The Championships

Melissa arrived last night (woo hoo!) so this morning we got up early to queue for tickets to Wimbledon. We arrived around 7 which is a little late compared to when people line up to get to get the good tickets. We were just expecting to get grounds passes which have access to the smaller courts but because it's been such bad weather we were close enough to the front of the line to score Centre Court tickets! We saw Andy Roddick beat Paul-Henri Mathieu and Venus Williams beat Maria Sharapova. They were great matches! We also saw the first part of Serena Williams vs. Justine Henin. We had pretty good luck with the weather compared to the rest of the tournament, with only one rain delay and periods of sun throughout. I've never followed tennis much before but it is definitely fun to watch in person. I will probably pay more attention from now on!

I took lots of pictures so you can check those out here. Plus Mom thinks she spotted us on TV!

a promise

This is probably the brightest rainbow I've ever seen ...I'm hoping this means it's finally going to stop raining but I don't think it's the case. It's been raining for at least 2 weeks and shows no signs of letting up on the 5 day forecast. Attendance at Wimbledon is pretty low due to the rain. I am planning to go tomorrow so pray for sun!!

if you can't beat 'em...

My friend's Melody and Eric all of the sudden became super-sporty after I left and have since both run marathons...I used to wonder what happened to them, but now I may be turning into them. My friend and I needed a new goal to help us get back into exercising and her trainer at the gym said we really should start running...so we did. Sunday we ran our first 5k, the British Women's London 5k. It was a cool location to be running along the Thames, by Big Ben and down Whitehall. I know it's not that long in terms of races but it was a start. I don't think I'll be running any marathons but I am starting to get into it. Tonight I even became one of those crazy people I make fun of running in the rain. Next we'll try a 10k.

Me, Patricia and Sue-Ellen, my running partners, before the race.Me approaching the finish line!

it's over

Any hope of good [American] football in Europe is over. I don't think it ever really had a chance...just like soccer will never make it big in the US.

Snow Patrol...and the rest of my top 5

Last night was event number 2 on my summer concert series - Snow Patrol at the O2. It was an amazing show! You can't exactly tell from the picture but we had a great view. They are a great band. I can't think what else to say except if you don't listen to them you should really start. The venue was also pretty cool. It's a new arena in London, formerly the Millenium Dome. It has a huge arena inside for concerts, smaller concert venues, a movie theatre and over 20 bars and restaurants.

While I'm talking about Snow Patrol I thought it would be a good time to unveil my Top 5 bands off all time (so far!). Drumroll please.....

In no particular order the winners are:

Dave Matthews Band - I have to have him on the list because I listened to him non-stop in high school and college and I still enjoy it. He's got way too much of my money from CDs and concerts.
U2 - You can't deny they're one of the greatest bands. Any band who can keep producing great music across decades and have such huge influence has to be on the list. I'm still dying to see them in concert
The Beatles - Same as above (only I guess I won't be seeing them in concert)
Snow Patrol - This is the newest band on my list but I think they have staying power. I first fell in love with them when I heard "Run" and the rest of their music is awesome as well.
Rich Mullins - One of the best artists in Christian music. His songs (and life) inspire me, make me think and help me through hard times. Plus there is a slight home town connection.

I am still working on narrowing down the list who will make it into my Top 10. I may have to get creative.

and so it begins

Tomorrow The Championships in Wimbledon begin. I don't know much about tennis but I'm hoping to make it this year. I'll also try to go up to the village a few nights and try to spot some celebrities. I'll be pretty busy until the second week when I'm hoping to go with Melissa (who is coming in 10 days!). We're planning to line up early in the morning to get some grounds passes. By that time there won't be much exciting going down on the smaller courts but since I don't follow tennis I'm really only going for the atmosphere, including strawberries and cream. I was going to camp out overnight one night to try for better tickets but the scheduling didn't work out...it's enough to queue up at 6am! I'll keep you posted if I see any celebs around.

week in pictures

I've been a little busy. Good busy, but busy. Last weekend I was away in Portsmouth with my church for a fun and refreshing weekend. This week I was in Oxford a couple nights for work meetings. Last night I went to my first cricket match and today I had lunch with a friend, watched Shrek the Third and had dinner with friends. Phew...and it's not really going to slow down for awhile. Here are some pictures to summarize.
Me and my friend Erin in the harbor of Portsmouth, on England's southern coast. From here they have a hovercraft to the Isle of Wight and ferries to France. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, we had dinner here on Wednesday. A cute thatched roof cottage in Oxford... We also went to the Turf Tavern in Oxford. Apparently it's one of the oldest pubs in Oxford and used to be frequented by Bill Clinton. The Oval cricket grounds in London. Surrey vs. Middlesex. At first I had absolutely no idea what was going on but once I learned how teams score it was much more fun and I have to say I was pretty into it by the end of the match! I was excited to see that the English do the wave at sporting events...although they have their own twist on it. It's just like the American version only they throw trash up in the air when they stand up. Eww.Me, Wakako and Eleanor at our first cricket match! I don't think I'll turn into a huge fan but it was a good time.

Chocolate

I love chocolate...but did you know that nearly half of the world's chocolate is made in the Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa? Over 12,000 children have been trafficked into cocoa plantations there to make our chocolate.

Here are a list of traffic-free chocolate brands you can buy. Most of them are UK brands but if you live in the States just buy fair trade! Click here to find out more.

quiet lately

I know I've been quiet lately...I'll have an update soon. For now I'm up to 10,000 page views.

Big Brother?

Lately I've been really missing having a car! I like cars in general and it would be so nice to just jump in the car and go to the store or drive anywhere I want. There are a few things holding me back from getting one. First, I am saving a lot of money by not having one and I'm not sure the cost is worth how much I would use it. Second, my license will only last for a year then I have to take driving lessons and get a brand new license. Ugh! And last, but not least - they have speed cameras here. I've had my share of speeding tickets and am always on the lookout for cop cars when I am driving, but here there are cameras everywhere! A colleague said she got a ticket in the mail with a picture of her and her husband in the car that was so clear it made her shudder.

According to this article "there are more than 4.2m CCTV cameras, with the average person being filmed more than 300 times a day" in Britain. Rumor is that the UK is one of the most watched countries and now they are experimenting with installing listening devices as well.

Not only does the UK have a lot of surveillance cameras, people here are obsessed with the TV show "Big Brother." I've even come across several shows on cable that are commentaries on the Big Brother show itself. They're like accessories for a TV show. You can even watch cameras from the house 24/7 online or on cable.

Yikes...there are some crazy people over here. (Not my friends of course!)

the list

It's time to re-visit my list. Of the 5 things I want to do before I'm 30, I can now cross another one of the list - I went to the French Riviera! Thursday I headed to Nice with my friend from school, Ryan (thanks for being a great tour guide and translator!). We also went to Cannes and Monaco while we were there. It was awesome! If I loved France after visiting Paris this only makes me love it more.

The weather was beautiful- it was sunny almost all the time. Of course, I love anywhere with a beach and palm trees. The old buildings there are so cute! I loved all the different colors and the shutters on the windows. Combined with the blue of the water the colors make for beautiful pictures. I also love France for the cafe culture and the great food! You can't go wrong with Nutella crepes :) And finally, I'd say my favorite thing was para-sailing in Cannes. Unfortunately I didn't really get any pictures because I didn't want to risk it with my new camera, but it was gorgeous, and so relaxing! I figured it would be the perfect way to check off my list.

I created a new web-page on my Mac with all the pictures (slightly abridged version). It's much easier than web-shots and you can make it more personal. Check it out here.

milestone #2

We'll see how long I can keep it going but I've been writing this blog for a little over a year. Sometimes I don't have much to say so you may get bored of checking back for updates. (Check out Google Reader to eliminate this problem.)

Not surprisingly most of my readers are in Cincinnati but there are a few more interesting locations as well. I've had some readers in Mason, Columbus, Nashville, New York, California, Michigan, Oxford, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Ireland. I also have regular readers in London and surrounding areas. I'm pretty sure I've become more famous since I left Cincinnati because people I rarely talked to at home come up to me when I'm back and tell me they've been reading my blog. (Don't worry Heidi, I don't think you're stalking me!)

I'm no Steve Carr but I get an average of 20 visits per day and my number of page views is approaching 10,000! My unique visits aren't that high but I'm getting there. Currently I'm at 9,801 views. Maybe I should offer a prize for the 10,000th view. Nah- you'll just have to keep reading because you like me.

a Notting Hill weekend

This weekend my friend Ryan from LA came to London to visit! Saturday was a beautiful day and we went to Kew Gardens. We walked all over the grounds which were really pretty. I got some great pictures but unfortunately I spilled water on my camera part way through our walk and now the camera won't turn on! Once I get the pictures off I will post them. After Kew we headed to Notting Hill and Portabello Road market.

While we were there we decided to hunt down a few of the landmarks from the moving, "Notting Hill." First we found the original travel book shop. This was the one used as the model for the actual store used in the movie. The inside looked a lot like the one in the movie. (I got these pictures off my camera phone). Then we headed to find the blue door a few streets down. It's no longer painted blue because too many people were knocking on the door, but we found it anyway!On Sunday we went to the Southbank to visit the Tate Modern and see Othello at Shakespeare's Globe. The play was amazing, although I have to admit if I hadn't read the synopsis beforehand I would have been very lost. The actor who played Iago, the main villain in the story, was actually an actor from Notting Hill! He was the husband of the lady in the wheelchair. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but it was definitely him.

We didn't see Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts but it was still a Notting Hill weekend...

Emily's summer concert series

My summer concert spree started last night with Dave Matthews Band at Wembley Arena. I've been seeing Dave Matthews live for about 10 years now but I still love it every time. I have great difficulty narrowing down my Top 5 or Top 10 bands but I know DMB would definitely make the Top 5 (although I'm not sure which position they would hold there). London was the last stop on their European tour, how could I not go?

We met a few American guys in the tube who were also going to the show. They had just graduated from college and were backpacking through Europe. Steph enjoyed pulling out her southern accent when we were talking to them! There was also another girl on the tube going to the concert. You know how I could tell? She was wearing a Dave Matthews T-shirt! That is a serious no-no. You can't wear the band's t-shirt to their own concert. Well, I take that back, maybe if you're under 14 years old you can get away with it.

Last night the band was accompanied by some extra instruments including a keyboard, trumpet and Tom Morello on guitar. The setlist included some new songs and a lot of classics. I particularly enjoyed the amazing version of Louisiana Bayou and You Might Die Tryin'. They also played some of my favorites like When the World Ends and Lie in our Graves. Most of the other songs were from Crash, Before These Crowded Streets and The Best of What's Around.

Next up, Snow Patrol, another band in my Top 5! Maybe if I get ambitious I'll work on nailing down my top 10. I don't think I can do Top 5, that would be too difficult and it might break my heart to leave people out.

a very English weekend

Saturday I went on a walk in the English countryside with some girls from church. I think going on walks is a very English thing to do. In America we go on walks around parks or around the neighborhood, but we don't generally organize social events around walks. Here it seems pretty common to go out in the country for long walks. Anyway, I was pretty disoriented as far as what direction we were walking, but I know we walked about 17k from Farham to Guildford. We also stopped along the way for a pub lunch and tea and cakes. You can see more pictures here.It's also an English weekend because it's been raining. It's a bank holiday weekend (any long weekend here is called a bank holiday) and it's somewhat infamous that there is bad weather on holiday weekends. Last week was sunny and in the 70s and now it's cold and rainy. Perfect for watching movies on the couch! I love the feeling on Sunday when you don't have to work on Monday...

a milestone

As scary as change may be, as much as I worry and over-analyze it, I really do find the curveballs that life throws exhilarating. Sometimes I might feel it less than others but deep down it's true. If I had a motto it might be "Life is an adventure."

Well, today may be considered somewhat of a milestone on my journey (at least I feel like it is!). I made a trip to the US embassy because I needed to get additional pages put into my passport! Whoa. I guarantee when I got this passport in 2002 I never dreamed I would fill it up with stamps. If I counted correctly, there are stamps or visas from 14 cities and countries and some of them more than once (although I don't really care if I go to Frankfurt anymore!). A couple, Tokyo and Korea, don't really count because I was only in the airport, but still. I'm sure it's not a lot compared to some people but it's more than I ever expected at this point in my life. I think I have enough pages to get me through a few more weeks at least.

I have Brussels, the Cote d'Azur and Switzerland ahead of me this summer. Life is crazy- keep it coming.

feeling a little green

This won't be news to my [few] London readers, but others may find it interesting that yesterday they covered Trafalgar Square with grass as a part of a tourist campaign. It's only for a limited time and will be taken off today. You can see more pictures here.

something new

Another virgin birth? I learn something new every day...

I also learned they actually make gummy rat candy when I saw it in the snack shop at work. As much as I'm a fan of gummy bears, cherries, worms, etc I can't see myself ever eating a gummy rat. That's pretty much disgusting.

the next level

What's the next level after baking mixes? Ah, yes...refrigerated cookie dough. Isn't America beautiful?

Well guess what? I got some refrigerated cookie dough today! Apparently they sell it at Costco, and maybe Sainsbury. I don't have a Costco membership but a friend at work got me a pack. So I'm about to enjoy a nice, warm chocolate chip cookie made in minutes. Plus I already had a piece of the raw dough.

Life is good.

PS. To my British friends- don't judge me til you try it.

ONE

Check out this speech by BONO, now available in book form, from the National Prayer Breakfast in 2006. The speech and the book are in support of the ONE campaign to end extreme poverty in Africa. It's a good read (even if it does lean a little heavily towards the social justice gospel).

Recap

It's been a great week in Cincinnati! I left London just in time to avoid the rain and have been enjoying the sun and 70 degree weather here. I enjoyed cookouts and eating dinner with my family in the backyard. I enjoyed eating Mexican food, pizza, Cheesecake Factory and BW-3. I had fun driving, going to the Reds game and catching up on Grey's Anatomy and The Office.

I had a great time with friends and family, although one week really isn't enough. It's nice to spend time and catch up with friends who have I have a long history with...although it starts to make me feel old when I think about how long we've known each other and what we've been through together. There is a certain feeling of security and relaxation I feel when I'm at home in the evenings with my family that can't quite be replicated. It was good to be back!

Although I'm not looking forward to the rain, I'm looking forward to seeing my friends in London again...am I allowed to have 2 homes?

photo booth

I'm digging the photo booth on my Mac. You can do some cool effects! Check it out...

as American as baseball and apple pie

I went to the Reds game on Tuesday night. This will probably be my only chance to go this season since people in the UK don't get baseball. That's fine- I think cricket looks ridiculous on TV so I guess we can agree to disagree on some things.

We didn't win but I loved it anyway. I've always enjoyed going to the games. I go partly to watch the baseball and partly for the atmosphere. I love to go and hang out with friends, soak up the sun, listen to the music and the crowd, and eat hot dogs and frosty malts. Sometimes I find myself distracted during the game and miss the big plays until people start to cheer! I especially like that the stadium is beside the river, I think it adds even more "Cincinnati" flavor.

To me baseball games signal summer and relaxation. I'll make my final judgement when I go to a cricket match but I'm pretty sure it can't compare.

I prefer my chocolate with ice cream...

I'm not sure if I've tasted anything better than my mom's homemade ice cream and hot fudge sauce. It is to die for! I like lots of desserts...tiramisu, creme brulee, brownies...but I'm pretty sure nothing beats this hot fudge sauce. I like to have it with a little ice cream. Not ice cream with hot fudge sauce- I mean hot fudge sauce with ice cream. A little ice cream swimming in a bowl of hot fudge sauce. In fact, ice cream is not even necessary. When I get to the end I like to finish off with a spoonful of sauce!

Yeah. It's nice to be home.

Crossover

Meet my new baby...
I've crossed over to the Mac-world with my purchase of a new Macbook. Thanks to Melissa (my favorite teacher and sister) I got a sweet discount and didn't have to pay any taxes! Yippee. Now I can see for myself how much better a Mac really is.

observations on travel

Sitting on the runway at Heathrow I had lots of time to think about travel. Mostly about how I can't believe I used to think flying was so fun and how I should always travel with relaxing herbal supplements. I was also thinking about how great Duty* Free shops are. Airports are a shopper's (or browser's) paradise- at least for a girl like me. There are stores full of sunglasses, watches, make-up, chocolate and perfume. Fortunately I can only buy so many bottles of perfume and I never quite feel like carrying much. Although on my way back to Cincinnati I'm contemplating buying a new watch.

When I arrived in Germany I found myself wanting to say "gracias" to everyone...When I went to Paris a few times I got used to saying "merci." Then I went to Spain twice and had to get out of that habit and switch to "gracias." Now that I was in Germany I had to switch to "danke." I remember when I went to Thailand I knew I wasn't supposed to be speaking English but at the beginning the first thing that popped into my head was Spanish. With all this traveling around it's hard to keep track!

Once I arrived at my hotel I was reminded of two questions I've had over my last few trips. First, why do no European hotels have wash cloths? Do people here not use them? Second, why do all hotels have crappy hair dryers? Usually they are just boxes on the wall with a plastic tube that gives off somewhat warm air with very little power. I've resorted to bringing my own because I can't rely on hotel hair dryers to dry my hair. I should really buy myself a travel size.

My last thought was that it's a fun surprise to get your hotel room upgraded. It's only happened to me twice and this time wasn't that big of a deal. I just got a slightly bigger room with better furniture (and a better hairdryer!) but it was still nice. It reminded me of when I went to Hong Kong I got upgraded to a great room for one night. It was on a floor that needed special key card access and it had an amazing view of Hong Kong Harbor! Now I just need to figure out how to get my flights upgraded.

Maybe I will think of some more mildly interesting observations on my way back to Cincy.

*duty...hehe... (just of the "Friends" episode where duty= doody)

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)

my newest discovery

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It's a Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurry!! What a great idea...of course, McDonalds is a little skimpy on the toppings (I'm sure it would be better if it was a blizzard) but it was still really good. Happy Easter :)

around the town

I had several friends come in town this weekend so it's been a busy time. Yesterday we went to the London Eye and walked all over the West End. It was supposed to be the last of the really nice days for awhile so we thought we should soak it up. The best time was laying in the sun at St. James Park in front of Buckingham Palace. It felt like the rest of the world didn't exist.

Last night we had dinner at Bodeans, one of the only BBQ restaurants in London. We went there because my co-worker from Geneva has been missing barbecue since he moved there. They have great pulled pork, cornbread, chili fries, coleslaw, etc. They also show American sports there. We were also lucky to see the last half of the Xavier vs. OSU game. Wow, that was a crazy last few minutes! Everyone in the place stared at us when we screamed after OSU scored the last 3 pointer. I had decided to root for Xavier since they were the Cincinnati team...fortunately I wasn't really too involved so I wasn't really heartbroken at the end.

Nicknames...

Not only do people in every city here have different accents, some also have different nicknames.

Liverpool = Scousers
Newcastle = Geordies
Manchester = Manks
Birmingham = Brummies

I thought this was interesting since I don't think we really have any nicknames in the US. (I don't think "Cincinnatians" really counts as a nickname for people from Cincinnati.) I haven't heard if London has one...

middle of nowhere

I just spent the last two days in Dorchester-upon-Thames, near Oxford, for training and meetings. Let me just say it was definitely a small, English town in the middle of nowhere, although somewhat charming. Apparently the leader picked it because there wasn't any internet access. Nice.

TV showdown

I used to have NTL Telewest cable here. They were recently acquired by Virgin Media. Apparently the owners of Virgin and the owners of SkyTV are rivals. Telewest cable included SkyOne which is the channel that showed 24. Now SkyTV has taken away the rights to Sky shows from Virgin media so all my Sky channels are blank. That means I'm stuck at 3pm and I don't know what happens next!

Billionaires are feuding over TV rights and now the poor consumers are left hanging with their favorite shows and stuck in the middle of advertising campaigns to get us to stay or switch. Grow up! I want Jack back.

Extreme Home Makeover

This week at church the minister related our lives and the church to Extreme Home Makeover. Think about it...ABC finds a really needy family who is stuck where they are. They live in a house that doesn't suit their needs and are facing unbelievable obstacles due to any number of factors. Then they bring in an amazing team to demolish their house and re-build it from the ground up. Once it's finished the house is a transformed, beautiful, state of the art mansion!

Similarly, God finds us where we are. We are broken and fallen, separated from him and unable to redeem ourselves. Once we accept God he transforms us. It doesn't pan out exactly like Extreme Home Makeover where we end up getting everything we ever wanted...but God restores us into the beautiful works of art he originally created us to be and gives us life as it was intended to be. The only problem is we can't see it all yet- we're still in progress. It doesn't quite happen in 7 days, but God is faithful and he will eventually complete what he began. This could also be applied to the church on a broader scale.

I just wanted to share that because I thought it was a great illustration!

8 sunny days?

It's been sunny for the last 3 days and the forecast says it will be sunny through Friday with highs near 60...can this be too good to be true? Possibly. I'll believe it when I see it, but either way, it was a great weekend! I just relaxed but also got to take some nice walks with Wakako. Saturday afternoon we walked around Wimbledon common and today we walked along the Thames near Hampton Court. It was beautiful!

Hiya

Lot's of people here say "Hiya" instead of "hi." I don't really think anyone in the US says that so I thought I'd say "Hiya!"

It's been a busy week so I'm glad to have a day to relax. I've been out every night of the week with gym, dinner, church, dinner, etc. Yesterday I had to get up really early to get the train and bus to Oxford for work meetings all day. It was a sunny morning though so the drive through the country was nice. I got back just in time to bake some killer brownies and head out to the jazz night we had a church.

It was a great time! It was fun to get dressed up, hear great music and eat lots of food. The band was really good and I had a little crush on the singer. He wasn't quite as cute as Michael Buble but he was still rockin' it. I thought I'd post some pictures of me and my friends since I haven't had any pictures of my church friends before. The first one is my friend Patricia. She's in my small group and we also work out together so we see a lot of each other. The next two are Suzi and Sarah who are also in my small group!

I love Haribo

One of my favorite kinds of candy is gummy bears. If I'm not craving chocolate I prefer gummies.

When I first looked for gummy bears when I got here I couldn't really find any. All I could find was this stuff called Haribo Star mix. It was a combination of regular gummy candy (although in very odd shapes) and other foamy/creamy white gummy candy. At first I was less than impressed, I just wanted my basic gummy bears. This candy is in the shape of coke bottles, rings, hearts and bears. Oh wait, I also forgot the fried egg! It's like they had this creamy white gummy candy and sat around thinking, "What shape can we make with this?" then someone came up with the brilliant idea of a fried egg- a blob of white with a yellow dot in the middle. So the mix of shapes is completely random which put me off initially... But now I admit, I can't get enough.

They also have all kinds of other mixes. My favorite is definitely the cherries which I discovered in Athens but haven't seen in London yet. If you check out the website you'll see they also make PEZ...I bet you didn't know that before today.

Don't mess with success...

Imagine walking down the aisles at the grocery store and not seeing any mixes for cake, brownies, muffins, pancakes, pudding, cookie dough, icing or any other desserts...you might be in the UK! I usually use mixes to bake (although I am capable of cooking without them) so imagine my surprise when I was looking for brownie mixes and cake mixes and instead of finding an aisle full of choices I only found one lousy cake mix.

I mentioned it to a few of my friends here and they quickly gave me a hard time about being an American and using mixes for everything...blah blah blah. Undaunted, I had Mom and Dad bring me over some Bisquick and have been bringing back cookie and brownie mixes with me. So far I have made pancakes for 2 groups of people and everybody loved them. And last night it was our group's turn to bring snacks for church so I baked brownies...everyone was raving about them!

Don't mess with success.

So I use a lot of mixes to bake- if everybody likes them what's the problem? I understand there are certainly merits to baking without them and there are plenty of amazing recipes that couldn't be accomplished with a mix but so far I'm getting along ok with my mixes. I can make it from scratch if need be. Maybe I'll start my own home-making empire like Martha Stewart.

Fun Weekend

This weekend was quite packed but in a good way! Friday night I headed off with my church for a weekend away together. It was a great time of hanging out and getting to know more people away from the city. I really feel blessed by the friends I've made there and I am starting to feel like I have a family here which is great.

But, I accidentally bought concert tickets for the same weekend so I left on Saturday afternoon to see the Fratellis with Ruth! It was a really fun show! We felt hip to be at their show since they were recently voted "Best Breakout Band of the Year" at the Brit awards. I'm not one to be a critic but I would say the performance didn't deviate much from what was recorded on the album but it was still a great show.

Today was also my friend Wakako's birthday (Happy Birthday Wakako!) so I went to her house for lunch with all her friends which was fun. I ate a lot this weekend so I will have to work extra hard at the gym this week!

Faithful

Yesterday was pretty strange weather. I was all excited because it wasn't supposed to rain, unfortunately when I walked to the train station it was rainy and windy. Nothing puts me in a good mood faster than that. But when I was on the train the weather started to turn and I saw a rainbow. It continued to alternate between rain and sun all day.

The rainbow, along with an email from my grandma, reminded me that God is faithful. He never changes even when everything else does.

Today is a beautiful, sunny, blue-sky day!

Guilt trip

I didn't exactly mean to guilt trip you all into emailing me with my last post...but I'll take what I can get! I will do a better job myself of initiating emails with everyone.

Not much else is new. I've been learning some new words but unfortunately can't remember them at the moment. I will try to post some soon.

Otherwise I am feeling that spring is around the corner! Perhaps I am being too optimistic but there was one day last week that was sunny and in the upper 50s. Now its back to rainy and the lower 50s, which is still warmer than Cincinnati I guess. I bought a new trench coat this weekend and am trying to stop wearing my winter coat. I hope I haven't jinxed anything.

While I'm writing a completely random post I'll make a book recommendation. I recently read "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and it was amazing! The writing was fantastic. The imagery was very haunting and there were themes of sacrifice and redemption that really made me think. It's a little bit disturbing at points so be warned (it is set in Afghanistan). The quote on the front cover calls it "Shattering...devastating and inspiring," and I would agree.

When I bought "The Kite Runner" I also bought "Watching the English" which is by an English anthropologist. In it she describes the various rules of English culture that she has discovered. I'm sure that will give me lots of fuel for future posts so stay tuned.

Hang on or let go?

I'm feeling a little bit homesick right now and it's got me thinking, "Is this a time when I'm supposed to hang on or let things go and accept change?" I don't really think the answer is black and white but then again, I don't know what the answer is at all.

I am loving things here. I love my church, I love the friends I'm making and I'm getting to experience lots of great things. But I'm also starting to feel more removed from my friends and community in Cincinnati. I miss Echo, I miss hanging out with my friends and talking to them on the phone. I miss spending time with my family [although the webcam helps with that some]. Is it possible to invest in settling here and making new friends and a new community and still maintain things at home? I think it really just means that things will be different but I'm not quite ready to accept that yet. I want to expand my circle of friendships and community without things changing. I realize I'm re-hashing a classic problem in life but it's how I'm feeling right now. I can't hang on too tightly but completely letting go isn't the answer either. If anyone has the secret formula I'd love to know it, but I doubt it exists.

I think maybe a problem with my blog is that it acts as incomplete communication. I tell lots of people how things are going but I don't really get to talk to them and I don't hear what's going on in their lives. That is what I miss. I might experiment with stopping the blog for awhile to see if I can find a better way to communicate that is a little more fulfilling.

What accent do you have??

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
The South
Boston
The Inland North
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Apokrea

We were lucky enough to be in Athens during the Greek "Mardi Gras" known as Apokrea. When I say "lucky" you may pick up on a little bit of sarcasm. This link describes the atmosphere, particularly on the last two weekends (we were there on the last weekend). The main thing to note is that the streets are packed with people dressed up in costumes and partying*. The bonus is that they are all carrying plastic clubs. They look like cave man clubs but they are brightly colored plastic.

The article states it is tradition to hit each other on the head with the clubs. I did not find this to be the case...well, not exactly. It was more often that guys of all ages were hitting girls on the [to put it nicely] bottoms. I got hit by 3 year old boys with their moms and by men of all ages. On the other hand, the guy friend I was with could count on one hand the number of times he was hit. The article also states that "They don't hurt but if you aren't in the mood you may find it irritating after awhile." Well, sometimes it does hurt...and yes, I found it extremely irritating. I wanted to whip out my purse and take them down in the middle of the street, all of the sudden it wouldn't look so socially acceptable to be hitting random strangers. My girlfriends and I also joked about getting tazers to defend ourselves. I can just see it on the news now. I did start hitting them back and yelling at them, it made me feel slightly better.

All in all it was a great weekend. You can see the rest of my pictures here.

*I much prefer eating lots of pancakes!

Pancake day!?

One of my favorite foods is pancakes. So, much to my joy (and surprise) I found out there is a Pancake day in the UK! It's basically the equivalent of Fat Tuesday in the US. The perfect excuse to eat as many pancakes as possible...I love it.

Athens...

I hope you all had a great weekend! I went to Athens for 3 days with some friends. It was a great holiday and I really enjoyed getting out of London for a few days. I was hoping for a little bit warmer and sunnier weather but I was happy that at least it didn't rain. Here's one picture for now - it's me, Shari and Shameka at the Parthenon. More on the trip later...

What I miss...

High temperatures in London right now are about 50 degrees. I'm certainly not going to complain about the fact that I don't have to walk 15-30 minutes to the train station or the store in sub-zero temperatures but I do miss the snow. I also know I'm lucky that I had electricity the last few days and that I didn't have to drive anywhere in the icy conditions...but who doesn't love to have a winter wonderland right next to where they live?

And, of course, and I also miss my awesome sister who took these pictures for me!

Stop the Traffik

Friday night I went to the presentation on human trafficking - Stop the Traffik. It was a very overwhelming evening, sort of like watching Hotel Rwanda or Blood Diamond, only not quite as dramatic. They showed several videos, testimonies and gave lots of statistics. For instance, human trafficking is the 2nd largest source of profit for organized crime, following arms. It used to be the third largest behind arms and drugs. They also tied the fight to stop human trafficking with the abolition of slavery. I don't think most people think that slavery goes on but there are actually more slaves now than there were when the slave trade was originally abolished.

What can we do about it? Well, that's the overwhelming part. Here are a few ideas they suggested:

1. You can sign the petition that they will be presenting to the United Nations and global governments.

2. You can donate money or buy a freedom key. I bought a Freedom Key for 1 pound. It seems like it will take a lot of keys to make a difference.

3. Buy fair trade products.

4. Sponsor a child. People become vulnerable to human trafficking when they are in great povery. Sponsoring children through Compassion or World Vision prevents children and families from becoming vulnerable to trafficking.

5. Get up and do something (that's my way of saying it, not theirs). There are lots of organizations and projects that you can get involved in if you have the time. This is something that I hope to do some day, I'm not sure exactly when and how but I don't think I'll be content giving money to the cause. Here is a cool article about some people making a difference that Kelly passed along to me. Even just raising awareness in your community will help and there are resources on the website to do so.

Okay, I'm stepping off of my soap box for now...but I might get back on it later.

Band geek...

I played in the band at church tonight! It is so great to play with other musicians again. I brought my keyboard with me but it's not always as fun to play by myself. I'd really been missing not playing in a band for the last few years so I am excited to be in a group again. I get so much enjoyment from music.

A few people have told me I'm addicted to concerts...and that might be true. But I could also spend hours online looking for new music. A friend recommended a site to me, www.pandora.com. You can go there and enter songs or bands that you like and they'll build a radio station around the styles you enjoy, not just the genre but the actual musical elements. You should check it out.

more music

Check out the band in the latest iTunes ad, the Fratellis.

They are playing at SXSW and Coachella soon. But before that, I'm going to see them in London.

more pictures

If you aren't tired of looking at my pictures I posted more from my Paris trip. I know at least my mom will want to look at them...

It's all relative

BBC is reporting England's "worst snow this year" is heading in tonight. If you read the article* you'll notice they're talking 2-5 centimeters for Southeast England and up to 15 cm in some areas. Let's see...if I look at my ruler 5 cm is about 2 inches. Whoa! Watch out everybody, a blizzard is coming! Granted, 2 inches is more than the 1/2 inch we got shortly after Christmas. Hey, I'll take what I can get. I'm just jealous of all the snow in Cincinnati right now. I miss the cozy feeling of being snowed in- as long as you don't have anywhere important to go!

*You might notice the article also says to bring along a torch if you have to travel...hehe, that's a flashlight, not a giant, flaming stick.

Blood Diamond

While I was in Paris I saw "Blood Diamond." It was a gripping, powerful movie but very disturbing. I guess I didn't realize how violent it was going to be but some parts of it definitely made me sick to my stomach. It wasn't just watching the scenes but it was thinking about the lives the people were forced to lead. I had a similar reaction to "Hotel Rwanda." Movies about such horrible, real life events often cause me to be overwhelmed by the evil in the world and then feel powerless to do anything about it. I suppose the point is to spur me on to make a difference in every small way I can (and I hope I will take that to heart) but at first it paralyzes me. Times of feeling totally helpless remind that I'm not in control and that praying is the biggest way I can try to make a difference in the world.

It also makes me realize how blessed my life is and reminds me to thank God for everything. When I start complaining about minor annoyances, being stressed at work, or not having any clothes I want to wear I really need to put it into perspective and be thankful. Thankful that I have a place to live, a loving family, great friends and that I don't live every day in fear. Thankful that I have a good job that provides me great opportunities and that I have food to eat. Thankful that I am saved by grace and have hope for the future.

I would recommend the movie but only if you know what you're getting yourself into. (If you want to stick with lighter fare that's fine, too.) At least when I strike it rich and start buying lots of diamonds I'll remember to make sure they aren't conflict diamonds.

What I'm not watching...

I'm not watching the super bowl...I hate to say it but it doesn't start til 11pm here and that means it will go til 4 or 5 am. Sorry, I am not cool enough to be able to stay up that late and work the next day. I'll be rooting for the Colts in my sleep.

What am I watching? I'm going to watch hours 3 and 4 of 24! I decided to watch it on the UK station, but that means I am behind the US by a few weeks. They only showed the first two hours the first week, which was already a week or so behind the US...tonight they are showing the 4th hour. So, I will watch the 3rd hour from last week (I was gone) and the 4th hour tonight. Then I will finally know who gets killed! My bet is on Chloe.

Bonjour!

I'm back in London after a seemingly long week in Paris...it feels like at least a couple weeks that I was gone! It was a fun trip, though. The weather wasn't that great until the weekend, but it didn't matter much since I was inside the hotel every day in training sessions. It was great to meet new co-workers from all over Europe and hang out in Paris. Wednesday night I flew to Frankfurt for a presentation and came back on Thursday night. The meeting went well - I think the additional trip made the week seem even longer. I am glad to be back though, near the end of the week I was getting homesick and feeling way out of my comfort zone! Here are a few pictures. I'll post the rest on webshots soon.

Me in La Defense looking back towards the rest of the city and the twinkling Eiffel Tower!

On top of the Arc de Triomphe!

The Latin Quarter...

The Sacre Coeur - it was a gorgeous day!View from the top of the Sacre Coeur. Definitely the coolest views in Paris!