Dom Pannell's Blog

So I'm sitting in an office in Cairo

Well, Smart Village next to Cairo, to be perfectly clear.

It all seems very European really. Even the room temperature is quite cool, despite the weather outside - it was about 30 degrees celsius at 9am this morning.

The differences? Well, I'm struggling to stay awake - I only had about two hours sleep last night as I had to make a presentation and didn't have time to finish it until this morning and it's Ramadan, so I haven't eaten for hours. My blood sugar levels appear to be right down.

My friends are chatting to themselves in Arabic, so I can't understand.

It's worth it because it's all so fascinating though.

How to shuck an oyster

I'm back in San Francisco and as I'll be heading back to the Ferry Building again, I had a quick whizz around the web to see what there is about the Hog Island Oyster Co. where I had lunch when I was here two years ago.

I stumbled across this video gem in which Greg Hinds shows a San Francisco Chronicle reporter how to shuck an oyster.

I'll probably go there again tomorrow or on Tuesday, in any case it'll be after I meet Carter Lusher for lunch today. I'm pretty excited - we both work in the same field AND we're both passionate about good food. Should be a fun encounter

Parking Space frustrations

It's taken nearly four months to purchase a parking space below the block of flats where I live. Four months!!

That was mainly because the management company, Pinnacle psg, that 'manages' the block fell asleep for a month before putting me in touch with the bloke who deals with the law firm that sells parking spaces below my flat. Then he went on holiday to France for two weeks, so there was no progress until he got back. Then I went on holiday to France for two weeks, etc.

Throughout that time, emails were sent, lost, missed, found, resent and lawyers were instructed.

The first law firm I contacted wanted just over £1100 to handle the deal. Luckily someone put me in touch with Steve Petty who was prepared to do it for a lot less, which does seem right considering how little work was involved.

The real kick in the teeth was that I had to pay the other side's legal fees, too... a thumping £750 plus VAT for very nearly no work at all. They've even admitted in an email that they weren't actually going to deliver much, but they still took my cash. I told Steve that I'm thinking of retraining as a lawyer (and I'm serious, too).

Anyway, I've parted with a lot of money - approx £9,500 all told - and am soon to be the proud owner of an underground concrete rectangle. Completion should be on Tuesday.

So what? I hear you ask.

Well, 'cos I've got a parking space, I can waddle down the road and look at these:

and specifically the Moto Guzzi Norge: