet Lag
Slept 6.5 hours last night, which is 8% more than Wednesday night and 116% more than Tuesday night. It's been wall to wall meetings, and they've been tough. We had a breakfast meeting screw-up this morning, since they assumed I was staying at a hotel on the other side of town. When you assume, you make... : - )I'm staying at the Thistle Tower Hotel, right across the Thames River from the famed Tower Of London and the ornate and stately bridge that leads there. My miniscule room redeems itself with a view of the river and Tower. I've never seen the Tower, and that will surely be on this weekend's agenda. Tonight, or 5 meetings from now, I'm meeting Doug for dinner and later, a party. All I need is several lattes to get through today.
It's been a tough trip, but I was smart to make it. I now have the blueprint, at least, of a 2005 game plan. Cheery-O, Aaron
this entry's permalink
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Dinner In Dublin
My evening in Ireland was nicer than expected. Dublin, pictured left, is a lovely old city with narrow streets and historic buildings. Very laid back. And all decked out for Xmas. Our 'Irish' customer, actually an Argentine expatriate, had a mishap with our dinner reservation, at a very upscale restaurant with a very antiquated reservation system (an oversized, messy ledger book). Forced to dine elsewhere, we lucked into La Stampa, a huge but oddly cozy room with red walls, mirrors, paintings, and a high tin ceiling. Taxi drivers were very forthcoming with historical and cultural background. Locals, it seems, are fond of shopping expeditions to Northern Ireland, just 60 miles away and with lower sales taxes. Both Ireland and the UK are expensive with the euro at $1.35 and the pound at $2. Slept six hours last night, double what I slept the previous night. Finished Da Vinci Code despite loses the last two of 13 CDs of audiobook: I simply bought the paperback this morning and finished it on the plane back. Very satisfying and surprising ending. More later. Hopefully, I'll get an early and long night's sleep. Best, Aaronthis entry's permalink
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Hop Across The Pond
Hey there. Arrived in London safe & sound, if a bit sleepy. Went straight to the office, where I used the bank's shower facilities and made myself presentable before joining my colleagues. And before that, a Starbucks 'skinny wet latte' across the street for £2.80 ($5.40). Pictured left: London's newest landmark, the pickle-like "gherkin" buidling in The City, London's equivalent of Wall St. My hotel's around here, too, but I don't check in until tomorrow. Tonight, flying to Ireland for dinner, back tomorrow early. Btw, I'll be on vacation from next Wednesday, Dec 15, until Monday, Jan 3. From Dec 15-22 I'll hang out in NY, relax, and enjoy the city. From Dec 23-Jan 3 I'll be out in Arizona with my family. Hope you're all well. I'll be checking my email (aaronetto@aol.com) regularly. Best, Aaron.this entry's permalink
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
My Many Travel Statistics
I can't believe I'm flying to London tonight - another marathon business trip. I get to "see" Ireland - meaning tomorrow night, instead of crawling into bed, I hop the shuttle to Dublin for a client dinner and fly back to London Thursday at dawn's crack. Ireland will be my 34th foreign country - this jaunt will be my 84th foreign trip, my 25th European trip, and my 9th trip to the UK. This 5-day trip will make a total of 36 days outside of the US this year on 8 foreign trips, which means I'll have spent 10.6% of the year abroad. This is lower than average for the last 6 years (50 days abroad, 13.8% of the year abroad). My record, not counting living in Argentina, was in 1996, 8 trips, 74 days, and 20.3% or one-fifth of the year abroad.this entry's permalink
Monday, December 06, 2004
Closer, And Maybe A Cigar:
Challenging Play Becomes Challenging Movie
Not your feel-good movie of the year, but certainly worthwhile, "Closer" hit US theaters this weekend and I saw it yesterday with my friend Christi. This dark 1997 Patrick Marber play, filmed faithfully by Mike Nichols, centers on mindgames and verbal slashing among a quadrangle centered on two selfish, indecisive lovers, deftly rendered by Jude Law (looking unkempt and insecure, pictured left) and Julia Roberts (hiding her trademark charisma and smile under layers of ennui, desire, and detachment). But the show is really stolen by Natalie Portman (also pictured left) and Clive Owen, playing their respective partners - each suffers searing rejection, wallows in the wound, and then deftly turns the tables. Razor-sharp dialogue, unpredictability, and stark performances elevate this bleak and unsympathetic landscape, and more than compensate for occasional stiffness and claustrophobia, and for the generally unsympathetic characters that are the film's focus. The film jumps through time, often not showing key scenes, and letting the audience discover events through their echoes in the characters' conversations. It'll keep your gray matter active, that's for sure...this entry's permalink
Sunday, December 05, 2004
We Had It All... Just Like Bogart & Bacall
Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was feeling kind of sick (better today) and lazy and watching some great TV on DVD (Will & Grace, Sex in the City, Seinfeld dubbed in French, and Star Trek Next Generation). Went shopping with Bart.
Ever see a major classic and discover it's very different that what you imagined? I always thought "Key Largo" was this major romantic picture, probably because of the shlocky 1980 pop hit by Bertie Higgins.. "We had it all / Just Like Bogart & Bacall." It's actually a psychological crime thriller about a family-owned remote hotel terorrized by gangsters during hurricane season. It wrestles with some very dark emotions, including cowardice, emotional dependency, and alcoholism. It's very forward-thinking in its depiction of racial prejudice against Florida's Native Americans. It's a really wonderful movie with some fabulous performances by the non-leads, particularly Lionel Barrymore as the wheelchair-bound hotelkeeper, Edward G Robinson as the gangster, and Claire Trevor in an Oscar-winning bit as the gangster's alcoholic washed-up-songstress girlfriend.. A must-see.
Today I'm seeing the movie "Closer," a Mike Nichols-directed study of two couples' complex and twisted relationships, with echoes of his brilliant 'Virigina Wolff' from 1966, this time with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Julia Roberts... I'm seeing it with Christi, and having lunch first.
this entry's permalink
