Are we having fun yet?

After barely surviving my first day here I'm still running on fumes. Fixing the sleep deprevation problem tomorrow, however. I was up until midnight last night and then up again this morning at 6 to catch the train to Cambridge where Microsoft has a research facility. They were having an Open Day, which is short for a press/analyst day. I attended the morning sessions and stayed through lunch. The Webber Shandwick folks were propper hosts though I'm sure somewhat unnerved by my presence. The presentations were quite consumer focused, which was a bit of a surprise. The facility is very nice and the people all seem very smart.

Cambridge is about an hour's train ride (the fast train!) from King's Cross station (21.70 pounds return fare). I was able to catch up on e-mail on the way back. Was in the office from about 3-9 and now recuperating in the hotel bar, which has wireless. Nice, but strange. It connects to the internet and even our intranet, but not our e-mail. Can't find the UK server, which is a block away! I was on the expensive cell phone to 3CP trying to debug, but to no avail. Travis worked hard on this, but still a myster. Josh can come over here tomorrow and we'll get it working, I'm sure. Maybe it's God's way of telling me I'm working way to hard.

It's a bit addictive. Catch up on overnight mail in the morning and then work realtime and have meetings from 3 p.m. onward. My Spot watch doesn't work here so I'm not bothering to wear it. Bummer. Gotta get a new cheap one because I can't live without a watch. The weather wasn't as bloody hot and humid today. But I also wised up and wore a short sleeve shirt.

I'm in the hotel bar where the wireless is free (sans e-mail :)), I can have a drink and catch up on personal e-mail, pay bills :( and do my blog entry. Signed up for smugmug, so tomorrow maybe pictures.

Had a nice Chateau neuf last night at dinner with EricaG of MapPoint fame and her Brit client. We chanced getting mad cow because we were all starved. Tonight Erica and I shared Thai takeout from the joint next to The Ship Pub downstairs from the office and continued to work.

Tomorrow's projects: getting in a morning run along the embankment, buying a watch (Swatch most likely) and sleeping in! That's a bit of a conflict with running, but I gotta get some decent rest.

Tomorrow ... pictures (maybe).