So my 1st week in the Big Apple has flown by in a haze of informal introductions, 5am wake ups and Devil Dogs.' What is a Devil Dog?' I hear you clamouring to ask. Well, back home a Devil Dog is a 12 stone-of muscle pitbull with a name like Bruno or Tyson, owned by a similar looking man with a name like Tyson or Bruno. Over here however, a Devil Dog is a small piece of heaven, individually wrapped and containing < 150 calories per serving. Yes, Devil Dogs are chocolatey, creamy, spongey, snackey snacks which I have became thouroughly hooked on. I'll try to post a picture of them at some point.

When last I blogged Claire and I were settling into life at Lab49 Towers. Everyone has made us feel very welcome, even if they don't understand everything I'm saying! As part of this delightful welcome we were given our very own Blackberries with unlimited international calls, just in case we felt like phoning home. Ok the international calls bit isn't 100% accurate but they did give us Blackberries as this is the company's policy for all employees. So far my Blackberry has rang twice, with both calls ending with the words 'wrong number mate' (or 'I do not understand you, speak English!'). The 2nd of these phone calls was particularly memorable as on the other end of my phone was an Indian guy looking for someone called David. We both proceeded to butcher the English language for a few minutes before deciding that neither of us knew anything about anything except for the fact that the incorrect number had definetly been dialled.

On Thursday the Strategy Group took us for a delicious lunch at a local carvery which was served on a table at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground. Gravity was defied as the ketchup bottles somehow did not fall off and smash. I suspect blu tack....(not a spelling error). It was good to spend a bit of time getting to know my colleagues and I enthralled them (or maybe bored them to tears) with my tales of hitch hiking from Glasgow to Egypt and brushes with Arabic-only speaking customs officers. Oh and the food was really good. Devil Dog good actually.

The week ended with my 1st presentation to the strategy group which was a summary of my research into the structure of Foreign Exchange markets. Plenty of feedback on my presentation skills was given and I hope this will all eventually lead to me cutting some promos on FX Spots et al. My infinite respect and friendship shall be given to anyone reading this who knows what I mean by 'cutting a promo' without going and googling it.

After work finished on Friday the Morgan Stanley guys booked us some discounted company tickets to see hit Broadway show Avenue Q. Oh and when I say cheap I mean this relatively. Highly relatively. The tickets were worth it though we had great seats and the show was a fantastic mix of hilarious and cringeworthy, kind of like seeing someone not knowing how to wear a jock strap and putting it on his head, it really is amazing what can be done with hand puppets these days. In the run up to the show I bought a ticket for the New York lottery which boasted a jackpot of $64million this week. I decided that if I won I was buying some property and founding my own company, Lab64million. Lets just say Lab64million won't be accepting its 1st Saltire Foundation interns for at least 1 more year....

Saturday morning consisted of a lie-in (I got up at 8 instead of 5am) and my 1st taste of iced coffee. Ross is rarely seen without one of these so I decided to give it a try myself. Tasty. Hello heart palpitations. I was as chirpy as a chimp and jumping around like a frog afterwads though. That's a poor similie, I know. The New York 4, as I am now christening us, headed into the Midtown area to check out the sights. First up was Grand Central Station and the laws-of-physics-defying whispering archways. Basically if you plant your face into one of these archways and speak, you may be heard by someone who has planted their face in the opposite archway. How this was discovered I have no idea. Lunch consisted of a brick sized piece of cheesecake which resulted in a severe loss of masculinity on my part as I surrendered halfway though my portion. Next up was Times Square and all the delights contained within. I purchased the 1st of many coloured I heart NY garments at a very reasonable price and then decided to check out one of the local 'busy people gyms.' The idea behind these places is that you pay a ridiculous monthly membership fee then show up to the gym in your work clothes. The gym provides all your workout gear, including a jock strap (I didn't know what a jock strap was until entering this gym and am still unsure as to what the purpose of one of these things is, all I know is that I looked silly with it round my head) and steams your work clothes as you work out. Thankfully we were allowed in for free because of Matt's Morgan Stanley deals. I enjoyed a productive jock strap free work out then headed home having atoned somewhat for the 37kg cheesecake.

That night we were joined by the IBM guys for a few drinks and a comedy show. The comedy was as funny as toothache in a church full of horses being led to water and refusing to drink.

Sunday is a day of rest and rest I did, leaving the apartment only to get food and be accosted by locals who loved my saltire shorts.

On Monday morning I had my 1st experience with the local insects as I woke up to find a large centipede looking thing strolling around my bath like it was Creepy Crawly (Crawlie?) Christmas. We both looked at each other and screamed for a while (me and Mr. Centipede that is). I knew that if I didnt kill it, it would kill me. After a tense stand off I ran out of the bathroom and came back in armed with a size 13 running shoe. Jones 1 - 0 Centipede.

Next time in Lab49 weekly: All staff meeting at fancy hotel followed by cocktails (Monday Night), Jones vs Centipede II - The Biggest Rematch of Summer (TBC), Why I'm now called Bobby and hopefully some more Devil Dogs.