Here comes the sun...

It's been a couple weeks since my last posting, I can't believe how quick time is passing these days.

The last couple weeks have good out here. The weather is improving and this city transforms - good weather coupled with 15 hours of daylight brings the people outside. It has been nice! Not that it hasn't been raining- it has rained probably every day here this month, but on the upside it does clear up for a time at which point people head outside in droves.

Last weekend we gave our bodies a much needed break from binge drinking and stayed low key. We got out to explore different parts of the city which was fun- on Sunday we walked around Primrose Hill, St. John's Wood, and ended up at Campden Markets where we ate some lunch at the street vendors and bought inappropriate baby garb for some of our friends with little ones.

On the work front, for me things have considerably picked up. With an increase in workload comes an enhanced awareness of just how bureaucratic things are at the UK firm. It is amazing how you can sit through meeting after meeting on one subject and at the end of the day be no closer to action or decision on anything. I get the consultative approach, but the incessant need to get 15 higher ups buy in to do anything is a bit ineffective.

I digress...

This weekend we are picking back up our old ways and going out with friends tomorrow night. We plan on cooking dinner in with some friends and then heading out to Covent Garden to partake in some Saturday night antics.

Some things we have to look forward to is the long awaited arrival of Jon "no H" Smith and his visit to London to experience the obscure. Next weekend we are heading to Oslo with Jon and our friend Aimee to spend some time checking out the sights and I know JP has a packed itinerary of pubs and such for his boy bonding time.

Also, and this snuck up on us, our first wedding anniversary is on Monday. We plan on celebrating at a recommended Italian restaurant called Locanda Locatelli http://www.locandalocatelli.com/html/intro.html I'm told that it is pretty popular (well, the only Monday night reservation I could get two weeks in advance is at 6:45!) and that we may even see some famous people there. Trouble is, I don't know who the famous people are here! Aside from a few international faces, I don't know the UK people because most my entertainment time here is spent watching the US shows and playing on the internet. I will comment next time though if we do recognise peeps.

That's it, enjoy the weekend!

Killing time before the weekend

It is Friday and the weekend is almost here! I have lost all motivation to produce actual work and since surfing the internet in an open plan office is not as easy as it was back in the days of my cozy office in the US- I decided it would be good to blog.

This is all randomness but I’ll take after my oddball husband who aims to produce the obscure for his blog and is successful 9 times out of 10.

So, this week- first off is fantasy baseball. You are looking at the number one team in the London Expat league- presenting the Swing Bunts! If you are curious, the name is the nickname JP had affectionately given me after seeing my dazzling offensive skills on the softball field. Anyhoo- after 2 weeks of regular play my team is doing surprisingly well. I don’t know if I have the energy to see this to completion, there is way too much research and activity that goes into this- so while I’m hot I’ll take the opportunity to brag even though the draft is basically automatic so I can’t take much credit. I can however talk smack to the other guys in the league about my skillz….

This week I did my first Kangoo class. Ever heard of it? Let’s just say my favourite thing to do at the gym is to take some sort of class and I consider myself coordinated and in good shape and this class knocked down those illusions pretty fast. I scanned the internet for a site to help explain but came up with random bits. Instead you can click here to see what shoes I wore to participate in the class. http://www.bossbi.com/skate/kangoojumps/kangoojumps.php The basics are that it is a high impact aerobics class (wearing said boots) with some choreography, loads of running and jumping and such that keeps you moving for a solid 60 minutes. It was tough but I had fun. I was one of the only new comers to this type of workout, which made it tough to keep up. I will probably try again in the future when the memory of how hard it was fades.

Just a note on the US presidential election. You have no idea how much people here are into our election! I mean, it makes sense right- our policies and leaders have a large impact on the rest of the world. However what I find funny is that when the subject comes up, I am asked “Clinton or Obama?” There is not even the question of Republican or Democrat. People are much more apt to ask more informed questions which makes for good debate. A lot of people really like Obama – they like him because they think of him as the least political of them all and come across as presenting a chance to make a change. I won’t share my opinions but will just say that it has been eye opening to see the importance people place on the leaders we chose. They even know things about our Senators, governors, etc. It has made me better read on the subject to participate in the conversations. That and my little sister has dove off the deep end of right sided politics (she has been over there for years, now she lives in D.C. and is suitably immersed) so I have to have some ground to stand on when I debate with her.

This weekend we have some plans and have identified Sunday as “put our lives back together” day. We have not cleaned, done laundry, or grocery shopped in over a week so we need a day to just get things back together. Tonight we are heading to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Vanity Fair photography exhibition http://www.npg.org.uk/vanityfair/index.htm and then having dinner with some friends in Covent Garden at this little spot called Da Mario http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3275.htm . Tomorrow we are doing to a surprise baby shower that was never really a surprise in the first place but we are still treating as a surprise…. This one will have a twist as it will be co-ed and since there will be no old grannies or acquaintances there we’ll have no games and just a get together that includes opening up some baby gifts. It will be fun.

And in closing… a few things to leave you with:

When writing a list here, they do not use the “Oxford comma” For example- I went to the store today and bought apples, oranges and pears. In the US I would use a comma after oranges. Here there is no comma. It really throws me off.

Finally- some more translations:
UK word/expression US translation
Annual leave/holiday Vacation
Jumper Sweater
Half Seven (as in, the meeting starts at half seven) 7:30
Full stop Period (the type that ends a sentence)
Precious Serious or taking very personal
Fringe bangs
Keen Interested (they are quite keen to meet with you)
Damp Mold (the flat has damp in the walls)
Whilst While
Learnt Learned

Let it snow, let it snow

Just to demonstrate the sheer unpredictability of London's weather- on Friday we enjoyed a picture perfect day of spring like weather- we ate lunch al fresco, left the coats at home, and the whole city emerged from hiding and broke out the sunglasses.

This morning (Sunday), we woke up to snow. Real snow- the type that fell overnight and got all the kids in the neighbourhood up and playing (while screaming with delight- which is what woke us up) and snow topped trees, cars, etc.

All this is fine except the fact that we have visitors in town this weekend who are first timers in London - so for us, we have plenty of internetting and DVD's to keep us busy. Poor Chad & Robyn headed into town today and braved the cold.

Their visit has been really fun so far. On Friday night we headed to dinner and some pubs in Soho, and found a great little Mediterranean restaurant called Terra: http://terrarestaurant.co.uk/ and enjoyed some great food and service. Yesterday we went to tour the Tower of London- http://www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon/ and enjoyed a tour by an actual Yeoman Warden (as you know them as Beefeaters) and saw the famous crown jewels and torture chambers. After the tour, we strolled over the Tower Bridge to enjoy lunch and a walk through Borough Market. Following that, Chad & Robyn headed out to enjoy the Tate Museum while JP and I made our way home.

Last night we gathered with some friends to enjoy Thai food and some drinks at one of the most popular pubs in London called The Churchill Arms : http://fancyapint.com/pubs/pub193.html. It was fun to introduce Robyn and Chad to our new friends and enjoy some spicy Thai food and pints of beer.

This last week has been uneventful as JP and I have determined that the month of April is the start of two distinct operations: Operation: Six Pack (mostly for JP to recover what used to be a solid 6 pack) and Operation: Save some friggin money already - to help nurse our credit card back to health. Of course that lasted for four days until I got an email mentioning Prague in August with some friends and I promptly went online to book some flights before they went up... But now, of course, I'm back to behaving and not mentioning yet another trip to poor JP who has been a good sport with my inability to understand the idea of spending against a fixed budget. (BTW- we are going to Prague in August- can't wait!!) The way I see it, I'm helping the economy avoid recession. We all need to do our part.

Additionally, work has increased in workload and challenge, which has been a huge blessing and relief- but has also cut into my 7 hour workdays (with lunch) so I'm adjusting accordingly. It is nice to finally be busy and producing work!

Until next week...

Didn’t you know? 30 is the new 20!

I am happy to report that I just had one of the best birthdays to date! My thoughtful and sneaky hubby planned a day of respite to prepare me for a night of – what else- drinking and socializing! I spent the afternoon at a little day spa in Knightsbridge (that is near Harrod’s- a London landmark as recognizable as the Tower Bridge) called Glow Urban Spa- www.glowurbanspa.com. I had a massage and a pedicure while I watched the rain drizzle outside. The weather was rather unfortunate- but it is London so I expected nothing less.

Then, I came home to shower up to head out to dinner. We had dinner at this little restaurant near our house called Ffionas: http://www.ffionas.com/. It was super cute- had maybe 10-12 tables inside and although the service was, well, odd, the food was- as JP likes to say “phenomenal.” After dinner JP took me down the street and as we walked downstairs into my favourite piano bar the entertainer broke out in “Happy Birthday” and I looked to see all of our GEP friends at a long table with a birthday cake all smiling and waiting. I almost cried I was so touched and excited. We sang the rest of the night away to our favourite piano tunes, I drank some yummy champagne, and we ended the party back at our flat with our friend Josh cooking up some Mac & Cheese while we caught the UNC v. Louisville game of the NCAA tourney. Through the mess we realized the time changed this weekend- we lost an hour in all this and got to bed at technically 4am.

This weekend was bittersweet for me as we had to say good-bye to some friends who are heading back to the US as they wrap up their various secondments and exchange programs. These are people who we had grown close to in our transition and whose advice and help we relied heavily upon during the initial stages of our move (and after the move, we commiserated with them on the ridiculousness of various things over many drinks and dinners). I was lucky in that a few of them came to the birthday gathering on their very last night in London- a testament to how thoughtful and fun they are! I think watching them leave and say their good-bye’s made our whole class of EY friends sad for losing them but also aware that time here goes so fast! We only have a year left- which seems like a decent amount of time until I think back to how fast the last 6 months have gone. It reinforced the fact that we have to take advantage of every opportunity here- whether it is a pub outing, a quick overnight trip out, or a long weekend away with friends.

In closing, I’ve had a chance to reflect on some of the things I’ll really miss about my 20’s… mostly superficial/appearance wise, but you know what- it is the first thing to go, so I must comment on it! Good bye to:
- A fast metabolism that enables me to eat what I please without worrying about extra pounds
- Solid color hair with no errant grey
- Wrinkle free skin that doesn’t betray you and tell the world that you had no sleep the night before!
- Making mistakes and blaming them on being young… along with people forgiving you your stupidity and bad decisions because you are young
- Thinking I know everything- I know NOTHING and have so much to learn.
- Thinking maturity, motherhood, and minivans are so far away…

Thanks to all of you who emailed and sent cards, it meant so much!