OMIB

Liz & Bill's Wedding 18 Jul 09

2009-07-21T17:23:00.002-04:00

Dan and I were delighted, this weekend, to be invited to share in the celebration of the wedding of his cousin, Liz, and and her boyfriend (now husband), Bill. The Wedding really was a triumph: The ceremony was conducted in a lovely venue and the reception was as a lot of fun.

More pix here!

IndyCar racing at Watkin's Glen 2009

2009-07-06T20:55:00.001-04:00

This weekend we drove to Watkin's Glen International raceway to see the Indycar Grand Prix. This was my first experience of open-wheel racing and it was tremendous! Can't wait to see more :-)

Britons did very well: Justin Wilson finished 1st, Mike Conway 6th, Dan Wheldon 10th and Dario Franchitti 15th.

More Photos Here.

Random photos

2009-07-06T20:48:00.004-04:00

Some random pics taken over the last month (See Flickr for more):

Myrtle Beach for Dan's Birthday

2009-07-06T20:43:00.002-04:00

It was a relief to spend a few days in the relaxed atmosphere of Myrtle Beach for Dan's Birthday. Myrtle Beach isn't super-fancypants, but its hard to beat for simple relaxation.

More Photos HERE

Are you an old git?

2009-06-27T18:22:00.000-04:00

Volvo Ocean Race rests in Boston

2009-05-10T19:37:00.003-04:00

The Fleet of the Volvo Ocean Race is resting at Fan Pier in Boston, this week. The race is nearing its end and will embark upon the last long leg (to Galway) in just a few days. Dan got this photo of me standing outside the Institute of Contemporary Art at Fan Pier.

More photos here.

2009-05-08T21:40:00.003-04:00

This weekend, Dan & I went to DC. A work trip to Philly meant that I was kind of in the neighborhood anyway. I had not been to DC since 1996, so I was glad to have the opportunity. The weather was not very kind to us, but we had a good time despite that. In particular, the Spy Museum was a lark!

More photos HERE!

Trip to SC for my birthday

2009-02-04T14:30:00.004-05:00

Last week we escaped the cold of winter in Boston to spend a few days in the relative warmth of South Carolina. As on previous occasions, we stayed at Myrtle Beach, but this time we made a trip to Charelston. I've wanted to go there for a long time and I'm glad to say that it was just as grand and pretty as people say :-)

More pics HERE!

Penny, my new winter car

2009-02-02T09:16:00.006-05:00

This is my new winter car, a 2009 Subaru Impreza. We call her 'Penny' on account of being copper-colored. Like most Boston-based cars in the winter, she is covered in salt, which is the real reason I don't drive Emily here in the winter. Penny is an absolute base-model, with no options (after all, she's just supposed to get me through the 5 months I don't want to drive my real car), but her main asset is the all wheel drive, which gets me safely to and from the ski areas of NH, every weekend.

Larger photo HERE.

Puerile humor

2009-01-05T09:28:00.002-05:00

In the town of Nashua, NH, the company "Wild Birds Unlimited" sells bird-feeding supplies, while the neighboring business, "Tiffany Cleaners", offers dry-cleaning services. When both companies suffered partial failures of their illuminated signs, the resulting juxtaposition was rather amusing to my puerile mind.

Storing Emily

2008-12-16T08:55:00.002-05:00

Usually I put Emily into storage for the winter just after Thanksgiving, but this year I wasn't so organized and it didn't happen till last night (Dec 15). It's a sad thing to do, but on the other hand it means you never loose that thrill of driving her, because every spring when I get her out I'm astonished all over again by her abilities!

Meeting Juliet for coffee

2008-12-16T08:51:00.002-05:00

My good friend Juliet was passing through Boston on her way to Maine, this weekend. We managed to co-ordinate a meeting at Logan airport and Dan took this pic. I really enjoyed catching up with Juliet and hearing what she's been up to. I miss lots of people from the UK, but it's nice to be reminded that it's only a few hours away !

2008-11-28T18:18:00.009-05:00

This fall Dan and I went on vacation for 8 days in Hawaii (Oahu and Maui). The islands were spectacular and there were plenty of great things to do. The snorkeling in Molokini (arranged with Trilogy) and the helicopter ride through western Maui (arranged with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters) were particular highlights.

More Photos HERE

We made a short movie made on the famous Road To Hana. The movie was recorded using a V.I.O. POV. 1, which my brother recently bought for me. The camera unit was secured to the door mirror of our Jeep Wrangler by two cable-ties. Here's the movie, though I need to work on the codec settings to reduce the degradation that seems to occur during recompiling:

2008-09-02T22:14:00.003-04:00

This Labor Day weekend Dan introduced me to Las Vegas. I really loved it and we had a whale of a time. I hope we will return, next year, when I will ride the "New York, New York" roller coaster WITHOUT a hangover!

A particular highlight for me was "Star Trek: The Experience", which demonstrated real imagination by its designers and real commitment from its cast-members. Sadly, The Experience closed for the last time the day after we left, after more than a decade of operation. In the above photo Dan and I are about to enjoy our "Romulan Ales" in a replica of "Quark's Bar" from Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Romulans apparently enjoy Budweiser more than I do, but the ambiance in the bar was marvelous!

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Emily unprotected during freak hail-storm in Bristol, NH

2008-08-18T21:42:00.002-04:00

We just had a really fun weekend, including kayaking on Newfound Lake and catamaran sailing (Nacra 6.0) on lake Winnipesaukee, NH.
Sadly, the only photos or video from the weekend show a freak hail-storm, during which Emily was un-sheltered. You'll be relieved to hear she was not damaged at all, though the hail stones were the size of pennies.

Weekend trip to Rockport, MA

2008-08-18T21:38:00.002-04:00

A few Sunday's ago we made a day trip to Rockport, MA. Neither of us had been before and we were happy to see the pretty little town. We had some good lobster and took a sailing trip on the schooner Appledore.

More photos HERE!

Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, RI

2008-08-18T21:36:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Dan and I went down to Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. It's not a huge zoo, but the management has made good choices about what kinds of animals they can humanely keep. I saw several animals that made me say "Wow, I had no idea there was anything like THAT in the world!" or "What a gorgeous creature!".

More Photos HERE!

Trip to Portland, ME

2008-08-10T21:08:00.001-04:00

Dan and I have wanted to visit Portland, ME, for a while. Specifically, we wanted to take Amtrak's 'Downeaster' service, which starts at Boston's revamped North Station and ends two and a half hours later in Portland. The train service was pretty good. I love the classic design of the Amfleet cars and an on-board volunteer "Train Host" was full of helpful information about our destination. Portland was very pretty and we enjoyed a cruise in the harbor.

More photos HERE.

American Le Mans Series Northeast Grand Prix 2008 at Lime Rock Park

2008-08-05T20:21:00.003-04:00

This year we thought it would be fun to see Emily's racing cousins compete on the track in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). The nearest event was the Northeast Grand Prix, so off we went to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. As well as Dan and I, our group comprised my buddy Kirk and his two boys Alec and kyle.
It was an amazing day, not least because of the informal nature of Lime Rock Park; we were able to get right up to the cars in the paddock.
I have extra photos HERE and Dan has some great pics on his blog.

2008-07-21T07:39:00.001-04:00

This weekend Dan had the great idea of taking a ferry out to the many islands in Boston's harbor. We landed on Lovells Island and stayed for a while, flying our kite on the beach. It was a lovely day :-)

Alex is raising funds for rethink

2008-07-13T20:32:00.002-04:00

Last year my mate Alex climbed a mountain in Peru to raise funds for the UK mental health charity 'Mind'. This year he's climbing Mt.Vallunaraju to raise money for Rethink, a charity that works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life. I can't imagine that anyone does not have friends and family affected by mental health issues,
so if you feel moved to help those who do something about it, why not visit his fund-raising page here.

2008-07-08T20:27:00.002-04:00

This 4th of July weekend Dan and I went to Durham, North Carolina, and stayed with his sister, Julie, and her husband, George. The weather could have been kinder, but we had a great weekend, anyway.

More photos HERE

Trip to Philadelphia

2008-06-24T11:30:00.001-04:00

I recently attended the annual meeting of the ISSCR, which was held in Philadelphia, this year. I had been curious about the city for a while, but given what one hears about the place, I had low expectations. In fact this was quite wrong of me: Philadelphia is a really great city. It's very attractive, and has lots of great food, drink, architecture and history. I can't wait to go back for a longer stay!

More Photos HERE!

Andy and Lisa visit the USA

2008-06-23T20:10:00.002-04:00

My old school pal Andy visited me in Boston, this weekend. It was unutterably wonderful to have him over, with his friend Lisa. This pic shows Andy, Lisa and Dan on Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium.

Aaron's wedding

2008-06-23T19:34:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Dan and I were privileged to attend the wedding of his cousin Aaron in Sprinfgield, MA. Here are a few pics of the happy occasion.

Birthday at Myrtle Beach

2008-06-09T09:40:00.002-04:00

This weekend we celebrated Dan's 27th birthday by spending a few days in the sun at his parents condo on Myrtle Beach. It's an extremely relaxed location and temperatures were in the high 90's. Mini golf and kite flying were our chief athletic activities :-)

Road Trip in 1996

2008-05-27T20:25:00.006-04:00

View Larger Map

Hardly up-to-the-minute, I know, but here's a google map of a road trip I took in Summer 1996 with my friend Jame. There are pics at each location, with links to hi-res versions on Flickr.

Blood!

2008-05-24T11:21:00.003-04:00

Just for fun I setup our highest-spec microscope and had a look at a sample of my own blood. The scope was a Zeiss Axiovert 200 inverted microscope with a 100x oil-immersion objective (NA=1.2) and oil immersion condenser (NA=1.4, stopped down to 0.8). An additional "tube-mag" of 1.5x was applied and the eyepieces yielded an extra 10x. The total optical magnification between sample and eyes, then, was 1500x. Notice the 10 micron scale line in the top-left corner of the image.

I love this microscope. It can yield great images, if you spend a little time setting it up. In fact its performance is on the edge of what is theoretically possible with conventional light microscopy.

Hi-res version here

Trip to Fenway Park

2008-05-18T20:47:00.001-04:00

Today we went to see the Boston Red Socks play the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park, courtesy of Dan's Aunt Pat. It was very kind of her to arrange for us to see the game for free, especially as we got absolutely amazing seats at this very historic venue. We saw all the action and had a great time!
One of the great things about a trip to Fenway Park is that it is both an historic and an intimate venue. The park is very much part of the city and its character.

More Photos HERE.

A number of classic summer tracks...

2008-04-24T21:32:00.002-04:00

Vacation in Puerto Rico, April 2008

2008-04-17T10:21:00.001-04:00

Last December Dan and I took a 4 day trip to Puerto Rico. We like it so much we decided to go back for a whole week!

Puerto Rico is a US territory, so I can go there without having to worry about my green card limbo. Additionally, it's really beautiful and has many interesting things to see. This time around we visited the Arecibo Radio Observatory (fulfilling a long-held wish of mine), enjoyed a night-time kayaking trip through bioluminescent phytoplankton in Fajardo and spent a few days chilling on the perfect beaches of the island of Culebra :-)

More Photos HERE.

Let's party like it's 1620!

2007-11-19T22:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Dan and I went down to Plymouth, the town founded by the pilgrims when they reached America aborad the Mayflower. We saw a replica of the ship "Mayflower 2" (it was astonishingly small for 135 people and their animals). We also saw Plymouth Rock, the supposed landing place. I suppose I feel a closer bond with that half of the passengers that traveled to the new world simply for a better life, with no religious motivation at all.

More photos HERE

Welcome to the Dot

2007-10-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

This weekend my former room-mate Chris threw a party to celebrate his ensconcement in a great new condo in Dorchester. It was a great event, with laughs and drinks aplenty.

More Photos HERE.

David & Dan in San Fran

2007-10-22T20:33:00.000-04:00

Since I had to make a work trip to San Francisco, Dan and I decided to have a weekend together there, first. It was Dan's first stay in the bay area and the highlight was probably the trip to Alcatraz. Quite how my brother managed to swim from the island in this year's Alcatraz triathlon remains a mystery to me.

More Photos HERE.

Bar Harbor Aug 07

2007-09-09T22:50:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Dan and I made a road trip to Bar Harbor, Maine, for a long weekend. The scenery up in Acadia National Park is amazing and the coastline is just gorgeous. We stayed at a very sweet B&B and explored the mountains, roads and shores of Mount Desert Island.
The highlight was a great first-time sea-kayaking experience in optimal weather, with an experienced guide - we had a blast!

More Photos HERE.

Julie and George tie the knot

2007-09-04T22:49:00.001-04:00

Dan's sister, Julie, got married this past weekend to the lucky Mr George Hining. The celebrations went off extremely well. I was honored to be invited and Dan and I are already planning to visit the newest Mr and Mrs Hining, when they return from their tropical honeymoon :-)

More photos HERE.

Fun in the sun

2007-08-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

This weekend was lovely and sunny, so Dan and I went to the Beach on Saturday and then to Plimouth Plantation on Sunday. I especially enjoyed meeting members of the Wompanoag and I hope I'll be able to learn more about indigenous people soon.

More Photos HERE.

Road trip in the Berkshires

2007-07-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend Dan and I went for a road trip through the Berkshires. Sections of Route 7 and Route 2 were indecently beautiful and we had a great time in the summer heat. We spent Saturday night in the town of Bennington, VT, but also drove through towns in MA and NH. Our final stop before heading home was Mass MOCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the US.

More Photos HERE.

The gay mafia

2007-07-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

Brian recently told us about a cool event in Boston, run by the gay mafia. Naturally wee all wanted to go and here we are getting ready for a night of style, stolly and staggering bar-tabs.

Graham at winner's circle

2007-07-29T22:18:00.000-04:00

My brother Graham recently visited me in Boston and particularly wanted to visit the winner's circle of the Boston marathon to find the name of his coach, the last American to win America's most competitive marathon.

Trip to Lyon, June 2007

2007-07-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

ESHRE is the largest annual conference in the field of IVF. This year it was held in Lyon and I was able to get a few hours to look around the city. The food was amazing - everyone should try pig's cheek!
Here I am with some friends and colleagues after a particularly exquisite dinner.
More photos HERE.

Trip to Oz

2007-06-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

After my trip to Egypt, I went straight to Oz for a week's vacation and 2 week's work. Dan joined me there and we had a terrific time in Sydney and in the Whitsunday Islands. After Dan left I carried on with my trip and visited Melbourne and Cairns, too.

Ordinarily I'd choose somewhere a little more adventurous for a holiday, but I couldn't disregard the opportunity to spend a week's vacation in Australia, during my working trip. It was great to see something of that vast land and I have some good memories.

More photos HERE

Intense trip to Cairo, June 2007

2007-06-10T04:27:00.000-04:00

In June I went to Cairo for a week for work. It was a very busy trip with little sightseeing, but here are a few quick snaps that I took.

McNamara tunnel at DTW

2007-06-10T04:04:00.000-04:00

The McNamara terminal of Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) is the nicest air-travel facility I have visited in the USA. This photo shows the tunnel connecting concourses B&C with concourse A. The lighting changes colour in-time with ambient electronic music. It's very trippy and very cool. It would be a great place for a party, actually! Movies here (not mine).

Trip to Ogunquit, Maine

2007-05-07T08:48:00.000-04:00

On Sunday Dan and I jumped in the car (Emily) and drove up to Portsmouth (NH) and Ogunquit (ME). It was a sunny, cheerful day and the driving was great fun. Portsmouth was looking great in the sun (lunch at the Portsmouth Brewery). The sandy beaches and rocky coves of Ogunquit were also lovely (Lobstah dinner at The Oarweed in Perkins Cove).

More Photos HERE.

A.R.T.

2007-03-30T12:09:00.000-04:00

Working in the field of human fertility, one becomes inured to frank discussion of topics that are not normally spoken of in polite society. Erectile disfunction, PCOS and endometriosis are common subjects, as are the relative merits of different methods of semen collection (masturbation vs used condom - which gives higher sperm quality?).
I've ended up learning a great deal more about the female reproductive system and the problems it can have than most straight men or even women would care to know and I've attended more conceptions than a porn star.
Here are some typical trade-show items from this field.

Singapore, March 2007

2007-03-29T22:54:00.000-04:00

It was exactly 3 years since my last trip to Singapore. I was delighted to be sent out there by my employer and I took advantage of the weather, the food and the opportunity to see my old Pal, Andrew.

More photos HERE

Athens, March 2007

2007-03-29T22:52:00.000-04:00

I had a work trip to Athens, this March. I had never been before and although I only had a few hours I was pleased to see something of the place. The Parthenon is a fascinating reminder that western civilization has much older roots than the roman era, that Britons normally think back to.

More Photos HERE

A stay in Japantown, San Francisco, Feb '07

2007-02-14T19:39:00.000-05:00

I often have to stay in San Francisco for work and this time around I stayed in the Japantown part of the city. It certainly was remeniscent of my vacation in Japan a few years ago and I really enjoyed the Onsen, the Bento lunches and the Sushi :-)

More Photos HERE.

Arizona, Feb '07

2007-02-13T22:34:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Dan and I took a trip to see his old uni pal, Kevin, in Phoenix, Arizona. It was my first time in the desert and I was really taken by its beauty. Phoenix, too, seemed like a cool town.

On the Saturday we took a trip down to Nogales in Mexico. Though I visited Nicacargua and Costa Rica in March '06, the rest of Central and South America is virgin territory for me, so I was happy to go down there. The differences between the two sides of the border are stark and it's a very different experience from crossing any EU frontier.

More Photos HERE.

Ski trip in NH, Feb 4th, '07

2007-02-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

This weekend Dan found us a great deal on a ski and hotel package in New Hampshire. We skiid at Canon Mountain and Bretton Woods, both of which were excellent. The snow was terrific and the slopes were quiet (Superbowl Sunday). I'm almost a complte neophyte on skiis and Dan was very patient with my absurd attempts to control my own velocity and verticality. Hopefully we will be able to get plenty more time skiing, before the season ends.

More photos here.

Birthday

2007-01-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

This weekend I turned 32. I didn't have a big bash, but spent a great weekend with my great boyfriend, Dan :-)

2007 is shaping up really well and as I look forward to my 33rd year I get the feeling it's going to be a really good one. I have possible trips to Australia, Singapore, France and Saudi Arabia. I hope to buy my first home. I'm meeting new friends and seing new places all the time. This is the springtime of my life!

"Younger" Brother

2007-01-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went down to Colorado Springs to celebrate my younger brother's 30th birthday. It was a bit wierd, for me, to see him turn 30 (how old does that make me?!). He threw a good party and I was really pleased to meet the many guests who turned out to celebrate. Graham does triathlon, half-marathons, snow-boarding, skiing, cycling and kayaking, all at an altitude of one or two miles! I'd say he's in pretty amazing shape for an old fart.

Richards New Year's Eve party 2007

2007-01-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

This year I spent New Year's Eve with Dan at a party hosted by my friend Richard at his loft in Chelsea. It's a pretty cool loft and the guests all had a good time (us included). Thanks, Richard! Richard has a website, here. More party Photos here.

Trip to NYC, Dec 30 2006

2007-01-02T09:10:00.000-05:00

At the end of '06 I had to travel just 500 more Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) with Continental Airlines before New Year's Day in order to reach the 50,000 EQMs needed to be upgraded from "Silver Elite" status to "Gold Elite" with that company and its affiliates. Therefore, Dan and I made a day-trip to NYC so that I could get the needed EQMs (this is called a "Mileage Run" among business travellers) and also so we could see some of the xmas sights. In particular we saw the Rockefeller xmas tree and the enourmous crowds between there and Radio City Music Hall. It was a wonderful day and a romantic trip :-)

More Photos HERE

I love Boston

2006-12-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

Download large version

This is the view from my bedroom. I am very, very fond of it. At different times of the day and year it looks more or less spectacular and I sometimes try to capture it with my camera. In sunshine, rain, snow and fog, at dawn and noon, dusk and midnight, it always amazes me. This is what I see as I fall asleep and as I awaken. I will miss it if I move.

The part of Boston one can see is called Copley (after the famous artist John Singleton Copley, who moved to Boston from London) and it's at the heart of the part of town where I spend most of my time (ie: Back Bay, South End, Downtown, Beacon Hill and North End).

The building on the extreme left is the Prudential Tower. At the top is a restaurant and a viewing platform. When the tower was built it supplanted Boston's Customhouse Tower as the tallest building in New England.

Moving right from the Pru' is 111 Huntington Ave (could they not have named it better?). This award-winning skyscraper was built in '02 and sits so well within the group that it's hard to imagine the scene without it.

The rightmost pair of buildings are the Hancock Towers, named for local revolutionary hero, John Hancock (he of the famously large signature). The one on the right is older and is distinguished by an illuminated pillar at its top that tells we Bostonians the weather forecast:

Steady blue, clear view
Flashing blue, clouds due
Steady red, rain ahead
Flashing red, snow instead.

The taller of the Hancock Towers is newer and is the current tallest building in New England. It was recently sold for US$1.3Bn. It is one of several splendid buildings in Boston designed by celebrated Harvard architect I.M.Pei. Though the Hancock, like the Pru', has a viewing platform, it was closed after 911 (a good pretext to make a killing by selling-off the publicly-mandated platform as office space). Personally, I love the way the Hancock reflects one part of the sky whilst being set against another: it often looks stunning. I also love the way it reflects Trinity Church (located at the tower's base) which is considered America's finest gothic building.

There are lots of things I love about Boston. This wonderful view is just one.

Visit to Montreal

2006-12-29T11:36:00.000-05:00

We've had no snow, as yet, in Massachusetts, which is very ood. However, I did get to see some snow when I was in Montreal, earlier this week. Parts of the city are quite pretty and it's always cool to practice one's French.

More Photos HERE

Christmas 2006

2006-12-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

I don't get a lot of vacation time, so my xmas trips are necessarily short. However, I was able, this year, to get around and visit a number of friends I hadn't seen for a while :-)

High Speed Train To Philly

2006-12-10T22:22:00.001-05:00

Fed up with the indignities, absurdities and inconveniences of air travel, I took the Acela Express high speed train down to Philadelphia. The Acela is America's only high-speed train-set and I was interested to comapre it with recent experiences with the EU's HSTs. Acela (WIKI) is certainly not as polished as ICE, TGV or Thalys and it's frustrating to be plodding along at 70mph, at times, but it's still a lot less hassle than dealing with contemporary domestic air-travel. The journey was more expensive than the airline equivalent ($340 vs $300) and took a little longer (5hrs vs 4hrs), but I was able to get a lot more work done on my journey and I was treated far better than one may expect when flying, these days.
More Photos HERE

2006-11-20T09:02:00.000-05:00

Last week I spent a number of days zipping around the EU. Generally I was pretty busy, but I did get just a few hours here and there to see some interesting sights and to fall in love with the 300kph Deutsche Bahn ICE service.
More Photos HERE

Back in the USA, I went to the New England ski show. My brother introduced me to skiing last January and Dan and I are planning a winter on the slopes :-)

Last gasp before winter

2006-11-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

Last gasp before winter
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

Today I made my last long drive before I have to put Emily away for the winter. I drove up to Boston from NJ thought CT. It was very cold with the top down, but the sun was out, the sky was blue and the foliage was all shades of green, brown, red and gold! The Merrit parkway really is pretty, as well as being a fun drive, with plenty of swoopy curves! Emily's handling was terrific and her 5.7 Litre V8 sounded superb! That car is truely awesome. Maserati, Bentley, M3, Merc, Porsche: Bow down before your angry mistress!

Trip to New Orleans

2006-10-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

I've been away from Boston a lot in the past 3 weeks, visiting places across North America for work. Last week I was in New Orleans for a conference. My boyfriend, Dan, was able to come down for a few days and we went to have a look around the famous French Quarter. It's an exceptionally nice place to be, with unique architecture and the feel of a small and exceptionally well-to-do European town. The temperature and humidity were perfect, the ambiance was simultaneously refined and relaxed and I was really happy to be able to share the experience with Dan :-)

Many other parts of town remain badly damaged following hurricane Katrina, but the French Quarter was little damaged by that deluge and I'd advise anyone thinking of a visit to go ahead. Doubtless concerned for their future, the residents of New Orleans go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome and to see to it that everything you need is taken care of courteously and efficiently. In particular, our hotel, La Pavillon, was fab and the staff were terrific.

More Photos HERE.

A perfect holiday weekend

2006-10-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

Wow! That was possibly the perfect holiday weekend. The weather was absolutely phenomenal with high temperatures, crisp air and clear skies. I took a drive up to the beautiful Franconia Notch State Park. The drive was wonderful and the scenery was jaw-dropping, with New England showing off its famous fall colours. The weekend also gave time for a cool new movie (set in Boston), good food [1, 2 , 3], and clubbing at my fave venue. And all of this with a new certain someone ;-)

More Photos HERE.

Thunder on the Merritt

2006-09-27T20:47:00.000-04:00

I had a blast, earlier this week, driving 500 miles to visit our justly lauded collaborators in the pretty and unfairly maligned state of New Jersey. There can be few good driving days left, now, before Emily must be retired, safe from winter's extremes. Therefore, I was delighted to get a sunny day to take her for a spin with the top down. I avoided the interstate and chose the Merritt Parkway - a scenic and entertaining road, winding through Connecticut. Traffic was patchy, but there were some really exciting moments when, like the red sea of fable, the cars parted and I blasted staright on though, V8 roaring like the devil! En-route I slapped-down a Merc V12, stealthily crept past unmarked patrol cars‡ and had the pleasure of watching a mighty Bently Coupé recede, trés vitement, in my rear-view mirror :-)
Great car, great road, great music, great weather, great drive.

‡including, on 287 in New Jersey, an unmarked Dodge Charger! The origin of the finances for such a purchase remains unclear. Surely the taxpayer is not funding such frivolous expenditure?

2006-09-17T22:45:00.000-04:00

Everything's permitted.
Nothing's really true.
Live outside the law, boys,
Doing what to do.

Is it a bird...

2006-09-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

Is it a bird...
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

On Sunday 10th I was in my room sorting socks (well, life's not all jet-set travel, you know) when I glanced out of the window and saw this. "Holy Crap! Come and look at this!" I yelled to my flatmate, Roger. The aircraft flew directly over my appartment, slowly climbing as it went. I don't know why they call it "stealthy" - it's loud enough to wake the dead!

Visit to Little Britain, Summer 2006

2006-09-05T06:55:00.000-04:00

I don't get too many chances to visit the UK, so staying in touch with people requires a certain amount of pro-active effort. However, I recently had a golden opportunity fall in my lap when the company asked me to go to Britian for 2 weeks, during which time there would be a British Bank Holiday and also an American Public Holiday. Thus, I had a generous amount of time to travel about and catch up with people :-)

PHOTOS HERE

Jaffrey Fireworks

2006-08-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

The spectacular firework show in Boston on the Fourth Of July is created by pyrotechnics experts, Atlas (as are many of the world's best fireworks displays). Every year they try out their new effects at a major public fireworks display in their hometown of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. I went along to that event, last night, with my friends Cathy, Jeff and their toddler, McKenzie. It was, as my american pals might say, "todally ossum!". There were a couple of moments in the show that were just so intense that one's senses could scarcely keep pace with everything going on. The photo here is totally inadequate, as I found myself with only my phone's camera (a rare event).

Got Torque?

2006-08-18T21:30:00.000-04:00

When I bought Emily, she still had her original tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 GS EMTs. These are "runflats"; in the event of a puncture one may drive-on safely for approximately 50 miles. Chevrolet selected them to obviate the need to accomodate a spare. However, I've always hated the way they affect the steering. The car is continually deflected by every minor imperfection in the road surface, pulling the steering wheel this way and that every few seconds. This is the inevitable result of the extremely rigid sidewall that a runflat tire needs in order to run when flat.

Recently I damaged a tire badly on one of Massachusetts' elephant-trap-sized potholes (where do our taxes go?!) necessitating replacement. Since the original tires are being phased-out, it was going to be something of an ordeal to find one identical to my other three, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to replace the entire set with something less inimical to controlled handling. I did some reading around and settled on the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, which seemed very popular with other 'vette owners. The difference is astonishing! Emily now handles with control and precision that I knew were possible all along, but which were hitherto foiled by the runflats.

Driving Emily has always been a thrill, but now it's even better. Without the need continuously to wrestle with the wheel, one has much greater control and confidence. She glides along at 90 as though on silk, but always with just enough feedback to tell you what's happening at the tarmac/rubber interface. She sticks to the road like a gecko and takes corners "as though on rails", to coin a phrase. These improvements naturally inspire the driver to greater playfulness!

I'm easy to spot on the road: I'm the guy with the ear-to-ear grin, making Porsche drivers sick with envy :-)

Boston Waterfront

2006-08-16T09:41:00.000-04:00

Boston Waterfront
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

I'm attending another stem cell conference, this time in my home-town of

Boston. The conference is down by the waterfront, which is looking

lovely in the sunshine.

More travels in the USA

2006-08-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

Recently I've been to Birmingham (Alabama), Atlanta (Georgia), Morristown (New Jersey) and Tampa (Florida).
I've been too busy to keep uploading pix all the time, so here are just a few.
The benefit of all this travel is, of course, that I'm getting to see a much better cross section of the diverse nation that is the United States of America.

More Photos HERE

Flying today

2006-08-10T09:09:00.000-04:00

Flying today
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

Getting ready for my flight from Newark to Tampa, today, that supposedly

departs at noon. Flight CO0218. It could be a long day.

Way Out West, July '06

2006-07-25T09:18:00.000-04:00

I spent some time in California, this month. I stayed with my friends Hans & Riki whilst attending a conference in Santa Barbara, then I went up to San Francisco to visit a few labs up there. I love the California climate; it's warm without being overly humid.
I had visited San Francisco briefly last year, but this was the first time I really got to see anything of the place. It certainly has some great neighbourhoods, but I still need to spend more time there to get a better idea of the city as a whole.

More Photos HERE.

July 4th '06, Boston

2006-07-05T00:21:00.000-04:00

July 4th '06, Boston
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

The July 4th celebrations in Boston may be the largest anywhere. Half a million people showed up along the banks of the Charles River to hear the BSO play their usual selection (accompanied this year by Aerosmith) and to see the spectacular fireworks. I've never seen fireworks this good in the UK - really, really explosive.

More HERE.

Trip to Toronto

2006-07-02T21:04:00.000-04:00

I had to go to Toronto for a conference. The trip was extremely busy, but I managed to find just a few hours on July 1st (Canada Day) to go up the CN tower to take in the view and watch the celebratory fireworks.

More here.

Best-dressed again!

2006-06-23T15:51:00.000-04:00

Best-dressed again!
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

I won the best-dressed contest at work yet again, with this geeky T-shirt.

Trip through EU

2006-06-22T21:10:00.000-04:00

To paraphrase the Pet Shop Boys: I come to The Community from US PLC. Arriving at my hotel there are faxes, greeting me.
This was my first time in Prague and I wasn't dissapointed. Despite the fettid summer air and a plague of tourists, the city's beauty was still astonishing. My colleagues and I enjoyed great food and drink and visited the opera. We aslo had a damned fruitful time with our collaborators.
I came back by way of Bruxelles, a town I'm getting to know better and like more all the time.
More Photos here.

View from Fort Revere

2006-06-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

View from Fort Revere
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

The view from Fort Revere to Boston, looking back across the harbour & the islands.

Don't give me that do-goody-good bullshit

2006-06-09T16:02:00.000-04:00

Don't give me that do-goody-good bullshit
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

On Fridays we dress-down and have free ice-cream. This week I won the

best-dressed prize. Here I am, about to devour the entire contents of the

ice-cream truck.

Graham & I hiking in Massachusetts

2006-05-29T09:41:00.000-04:00

My brother, Graham, was visiting Boston for a few days, which was pretty fab. In addition to seeing the city together, we drove out to Mount Monadnock (a cool drive) and hiked up one of the less frequented trails. It was a very hot and humid day, but the hike provided great views of MA & NH. Long live the summer!

More photos here

2006-05-25T08:45:00.000-04:00

Pretty much the last people I saw in Europe before leaving for the Americas were Jason and Helen, in Leiden. I was delighted, therefore, to have the opportunity to return the favour by hosting them here in Boston. It was great catching up and hearing about their coming wedding. They're a terrific couple and I'm really glad they're tying the knot later this year :-)

More Photos here.

2006-05-18T14:43:00.000-04:00

I had to go down to NJ for work, and rather than flying through Newark Airport (always trouble), I opted to drive.

Since I was in the neighbourhood, I met my old CATSAT buddy Joel, who lives in Jersey City. We had coffee and then visited a flea-market in Manhattan. I had hoped that we would find some old musical instrument sufficiently esoteric to warrant inclusion in Joel's eccumenical collection, but we had to make-do with the discovery of this arcane tome.

This was the first time I had visited NYC since being there with Jamie in 1994. It was just as good second time around.

The driving was great, the visit to NYC was fun, it was cool to spend time with Joel and the week's work in New Jersey could not have gone better :-)

More Photos Here

Excursions

2006-04-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

Excursions
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

I spent most of last week in sunny Florida, but headed up to Chicago to spend the weekend with my friend Melissa. Her Basset "Sherlock" is adorable and we had an interesting weekend, despite copious precipitation.

Downtown view, after a storm

2006-04-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

Downtown view, after a storm
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

3200 miles of ocean...

2006-04-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

3200 miles of ocean...
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

Cheap photographic thrills

2006-03-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

Cheap photographic thrills
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

My friend Jane from Edinburgh is visiting for a few days - it's fab to have her over here again! One of Jane's interests is playing around with unusual, cheap cameras (LOMO etc) and this time she's brought along a Polaroid that produces postage-stamp-sized, sticky-back photos. Here's a snap she took of me when I met her at Logan Airport.

Vacation in Nicaragua & Costa Rica

2006-03-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

When I moved over to the states I decided that it would make sense to exploit my new location by holidaying in the americas. I teamed up with Alex (former flatmate and Espagnaphone) and Una (pal from Ed) and off we went to Nicaragua & Costa Rica (the only 2 countries south of the USA that they hadn't already visited).
We had a great two week trip seeing colonial-era towns, jungles and beaches, rafting, horse-riding and surfing. Nicaragua was definitely less touristy and gave a better insight into 'real life' in Central America. Costa Rica had more to offer by way of lush jungles and organised adventures. Between the two of them we managed to strike a most satisfactory balance and have a really good trip.
More Photos Here.

2006-03-03T07:50:00.000-05:00

At the last minute before my long-planned vacation in Central America, I was sent by my company to Bruxelles for a couple of days. I had only been there once before and I'd forgotten how pretty it is and how much tempting food and beer pervades that city.
Unfortunately the airline lost my baggage in Newark. I'm currently in Southampton, UK, with Alex for 24hrs before setting of to Managua. Hopefully my backpack will be returned to me in the next hour or so...

More photos here.

I am away on vacation

2006-02-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

I am away on vacation, travelling to Nicaragua & Costa Rica (via Bruxelles & Southampton!). I'll be back on the 20th of March (assuming that my party and I are not kidnapped by guerrillas).

Trip to Colorado

2006-02-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

As part of a work trip to the west coast, I managed to pull in a weekend stopover with my brother, Graham, in Colorado Springs. We hadn't met since we both left the UK in Feb 2005, so it had been a while. I really enjoyed seeing him again and we had a great weekend. Colorado is VERY different from Massachusetts, and the contrast was refreshing (though the radio stations out there are beyond belief).

Graham bought me a skiing lesson in Breckonridge for my birthday, which was a terrific present :-)
The lesson was at the ski resort of Breckenridge. We stayed with Graham's pal Mike in his cabin. Mike's a cool chap and made us a great breakfast before we hit the slopes. I went to the teaching slopes (Silverthorn) while Graham and co hit the double-blacks (starting with the highest ski lift in the USA: 16000 feet!).

On Sunday Graham took me to see various sights of interest including the Garden of the Gods: a park containing many weird rock formations. Colorado really is a stunning place with enourmous mountains, vast empty plains, blasted heathland and evergreen forest, weird rock formations, jagged cliffs and vert many opportunities to engage in outdoor pursuits amidst all these things :-)

More photos HERE.

Hans and Riki's wedding, Santa Barbara, 21st Jan '06

2006-01-23T20:07:00.000-05:00

Hans and Riki's wedding, Santa Barbara, 21st Jan '06
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

This weekend I was privileged to attend the wedding of my great friends Hans and Erika in their beautiful hometown of Santa Barbara, California.
Hans and I have been friends since we met while working for NASA's ill-fated C*TS*T mission, in the summer of 1997. We've stayed in touch by email and trans-atlantic flights and even been on holiday together
two or three times. Hans met Erika (Riki) through a pub-quiz team at their company and they started dating shortly thereafter (with a trip to see The Taming Of The Shrew!). I was honoured to be invited to share this great day in their lives and I was also really happy to see Hans with such a charming, funny, smart woman. They have a great future ahead. More photos here.

Another great thing about weddings, of course, is the opportunity to meet up with people. Hans' sister Melissa was there and it's always a pleasure to spend time with her (thanks for your steady arm on Saturday night, Melissa!). Another C*TS*T survivor, Joel, was at the wedding, too, and we spent a pleasant Sunday nursing our hangovers in the Santa Barbara sunshine. Santa Barbara, by the way, is one of the nicest places on Earth. The mountains, the beach, the sea, the pretty downtown area and, of course, the climate conspire to create a place with many and varied opportunities to have fun (paragliding, hiking, sailing, shopping...). It's no wonder that DNA chose to go and live there.

Babyfoot

2006-01-07T23:03:00.000-05:00

Babyfoot
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

The place where I work is pretty cool and I love it there. We have a good crowd (both friendly and very smart) and a good atmosphere (both motivated and playful). Recently the management installed a games room and we had our inaugural Foosball tournament this week (with the company providing beer, pizza and prizes). My partner and I were knocked out pretty fast, but it was a fun time anyway. Why on earth would anybody think that Universities are the place to be?

2006-01-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a pretty busy festive season, this year. After a bunch of celebrations in December, I made for blighty for the main event. I could have cried at Heathrow when the immigration inspector said, in an East London accent, "babye, luv" - it was wonderful to hear British accents again.
It was great to see my family (parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts & cousins) after ten months away. I also got to see my great friends Andy, John, Chris and Samir. Not too bad, for a 4 day visit. I didn't get to see Alex, though, as he has yet to read the manual for his alarm clock!
I returned to Boston and had to go straight back to work (american vacation allowances, you know). However, I managed to wangle a day off when Jane and Rory came to Boston for a few days (more here). It was utterly fab to see them face-to-face and show them something of my new home town.
Over the next two months I'll be pretty busy with a big (exciting) project at work and also with efforts to burn off excess xmas fat. Jan 21st I'm off to Hans and Riki's wedding in Santa Barbara. Mid March will find me taking my annual vacation (Central America with Alex & Una). My pals Jason & Helen may be visiting towards the end of March, too. Then it'll be time to get Emily ready for a summer of fast, topless fun!

Lynette's xmas party

2005-12-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

Lynette's xmas party
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

I was invited to Lynette's xmas bash and I quickly learned that embryologists like to party. Food, drink, cigars, nipple exams and beer trees were de rigour. It was, in all, a very good evening (more here).

I drove out to Lynette's in Emily. Emily has sufficient torque to pull Arc Royal through the streets of London, should such a Stygian task ever be asked of her. However, when she encounters a slightly inclined driveway with just a little snow, those wide, slick tyres mean she's going nowhere (except maybe sideways). Consequently she spent the night on the road in front of Lynette's pad. Fortunately I pick up my Jeep tomorrow and Emily can spend the winter tucked-up in bed, warm and dry.

March vacation in Central America

2005-12-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

March vacation in Central America
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

It's been a while since I took a holiday. This situation will soon be rectified, though, as I'm planning a holiday in Central America in March with my UK pals Alex & Una. We're currently trawling the guides, sorting out what we want to see in our 2 weeks of tropical bliss. Some jungle, some Mayan ruins, some colonial-era towns and, of course, some quality beach-time are all called for :-)

Manhattan from the air (again)

2005-12-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

Manhattan from the air (again)
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

My trip to Atlanta was fruitful. Our collaborators there are smart and helpful.

On the way back I took this photo of Manhattan by night. It's pretty blurry. Back in 1997 I took the exact same photo by day, in which you can see the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center and Central Park.

Sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll

2005-12-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

The Dandy Warhols were playing at the Paradise and, since their current album is riding high on my playlist, I went along to see them. They played a good set, which improved when they stopped being so poe-faced around their fifth song. Their trumpet guy had had passport trouble, so they asked the crowd to sing his part in 'Godless'. More pics here.

I just took an aspirin for a pulled muscle and tomorrow I'm off to Atlanta for a couple of days to make some more babies at a different IVF lab. I swear I've attended more conceptions than anyone I know...

Rocky road

2005-11-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Rocky road
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

As a favor to some friends and former colleagues in the UK, I recently inspected a few rock samples. Geology isn't normally my forte, but as I handled the samples (from some of Earth's oldest deposits) I was struck by their staggering age. Not to sound too morbid or pseudo-philosophical, but in emphasising the ephemeral nature of life they reminded me of Lincoln's words: this too shall pass. It's comforting, sometimes, to be reminded that nothing is really forever.

Le weekend

2005-11-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Le weekend
Originally uploaded by dwfletch.

So, I went to the opera on Friday with Anastasia to see Donizetti's "Lucie de Lammermoor". It was pretty good (especially the "mad scene"). It was set in Scotland and the scenery used was great - moody grey clouds over moody grey granite! The set designer had obviously spent time there! Anyway, it was an interesting contrast with the Nine Inch Nails gig I went to earlier in the week.

On Saturday I drove down to the cape and round to Provincetown. The drive was a blast: 90mph in 4th gear with the top down and the stereo up :-)

Here's a random photo of me on our verandah. It reminded me of the Father Ted scene: "You see, Dougal, those cows are large but far away, whilst these cows are small, but nearby".

Doesn't it make you feel better?

2005-11-08T23:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! I Just got home from seeing Nine Inch Nails - they were bloody amazing! Among other things they played "Only", "Closer", "Something I Can Never Have" and "Head Like A Hole". The Son et Lumiere were great and the performance was very intense.
Tomorrow I'm making babies at an IVF lab and on Friday I'm off to the opera with Anastasia. A fun week all round, really.