:: Back from Bloggie Obscurity ::

Well, if it weren't for an abrupt reminder from Wideboy about my free-falling PageRank, I might have left it for a couple more days yet. A jet-lagged bedraggled Devukha arrived in the office on Thursday to unearth the backlog from hell. Not being one to shirk responsibility, I've taken full advantage of the fact that my office stays open till 7.30pm to clear some of it. The result is a yearning desire to spill my guts on a New Year to remember... and no time in which to relate said events.

After suffering an interminable wait in JFK's infamous immigration queues, Jude and I were relieved to be whizzing into Manhattan without undergoing an internal cavity search. The regs hadn't been tightened up quite as much as Steve Bell imagined and this was before the fingerprinting fiasco began.

Bezuhoff and Flamethrower were impeccable hosts for the New Year celebrations - the perfect antidote to the trash-glitz of Times Square. Our Duty Free loot was amply supplemented by a booze-run into darkest New Jersey and the dinner-suited throng partied like it was 2999. Apart from mixing the odd apple martini, I managed to perform one of my standard party-tricks: once the champagne had flowed and Ol' Blue Eyes crooned us into 2004, I took a power nap... waking an hour later to find the party still in full swing, I indulged in a little left-footed lindy-hopping with the surviving drunkards. Unlike other attendant libertines, I did not narrowly avoid spraying a pile of coats by puking into a nearby blanket...

When I was last in NYC, the tempatation to avoid all things touristy was irresistable. This trend was not reversed, as Jude and I spent most of our time looking in bookshops and perusing the sales on 5th Avenue. Fortunately, this provided the opportunity for me to buy the perfect token gift for our hosts, the amusingly entitled Meat Me In Manhattan. For fear of upsetting Tigger's sensibilities, I shan't divulge too many details, but the robust advice contained therein was eagerly followed when we paid a visit to an Argentinian steakhouse. Also purchased was the excellent updated version of the Not For Tourists guide to the city. Tigger's was kindly lent to me for my last visit - I cannot recommend it highly enough, if the practical considerations of being in New York outweigh the touristic aims.

I did not, however, buy How Americans Became The Fattest People In The World. The answer seemed a little too obvious as I tucked into a mountain of pancakes and maple syrup. Perhaps only vigilante measures will stem the tide of lard...

City lights were followed by country charms as we headed out to rural Connecticut to visit Blondinka B. Although we spent a little less time there that I'd hoped, we packed in a reasonable itinerary, given the dismal weather. As I padded along the sodden beach, I was reminded of why this place was called New England. Less like blighty was the extraordinary availability of top-notch seafood. I lost my lobster-cooking virginity preparing dinner with Blondinka B. Although I admit the whole killing thing is a little tiresome, the results were more than worth it. Our short séjourn was topped off by trips to the world's largest (and trashiest) Casino and the US submarine museum in New London. Oh how we laughed...

Our final day back in the city allowed us a chance to saunter round Greenwich Village and the Meat-Packing District, before the inevitable 5am anti-climax of turning up to wait in line at the airport. At least the Duty Free was open.

More to come tomorrow, I suspect, but in the meantime, look at the recent search terms which have come up with this site:

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What is going on in people's heads?