On The Plane (xPost)

We're in the airport on the way home. Even with our flight delayed I couldn't be happier to be on my way back to Colorado. And it's not because I think Colorado is so fabulous (can't stand the place) but...MY BED IS THERE! I totally loved vacation but there's no place like your own home, your own bed, your own bathroom, your own kitchen, etc.

I saw that Lauren has a new book called FATED - be sure to pick it up. The Cascadia Series rocks! Shelley also has some pretty cool things hitting the shelves, too. I love her Middlemarch Mates series.

And for me, it's 5 days and counting until HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 comes along! Can't wait!!!

My plane will be boarding shorly, so I'm off to gather all my crap together. I pack like I"m going on a month-long trip or something - geesh, who needs so many clothes for a one week trip? Anyway, catch ya'll later ;D

TJ

Gas (damn it) and Pics from Ireland (xPost)

I promise there are pictures from Ireland below, but first I just have to say...

I am not going to complain about gas prices in the U.S. anymore. Hell, I'm not even going to whine or whimper. Why? Because I just came back from overseas and the price of gas over there is ri-goddamned-diculous!

For example, I spent $57 USD to put a QUARTER TANK of gas in a little Mazda rental car. Most folks on this side of the pond I've told this story to jump on the, "Well, it's because the dollar is weak right now" band wagon. But let me tell you what the folks over there said.

One guy told me, "Well, it's so bloody expensive because almost 80% of our gas price goes to taxes."

Another said, "Even before the dollar started takin' a beatin', I can remember paying alot for petrol. We buy it by the liter here at about 1.25 GBP right now. But it was around .89 GBP back in 2003, which would amount to more than 7.00 USD. And the dollar wasn't quite outpacing the GBP at the time, but it was kicking the piss out of the Euro by quite a bit back then."

While I was blessedly oblivious to how much it would cost me to replace the gas in our little rental, these are a couple of scenes from the streets of Dublin.

Next, hop over to www.dynamicthree.com/blog to see more pics of our trip to Dublin, Ireland and Liverpool in the UK.


A really cool billboard promoting a local theater production


This is the coolest damned bus I've ever seen. And I spent quite a bit of time behind it ;D


Shops don't stay open late on Sunday as people are usually hanging out with their families. These folks are enjoying the nice weather on a Sunday afternoon.

Happy Almost Friday!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Headed to Ireland...

Hi all,

I've been in Belgium for work all week, and today I'm headed to Ireland, then the UK to teach another class for the day job. I haven't gotten to see much of Belgium, but from what I've seen of the little town I'm in it's quaint, very old style (there's a church down the street built in the 1500's!). The bread it TO DIE FOR. I don't even eat bread all that often when I'm at home, but I could live on this stuff.

Hey, have you ever ridden on a plane with people sneezing all over the place? I'm sure their mama's taught them to cover their mouths when they sneeze or to sneeze in to the crook of their elbow to keep the nasties from flying all over the place. Well, needless to say I have the marvelous privilege of sitting right in front of a woman who didn't listen to her mama. And, yes, you guessed it, TJ is now fighting a frickin' cold. I went to the apothecary (that's what they call the pharmacy here, which makes total sense) and got some cold medicine. It was cool to see the lady to go a wall of drawers and pull out some powdered stuff and tell me exactly how to use it. Even though I feel like crap, she sure made me feel special.

I know you're wondering "did TJ pick up some Belgian chocolate or what?" Well, of course I did! Got it from a baker next door to the hotel. And they dont' have bagged bread here. People buy it fresh from the bakery. Also, the fruit and veggie department in the local grocers is HUGE! And it doesn't cost more to eat healthy here than it does to eat junk. Unlike home, where you can eat a whole crappy meal for $3 bucks and can't get a decent meal for less than $10, this place is a healthy eaters paradise.

Killing my pocket book, though. It cost me $200 to get 116 Euro! Gasp! Choke! I'll be glad when the dollar bounces back a bit! Sheesh!

Off to bed - I have to get up at 6:30am and head to the train station so I can make my plane on time.

Night!

TJ

(for a recap of my first night in Belgium, click here)

Belgium, Here I Come! (xPost)

Well, I'm heading out of town again for work. Only this time I'm going to Belgium. I've never been there and I'm a bit nervous. See, to get there you can either fly into Brussels then make your way to the train station to get to the city I'm traveling to. Or you can fly into Amsterdam, get the train that's located (thankfully) in the airport, then travel by train from the Netherlands to Belgium...which means crossing borders.

While I don't look forward to the travel, I do look forward to reaching the destination. Wish I were going for something other than work. But then again, there's CHOCOLATE!!! Belgian chocolate!

Leaving on Saturday - be back in a couple of weeks ;D I'll have to have a contest to see who I send the goodies to when I get back!

Damn, I'm Tired...

Hey ya'll,

I'm a bit late with my post. I just flew into town and dragged my tired butt home from the airport a couple of hours ago - travelin' for work. The trip was pretty good - I had to go to a customer site and teach 'em how to use the software they just bought from the folks who own my day job.

But you know, I'm such a home body, I stayed at the Hyatt and still found something to make me wanna go home. There's no bed like my bed (sigh....ahhhh!) There's no food like my daughter's cookin (though it was bit on the dry side today). There's no lawn like the one my son mows so nicely.

If it's not on a vacation with my family, damn it, I just don't wanna go! When did that happen? I used to like traveling. I used to enjoy room service and having them run up and deliver stuff. Yep, even this most recent stay was pleasant, but I think I'm just flat out spoiled...by my kids!

Hey, now that I think about it, there's a bit of that woven into my book, Gift Wrap Optional (Ellora's Cave). Now, if I could just find (or be found by) a guy on the cover of that damned book. Whew baby!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com
www.dynamicthree.com
www.nightwhispersauthors.com