Fall Behind

We fell behind last night. Yes, that's right, while the US has decided to be difficult and change the clocks on a date that's all their own, the rest of Europe fell behind an hour last night. So, if you were 5 hours behind us, you are now 4. If you were 6, you are now 5. And so on and so forth. Take advantage of it this week by calling us lots, because it will all be back to normal next weekend.

On another note: Ed and Marissa arrived safely Friday morning and we've been having a grand time. Hopefully you'll get a guest blog from them but their time is short, so I make no promises. For now, let's just say we've already had late-night kebabs, spent some time with Jack Welsh and are preparing for John's famous English Fry-up. Life is good.

The Ozzman Cometh

While Jamie searched for our new apartment, I kept very busy.

• I watched England beat France in the Semi-Finals of Rugby World Cup. Exciting, except I somehow ended up with French-Albanians who were very upset. At least we had good kebabs after. Apparently one of the French-Albanians owned the place. I also didn't know where the heck I was.
  
• I attended training for fancy IT stuff in preparation for my new role at work.
• I went to Paris for work from Friday - Monday. Ok - Paris needs elaboration.
  

So I went to Paris to integrate a company into our network. This should have been a walk in the park. Of course it wasn't. I spent the majority of the 4 days closed in a windowless server room. Not to bore you with details, let's just say I was a victim of language barriers, poor documentation, and what I shall politely term laziness.

Nevertheless, I cracked the whip and got everything fixed an in place for Monday morning. Job done.

I did get to watch England lose the Rugby World Cup to South Africa on Saturday. Oh - did I mention the Rugby World Cup final was in Paris? No? Oh. Sorry. Don't get excited- I watched it in a pub. In Colombes. Colombes is just north of La Défense. La Défense is a newer business park in Paris, with the Grand Arche, at the end of the Metro. So I was pretty much in the equivalent of Jersey City. I think Colombes means pigeon.

I did however manage to attract the only Englishman in the pub. He's lived in Paris since 76. We watched and tried to understand what the heck was going on. For those who don't know Rugby, imagine organized Rumble Fumble with lots of punting.

Le Grand Arche (an office building - the scaffolding is actually an elevator shaft):


Sunday afternoon I actually got to be a tourist. I had a Croque Monsieur and a Kronenbourg - and I conversed solely in French with my server! I've discovered that when I need too, I can remember the phrases I need. However, I must compose them, practice, and then speak. Also I need to phrase them so I am answered with Yes, No, or You're Sexy. I guess High School French did stick somewhere.

I decided to visit the cemetery where Oscar Wilde, Molière, Jim Morrison, and Chopin are buried. It was beautiful. When I'm dead, I want people to visit my grave in such a setting. It's morbid, but whatever - where else can you be in a green landscape overlooking Paris, in the company of poets, musicians, writers, and crazy men in ratty Doors t-shirts trying to give you impromptu tours?

A picture of Chopin's Headstone - my 2nd Favorite Composer. Props to anyone who knows my first.


An extra trivia point - lookup Oscar Wilde and Clapham Junction. It'll make you sad, but we live in Clapham.

Speaking of visiting graves, guess who else was there to see Jim Morrison?
Ozzy. Seriously. No kidding. Purple tinted sunglasses and all.
I think he was with one of his sisters. She pet this cat:



Well, Jamie should be here soon so I better put some pants on. Or maybe half pants.

PS Go Flyers! And leave Andy Reid alone - you can't argue with his record.
At least Arsenal is still top of the league. In fact they are playing right now. Currently they are winning 6 - 0. The announcer has said they are playing "Heavenly Football". At least one of my football teams is playing "football from paradise".

My Brother, the Actor

John is working in Paris and I've been home in PA for a little over week now. What a week it has been! My uncle got married last Saturday, which was a blast. Then my parents and I went apartment-hunting in Hoboken and Jersey City. We found a good apartment in a great building in Jersey City. Our lease starts a week after John and I move home, which is perfect timing. Now, if we can only figure out how to get our bed delivered in less than 5 weeks! BUT the best part of this trip has been surprising my brother Eli and seeing him perform in Scapin at LVPA.

I know you will all think I'm just being biased, but the truth is- he is FABULOUS! Everyone agrees. The show itself is leaps and bounds above other high school productions. The actors are so comfortable on stage that the director has allowed them to adlib. You can just tell they're having a great time up there. But Eli as Sylvestre blows me away every time I see it. I've seen it three times and am going to the matinee today. He is so energetic and present. He is free onstage physically and vocally and just lets go. It is an absolute joy to watch and I am unbelievably proud of him!

Congratulations on a great show, Eli!

Walking Through A Mini London Fog

John and I have experienced many amazing things in our almost two years in London, but one of the most fascinating was the London fog last December. It delayed flights, stopped traffic and was truly a sight to see.

This morning I went for a walk in our beautiful common and discovered a sort of mini London fog. It was nowhere near as heavy as last December, but it was quite beautiful. I could hear the children playing long before I could see them. I heard dogs' collars jingling but there were no dogs to be seen. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. I took photos on my mobile but have no idea how to upload them. Sorry, folks. You'll just have to take my word for it- it was pretty damn cool.

I think we've been busy

As I listen to the Eagles struggle to reclaim their fire, read about the Phillies post season collapse, and watch Fiji lose the Rugby World cup quarter final (don't ask) I find solace in the fact that Arsenal is #1. However, I'm bringing my Philly attitude to the Premiership just in case.

Last weekend I brought Jamie with me to Madrid. I worked in the Madrid office on Friday while Jamie explored the museums and shopped. We had a lovely dinner with people from the office - in lovely Spanish style we finished dessert after midnight! Jamie then acted as my Madrid tour guide. We went to the modern art museum and took a walk in the park - complete with a romantic row boat excursion on the lake. It was a wonderful weekend - hopefully we'll get one more Euro weekend under our belts before moving home. Here are some Madrid Highlights:
Cat in the drain:


John Rowing on the Lake:


A Duck in the Lake:

Museum of Ham:



This past Friday I went to Paris for work. It sounds more glamorous that it actually was - I caught the 5:30 AM Eurostar and sat in their server room all day with technicians who speak English as well as I speak French. At least I got to practice French again. I caught the 7:20 PM Eurostar home and sat down on my couch by 10 PM. I do get to back for a long weekend for a major project in two weeks, hopefully I'll have some time explore!

My work football team is currently kicking ass and taking names in our new league. It's a PR league, so we play our competitors. The best part is that our first 2 games we couldn't field all 5 players due to work conflicts and illness, so we recruited two 14 year old boys to cover - they're the ref's sons. One of the kids actually scored the winning goal in one of our matches. They were crushed last week when we told them we didn't need them since our full team showed. We agreed to use them as Subs if we got far enough ahead in a match.

Jamie and I saw Cooper again last week. We're proud to announce he is completely normal - he has the right number of everything and is a normal length and weight. No pictures though, he was a bit shy during that part. I think we need to get a release form from his agent before we can take more pictures.