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February 2002
Had breakfast and then back to the airport to see if I could get on an early flight back to Atlanta. Although the thought of waiting at the airport until 7:30pm did not appeal to me in the least. Fortunately there was a flight at 10:40am that was not full and there was a good chance of me getting on it.
And I did!
Lauren's Birthday Adventure begins!
The alarm went off at 5:30 and I threw myself at the shower. I knocked on John's door and he drove me over to Lauren's place where we collected Lauren and Brad. Next stop, the airport.
John dropped us off in good time at the North Terminal entrance and in we wandered. The line at the AirTran check-in counter twisted back and forth, and then back along the hall and then behind the check-in wall. So we waited. The line was moving, but not really quickly enough, so I dashed off to get the three of us bottles of water.
When we got to the counter, the woman was completely useless. She was ridiculously confused by the fact that we were going to Miami via Tampa. We were somewhat concerned that our bags might not make it to Miami. So, after an extended check-in time we went in search of the security line. This line wasn't long, but going through security seemed to take a while.
It was about an hour and twenty minutes after leaving John that we arrived at the C terminal and stopped at Popeye's to get some food. The quality was all that we expected and no more...a small accident with juice and a bag occured but was quickly rectified and we boarded the plane.
Flight to Tampa.
Let's go to Crown Room
Brad busted at Delta security for the toothbrush in his bag
Got to the crown room, had a drink, headed back
Lauren stopped at AirTran security, did not take it happily.
Arrived at the plane, waited while people in front were searched.
Finally arrived at Miami. Collected bags. Chilis sucked. Lauren and Brad smoked while I got ice cream. Waited inside fro Bria. Bought Maxim. It was their swimsuit edition. Lauren and I checked out the models but none really stood out. One was from NZ for what that's worth.
Taxi to hotel. Beacon Hotel. Rest/nap.
Went for a wander around South Beach and then stopped for dinner at Casablanca.
Our waiter was Jorge. We started with martinis. Cigars. Caesar salad (LA: salad, BM/BD: shrimp/crab cocktail), Fillet with mushrooms in merlot reduction (LA: Salmon, BM/BD: seafood raviolli). Cognac with cigar, very tasty.
Walk around the beach. Bria dropped pants and played in the water for a bit. We walked up along Ocean Drive, stopping at News Cafe for a drink or three and then back down to the hotel.
Lazy start to the day. Awake around 9:30. Everyone gradually showers. Off to breakfast around 11:30ish at Johnny Rockets, which is next door. Milkshakes, burgers and fries. Good stuff.
Off to the store to buy sunglasses, togs and towel. Everybody purchased towels, Bria bought swimwear, Lauren bought some cool clothes. Back to the hotel to change and then off to the beach.
Beach is packed, but we find a spot, lay down our towels and relax. Spend the afternoon sunning and reading. Bria and Lauren play in the water for a bit.
When the temperature turns cold we head back to the hotel and get changed for dinner. Head up along Ocean Drive and stop for dinner at News Cafe
Waiter tells us that there is a convenience store around the corner that sells liquor, so we head over and buy a bottle of Absolut Mandarin and a bottle of sprite and head back to the hotel. We make up drinking rules for spades.
Rather than watch TV we put on the radio and found Dee Snyder's House of Hair - 80's metal hour. It started amusing, but quickly degenerated...
As the bottle ran low, the girls dozed off and Brad and I watched TV.
A similar start to the day. Had a more proper breakfast at Mezzaluna. Eggs and toast and grapefruit juice. Yummy. Then back to the hotel to change and back to the beach.
The beach was empty compared to yesterday. So another day of resting and reading took place. The French tourist just along the beach from us decided to take advantage of the lack of people around and we were all rather impressed. I played in the water a bit with Lauren and Bria, but the temperature really was just a little too cold.
As the late afternoon cooled we returned to the hotel to get changed and went in search of inexpensive dining. We picked a kosher fast food establishment, and I had a really great shwarma. Then we went wandering through the shops looking for dice. We didn't find any proper dice, but at Urban Outfitters we picked up some "dirty dice". We checked out some more shops and then went back to the convenience store to picked up another bottle of Mandarin and another of sprite, The girl remembered us from last night and thought it amusing we were back.
Back at the hotel I assigned numbers to the differnt faces on the dirty dice and we got under way playing Mexicans. Craziness ensued and before long we had finished the liquor. So we went on a mission to the beach and then back to the convenience store, where the girl gave us the key to get the liquor ourselves. Heheh. So, armed with more Mandarin, sprite and red bull, we bounced back to the hotel for more drinking madness.
Happy Birthday Lauren!
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Too much alcohol consumed.
A much slower start to the day than those previous. Breakfast at News Cafe. Lauren and Bria go shopping while Brad and I go to the beach. Much colder today. Wind coming off the ocean.
Dinner at the restaurant at the hotel - Rendevous at the Beach. Our server, Raul, is very entertaining. We start with apple martinis. I order a bottle of burgandy. Caesar salads for Lauren and I, calamari for Brad. Lauren orders a main of salmon; Bria, the lobster tail; Brad, the (giant) shrimp; Damon, the surf and turf: 10oz filet, crab stuffed with crab meat, half lobster with the tail filled with lobster and the body stuffed with a shrimp and crab meat mixture, all this served with potatoes and vegetables. For desert, creme brulee for Lauren and I, teramasu (sp?) for Brad and Key Lime Pie for Bria. Brad and Lauren have chocolate Martinis and Bria has a coconut chocolate martini, while I have a cognac. An insanely good meal. Through dinner an excellent flamenco guitarist is playing; I buy his CD, which he signs, and I give it to Lauren.
After dinner we go for a walk (to aid digestion), and stop in at the convenience store to pick up a bottle of vodka (Stoli Oranj tonight, as they are out of Mandarin). We return to the hotel to play cards rather than Mexicans, and don't finish the bottle. Sleep is good.
Bria is up early to catch her flight back to the cold of New Jersey. Later, we arise, pack up, check out, and get a cab back to the airport to pick up a car. Luck is with us, as I have been assigned a Ford Explorer - big enough for all of us and all our stuff. Woohoo!
We stop at a Blimpie for sustenance and then we head out towards Key West on a beautifully pleasant day. Now I am really grateful that I bought those sunglasses...
We stop at the tourist center in Key West to find somewhere to stay. This is high season, and everywhere is full or has a minimum of two nights. However, the Mansion has a suite available: it's the mansion of Florida's first millionaire, and they have a two-hour cocktail hour. So we go there.
It is absolutely splendid. When we check in we are told we are just in time for cocktail hour. Our suite is an annex building across the road from the Mansion proper. It is upstairs, with a canopy bed and a sitting room with couches that expand out into double beds. There is a deck. The shower is family sized. It is very swank. We put our vodka in the fridge and head across the road for cocktail hour.
Cocktail hour takes place around a pool, with an open bar. This is very civilised and rather pleasant. Although we are by far the youngest people present. All very amusing though.
Then we head down to the water's edge to watch the sun go down, but we have missed the event by a couple of minutes. Ah well. So we go for a wander, anyway. It has a very Savannah or New Orleans French Quarter feel, but leaning more to the former. We stop for dinner (caesar salad and shrimp scampi for me) and then pick up cigarettes (Brad and Lauren) and head back to the hotel to play cards and chat about the week.
As we approach the end of the Oranj, I head out to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of vodka. When I get back we chat some more and then get changed and head down to the jacuzzi. Sitting at a sweet 103F (39C) it feels very nice to be soaking in this while sipping chilled vodka (although probably not the best in terms of dehydration factors...). We are joined later on by a couple of lads from London and their bottle of gin.
Brad woke us up at 9am so we could get down to poolside for breakfast before 10am. This was a very good move, as there was an omelette chef there, making what seemed to be the best omelettes in the world right there and then. Along with toast and orange juice, this was a great start to the day. After breakfast, we checked out and began the trek back to Miami.
Once in Miami, I picked up a map and we tried to hunt down the house where Lauren lived the first six months of her life. We drove around the place and found the street. Only we didn't. It appears there are two streets with exactly the same name, with the exception that one is NE and the other SW, and they are on complete opposite sides of town. Damned silly Miami-ites. Oh well. We don't have enough time to get to the correct street so we stop for food at Denny's and then head back to the airport.
At the airport we check in and head to security, where both Brad and Lauren are hassled. Ugh! Then we go in search of a smokers' terrarium, of which there are none. Feeling let down, yet again, we go to our gate where we are informed that due to winds around Atlanta, our flight will be delayed by an hour. Ugh!
Clair picked us up from the airport and dropped me home. Woohoo. At home though, the door was locked and I dropped my camera from our terrace to the concrete driveway. It survived in one piece, but I think one of the lenses cracked. I will know for sure when I get the film developed. It looks like I might have to buy a new camera.
Going back to work is never fun after vacations like the one I just had, but I did.
After work I went out the airport again to pick up Amy.
Local
Rarity
John up and out early to go mountain-biking with Sarah
Brunch with Matt and Lauren at Radial
Damon do catchup chores in the afternoon. Charlotte did loads of work on our front yard. Amy relaxed.
Order in food and watch TV
Local to meet up with Lauren/Matt/Clair.
Back to Clair's to play Mexicans.
Brunch with John and Charlotte at Agnes and Muriel's. Very tasty.
John went mountainbiking again. Charlote did more on our frontage. Amy and I went for a walk to Piedmont Park.
Eventually time to take Amy to the airport.
Charlotte made a roast dinner and Sarah and Alice came over to enjoy and watch Sunday Night TV. I had a conference call at 9pm with NZ.
Worked until 7pm. Came home, had dinner and worked until 11pm.
Worked 8:30 to 7:30. Had dinner with Brad, John, and Vanessa, at Slocum's, and then came home to work until 11:30 on a document that had to be sent ot NZ.
Worked 8:15 to 5:30. Another busy day. Then went to Local for Trivia. We (me, John, Charlotte, Jenny, Christina) did not do so well. I left after the game; the others stayed later. Both girls' cars were broken into. That really sucks.
Didn't feel so good - chest congestion, coughing, sore eyes, headache. Did what work I had to do and then cam home after lunch. Jumped into bed and slept for a couple of hours. Got up later, muddled around for a bit, took some Tylenol PM and went to bed around 9.
Anthony Thomson's 30th birthday
Stayed home. Did what work I could remotely.
I talked to Rosalie for a bit over IM. This was nice, as I haven't had any communications with her since we had lunch together just before she moved away. She still hasn't got a job, but she had a positive attitude (and I do like being called a "sexy kiwi bastard").
I also conversed with Bria, who is in Georgia for the weekend, although spending the first part of it in Athens. I may go and collect her on Sunday and spend the afternoon with her and take her to the airport.
No hot water coming out of shower. This sucks. I need to get cleaned up so I can go pick up Bria from Athens.
Eventually the water came right, so I showered and launched myself in the direction of Athens. It was an easy drive to (Wholesome) Lauren's apartment, where I collected Bria. We headed back to Atlanta. I called Lauren to let her know I had captured Bria and we arranged to meet up for a bite to eat at Tortilla's.
After eating, Bria and I went over to the Local for a quick drink and then we scooted over to Lauren's to pick up Matt, and the four of us headed to the airport. Goodbyes were said and then I dropped Lauren home and returned to my home.
Work.
John went to Riviera. I stayed home.
Work
Work then trivia. We lost. But then I went to MJQ. And it rocked. Got home around 2:30am
Tired at work. Stayed in. Played Civ III.
Work.
Michele was going to come over after work for a few drinks and then we were going to head to the Masquerade to see Iris. Unfortunately she had some car problems, so John and I just went over to Lauren's and wandered to the club from there. Iris were really good; it was a great show. Saw lots of peoples. Then went to Rarity. Unfortunately, this is about when the alcohol really hit me and knocked me good and proper. Wendy drove us all home.
Spent most of the day playing Civ III. Had brunch at Radial with Lauren - always a good Saturday experience. Then I went to Abbadabba's to buy some new shoes (Doc Martin's, of course). Then it was back to Lauren's to pick up my car and home again.
Stayed home in the evening, playing Civ III.
Once again, I pretty much spent the day playing Civ III. This is the same game that I started on Tuesday. It is going very well. I have destroyed the Zulus, the Babylonians, and I have just eradicated the Japanese for their mistaken belief that they could attack me without reprisal. I (the Persians) have the most dominant civlisation, although the Americans actually have a slightly higher score. The French, Germans, and English are all large enough to pose potential problems in the event that one of them decides to attack me. I am the most advanced nation, with battleships and tanks, and I'm in the process of developing flight. Much fun.
After defeating the Japanese, I took a break to update my journal and upload some of the latest pictures that I have developed, and photos that I have received copies of from Bria and Charlotte. You can see them on the 2001 and 2002 pictures pages.
My sister sent me the URL for Find A Kiwi, a web site where you enter in details about which schools you've been to and it lists other people from that school and your year. Saw a few names that I remember - not many in my neighbourhood, though.
I've got another conference call with NZ tonight. So much going on...
I went briefly to the Local to have a drink with my friend Sarah who has run away to join the circus. Really, she has.
Clair's birthday
Left home at 8am, got home at 8pm. Only place I went in between was work. Joy.
Checking out digital cameras. The ones I like I really can't justify the price of. Some I'm going to have to just get over it and buy one that is appropriate to my budget. This makes me a little sad, but that's how it goes.
Johnny Cash's 70th birthday
Christ. I ordered a digital camera today. I hope it arrives before the weekend...
I also bought a lottery ticket. Fun fun fun.
Mike Rotgan's birthday
Today was cold. Very frickin' cold. It was about 20F (-7C) when I got up this morning, and by midday the temperature had gotten to 28F (-2C), unless you were in the wind, in which case it was 16F (-9C). Screw this for a lark. Right now (8:30pm) it is about a degree warmer than it was at lunchtime. Granted, this is the coldest it's been in quite a while; I don't have to like it though...
Picked up a pizza from Camelli's for dinner. Very tasty. Also picked up a Stomp and Stammer and found some interesting morsels of information, like a new Tanya Donnelly album, a posthumous Joey Ramone album So much stuff!
I'm not at trivia tonight, because I have to be at work at 7:30 in the morning. Fun fun fun...
John brought a printer home from work, so I set it up.We really have quite the home office now: networked computers, a scanner, printer, internet connection, web cam, DVD-ROM, CD-RW. So much fun.
I also gave my head a fresh shave. Hmm, feels so nice.
Going to bed early was slightly prevented by Insomniac being in Atlanta. This was really cool, as Dave Attell stopped by places I know, such as the Starlight (drive-in movies), the Clermont Lounge, Little Five Points, and, of course, Buckhead. Very cool.
Thompson Jenning's birthday
My camera didn't arrive today. It didn't leave Texas until 2:30pm this afternoon. Oh well; I should get it tomorrow...
But I will get an Amy tonight! Woohoo!
Anyway, alarm went off at 6:30am this morning, and off to work around 7am. Ugh. Got there at 7:30am, was in meetings and conference calls pretty much all day and managed to escape around 6pm. So tired, but a successful day, I think. But, once again, it was frickin' cold all day.
Hey, last time I was back in NZ, I went looking for CDs and such of various NZ artists. Unfortunately, there were several that I couldn't find. If anyone can get me a copy of any of the following, I will be eternally grateful: Head Like A Hole's first album, Supergroove's first album (and maybe anything after that), um, that's all I can think of just at the moment, but I'm sure more will come to me later. Oh yeah, Stereobus, Hallelujah Picassos.
Bad news of the day: Jill has cancelled the VNV Nation show. Reason cited: they were asking too much money for the local scene to support. That sucks, because I really love seeing VNV, and the Riviera is a cool venue for them. Maybe one of the other promotors/clubs will pick them up. Otherwise I'm going to have to roadtrip it. Of course, I'm already booked to go see them in Chicago later in the month, but that's later!