Dude . . . it's freaking hot. That's about all I've got, right now.

Second day of Disney land, I'm slightly brown (or just plain burned, depending on which way you look at it) and I'm exhausted. We managed to score VIP seating tickets for a laser show tonight at 10:30pm, so we're having a breather across the road before we go back for more. It should be amazing!

Can't believe the whirlwind tour is going to be starting up so soon. It's going so fast. Next stop is Las Vegas, where you know I'll be dying of heat exhaustion. Seriously, I don't think I'll be sharing any pictures from this trip, because I look like death. And I'm shiny. Very, very shiny.

Our hotel here is a good 20 minute walk from Disney, and is very, very budget. It does however have a working air conditioner, and for that I am grateful. If only it had a pool out front, instead of a fish pond. Seriously.

Highlights of Disney? Dragging Kirby on the scary rides . . . sometimes even twice. I'm a proud best friend, oh yes.

It's basically been a week since I left, and I feel like it's been months! I'm missing my boys like crazy - this time zone is kicking my arse; I haven't talked to Jason once.

We ended up keeping our rental car (and Carmen!) for the last four days, and ended up seeing so much of the LA area. We did our local bits, so Venice Beach and Santa Monica, our own sight seeing tour, going to all the 'famous' spots, and spent a full day (and night!) in Universal Studios yesterday. Today we're gathering all of our bits and pieces, driving to the airport and dropping off the car - and then yoinking Kirby from the plane and into a shuttle, to head to Anaheim. Oh yes, Disney awaits!

I'm so exhausted. We were so busy that we weren't eating much, so we've been trying to be more careful and eat more, because I think that's why we had no energy! Felt much better yesterday, the walking around under fans was nice, as it's really warm. I wonder how I'll be in Texas, or Vegas, if I can't even bear this 'nice' summer heat. Yeep.

I haven't even really gotten sunburned yet. Just slightly toasted, and that's with sunscreen. I intend to keep it that way. They don't call it pale for nothing!

(I can't upload pictures as yet, because we're not on actual PCs, more like big robotic metal 'things' which take forever to load and make my typing sound like I'm banging on the keyboard with a stick. Hopefully we'll eventually find a computer that's more user friendly. Maybe.)

Hi, guys - from sunny California!

My flight from Heathrow to San Francisco was possibly the worst journey EVER taken by plane. I was squished right at the back of the plane, quite literally surrounded by screaming children. Nightmare! All of that aside, once I arrived in San Francisco and caught a shuttle out to the hotel, I was feeling a lot better. It was a little windy, but a gorgeous day - however the sight of twisty, bendy stairs first thing in the morning is NOT fun when dragging a suitcase along behind you. Blech!

Our hotel was supposedly a 'short walk from Fisherman's Wharf' and surrounds, so my friend Mel and I set off to explore that day. Er, right. Our 'short walk' was actually an hour and ten minutes. JUST to get to the wharf area! Not impressed. We wandered up to Pier 33, as we wanted to book our Alcatraz tour - only to find out that there wasn't a single tour available to purchase, until next week. I was completely bummed about this, as that's one of the main reasons we decided to start this trip in San Francisco. We did some window shopping, then took our leisurely stroll back to the hotel to get some sleep.

The next day, we were trying to figure out what to do in place of Alcatraz, so ended up doing a city tour instead. It was quite good, 3.5 hours of good ol' fashioned tourist sightseeing (complete with oldies coach!) and it took us everywhere, even over the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island, back around the northern heights and to an awesome Golden Gate viewing point.

Mel and I walked back to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, where we were going to meet the lovely Lara - however she sadly wasn't able to make it, so we just walked on back. I'm telling you, the thighs? They are killing me!

This morning saw us bid farewell to foggy San Fran (seriously, all my Golden Gate bridge pictures look grey and gloomy) and fly on down to Los Angeles. Mel drove (bravely) while I sat in the passenger side being an awfully unhelpful backseat driver, but thanks to our lovely Carmen-the-Garmen GPS system, we made it to our next stop for the next 4 nights. We are, quite literally, situated on Venice Beach, home of crazies everywhere! Our window has a sea view - and despite a strange picture of a naked lady on the wall, it has a great bathroom and seems pretty good.

Tonight Mel is being brave and driving us down to Anaheim, where we are going to watch the Angels vs the Yankees game. Should be a good'un! Other than that, we're being LA tourists for the next few days - and catching up with Kirby soon after. It's going so fast already!

Keeping this one short, as I am typing on quite possibly the loudest keyboard in the world. (No, seriously. Loud.) Hoorah! More from me, later.

I'm typing this post with my boy sitting under the crook of my arm, not amused by the fact that my fingers on they keyboard are bumping his precious sleep. This is one of Oscar's favourite spots when he's tired, nestled up next to his momma, half lying across the warm laptop, and swatting my hands with his paws. It's also one of my favourite times; when he's mellow enough to come over and give me snuggles himself.

His purring makes me smile. Kind of like this:

I have the day off work today, and leave early tomorrow morning. The reason I organised this, was so that I can be here when Oscar gets picked up to go to the cattery. J & I always had reserves for what we would do if we were away from weekends, people who kindly offered to cat-sit for us, but six straight weeks of me being away and J not being home, meant that we had to organise something ourselves.

Oscar is off to a farm for 41 nights, where he'll be boarding with other kitties across the summer. He'll have his own pen, which is surrounded by other kitties so he can have people to talk to. I've put his fleecy blanket, and three of his favourite toys into his travel case, so that they go with him and stay with him when he's there. And I've given him far too many hugs for his liking this morning, thank you very much.

It's HARD having to give your pet away to strangers for this long. In the 3 months that we've had him, Oscar has become a staple of the household; so much so that I simply can't remember what life was like without him. He's charming and sweet, he's fiesty and insane, and I have so many scratches all over my arms that I look like I've been attacked by a bear. (Bloggers that I'm meeting, you will be able to vouch for that.) But he's my baby! And I'm a trifle weepy this morning.

I hope he doesn't forget me in six weeks.

P.S. I'm not sure if I'll post again before I go, as the shuttle is picking me up for Heathrow at around 5:30am. But if I don't update again before then, have a safe summer/winter, and the next time you'll hear from me, I'll be in the USA.

Sometimes the monotony of going to work, going home, going back to work, going home, becomes a seemingly endless existance. (Except for when you're about to leave the country for nearly six weeks, ha, nifty!) Over the past few weeks, I've been feeling a little un-appreciated at work, and have subsequently developed a small chip on my shoulder. Actually, scratch that. It's not a chip. It's actually a thunder cloud. My own little thunder cloud, that floats around with me everywhere I go. (I wish I was joking with you, however one of my colleagues even went so far as drawing me my own stormcloud, that peeks out at me from the whiteboard nearby.)

Anyway,  suffice it to say that working on my birthday - my first birthday in a foreign country - was not something I was really looking forward to. It started off terribly, thanks to a train mulfunction (as usual) and my 45 minute journey doubled to 90 minutes. Plus 30 degree weather and enough humidity to equal a tropical jungle, and I was a giant walking bag of sweat. It was gross.

My colleagues were awesome, and spoiled me for the day. I got a cute cake, a voucher for a pedicure (!) and a pressie from mum that arrived today, of all days. Jase spoiled me with some travel $$ for the USA, and we had a few birthday drinks. Plus, I recieved not one, not two, but five e-cards.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. You're all fabulous.*

*Yes, even you, Oscar.