round and round

I was talking to my friend Wakako yesterday about driving in the UK. She has recently gotten her driver's license and I had been out on the roads last weekend traveling with my parents (although I didn't drive). Anyway, the subject of roundabouts came up and she mentioned seeing a picture of a giant roundabout on-line. Well, I think this is it. They call it the "magic roundabout." I'm a little torn over the benefit of roundabouts. I suppose they help traffic flow when traffic isn't particularly heavy. But when there are lots of cars, a traffic jam is a traffic jam. I've seen plenty of roundabouts with standstill traffic. Anyway, this one is crazy and it seems a little dangerous to me. How can you keep track of where you're going?

Speaking of Wakako, this is a great time for a shout out to 2 of my new readers (and friends!) in the UK - Wakako and Ruth. I met each of them through friends in the states (thanks to Ashley and Audrey) and their friendships have been a big blessing since I arrived here. They both have been very welcoming and encouraging and I really enjoy hanging out with them! Plus they read my blog so they are earning points there, too. Thanks girls!

I may have other new readers in the UK...let me know if you are since I'm sure you are dying to be mentioned here.

More news/fluff

Ohhhh, Jennifer Aniston visited Vince Vaughn in London this weekend...and I missed it! Dangit! Fortunately Vince is still filming here so maybe I can try to catch them afterall. I'm sure you will be glad to know the rumors of their break-up are not true. However, I am sad to report that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe are splitting up.

Thank goodness for the wealth of knowledge I get every day from my Google home page. In slightly more substantial news, I did read last week that Exxon profits hit a new high. I wonder how long this can continue before people start to get really mad. As the article reports, this will definitely bring increased regulatory scrutiny. It's working out okay for me now since I'm not buying gas and I have Exxon stock, but it can't last forever.

How many lives does Jack Bauer have?

If you needed a reason to watch the 6th season of 24 here is the trailer.

Did you miss me?

It's been a busy week! I've been working and then trying to spend time with my parents in the evenings. Friday I took off work so we could do some more traveling. Now there is a little down time before we go to church. It's been really nice to have them here and fun to show someone from home my life here! I'll give you a few picture highlights in the post but you can find the rest here.

This is us on our night cruise along the Thames...probably my favorite event of the week. (not the greatest quality picture because I had to scan in a copy of the picture they gave us)
Here's a picture at Leeds Castle on Friday. It was a beautiful day and the grounds around the castle were very pretty. I was glad I took a day off to enjoy some time outside of London. We also went to Canterbury and the Cliffs of Dover. The cliffs were a little disappointing, they might be better viewed from another place though.Saturday we went to Bath which is a city northwest of London, close to Wales. The city has neat Georgian architecture and the ruins of a Roman Bath (hence the name).Lastly, on our way home today we stopped at Stonehenge. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was cool. It's also interesting to contemplate the "tantalizing mystery" (according to the audio tour) of what Stonehenge was originally created for.My last trip to Geneva fell through but I'm going this week from Thursday through Sunday...mostly for work but I'm staying over the weekend to take in some sites!

mixed bag

Vote here for the Bengals. The team with the most votes gets a donation of Campbell's soup to a foodbank of their choice. Right now they are in 2nd place...behind the Steelers!

Also, Mom and Dad are here for the week. It's great to have them here! My apartment really feels more like home now that other people have witnessed me living here (besides the locksmith and cable guy). They have been out exploring while I go to work then Friday I am taking off so we can visit some places outside of London. Thursday night we're doing a cruise along the Thames so that should be good.

I will keep you up to date on anything exciting.

It's official

It's been raining every day for at least two weeks. Although it doesn't rain all day and there may be some rays of sun, it's still every day. Grocery shopping in the rain with no car in the rain equals no fun...

Hold on to your Mickey

Here's another very interesting phrase. Last night I was chatting with someone and they said, "The kids were taking the mickey."

"Excuse me? Ummm, what does that mean? Did someone steal Mickey Mouse?"

From context clues I guessed the phrase was similar to "making fun of," and I was correct. It means to tease or ridicule. So if I were to say "Stop taking the mickey out of me," that would mean, "Stop making fun of me." Or if I thought you were saying something and I didn't believe you were being serious I'd say, "You're taking the mickey," similar to "You're joking." Wow.

I asked how the saying originated and she wasn't really sure. So, I headed to Google. The origin is a little unclear but it seems to have evolved from a slightly more vulgar expression and Cockney rhyming slang (which I still don't completely understand). But I am assured it's not offensive to use the phrase. For now, though, I think I'll refrain from using it anyway as I don't think I could say it without it being followed by a burst of laughter.

Brought to you by the letter Z

Tonight I had dinner with my friend from church, Hilary. We had a good time chatting and spent a lot of time comparing British and American phrases and accents. I learned a lot of very interesting things I'll let you in on but I'll have to spread it out.

Tonight's tidbit has to do with the alphabet. In London there is a very detailed map with all the possible streetnames called "London A to Z." Of course, as you're reading this I know how you're pronouncing it (like any normal person would!). But, here they pronounce it A to "Zed." At first I thought maybe they just pronounced the letter Z that way when it was standing alone. However, they actually pronounce it that way all the time! So imagine yourself singing the ABC song and when you get to the end you say "Zed" instead of a regular Z. They even have to change up the end of the song in order to make it work. I was cracking up when I found out- clearly this just doesn't make any sense. Z is for Zebra and zipper, not Zedbra and zedipper! Why would you add an extra letter to the pronunciation if it's never pronounced that way when it is used?

change will do you good

Here's one thing I like about living in the UK: I can actually buy things with my change! Since there are 1 and 2 pound coins I can actually purchase items other than tic-tacs and gum without saving up a whole jar of change. I could buy a cup of coffee, a train ticket, lip gloss, a movie ticket and even a few groceries! I'm sure I'll get used to it, but sometimes when I open my wallet I feel a little giddy when I realize I have more money than I thought because the change is actually worth something.

Well that was fun

Today I was going to add another country to the list of places I've been this year...but it was not to be. Reason #21 why flying is not as fun as it used to be.

My cab arrived this morning at 5:45 to pick me up so I could be to the airport 2 hours early for my 8:30 am flight to Geneva. The flight ended up being delayed over two hours. That meant that I would completely miss the meeting I was going there for. I called the client and she preferred I just stay here and present over the phone, rather than missing the meeting completely. So I asked the gate attendant if it was possible to not fly afterall. He said they could unload my bag and send it to baggage claim area 1.

One and half hours later my bag still hadn't arrived. I asked the attendant about it and she said the flight had just recently taken off and my bag wouldn't have been sent until the flight took off. (Does that make sense to you?) Anyway, I waited awhile longer and it still didn't show up. At this point I wasn't going to make it home to even call for the meeting over the phone. My bag finally showed up at 12:10, about 3 hours after I told them I didn't want to go. I ended up having to call for the meeting from my cell phone in a restaurant at the airport.

I had really wanted to go to Geneva. A co-worker from our other office just moved there and we were going to hang out. I will probably get there soon enough since there are a lot of meetings there. For now, I guess the upside is I get to go to my small group tonight.

Alive and well

I have been out of the country nearly 2 months now so things are starting to blur together. I remember that 80s fashion has been making a mild comeback in the states but I don't think it was to the extent that I see in London. Here, 80s fashion is raging. All around me I see baggy tunic shirts, striped shirts, ballet flats, vests, skinny jeans and more. I have to say, my favorite are the footless tights. Oh yeah. And definitely with lace at the bottom. In case you're interested in picking up a pair I found these on Nordstroms.com, and they even have multiple colors to choose from. Or, for a cheaper option I found plenty on ebay.

Is this my life?

Is this my life? I'm just checking because it doesn't seem real. I've been to so many countires just in this year and now I'm living in London and traveling around Europe. It seems like it should be a book or a movie about someone else. Although, it wouldn't be a very gripping novel at this point. There is a character and a setting but not much of a plot. Maybe in a few more months. For now it's just me living my life...not exactly a romantic comedy or action/suspense. Actually, it's more like a documentary - or maybe a "mock-umentary." Yeah, I could see that.
I think it all hit me when I saw this view from my hotel room in Paris. I didn't plan on having a room with a view but it was certainly a nice surprise when I arrived. I did my best to choose a mid-priced one with a good location on hotels.com and this is what I got! Overall the trip was amazing. I love cities at night with all the lights. It's particularly beautiful in Europe where all the architecture is already so fascinating that the light and shadows just emphasize it. The rest of my pictures are now on-line here. They could probably use some better description but I don't have time just yet. For now, you can probably figure out that the big tall thing is the Eiffel Tower.

I got to see a decent amount of the major sites in the city but I didn't want to run from place to place without appreciating things. When I'm by myself, since I don't have anyone there to talk to, I tend to take pictures and run to the next attraction without really stopping to think about everything. This time I did my best to balance both. My favorite part (this is for you, Dad) was the night tour to various buildings as well as seeing the Eiffel Tower twinkle from my balcony. Whenever I get really mad about a client or have to work late, I'll just have to remind myself to be grateful for these opportunities.

An American in Paris

I'm back. What a weekend...Paris is great! Here's a picture to prove I was there :) I'm working on getting the rest of my pictures on-line. More later...

add and subtract

Not too much news here...Wednesday we started small groups at church (yeah!). Last night I went to dinner in Covent Garden with some new friends which was nice. But, tomorrow I'm going to Paris! Stay tuned for some pictures on Monday or sometime soon after that.

For now I thought of a few more nuances to the British-English language that are mildly interesting. Tesco, a major retailer in the UK, has a slogan that says, "Every little helps." Every little what helps??? I think they left out a word. Maybe they meant "Every little bit helps?" On the other hand, the British add the word "do" to lots of phrases. "Please do sit down." They like to add that extra verb. Isn't "sit" a verb? I didn't realize we needed to add "do." It sounds much more commanding. If I think of some other examples I'll let you know.

Have a great weekend!

The Fonz

Does this picture of Captain Hook look familiar? Look closer...

That's right, it's The Fonz. Henry Winkler is playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan, just down the street from me at the New Wimbledon Theatre. I guess he's moving on from "Ayyyyy!!" to "Argggh!!" (I'm sorry, that was terrible.) Interestingly enough the website clearly lists Henry Winkler in the cast yet comments, "This year’s cast will feature comedy legend Bobby Davro and children’s favourite Sarah-Jane Honeywell (CBeebies’ Tikkabilla and Higgledy House). Other big stars to be announced soon watch this space for latest updates." Who are those people?? Apparently they haven't heard of Happy Days.

Well, that's all I have for now so you can just sit on it.

Closing Time

Today I had lunch with a friend from my American ex-pat group. After lunch we decided to stop by and see what movies* were playing. I figured I had time for a movie, and would still have time to go to the store after it was over and before I went to church.

The movie ended around 5:30 (or 17:30 because here they use stupid military time, I hope I eventually get the hang of that). To my dismay the stores were all closed. Now, I know the stores close earlier here and most are only open til 5 on weeknights and Sunday. But I thought at least the supermarkets would still be open. No. Instead I have to starve after 5pm on Sundays. It's also frustrating on weeknights because although supermarkets are open later than 5, other stores close at 5 or 6 so if I want to shop I can't go after work and am forced to go on the weekends when the stores are packed. I did learn tonight that Thursdays some places have "late opening hours" meaning that they're open until 8pm. Wow. I hope the shopkeepers aren't staying up past their bed times.

*Next time you are about to complain about the high price of movie tickets in Cincinnati think of me paying 7.50 pounds. Convert that to dollars and then your $9 won't seem so bad...and that was a matinee.

Lion

Today I had a lion...but not the king of the jungle. It was actually a "lie in." That's what people here say when they sleep in. I'm not sure if just refers to the sleeping in, or if it also refers to lounging around in the morning. Either way, I had both. I had to use ear plugs in order to sleep through the street sweeper that seems to come every day between 6:45 and 7am. (Do they really need to do it every day?)

It was a beautiful morning and the sun is actually shining today! The weather has been nice but this week it suddenly turned British. It's been in the 60s and gray with rain off and on. I don't mind it being cooler but it's nice to have the sun back today. I strolled around town and went to the store to pick up a few things including a brownie mix! I found store that had them, but there was only one choice. One of the people I met in the American expat group is having a party where you have to bring food from your home country. Brownies don't seem that creative but I like them. I though pigs in a blanket would be fun but I couldn't find any crescent roll dough pre-made.

This week hasn't been all that interesting but next weekend I'm going to Paris! I bought tickets for the Eurostar (chunnel) and am leaving next Saturday morning. I need to try to plan things a little bit. In two days I can really only hit the major sites. I also want to find a night tour so I can see all the buildings lit up. My hotel is fairly close to the Eiffel Tower (hopefully it really is and doesn't just look like it on the hotels.com map!) I wanted to get one trip under my belt before mom and dad come and before I'm in and out for the holidays. In the winter I think I'll be heading somewhere warm -think Spain, Greece and Italy...ohhh yeah. Well, at least one of them, I probably can't afford them all!

Look at me

So, nothing too much to say but I thought these weemees were so cute I had to do one myself! I love to accessorize so it was fun to make...plus there was a London background so I couldn't pass it up.

Pasty

Now you know what a hot jacket is, but do you know what a Cornish Pasty is? Pronounced as in "past" not pastry, it's a dense pastry filled with meat, vegetables, or anything really. Apparently they were first created for miners in Cornwall to take for lunches. The dough is folded over into a thick crust on one side so they are easy to hold on to with one hand. They seem to be the fast food of the UK because they are relatively cheap, easy to eat on the run, and they sell them on about every corner. I've had a few and they are pretty tastey.

It's been an interesting weekend...

I'm going to try to keep this post a reasonable length but there is a lot to tell.

Saturday I went to the movies. We were going to see "Trust the Man," a nice light-hearted romantic comedy. It wasn't playing at the time we thought so instead we saw "World Trade Center." Obviously quite a different choice. I felt like I wanted to say I'd seen it, plus because it was a story about survivors I thought I could handle it. Maybe more on the movie in a later post, but for now I can say it was emotionally intense but overall a good movie, worth watching.

During the movie I'd turned my phone off. I've never turned it off since I got it and so I didn't know the pin necessary to use the phone when I turned it back on. I tried several generic options but I only had one try left so I thought it best to wait until I got home to look it up. Unfortunately when I got back to my flat I realized I'd left my keys inside!!

I've been so careful to check that I have my keys when I leave - out of the fear of what I would do if I was locked out. To make matters worse, I couldn't use my phone! I was terrified but tried to remain calm. It was late at night and I had no way to contact anyone. I finally thought to go to the womens minister's house. I was so upset that I had to resort to ring her doorbell at night because she barely knows me, but I walked about a half hour there and broke down when I arrived. She was so great and I am thankful that God provided a place for me to stay in the situation. In the morning I used her phone to call and get the code to unblock my phone, then had a locksmith come to let me in. You'll be glad to hear I have a very secure lock (at least it's nice if you're on the inside).

So that was a bit of a watershed. I was in a pretty low mood today, plus is was raining sheets. I had planned to meet a friend and decided to go, despite the fact that I wanted to sleep.

But wait! Things are about to turn around. Tonight was the annual dinner at church. I've been looking forward to it because it kicks off the small groups and theme for the year. It was a really nice time. I had some great conversation with those sitting at my table, and the minister spoke about the values and goals of the church. It just put everything in perspective!

I have to battle against the selfish thoughts I have about being here. "Oh, isn't this a great opportunity I have? Look at all the cool things I can see and do." But his message reminded me that who I am and what I am about is still the same here as it is in Cincinnati. It's not about me, it's still about God and I am just here to serve him. I hadn't completely lost sight of it but it was such a great reminder after a long, troubling weekend. I am so excited about getting involved and being a part of the community at St. Andrews.

My theme since I've been here? God provides. But I'll be getting some extra copies of keys made just the same.