Wham Bam, thank you San Fran (though technically I haven’t got to the San Fran bit yet) Part One

As Emma and I only have six months left in the US (it’s bonkers to think that the first half of the year has gone so quickly) we now want to spend a fair few weekends exploring some other parts of California. As I mentioned in a previous installment we were meeting up with Emma’s parents in San Francisco on Friday night. We then had three nights to enjoy ‘ciscos wonders. I had been looking forward to this jaunt for a while so expectations were at a high! Not as high as a skyscraper as that would be silly, but high all the same.

It had been a bit of a funny old week beforehand dear reader. My mum had been taken into hospital and she had to have a couple of operations on her leg. I was a worried boy most of the week and I actually thought about going home to the UK to see her. Flights were around two thousand dollars though, and my mum told me to stop being so silly and that she was being looked after. I heard from her just before we left. I couldn’t actually speak to her on the phone but she was allowed to text me, which put me more at ease. And it stopped me feeling a little less guilty for planning a weekend of fun and adventure (post script. My mum is now out of hospital and I spoke to her via webcam on Wednesday).

I should also give a big shout out to George Jeffrey before I talk about our trip. I don’t speak too much about work on these blogs (as you know). People ask why and my answer to them is that it is unprofessional. I don’t want some other TV channel seeing what I am up to and thus stealing my brilliant ideas. You have to be careful in today’s crazy times. Marketing gurus such as myself have to keep methods and things secret. All manner of information is on the interweb and you have to think about what to put out there into the ether. And as a professional that is always upmost in my mind. I can tell you therefore about what I had for dinner for example, but not what amazing show I am working on. That must be the law in this blog. Sorry to all of you fans that want to know all aspects of my life. If you need to know the finer details I would suggest you become a stalker. Please only do this if you promise not to hurt me and things.

Anyway, I digress again. If I was a teacher I would be the kind of person who would get distracted by little Jimmy in class. He would ask me a question during his English lesson (as that is what I would teach I think) about Arsenal football club. I would answer it in great detail and before you knew where you were the lesson would be over. Little Jimmy would have had one over on me as it would have meant no work for the class and I doubt I would have had time to set any homework. The fact that I go off on tangents myself proves this fact.

But anyways, back to George Jeffrey. George is my big boss at Fox, a bon viveur and an Arsenal fan. What a great combination. I could write many things about George but I will save them for when he commissions me to pen his life story. That will be a good book and I would be happy to write it (if the money is right).

I should get back to the matter at hand. We are five hundred words into the blog and I haven’t even started talking about my trip to San Francisco yet. This wouldn’t be so bad but I actually went almost three weeks ago now. That is correct readers. The text you have just read above I wrote a week and a half ago. I have left the blog until then and I have only just come back to it. It’s shocking really eh? I meant to get back on it Sunday night but after taking Emma’s parents back to the airport Emma and I went to the gym (I ran almost ten miles for those of you interested in my marathon training). We then came home and watched ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. I couldn’t believe they eliminated Phil Daniels over Don Warrington. It was a ruddy disgrace. I like ‘Rising Damp’ as much as the next man but Phil was a better dancer for sure.

I feel like Doctor Who in that I am caught in the time and space continuum. Here I am trying to write about what happened three weeks ago, but to tell this story of why this hasn’t happened I am writing about last week instead. When I therefore come to talk about last week I would have already done it an older blog - which didn’t focus on the time period it should of. Wibbly, wobbly. timey, wimey as Stephen Moffat would say. (For those who don’t know Stephen Moffat is the new head writer of Doctor Who. He is good, and does all the scary episodes, but he always tries to get the Doctor to do kissing and the sex. I don’t think the Doctor should be sexual so this gets on my nerves a bit. Stephen Moffat is obsessed by sex as he wrote ‘Coupling’. This was quite funny but not as good when the welsh chap left.)

Anyways George took Emma and I out to dinner at Shutters. I hadn’t seen him for six months and it was a delight that he was in town. We had a great time. Shutters is the best hotel in Santa Monica and it was nice to go to the main restaurant having been in the brasserie before. Emma and I had also been to the bar a few times for cocktails too but that is a different story. We had a delightful evening talking about our LA adventures. I hope we didn’t bore George too much with our stories. I don’t think he reads this blog though which helps. The problem is that when you see people I sometimes start what I think is a great anecdote but then you realize they already know from this here blog. That is modern technology for you and no mistaking.

I should finish there really as lunchtime is over and I have work to do. I know I didn’t manage to get started on San Fran but I will. Emma’s mum has sent some great pics to us so I can make the entry very visual and not bore you too much with my ramblings. I will try and fit in the next weekends adventures. I think you will all be intrigued to hear what adventures Mr. Furness and I got up to on a hot Saturday afternoon while the ladies were out shopping.

Until then may you follow your dreams, not your nose if you smell something bad (like a drain).

Marc x