London Calling...

"But I've been 'transitioning' for the past 5 years..."

2008-12-26T17:57:00.007Z

Did you ever notice that “transition” has the word “sit” in it? I find that ironic. Or maybe it is poetically perfect, given that sitting is just about all I seem to be doing: sitting and debating.

The thought process behind making a massive decision is one that we usually keep to ourselves. People don’t go around publicly hashing out their options and how they are feeling about the repercussions of their actions. We do this privately, with ourselves and perhaps a few close friends; and then make a public declaration of our decision after it has been made. Tim has done this. I, however, don’t think I can. I don’t think I can do much these days. I have a huge choice to make: move with my dear friends, my adopted family to the USA or stay in London and look for a new job/place to live. I’ve been going over this, talking about it, losing sleep over it for weeks. It’s haunting me, it’s consuming me, it’s killing me. It is all I think about.

My head hurts.

I could leave my church, to be honest…even though I adore it. I could leave it. I haven’t been that involved for the past month or so anyway; so it wouldn’t be this big thing, I think. I never really see my friends anymore. If I stayed, I’d probably just work all the time and save money. True, there would probably be the occasional Friday evening meet-up with Nicky and her other half Ben, or a weekend away visiting my friends in Northern Ireland; but I would most likely get pretty lonely. But I would be getting rich whilst being lonely, and I think that’s a fair trade-off. And it could just be for a year. But then, I want to be in London long-term, and if there’s a time to go back to the States for a couple years, it’s now. But it’s definitely harder to move back here once I’ve gone back to the States. Although—I did it once; I can do it again, right? And does that really mean that I’ll never live in America again?? Without knowing that she was saying it, my sister mentioned—twice—how I was going to miss my nephew’s childhood if I stayed here, and how he wouldn’t know me. Brutal. But kind of true.

But how am I going to MAKE MONEY in the States? What suck-away-your-soul-and-any-lingering-dignity job am I going to find that allows me to save up enough money to move to London, England, in a year or two? I am not ready to be done with London! But then, I may never be.

“Fear not, for I bring you good news of great joy…” Fear not... Fear not... Whatever I do, I will be taken care of. Whatever I do, I will be ok.

But I will be in different places, surrounded by different people and different things. I will be on different paths. I will be headed in different directions. I know that this decision is going to impact my life; it’s going to change things in a big way and probably irreparably, and the weight of that fact is crushing me.

I am completely at a loss. Leave the people I love to stay in London, or leave the first place I’ve ever felt at home in my entire life to be with my friends? I cannot imagine living with anyone other than Tim and Jamie. I cannot imagine living anywhere other than London. Unfortunately, one of those nightmares is about to come true.

But which one?

In any event, Happy Boxing Day.

Browsers, Blog hosts, and...Hobbitses?

2008-12-04T22:33:00.008Z

So, my regular browser hasn't been letting me access Blogger for a couple weeks; I've had to switch to Safari to even log in today. Methinks it may have to become my new default browser, but for some reason I feel like I am betraying the ol' Tried and True, you know?

Why is this a problem for me? Normal people don't wrestle with things like this, do they? [sigh]

Anyway, all I have time to post right now is a YouTube gem I found through Twingly whilst shopping around for new blog hosts. Enjoy it, and revel in your nerd-osity. I did.

What? It makes me laugh, ok? Also, check out The Office remix... which coincides nicely with my recent obsession over all things Office.

And by "Office" I mean "John Krasinski."

Viva La Revolution!

2008-11-04T23:49:00.004Z

So, I was at The Yoga Show this past weekend when a slight, balding guy in white walked up to me as I was browsing the reading materials presented at his booth and asked,

“Would you like to be a part of our world-wide peace revolution?”

Now, while I didn’t agree to be a member of his specific group [although he was very sweet and gave me a free badge, the giant crystal in the middle of a circle of cushions—“the Sacred Space” as it were—turned me off]; the more I thought about it, the more I though, Yes! That is exactly what I am looking to become a part of! And—if I may bring my personal faith into it—I feel that it is my responsibility, my duty, to bring about just that: a world-wide peace revolution! And while we will never fully bring about that dream, we can at least make strides in the right direction. Strides away from oppression perpetrated by willing ignorance, away from egotism and delusions of immortality.

I was searching for something amongst my old journals the other day, and happened upon a desperate scribbling about my generation’s lack of innovators. In fact, one entire page is simply the question, “Where are all the revolutionaries?!” in big, dark letters. As much as I shy away from talking politics (despite England trying in earnest to break me of that), I have to admit the topic of revolution brings to mind the person of Barack Obama. If elected, is he going to accomplish all that he has promised during his campaign? Of course not! I’m a realist: the man is not “the Messiah,” not the be-all-and-end-all…he’s just a man. But while watching him debate and listening to his speeches, some of my optimism has been renewed. Many people have likened him to JFK or his brother Bobby; and while I’m not sure about going quite that far, there is definitely some Kennedy-esque electricity about him. Obama is charismatic, he is charming and disarming. He is the kind of orator that makes the common man get excited about governmental issues—no small feat! He has his draw-backs, his bad habits and dirty little secrets. I expect no less from any politician; but even tempered with that reality there is something very exciting about the possibility of being a part of history, being a part of a movement that inspires me. Being a part of a world-wide revolution.

Take A Look, It's In A Book...

2008-10-28T00:09:00.004Z

I visited the British Library for the first time on Saturday, and it absolutely BLEW my MIND! First of all, I can’t for the life of me understand how I’ve lived in London for two years and never visited the British Library. I mean, the British Museum is probably my favourite place in the city; and the Library is the Museum of books! And we all know how I feel about books, right? So why this weekend was my maiden voyage through those wrought-iron gates I do not know. But anyway. This place was ridiculous; it was borderline surreal. In one glass case—one case!—were all these original manuscripts, most handwritten…Beowulf, Bronte, Lewis Carroll, Plath, Hughes, Jane Austen’s final two chapters of Persuasion displayed on her writing desk!!! This place has the MAGNA CARTA, for crying out loud! And the Codex Sinaiticus! I saw Beethoven’s tuning fork, a house drawn by William Shakespeare, Beatles’ lyrics scribbled on the back of a birthday card, and one of De Vinci’s sketch books. I could go on and on...and we only visited ONE ROOM! Ok, enough. Enough nerdy joy, enough exclamation points. :)

ANYWAY

All this to say…I love London. I love free museums and accessible public transportation and corner shops. I love daily free papers and internet grocery shopping and the possibility of running into Jamie Oliver on the street. I just…I love it. ♥

What I do NOT love is flippin' sunset at 4.15 pm! [sigh] Blasted winter...

[Song]birds of Paradise

2008-10-19T22:52:00.003+01:00

Last month I saw Sarah Howells perform at The Basement Door in Richmond (brainchild of my friend Katie Thompson), and I was blown away. She is petite, witty, and one-half of the band Halflight.

I am a little in love with the track “Lifelight”—although I find it awkwardly titled, considering the band name. Ah well… [shrugs]

I feel the need to also direct you to my lovely friend Mel's music site, since we’re promoting singer/songwriters today. She is truly fabulous! Plus, she has an amazing heart for social justice; and as a result her material is incredibly pertinent…it’s about REAL life and REAL issues. (Also, it sounds really good!) What are you waiting for? Give ‘er a listen!

The Pizza Man Always Rings Twice?

2008-10-10T15:12:00.006+01:00

In the UK this week there have been reports aplenty that Pizza Hut is undergoing a major re-branding. They are changing the menu, the restaurant interior, and—can you believe it—even the name! Out of the dust and rubble of stuffed-crust dreams, “book it!” cards, and personal pan pizzas comes...Pasta Hut!

Now, after some internet research I’ve discovered that, in the States, Pizza Hut announced this name change last April Fool’s Day; but later rescinded, saying it was a promotional stunt to broadcast its new Tuncani pasta dishes. Scott Bergren, president and CEO of Pizza Hut, said: "The launch of Tuscani Pastas marks a new day for Pizza Hut, and what better way to grab people's attention than with some tomfoolery. We committed a tremendous amount of resources to our Pasta Hut hijinx, including new signage on our corporate headquarters, a national ad campaign and a re-branding of our web site. We believe these efforts show our true level of excitement about these new pasta offerings from Pizza Hut."

So, could PH possibly be trying to pull the same prank twice?! If so, shame on them! You can’t think of any original ways to generating buzz so you think, “Hey! Remember that bit we did a couple of months ago about changing our name? That worked well—why don’t we just try that again?” I mean, come on, guys…doesn’t it kinda take the fun out of it if we see it coming? And if not, all this talk about “tomfoolery” and “hijinx” is going to be really embarrassing for them.

(And more than a little anti-climactic, no?)

Treasure Today

2008-10-08T13:41:00.006+01:00

Today (right now, actually) is the funeral of my co-worker and friend, Anna Salhani.

Newspaper article: "'Caring' women die in car crash"

I will never forget hearing those words from the other end of the telephone: “they’re dead.” I never thought that two little non-tangible words could literally knock the wind out of me. Please remember Mercy and Anna’s families during this unimaginable time.

You just never know, do you? You never know when your last “today” will be...

From the heart and off-the-cuff

2008-10-05T22:22:00.011+01:00

It is with abundant amounts of shame that I return to you. Clearly, a year and a half of not blogging is unacceptable behavior. In fact, it breaks the cardinal rule of blogging: Thou shalt blog regularly or not at all. That said, I am hoping to keep up with this on a slightly more regular basis, but I am too self aware to promise anything. No comments from the peanut gallery, please.
I wrote this a week ago out of nowhere. Actually, I was thinking about childhood and how amusing it would be to have a movie scene at a playground with a woman talking to an infant as if they were another adult. (Tina Fey played her in my mind—very dry delivery, very funny!) I sort of started writing it as a script; but then it morphed from that to what I wish I had known, and what I still needed to be reminded of daily. This epistle to the little ones in my life, somehow, is the final product. And seeing as Olyvia has just celebrated her third (THIRD!) birthday, I thought I would post this instead of keeping it trapped in the My Documents folder forever (with the rest of my unsolicited ramblings).

To children everywhere,

Enjoy this, really. Enjoy being this age. Because before you know it your life will be complicated…really complicated. It will be a heaving mass of jobs and relationships and money and stress. And no one ever tells you that when you’re a kid. You exist in this deluded world where grown-ups are all fabulously happy and functional and live to throw New Year’s parties and bake cookies and kiss on the mouth. If you asked a 7-year-old what he wanted to be when he grew up, he wouldn’t answer you with anything about being able to maintain a healthy relationship and pay off his mortgage. But a 37-year-old? Well, that’s just about all he’s thinking about. That, and his impending mid-life crisis. Does anyone grow up thinking they’ll become the crazy homeless man that is always shouting about Florida falling into the ocean? No, but someone does just that.

When did it all get so screwed up? At what age does all the magic get sucked right out of being alive?

Please promise me to at least make an attempt to retain some of your wonder about the world. Life is not all bad, despite what your observations will lead you to believe. People are flawed, yes. They let you down, they lie, they cheat, they think of only themselves; some even do things that will make you feel sick in the pit of your stomach. But you will, too—you’ll disappoint people that you love, you’ll do things that you’re ashamed of, you will make decisions that you’ll obsess over for the rest of your life (not too many, I hope; but inevitably one or two). Because—and here’s where you may feel defensive, but hear me out—you will be just as flawed as everyone else. No matter how much strength of character you have, how strong your will power, or how squeaky-clean your lifestyle (which will be RIDICULOUSLY squeaky-clean…right?? Ok.); you will not be perfect. And not perfect is not perfect is not perfect. Your life won’t be perfect: it won’t always go according to plan; at times it may even be downright tough to get through. The person who is perfect for you will not be perfect, but that doesn’t make them any less perfect for you. Also, adults don’t actually know everything nor do they have it all together. I know: it’s shocking and disturbing and not a fact that you’ll believe right away…or maybe even until your Mom or Dad proves it to you. But even if your parents don’t know everything—and may, on occasion, mess up—they’ve still been around longer than you and have picked up a thing or two, so…you wouldn’t do wrong to listen to what they have to say.

Now, I don’t want you to think that being a grown-up is a total downer. There ARE some fabulous things about the adult life! For example, you can eat ice cream whenever you fancy. Lyvi, you could wear a skirt everyday. Callum, you could have all the brown bread you wanted. You can pick the sugary cereal at the supermarket that doesn’t even pretend to have any nutritional value whatsoever. You can choose what you do all day, where you go, when you go to bed. Yes—you can choose your own bedtime! Crazy, right?! (Although that might be a privilege that some of us should not have…[sheepish grin]) You can travel and see amazing new places and people that you had no idea even existed. You can create a home for yourself, and maybe even share it with someone you really like being around. See? There are lots of things to look forward to.

So, keep reading books with happy words. Try to play outside whenever you can. Keep learning new things and asking “why?” (although maybe not after every sentence). Spend time with people who make you smile and laugh. Eat your vegetables so you can grow big and strong. Give hugs. Get plenty of sleep. Know when to use the word “good” and when to use “well.” Enjoy the sunshine. Love other people, even after they give you reasons not to...because they will. If you want to, go right ahead and sing at the top of your lungs. Do things because YOU want to do them, not because of outside pressure or because of some twisted sense of obligation. Don’t stress yourself out trying to please everyone else…it won’t work, no matter how hard you try. Don’t be ashamed of the things that you enjoy: cheesy music, less-than-critically-acclaimed films, or anything else deemed passé by your peers. In my humble opinion, it is a flagrant waste of time and energy (and oftentimes money) to keep up with the trends…and it has never made me a happier or better person.

Remember, little one: you are a work of art. You are loved. You are someone’s greatest treasure. You are capable; and even when you are not, you have friends and family to support and assist you. You are never alone. You encompass all of my hopes for the future, and I am confident that my faith is not ill-placed.

With all my ♥,
XOXO

[As I was writing this, I realized that there are SO many other pieces of advice I could give...Do you have any that you would offer? I am very interested to see what other people would say. Please feel free to comment.]

You can call me "Monica."

2007-03-12T12:15:00.001Z

I thought I would schlep up some type of post between putting Olyvia down for a nap and going down for one myself... : ) Also—just to give you fair warning—this is going to be a bit of a self-indulgent entry. Although, when you think about it, the entire concept of blogging is pretty self-indulgent. That being said, you and I are both here so....

Tim and Jamie LOVE the TV show “Friends.” Especially Jamie; she’s a fount of “Friends” trivia knowledge, I swear. Well, apparently they were watching it one evening and Lyvi was in the room for some reason. (We try to avoid watching any TV when she’s around. Tim and Jamie are really good parents.) I wasn’t home at the time; I was probably at work. The story goes that every time Courtney Cox came on-screen, Olyvia thought it was me! She doesn’t quite say my name yet (although she CAN; Jamie and I have heard it before), but she does this thing where her voice gets higher and she says a succession of “Beh” sounds. It goes something like, “behBEHbehbuh!” ANYWAY, whenever Monica/Courtney was in a scene, Lyvi would point and “say” my name—as if it was me on the television! Supposedly she did it the whole show, every single time...

Bonjour!

2007-03-03T23:16:00.000Z

No, my picture has not been superimposed on this photo of the Eiffel Tower…

I ACTUALLY WENT TO PARIS!

Ok, let me start from the beginning.
The main reason you haven't heard from me in so long is that I have been working insane amounts of hours at the restaurant for the past two months-- on top of the roughly 36 hours a week I watch Lyvi-- so needless to say I've been pretty run down.

However,

I made up for all of it by taking myself on a city break to Paris! My friend Tara and I were in serious need of some leisure time, and we found a RIDICULOUS deal on the internet for an overnight Paris holiday. I had just worked a weekend of doubles and was able to pay for the flight and hotel with tip money I had been saving up. I was looking forward to my first Wednesday off in a while, and I wasn’t going to be watching Olyvia on Thursday (half term) so...why not spend my two days off in France?

On Tuesday we decided to go, on Wednesday we went, and on Thursday we came home!

Such is the life of a painfully fabulous jetsetter… ; )

For a whole album of pictures from the trip, click here!

Be not afraid...

2007-01-17T12:05:00.000Z

Let me dissuade the fears of any of my [three?] readers, who may be thinking I have already given up my newfound project: I am still doing this. However, the camera is not.

That is to say, we've run into some technical difficulties. When we get them figured out, I will post a make-up blog entry.

Playtime

2007-01-14T23:45:00.000Z

[Disclaimer: I promise not to overrun this blog with pictures of Olyvia. But, let's face it-- I love this photo... plus, I do spend a significant amount of time with her, so she's bound to turn up in here every once in a while.]

Song: Trip Through Your Wires-- U2

Fabulous Friends

2007-01-14T23:32:00.000Z

You'll have to forgive my delay in posting Saturday's picture. And by "delay" I mean I completely skipped a day. I had pulled an unexpected double shift at work-- a blog post was just not in the cards after that. Also, this picture was taken before Christmas so...another "my bad." My justification there is that one of these beautiful ladies hasn't been in the country since the new year, but I wanted to include her-- or, rather, her image-- in this project without further ado.

Song: Last Request-- Paolo Nutini

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other...

2007-01-12T23:03:00.000Z

Song: City Of Delusion-- Muse (I'm absolutely loving this album right now.)

Read To Me

2007-01-11T23:47:00.000Z

Today's "Picture This" photo...
My little Lyvi loves to read!

Song: Sweet Child Of Mine-- Guns N' Roses

Picture This...

2007-01-10T14:37:00.000Z

So, Tim sent me an email with a link to this guy's blog. He is planning on taking a picture everyday of 2007 and posting it on the internet. I thought it was such a cool idea, I am going to rip it off and use it myself! [It also puts to good use the super neat digital camera I got for Christmas!] Although to make it unique, I'm going to post a song along with each picture.

So, without further ado, I present to you the first photo of my "Picture This" Project...

[It wasn't technically taken in 2007, but you're going to have to cut me some slack at the beginning.]

Song: Light With A Sharpened Edge-- The Used

Thanksgiving Photos

2006-12-18T22:39:00.000Z

Our glorious spread! Yum! And apparently I'm not even trying to hide my excitement.

"The Natives," concentrating very hard on the question posed to them.

"The Pilgrims"....not really concentrating at all.

Here are some long-overdue pictures from our "Thanksgiving dinner" experiment. I can't seem to paste them into the previous post, so now they have one of their own! That was probably the plan all along, the little spotlight-hogging schemers...

Turkey anyone?

2006-11-28T01:04:00.000Z

Ok, ok; I've not kept up on updating this, and I apologize. Honestly, I didn't think there would be so many people up in arms about it! I must be more popular than I thought... ; )

Right. So, happy belated Thanksgiving to all my readers in America! Speaking of…my trial vegetarianism is DEFINITELY over. As much as I love falafels and hummus, I love meat more. [shrugs] But getting back to Thanksgiving: We didn't do anything on Thursday, but on Saturday night Tim and Jamie threw a Come-See-What-Americans-Do-On-Thanksgiving party (both fun AND educational). We had people over in the evening, and we stuffed ourselves in true American fashion! I had sweet potato casserole for the first time, and it was fabulous. [Side note: Jamie has introduced me to the world of the sweet potato, and—I have to say—I’m a fan.] After dinner the group was split into two teams (“The Pilgrims” and “The Natives,” as if you had to ask), and we had a quiz-style conpetition with questions from the holy writings, a.k.a. Jamie’s “Miller Family Thanksgiving Traditions,” while eating pumpkin cheesecake. Needless to say, fun was had by all.

So, what else have I been up to? Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly?), not a whole lot. I did, however, get another job. So, yay for that, right? Other than that, I’ve been watching Olyvia, meandering around London, and reading. I’ve discovered the local library and have gotten into Dean Koontz. I would have read Life Expectancy in a day, until a realized how lame I would feel for reading an entire 550-page book in one day…so I saved the last couple chapters for the next morning. Now I’m reading Velocity. Lyvi really likes books, too; which makes me absolutely ecstatic! She’ll toddle up to me with a book and want me to read it over and over… We must have read Hello, Postman Pat! at least 10 times today; I actually have it memorized at this point. (“In the village of Greendale there’s a postman called Pat. He delivers the mail with Jess, his cat…”)

For all the band-o-philes out there, I’ve discovered some great music since coming over here. Partly just because I live with Tim Miller, the biggest band-o-phile of them all. He made a CD for me which has inadvertently become my London Soundtrack. I listen to it while walking along the Thames, riding the Tube, waiting for the bus. It makes me feel less alone WITHOUT making me feel like I have to entertain anyone but myself. It’s my formless friend. So here, for your listening pleasure, is the current soundtrack to my life:
The Raconteurs [Jack White’s new band] - Broken Boy Soldier
Stars - Your Ex-Love is Dead (I LOOOOOOVE this song!)
The Kooks - Naive
Beth Orton - Worms
Rocky Votolato - White Daisy Passing
Rogue Wave - Publish My Love (this song sounds a little DeathCab-esque)
Derek Webb [one of the guys from Cadman's Call] - Mockingbird
The Subways - Rock & Roll Queen (another one of my FAVS)
Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone With You
The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way
Rogue Wave - California
Rocky Votolato - Portland Is Leaving
Pete Yorn - All At Once (Live)

I'll post some pictures when I figure out how...Blogger seems to be hating on me currently; and considering the hour, I'm in no mood to play detective as to why.
love/hugs/kisses

Markets, Museums, and Martha Stewart

2006-10-24T22:57:00.000+01:00

It has been a busy past few days!

On Friday, as promised, I returned to what may be my new favourite place in London-- The British Museum. I have a feeling I will be visiting it very often. Unfortunately, the exhibit I was really hoping to see was closed that day; so it was a less enthralling trip than my last. But now I have something to look forward to next time, yeah?

[pause] I’m sorry; does someone sound like a ginormous nerd in here…or is it just me?

Anyway, getting back to my rip-roarin’ party of a life: Friday was the museum. On Saturday, Tim, Jamie, Olyvia, and I braved an outdoor market in central London. I feel it’s safe to say the group of us will never be doing THAT again. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun…if you don’t mind a veritable SEA of human bodies, all trying to go in different directions at the same time. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I’m not claustrophobic! Also, if you have a pram, you can bet on not getting anywhere at a speed higher than 3 inches per minute. But Jamie and I did find some great organic/vegetarian food stalls, and I think the two of us may go back some weekend in the future—except we will make sure to get there EARLY in the morning…besides, that’s when Jamie Oliver is rumoured to go! (And we love him.)
Oh, did I mention I’m a vegetarian now? Well, for a week at least. I’m trying it out…a meat-free test drive, if you will. I had my first falafel today and [apart from being WAY FUN to say] I really enjoyed it! Also, I whipped up homemade hummus from scratch the other day. Look at me! I’m a hippie Martha Stewart!
I don’t have to watch Olyvia this week because it’s half-term, and I will admit I find myself missing it! But it’s been good for me to get some cleaning done and run errands and whatnot. That’s what Sunday and Monday were mainly about…that, and general relaxation. Hey, they don’t call it a holiday for nothing, folks!
That brings us up to today. Today we all went to Covent Garden. It was a little too chilly to really enjoy it as much as we could of, but it was still awesome to look at all the booths and watch the street performers. Olyvia had a great time chasing some poor pigeons around! She walks like it’s her J-O-B these days; there’s just no stopping her! I snapped a couple pictures of her in action, and I will hopefully be able to post those soon so you all can see for yourselves.
Well, I had better get to bed as I have a fun-filled family day tomorrow. I am meeting Grandma and Megan in the morning for a day at the science museum! Then, on Thursday, I’m headed to Auntie Heather’s to see her and Laurin (who is working for Heather during half-term) before going back to Bristol with Laurin, Megan, and Cathy for the weekend. Where’s my personal assistant?! My calendar is practically SWAMPED!

That’s what I get for being so cool, I guess… [hair toss] ; ) Juuuust kidding.

I heart history.

2006-10-18T20:51:00.000+01:00

I had an UH-MAZE-ING day today. I'd decided last night to take advantage of my day off and go visit The British Museum. After a leisurely morning, I set off on my adventure. At this point, can I just say how much I L-O-V-E love public transport? It's fantastic. I took the Tube to Manor House, then hopped a bus that took me to Grand Russell Street. Well, I was supposed to be dropped there, but I kind of missed it. Oops! : ) Oh well-- I just ended up seeing more of the surrounding area, which was cool. I was reading a book about London, and the author called it "a walker's paradise;" I'm probably going to have to agree with him. I had worked up something of an appetite during the adventure thus far, and was overjoyed to find-- just across the street from the museum-- a safe haven, heaven on earth, warm and comforting as a mother's embrace, my Mecca....STARBUCKS. [sigh] It was my first 'Bucks experience since the States and, let me tell you, it was magical. Ok, ok...maybe I'm being slightly overdramatic, but, seriously-- have you met me?? It was nice and familiar, however; despite the fact that the employee didn't speak English as his first language AND he mumbled. Awesome.

The Museum itself was incredible. Honestly, it was just so surreal and awe-inspiring that I would have a hard time trying to accurately describe it. I saw the Rosetta Stone, which was pretty mind-blowing. I spent the bulk of my time (roughly 5 hours) looking at the Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Ok, seriously, I think I could look at that stuff every day and not get bored; I am just facinated by it all! There were statues of Ramasses II (believed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus) in amazing condition, considering how unbelievably old they are. I saw mummified cats, crocidiles, falcons...even fish! And, of course, mummified people. Duh.
Another amazing feature of The British Museum is its collection of the Parthenon Sculptures, which is under hot debate. The Reader's Digest version? The Greeks want them back; the British government ain't having it. Regardless of the drama, they are breath-taking pieces of art. It is ridiculous how detailed they are! You could see the veins on the centuar's belly and the strained muscles of the man he's battling-- IN MARBLE! It's insane.
After the museum closed and kicked me out [grumble grumble], I stumbled upon the COOLEST comic book store. I browsed for a little while, but since my financial situation restricts me from buying...well, anything...I left empty-handed. I walked for a bit, grabbed half a hummus salad sandwich at Pret A Manger, and headed off to find a bus stop to Wood Green. And the rest, as they say, is history...

Oh, and did I mention I'm going back on Friday? Because I'm just THAT BIG of a geek.

[sings] "We are faaam-i-ly!"

2006-10-05T15:06:00.000+01:00

Jamie's mother is watching Olyvia for a bit. She's amazing.

So. The coolest thing happened today...
We were all sitting around this morning, waking up (Jamie and I with the help of some good ol' fashioned caffeine) and discussing the up-coming internet grocery order. Yes, Tim and Jamie order their groceries over the internet...I mean, is that cool or what?! Although, it seems to me that that doesn't really jive with Jamie's new hippie lifestyle (apparently having a baby makes you care about preservatives and the ozone and stuff [wink])...but that's a different post all together. ANYWAY, we're sitting around and Jamie says,

"We need to figure out, as a family, what we want to get."

....See that? I'm part of the family. [grins]

"It's all happening..."

2006-10-02T00:02:00.000+01:00

I am here. I am actually, finally, definitely in the Motherland. CRAZY!

The trip over was ok...despite two overweight bags in Cleveland (oh, how I miss my ripped jeans) and a disaster involving a cash machine in Newark. I'm safe; that's what really counts, yeah? Oh, and p.s., I love flying Virgin Atlantic. What can I say? I'm a sucker for packaging... : )
Settling in has pretty much been a breeze-- many thanks to my new housemates Tim and Jamie. I stayed up my whole first day here, even though I hadn't been able to sleep on the plane; so that helped switch my body's sleep schedule quickly. I've been able to do sort of "practice" days with Olyvia, seeing as Tim and/or Jamie has been home every day since I arrived, but tomorrow is my first REAL nanny-ing day. I'm not very nervous, though, because I've decided that Lyvi is the happiest baby in the history of the world. No, really. She is. On a related note, Wednesday is her first birthday! "Yay, Lyvi!" [insert Olyvia clapping for herself here. She likes to do that.]
I felt my first twinges of loneliness yesterday. It's not that I wish I was back in the States, it's just...I don't know. I want to go exploring the area, but I don't feel quite comfortable doing that on my own just yet. It makes me wish I was a guy! If I was a big, strong man NONE of this would be an issue. BOO on you, second X chromosome! [sigh]
On a much lighter note, I spent a WONDERFUL afternoon with my aunt and two cousins that I haven't seen in YEARS. We went out for a lovely lunch at Pizza Express, and then walked around Hempstead Heath. Listening to my [formerly] little cousin Laurin talk about getting bouquets from boys (yes, Laurin, I brought it up AGAIN...I told you, I'm just jealous.), and having "Baby Megan" stand taller than me made me feel OLD. It doesn't feel good, and I've heard it only gets worse... Well, regardless of how out of touch I felt, I still had a fantastic time. One of the things I am most looking forward to about being over here is that I can finally get to know my extended family! And if today was any indication, it'll be the best experience of my life...

One Week To Go!

2006-09-20T04:34:00.000+01:00

Only 7 days left! And since today is basically over, there's really only six.
SIX DAYS...less than a week....

I bought luggage today. It is ridiculously cute. I know, I know-- "attractive" luggage...who knew?

This is really happening, isn't it?

The Countdown Begins

2006-09-12T05:45:00.000+01:00

15 DAYS!

I only have fifteen days before I leave for London!

Yikes.