I heart TV

23.1.09

This horrible horrible weather is beginning to do my head in! It's been raining for days on end... the last couple of days it's been akin to the constant drizzle you get in England.
With very little else to do when the weather is so awful, I found myself sitting in front of a roaring fire, watching TV this afternoon. Although, having said that, that is where you will often find me on a Sunday afternoon!
I love my TV!!
I was rather excited last week on finding that, after returning from our holiday in the States, we had lost all our freesat channels (bummer) so I re-booted (re-configured, re-whatever!) our receiver and found a load more channels!!!
Before, we only picked up a few random channels including BBC and ITV1. Now I can get ITV2, ITV4, Channel4, Film4, E4, a whole load music channels, Zone Horror, Zone Thriller, Zone Romantica, etc, etc, etc! I now have a choice!
Although it's wonderful for such a TV addict, it's also a pain in the proverbial because I find myself constantly flicking through the channels as I'm afraid I might be missing something exciting.
This afternoon though, I found some 'interesting' viewing (you can take that any way you like!). On the E4 Channel, first was an American show about a beauty pageant for mothers and their adult daughters, where the winner goes away with 100,000 dollars. It was highly amusing to see grown women acting like little girls.
Today they were introducing themselves to the judges in order to give a good first impression. I have to say, only one duo managed to do that. Most of the others just looked, and sounded, like spoilt little girls. Each couple had to give themselves a name too... this was very funny considering one opted for 'Silent But Deadly'.. clearly they weren't aware of the connotations of such a name (unless they suffered with terrible wind, of course).
Another team chose 'Skin Deep'... not much to them, then?
I guessed that the 'Blonde Bombshells' weren't too interested at coming across at anything other than dumb blondes, which they achieved.
Mind you, it was very entertaining and highly amusing... if I'm at home, I will make at point of watching it next weekend.
Following this painfully amusing but very watchable programme was another called 'The Bachelor', filmed two years ago. I had obviously heard about this programme (wasn't Ulrika Johnson on a British version??). The guy was 30 years old and he had been paired up with a dozen or so astonishingly beautiful and successful women in their forties. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with the age gap but they were making a big thing out of it, and then at the end of the show they brought on a dozen of other girls to compete with them... only they were all in their twenties! Fascinating! Again, I'd love to know who he falls for! (I'll keep an eye out next weekend).
Soon after that, the rain came down even harder, clouds became thicker and the sky was as black as Bill mother's (where does that expression come from, I wonder?), which made the satellite TV unwatchable! Typical. As much as I wanted to avoid the kitchen, it beckoned... with little else to do, I ended up preparing dinner... very early!
What is there to do in this country when the weather is so appalling? You'd think after nearly 23 years, I might have come up with a suitable solution by now.

Taking a bite out of the Big Apple

19.1.09











After we left Las Vegas, I didn't feel quite so sad because our next stop was even more exciting. Yes... we were headed to one of the most fantastic cities in the world... New York!
I loved it from the minute we landed. Actually, it was even before that. As we circled the city from above, flying out over the water, to make a U-turn in the sky, I could see a few of the well known landmarks and my heart was practically in my mouth! We were in New York!! Can you tell I was excited??
Although our drive from JFK to the hotel was pretty hairy and long winded, it was good fun. We had paid for one of those transfers that picks up / drops off other people as well - so we saw quite a lot just in that single drive. The driver was pretty fond of his horn though. But then, over the next few days I would discover that ALL New York cab / transfer drivers are fond of them.
We had chosen a hotel that looked cool and contemporary, The Hudson. It was pretty cool - the entrance was jaw dropping. The rooms were not. To maximise potential, the developers squeezed as many rooms as physically possible into that space, which meant the room wasn't much bigger than my bathroom at home! But it didn't bother us, we would be spending far more time out and about than holed up in the hotel.
The city certainly disappoint. I loved everything about it and we crammed everything possible into those five days. The Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty (although we just did a ferry ride, we didn't get off), Central Park - ice skating and a horse drawn carriage ride, Times Square - where we saw the Naked Cowboy (what a giggle that was!), Ground Zero, Broadway (although we didn't see a show), China Town, Little Italy, Rockefeller Centre.... it was all so exciting!
We had some fabulous meals - particularly in an Irish Pub & Restaurant called DJ Reynolds - super! There seemed to be a Starbucks on every street corner - good, because we had become suitably addicted to the Gingersnap lattes and the Peppermint Mocha Twists (I miss them already). We did the obligatory bus tours all over the city, although, disappointedly it rained on the occasion we decided to visit uptown so our visions of Harlem, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, etc were somewhat occluded by misty windows. Never mind... next time, we'll see it properly.
Since visiting New York, every time we see it on TV I get overly excited - as if I am now some kind of NY expert. We've been there... and there... I shout knowingly. Silly really (but, hey, that's me).
The recent plane crash in the Hudson is an example... that very ferry terminal they keep mentioning is the one we used to get a boat trip around Manhattan. Whenever they mention 42nd street, hubby and I nod to each other knowingly. We know what they're talking about.
Speaking of that plane crash... Wow. Incredible. That pilot and his co-pilot are real life heroes. It's amazing that they managed it so smoothly and without any casualties.
Next time I go on a plane, I want to hear that man's name as the name of our pilot.
On the subject of pilots, on our plane ride home from Gatwick to Faro, we had a female pilot. I smiled, knowing that we would have a great flight. Hubby, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows. I think he might have secretly prayed (and he's not a religious man).

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!

12.1.09









I'm back from my travels Stateside and I have to say... I wanna go back!!!
I have had the time of my life in Las Vegas and then New York. Wow... what a place! No matter what I saw on TV or through the Americans that I met before I went, nothing prepared me for the amazing place that it is. The people are the friendliest and most genuine I have ever met and I would love to move over there!
Las Vegas was another world in itself. Each hotel was like a mini city - huge in every way and so impressive (or should I say 'awesome'?). I was expecting serious tackiness and I hardly saw that at all. Yes, there were a couple of places that were a tad on that side but the majority were simply beautiful - they took my breath away. We walked for miles and miles and we were there for two weeks but we still didn't get the chance to see it all.
The New York New York Hotel and Casino boasted its' own mini statue of liberty and roller coaster (no... I didn't have a go!) and inside was like taking a walk through the city itself.
The same goes for The Paris - beautiful.
I loved the MGM purely for the stunning lions that were there throughout the day. They had a purpose built area that was sound proof and smell proof so that they remained calm and comfortable while there.
One of the most beautiful, and well known hotels, was the Bellagio. Every quarter (or half) an hour, the fountains came to 'life', dancing to music so that everyone in the streets could watch. It was simply stunning.
The Venetian had its own canals, where you could ride a gondola, while the gondoliers sang to you (a little embarrassing, I guess, so we just watched!). Also there, was an exact replica of St. Marks Square - unbelievable!
Caesars Palace was by far the most impressive of all hotels and casinos. It was absolutely enormous and the attention to detail was exquisite. It's hard to describe just how beautiful it was.
The Stratosphere is a must see! Soaring more than 100 floors upwards, the views from atop were breathtaking, and not only that... there were terrifying rides up there!! I was nervous just watching people climb aboard them. I even shiver now, at the thought! The photos above sum them up!
Venturing out of Las Vegas, we hired a car and sat nav (we called her Sheila), and headed for the Grand Canyon. Sheila took us two hours in the wrong direction! And then when we were on the right road, we had to travel 21 miles on a dirt track. Bear in mind that it had also been snowing, it was a bit icy (and dicy!). We eventually got there, excited at the prospect of seeing one of the wonders of the world.
However, we would be disappointed. We chose the West Rim because of the newly built Sky Walk (where you could step out onto a glass ledge to see the depth of this impressive site). Once there, we had to pay 20 dollars to park the car. Then we had to take a bus to the canyon - another 30 dollars EACH. Once there, the main view had been blocked by the construction of what appeared to be some kind of hotel at the Sky Walk. And if we wanted to go on the Sky Walk, we had to pay another 20 or 30 dollars EACH! Obviously we could see part of the canyon but were told it had been completely spoiled. We were very disappointed to have wasted so much money. If we ever go again, we have decided to go on a helicopter tour instead - at least then we will be able to see unobstructed views of this awesome site.
The Hoover Dam was also on our list of must-sees and we weren't disappointed there. It was fantastic! A new motorway was being built across it and so it was pretty incredible to see that! Pretty terrifying too, to imagine the workers up there!
I'm sure you're beginning to get the picture now just how amazed I was by everything there was to see at Vegas. It's somewhere I would recommend everyone visit at some time in their lives. I'm sure I'll be back!
I'll tell you all about New York later!




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