Continental airlines still serves food! Plus they haven't discontinued pillows and blankets, like some other airlines. I was struck my there being a formal room in Newark airport alongside the "Continual Elite Club" called, Meditation Room. Amazing. Took my life into my hands with some airport sushi, which was just fine, and then prowled the gate area for an outlet to charge my computer.

I've never seen anything like it! No plugs anywhere, and around the occassional one, groups of people camped out on the floor gorging on the electric current, surrounded by Starbucks cups, food wrappers and travel bags.

Met up with my co-teacher, Candice of www.hoopshine.com. Amazing to connect with her brilliance. Can you imagine how wonderful it is to have a best friend is a phenomenal life coach? On we went together...

The plane ride from San Francisco to Newark, then to Birmingham, UK was mellow. Watched Catch Me If You Can and Penelope, which were both entertaining.

Gas here in Birmingham, UK, is the equivalent of $10.60 per gallon! Hello Smart Car~ I am *so* downsizing when I get back to San Francisco. I wish there was an electric option that was as cheap, but I suppose that will have to wait. The only problem will be... how will I shlep my hoops around? I'll need some kind of special hoop rack.

Upon arriving in Birmingham, I was stopped at customs and pulled aside for extensive investigation. I tried to be calm but my mind was slightly racing. Was there some kind of paperwork I had needed and never knew about? I had come in previously for work saying it was to teach hooping and was always waived through. They asked me all kinds of questions about how much I was getting paid, how many students and, where was this happening, etc. Listen up international hoop teachers! It seems that we could have gotten in a load of trouble if we were here to teach students hoopdance directly. However, because we were training teachers who were local who would in turn be teaching students here (and because they could get online and verify it on my website) they waived us on through. Phew!

John, our enthusiastic host, swept us up from the airport and drove us to our hotel, the historic Longshoot (http://www.thelongshoothotel.co.uk/). We stayed there for a day, but after it was apparent there was no internet there and no much to eat but meat, and not much around but wheat fields, a supermarket and a gas station, we took matters into our own hands. Candice and I bussed into town and beyond to a Day's Inn, which we decided was much more our speed, especially since there was a movie theatre, resturants and a fitness center nearby. Not as historic and pretty, but more suited to our needs with printing and most importantly... internet!!! So we bussed back to the first in, packed our bags, and bussed back to the new inn with bags in tow, bumping and skipping with the rollies on brick surfaces all the way. Phew! We were soooo pleased to finally feel connected to the world. Later that day, our lovely host John also gave us a cell phone with an international sim card, completing our sense of connection. So wonderful. Amazing how accustomed to these devices one can become...