There’s a metaphysical thing out there which friends of mine refer to as “The Jason B. Standing Transport Effect”, which is the name for the gestalt of the seemingly limitless variety of transportial cockups that surround and accompany me wherever I choose to roam.  It’s seldom anything critical (I’ve only ever missed 5 flights – 3 from Perth airport), and what’s more though the whole thing seems to serve no purpose than to make me a nervous wreck until I’m on the plane it seems that despite my best contingency …

Since 2005 every time I’ve had the food fortune to speak to my lovely chum Elisa in France, the sentence has popped up like the chorus to some sisturbingly long Proj Rock song: “You should come to the snow with us & stay at my Grandfather’s chalet”.  It turns out that the play length of that song, my fans of a desperate metaphor, is about 6 years.
Or, to put it another way: We went to the snow. – Note: We went in February. It has taken a little longer than I expected …

We’re back up in Edinburgh this year for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – this time Marty’s over from Australia, and he’s joined Liz, Billy, Myk, Kat & I in a nice centrally-placed apartment for a week of theatrical excess and mayhem.  So far we’ve seen (I suspect I’ll edit this list a few times in the next couple of days to add detail as I get time & inclination):

Powaqqatsi
Andrew Maxwell’s Fullmooners
Three Man Roast
John Hegley / Family Wordship
David Leddy’s Untitled Love Story
Andy Zaltzman’s Political Animal
Simon Callow’s Tuesday at Tesco’s
Andy Zaltzman / …

Seeing as I’m on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean to usual, and the opportunity presented itself, I thought it might make sense to break with tradition and do a little bit of a bourbon whiskey tasting instead of focusing on scotch whisky.  You know, broaden the horizons, and all that…
Via the highly excellent organ of information called NYC Whisky I learned that there was a Bulleit tasting going on at Union Square Wines, so it took very little motivation to get on down there and see what was …

Here’s a quick update of what I’ve been up to for the past few weeks – work have sent me over to the USA, and though I’m nominally in “New York”, I’m not situated in an office block on the corner of 42nd and Madison, or anything.  Despite not being in the thick of it though, I’ve had a little bit of opportunity to get in there & have a look around.
So, for starters…

I’m in White Plains NY, not New York City.  It’s not really “upstate New York” – the …

The argument’s divided over whether the Aussies or Brits are more accustomed to lengthy drives to get to places – sure, in Australia we’ve got vast distance from nearly every point  in nearly any direction you care to start.  However in England a 100 mile car trip can take 6 hours, depending on traffic and how may flakes of “adverse weather condition” have fallen.  Nevertheless, our 7 hour drive from London’s Mile End up to Cockermouth seemed to absolutely zip by largely thanks to the excellent conversation of Belinda & …

England is a country rife with tradition & local custom, which gives rise to some fascinating events – I’ve written before about the tar barrel running in Ottery St Mary before, and alluded to but not gotten around to writing about the cheese rolling race at Coopers Hill in Gloucestershire.  In May I was lucky enough to be invited to Padstow, in Cornwall, for another distinct local gem – the Mayday ‘Obby ‘Oss Festival.

Mitch & Bill from our morris dancing team have been heading down to Padstow for years now …

It’s probably abundantly clear – because I clearly mentioned it several times – that back in December I was extremely fortunate to be able to get back to my hometown of Adelaide and spend a few weeks there, soaking up the sun and spending time with friends & family.
Organising relaxing holidays has never been my special subject, and this was no exception: there were only 19 days or so available to catch up with everyone, and so the mission was timetabled rigorously.  At this point it should be obvious that …

And that, as they say, was the trip.
I’m presently parked in the BA lounge at JFK, having been dragged from my 9:00 flight to the 18:00 one.  They offered me $800 by way of compensation for my trouble, and by smiling at the lady I managed to wangle a day pass to the lounge and a meal voucher too… so that rather solves the problem of what to do for the day.  Can’t say that it was a smooth ride in – the chauffeur car that my “hotel” organised was …

That was awesome.
So good to be back. Thanks to all of y’all: especially Bullfrog, Rebecca, and little Miss Callie.