New York, New York

First things first - the UNICEF Haiti appeal. You're probably all aware of the earthquake that struck Haiti recently, causing devastation beyond all comprehension. I guess I don't even need to go into the details here,  I'm sure you've heard or read about just how bad it is. And it is bad. UNICEF already have emergency teams out there, but they urgently need more supplies. If you can, either donate directly to UNICEF here, or visit my justgiving site and donate to my trip - that money will also go direct to the charity and the work they're doing.

Now, to much less important matters. Have you signed up to the newsletter? If not, why not do it now! You'll get a fortnightly email with all the latest news on my trip, plus a few other bonuses that'll make it worth your while.

As for me, I reckon I'm now officially a New York resident. I've got an apartment, I go to work in the city every day, I've even got a bank account here. And it's kinda fun!

It's been pretty whirlwind - I arrived in on Saturday night, and took a cab to my arranged-via-the-internet apartment in Brooklyn. Luckily it all worked out okay, and apart from nearly killing myself hauling my bike and bag in and out of the taxi, it was pretty smooth. The area I'm in seems like a good place to be - Manhattan is only 15-20 minutes by subway, and Williamsburg, the new 'cool happenin' place to be' by all accounts, is only a short walk or bus ride away. Once I feel cool and happenin' enough I'll check it out.

I started working in a documentary production company on Tuesday, which is a lot of fun. The offices are in a big open loft space in Midtown West, to my mind quintessentially New York. Unfortunately I'm only the lowly intern, but I have 3 months to make a good impression! Even better, the folks there have been treating me well even before I've had a chance to show my skills at all - I haven't had to fetch coffee once.

So I've got 3 months of this city life ahead, which at the minute seems a fun prospect. When I'm not working I'm going to have to get cracking on expedition related things - the first task is to rebuild my bike! I've taken it all out of the box it was transported in, and it seems to have survived (I'd expect nothing less from the Santos, of course) but until I put it back together again I won't know for sure. So that's first. Then I gotta try and get some sort of profile in NYC, fill out the rest of my kit, and most importantly, get fit again. I still have a way to go with my recovery - I'm not yet in a position where I can train. So here's hoping my body finally gets some good healing time now I've stopped moving around, and I can get back on the bike and in the gym asap.

Finally, from The Big Apple, to a much smaller apple (that didn't really work)...my hometown of Coleraine - check out some of my latest press coverage here, including my feature in 'The Coleraine Chronicle' - I believe you'll find me somewhere after 'Rogue Dog responsible for Sheep Carnage.' I wouldn't read about me over that story either. There's also a new article on road.cc here

Enjoy the first of my NYC pictures, many many more to come!