While the Hotbed has obviously cooled over the last few weeks, we have a good excuse. We were on the road for most of the month of May. I started the trek in the Middle East, where I made my way from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to Bahrain to Saudi Arabia to Kuwait to Qatar. After the Middle East I had some meetings in Paris, so Agnes met me there. For some reason it took me several days to convince Agnes to fly to Paris in the springtime where everything but the flight would be covered on the company's dime, but I eventually won out. I think she was holding out for
better company, but she finally gave in.
For those of you are ever planning on traveling anywhere, talk to Agnes first. She is the ultimate traveler and a fantastic trip planner. We saw most of Paris in a few action-packed days. But keep in mind, Agnes' tours are not for the faint of heart. I think we walked about 20 miles a day. Luckily she let me stop for crepes, macaroons, ice cream, and a lot of other snacks along the way.
On the last day we were there, ALL the museums in the city were free and open until 2 AM. We would still be living somewhere in one of the museums like in "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" if it were up to Agnes. If you don't know that book, read it now.
As for Saudi Arabia, it has to be the strangest place I've ever been. The Saudis may not like Americans, but they LOVE American things, like Chevy Caprices and Applebee's. And while you can't get Applebee's riblets anywhere in the Kingdom (I think you can get beheaded for ordering pork), you can get jalapeno poppers.
Oh, and the next time you pay $4.50 a gallon for gas, try to think of a rich Kuwaiti or Saudi sheikh in his Prada ski suit learning to ski in the brand-new indoor ski resort in Dubai, and take comfort in the knowledge that you're paying for it.
Kim wanted to bring bring Shawn Johnson home with us. She is so tiny she easily would have fit in my carry on. On a somewhat unrelated note, we were thinking about bringing a few Chinese babies home with us at one point, but it turns out we won't need to steal one anymore.
Kim took this fantastic picture of Usain Bolt after he demolished the world record in the 100m. However, during this politically charged season, I must warn you: his first name is awfully close to "Hussein", which might mean he pals around with terrorists. Sarah Palin told me that.
They held the Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong so we ended up going there for a quick trip. Too quick. That city is amazing.
This is part of the closing ceremony. I was told that BOCOG (organizing committee) built a replica Bird's Nest stadium on the outskirts of Beijing just so they could practice this show while the Bird's Nest was being used for Track & Field events. I would have believed that if the same people hadn't told me the Chinese women's gymnasts were all 16 years old.
Last week, after a magical year in Sausalito, we packed up and moved south across the Golden Gate Bridge to the city. Like many moves, this one came with mixed feelings. We love our new place in San Francisco, but we already miss our sleepy little town. I miss seeing the sun creep up over Angel Island as I get ready for work, turning the bay from silver to gold. And I miss watching the the evening fog spill over the headlands, tumbling down the steep green hills and getting tangled in the trees above our house. But I don't miss spending $4/gallon on gas and filling up the car every week!
