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Time flies

I can't actually believe that its been something like 3 months since I put this website up. Things have just been so busy at work that I had completely forgotten about the blog. It has been a good kind of busy though, I've certainly managed to get a lot done in the 5 months that I've been here. I'm definitely looking forward to going home now though, it'd be nice to get going on my final year of being an undergraduate. I have some exciting ideas for my final year project too, and as that takes up about 40% of the final year's mark, they are quite useful ideas to have.

In the time since I wrote the last blog post I've had visits from friends and family and had the chance to see the real California, and not just the Silicon Valley, Bay area California. I must say I never realised it was quite so baron in places. That's not to say it isn't scenic, in fact I mean quite the opposite, but it is special in its own way. I have now also been to Wine Country, Lake Tahoe as well as around the Bay area and San Francisco. On the way back from Tahoe we stopped off in Jackson; I'm glad we didn't stay there for more than a few hours as the heat was a bit extreme!

I've been trying to get out as much as possible to play golf, its a nice way to relax in the evening after work. When my bike is functioning, I can get to the range, hit a large bucket of balls and get back home before it gets too dark to cycle. The range is out on the coast and its a pretty nice cycle ride. The roads around Foster City are pretty quiet once you get out of the area with offices and supermarkets, etc. I've also managed to get out and play a couple of the courses around here. There are definitely some good value courses around, but it does pay to look at reviews first. I managed to pick up a great deal at a local course, Monarch Bay, $30 for 18 holes and a golf buggy, which is pretty good considering the buggy itself costs $15 for a round!

Unfortunately, I think things are going to be a bit hectic for the next couple of weeks. I have an extremely exciting but large project to try and wrap up before I finish work. I then need to try and get all my belongings back to the UK, cancel all my utilities and Internet, clean the apartment and close bank accounts, amongst other things that I have probably forgotten. I arrive back home on Tuesday 27th September, and I am really looking forward to a proper pint!

Stephen

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Finally live!

It's taken a little while, and I'm sure there will be some tinkering to do, but this website is finally live! Woop!

I've been at my job for 2 months now, and there are so many things that I have already learnt. Many of them are techniques for streamlining the website creation process, and as such are put into practice on this site. This will probably become my little playground over time, and I hope to extend it eventually to include a section for a web design blog, of sorts.

I recently put up some nice pictures (including some of pelicans!) of a Sunday I spent at Half Moon Bay, and you can see those at the Half Moon Bay gallery. If you feel so inclined you can leave comments on any photos or blog posts on the site, or if you would like me to reply to you specifically you can get in touch.

In other news, I now know of a shop about 10 minutes down the round in Hillsdale Shopping Center that stocks imported Dairy Milk and McVitie's Chocolate Digestives; the most essential items of food from the UK. If I liked marmite more, I could buy that there too!

Take care,
Stephen

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It's been a while

I'm just about to finish my second month living in California, and I am constantly surprised by how quickly the time is going here. The time between that Monday morning feeling and that Friday afternoon feeling just seems to fly by, which I guess must be a good sign. Work is starting to get going now, and every day I feel more like a 'part of the team'. It might be a cliché, but to me it makes a big difference.

I recently splashed out on a full set of golf clubs, which is something I've certainly never done before. My set back in the UK has been around for years now, and given that clubs are a lot cheaper in the US I decided to treat myself to a new set. I won't bore everyone with the exact details, but needless to say I am very happy with them. I have kindly been lent a bike by some friends here, so the cycle to the driving range is only 10/15 minutes along some quiet roads. Mariner's Point is right on the coast to the north of Foster City, where the wind doth blow very hard from time to time. The range is back to wind, so perhaps it encourages golfers when the wind adds that extra distance?!

I'm hoping to take a few trips up to San Francisco over the next few weekends. There really is so much to see and do there, and so little that I have actually done! It is pretty annoying to be relying on public transport; the trip one way is 90 minutes to get into the city center! It is, however, on the double decker Caltrain, which is pretty awesome in itself.

I recently also took a trip to Half Moon bay, which is to the west of Foster City along the 92. It was really nice to see such great wildlife and just in general a nice walk along the coastline. There are some good pictures coming up soon!

Anyway, Starbucks is closing soon and I had better go and get some dinner!

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