Still more meetings yesterday, the biggest steak ever, and yet more alcohol. But very very useful indeed. I’ve extended my network of US-based contacts and met up with a couple of Europeans too. Hopefully I’ve got some sources of new plants, and some licensee contacts as well, although local licencees would most likely be handled by my friends over here.
Now is time for breakfast, a quick stroll down the block to Esoteric Records, a store that looks interesting from the putside, then I must pack my bags and wend my way to the airport, ready for hours upon hours of travel back home.
It’s been a great trip, very fruitful, utterly exhausting, but full of interesting people and useful information. Parts of it have even been fun, but don’t tell anyone - it’s supposed to be work! Maybe that’s because I now have work that I really enjoy.

Using Wapblogger to update as I travel home from Heathrow. I’ve got a long post on my laptop, but no means of uploading it. I need to look into using the IR facility on this phone, but goodness knows what that costs on O2. Anyway, be prepared for some screwy chronology. Anyhow, the flight was ok. I got some sleep, albeit fitful. It arrived on time. I’m now on the bus back to Woking. It’s good to be home.

NOTE: this is the long post I’ve been carrying about on the laptop…

Well, the last day of my trip. After a stroll around the State Capitol building with the guys here (pictures will be posted in due course) and sending them on their way back to Santa Barbara, I went for a stroll down to Esoteric Records (hmm, not *that* esoteric. Clearly standards on this vary internationally. Maybe we need an international code on esoterocity [is that a word?] that could award points on a scale of one to ten. This store would have rated three, by my reckoning, which is better than the record store in the main Downtown Mall that would only have got a one) and then walked around the green and leafy Capitol Park, before going back to the hotel to check out at the last available minute and get a cab to the airport.

Bit suspicious of the cab driver. He was a quiet, older Indian man, driving a battered eighties Volvo. He took my credit card details on an old style hand-written slip. But then we do that back home, so maybe I shouldn’t be so sensitive, and he did have an apparently pukka Sacramento licence badge and car plate. The concierge at the Hyatt seemed to recognise him too. Unless they have a scam running. Hmm. I think I’ll check my business credit card online when I get back to the office. And does every city have a company called Crown Taxis?

Anyhow, I’ve checked in at Sacramento International, and have no problems on my seat, or my seat through from LA to Heathrow, although the plane is full again and there is no chance of an upgrade. But a seat is a seat, and at least it means that I should get back in time to go to Charlie’s party tomorrow night. Goodness knows what state I’ll be in.
Either way, I should be able to wear my groovy new clothes. Clothes are generally cheaper here, as you probably know, so I took the opportunity to make my bank balance US$150 lighter by means of two Claiborne t-shirts (how come you never see Claiborne menswear in England? Liz Claiborne ladies stuff is everywhere), one white and one black, and a white linen long-sleeve shirt and a pair of white trousers from Banana Republic. Trust me on the trousers, ok? The girls thought they were "way cool" when I showed them, although, admittedly, they verge slightly on the Beckham style. Anyway, I’ll wear them to Charlie’s bash and see what the verdict is. One thing is for sure - they’ll show the dirt.

Sacramento International - well, it’s a runway stuck about 12 miles from downtown Sacramento (hence US$35 taxi ride - should have taken the Shuttle that is only $15). In every respect, it makes real the charicature of the typical American domestic airport - flat, unexciting landscape beyond the runway; low, unexciting fifties and sixties buildings that have been refurbished in grey and anonymous nineties style; hoardes of primarily WASP Americans, of all shapes and sizes, drifting around the departure lounge with vacant expressions, or, alternatively, trying desperately to look cool. There are fewer of the California beach dudes and babes here, as it is clear that Sacramento simply ain’t cool, dude. Listening to Amon Tobin whilst taking in this scene makes for a strange outlook.
The airport is busy today (my flight is full, and so is just about every other one going out of here - such are the perils of travelling on a Friday afternoon), so there is a constant stream of announcements calling passengers and offering security warnings ("Keep your bags with you at all times&quot). I’m glad that I’m not flying back via Chicago, which was an option, as all flights that way have been cancelled due to poor weather at O’Hare. The passengers have just been told that they can wait in the terminal, or fly via Washington DC - either way, any hotel costs and onward travel costs would be at their own expense. I guess that as I do more travel around Europe and the rest of the world, there will be occasions when I get bumped, or delayed for some other reason, and end up asleep on an airport lounge floor. I may invest in an mp3 player, as my laptop battery is only good for about four hours, and there are usually no recharging facilities (although the phones at San Francisco have powerpoints by them), and, believe me, you need something to distract you from the human zoo all around.

I made another of those bullet point lists in my notebook the other day - let’s have a look at it:

• smoking
• taut redheads
• fake rock climbing
• Forever 21 looks more like Forever Pre-Pubescent
• taffy
• Macys, Banana Republic (I must have made this list in the mall - this week has become a bit of a blur)
• Old Town, seems fake
• shapes in the mall (there’s at least one photo to go with that one)
• brewpubs
• overly helpful staff - can I help you?

As before, I’ll gladly expand on any of these topics on request. And I haven’t forgotten those requests that arose from the last list.
And here’s a thing - do women over here get married younger? Ok, ok, maybe the single girl radar is switched on at the moment (god, a transatlantic relationship would be such a bad idea, so don’t worry, I’m not even thinking about it. But hey! I can look! [I think that may be sufficient expansion on the "eye candy" comment from the last list for whoever it was that asked. I guess the same person (Brian? Gordon?) will ask about "taut redheads", which actually has a good little anecdote behind it]). My point is that there seem to be an awful lot of girls who can not be more than 25 who are wearing rings. Any American bachelors reading this that want to put in some input here? Or is it just me, and the whole California lifestyle tends to make women appear younger than they actually are?

One of the other things I’ve been doing here this week is preparing for my next trip to the US. I will be over in the first week of October for David and Andi’s wedding in Charlotte, NC, and it looks like I’ll be able to tie it together with a visit to a couple of guys in the Raleigh area, both of whom may be potential customers, either directly or through my alliance partners here in the States. One is a plant breeder and enthisuast, an exciting source of new plant material, the other is a member of a large US-wide plant growing organisation that has an immensely strong brand at the top end of the garden plant market. What I will probably do is fly to the wedding in Charlotte, which extends over Friday and Saturday, then take a rest day on Sunday before hiring a car Monday morning to travel to Raleigh. There’ll probably be more short-hop connecting flights then too. I’ll have to set out to explore the travel options this week. I’ve also got to plan the forthcoming trips to Holland, France, Germany and Cheshire. You might think Cheshire doesn’t need too much planning, but it looks like I may have to fly directly from Manchester to Holland for one of those trips, so I need to coordinate that.
Dumb announcement of the day:

Uh, honey, the contiguous States *already* excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Duh.

There was a woman in the check-in queue here who picked up on my accent (well, of course, I don’t have an accent. Everyone else here does, but not me.), and told me that her family were all Spurs supporters, and burst into a quick rendition of a couple of terrace songs. She hadn’t heard that Brighton had sold Bobby Zamora to them, but seemed excited when I told her that he was our best player. Was. Sigh.

Ok, I’m going to shut down the laptop now, and save some battery power for later use - let’s see… 2:41 hrs remaining. Not bad, should give me some listening time at LA (although my connection time is fairly tight there), or maybe on the transatlantic flight. If not, then on the train on the way home. And somewhere, I need to get some sleep, otherwise I’m going to be pulling another one of those 36 hour days. At least I’ll be able to totally relax at Charlie and Peet’s, always a good refuge from the world.
And I’ve noticed that I have the biggest laptop that anyone seems to be carrying around. I’ve noticed several people admiring the silvered case and the lovely big screen. I’ve not noticed anyone admiring the muscles and shoulder aches that go with it too.

UPDATE
Now at LA. Flight in on time, and it looks like the flight out will be on time. Airports are great places for feeling homocidal towards infants. I’m beginning to develop those tendencies now.

There are more English voices here, which is barely surprising. But it’s hard to tell because they work at a lower volume, whereas so many Americans work at max. Maybe it is the media here that encourage that, or perhaps it is just part of the way of life. Whatever. I just wish that occasionally they’d tone down a little, especially when in groups, but maybe if they did that I’d start to like this country. Nah. I’m too European. It’ll never happen.

Hmm. I must be getting tired and grouchy. Tired is good - means I should sleep on the plane. Unless I’m struggling with homocidal thoughts.

Anyhow, what other observations do I have. Well, one from my last trip here is that LA airport is vast. If you taxied as far as I just did at Gatwick, you’d be halfway to Chichester. I’ve just walked from gate 86 to gate 77 within the same terminal, and it took the better part of 15 minutes. At my brisk pace.

The flight down from Sacramento was full to the gunwhales (do you get gunwhales on Canadair Regional Jets?), and a little bumpy in places as we skirted around a storm cloud in the valley. The view was pretty good, although much of the valley is either just endless brown or endless squares of green crops, sliced through by I-5. The best bit is the view as you come over the hills before descending into Los Angeles, where you can clearly see the folds caused by plate tectonics.

Oh, and then there was the girl with the black thong who was sat next to me on the plane. She had an enormous rock too.

Right, boarding has just been called. Once more unto the breach.

Challenge for Dead Kenny: find a link to the cover story on the current issue of Trash magazine that goes under the headline “Cheryl Tweedy: Girl Aloud - I’d do anything for fame!” The mind boggles.

I’m on the train heading home from Brighton, having spent most of the last 24 hours in the company of two of the finest people I know and a small group of their friends, for the purpose of celebrating Charlie’s birthday. The party was wonderfully relaxed and low key, and I surprised myself by finding the energy and stamina to battle jetlag and last the course. This morning, Peeeet rustled up breakfast and lunch whilst we lazed and watched the cricket. All of us were a little the worse for wear - like my body really needs another food and drink extravaganza! I’m now off home to do some thrilling laundry and maybe head to the park for some sun and soul food, as I’m feeling a little disspirited. Perhaps I’ve been travelling alone too much, or enjoyed too much alcohol lately. Either way, maudlin is setting in.

And I need to launder these white trousers. They don’t half show the dirt, but I love them.

Challenging.

Also challenging.

My "to do" list is getting longer, not shorter this morning. Running to stand still sums up the day so far. I think the rest of the week will be like this. Maybe even the rest of life.

A well thought-out article from the BBC looking at the reasons behind falling CD sales.

Gosh, it’s hot. But I refuse to turn this into a weatherlog. Besides, it is considerably cooler than Sacramento.
Gradually ticking off jobs on the to-do list, although I’ve been picking the quick and easy ones so far.

Have you noticed how many of the BBC’s "In Pictures" articles appeal to the tabloid senses?
The super soaraway Beeb?
(Not forgetting factual inaccuracy here, kids: Brighton is in East Sussex, not West Sussex).

New Weebl.

Busy. Hence quiet.
I could get started on the whole David Kelly/Walter Mitty thing, but my ire is being subdued by the heat and my workload.

I think the internet is melting. Nothing seems to be working properly. An excuse for beer, methinks. Ok, a lame excuse, but excuses for beer need be no better than lame.

Buslog? Omniblog? Double decker blogging?

I’ve been a fan of Beyond Northern Iraq for some time, not least for Stuart’s admirable fortitude and even levity in the face of adversity.
But don’t you think the logo of Radio BNI looks like the logo of a certain other online radio station? Shouldn’t complain, I guess, as it is a public image and not a particularly original idea, but .. well, you know.

Beer with Greg. Bzzzz.

Don Estelle, RIP.

Um, riiiight. Can anyone shed some light on this one?

Busy busy.

Right. I’m off for a pint of something cold.

Marine Accident Investigation Branch advises: always wear bicycle clips when onboard ship.

I’m in a very very good mood. Must be the weather or something.

Today has been a great day - productive, fun, enjoyable and filled with good mood, good news and even a bit of good company. I’m pooped. Time for bed.
Must be the sun or something. Does it release chemicals in your head that make you feel good? Anyone know anything about this sort of stuff?

"I’ll be back". Arnie to run for California governor after all….

• BBC
• Sacramento Bee
• California Insider weblog
• LA Times
• Variety (subscription needed), with the headline that everyone predicted: "Now it’s Total Recall".

Busy busy again today. And finding that, no matter what the organisation is that I call, the person I want to speak to isn’t in the office. Soaking up the sun in the park, I suspect.

Following on from this BBC article, take a look at the Save Britain’s Heritage site and also the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Association site.
It’s good to see that some of these landmark sites are being talked about and preserved, but a lot of lesser and minor places are not. In Chichester, there has been much talk in recent years about demolishing the bus station and bus garage to make way for redevelopment. Whilst neither building is conventionally attractive, both have a certain charm - they are heavy, brick-built 1950s buildings, the bus garage notable for its concrete wavy roofline - a familiar landmark as you arrive in Chichester by train from the east. Another is the railway station ticket hall, about which I’ve written here before - an elegant late 50s "White Heat" structure that is slowly decaying through lack of care and misguided attempts at maintenance. The trouble is, because they are not romantic buidings or classically beautiful, and because they were built within the lifetime of many of the people that are responsible for their preservation, few people care about them. But they are distinctive, emblematic of the period and have been a feature of the lives of local people and people passing through the city for half a century.
Just how do you balance the need for modernity with the need to preserve?

Meg posts some handy cartoon links.

I’ve just had a call transferred internally at the offices of FridayAd, a south-east free newspaper. The internal ringing tone would be great with a drum n bass sample over it. I wish I had the kit to record it - Ibiza stardom, fame and fortune surely awaits!

That’ll be a trackball then.

Compost Radio provided by Milk Audio. Two hours of good music.

More California recall vote links (yes, I’m fascinated by this story - it’s interesting to compare and contrast with UK and EU politics):

• San Francisco Chronicle - watch the straw poll on their homepage
• San Diego Union-Tribune
• USA Today
• New York Times, with extended coverage
• Washington Post, also with extended coverage, including this article by David S Broder that claims that American democracy "will get a black eye". Not sure I agree with that. Certainly, the fact that the Californian system permits a recall vote, giving the opportunity to remove a failing incumbent, is more advanced than the British system, where only a breakdown in loyalty within the ruling party can provide that opportunity, and even then rarely leads to a change in the governing party.

Last week, I visited the State Capitol building in Sacramento, and viewed both chambers from their viewing galleries. It is hard to imagine that that peaceful and dignified building could be the scene for the level of intrigue that is currently taking place.

Hot curry + hot evening = hot Graybo.

I’ve known for a couple of days, but the "official" email went out this morning, so I guess I can go public now - my loveliest, bestest friend in all the world, Sarah, has got engaged to Paul. This is fantastic news, and I’m stupidly happy for them both! The wedding is planned for September 2004 and will, undoubtedly, be the social event of the year.

Crumbs, there aren’t too many of us single ones left now!

Today, I shall be driving around East Sussex and Kent, putting up illegal signs. So expect quiet.

Not sure I can even be bothered to comment on this. What a pretentious, pointless, piss-poorly organised waste of time. Clearly the whole "cult" is aimed at bloggers and other geeky sorts. Surely the majority that fall into this category have more useful things to do with their time?

Not long home from work, and already it is time from the pub. To use a quotation I heard earlier today, I’m burning the midnight oil at both ends.

Beer and food with Bren and Greg, with sightings of Kristian, Joel, Hamish, Ruth, Terry and Dave. Had planned to meet Fi, but she just called to say she was delayed by a couple of evil bottles of wines. It happens. As I was speaking to her on the phone, three people walked past my flat carrying a mattress.

First match of the new Nationwide season tomorrow - Brighton are away to Oldham. Most pundits reckon Brighton will be one of the heavyweight teams in Division Two, particularly with the loan of Knight from Chelsea. How the team fares without Bobby Zamora remains to be seen, but I think we should be at least be play-off candidates.

How To Draw The Nipples Back On Victoria’s Secret Catalog Models Using Adobe Photoshop. via flabber.nl

As I was driving back from East Sussex yesterday, I passed a DeLorean. You don’t see many of them these days. And I’ll bet the driver is careful never to exceed 88mph.

Phew blimey, it’s hot. Today I shall be enjoying a barbeque at Percy Towers, followed by heading into Bognor for live music.

Pimms. Sun. Mmmmmm.

Hmm. Bognor Live. 300 people tops at the moment. Not exactly kicking. Hopefully may improve. Actually can’t fail to improve.

Could Be Good have just kicked arse on stage at Bognor Live. As you might expect.

Top marks to Idesign, average age 15, who are putting on a great set here in spite of the worst sound mixing ever.

Brighton win. Yay!

Yesterday in convenient bullet point summary:

• drove over to Percy Towers in Bren’s Renault - actualy quite a nice car, although I hate to admit that I enjoyed driving a Renault.
• Pimms and barbequed steak sarnies with Bren and Greg in the garden - most splendid.
• taxi into town for Bognor Live. A woefully under-promoted event, it was actually pretty good, with some good local bands on, some of whom clearly have a solid following. However, the location in the grounds of the Royal Norfolk was not ideal (why wasn’t it on the prom?) and the turn-out was feeble. Worst of all was the sound quality, which was just dire, and detracted from the event considerably. Verdict: could do much better.
• taxi back to Chichester with Paul F to the Nags for Paul S’s birthday bash, which featured an excellent band and very large quantities of alcohol. Loads of people were there, notably Fi, Jules, Arron and all the Nags regulars. After going on to Paul S’s house for an extra late drink, complete with the spectacle of Jules being thrown into the tub fully clothed, I staggered home.

Today’s plan: laundry, shopping and a walk down to the harbour.

What is it that they say about mad dogs and Englishmen? On the hottest day ever (it’s official, apparently), I walked nearly ten miles, going from home to Fishbourne, following the harbour wall to Dell Quay and the yacht basin, and then took the canal tow path to bring me back to the city. I got through a load of water as I walked, and although the tow path is quite shady, as I got further away from the cooling effect of the harbour, it became noticably hotter.
But a great walk, nonetheless. I’ve taken some pictures and will display a few here at some point.

Dead Kenny gets his special needs attended to. Hmm.
Must admit that Stockholm is on my list of must-visit places. But then I’ve been loudly promising myself a holiday (and by that I mean actually travelling to somewhere and not working!) for so long that you must all be very fed up with it by now. A return visit to Lisbon would be fabulous, and perhaps a good idea once the temperatures have dropped. Otherwise, Rome, Prague, Paris and Stockholm are all near the top of the list.
All I need is the cash, the time and maybe some company.

It’s so hot that my blogging mojo is broken. Or something. Anyway, I’ve not gone away, I’m just wilting.
But today was slightly useful, as Greg and I erected (phnaar) a pair of his "Baby" prints in the Slug and Lettuce. Go and see them - now! And then purchase one! Right away!
Anyway, they’re fab, so do go take a look.
After that, I met Kate for lunch and then we toured the nursery, selecting plants for her garden. She hasn’t seen my family in ages, so that was a good thing.

I hear through the Gregvine that Wendy is not well. So, biggup to Wendy - we’re all thinking about you. And whilst you’re ailing, make sure that idle bloke you hang around with is doing the housework, ok?

Top marks to the Dutch railways for having the best online timetable and fares query service I’ve ever seen.

How handy.

Karen and Pete had a mainly justified gripe over at their site about things that make blogging content bad. I’ll admit to being occasionally (often?) guilty of the first two. In the case of the first (unexplained links), I’m going to endeavour to include at least a little information about the links I post here, although you may need to mouseover to get it. In the case of the second (listing all the people I’ve seen in the pub, or wherever), I’ll carry on as before, as that is an integral part of this site and I think I’d get complaints from some readers (namely those who are named). Besides, this site is partly a personal (if public) diary, and I include those minutiae for my own benefit as much as for you lot.
So there. I’ve justified the continuing bad content here.

Steve Coppell, Brighton and Hove Albion’s manager, just had this to say on BBC South in advance of tonight’s first round Carling Cup match against Third Division Bristol City:

Well, that might be true Steve, and we know the club needs the money to fight its planning battles for the new stadium, but is that the sort of pep talk that the players and fans want to hear?
Actually, I think all that does is raise the question of just how much desire Coppell has to stay with the team. We need him more than he needs us.

There has been a fair bit of discussion recently about an article that was posted on the BBC website by Bill Thompson. I thought it was rubbish, and regurgitated arguments that we’ve all heard since …. well, I’m sure they were around a week after the first "blog" was called that.
Anyway, go take a look at what Tom writes on the subject, and also the (mostly) valuable comment discussion that follows from his piece. I think I agree with pretty much all that is said there.

Biggup to my lovely friend Penn, who is going away to Nepal in a few weeks to teach English for a charity working there. Wow! She’ll be looking for donations for the charity too - details when I get them.

Me? King of one line posting? As if!

Ok, now I’m annoyed. My new white trousers that I purchased in Sacramento (that were not inexpensive, I might add) have lost a button in the washing machine on only their second wash. I can’t find it in the drum or in the lint trap, and I know it was there when they went in as I made a point of doing the button up to hold the top of the trousers together. Fortunately, they came with a spare, but even so. Grrr.

Be warned. I’m slightly tetchy this morning. One or two things don’t seem to be going my way.
Meanwhile, although it may be less hot that it was, it’s still too hot (obligatory blog content about the weather).

Brighton won in spite of Steve Coppell’s blunt talking. Meanwhile, Brighton are in initial talks with Andrei Kanchelskis over a short term deal. I’m not sure that this is "new" news though - I’m sure it’s been rumoured before.

Fascinating article on the ISO paper sizes and paper sizes in North America (picked up via Bifurcated Rivets). I have to deal with the whole A4/Letter problem quite frequently when dealing with American businesses. If only they adopted the much more logical A, B and C series of paper sizes.

Today is Left Handers’ Day. A good opportunity for the world’s largest minority group to be acknowledged and thought about, perhaps?

Bumclouds.
Well, I suspected that something wasn’t going my way, and I was right. Oh well.
Still, best just to plough on regardless. Must get on with building PFE’s website…
And I do have a session of being the centre of attention of lovely young ladies in the hair salon to look forward to this afternoon.

Pictures from my recent trip to California:

Fog on the bay, viewed from San Francisco airport.

California State Capitol, Sacramento.

Collonade on the south side of the State Capitol.

View upwards within the Rotunda of the State Capitol.

Capitol Park, Sacramento (note how bright the sun was).

Historic buildings in Sacramento Old Town.

The main shopping mall in Sacramento. I had to look at that shop sign three times before I realised that it said Aerosoles, not Arseholes.

New header graphic, composed using a photo I took of the roof line of the main shopping mall in downtown Sacramento. I’ve also revised the page layout at the top there, so comments welcome.

For all test card anoraks everywhere… testcards from around the world.

Arnie must surely be unbeatable now in the Californian gubernatorial elections as he signs a pact with Warren Buffett, creating a victory-guaranteeing Democrat-Republican alliance. Aside from the cross-party support this will help him to attract, it will also reinforce his credentials as a serious candidate, although he does possess a degree in business and economics, and was a successful businessman before he was ever famous in Hollywood. The LA Times has more.
Meanwhile, the final list of candidates has been revealed, and voters can expect a very long ballot paper with 135 names to choose from.

Well, the good news is that England have finally given Sussex bowler James Kirtley a chance to play for his country in the latest Test that starts today. The bad news is that he will not be available for Sussex’s crucial County Champsionship game against Lancashire - I just hope we do better in the five day format than we did in the one day version.

Useful meeting with my bank manager this afternoon. We covered the key business issues of the latest cricket scores and where the best places are to drink in Chichester.
Oh, and I got him to reduce my bank charges.

New Weebl, just to wind up Brian.

Snow leopards under threat. These are amongst the most beautiful of all animals. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to see one, even if, like me, it was in a zoo, you begin to wonder why anyone would want to have a dead one on their floor.

The Nursery Arms XI returns: