marc.vic.max.elliot

Hello from Sunny California!

What to say….hmmmmm…it’s sunny, not too warm and everyone drives on the wrong side of the road!

So far the trip has gone OK with the flight out here being uneventful but long (1 hour to Auckland and then 12.5 to San Francisco) I arrived in the early afternoon last Saturday and a colleague arrived just after me so we ended up having dinner together.  On Sunday the two of us went up into SF by train and did the usual things (Rode on the tram, saw the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz (both from the shore) and just pottered around.  The funny thing is we had our pre-course drinks that night and the Americans were amazed that we used public transport to get into SF.  Admittedly it took a while (10 minute walk to the light rail, 20 minute ride, 1:30 on the Caltrain into the city) but we had a great time and had fun talking to conductors and just generally chilling with the locals!

The New Hire training was very long and very tiring.  The whole week built toward a team presentation on Friday morning and the learning and planning was very taxing.  The days went like this:

Mon:  07:30 – 19:30

Tue:  08:00 – 24:00 (team dinner)

Wed: 08:00 – 23:00 (work through dinner on presentation)

Thur: 08:30 – 01:00 (same as the night before)

Fri:  08:00 – 14:00 (presentation in the morning)

As I said, a long week…….

Today (Saturday) it was really nice to lie in and all I’ve really done today is go the mall, go to the movies (saw 300 – it was OK if not a bit predictable)

Tomorrow it’s back into SF for lunch with a colleague and then Mon-Wed some more training.  I am so looking forward to getting home next week and I really miss Vic and the boys 🙁

Oh and one more thing – the print that I had in the exhibition mentioned the other day actually sold! yay!