Day 6 picture with hamster

Here is the picture for day 6. Those more observant observers will notice a rodent complementing the digit so beautifully drawn and coloured by my wonderful children, Elias and Joy. The Hamster in question is 'Pinsley' that Joy named after the road on which we live.

I am half-way through my trip to the States (Rochester) and for the most part am quite enjoying it. We have been working very hard. Training from 8am to 5 or 6pm and then usually meeting with colleagues from 6pm to 9 or 10pm. Most of the evening meetings take place outside the office at a restaurant or someones house and are normally chilled out more that the training. But they are still meetings and I need to pay attention to _most_ of what's being said.

Matt, who has been leading the training, has been especially accommodating to Kieran and myself. We have spent a little time with his wife and beautiful kids which has been a great antidote to the Hotel-Office-Restaurant-Hotel pattern of most of the days.

Tomorrow we are hoping to spend some time out at a cabin by a lake. This should be real wind-down time. We'll cook-up some chilli and walk and shoot and row. Not sure what we'll be shooting at. There's a small waterfall nearby that is supposed to be very pretty.

Last night, whilst waiting to get into a restaurant with 11 others I was encouraged to join with three others in some barbershop singing. Long time admirer of the art but never having tried it I had an immensely satisfying time learning to sing a part and joining with the three other chaps singing away. The complements we got were fantastic and Scott, the leader was brilliant in encouraging me to sing stuff I thought I wouldn't be able to
as well as the incredible memory he had for all the parts. We might be trying again this evening so more on that later. I might even record it since I managed to charge up my iRiver last night.

Off to the Mall for some retail therapy and probably my only shopping trip whilst here. Have a big lon list somewhere...