First day in DD

It's 7:30am in DD and I'm drinking a cup of tea and enjoying the cool morning air. I know it's 11pm Phx time although soon this time difference will fade from my memory as I become acclimated to my new location. I'll only remember my rendevous time with Gary - 10pm Phx time and 7am DD time will be the best time for us to talk. We have IM'd each other on our blackberry throughout my travel.

The trip went smoothly enough and I got my first taste of traveling business class. I was so lost when I got on the 747 for the Phx to London leg of the trip. I couldn't find the seat number and had to flag down the stewardess. Then I was so mystified by the pod looking seats I felt I was on a space ship. For a second I looked longingly at the normal seats in the economy class behind me. OK so it was only for a second. The seats were alternately facing each other so I felt uncomfortable with the fact that I was facing the person next to me. Ofcourse I found out later that there was a privacy screen that you can raise once the flight is off the ground. Luckily I noticed instructions to using my little pod. After 15 minutes I was set. I won't bore with the details but the setup was sweet. I could move my seat to all positions including straight out so I could stretch out like on a bed when it was time to sleep. I accepted a glass of champagne while waiting for take off. I don't really drink but it was the thought that counted! When mealtime came I expected a tray of food like I was used to so didn't realize they serve your meal in 3 courses. I had requested a lowfat low sodium meal so didn't know what to expect. When they put a plate of cucumber salad stuff in a roasted red pepper along with a green salad I was very pissed that this was all I was getting! Although it was tasty I was missing out on the great looking menu they offered for everyone else! Yeah, I caught on by the time they served my fish and pasta meal. It was great to partake in the British Air executive lounge in Phx and London. It made waiting for my flight very pleasand. Free drinks, food(the brits love their curries), wi-fi and comfy couches. It was great having my ipad, I think I'll be glad to have it with me for travels.
There was one worry on my mind for my first weekend in DD - I could potentially be without food! I found out that the supermarket by the apartment is not open on Sundays and closes by 10 on Saturday. My flight comes in at 7:30pm on Sat and my the time I get my luggage, go through customer, go to the security booth at Henkel to pick up my key, get to my apartment and walk to the store it would be too late, especially if there were any flight delays. Just in case I did grab from the BA lounge and apple, a small can of coke and some mini biscottis. Oh well, it was a good diet plan and I could stand to lose a few pounds. Actually things went smoothly and I was at the apartment by 8:30. I was damn lucky to run into a guy from the Scottsdale office just as I was standing outside the builing and trying to figure out how the hell I was going to get my 55 pound suitcase up 4 flights of stairs, there was no frickin elevator!! Marty offered to help with my suitcase. Poor guy didn't realize how heavy it was before he offered and I didn't want to tell him in case he changed his mind.

The apt was small and efficient. It was a studio with a separate kitchen and patio and included a desk for my laptop. I got my recycle bad and set out for the grocery store which was only a short block away. I forced myself to use a basket instead of a cart so I know my limit. If I cant
carry the basket then I'm definitely not going to be able to carry it home! It was fun to shop. I was able to figure out most things. Why pay 3 euros for a US brand cereal when you can pay 1 euro for a local brand. I was happy to see "BIO" veggies which I assumed means organic. It was in a separate section and it was more expensive so there you go. Parker had warned me that his credit card did not work so be prepared to pay cash. I only had $35 EUR with me so I hoped for the best with my card. Luckily no problems with the card. Spent the rest of the night unpacking and putting everything away. My shower is small and has a curtain that goes all the way around. I didn't notice the position of the shower head and ofcourse water sprayed all over and flooded the floor, damn I miss my shower at home. I didn't feel sleepy but forced myself to go to bed by midnight. We start on an audit first thing Monday morning so I don't want to go through jetlag.

Going for a walk now to check out the neighborhood. It's a nice cool morning but guess what, overcast. I've already put out of my head sunny skies everyday as in Phx!

Last night in Phoenix

I can't believe it, this time tomorrow I'll be on a 747 on my way to europe! I just finished packing. Everything fit in the suitcase so that's a good thing. Angie laughed at me when I told her I packed travel size bottles of Oyster sauce and Siracha hot sauce. I have a feeling I will crave good asian food so I need my ingredients with me. I did have to swap out some clothes when I looked at the weather forecast. When it's hotter than hell here you tend to pack light cooler clothes. It's actually going to be in the 70's during the day in germany so I had to pack for cooler weather. I'm going to miss the 110 degree weather of Phx, NOT.

Tonight Gary declared that, as a show of love and dedication to me, he will not shave until I finish my one year assignment. My response? Good luck with that. A beard would drive him crazy after a few weeks. I just hope he won't expect me to not shave my legs as a show of my love for him!

Last free weekend in town

With Gary in NY for his 25th high school reunion I spent my last free wknd getting everything together for the trip. The other big project was to finish cooking and organizing the freezer so that Gary can easily access his dinners - 40 dinners at last count, which should be enough to feed him during the time I am gone (not including weekends). Also stocked up the freezer with Klondite ice cream bars. I felt better after all that was done. Now I won't worry so much about him starving to death!