and in with the new!

I dreamt of my new car last night - how sad! So obviously the blog is full of my car photos today. I have decided to call her 'Misty' - not only to suit her colour, but also has an American twist :) Misty and I had quite an adventure tonight doing new things together.

I had to get a VIN inspection done, I think that is similar to an MOT, although, it didn't take very long. Good thing is I now have the necessary sticker. I then realised why the driver had mistaken her as 'lime green' - there was a greenish film of dirt on the bonnet, so I decided to try out a car wash. You had to drive into an area, set up as a petrol station, then a guy comes around and asks you what wash you would like. He scribbles on the window and gives you a ticket to go and pay. Being a true Scot, I went for the cheapest. I then left my car and went to pay. The next time I saw Misty, was when she was coming through the big washing machine (as pictured!). Then as the car emerges from the washing machine, it is hand dried by a rush of people and moved to its next slot, where it is wiped down inside and the wheels get 'back to blacked'. Obviously, the higher the price you pay the more pampering your car gets! The final adventure we had was going to the 'gas' station. The nozzle is totally different to the UK - they are little stubby things. The best bit was the price - unbelievable, even though I wasn't paying! I really noticed an increase in performance from the Mazda 6, even as an automatic, it can take off quickly, and I have no doubt Misty will perform much better in the floods!

I went to have look at another gym tonight. It seem totally disorganised when I arrived, because I had to wait quite a while for someone to show me around, however, once that did happen, it was quite impressive. They have 3 pools, 2 indoor and one outside. A real benefit is that one of the pools is dedicated lane swimming and amazingly 25m (to date he only pools I had seen were 25 yards). The gym area is full of equipment as far as the eye can see, a little bit daunting for me. The changing rooms were beautiful and quite a change from the council pools at home. Obviously, all this comes at a price so I need to have a think, plus it is further from new house than the other one I was thinking of joining, but is easily accessible from the office. More decisions!

I have been invited on a golf outing in a weeks time. I will have to go to a driving range for a bit of practice and hope I can remember how to hit a ball. It is a Texas scramble so not too much pressure on me!

Out with the old .....

A lovely quiet night last night so slept like a baby. It was my first day with lots of meetings - so back to normality :) And because it was quite a standard working day, there is very little to report.

However, my new car arrived today. On the papers it said it was green, and the guy who dropped it off said it was, worringly, lime green! When we found it in the car park it was grey - phew! It looks very smart, especially once it gets a wash, because it driven from North Carolina. It would have been perfect for the flooding - typical. Before I can take a good picture of the new one, I have one of the old one! I didnt bring it home tonight until I know its got all the papers it needs.

Tonight, I went shopping. Everyone has been raving about Banana Republic, a clothes shop. I tried on a couple of things, but none seemed to fit my shape - big bum! so I went off to Gap. I tried again to buy a mask, and again all sold out as the swine flu fear rises, especally after todays report of a child dying in Houston. I have just watched BBC World News and say the best thing to do to help protect yur self is wash your hand and use anti-bacterial handwash, which I am already doing.

After an evening of Gordon Ramsay and Obama's 100th day in office I'm going for an early night. Hopefully, I will have some more to report tomorrow.

Try 10 inches

The rain had not stopped all evening and I had the apartment lights flicked on and off , but I did not lose total power. At 0330 this morning I was woken with flashes of lightening and huge rumbles of thunder. The storm had appeared to renew its vigor. I opened the blinds and lay in bed watching the display. The rain was coming down the window like a fireman was standing pointing his fire hose at it. The storm lingered over head until about 0445 ,when I eventually managed to get back to sleep.

In the morning I got up, a little reluctantly having missed a good hour of sleep, and looked out of the window. It was not really raining and the street outside was clear. As I left the car park, I did wonder why so many cars were coming the other way, but drove on. As I went my normal route, I decided for the first time since arriving to put the car radio on (I have been concentrating too hard to stay on the right side of the road to listen to music!). The announcement started - Sam Houston Tollway closed due to flooding, Katy Freeway open, but a number of slips deep in water .... I didn't go anywhere near any of those roads, however, I went through a set of lights with a couple of trucks (remember my car has regular, low, ground clearance), and just saw a lake further down the street. I stopped at its 'shore' to contemplate what to do next. I could see similar cars to me stranded, whilst the trucks ploughed on. I needed to turn around, however, I was passed the nearest spot to do a u-turn - so what to do? I started reversing up the road praying that no one was going to come up behind and the cops were not around. I managed it! I then spent the next hour trying alternate routes and turning around when the flood waters got too deep. I saw houses totally submerged in at least foot or two of water. More people standing at bus stops than I have seen in Houston the whole time I have been here. Trucks and cars abandoned in deep pools of water. At least now, I have got an idea of the low roads and the high roads (and where not to live!). I was actually one of the first to arrive at work for 9am .... the Scot soldiers on!

What I have learnt from today is:
1) If it rains lots check the weather report before leaving home
2) Wait an hour or two after the rain has stopped and the streets will rapidly clear
3) Never go near an underpass, especially on the freeway, they are always flooded
4) Don't drive over the grassy central reservation, as it is likely to be saturated and your car will sink
5) Always buy/rent a house higher than the road
6) Wear flip flops

After the mornings excitement, I achieved one significant item on my list - getting a bank account - now at least I can get paid :)

Tonight, I decided I needed to go out for a walk, so I took my camera and walked along the Bayou. I took some photos to show the flooding as it is, but I can assure you, the water level has dropped at least 4-5 feet since this morning. The bayou's are designed to take all the flood water away quickly. For the geologist out there, this was probably a significant flood to leave its mark in the geological record in the Gulf! There is a fantastic path along the edge and people walk, run, cycle or roller blade. I also saw my first snake - Broad Banded Water snake. It is non-venomous and this particular one is a baby I think.

I must close and head for some beauty sleep - good night x

2 inches in Texas

Well, there is nothing else to say except, by heck it can rain! I thought I was back in Aberdeen - at 1530 the grey clouds came in and we were in darkness. The rain began.....

I went to Kroger for supplies, including anti bacterial hand wash, however they were already sold out of face masks! My intention was to go and try somewhere else, but when I got to the front door there was just a wall of rain. The wind was blowing really hard and thunder and lightening was right over ahead. Me, in my white shirt and beautiful new shoes, decided to wait until the rain lessened. I was not the only one! It became quite a party in the entrance to Kroger. The atmosphere was jovial in spite of the weather. There was a pregnant women and her son who had popped out to get some cheese in the middle of cooking dinner, but now she couldn't run back to the car in her state. There was another lady, waiting for her boyfriend to come and pick her up in his truck as she was afraid of her car 'drowning' and she was really scared of the lightning. There were other made people who made a dash for it, including one guy who managed to ride across the car park on his trolley.

I must have waited nearly 20 minutes and there was no sign of it stopping, so I picked up my bags and went for it! The lady waiting for her boyfriend, wished me luck. The car park was easily a couple of inches deep in water and there was no hope of me avoiding getting a very see-through shirt. Will my car start? It did - phew. However, that was the least of my problems, the road was totally flooded and you had to keep up a reasonably speed to get through the standing water - no wonder you want a truck in this place! Someone nearly pulled out on me - they did not even have their lights on - however, fortunately the ABS kicked in and I avoided them. Two sets of lights were out, so it was a case of who has balls to go for it, whilst also avoiding the cars that had broken down.

I was very pleased to be home and I went straight to get my waterproof and golf umbrella for the next time!

It is still raining now lets just hope it stops before morning and the deep rumbling of thunder doesn't keep me awake.

P.S. work was fine :)

Soccer Chicks

This morning, Laura picked me up and I went with her to her soccer game in Bear Creek Park. It is an enormous park with baseball pitches, soccer pitches, a wildlife centre, golf courses and probably much much more. There was still a fair amount of evidence of the heavy rain over the past couple of weekends, with some of the roads in the park being submerged.

Laura's team, the Sliders, wearing their pink shorts and white, shirts looked very professional against another team of girls. They were all lovely and friendly, and only the coach joked saying 'oh no, not another one from the Dee'. At half time they were a goal up and doing well. All the play was in the opponents half. I watched with one of the girls husbands and Tyler, the dog, who kept licking my legs - yuk! The wind had really picked up today, making it difficult on the pitch, but the sun was shining and it was still pretty hot. Even with my factor 50 I can see some evidence of being in the sun. When the final whistle blew it was 1-0 to the Sliders.

Laura and I then stopped for a quick look at the wildlife park, hosting a mixture of goats, sheep, a very fat pig, emu's and bison. Their pens looked really boring, which was a shame, and the emu looked especialy bored, strutting up and down when anyone walked past.

By now, it was lunch so we went to Madeline's, a great french style place that sells nice salads and good soups. What I hadn't mentioned before is that Laura was suffering from a little hangover so she struggled with lunch, just a little :) We had a chat about what to do and decided to go to Walmart, however, before we got there we past Laura's favourite nail bar, and I said I was up for a manicure and pedicure, Laura, on the other hand, needed a snooze, so I left her in the car while I went to get beautified. I have to admit I have never had a pedicure before, and gosh it was tickley I could barely control myself:) Anyhow, I now have painted finger and toe nails for $35.

Walmart was gigantic. I got myself a tin opener for 96 cents - bargain! Also, as I was there, I picked up some chopping boards, nice bamboo ones, because I have none coming in the container. It was fun and I will definitely be back. I was hoping I might find Emma's bubble gum, that I have been searching for, but still no luck!

Since shopping was going so well, we decided to pop into DSW Shoes, the shoe warehouse I had been recommended at yesterdays party. It was a warehouse of shoes. I quickly established I am an 8.5 in US sizes and went shopping. However, Stu will be pleased to hear I was very well behaved and only came out with one pair (this time!!).

A final third meal of beef chilli tonight - yippee! The trauma of cooking for one with American quantities. Maybe the next time I should go to the meat counter to get just what I need. My first full week starts tomorrow.....

Signed and Sealed (well nearly!)

Tonight is a late post so it will be a short one! I have just got back from one of my colleagues birthday parties. It was a great day, too much food but that is too be expected. I found out where the best place to buy shoes is, DSW apparently, so I cant wait :) I also got some tips on places to see, good bars and best buys.

This morning I signed my lease on the house with pool! As I said plenty of room for visitors! Then I managed five chapters of the Texas driving handbook in preparation for my test sometime soon.

What a day really!

First Rain

Got to work early today and sods law my account had expired so I could not log on anyway - that will teach me :) I had a busy day sorting out things for back home, which took most of the morning. Friday's are great as you get to leave at 1600 :)

I think we have managed to get two houses in one week, which is pretty impressive, as I hope to sign the lease on my place here tomorrow. However, on my way to the house to meet the agent, I had my first experience of getting lost in Houston. In my attempt to take a short cut, I ended up in a housing estate. At first sight, this seemed to be a minor problem, until I tried to re-trace my turns and couldn't. I found a helpful guy tidying his yard who give me directions before I burst into tears! I told my friend Laura my problems, and on her way to visit me tonight she kindly brought me a selection of maps so I dont get lost again. The real irony is that, I had only been talking about what GPS I should get today!!!

Tonight, Laura and I went for wine and sushi and it was yummy. The humidity was building and it looked as though it was going to rain, in spite of that, we sat outside as the thunder and lightening started, and we heard the rain hammering down on the perspex roof above us. It sounded just like Mum and Dad's conservatory roof. I tried to take a picture of the lightening, but kept missing it - maybe next time. After the rain, it was the first time I have had goose pipples since being in the States!

Armadillo

Today's photo is the view from my balcony - to me, quite a typical American city landscape!

I saw my first road kill armadillo on the way to work this morning. It is quite sad that I am getting excited about something that is dead.
It was another day of achieving very little at work, except trying decide on my car and how to fill in my social security form. I had a second viewing on my top house from yesterday and fingers crossed I can get a deal signed and sealed. No photos of it yet - top secret!!

I have felt homesick today - there is lots of things to do and some, what to me seem like, tough decisions to make by myself :( I am sure I will get through, I just have to keep remembering what Mum said about settling in.

Celebrations

Today started the best way it could - our offer was accepted on the house at home - yippee :) So this evening had to end appropriately with my first cooked dinner and a bottle of bubbly. When in America drink American, so I decided on a little California number - 'Korbel Champagne'. Not too bad when followed with extra hot beef chilli! Followed by strawberries, that knock the socks off UK 'Elsanta' strawberries!

I have also been busy looking at houses this afternoon and seen some good ones and some not so good. I will have to ponder tonight and decide on whether any meet our requirements for three years of fun in Houston. Having said a small house will do, I have a feeling, to live the American dream, I maybe leaning towards a big mansion! Only kidding, but it is a large house so you will have to come and visit to make it all worthwhile!

I got my first store loyalty card for Randall's - a supermarket and save a staggering $8.69, nearly a 20% saving on the total bill, a definite must obviously!

Tonight, I have come home to find a note pushed through the door saying one of the apartments was broken into this morning and so to check what insurance cover you have! One to sort I think.

I plan to have an earlier night than last night - good night

First day in the office

As predicted I was wide awake at 0530, although in spite of that I still didn't make it to work for 0730 having pottered around - somethings never change. The first day was like any other - did not achieve a lot except logging on, meeting some folk and trying to hunt down my baggage - grrr KLM again....

I had my two first household item purchases - a kettle and hairdryer. Apparently, the hair dryer is is 'ionic' and wont make my hair frizzy - we will see! I have already tested the kettle and it made a great cuppa.

I very nearly squished a lady on a pedestrian crossing tonight I waved my hand apologetically! I don't think my Mazda 6 is that great at emergency breaking, not like my trusty Golf :(

Hoping for my baggage this evening so there maybe an update .......

it is 2120 and my luggage has just arrive yippee! Marmite on toast for breakfast

Houston here I come!

Well today has been a long one, having got up at 0330 (UK time) and finally sitting in my apartment at 1600 (Houston time - that is 2200 in the UK).

My golf bag and I are here, but my other two bags, containing all my clothes, wash bag and, more importantly, hair straightners, are all still in Amsterdam - grrrr KLM! I cant attach today' photo yet as no cables - also in the other bags.

It was a sad departure from Stu this morning and after blubbing over him, the secruity people at Aberdeen were also subjected to it. Feeling a little better since sleeping on the flight, but very strange having a one way ticket :(

Next item on the agenda today is to go and buy some food, however, first I have to establish what and where is the hire car!

Last Day

After meeting up with Emma and Iain for a late breakfast, we did my last walk up a hill, Bennachie, since there are no hills in Houston! It was a beautiful sunny day here in Aberdeen, although a little chilly, just 13 degC, compared to 25 degC in Houston!

Good bye Aberdeen :(