Thunderstorms in New York

So I've been in New York for the past two weeks, and I just haven't had time to blog - I'll do a summary post once I'm back in London and have caught up on some sleep.

But I had the worst evening tonight, and since everyone I would talk to is asleep (given that there's a 5 to 6 hour time difference), I figured I'd use the blogging-as-catharsis approach and talk about it here.

Being my last full day in New York, I was trying to figure out what to spend the last of my money on and came across the iHome - basically an alarm clock that your iPod plugs into. Very cool, cost almost exactly the amount of money I had left, so I thought I'd get one after work.

Amazingly, I actually managed to find a Radio Shack fairly easily, they had them in stock, and I got one. Walked down the block to catch the bus home... wait .... wait... no bus. Then the thunder starts. And the lightning. And then the rain. Big, heavy, wet drops. So while I'm huddled in the bus shelter trying to keep my new iHome dry, I realise: the US uses 110V, while the UK is 220 to 240V. But hopefully the ac adaptor can handle the full range, like my laptop and mobile and camera ac adaptors can?

So while I'm worrying about this, the thunder is getting louder, the lightning more continuous, the rain harder, and the bus's absence more conspicuous. Can't catch a cab, since they only take cash and I spent the last of my cash on the iHome.

Still no buses.

Decide to walk to the next bus stop, in case the buses are making a detour around this block for some reason. Get totally soaked, but the bus pulls up just as I get there. So now I'm soaked, freezing, trying to keep my iHome dry, and hoping that I haven't just wasted my money on something that won't work in the UK.

Halfway back to the hotel, the bus driver announces that the next stop is the last one. And it's taken us 2 or 3 times as long as normal to get this far, since the traffic's hectic with the rain. So I've already panicked, then been relieved when a bus turned up, and now starting to panic again. Luckily, though, I wasn't the only one going further, so we got off and eventually another bus turned up and took us all the way to my stop. But by now I look like a drowned rat, and feel worse.

Get to my hotel room, open the box - nope, the ac adaptor only takes 120V. And I don't really have time to return it tomorrow, since I'm working in the morning and don't want to chance missing my plane.

Eventually, though, I did some research on the net (which, by the way, costs me 9.95 per 24 hours, even if I only use it for 5 minutes in those 24 hours). And after getting myself a bit confused over what the inputs and outputs were, it looks like I should be able to get a step-down transformer for about £12. So all is not lost, but it hasn't been quite the fun event that it should have been.

But now I have to go pack - it's been fun, but I'm glad to be going back home (although I'm not sure where home is anymore - is it London, or is it South Africa? And since I want to move out of my flat in London asap, is that still home? Aargh, I need to stop moving around and settle down for a bit!).