In Between Dreams

<div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11846986150094091289' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11846986150094091289' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>nick</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='http://nickcrilly.blogspot.com/2009/01/long-time-no-see.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='http://nickcrilly.blogspot.com/2009/01/long-time-no-see.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2009-01-30T01:17:00-08:00'>1:17 AM</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1907190788542389326&postID=8722649689835663197' onclick=''> 2 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-1476740412'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1907190788542389326&postID=8722649689835663197&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Thursday, September 4, 2008</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='1907190788542389326' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='2777035786052399651' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='2777035786052399651'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='http://nickcrilly.blogspot.com/2008/09/long-time-between-drinks.html'>Long time between drinks...</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-2777035786052399651' itemprop='description articleBody'> Hey Squirts, Nic here!<br /><br />Remember: CLICK PHOTO ALBUMS TO EMBIGGEN!<br /><br />And as per usual – SCROLL DOWN AND LOAD ALL THE CLIPS SO YOU CAN WATCH ALONG. I have decided to put the TRAILER PARK spread throughout so you don't have to watch them in one big go.<br /><br />So – What have I been up to? Well I just returned from a holiday to New York but more about that later.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H82oVFBbuTg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H82oVFBbuTg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Things have been changing a bit at Nike. They are moving the head office from Newcastle to London – and as the office has been there for 20 years , people have lives up there and have been made redundant cause they couldn’t move. My counterpart for the northern factory stores has left and I have taken over from her and now run HR for all UK & Ireland factory stores – not just the south anymore.<br /><br />I thought it wouldn’t be too bad a workload but it is. I have to deal with 16 factory stores and their issues – and there are a lot – plus open my factory store in Somerset and I have taken over 2 other stores that need to be opened – in Scotland and Manchester. These 2 I have been dropped in the middle of so I am picking up the pieces when and where I can – not the most productive situation to be in. Then there is the 2 area managers who want their stores run as smoothly as possible and the new factory store GM who doesn’t have a clue to my workload and just wants everything to be done to his time frame.<br /><br />So I went up to Scotland last week to do group interviews. The good thing was my plane left in the evening so I got to spend the day in Edinburgh.<br /><br />We also took a trip out to see the dogs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/TheDoggiesSuch">http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/TheDoggiesSuch</a><br /><br />As per Helen’s work, we went to a press night for a company that organises luxury trips to their hotels around the world. This was 2 days before leaving for NY and we were trying to cut down on costs so instead of going to the supermarket we decided to turn up at this event and drink the free champers and eat their food so we had more spending money. Well we did just that and in the middle of stealing small foods off trays they announced that they would be having a prize draw for some prizes.<br /><br />After a few drinks I convinced Helen to do some schmoozing and get an entry ticket (which was free but for invited guests only). She did and we decided that as the food and drink was not going to stop, we should stay until the end and check out the draw. With only about 100 people who may have tickets and 3 prize holidays on offer – it was going to be a draw that we had a chance with. They announced the draw at the end of the night and the first 2 went to business people. The final draw came out and it was our number! So for trying to get a cheap feed we ended up going hope full, tipsy and with an international holiday to Thailand under our belts! This means Hoppy may get a surprise visit from Helen and me.<br /><br />Here is the company website with the prize we have won:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scottdunn.com/accommodation/six-senses-hideaway-yao-noi-thailand.html">http://www.scottdunn.com/accommodation/six-senses-hideaway-yao-noi-thailand.html</a><br />Now onto New York.<br /><br />This was originally a place I wasn’t interested in visiting because I thought I would eventually pass through it on my way somewhere and that’s when I would explore it. But things change and we decided to check it out as flights were cheap and once we got out there it was 2 bucks to the pound – half price. And with the mid year sales having 50% off and then offering another 25% off on top of that, we ended up living like kings.<br /><br />So we landed and got a cab from the airport to the district of Chelsea where we had our hotel – which was nice and quaint and in a great location. We headed out – coming from London’s 13’C to NY’s 30’C it was a change and we headed straight for a diner to sink a burger and shake. On the way we was a photo shoot for what must have been Calvin Klein or just a dirty old man taking some nudie shots of a guy in his underwear on a roof. Much of a muchness really.<br /><br />We found a diner and ate up until we burst and then made the walk up to Times Square. WOW. You can tell who the tourists are in NY as we are the ones who walk staring up at the high-rises and walking into people/ the road. While down in Times Square we found the Ed Sullivan Theatre where David Letterman and the final episodes of Survivor are filmed each season. Right on the street they were filing a segment for Letterman where they had a guy jumping over 8 people to slam dunk a ball. My first celeb sighting was the gut that does the voiceovers for Letterman and his stage manager – who he always talks to on the show – and also the café next door to the studio which he crosses to during each show.<br /><br />Times Square is exactly like they show on the movies and really blows you away when you are amongst it. I found the CBS store and hit TV heaven. I got a David Letterman Tee, almost picked up some Amazing Race merch which I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world but I did buy a Survivor Buff which is what they give their contestants on their show depending on what tribe they are with. Awesome!<br /><br />We then started walking around town and hitting a few places. I found Niketown NY, Helen found Tiffany – from the movie breakfast in Tiffany’s. Right next door was Trump Tower so I had to give a ‘You’re Fired’ trump style. I went in to find him but he was busy so I did it out the front of the building. In the evening we went to Central Station which blows any train station I have been to out of the water. Definitely something that I didn’t expect to see. We went to an oyster and champagne bar for a drink before heading for dinner.<br /><br />The next day we had a lunch organised through Helen’s work at the Essex Hotel – very fancy – which is right outside Central park. Before hand we went into the park and I went to watch a few teams playing baseball until lunchtime. When the time came we headed in and had a great meal. The desserts were the BEST as you will see from the photos. Once we finished this we went for a walk through central park. It is huge. I thought Hyde Park was big but it aint got nothing on this. It was boiling hot and we decided to see if we could get a bike rider to peddle us around in his carriage. We found a guy that was a part time actor and he gave us the grand tour of the park – pointing out the sites that have been used in movies and TV series. I got shots of where Macaulay Culkin – don’t know how to spell that name – met the pigeon lady in Home Alone and where people from Sex and the City fell into the lake after they had dinner.<br /><br />We wanted him to take us to the Museum of Modern Art as there was free entry on Fridays. When we got there they had an exhibition on Superheroes and how they have influenced fashion. I was able to take some sneaky shots of the costumes – which were the exact ones that they used in the film. They even had the Batman Costume which was used in the Dark Knight that has just come out. On the top floor they had a bar that opened up onto Central Park so we had a few beers with the view. We then headed down to the lake in the middle of the park and went for a row just before the park shut.<br /><br />That evening we ventured into what is known as the meat packing district which is like the east end in London. We had a nice dinner in a Thai place called Market and then went up into the Gansevoort Hotel which is the place to be seen in the district. Very fancy with a lot of people as it was the weekend that Pride was on in NY. We went for a wander down Bleaker St which is very well known and went to a bar called Vinopolis. In the booth to the right of where H and I were sitting was Jake Shears – the lead singer of the Scissor Sisters – obviously there to support Pride.<br /><br />I also got the chance to go on the Soprano’s tour which was something I have always wanted to do. It was well worth the effort. When you arrive you get told to go behind the bus and inside the car is an actor from the show. The actor was one of Tony’s guys who gets caught out at a gay club – for those that watch the show. It was a bit sad as we took a photo and then he took me to his boot and he opened it up and wanted to sell some of his merch – cups, Tees, posters etc. I felt sorry for him so I picked up a poster from him. The tour was thorough with the tour guide who knows every fact about the show and the actors. He didn’t stop talking about it for the full 4 hours. The tour took us out of NY and into New Jersey where the show is based. First up they showed us the landmarks that are seen in the opening credits, where the pilot episode was filmed and where Tony took his first tablet on the golf course. You should be able to pick these from the photos in the album. We saw the first baseball field in the US and then made our first stop – the bar where Christopher gets shot at. After some photos we went to where Tony’s butcher/deli used to be – pulled down since the show finished – very sad as this is what most people were looking forward to. I haven’t seen the last episode yet but the last scene takes place in an old diner where Tony says they have the best Onion Rings. He may or may not get ‘whacked’ in here but it is up to the audience to decide. We were taken to the diner where we each got a bag of onion rings and had photos taken in the booth which Tony was last seen in. The highlight of course was when we went to visit the Bada Bing – Tony’s Strip Club. It is a fully functioning strip club and we had 45 mins to enjoy it. Funny enough – the tip I gave the dancer was twice as much as I gave the tour guide ($1). But they were worth it.<br /><br />Luckily we got the chance to see a sporting match in NY. Best case scenario was to see the NY Knicks in Madison Square Garden but it was the off-season and while I was there they had the 2008 Draft Picks so instead we got tickets to go and see the New York Yankees vs Texas in Yankee Stadium. The stadium is being pulled down at the end of this year so it was the last chance to see the original stadium in use. The stadium is in the Bronx but was easy to get too. There are bars lined up all along the stadium and they all have an electric atmosphere before the match. The seats we had were great – perfect view down to the field. All around us were fathers and their kids – just like the movies where they can get away from their house, meet up with other dads and their kids and enjoy themselves. Also the Yankees ended up winning!<br /><br />That last evening after the baseball we headed down to Times Square for a few night photos and a drink in one of the hotel rooftop bars before heading back.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/NewYork">http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/NewYork</a><br /><br />About 2 months after I started this I finally make my way back to update you on all that I have been up to – and it is a lot!<br /><br />So in that time I have been to see Pete Doherty play Royal Albert Hall. It was his biggest gig yet but the space was too big for him – much prefers him in the bar across the road from home.<br /><br />I also went to the Barbican with Helen and her mum to see music from the movie ONCE being performed live by the actual actors from the movie. It was really good and you must see that movie or track it down on Amazon. During the performance Helen and her mum were talking and making jokes which made the usher come and shine bright lights in our eyes to quiet them down. They will never be invited to something like this again!!<br /><br />I have also got he chance to see Tim Rogers perform live in London – a very intimate show where he was able to show his wit to a mostly inebriated audience.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-f151e8f336bb2d7e-14305" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzJbewem0vHx_oeENnmFjE7Te0lR8KsjC6sN5WDUYKY70ig0MHn__LbuR6FEjbBmhVDkzqlFGgEi09lQwVlV8BwGYINsP9Q7CPqVu-Ctc7ps8jZ9KfqVmUXapCxCBvoiPjfrE37" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320">

London also had the world premier of the new X Files movie and HMV had an exclusive Interview with the director and producer. If you were one of the first 6 to ask a Q then you got tix to the premier – I just missed out!

http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/XFiles

Since then I have opened 2 new factory stores – 1 in Manchester and 1 in Somerset where they have great Cider. Great tipple.

About a month ago Helen was asked to do a feature on Castles which have hotels in them and her editor said she could organise to go and stay in any that she wanted. She chose two – one in the Isles of Scilly (IOS) and another in Ireland. We visited the one in Scilly first – which is right down off the coast of the UK. We took a small plane to Cornwall – the plane stopped at Torquay and let some passengers off and picked up a few more and then took off (for only 10 mins) and landed in Cornwall. The weather wasn’t much to talk about but I was finally able to see some UK surf as we went to check out the beach in between our flight to the islands. Jamie Oliver’s first 15 restaurants are on the beach and we tried to get in but they were fully booked so we dived into some cider at the surf pub. The flight to IOS was in a tiny plane with only 12 seats in it. The cockpit was about a meter away and the pilot was also the trolley dolly.
We got to the island and then were picked up and taken to the castle/hotel where we dropped our bags and headed straight for dinner. The food was great and as we weren’t paying I ordered the Lobster and scoffed it down. The next morning we were up and booked ourselves on a boat trip to visit each of the islands in the Isles. We spent about 2-3 hours on each island to do what we wanted. H and I pretty much got lost and each time made it back to the boat late which we received dirty looks for.

The town was nice and cozy and on the last night we wanted to go to the local pub for the pub quiz so scoffed our free dinner and took off to the pub to catch the end of the quiz. After listening to the answers at the end reckon we would have been able to win it had we been there.

http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/IslesOfScilly#

The next trip happened just last weekend where we were invited to go to review a castle in Ireland’s County Mayo. The PR agency paid for Helen and my flights from London, 2 days car hire, 2 nights accommodation, 2 dinners, a forest walk with Ireland’s school of falconry and a facial for Helen. I have decided we shouldn’t have to pay for another holiday ever.

Ashford Castle http://www.ashford.ie/index.php
is a 5 STAR Luxury Hotel on about 300 acres of perfect land which includes multiple gardens, falconry school, horse riding yard, clay shooting and archery field. We arrived and drove through the front gates which led to the castle’s bridge and were greeted by a flock of staff all willing to help. We were given a tour of the inside of the castle on the way to our room – which was huge and had a view right over the biggest loch on Ireland. Through the entire stay, when room doors were ajar I checked to see the size of the other rooms and none we as big as ours.

We went for dinner in the restaurant. The chef has won Ireland Chef of the year 2 years running and he impressed. The service was spot on with our waiter being the most helpful person ever to grace a restaurant. For a main I ordered the roast beef. I was asked at what temperature I wanted the beef when it was served!?!? And when it finally came out it was wheeled out on a carving table where other diners asked if there was a dead body under the lid. We then went to the dungeon bar for an Irish sing song.

The next day we had breakfast – I had fresh trout with olive oil and lemon. I must get that cooked for me for breakfast more when I am at home… We then headed out for a drive through the Irish countryside and through terrain that took our breath away. We came across some sheep on the road which I proceeded to chase and then headed back to the castle as we had lined up a forest walk with Ireland’s school of falconry. We were taken to the aviary where we were introduced to all the hawks and falcons before we each donned a leather glove and handed our own Hawks. They were used to people so I didn’t have to worry that they would start pecking my face. As you can see in the video they return for food.

FALCON VIDS

The guide was a really nice guy who knew what he was doing. It was an amazing experience when we walked through the forest as we sent the birds off and as we walked they would follow us and swoop right over your head and maneuver through the tight spaces while in flight. All we needed to do was put our hand out and then would swoop in from wherever they were and land on our arm. There are not many chances to do something like this in your lifetime. After our walk we went back to cage the birds and we were offered to take the owl out for a flight. He was a big bugger weighing 4 pounds with really huge feet. He was a really good looking bird and his approach from the ground to your arm was something of beauty. It would have cost us each €180 = about $400 i.e. we would never have had the cash to do that in the first place.

Talking about Ireland - Who wants to watch some Gypsies fighting? i know I do!!

Helen had to rush off for a facial so I went for a walk in the grounds but got lost and was late getting to the spa where I drank fruit smoothies in the bubbling spa. We had dinner in the cottage which the head chef owned that was on the castle’s grounds. More pub food than the meal we had the night before but good none the less. The next day we checked out and headed to a recommended town where a good lunch was to be found. On the way we went past the local waterfalls and found a pub that was playing Gaelic football on the big screen. A bloody good trip!

Then on Tuesday – 2 nights ago Pete put on another secret gig right across the road from our flat and Helen found out about it, kept it secret and I rocked up not knowing anything about it. As I hadn’t heard about it not many others had either so the place was only ¾ full. Pete being Pete did not decide to show up until 1am so everyone waited a very long time but he showed up and put on a good show.

Last night was Nike’s end of year party which was held in Niketown. We were ushered in and handed champagne on arrival. After eating the risotto, hamburgers and other dishes they went into the awards ceremony which I did not win anything. But straight after that they invited the special guest out – Didier Drogba out for a Q&A.

For those of you not into football – Drogba is Chelsea’s top man and number 1 goal scorer in the premier league – a huge deal. Here is a quick clip of him in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TghFDziC05c the place was also decked out with Nike Wii’s with experts to help us drunks know how to play the games. They also had a DJ with dancers. I have a clip to show you what they were like… I would not have thought it would have been allowed at an official event…

http://picasaweb.google.com/crilly6453/Drogba#
That’s pretty much up to date now. I will try to not have such a gap in between the next update.

Tropic thunder vid

Billy Mitchell

Until next time…. Back up the tree I go.