It's not America. This is the first startling fact about this holiday. After seven consecutive trips to America in just over three years, it feels very strange to me to be overseas and NOT be in America. My wonderful Dad drove me to the airport. Well, I drove, he took the car home. I was ticked at myself for forgetting to bring my complimentary Qantas Pub passes and began my usual "I'm sure I've forgotten something crucial" routine. It wasn't the passport or the...

Trip got extended. I should've left days ago. In fact, I should've been home by now. But it turns out they love me so freaking much, they wouldn't let me leave. Well, not quite. My two weeks of training ended up being split between two departments (tech support and sales engineering) so I asked for an extra week in tech support. Given I was already here, it wasn't a big ask and they happily complied. I should probably update you all on my one wild night in Manha...

I mean, you have to see it to believe it, really. They've RUINED ME for ever working anywhere else. It's like flying business class. It's so hard to go back. I'm sure it's just a giant trap. I'm here for two weeks of training and firstly, they're putting me up in the Radisson. Haven't stopped *****ing since I got here. I have a Sleep Number king sized bed, a fridge in my room so I can eat a normal breakfast and not a heart attack breakfast and a free shuttle to ...

I do get around... Yesterday was a loooooooong day. In keeping with my "make no solid plans" approach to this trip, I bailed on what I was *thinking* of doing and did something else entirely. Decided to drive from Sandusky Ohio to Boston Massachewsits in one hit. If I had a brain, I'd have gotten up early and gotten under way by 8am or something. But I don't have a brain and I meandered out of bed around 9am, off at 10am to continue my love affair with breakfas...

I've been coming to America for just a shade over three years. Seven trips in three years and two months, basically. For much, much longer than that I've wanted to go to Cedar Point, Ohio. Never on my previous trips though was the place within close enough proximity to be able to warrant it. Except on the previous trip to Pennsylvania, when it was mere hours away, but the park was closed then as apparently all of commercial America shuts down between October and ...