The wonders of living out of a suitcase

I don't believe it I am back living out of a suitcase! It is a month tomorrow since I arrived and when I last lived straight from the case - well, I suppose once they arrived. Due to my now huge collections of shoes 'Emelda', I nearly died lifting the case down the stairs and into the back of my car. Fortunately, Malene's flat is far more posh than my last one and she has a lift - ooh!

Another stunning today to make you jealous. And today I remembered to take some photos from the office - this is only the 13th floor looking towards downtown. I think the 25th floor view would be even better, but I wasn't up there today (you have to take a different lift shaft to get there, which is really annoying!)

I have just seen I have missed a call from my new landlord tonight - surely I haven't done something already! I did manage to set up my direct debit for rent, however, just thinking about it tonight I don't have enough money in the account to pay for it - great! something else to sort tomorrow.

I met up with Laura this evening to go to a furniture place that is closing down near her house and has some reasonable offers on. But first had to face Houston's rush hour on the freeway. Everyone is going at snails pace and as far as I can tell you really want to make sure you are in the correct lane well ahead, because no one lets you in! Apart from that, not too bad. While I was waiting for Laura at the warehouse, I noticed their big sign saying 'open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and now open Mondays' - hmm this is Tuesday and the car park is empty!!! You got it, it was closed so I will have to come back another time, but at least I know where it is.

We went and got some dinner in the vicinity (don't ask me where I followed Laura and we did lots of left and rights and I felt like we almost ended up back where we started). It was a Mexican place that is very famous and apparently, although it is now a chain, we where at the original restaurant. It is called Ninfa's, and I remember the relocation lady telling me the story of why Ninfa was really famous. Apparently, Ninfa, herself, used to cook in her house and the neighbours used to come around with pots and pans and take away food. Slowly word got around how good the food was and friends suggested Ninfa open her house as a restaurant, while she and her family lived upstairs. But the reason Ninfa became a legend was because she went to planning to ask if she could open a restaurant next to her house and planning, said no, because it was residential, anyhow she fought this, on the basis of some obscure clause in the law, and that is why, to this day, Houston has no zoning laws, so you can build a petrol station in the middle of houses etc.

Well, at least that is the story I was told - I see there is no reference to it in Wikipedia!

What I forgot to mention, if you wonder why the photo of Laura and I on a golf buggy, that is because the car park at the restaurant was packed (apparently, folk parked their cars there and get bused to the nearby baseball game), anyhow Laura asked the man on where we could park and he said out on the road. When we parked, he turns up in his buggy and gives us a lift to the restaurant (literally a two second walk), but it was rude not to accept and he took the photo of us. When we came out tonight, there he was again, and again we got give a lift back to the cars:)

Tonight was the last time I see Laura until the 8th June, because she is off jet setting to Rio and then back home on holidays. I am going to be billy no mates :(