The West

No, that's not the tired East/West Eurovision-thing.

What it is, in fact, is a fine direction to travel. Personally, over the past few years, I've been more inclined to go in the opposite direction, but to balance my carbon-emitting karma and spread some heat-death-love the other way, I figured what the hey, packed my bags, and rode off into the sunset. Well, packed my one overnight bag and got in the back of a white sedan with surprisingly little rear legroom and got driven off into the sunset, but that's not something I'm overly proud of.

For you see, I have now been on the first business trip of my soon 26-year existence. And it was kinda nice. Not nice in the "work two hours over brunch and then get back to the jacuzzi"-way, but still nice. My fine 9.5 square meter hotel room overlooking... a parking lot did what it was supposed to do, even though I was allowed precious little time to enjoy there. Just as well, probably. By now, I'm sure you're all wondering where I went, what was this mysterious westerly destination? Not that westerly, considering you could get there and almost back again on a tank of gas, but still. But I don't think I want to spoil the surprise by letting you in on it, feel free to talk it over amongst yourselves. Possibly around some sort of water cooler, what do I know?

Over the course of my four days at the now secret location, I... worked? Looked at things? Spoke to people? Did businessey stuff? Had far too much food, far too little of which was actually nutritious? That sort of thing. But all in all, it was a pretty nice time. Managed to meet up with Koray too, who's busy doing almost what I'm doing, but in a different place, only for us to join up at the "final" destination (as if such a thing existed) in mid-July. So yes, I can wholeheartedly recommend you do the same, get your boss to put you up in a tiny room on condition that you can mooch a ride off people already going in the same direction. Experience the luxury that is business travel the IKEA way. That might have come out a bit harsh, since I'm actually just happy I got to go at all, but such is life. Live it, love it, and enjoy it, and if there's any time left over, do some homework. Ah, 80's sictoms, where have you gone?

So! What else? Surely other things must have transpired? And transpire they did; if one were so inclined, one might even take a bite out of that thesaurus and possibly imagine that they conspired to transpire. And then go home, knowing that some people shouldn't be allowed near a keyboard, or books containing actual words, for that matter. Ever.

But yes, transpire they did. To prove this to you, I present you with photographic evidence, exhibit A:

A Chinese restaurant?

Granted, my Chinese isn't really all that great (which is a nice way of saying I took one evening course four years ago and that's pretty much it), but I think this place needs to decide if it is a Chinese restaurant or a Japanese one, and then assign it with a name befitting its culinary direction. Then again, it might just be one of those combo-places. Back in my happy uncomplicated youth (as compared to my current happy uncomplicated 25-year-old-ness) in Linköping, there was a restaurant called Tokyo Roma, which happily set about combining raw fish a pizza into a very successful concept. Well, give it's current bankruptcy it might not have been all that successful, but it was certainly... a concept?

Also! Upon going through my files, I discovered the following, taken on what appears to be a mildly overcast day in times past. As I am a simple soul, it made me laugh. I believe this effect will only appear in one other human being on this still-green Earth, so for that reason alone, I shall end this post with it. And no, I'm not laughing at Volkswagen. Although I suppose I could, but that's just a post all its own.

Number plates are good.

Be sure to tune in next week as I will have... had time off? Yay!