MySpace vs. Facebook

In case having a blog and a MySpace page wasn't enough, I was persuaded to join Facebook a couple months ago. I was skeptical at first and wondered what all the fuss was about but after using it I have to say I think it is better than MySpace.

The major reason it's better is because it's simpler to use, it doesn't have as much clutter, and Facebook doesn't have all the annoying technical glitches. I also like the fact that you can see when people are updating their profile, adding pictures, etc. Then I don't find myself checking other people's profile only to find out they haven't logged on for months. Lastly, you can also import the RSS feed from other blogs and it will post to Facebook. So fortunately (or unfortunately for all my Facebook friends who don't care about reading my blog!) you can get it all in one place. Plus Facebook seems to be exploding here. It's great to have all of my London friends on!

The only thing I like better about MySpace is how you can add songs to your profile...but I'd say Facebook still wins.

Countdown: 6 days

6 days until I come home! The closer it gets the more excited I am. I am looking forward to seeing everybody and spending time with people. I also have some plans for the mall and for some Mexican food and BW-3!

I spent the last 3 days in Madrid. I was there mostly for work but stayed through Sunday morning. I was hoping to get some pool time but it wasn't quite that nice. I was actually a little tired of being a tourist so I didn't feel much like exploring the city. From what I saw I definitely like Barcelona more. Saturday I went to Segovia which is a small, old city that the tour book said was one of the most picturesque places in all of Spain. We thought it was only going to take an hour by train but it took two...but hey, "it's an adventure!" It was pretty cool when we got there but we didn't have much time left to see everything. It also started to rain while we were there. That was the first time I used an umbrella in about a month! I think it's been about 4 weeks since I needed one in London. Go figure- of course when I go to Spain I need an umbrella.I've posted a few pictures, I wouldn't want to let my mom down.

Reflections on my 25th year

Last year when I was turning 25 I panicked. Not because I felt like I was old but because I thought I would wake up and be 30 and have been doing the same thing since college. That's when I made the list about the 5 things to do before I'm 30. I eventually settled into the idea of being 25 and told myself "25 is going to be my year." Well, it definitely turned out to be pretty great! In fact, I'd say things were pretty much turned upside down since my initial panic. I think I can handle 26 for now. Bring it on!

I thought I'd comment on a few of the highlights of the past year...This is basically like one of those TV shows where they try to make a new episode but really they're just re-packaging re-runs.

1. Summer in Eden Park. I loved going walks in the park with Kelly and Kaelyn.
2. It was great to live with my sister for the first time since I'd moved out for college.
3. Vacation with the family in St. Lucia. It was hot but I love anywhere with a beach and I love speedboats. It was also cool to fly in a helicopter!
4. Meeting Chad Johnson. (Yes Melissa, I think it still counts even if he didn't really say anything)
5. The Echo Re-launch. I wasn't there but my heart is still there and I know God is doing great things.
6. Moving to London. It's starting to feel normal now but it still hits me fairly often and I'm amazed.
7. Going to Paris...twice. I love Paris and I love French food!
8. Going to Athens and Barcelona.
9. Making great new friends in London. I love you all (especially if you're reading my blog!)
10. Seeing the amazing ways that God provides. I think my favorite name for God is Jehovah-Jirah, "The Lord will Provide." The rest are in no particular order but I think this might be the biggest highlight.

On a side note, it's been about 13 months since I started this blog and exactly 1 year since my visit to London to consider moving...time flies.

murder in Wimbledon

Last night someone was murdered...in my flat!

Well, not exactly, but I had a murder mystery party. I've been wanting to try one for awhile so I decided to go for it. It was a 1920's gangster theme and everyone came dressed as their character. At the beginning of the night there was a staged murder and then throughout the night people had various things they were supposed to do and parts they were supposed to play while everyone was trying to solve the mystery. I wasn't sure how it would unfold because since I was also playing the game I couldn't read all the information to see what would happen. There ended up being 3 more murders because each character also had their own agenda they wanted to achieve. Only one person was able to solve the murder (although I have to say I would have guessed it if I went with my gut) It turned out to be pretty fun! You can check out the pictures here.

It must be destiny

I've been making lots of use of Wikipedia to learn about how football works.

After reading a lot of fan comments on the Spurs, I picked up on several themes. One theme I identify with as it seems to be true of the other football team I support. They have recently established a winning record under a new coach. They are good [but not the best] and lately have been promising major potential but not quite delivering....sound familiar to anyone? It must be destiny.

Now I just need to find my new Chad Johnson. (Not that I am abandoning the original!) Shout out to Kelly who spotted Chad hanging out at J Alexander in Norwood where apparently he is a regular. She was too classy to ask for his picture like I did but I'm still jealous. At least we know he's not squandering his money away at Jeff Ruby's every night.

Just added

I've just added a few new sites to my Google homepage feed. It's time I start trying to follow football [soccer] so I've added a feed from BBC Sport on UK football, one from BBC Sport on Tottenham Hotspur and one from UEFA.com. I've picked Tottenham Hotspur to be my team based on advice from ESPN.com and my uncle! I happened to catch part of their game last week vs. Seville and it was pretty exciting, although they lost. (On an side note, my friend's brother sat next to Jude Law at the game!)

First task: Sort out all the different leagues here and learn the players on my team. Any advice is welcome.

24 degrees

I'm learning to understand Celsius. Although my job involves math I don't think anyone (other than mathematicians) likes walking around and doing formulas like [F=C*(9/5)+32] in their head. So I've relied on key benchmarks between Celsius and Fahrenheit to help me.

0 Celsius = 32 Fahrenheit
10 Celsius = 50 Fahrenheit
20 Celsius = 68 Fahrenheit
30 Celsius = 86 Fahrenheit

Therefore...anything less than 10 is coat weather, under 5 is hat and glove weather. The closer it gets to 20 the happier I am and over 30 I really wish they had air conditioning in London. Today is sunny and 24. I like 24 (75).

Directions from Cincinnati to Wimbledon

In case you wondered the best route to Wimbledon, this is what Google maps recommends (if you have an extra 30 days). Of special notice is step #18.

Drive: 4,604 mi (about 29 days 20 hours)

5. Merge onto I-71 N via the ramp to Columbus 97.4 mi 1 hour 32 mins

6. Take the exit onto I-70 E/I-71 N toward Cleveland/Wheeling 1.8 mi 2 mins

7. Take exit 101A on the left to merge onto I-71 N toward Cleveland 112 mi 1 hour 45 mins

8. Take exit 220 to merge onto I-271 N toward Erie PA 40.4 mi 40 mins

9. Continue on I-90 E Partial toll road Passing through Pennsylvania Entering New York 448 mi 6 hours 59 mins

10. Continue on I-87 S/New York State Thruway S (signs for New York Thruway S/I-87 S/New York/Boston/Mass Pike) Toll road 14.6 mi 14 mins

11. Take exit 21A toward I-90 E/Mass Turnpike/Boston Toll road 0.9 mi 1 min

12. Merge onto New York State Thruway EToll road 24.1 mi 22 mins

13. Continue on I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike Partial toll road Entering Massachusetts 134 mi 2 hours 9 mins

14. Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy 0.4 mi 1 min

15. Merge onto Atlantic Ave 0.8 mi 3 mins

16. Turn right at Central St 0.1 mi

17. Turn right at Long Wharf 0.1 mi

18. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi 29 days 0 hours

19. Slight right at E05 0.5 mi 2 mins

20. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban 0.1 mi

21. Turn right at E05 5.7 mi 10 mins

22. Take the exit onto A29/E44 toward Amiens Toll road 27.8 mi 23 mins

23. Take the exit toward Dieppe/Amiens/Calais/A151/Rouen Toll road 1.1 mi 1 min

24. Merge onto A29/E44 Toll road 22.6 mi 19 mins

25. Take the exit onto A28/E402 45.6 mi 37 mins

26. Take the exit onto A16/E402 toward Boulogne/Calais Toll road 44.3 mi 38 mins

27. Take exit 29 toward Boulogne-Centre/Outreau/Le Portel 0.6 mi 1 min

28. Merge onto N416 1.1 mi 1 min

29. At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit onto N1 0.4 mi 1 min

30. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on N1 0.1 mi 1 min

31. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on N1 0.9 mi 2 mins

32. At the traffic circle, take the 1st exit 0.6 mi 1 min

33. Slight left at Rue Ferdinand Farjon 427 ft

34. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit 0.4 mi 1 min

35. Slight right at Dover - Boulougne-sur-Mer 30.1 mi 1 hour 50 mins

36. Continue on Dover - Boulogne-sur-Mer 0.2 mi

37. Continue on Eastern Service Rd 0.3 mi 2 mins

38. Turn right at E Ramp 0.4 mi2 mins

39. Slight right at Dock Exit Rd 0.1 mi

40. At Eastern Docks Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A20 0.6 mi 2 mins

41. Slight left to stay on A20 0.3 mi

42. At Prince of Wales Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A20/Limekiln St 0.2 mi 1 min

43. At Limekiln Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A20 0.3 mi 1 min

44. At Western Heights Roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A20 7.0 mi 8 mins

45. Continue on M20 (signs for M20/London/Ashford) 39.4 mi 38 mins

46. At junction 3, exit onto M26 toward M23/M4/M25/Sevenoaks/A25 10.2 mi 10 mins

47. Continue on M25 12.0 mi 11 mins

48. At junction 7, take the M23(S)/M23(N) exit to Brighton/Crawley/Croydon 1.0 mi 1 min

49. Merge onto M23 1.0 mi 1 min

50. At junction 7, exit onto A23 3.1 mi 6 mins

Thanks to Mel for providing these directions although I'm not sure why she thought to look it up in the first place, hopefully she is planning to visit me ;)

Speaking of Google maps, that reminds me of a song.

Barcelona

I've got my pictures posted here. (the streamlined version!) Here is a little summary of what we did so you have an idea what you're looking at.

Friday we arrived and started off by going to the Sagrada Familia church (the Sacred Family). It is a church designed by Antoni Gaudi that was started in the 1800s and is still being built. I think it is supposed to be finished by 2025. It was very interesting to see. Architecture by Gaudi (and others) of the modernist style was very popular in Barcelona so there are lots of buildings to see. After that we went to see a few other "Modernista" buildings, one of which was also by Gaudi and we were able to go in and take a tour of it. That evening we went to dinner at a tapas (popular type of Spanish cuisine) bar in the Gothic district.

Saturday morning we went to Park Guell which is park also designed by Gaudi. (You will see lots of pictures with similar style of architecture and design). You will have you let me know what you think of his designs. They are all very fantasy and nature oriented. After the park we went to La Ramblas which is the big shopping street in Barcelona. That ended up down on the port so we strolled around there for awhile. That night we went out to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant in Port Olympic....mmm, I love seafood!

Sunday morning we headed to Spanish square and the national palace. From there we went down to Port Olympic and hung around the beach for awhile. Sunday was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the sun and warm weather. After that we strolled around the Gothic quarter some more. Unfortunately the Barcelona Cathedral was covered with scaffolding. That's one things that's very frustrating about Europe - there is always scaffolding and cranes ruining every picture.

Buenos Noches

I'm in a Spanish mood. I had a great time, Barcelona is beautiful! I'll work on posting my pictures soon, for now I need some rest because I didn't get much while I was gone. Although unfortunately I didn't meet this guy...

I prefer not to know

The weather forecast is fickle. One minute I check the BBC website it says one thing, a few hours later it says another. Although knowing the approximate temperature is helpful for packing, I think maybe it's better not to know the forecast before I go on vacation. If it shows bad weather I start out worried and in a discouraged mood, if it says good weather I could be disappointed. Without knowing I can just be excited and positive about the trip and take the weather as it comes.

I hear London is the best place in Europe to be for good weather over Easter weekend...of course. I'm still holding out hope for Barcelona.

Film review: Amazing Grace

Go see it.

If it doesn't inspire you that a small group of people can help change the world than I'm not sure what would. I can only pray that God would give me that kind of passion, direction and dedication in my life.

The Denial Rule

I am currently reading "Watching the English" by Kate Fox. It's a fairly interesting book (if somewhat of a slow read) that discusses all the unspoken social rules of the English. Some of them I hadn't really noticed but once she pointed them out I did notice them.

One thing I had already noticed was something Fox described as the "Denial Rule." This rule basically says that when people are riding on public transportation they do everything possible to deny that others exist. They avoid speaking to and even making eye contact with others. Lastly, they also try their hardest not to draw attention to themselves. I noticed this right away because it's almost painful the way people avoid eye contact. To me it's almost more uncomfortable to avoid people so resolutely than to accidentally look someone in the face. God forbid we would acknowledge others around us with a little smile.

There are several exceptions to the rule. People might speak or make eye contact if speaking is required out of politeness (ie. "excuse me" or "sorry") or to ask for vital information. They may also share a brief moment of conversation to complain if something goes wrong on the train or tube. Another, possibly less "book-worthy" exception I've found is drunk people. They generally don't care if they are drawing attention to themselves and will try to talk to anybody. One time I was on the tube with a crazy homeless, drunk guy singing. I was trying to make eye contact with someone to laugh with but I got nothing. Everyone just kept staring at the floor - a perfect example of the rule at work.

In addition to the drunk exception, some people are also oblivious to the rule when they are talking on their mobile phones. They just talk as loud as possible no matter what the conversation. This is something I find particularly annoying and at one time someone even broke the rule and made eye contact with me and we shared an eye-roll over the loud teenage girl in our train car!

Because the behavior is so pronounced, it is painfully obvious whenever the rule is broken. Trains are especially quiet in the mornings because people are tired and generally aren't traveling with companions like they might be in the evening. However, yesterday I was riding the train to work and I happened to be sitting near 2 Americans (gasp!). The one guy was going on and on, talking very loudly. He wasn't just talking, he was one of those loud, obnoxious, belligerent people. I was almost embarrassed for him because I knew everyone around was rolling their eyes at him (in their mind anyway) and grumbling about the loud American.

No Man is an Island

No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if the promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.

-John Donne

It's been a long time since I read this poem but I recently saw it written on a poster and was struck by it. Of course I hear the phrase "no man is an island" fairly often but I didn't always think of the rest of the poem. I think I find it so striking now because I'm trying to deal with the change involved with leaving friends and family.

It so vividly paints how important people are to each other and I particularly like the line, "any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind." It doesn't necessarily have to be about death, but it highlights that friends and family are so valuable and will always be a part of you wherever you go. Being "involved in mankind" could take on another meaning on a spiritual level as well.

So I haven't eloquently analyzed it (I'll leave that to Melissa) but I just wanted to post it for your reading pleasure.

Best Ever

Saturday we went to Borough Market which is a fresh food market near London Bridge. It was lots of fun! There was all kinds of food available. I had a really good chicken burger and a great brownie. I can't remember all the brownies I've ever eaten in my life, but I think this was the best brownie I've ever eaten! I like fudgy brownies, not cakey, and this was so fudgy it was practically fudge. So if you're looking for a brownie I know where to get a good one.

Just for fun I thought I'd post this picture of a banner that was hanging in the market.

Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. Tonight I saw a performance by the London Community Gospel Choir. They sang a great version of Amazing Grace. It was written by an ex-slave trader, John Newton, who became part of the abolitionist movement in England. According to Wikipedia:

"Among his greatest contributions to history was encouraging Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament for Hull, to stay in Parliament and 'serve God where he was,' rather than enter the ministry. Wilberforce heeded the ex-slaveship captain's advice, and spent the next five decades successfully working for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire."

At the risk of being repetitive in my posting topics, although slavery is now illegal, there are still millions of people who are bought and sold today. I saw a moving exhibit at St. Paul's Cathedral yesterday that portrayed the lives of people who had been trafficked. Get online now and see what you can do to help stop human trafficking today.

Coffee + Books

There's one smell I can't resist...the smell of coffee and books. The bookstores must have been targeting people like me when they started putting coffee shops in all their stores. I just can't walk away from it without buying something. Last night I stopped in the bookstore on Trafalgar Square and picked up a few things. These are my latest acquisitions, in case you're interested.

1. Time Out London's Eating and Drinking Guide for 2007. There's no way I'm ever going to get to all these restaurants but I thought it would be fun to have so I can figure out places I want to go. That way when people say, "What do you want to do/Where do you want to eat?" I will have an answer.

2. Time Out London's latest weekly magazine. The cover story was weekend trips to Paris. I love Paris.

3. Pocket guide to Barcelona. Yeah baby.

4. Pocket guide to Madrid. Yes, April is Spain month. I had already planned to go to Barcelona with friends for a holiday, then I found out we have a meeting in Madrid for work!

5. Q Magazine. A British music magazine with all the latest reviews. This month has the 100 greatest singers and the 1000 greatest songs. I love lists like that. Plus it has Joss Stone and Snow Patrol on the cover. Snow Patrol is awesome.

Green Prince

I could have ridden on a train with Prince Charles. He's trying to do the trendy thing and go green. He must be buddies with Al Gore. Apparently he took a train to a speaking engagement today...a train I ride to work every day! I would be a little more disappointed if it had been Prince William or Prince Harry on the train.

"a stain on a civilised country"

Human trafficking and the London Olympics.

St. James Park

I haven't been to all the parks in London, but I think St. James Park might be my favorite. It's the one in front of Buckingham Palace and it's beautiful! This park really fits the definition of a "park." Some places they call parks here are not what I would consider a park, they are more open areas or green space. I like a park that has manicured lawns, ponds and lots of flowers. This has it all! And it has lots of weeping willow trees which I find I really like, they make things seem peaceful...and you can see Big Ben and the London Eye.

Here are a few pictures from last weekend. It was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately it's gotten much colder again but I have hope that we've turned the corner. (This is me trying to pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist)