Bowling with Nammie

Our Birthday celebration extended to the bowling alley. Job well done Abby!

Birthday (part deux)

And again at Nammie's house on the real day...

Happy Birthday Hannah

On December 9th, we had Hannah's London Birthday party (as opposed to theone at Nammie's house later in the month). We had an "Under the Sea" theme at a local pottery shop. All of this kids made plates that they can keep and remeber Hannah's birthday party.

Huncle Owie comes to town

How lucky we were to have Howie, Allie and Bailey visit in early December. For those of you perplexed with the title of this post, Abby has this issue with leading H's. For example, when she needs a cuddle, she needs a Ug. No H. When she sees Uncle Howie, he is Huncle Owie. And when she needs both, she needs a Ug from Huncle Owie. It was great to have them over in the UK and to spend time giving our best wishes to Annie and Oscar as they prepare to move to Dubai to meet up with Oisin who has moved there for work. That evening was a lot of fun- we went for a good curry.

Bailey had her first slept over our house and enjoyed snuggling down into our inflatable mattress.

Uno!

The kids are really jet lagged from our trip to the USA and our days and evenings are off- way off! Last night, after dinner we are playing "Go fish!" with the girls which is a great way for them to learn numbers and pairs. We had a great moment when Abby puts a set of four cards on the table and realizes that she just has one card left in her hand. Watching her mind make the connection to the other card game she likes to play, she shouts, "Uno!" Now had we been playing the game Uno, that would have been appropriate, but since this was Go Fish, it was hysterical. It was one of those special moments that just warms your heart and makes you laugh. Well done Abby!

Technology is amazing

So we got Hannah a Nintendo DS for her 6th birthday. It seems to be a bigger deal for Jen and me than her. Hannah struggles with the real name and calls it 'Intendo'. Abby too adds her own spin to it calling it 'Pretendo'. Really anything she does is cute because she is three and she is Abby. I enjoy watching Hannah play with a game called Nintendogs. This requires her to care for a puppy by feeding it, bathing it and taking it out for a walk. So this morning when I woke up I heard her whispering to 'Lilly' her pet lab, 'Lilly, sit. Good girl'. It is fun to watch her care for the dog, 'Mommy I need to feed her but I have no food.', Jen retorts, 'You have to go to the store' it is all really funny when you think she is six. Anyway, I am just glad I don’t have to clean up any virtual poop off the floor.

Happy Hanukkah!

Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

We’re coming home

After much discussion amongst Jennifer and I, and the girls, we have decided that we are going to return to the USA when my contract in the UK completes at 31 March. This has been a wonderful experience for us but we recognize the importance of coming home and setting down roots back at home. One of the challenging things we are faced with is related to where to come home to. Since we sold our home in the USA, we have no place to come back to. Jennifer is taking a very pragmatic approach to evaluating cities and towns based on educational standards for the girls, job opportunities for her, and proximity to an international airport- for me of course. So I wanted to open this discussion up to the wider audience- where do you think we should come back to? We’d like to hear what you have to say. We are looking for a town that has a thriving Jewish community, good schools, a children’s hospital, and within driving distance to an international airport ( a real one please… not one that has the token flight to Mexico to brandish the international moniker! One that flies to London…) Please, let us know what you think. You have all been slow to leave comments, so I welcome them now, I want to know your thoughts. Some considerations thus far… Atlanta and Cherry Hill, NJ (close to Philadelphia). Click on the link below to leave a comment.

Beware the SIV

Not sure if many you have taken notice of the articles in the news lately regarding SIVs or Structured Investment Vehicles. The frequency of the articles in the Wall St Journal Europe have picked up pace and it is cause for real concern. Many people don’t realize that they themselves may be exposed to the woes of the subprime mortgage debt crisis that the markets have been reeling from recently. Here’s the issue. SIVs are the investment of choice for money market funds. Money market funds are usually considered to be safe investments but take notice. The nature of the debt crisis that we have had recently affects these once thought safe havens. Everyone should realize that the standard NAV (net asset value) of $1.00 per share on money market funds is NOT guaranteed and money market funds can – however unlikely it is- lose money. Further, money market funds are NOT FDIC insured. I hope that everyone will carefully consider this and their own personal situations. The full extent of the losses related to the subprime mortgage lending crash is yet to be known. Many large money centre banks are pulling together rescue plans for SIV’s that they have structured and the loses are expected to be in the tens of billions of dollars. On a personal basis, Jennifer and I have chosen to move our money into FDIC insured bank Certificates of Deposits (a.k.a CD’s) and to just keep some money in plain old FDIC insured checking accounts. One thing to take heed of- if your broker or financial advisor does you a ‘favor’ of sweeping your cash balances into money market accounts, he or she may be exposing you to risks that you are not aware of. A few weeks ago I was on my way to shul and I saw a line of people wrapped around the block waiting to take their money out of the Northern Rock bank in Golder's Green. This is the first time there has been a run on a UK bank in over 100 years. I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little saying, ‘The sky is falling’, but I do want people to understand the issue and take notice if they have not done so already. If you think it can’t happen to you… you may be wrong.

Oracle Release 12 and Sub Ledger Accounting

One of the things that really gets me excited about Release 12 of Oracle eBusiness Suite is the new functionality around sub-ledger accounting. Basically this is what we have been striving for in financial packages for a while now. Essentially the concept behind SLA is that all transactional level details are kept within the subledger so that the General Ledger does not become cluttered with extensive amounts of detail. Until now we have paid lip service to the idea of ‘thin’ chart of accounts but now it seems to be within reach. SLA has a number of other features that can benefit large and medium sized businesses, especially global companies that are forced to maintain separate charts of accounts for statutory reporting purposes. This is something worth reading about and I encourage you to do so. You can read more about SLA in this white paper from Oracle.

Dinner with Hans

On Wednesday (14-Nov) I was invited to dinner at Hans Kolbe's house. Hans is an old friend of mine from the time he consulted at BT. Hans has a beautiful home in the Noe Valley. It was a great alternative to the Oracle customer appreciation event and gave me an opportunity to catch up with some friends. It was truly great to see CJ and Patty. CJ and I shared stories about the kids and our careers. CJ is now at Booz Allen Hamilton.

This visit ended a very dynamic week. Thursday saw me packing my bags between conference calls and runs to Starbucks to synchronize e-mail. My only regret for the week was not having the chance to see John Stebel as our schedules did not permit.

Thanks for opening your home to us Hans, a fun time was had by all.

Case Study

On Wednesday (14-Nov) morning we had the presentation of the case study: Consolidating ERP Financials Instances at British Telecom. AR and I spoke about BT's systems consolidation plan for close to one hour and took some questions at the end. It was very well done. Hats off to AR for a very well prepared and delivered session. I was very proud to occupy the stage with him.

Panel Discussion

On Monday (12-Nov) afternoon was the Panel Discussion, Getting More with Less. There was about 100 people in attendance counting the BT people as well. I think it want very well and I was proud to have shared the stage with Tim Westendorf and John Abel from MasterCard and Symantec respectively. I was very interesting to hear the common themes expressed in each of the three presentations. We got some very good questions afterward and had a good networking opportunity with people from Rogers Communications, Garlock, Baxter, and Eaton.

Thank you Congregation Ner Tamid

I wanted to take a moment to say a special thank you to Congregation Ner Tamid of San Francisco for opening their sanctuary to me this Shabbat. I had a wonderfully deep and spiritual experience with them. All of the congregants made me feel so welcome. I was honoured with the Kohain aliyah. I enjoyed the lunch with the Beck family who were very warm and kind to me, even going so far as driving me back to my hotel when my taxi proved to be very late. Todah Rabah!

Time for a change America

So my early morning excursion today takes me to Walgreen’s as I need some snacks for the room. Jet lag hits me in two very distinct ways. My body neither knows when it is time to sleep nor eat. Anyone who knows me understands that the latter is a big issue for me. What me moody?? The hardest thing is being stuck in a hotel room when you’re starving at 3 am. Anyway, it struck me this morning that America is on the wrong track.

While standing at the check out with my bottles of water and Ritz Crisps, I noticed that the store had the ‘important’ things behind the counter, well from the reach of customers. It struck me that the Nicorette was heavily guarded behind the counter while the Chee-tos were available to the general population. Consider the subliminal messaging here. Its clear that if you want to improve your life and improve your health, that a post pubescent store clerk will need to get involved for you to analyze the back of a box of Nicorette. On the other hand you can decide to slowly kill yourself over the next 40 years with the artery clogging saturated fats found in the junk food aisle.

What if this were reversed? What if we were able to peruse the medicines behind the safety and security of the check out counter at will as opposed to having to ensure the embarrassing encounter with the check out clerk. How many more people would actually buy the Nicorette or the condoms if they could just reach them unassisted?

Then, we can really have the clerks guard the populace from the real dangers in life. Picture the gum smacking teen-ager confronting the double wide patron with the desire to get at the jumbo size of double stuff Oreo cookies safely stored behind the counter. An awkward conversation ensues with the clerk asking the patron, “Are you sure?” The patron fumbles with an acceptable answer, “Um, well, I guess…”

It seems out priorities have become juxtaposed.

There was evening, there was night, the second day…

Day two starts at a more reasonable hour. I am running the streets of San Fran at 4 am with my i-pod on and am thinking about all of the things that need my attention back in the office. Things are stressful for me now. I get back to the hotel and am in Starbucks by 5 am (that is NOT me by the way- its a file photo of some dude) to do e-mail and make calls to the UK. I am having a bit of a crisis and that continues to unfold. I take my 7 am call from the hotel and that makes me late for the taxi to day two.

Day two of strategy council is cool. We discuss how Oracle plans to weave Web2.0 concepts into its EBS solution. Now this is cool. How can we use tools that people use every day to drive productivity? I am on the edge of my seat with ideas and gushing them out all over AJ, AR and Steve. AJ is amused at first and then bored. I am excited. I see he is simmering on a few issues we learned earlier in the day that may materially alter our roadmap. It seems that the direction that Oracle has chosen on scanning technology cuts across some work that we have lined up for this year. He is troubled. I am talking with my hands and getting excited about things.

The afternoon is good too. Terrance Wampler provides an update on R12.1. Right! 12.1 is being discussed because Terrance has already moved on to newer things. I like the update and take good notes. I love when Oracle uses terms like ‘Superior Ownership Experience’. Firstly it makes me think I am buying a BMW, second, it’s like who else is there? You have basically acquired everyone else so superior to who?

Day two ends with a review of OOW sessions and I am on my way. I do some shopping and head to the hotel.

Strategy Council Day One

Day one of the Oracle Financials Strategy Council is a rough one. With my jet lag and general nervousness of what is going on in the HR Programme I am awake at 1:30 am. By 2 am I am down in the business centre and making phone calls to the UK. By 5 am I am in Denny’s having a fry up and by 5:30 I am in Starbuck’s synchronizing e-mail. The real challenge comes when I have to shower and get ready for the workshop that starts at 9 am. It is just about that time I am ready to go back to sleep! Day One is really good actually and the content is good enough to keep us all awake.

I love attending events like this with Oracle because they are run very well. The slide presentations are appealing and the presents know their sh1t. It is also a good time to bounce ideas off of peers and get a sense if they are having the same issues you are. Despite knowing that BT is big and that we have a very forward thinking agenda, it is confirmed by our attendance here. The synergies that exist by having me, AJ, AR, Steve and Chris at the same table to discuss strategy is awesome. Collectively amongst us there is over 60 years of experience on BT finance systems at the table. Every break is a chance to refine outlook and roadmap ideas going forward. I realize in looking around the table, my move to HR is bittersweet. I’ll be doing a lot less in the Oracle Financials space going forward and that is a bit of a downer. Not only do I really like oracle EBS, I really like working with these guys.

Oracle EBS is at a really cool turning point right now. The new functionality that Oracle is rolling out answers many of the issues we’ve had for a while. The first session of the day is dedicated to Sub ledger Accounting. This is cool. Keeping the GL lean and mean. Keeping the detail in the sub ledgers is where our thinking has gotten to over 18 months ago. The buzz around the table begins as Steve starts ticking off the number of issues that can help us resolve. An interesting debate goes on related to TP, we hit full stride in our discussion and we are excited.

The Business Intelligence update is a challenge. By now it is time for bed in the UK and my body struggles to remain focused. Plus, with Oracle’s acquisition on Hyperion, the strategy has changed and there is just a lot to absorb. Try as I might, I am getting about 30% absorption. The highlight of this session is the XBRL capability built directly into Hyperion. I latched onto XBRL early and have read about as much as I can on this subject. As a CPA I know this is the future of financial reporting and beyond.

The afternoon is a slight bust when we start talking about Fusion User Acceptance Module. Steve slyly notes that this is like 40 letters that otherwise spell HELP. I am giddy at this point and am trying to think if an acronym that can transform FUAM into fubar. Anyway, Fusion User Acceptance Module is bit like a cup holder in a Mercedes. Once you press the button you watch this thing unfold and you realize there are a handful of German engineers that had way too much time on their hands. My sense is that this is kind of over engineered. By this time I am starting to drool on the table as the jet lag is being unkind.

We wrap the day with a conversation around Applications Unlimited.

Overall a good first day and the big benefits coming during the breaks where we are speaking in real terms about the impact on BT.

Hold on, I will get the sommelier

So we sit down in a seafood place in Fisherman’s Wharf that seems reasonable. The menu is full of seafood goodies and by 7 pm we were dreadfully tired and starving. This is the kind of place that has the nerve to charge $7.95 for a starter salad but also has plastic table cloths. AJ decides wine is order but I know that if I had a glass of wine the four of them would be carrying me back to the hotel. Chris takes a look at the menu and in typical British style asks the 18 year old waitress if she’d recommend the Pinot Noir or the Cabernet. By now, I am so slap happy I can’t stop laughing. She’s not even old enough to drink wine!!

Size Matters

So there we are standing at the baggage carousel waiting for the first class bags to come off the plane. Of course, my frustration level with Virgin Atlantic surges as I am watching everyone else walk away with their bags first and mine has not arrived. Then we see AJ’s bag medium sized bag come off and we are all duly impressed that he can fit a week’s worth of clothing in that device. Then AR’s bad arrives and another minimalist packing job. Then comes my bag. Suffice it to say the ridicule will not stop even till now. You could fit all of their bags in mine and still have room for shopping.

Like a Virgin

My first Upper Class experience on Virgin is met with mixed reviews. The day started exceptionally well with my driver arriving promptly at 7:30 am and meeting at me at the door to take my rather large bag. When I asked for a few minutes to say goodbye to the family he did not mind.

The Volvo saloon (sedan for the US folks) was exceptionally well maintained and very comfortable. The morning paper was crisp and clean and waiting for me to enjoy. Of course I had to pull myself away from phone and blackberry to be able to enjoy it. The driver did a three point check (passport, itinerary, sharp objects in carry on) with me as I entered the car and then exclaimed to me, after pressing a few buttons on his PDA, ‘You’re now checked in’ I was impressed.

The driver was a professional. Anticipating all of the daily traffic snarls through London he took the streets to get to Heathrow and arrived on time.

As we approached the airport the driver arrived at a special VIP entrance to T3. Pacing the car at brisk pace was a highly polished, red-clad customer service representative that had a pre-printed baggage claim ticket to attach to my bag. Before I could even get out of the car, my bag had disappeared into a well rehearsed process of expedited check-in. Next the private security agent appeared from nowhere and asked me some questions and then applied his validation sticker to my passport.

Red then escorted me through the terminal to the private security point where I dutifully laid my bag on the belt and was scanned in a matter of seconds. I walked through the duty free shopping area straight to the club lounge.

Curb to cocktail in seven minutes!

The lounge at Heathrow has wow factor. Feels more like ski chalet than airport lounge. I was thoroughly disappointed in my lack of preparation for this event. I did not wear clothes to allow for a trip to the steam room, I had not pre-booked a haircut or massage appointment. I was just left to figure out how to use my time in the acre of space. Once reality hit I went to the library (yes, the library) to sync up my e-mail and to make a few urgent phone calls. Despite having to do the boring stuff, it was done in comfort with a great latte.

Boarding the plane was great. I got such a rush as I was able to turn left after entering the plane as opposed to turning right. Walking into the Upper Class cabin is like entering a banquet hall. Once you pass the bar, you see the seats which are more like pods dedicated to personal comfort.

The greeting was great. Got myself settled in and reviewed the menu, the video options, how the seat works, and all fun stuff. We took off an hour late, but who cared, for this brief moment, I was the man!

Then reality hit. After take off I realized that my video unit did not work. After three system resets- no luck. I was devastated. After flying internationally for a decade in the back of the bus, my shining moment had been marred by a technical fault. The travesty! How could this be? Was this some bizarre way of realizing that it is just a flight and not some right of passage to the big time?

The customer service dude offered me the portable video console. I was dejected and sad. I used that thing on a previous flight on Virgin when my video unit did not work. How can you sit in Morton’s and get a hamburger. I wanted the filet mignon!!! How could this be? There is not nearly enough functionality in a portable DVD to feed by blackberry starved fingers throughout the flight. I don’t think I have ever seen a movie all the way trough. I am the attention deficit disorder guy that checks the sky map every 15 minutes and quickly interpolates progress based on miles and airspeed. How could I just sit there and not know the speed of the beloved tailwind propelling me though the stratosphere at even greater speeds. What if we had a dreaded headwind? I am an information junkie and I was being starved of this valuable data. I just did not have enough gadgets to play with and I was very upset about it.

Instead of being smart, I sat and simmered in my discontent. I had mentally drafted my note to Sir Richard Branson at least a half dozen times wondering what silly threats I was going to deliver. ‘I fly over a 100,000 miles a year with your airline and now I am never going to fly again!’

The lacklustre response from the customer service agent irked me. I could select an item of up to £50 from the duty free catalogue to compensate me for my misery. £50? Are you %*^* kidding me? I spent over £4000 on this ticket and you trivialize my pain and agony by offering me a bottle of virgin vodka or a model airplane? I wound up taking a little gizmo for my i-pod that I would never buy myself and probably won’t ever use. The principle was that I got SOMETHING.

I declined the portable unit and focused on work for the trip. I broke out my laptop, strapped on the i-pod and cleared down 400+ e-mails.

Seriously… How hard could it be for them to test these things before the flight??? It is almost inexcusable to have something like this happen when you pay that much for a seat in front of the bus. I was the only one in this predicament. I was upset and obviously still am. I will seriously reconsider my allegiance to this airline. Perhaps I will just go back to United. Their planes are ugly but at least their systems work.

Then, not being able to do the math, they did not even prioritize me for my massage. These guys were rookies! Adding insult to my injury!

Looking back, I am sure I over played the experience in my mind. It was just a 10 hour flight. But my impression of Virgin’s legendary service has been altered now and I will reconsider flying them in the future.

Halloween

This Halloween was a very special one for me. After years of being out of town for Halloween this was the first one in a while that I was able to spend with Jen and girls. Being with them was very meaningful. Seeing them dressed up as opposed to getting the pictures via e-mail was great. The girls love this occasion and it was fun to trick or treat with them.

SF Question...

During the year following my father's death, I recite a prayer of remembrance called the Mourner's Kaddish each Saturday at Shul (synogogue, Jewish house of worship). Does anyone know of a Conservative Shul in San Francisco near Fisherman's Wharf? I'll be there on Satruday 10 November and will need a place to go.

Shana Punim

(Yiddish for Pretty Face) Abby's new haircut. For those of you that think that this blog is a thinly veiled excuse to post pictures of the girls, you are probably right. But I am a proud Abba (Daddy). I think she likes it short like this.

NFL in London

We were lucky enough to get tickets to see the American Football game in London last night at Wembley. It was a stark reminder at the difference between English sport and American sport. English sport (soccer and rugby) is a fast paced affair, American sport is a more protracted affair. Nonetheless, a great time was had by all. Special thanks to my friend Deepak for arranging the tickets. In Photo: Adam, Howie, Jen and Eric. Great to see you Howie! The Giants won 13-3 by the way.

Where credit is due...

To my dear friends B & E of Edison, NJ... I have agreed to give tribute to blah, blah... Seriously, a job well done. Where is the Bambino when we need him?

Oracle Open World

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be attending Oracle Open World in November in San Francisco. I will be there from 7-15 November. The reason I am flying out early is that there is an Oracle Strategy Council Meeting being held on the 8th and 9th of November prior to the start of OOW. I am also very pleased to report that I will be presenting a case study on BT there as well as sitting on a discussion panel. I have included the information below in case anyone wants to stop by and say hello- no heckling please!

Session ID: S291201
Session Title: Get More with Less: Panel Discussion on Consolidating ERP Instances
Track: Financial Management
Room: 2002 - L2
Date: 2007-11-12
Start Time: 16:45

Session ID: S291200
Session Title: Case Study: Consolidating ERP Financials Instances at British Telecom
Track: Financial Management
Room: 2002 - L2
Date: 2007-11-14
Start Time: 11:15

Lastly, a business colleague that I know from CSC will be performing jazz at Jillian's Billiard Hall at the Metreon Centre on Tuesday, November 13th, from 6-9pm. Let me know if you want to meet up there. Perry Joslin is an accomplished jazz pianist. Read more at http://www.perryjoslin.com/index.htm

Post a comment and let me know if you will be there!

South Africa wins Rugby World Cup 2007

Jennifer and I watched the final match of Rugby World Cup 2007 last night in which England lost to South Africa 15-6. Despite watching this on TV, we felt attached to the England team and were sad to see them lose. Americans are not accustomed to seeing national pride on display at sporting events outside of the Olympics. It was fun to watch and support the England team through this… that was of course, once the USA team was eliminated.

Dubai

We have just returned from a weeks worth of holiday in Dubai. It was a wonderful trip.

Why Dubai?

This trip satisfied numerous curiosities that I have had about the area and we were just looking for a real vacation. It is hard to be an ex-pat anywhere in the world and not hear about the opportunities there. Ex-pats talk and when they talk, often Dubai comes up. I had to go to get a sense of what is going on there to satisfy my own curiosity as to if that is the next logical step for us. Not to mention the beaches are clean, the water is clear and the hotels are beautiful.

As far as Arab countries go, this one is somewhat tilted to the West. The locals tell of the reasons why Dubai has become so popular. Our scuba instructor (from South Africa) took some time to tell us what he knew. The government estimates that it has about 10 years worth of oil reserves left before it runs out. Despite that not being their largest export, they want to diversify the income stream and they have decided with an abundance of other natural resources like clean beaches that tourism is as good a choice as any. The benefits for them are compelling. If they can become a regional hub for finance, commerce and for tourism, they can divorce themselves from the issues currently facing the oil industry- limited supply, high demand and very limited refinement capacity, not to mention war, if there is to be any.

It is estimated that a third of the world’s construction cranes are in Dubai. I can’t say for sure but I can attest to the fact that it is pretty darn close. When we landed in Dubai, there are a few things that we noticed right away- there is a huge amount of infrastructure investment for such a small country. The airport is impressive. In the early hours that we landed I counted close to 100 Emirates planes in various stages of fuelling and boarding. Think of that- one airline with that many planes in one place was just staggering. The airport is a modern facility that can handle tens of thousands of passengers a day.

The short ride to the hotel confirmed the rumour on the cranes. It is hard to look into the horizon and not see one. In fact it is hard to look into the distances and not see 20 of them. Some sites have multiple cranes and that is impressive in its own right. Being from a construction background, I can understand their value.

Customer Service

Another thing that impressed me is the fact that everyone you meet is on message. They all have the same message. They want to be known as the premier location in the world for business, shopping, and leisure. The real estate there, like other things is just booming. Our mini bus driver was so happy to see us he could not contain himself. He was our first encounter with a local person that did his best to impress upon us a few things. Dubai is a very safe country. There is very little visible crime. It is a clean country and there are many people working hard to keep it what way. It is also a Muslim country which means that discretion must be exercised in your dress and when drinking alcohol. But he also stressed that all people should feel welcome there. I was weary at first. How welcome would I feel there? I was an American after all and the politics of the region did not lend itself to welcoming us with open arms. To boot, I am also a Jew. How would that go over? I am pleased to say there were no issues. We employed our don’t ask, don’t tell policy and that seemed to work OK. Lastly, we have scheduled our Israel trip to be after our Dubai trip as we have come to know that Israeli passport stamps do not bode well at Dubai immigration desks. Fact or fiction? Don’t know, don’t care to know.

Our bus driver quickly ran out of superlatives- and we could see why. Everything in Dubai is being done in a grandiose way. It has the world’s only seven star resort (The Burj Al-Arab). We stayed ‘across the street’ so to stay in a five star resort connected to the Burj called the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Only five star… we were so deprived…

The country will soon be home to the world’s tallest building. The actual height of which will be a closely guarded secret until it is actually done to prevent anyone thinking of out doing them. That building will have the world’s largest shopping mall at its base with several thousand stores.

The Burj Al-Arab

A few words about the hotel. It is hard for me to find the superlatives to describe it. It is incredible. It is on a man made island that was reclaimed from the ocean. It is in the shape of a large sail. I recall reading in a magazine that it is so opulent and cost so much to build that if it had 100% occupancy every day, it would not turn a profit for 500 years. Fact or fiction, I am not sure, but wow- the place is amazing.

The Conclusion

The trip was very good and relaxing. I think the girls enjoyed themselves as well. As far as working there- I am not sure I can get acclimated to 50 degrees centigrade in the summer months. Regardless, until Jews can feel fully comfortable there, I won’t be able to live there.

Do you Skippyjon?

Our dear friend Patty got our girls a gift of two books that they can’t get enough of. Skippyjon Jones is a story about a Siamese Cat that thinks he is a Chihuahua. If you have not read these to your kids- I highly, highly recommend it. Holy guacamole!

A good week

This has been a great week. I am very pleased with the new role at work. I have met some great people and despite there being some really big challenges, I feel that this is the right place for me. Our thoughts extend to our friends and family in the USA:

• Ron and Maria who are scheduled to have their baby tomorrow.
• Emmett and Leah have their twin boys at home now and they doing well
• We got some great pictures of Nicholas' first trip to Boca

New Role, New Beginning

Some of you may have heard already but for those that have not, I am starting a new role at work on Monday and its one that I am very exciting about. After being affiliated with Finance Systems work for the last six years, I am going across the aisle to work on the Human Resources systems. Effective Monday I will be the Project Director of Human Resources, Group Strategy and Operations. This move is a healthy change for me. It is working with an entirely new customer and a new set of systems. It is learning about new rules and regulations that govern this area. I inherit a great team and one that is held in high regard. So watch this space for updates on how the new role goes.

Autumn rolls in

There is definitely four distinct seasons in London contrary to what most people believe (they are not all cold and rainy). We feel the autumn approaching now. The days are markedly shorter and air has turned crisp and cool. There are benefits of the fall in London. In addition to the majestic colours, the kids actually trot off to bed at a decent hour. This is stark contrast to the summer time when it is bright sunshine to after 9 pm in the evening. People don’t realize just how high up London is on the map from a latitude perspective. If you were to map across the world you’d see London on par with northern Canada. Luckily the jet stream keeps it very mild here most of the year. The autumn is a great time to be outdoors and this weekend we spent our time at the Heath. The kids love the park there. Hannah is getting quite good at the swing – all by herself…

NHL in London

Jen and I enjoyed- of all things- an NHL hockey game in London last night. What a great way to kick off the season. The Anaheim Ducks playing the Los Angeles Kings in the O2 Arena. We enjoyed the game with our friend Peter Newton from Canada. The game made us realize the things we miss from home. The game was somewhat one sided as the Kings ran away 4-0. Oh, and it was a little bit embarrassing but the national anthem had a few funny word substitutions. All in all, as much fun as you can have while sipping a draft beer that costs the equivalent of $7.00

Snack, Crapple, Plop into your morning.

One of the joys of our current routine is that I am able to have breakfast with the kids almost every day. Very often, when we enjoy our morning ritual together, the girls will sit and read the back of the cereal box. Abby loves Rice Crispies and Hannah is a Special K girl. Abby gets a real kick out of the three elves on the box named (according to her), Snack, Crapple, and Plop. Of course, Hannah being the older sister tries to correct her but it is just too funny. Regardless of how hard she tries, she keeps saying the names the same way.

So lets begin here

It seems cliché to say it this way but the death of my father has inspired me to do many things. One of the most important is to evaluate my priorities and remember the important things in life. Friends and family come first. This international assignment has made it incredibly difficult to keep up with all of you. And being the technology guy that I am, I’d like to try this as a method of keeping up with all of you. I apologize to those of you that find this a little impersonal. The personal phone calls and e-mails won’t stop, I promise. This is just a convenient way for me to keep you all up to date on what has been happening…

It’s been just about a month now since my father died and we have resumed normal operations here in London. The girls are fully back at school and Jen has resumed her class schedule. For me, my happiness lies in the order of the world. And as any father can attest to, when the kids are happy, mom is happy. When mom is happy the family is happy and when my family is happy, I am happy.

Life goes on with a void. TR Knight’s character on Gray’s Anatomy said, upon loosing his father, ‘I don’t know how to exist in this world without him’. That message speaks volumes to me. For those of you confused- I think we are a full season behind in watching this show in the UK. Despite going through this process with a fictional TV character, it is the best way I can describe this experience that I am going through. He’s dad, dependable dad. He’s always there for me until the day he is not. Honestly, I feel him here with me, each day, watching over me.

When he passed away, my mom explained to Abigail that Pop-pop is in the stars now. And frequently before bed, she says I can see Pop-pop’s star. How right you are Abigail, and he can see you too… Every day and he is so proud.

For me, life has resumed at BT. I work hard to find the balance between working, getting enough time to exercise and enough time to sleep. And those that are aware know that the Finance Systems Programme at BT is a very intense place. The people at BT have been phenomenally supportive around taking the time needed to deal with this.

So welcome to my blog. I hope you will visit often and please, please, please- leave comments. This has to be a two way street for it to work. Also, please explore the links on the page to find some other interesting stuff. I have included a recent picture of the girls for you to enjoy. Speak soon.

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