I sprained my ankle at the gym this morning. The one I injured last year when I got knocked off my bike. Actually, I sprained it twice this morning: clearly I didn't do a good enough job the first time. I was doing walking lunges and felt my left ankle give way, so I stopped and told Sophie what had happened last year and that my left ankle in particular is now quite weak. We did other exercises then went on to step-ups. I started out with my right leg, then when Sophie asked me to change legs, I wondered if I should say that I didn't think my left ankle was strong enough to step off the box onto the floor - particularly carrying the extra 20kg in weights Sophie had put in my hands. That's what I should have done. Instead, I thought I would give one a try and see how it felt.
Suffice to say it didn't feel good. My ankle caved underneath me, I dropped the two 10kg weights, fell backwards and landed hard on my bum. Ben was training Rob at the time and watched me go down, so the two of them came over to see if I was OK. Ben had a look at my ankle, moved it around a bit and said he thought it was probably only over-stretched, rather than torn or anything worse, and I should try to walk as normally as possible on it (i.e. not limp if I could manage it) and even do a short session on the bike tomorrow to loosen it off.
My ankle has swollen up a bit on the outside, and I'm trying my best to walk evenly, without limping, but it's proving quite difficult. It's nothing like as bad as it was last year, though, and I imagine it will be alright again within a few days to a week.
Friday 27 November 2009
Tuesday 24 November 2009
New York: Saturday and Beyond
On Saturday's agenda: shopping!
We made a list of the stores we wanted to visit around 5th, then plotted a route round them all that didn't involve too much doubling back. We had a great time browsing, but an even better time purchasing :). I got some beautiful special-occasion jewellery; it will look great at Christmas with my LBD. I left it at the store until Monday as I won't need it while I'm here. The store even cleaned all of my other jewellery for free!
We made time for a gym session in the afternoon, then headed off to Madison Square Garden for a hockey game in the evening. It was New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers and we really enjoyed ourselves. The Rangers lost, unfortunately - and by that I mean unfortunately for us, as it didn't please anyone sitting near us - but it was a great night. We bought the obligatory hot dogs, enormous drinks and, of course, a foam finger :).
Sunday was a busy day: gym first thing, then Rob went to a barber's down the road for a haircut and shave while I spent a couple of hours in the spa having a facial and manicure. We just had time for a delicious lunch at the hotel (which was free - part of our package) before going to the Gershwin Theatre for the matinee performance of Wicked. I needed the loo before it started and the queue was really long, but we were in plenty of time. A lady behind me in the queue remarked that there were only two stalls in the toilets, and something about it being because this theatre was so old, so I looked it up when we got back. It was built in 1972! I guess someone's idea of 'old' is all relative...
It was my third time seeing this show in just over two years, but the first time I'd seen it on Broadway. It was fabulous; the fact that the stage was so much wider than the one at the Apollo Victoria in London meant that the view from almost any seat was unobstructed. Great cast, great songs, great show.
After the show we had a quick stop at the hotel to change then we got a cab to the Upper West Side to meet Mark, Daniela and David for a meal, which was lovely. The last time we saw Daniela was in 2005 and she was 6 months' pregnant; they've got two boys now. We had some really good food in good company.
Monday was a slow day: just a trip to the luggage store to buy a new suitcase (we planned to buy one all along as we need another one, but it's a good job we did as our purchases from just four days almost filled it), a walk up to the jewellers to pick up my bling and a quick stop at a shoe store for some Fitflops. Just as we were waiting for our car to pick up us to take us to Newark, it started raining. I couldn't believe we'd spent all weekend in New York in November and the only rain we saw was in the cab on the way in and for 5 minutes before we left. And it wasn't even all that cold - incredible. Shame the weather hadn't been this nice when Mum, Jen and I were here in May...
Rob commented that if a 6- to 12-month work assignment came up in New York, he would volunteer to do it. I think I could live with that.
Two consecutive weekends at home now - that hasn't happened since mid-September. In fact, we haven't even had one weekend at home since mid-September ;).
We made a list of the stores we wanted to visit around 5th, then plotted a route round them all that didn't involve too much doubling back. We had a great time browsing, but an even better time purchasing :). I got some beautiful special-occasion jewellery; it will look great at Christmas with my LBD. I left it at the store until Monday as I won't need it while I'm here. The store even cleaned all of my other jewellery for free!
We made time for a gym session in the afternoon, then headed off to Madison Square Garden for a hockey game in the evening. It was New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers and we really enjoyed ourselves. The Rangers lost, unfortunately - and by that I mean unfortunately for us, as it didn't please anyone sitting near us - but it was a great night. We bought the obligatory hot dogs, enormous drinks and, of course, a foam finger :).
Sunday was a busy day: gym first thing, then Rob went to a barber's down the road for a haircut and shave while I spent a couple of hours in the spa having a facial and manicure. We just had time for a delicious lunch at the hotel (which was free - part of our package) before going to the Gershwin Theatre for the matinee performance of Wicked. I needed the loo before it started and the queue was really long, but we were in plenty of time. A lady behind me in the queue remarked that there were only two stalls in the toilets, and something about it being because this theatre was so old, so I looked it up when we got back. It was built in 1972! I guess someone's idea of 'old' is all relative...
It was my third time seeing this show in just over two years, but the first time I'd seen it on Broadway. It was fabulous; the fact that the stage was so much wider than the one at the Apollo Victoria in London meant that the view from almost any seat was unobstructed. Great cast, great songs, great show.
After the show we had a quick stop at the hotel to change then we got a cab to the Upper West Side to meet Mark, Daniela and David for a meal, which was lovely. The last time we saw Daniela was in 2005 and she was 6 months' pregnant; they've got two boys now. We had some really good food in good company.
Monday was a slow day: just a trip to the luggage store to buy a new suitcase (we planned to buy one all along as we need another one, but it's a good job we did as our purchases from just four days almost filled it), a walk up to the jewellers to pick up my bling and a quick stop at a shoe store for some Fitflops. Just as we were waiting for our car to pick up us to take us to Newark, it started raining. I couldn't believe we'd spent all weekend in New York in November and the only rain we saw was in the cab on the way in and for 5 minutes before we left. And it wasn't even all that cold - incredible. Shame the weather hadn't been this nice when Mum, Jen and I were here in May...
Rob commented that if a 6- to 12-month work assignment came up in New York, he would volunteer to do it. I think I could live with that.
Two consecutive weekends at home now - that hasn't happened since mid-September. In fact, we haven't even had one weekend at home since mid-September ;).
Monday 23 November 2009
New York: Friday
I love New York. I woke up Friday morning, thankfully not too early as is usually the case the first morning after I've flown west, and felt strangely surreal about meeting famous people last night. I like to think that people are just people and I don't get fazed by celebrity, but I think that's only because I've never met anyone quite so famous before. Actually the whole experience was a bit surreal - what do you say to people you think you already know in some way? You can't exactly ask them 'So, what do you do?' and they aren't interested in what you do (although I did discuss Manchester and the North West with Daniel Craig, as he's from that area too). Still, an interesting, if a little bizarre, experience.
Moving on. We got up, dressed and went to a deli round the corner for breakfast, then headed off to the Empire State Building for the now-compulsory bird's-eye view of the city. The weather was fantastic for that time of year: bright and not too cold at all. We got the usual shots from the top of the Empire State, and this time we paid to go to the 102nd floor, which quite honestly was not worth the money. It was much quieter, but it was inside so all our pictures were taken from the other side of the glass and only gave you exactly the same view as the 86th floor, albeit you could spend as long as you liked gazing into the distance as there weren't hordes of people waiting to stand in your spot.
We got the subway up to 57th & 7th and had lunch at Carnegie's deli, opposite Carnegie Hall. They are famous for their portion sizes, and in hindsight it possibly wasn't the best place to eat considering we didn't want to over-indulge too much this weekend. But it was definitely an experience! Rob ordered a turkey, bacon & swiss sandwich and got this:
He made a valiant attempt at it but really didn't come even close to finishing it. I ordered a hot bacon & egg roll and I finished it, but it was less than half the size of Rob's...
After lunch, we went for a walk through Central Park, and it was perfect weather for it. I took a couple of shots:
We went for an early meal at Tao on 58th Street. We'd eaten here when we came in 2005, and we ate at Tao Las Vegas in March, but this time we weren't so impressed. The food was very nice, in fact I had shabu shabu for the first time since Kyoto in June, but the place was just a little too pretentious. OK, very pretentious. But at least we lowered the tone a bit. A lot.
We deliberately booked an early meal as past experience tells me the second evening is when I'm at my tiredest (although maybe it just has to do with sitting still), so we went back to the hotel and crashed out afterwards.
Moving on. We got up, dressed and went to a deli round the corner for breakfast, then headed off to the Empire State Building for the now-compulsory bird's-eye view of the city. The weather was fantastic for that time of year: bright and not too cold at all. We got the usual shots from the top of the Empire State, and this time we paid to go to the 102nd floor, which quite honestly was not worth the money. It was much quieter, but it was inside so all our pictures were taken from the other side of the glass and only gave you exactly the same view as the 86th floor, albeit you could spend as long as you liked gazing into the distance as there weren't hordes of people waiting to stand in your spot.
We got the subway up to 57th & 7th and had lunch at Carnegie's deli, opposite Carnegie Hall. They are famous for their portion sizes, and in hindsight it possibly wasn't the best place to eat considering we didn't want to over-indulge too much this weekend. But it was definitely an experience! Rob ordered a turkey, bacon & swiss sandwich and got this:
He made a valiant attempt at it but really didn't come even close to finishing it. I ordered a hot bacon & egg roll and I finished it, but it was less than half the size of Rob's...
After lunch, we went for a walk through Central Park, and it was perfect weather for it. I took a couple of shots:
We went for an early meal at Tao on 58th Street. We'd eaten here when we came in 2005, and we ate at Tao Las Vegas in March, but this time we weren't so impressed. The food was very nice, in fact I had shabu shabu for the first time since Kyoto in June, but the place was just a little too pretentious. OK, very pretentious. But at least we lowered the tone a bit. A lot.
We deliberately booked an early meal as past experience tells me the second evening is when I'm at my tiredest (although maybe it just has to do with sitting still), so we went back to the hotel and crashed out afterwards.
Thursday 19 November 2009
A Steady Rain
We flew to New York today for a belated birthday weekend trip. Rob planned it all, and he did a great job of it. We flew Virgin Upper Class from Heathrow to JFK, and we were like two kids in a sweet shop both in the lounge beforehand and particularly when we got on the plane, what with the fully flat bed, free toiletries, free food etc. :).
We got a cab into the city at around 5pm, which made the journey quite long, but not too bad. Our hotel gave us an upgrade - in fact, we worked out that we were upgraded by two levels of room, not just one. Our room was stunning, with a lounge area, big dining table, separate bedroom, even a mini-kitchen - but the best part about it was the view. Here it is, overlooking St Patrick's Cathedral.
We had just enough time to order some room service before we headed out to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre to see A Steady Rain starring Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig. The play started at 20:00 and ran straight through for 90 minutes with no interval. I think of all the times I could have benefitted from an interval, this was it. Despite the fact that the play was excellent, by 21:00, which was 02:00 our time, my eyes were closing and I was struggling to stay awake. An interval, and a chance to walk around and stretch my legs, would have been most welcome!
Still, I woke up good and proper after the show finished when Rob and I met Hugh and Daniel backstage :).
I loved this play. It was quite shocking in places, but absolutely riveting (despite the overwhelming urge to sleep). Just the two of them, with very little in the way of a set - just two chairs and a lamp, really. Fantastic. And very lovely in real life too :).
We got a cab into the city at around 5pm, which made the journey quite long, but not too bad. Our hotel gave us an upgrade - in fact, we worked out that we were upgraded by two levels of room, not just one. Our room was stunning, with a lounge area, big dining table, separate bedroom, even a mini-kitchen - but the best part about it was the view. Here it is, overlooking St Patrick's Cathedral.
We had just enough time to order some room service before we headed out to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre to see A Steady Rain starring Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig. The play started at 20:00 and ran straight through for 90 minutes with no interval. I think of all the times I could have benefitted from an interval, this was it. Despite the fact that the play was excellent, by 21:00, which was 02:00 our time, my eyes were closing and I was struggling to stay awake. An interval, and a chance to walk around and stretch my legs, would have been most welcome!
Still, I woke up good and proper after the show finished when Rob and I met Hugh and Daniel backstage :).
I loved this play. It was quite shocking in places, but absolutely riveting (despite the overwhelming urge to sleep). Just the two of them, with very little in the way of a set - just two chairs and a lamp, really. Fantastic. And very lovely in real life too :).
Friday 13 November 2009
Birthday Treats
Rob gave me my birthday present last weekend so I could take it to Geneva with me: -
But today I also got a beeyootiful bunch of flowers: -
And a card, which he said is possibly the best card he's ever bought: -
But today I also got a beeyootiful bunch of flowers: -
And a card, which he said is possibly the best card he's ever bought: -
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Absolutely The Last One, I Promise
Isn't it amazing how a wedding can give you something to write about for months??
I picked up our wedding album from the photographer today. It's enormous - and really heavy! But the pictures are great. We also got a 20-image 5" x 4" album, which is great for showing people who are interested but not interested enough to sit through 120 pictures...
I picked up our wedding album from the photographer today. It's enormous - and really heavy! But the pictures are great. We also got a 20-image 5" x 4" album, which is great for showing people who are interested but not interested enough to sit through 120 pictures...
Monday 2 November 2009
I Am What I Am...
The final show on our West End weekend itinerary was La Cage aux Folles, which we decided to see as John Barrowman was starring as Albin. I've been a fan of John Barrowman for years, since I saw him in Sunset Boulevard at the Adelphi over 15 years ago, long before Captain Jack and Torchwood and brought him into the mainstream. He was playing a limited run in this show so we decided to see it while he was still there.
This is a great feel-good musical. If you've read my previous reviews you'll know that I like my shows to give me something more than just a few hours' entertainment, and while this show didn't move me in the way others do, the fact that the acting, songs, dancing, costumes and humour were all of such a high quality gave it the extra something I needed. The part of Albin was made for John Barrowman (well, not literally; it was made for Harvey Fierstein, but you know what I mean), and Simon Burke, who is a famous theatre actor but who I don't think I'd seen in anything before, was excellent as Albin's partner, Georges. The music is very melodic and easy to listen to, and the six-packs on the Cagelles, the dancers in the 'La Cage aux Folles' club, werea sight to behold... :).
This show must also be the only one I've seen where the number of men in the audience at least equals the number of women, and is certainly the only one I've seen where it's acceptable for men-only groups to attend!
This is a great feel-good musical. If you've read my previous reviews you'll know that I like my shows to give me something more than just a few hours' entertainment, and while this show didn't move me in the way others do, the fact that the acting, songs, dancing, costumes and humour were all of such a high quality gave it the extra something I needed. The part of Albin was made for John Barrowman (well, not literally; it was made for Harvey Fierstein, but you know what I mean), and Simon Burke, who is a famous theatre actor but who I don't think I'd seen in anything before, was excellent as Albin's partner, Georges. The music is very melodic and easy to listen to, and the six-packs on the Cagelles, the dancers in the 'La Cage aux Folles' club, werea sight to behold... :).
This show must also be the only one I've seen where the number of men in the audience at least equals the number of women, and is certainly the only one I've seen where it's acceptable for men-only groups to attend!
Sunday 1 November 2009
You Don't Fancy Us, Do You Miss?*
After some shopping on Oxford Street for a Christmas present for Jen, and a thoroughly unimpressive lunch at the cafe in John Lewis, we headed over to the Victoria Palace Theatre for the matinee performance of Billy Elliot: The Musical.
This is a show that Jen and I have overlooked in the past because there was always something else that we wanted to see more. Mistake - this musical should be at or near the top of any theatre-goer's list; it's incredible. Being a show about dancing, the choreography is amazing, but what makes it amazing is that it's all done by a 10-year-old boy. It obviously wouldn't be nearly so impressive if it were a performance of some ballet troupe or other.
The language was unbelievably blue, although we knew to expect that. As it's set in the North East of England, and being a North-Easterner myself, it made me strangely proud of my roots - something I don't say all that often.
This show has everything. I laughed, I cried (a lot), I was blown away by the choreography. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to see it.
* The title is a line from the show - after Mrs Wilkinson suggests that Billy audition for the Royal Ballet School and tells him she will give him free, private coaching. Brilliant.
It's Show Time...
Jen and I just went on another of our crazy 3-West-End-shows-in-a-weekend-plus-shopping-and-eating-too weekends. We arranged it fairly recently, and having just watched this video for about the thousandth time since seeing the show last year, I stipulated that one of the shows had to be Jersey Boys, not only because I was desperate to see it again, but because I knew Jen would love it too.
After an initial confusing few minutes before we realised there were 2 H&M stores at Oxford Circus, our meeting point, we finally found each other and just had time to drop Jen's bags off at the hotel before heading over to the Prince Edward Theatre.
I would live in the dress circle of the theatre if I could. I love shows so much that I don't think I'll ever tire of them. And while I wish Rob liked them more, as long as he doesn't force me to go and see horror films with him I won't force him to see musicals, plus I've always got a willing companion in Jen.
I've written about this show before so I won't repeat myself again, but suffice to say that it didn't disappoint. Again, the language was a bit blue, but it certainly wasn't the worst we would hear this weekend, and all four principals were fantastic. Actually, one was a little off, but it didn't detract too much. What did annoy us slightly was the woman sitting next to Jen, who clearly thought people had paid good money to hear her sing. Despite that, we both enjoyed ourselves immensely, and after a lovely post-show Italian meal in the restaurant next-door to the theatre, we headed back to our hotel.
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