It's  been a fun, it not tiring couple of days.

We're based out of Bellevue, which is a really nice town just outside of Seattle - it's got the usual amount of construction work that litters any city, but the whole place has a really nice feel to it - lots of low level buildings and trees everywhere - something that is the same across the whole of the Seattle area - it's makes a nice difference to nothing but traffic and fumes.

So Tuesday began nicely - with Seattle having it's nicest weather for a long time (unseasonably warm the locals have informed me).

A few of us went down to the Bellevue mall to see what the shops are like.  I found a Clarks Shoe store which was very weird - a picture opportunity for Becky! After a rather filling lunch at the Cheesecake Factory we've headed to Safeway for teabags and milk, and Oreo's - hey, you gotta get the priories right, eh?  It's strange here - they do a sandwich that would last me a week for $8 - it literally is a loaf of bread stuffed with fillings.  It's the same with the Milk - the cup is normal sized!:

The afternoon was the first session - a basic getting to know you session, which included introducing ourselves to the group - people bingo and bridge building using paper and masking tape.  The whole afternoon was standing so it was nice to sit down to a nice meal in the evening.  I got to meet loads of people, both from the UK as well as other areas (US, Austria, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand to name just a few) and a few of us walked back to the apartments.

It's a nice apartment although there's no air con, the cooker hood light doesn't turn off and the air con unit for the whole group of apartments is right outside my bedroom window.

It's really well maintained and presented - we got a complimentary welcome box full of microwavable popcorn (for which there is a setting for on the Microwave!!!) coffee, granary bars, water and other stuff.

The views aren't brilliant but it's nice and clean.

Day 2:

An early start - awake at 6 out at about 6.50 and about 10 minutes to speak to Becky.  I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's the middle of the afternoon back in the UK!!  Joe seems confused that I'm not around and I'm missing my family loads.  Here's a police car for Joe - yup in know it's a bit dull - but he's really into his emergency vehicles!  Only the fire engine and the ambulance to get now!

It's been a full on day with a lot of information again - with loads of info, powerpoint slides and resources - just hope I can take it all in and know when to use it. 

Any way - heading off out now with some of the other guys for some food, and trying to empty my head for tomorrow!!

So I've been sent out to Seattle for my new job at Microsoft!  Wow - this is going to be quite an experience.

After a 9 hour (9 hour!!!) flight from the UK I landed in SeaTac airport at about 4.50, battled through customs and getting my bags back and headed out towards Bellevue.

I'll snap as many pictures as I can as this place looks really nice!

Went to a nice seafood restaurant for a meal last night and am now sitting at 6 in the morning waiting for the sunrise.

I'll post some piccies of Greenland when I flew over.