WICKED WEEKEND

MOST BATHETIC MOMENT OF THE WEEK: I've had the same winter beanie hat for 13 years, ever since buying it at a market in Montmartre while visiting Tom in Paris. I love that hat and the longer I have it, the more I love it. We've been on many adventures together all over the world and not once have I managed to leave it on a tube, have it blow off my head or forget to pack it when rushing for a flight home. So it was a bit depressing when my hat died yesterday when I hoovered it up. On the upside, the BBC have replaced our dreadful hoover with the most brand spanking new spaceage hoover you've ever seen and our carpets have never looked so clean. On the downside, it's so powerful, it sucked my hat in from a long way away and wouldn't let go until it had burned a big hole in it.

Yesterday was rainy and today was freezing, so we've spent quite a lot of time inside this weekend, gobbling up more 'How I Met Your Mother' (still awesome) and even attempting to get into 'Mad Men' again, using Max's login to the mega-iPlayer. The whole of the first season is there for the taking, but - like when I started watching it amid the hype when it was first on TV back home - I just can't force myself to care about it. Jon Hamm is terrific as Don Draper and it looks terrific, but there is nothing about the characters or situations that makes me want to find out what happens and the oh-so authentic sexism and racism is just annoying.

To give the telly a break, we went up to Bedrock Billiards yesterday for an afternoon of shuffleboard, just the two of us, which was really good fun. Though at $15 an hour, we realised it's not something we can do as often as we'd like.

Today we had an awesome two hour webchat with our friends Matt and Jilly. We really missed their annual Christmas party, especially the fiendish quiz that Matt always devises for it, so they were kind enough to give us our own quiz over skype! We're so lucky to be here now, rather than ten or even five years ago, when keeping in touch with people at home wouldn't be as easy as it is now.

This afternoon, after playing Lemonheads songs on the guitar (Max plays, we both sing - it's one of my all-time favourite weekend pursuits) we got our requisite bout of fresh air by walking to the Museum of American History, referred to by some as 'America's Attic', because it's where loads of random stuff is kept on behalf of the country. So there's everything, from Lincoln's hat and Clinton's saxophone, to Judy Garland's ruby slippers and the original Kermit doll, all housed in a really cool building. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the museum was only open for another 15 mins or so, so we dashed around the entertainment bit, scoped out the shop and vowed to return - it looks like a great place.

En route, we saw the area in front of the White House being prepared for the inauguration and bumped into a very chilly Kevin Connolly (one of the BBC correspondents), who was baffled when we said we were simply going for a walk! As far as he's concerned, walking is only for getting from A to B!

Maxy vying for Kevin Connolly's job. This is where Obama will watch the parade, with his new digs just behind...

this is the end of the parade route, right in front of the White House (out of shot, to the left) - there are bleachers lining the road and opposite the pod where Obama will watch from (on the left) is another structure for more VIPs to watch from