It's about 45şF here in New York City this evening (7şC), and I don't want to rub it in with the PIP'ers, but there's even this great breeze coming in off the Hudson, which gave me an excuse to try on my nicest coat and sweaters today, all the time while those of you forced to fly hours and hours in an airplane (imagine!) have to sit and endure temperatures that may actually cause some of you to perspire!

Plus, I got to color-coordinate those coats and sweaters with my trousers, socks, and scarf, knowing that you probably didn't have much choice but to wear those loud shirts with colors that clash and that don't really go with anything else (not that you had any way to wear anything else anyway).

And then, I even got to heat up some delicious hot soup, which was just tremendous, and like I said I really don't want to rub it in but I know you had to go to one of those places with roast porcine meat and icky poi and maybe even watch people dance while you're eating, which has got to give you indigestion, if you didn't have it already from eating all those menus on the plane. (I do have that right, don't I, that you're supposed to eat the menus, since it's a little ridiculous to imagine that anyone would actually prepare real food for consumption during an airplane flight?)

Anyway, I hope it doesn't warm up again soon, here or anywhere else in the U.S. or Europe, because it really would totally add insult to injury if you had to return to the same weather you just left in dreary, grey, overcast, fog-bound, Hawaii.

Hoping for nicer days ahead,
Your friend,
RichG

ş

If it makes you feel any better Rich, the weather here today was ugly. Rainy, gray & gloomy with swirling winds. Tomorrow and the next 4 days are supposed to be back to normal.

BTW, a bad day in Hawaii is still better than a great day in NY...

It is going to be sunny and in the mid-60's all weekend here in the DC area... beautiful, crisp, fall days, leaves changing, sweater weather!!!

PiP... I don't need no stinkin' PiP!!!

(Just kiddin', I hope you guys are having a great time out there in the hula, tiki, mai-tai islands. )

geo1004: Glad to hear it... I'm flying to Dulles tomorrow morning for a conference at the IAD Marriott until Sunday.

I don't even want to hear it. Anybody seen the weather forecast for the Pacific Northwest this weekend? Rain, rain and more rain! And I moved here after living in Hawaii for four blissful years!

PIPers, May the sun never set without a cosmopolitan in your hand.

Thank you, TravelWeary...

The sun is shining, broken clouds, the view from the 34th floor of the Tapa Tower is just spectacular. Still not as nice as it could be, but that's OK.

Only 4 hours till our first FT PIP official get-together...the meeting under the Banyan Tree at the Sheraton.

TravelWeary, what would a "cosmopolitan" be? If it is a drink, I assure you all hands were on deck at the PIP! And, while the weather was not awesome, it did not rain (much) on our parade. The faces were sunny for sure! Only one of us was "rained out" for the grand finale buffet on Saturday. Thought he was at a frat party, evidently... I think we left Hawaii a dry state. There will never be another PIP!

A Cosmopolitan is a yummy citrusy version of a martini.

Citron vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau or Vodka, Triple Sec, cranberry juice and fresh lime served up in a martini shell.

And by all accounts, I'm SURE the PIP included some of these! As Punki said, life is too short and I wish now I had not let work get in the way of real life and joined the PIP as it sounds like an event never to be duplicated again!