Jamie and John in Brixton

We didn't spend the whole weekend in Brixton, but that was the scene of our first adventurous encounter with the Bus System of London. Saturday afternoon we went to The Ritzy Cinema in Brixton to see Brokeback Mountain. We took the bus. The trip there was well-planned and well-executed. The trip home, however, was a different story. We exited the theatre around 6PM and it was dark. We crossed to the side of the street that was opposite the side where we had exited our bus. Our bus arrived. It was a double-decker and I was thrilled! We went upstairs and sat in the front- we had a great view! About ten minutes into our ride we began to think we may have been going the wrong way. Five minutes later, we saw a bus that said "Clapham Common" going in the other direction. Silly us! We had forgotten that the bus system here makes no sense at all! We had to disembark and wait fifteen minutes in the cold for our bus- only to go back the way we came. Yes, it was a pain in the butt, but we learned to always check the map and make sure you are at the correct lettered bus stop and we got to know Brixton quite well. After that, we met Americans Myke and Drew and Australian Steve, all of whom work for Y&R in some capacity) at one of the oldest pubs in London, The Lamb and Flag. That was cool- it was sort of hidden away in Covent Garden and you could tell it was really old. They have a great tradition that we think we should get McKennas to start. When one of their regulars leaves London, they get a plaque with their name on it somewhere on the bar. We should totally have a plaque at McKennas! After a few drinks, we headed to China Town for some food and more beer. We stayed out until almost 1:00! And while the tube stops running around midnight, there's a bus that goes straight from Covent Garden to Clapham, so we hopped on that and rode all the way home (on the second tier of course!)

And for those of you keeping track: we finally got the screws for our kitchen table! AND we went to The Royal Oak Friday night. This is the place we were hoping would be our place. It was cool enough and worth another go, but we weren't blown away. So, the search continues...

Finally, our Ocean Shipment is scheduled to arrive in the UK today. That means we should have our bed and couch within the week. This is good news because I'm getting about ready to slash our air mattress into tiny bits! Keep your fingers crossed that all of our stuff made it and nothing extra went to storage- we'll keep you posted...

Photos of Our Flat

We tried to post photos of our flat but it would take forever and I just don't have the patience for it! If you haven't received our Kodak Gallery invitation to view the photos and would like to, please email me and I will send it to you.

Not much new to report except that I called to get home delivery of The Times today and they said they don't have a Newsagent in our area! What kind of paper can't deliver all over its reading area? She assured me she would notify me if they ever start delivery to my area. Now I have to find another paper worth reading (a lot of them are garbage) and hope they deliver!

We are heading to The Royal Oak tomorrow night. This is the pub that we think might be OUR place. We'll let you know how it goes---

No exclamation point?

Thought I would break the trend.

Saturday I went out to buy screws so we can hang our new curtain rods. This turned out to be a good decision, as I found "Worth-It" merchandise at Woolworths. A frying pan for 1 pound? SOLD. A small little pot for 3 pounds? SOLD. Of course, why does a pot with only a 1/4 the volume of a pan cost 3 times as much? I have no idea. Maybe they need to hire special craftsmen with tiny hands to pour the molten steel into the mold in the factory in Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan has a cool ruler - Ed pointed him out to me (on the street). He renamed bread after his mother and makes doctors take an oath to him instead of Hippocrates. He isn't even in the crazy aisle, he's got his own store. I wonder if he just does this to see how long he can get away with it. Look him up.

Saturday saw my first session at the gym - I had an instructor create a program for me. Apparently in British English that means to try make you throw up. I'm learning so many idioms here! I went back tonight and did ok. They have the same guys as in the US who just sit on the machines. Oh they're using them, just resting between sets. For 5 minutes. 5 MINUTES. The guy who kicked my ass said to only wait 30 seconds between sets. By the way, I have a new respect for my brother Mike - JV National Crew champ. I use the rowing machine to "warm up" or as I call it "die".

We went out for New British Food with another ex-pat and his girlfriend on Saturday night. I had Braised Ox-Tail on the bone. It was good. New British means French with stuff bought around the corner.

Sunday we went to church. I really liked the service. However, there are never any people our age. And I think we sat in some old lady's seat, but she wouldn't say anything. The service was at 11 - Hang-Over service. There's another one at 6:30 PM - that's the I've been puking until 4 service.

Speaking of vomit - We have seen more vomit on the street and on public transportation in the last 2 weeks than I have seen anywhere in NYC, including my own. I guess people are worried they won't get tanked by 11 so they sprint for finish.

Speaking of drunk - We found a BBQ joint down the road from us that plays North American sports so we got to see the first half of the AFC championship game. That was a lot of fun and the full rack of baby-back ribs I had was suprisingly good! I did the "pig out for a tenner" deal. Jamie had some chicken thing. We finished it off with some good ol' English Apple Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream. The buffalo wings were not what we expected. They were good, but not buffalo wings by any stretch. First off, you got thigh, shin, and claw all together. If you're still with me, they didn't really spice it up for "hot" either. So we tore them apart and ate it - I liked it, just don't call em buffalo wings if you can't get Frank's Red Hot.

Oh yeah - the drunk part - I pose a theorem that anywhere you go to watch Football (American) there will be some wicked drunk guy (American) embarrassing himself and his friends. "GO DONKEYS!!"

By the way, we needed wall anchors for the curtain rods. I thought that it was too easy driving the screws in with a pocket-knife screwdriver. Found a DIY store (hardware for those keeping track) that we need to visit.

Off to bed.
G'night.

Lesson learned and Jamie saw a show

Hello, Everyone-

Before I discuss the show I saw last night I want to share with you something John and I learned yesterday. While having other people pack up all of your stuff for you may sound like a great plan, it is not necessarily the best way to ensure that everything arrives where and when it should. We received our Air Shipment yesterday, but half of it was missing. Where are my pots and pans? my glasses? my underwear and socks? And why do we have 25 shot glasses that were all supposed to be in storage? Those are just a few of the questions to which we have no answers. Hopefully the things that were missing are coming in the Ocean shipment. If not, they are sitting in a storage facility in New Jersey. The lesson here? You can't just label everything and expect people to follow your instructions. You have to watch every word they write on every box OR pack it all yourself.

The good news is: THE SUN IS OUT!!!! And it has been for three hours!!!

So, I'd like to take a moment to tell you about the show I saw last night. I saw "O Go My Man" by Stella Feehily at the Royal Court Theatre. The play is about couples in Dublin who cheat, break up, etc. Its basic premise is similar to "Closer." One of the characters is even a photographer. But that's where the similarities stop.

In my opinion, this play tried to be bigger than it was. It could be an entertaining play about relationships and people and what happens when you are stuck in a loveless relationship and give into temptation. The characters, for the most part, are interesting. Their relationships are typical and the outcome hopeful. But, the playwright has tried to make it more. One of the characters is an War Correspondent who becomes obsessed with a village in Africa after he witnesses the aftermath of a massacre there. This village massacre haunts his dreams and his life. A fund raising effort for Africa also provides a way for a Producer (the least developed of the characters) to distract the press from a scandal. One of the characters even says that her life seems so miniscule when faced with the horrors of the world. Why is all of this a problem?

Well, I stopped caring about the people in the play. I started thinking about the horrors of the world- the massacres, the wars, the human rights abuses, the starvation- and I didn't care if the characters got what they wanted. I didn't care who loved who or why. I found everyone petty and selfish. Was that the playwright's intention? If so, I don't understand. Why would you want the audience to stop caring about what happens to your characters? This is not a rhetorical question- I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

On a brighter note- the design concept was intelligent and well-executed. And the sound design included a song off of Eminem's Curtain Call CD- which made me happy! And I had delicious Coffee ice cream at interval. I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy the play, just that it baffled me.

That's all for now- I look forward to your comments and hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Mini-Brothels will soon be legal!

That's right, Ladies and gentlemen!! I read in the paper today that a regulation was passed yesterday that will allow 2-3 women to keep a property where they can sell sex. Now, to be honest, I am not completely clear on the laws. Apparently prostitution and "kerb crawling" are illegal, but a woman is allowed to sell sex on her own. So, my interpretation is that you can't do it on the street, but you can do it in your home. It's apparently an effort to stop young kids from doing it to get a fix. But after this law takes effect, she and another woman will be able to go into business together (with a third woman as their "maid".) There is also a group within the government (the structure of which I still don't fully understand) that would like to have sanctioned Red Light Districts throughout the UK! Just thought I'd share that interesting tidbit with you all. Now onto what's new with us...

Some very exciting things have happened in the past few days! First, John and I joined the gym near our house. I had a session today to design my own fitness program and it went really well. It's very close to our house and while it's a bit more than my YMCA Student membership- it doesn't cost any more than a NY Sports Club Membership. The staff is all friendly and helpful and the equipment is all high quality, but they are replacing it all next month with brand new machines! The only thing is that we have to stick with it, because we paid for the whole year at once. (John, I'm talking to you!)

We also got some good news today: our air shipment will be delivered tomorrow morning! That means we can actually cook meals instead of eating microwave meals every night AND we will have all of our clothes and shoes! We are very happy about this news and look forward to a homecooked meal!

A completely random note: the man who did some repairs to the flat yesterday said "Cheerio" to me- it was my first and it made me smile! Actually, that isn't such a random note. Most of you know that I have been very insecure about how we would be treated here. I was worried that preconceived notions about Americans would taint people's opinions of us. But, I have been pleasantly surprised. Yes, I have encountered a few people who don't like their jobs, so they are rude. But I don't think that has anything to do with my accent! Overall, people have been very friendly and helpful and that has made me slowly more comfortable here. I look forward to making acquaintances and, eventually, friends.

In other news- John's Work Christmas Party is tomorrow. I am not invited, but instead of going out with you guys (which is what I did last time) I am going to a play! I'm going to see O Go My Man by Stella Feehily at the Royal Court Theatre. The Royal Court is celebrating its 50th Year of being a theatre known for New Plays, so I am very excited to see it. I'll let you know how it is!

Finally, we are heading back to Ikea tonight. Two of our items were missing parts! You can either wait 7-10 days for them to be delivered or go to the store and get them yourself. So, that's what we're going to do- wish us luck!

Well, that's probably enough news for now. I hope you are all doing well. We miss you very much and look forward to reading your comments!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARLA!!!! We love you!

Got to sleep in today!

It's John this time - Hello!

I'm having a great time here so far. Jamie and I saw the show last night and jumped out of our seats a couple of times. Jamie wasn't expecting that part of the show! We grabbed a quick bite at Los Locos - it's a "Tex-Mex" Restraunt - Bar - Club. It wasn't too bad for Mexican food - we had quesadillas and nachos. And the happy hour was good too!

Ikea was definitely an experience. First off, you can't get there by tube. They offer directions that were totally out of the way for Jamie and I. However, Jamie being a direct descendant of Magellan was able to chart a course for us. We took our tube line to South Wimbeldon (2nd to last stop) walked to the Morden Street Tram (Tram = Trolly, but on it's own tracks like a commuter rr) to the Shopping Super Centre, home to Ikea, some other store like Home Depot, and a proudly advertised drive through Burger King. It took us about an hour to get there from our house.

Ikea is different than I recall back home - It is more like a Disney Ride - kinda like It's a Small World except 3 hours long. You are guided through the "showroom" where you see the 3-4 brands displayed in different color combinations and themes over and over. Here's a Beech Colored Bedroom, next the White Colored Bedroom. Sorry - Coloured as they say here. You write down everything you want - you can't take it with you. After the showroom tour you are dumped into the Marketplace - or as I like to think - Looting Downtown. Nominally you should follow the arrows on the ground - if you are a brain-dead sheep. How many people looking for kitchen gear need to take a 15 minute tour of curtains?

You make it out of the marketplace -now to pickup the furniture you painstakingly selected from your multitude of choices. Now you grab a flat trolly (shopping cart) and go find your boxes (flat packs). Of course, everyone else who has exited the marketplace gauntlet is searching for their goods as well. Kinda like "Supermarket Showdown" but with giant unwieldy carts and pissed off patrons. Imagine my surprise when finding the location of our new dressers in the warehouse - Aisle 45 Location 03 - to see only empty space. A little note says, "Temporarily Oversold, please see staff for assistance." AWESOME. So we picked a different color since it was there. No big deal right? Same thing for our bookcases, computer desk, and something else I can't remember now. So I seek staff assistance - "Those items will be in sometime next week" Sometime? Can you hold them for me? "No." So how was that assistance? I could've guessed that they'd have a shipment next week, being a major international furniture retailer and all.

Don't get me wrong - We still managed to find a dining table, chairs, a coffee table, drying rack, ironing board, night tables, dressers, yada yada so it was a success. The best part was that we kept our cool the entire time. It's being delivered right now - Jamie just called my temp cell.

Friday night we went out exploring our neighborhood- bit of a pub crawl. We had dinner at the Railway - just across the road from us. Thai food is served upstairs. Then we went to Arch 345 (I don't remember the #, Jamie wrote it down though) It is located under the train tracks in an Arch - it's pretty cool. Then we went to a place called Rinky Dink, which is full of couches and metrosexuals. We had fun sitting and watching. We haven't found "our" bar just yet, but I have a feeling we'll find it soon enough! We then bought some frozen pizza and snacked. The pizza box actually suggested that we prepare a salad while we wait for the oven to preheat.

I should get back to the flat now - Jamie is probably surrounded by flat packs...

John

Currency Conversion is a pain!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Thank you for your comments. We promise to post pictures of the flat as soon as we have internet and we will definitely try all of your suggestions on how to get rid of the damp. I had forgotten that our Air Purifier is on its way via Ocean Shipment- which will help a great deal. (In case you couldn't tell this is Jamie again. John is too busy to write during the day, because he is working very hard at his new job which he loves so far and he can't write at night, because we will not have home internet for another week or so!) But I digress.

Something funny that I forgot to tell you last time is that there was a mini transit strike on our first day here! Yes, we left New York "land of the subway strike" for London "land of the semi-tube strike!" All tube station workers were on strike Monday, which resulted in only a few stations closing (Thank God!) but there are threats that they will all walk out! Wouldn't that be grand?

But what I'd really like to talk about today is currency. I know that this will sound silly to some of you, but I am here to say that a universal international currency similar to the Euro would make International Relocation a much easier process! Yes, yes, I understand the reasons behind every country having their own currency but, if you think about it, it makes travel between countries much more difficult than it has to be. We received our first London bill today, a Council Tax bill, which will of course need to be paid in pounds. However, our money is all in dollars in an American Bank as we have yet to finalize our London bank account due to slowness on their part. So, what are we to do? Yes, we can pay the bill by credit card, but at some point that conversion will have to be made. Every time I take cash out of the American account, I have to do the conversion (and it's kind of a pain in the butt!) Blah-blah- I know I'm ranting and it's probably not as big of a deal as I'm making it out to be, but it's what is on my mind today as I attempt to reconcile our old bills with our new bills. Anyway- I would recommend that anyone who is planning to relocate to another country have a bank account set up before he/she moves. It will make life easier.

Other than that- things are good. I love having a washer/dryer in the kitchen! We are going to try out one or two of the neighborhood pubs tonight, then it's Ikea and "The Woman in Black" Saturday night and exploring our neighborhood on Sunday.

Hope everyone is well- Bye for now!

We have arrived!

11 January 2006

John says "HI from the future" to all our friends and family who are 5 hours behind us.

Well, it's official: Jamie and John have taken up residence in London- Clapham to be exact! We arrived Monday morning around 9AM. The flight was fantastic! If you ever have the chance to fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class- DO IT! After kind of a bum day - our hotel room wasn't ready when we got there, so our nap was very short and the flat wasn't ready when we picked up the keys, so we had to occupy our very tired selves for about two hours- we officially moved into our new flat!

The flat is still fabulous, although I may have exaggerated the size of the closet ever so slightly and being a lower ground flat, it has a bit of a damp smell to it. But- the closet is still HUGE and I am investigating air fresheners to take care of the damp.

Tuesday was an adventure: I went shopping. First I went to the Supermarket, Sainsburys. WOW! I had forgotten how overwhelming it is to walk into an unfamiliar Supermarket and try to find things! Add to that the fact that none of the brands are the same and a lot of what we eat is missing from their inventory and you get a sense of how I was feeling!

A few interesting facts: 1/2 & 1/2 or cream for coffee are not sold here, cheese is not sliced at the deli- it is sold in chunks at the deli- sliced cheese is prepacked and in another section, lunchmeat is sold in 100g (which I'm told is about 6 sandwiches worth of meat,) paper towels are about half the width of ours AND you can buy beer, wine and spirits at the Supermarket!!

After the groceries, I went looking for small household appliances (toaster, coffee pot, microwave, etc.) and other little things for the house. I searched the internet for a place close-by and similar to Bed, Bath and Beyond where we could get it all at once. As far as I can tell, there is nothing like it here- you never appreciate what you have until it's gone! I walked 45 minutes to a store called Dixons which is kind of like a Circuit City only to discover that this was a smaller version of the store and didn't have any of what we needed. Luckily, John had told someone at work about our dilemma and she sent us to Currys. This place is wonderful!! We got every electronic gadget we needed! Saturday we head to Ikea for furniture-ooooohhh!

The best part of Tuesday, however, was that we got our phone line. We weren't sure how much it would cost to call the States, but each of us called home for 2 minutes. It seems silly since we've only been here two days, but it was just nice to hear a familiar voice. I am looking forward to internet service at home. Once we have that, I will feel a little more in touch and will be able to begin my job search.

Bye for now.