Remembrance Sunday

Church was surprisingly good today, including the sermon.

I had to laugh when the assistant minister started off by saying “This is the day the Lord has made”, in somewhat response to the rainy London weather. If someone had said that to me yesterday, while standing in the pouring down and sideways rain, I would not have been amused. But, when you think about it, that phrase would have been just as true on that rainy afternoon as it was on a sunny morning.

I digress. Today is Remembrance Sunday in the UK, and Europe. 11/11 this year marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the Great War, in which 1.1 million Brits lost their lives. That’s 1,100,000 people. Mind boggling.

A member of the US military was there and gave a speech for remembrance, and it was quite good. I liked his line, ‘glorify the warriors, not the war.’ Being in Europe for this day has made me think more about the Wars, and the act of remembrance. In the U.S., I feel like Veterans Day is a forgotten day, which is a shame, when you consider what these men and women did for the safety, security, and liberty of all of us. He quoted part of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (given 19 Nov 1863), and it is fitting for all of us to remember :

… But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain …

Also referenced, and relevant is the passage read from Isaiah 2:1-5, with v4 as follows :

He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

As the speaker said, ‘what we choose to remembers defines us individually and collectively.’

What, and whom, do you choose to remember?

Lord Mayor's Show

Saturday, I braved the rain and went to the Lord Mayor's Show for The City (of London).

From Blue Guide - City Guide: London

"The Lord Mayor is elected each autumn and holds office for one year. The first was in 1189 [819 years ago]; all have been men. [hmph] ... On the second Saturday of November each year, the new Lord Mayor of London processes to the Law Courts to take his oath of office before the judges of the Queen's Bench. The ceremony is an ancient one, dating back to King John's time [1199-1216], and has taken the form of a pageant for over 500 years, originally often travelling by river, but for more than 200 years now by road, using the Lord Mayor's coach designed by Taylor and kept in the Museum of London. Today the show takes the form of a procession from the Law Courts to the Guildhall in the City. Each Lord Mayor chooses a theme, usually relating to trade or contemporary issues."


If there was a theme, I'm not sure what it was other than: rainy, windy, and wet. Also, drum corps, military, and horses.

The website has interesting information on the history, the route, the procession, etc., but I would NOT call this a "grand" fireworks display. For those of you from Cincinnati, it reminded me of the Harvest Home Parade - a big deal to those involved and from the area, but otherwise a let down.

Photos uploaded to Flickr (photo link on top right of blog)

Change Can Happen

Well, it’s a big day in the UK – Guy Fawkes Day – which is actually one of the specific things I remember from senior year high school AP European History. Basically, a foiled attempt to blow up Parliament (fun trivia : as a result, the basement of Parliament is searched every day). There are fireworks (aka bonfires) all over the place, and they’ve been going on for a week or so, and probably will continue for another week. As my landlady said (paraphrasing) ‘this is the only place where people celebrate almost killing their king!’.

Am I out celebrating? Nope. I chose to stay home at watch last night’s The Daily Show : Indecision 2008. That’s right, they’re actually showing on the More 4 channel the episode from Election Night – yeah!!! It was kind of sad for me here as I wasn’t able to celebrate with friends when results came in. All day I sat at my computer with a goofy grin and just an overall great feeling inside. Wow.

Anyway, The Daily Show was good, but the jokes weren’t as strong as usual; well, they got funnier as the show went on. Understandable because it was an emotionally charged night, full of nerves. Interesting how they were reporting state results with only 20-40% reporting – when comparing with the final map with 100% reporting, the early results were about 95% accurate. That’s pretty amazing. Was surprised at how quickly, and almost under his breath, John Stewart announced that Barack Obama was the winner.

The pessimist in me was ‘expecting the worst, hoping for the best’, thus expecting a McCain win and thus preparing to live in France the next 4 years. Thank you for making it appealing for me to move back to the States earlier, if I so choose. (Granted, I also realize I’m less likely to have many of you visiting and staying with me in Paris for extended periods of time!) Anyway, to all of you who voted for Obama/Biden, thank you (thank you Ohio!!!).

A good omen?

My daily calendar quotation for today is :

"Ideals may be beyond our reach but never beyond our fondest hopes." -- EC McKenzie

Here's hoping...

Please vote responsibly

If education is important to you, or health care, or not sending young men and women to war, or social security, or individual freedom, or tolerance, or … please vote Obama/Biden.

If the future of America is important to you, vote Obama/Biden.

If you want an America which your children and grandchildren will love, vote Obama/Biden.

Clear your head of any preconceptions of what you think a Republican is, or what you think a Democrat is. Historical categorization can change. Change is good. Look at the two candidates, their choice of running mates, and determine who you think would be a better leader for our country. Read Obama's views here.

Barack the Vote.

New music

I got the new Lucinda Williams CD, Little Honey, yesterday. It's pretty good, but I found her lyrics to be somewhat upbeat, and I wasn't expecting that. Also, it's nothing that breakthrough great, either. Don't get me wrong, even her 'worst' stuff is 10x better than what most radios are playing and than what most artists are producing. She has a great voice, great music, and her lyrics actually tell stories.

The review from Rolling Stone magazine was good (then again, they seem to give everything a high star ranking)

The BBC review was quite harsh, but more honest, I felt.

Football (American style) ... and Poppies

NFL and Sundays (and a jigsaw puzzle in front of the TV). Life is good. It reminds me of last season when my friends and I would get together in a bar in Boston and watch the Pats play. What a great way to spend a Sunday.

Some comments from watching...

There are no commercials. In place of this, there are other announcers - the British guy looks like he's about 20 and has never gotten dirty in his life. There's another guy, and then Jerry Rice. They're doing a good job. The announcers during play are the same CBS guys you in the States listen to. Kudos to the announcers for wearing poppies* on their lapels.

I don't think I remember hearing the song "God Save the Queen" before - I was surprised that it's the same melody as used in the US song that ends with "...from every mountainside, let freedom ring." (oh, right, My Country Tis of Thee) - is it the same tune? Must google/wiki this.

It's halftime. They're showing clips and there used to be a Europe league or something? They just showed a clip and said "touchdown London." That just sounds wrong. London Monarchs?

* Poppies
An emblem on tombstones to signify eternal sleep. From ancient Greece, to symbolise resurrection after death. In the UK, it is used for wartime rememberance and you see it everywhere now, as we are approaching Rememberance Day on Nov. 11. You can read more here.

The significance is also shown in the poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae, a front line personnel in WWI from the Royal Canadian Army:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

My Current Desktop Wallpaper

My friend posted this: Castro's Favorite Color: My Current Desktop Wallpaper - and I thought it was an interesting post.

So if you click here, you can find what my current desktop is (recently changed from a picture from my holiday in Canada this year). Select October and it should be the first picture, of the Atlantic puffin, or as I call it, 'the flying penguin.'

I love National Geographic. Did you know they have photography contests? And you can order prints/copies of most of their photos?

Future Generator

On the London Transport Museum's website, there is a 'game' called Future Generator. It's a fun and informative way to look at how current choices will shape the future landscape of life in a city. It breaks it into 4 possible scenarios (as listed in my results below). Some of the potential results are interesting - such as playground games will replace electronic games!!!

While the Intro is interesting, it's the same global warming information we're all used to. Skip the Intro if you're on board with saving the environment. Watch it if you're one of those crazy people who think global warming isn't a problem.

There are 16 questions total, given in batches of 4. Interestingly enough, if you 'play' again, some of the questions are different. They're set up somewhat like the Myers-Briggs personality test, that is 'which do you prefer: a or b'. At the end of each set, a pie chart appears showing your 'future.' Be careful though, after question 16, you can click on your results, but you won't see this pie chart again.

I was 17% carbon controlled; 73% local living; 0% energy shock; and 10% always on.

Play the game and let me know your results! Click here

Museums and Opera

Today (Sunday) I am relaxing at home. I had every intention of going to church and then to the British museum, but yesterday was a busy day for me and it is raining / windy / raw today.

So what am I going to do today besides boring chores such as filing, cleaning, and laundry? NFL !!!! You read right. The NFL is playing in London today at Wembley Stadium. Saints v/s Chargers (when will the Pats be over here?). So I’ll be watching this on TV this afternoon and doing a jigsaw puzzle :)

-- Here is a clip from nfl.com about the players’ reactions to being over here (two well-spoken players)

-- This is a clip showing the NFL’s 30 year history of going overseas. Quite hilarious shots in Japan.

Yesterday (Saturday) I went to London’s Transport Museum and really enjoyed it. First though, my complaints. It is a loud museum – when I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the noises – there were speakers everywhere playing sounds of buses, subways, trains, etc. I get it. Transportation is loud. But I don’t need to be assaulted. Also, besides the children’s game of ‘find the numbers and get a stamp on your piece of paper’ game, there was no clear indication of the order in which to walk through the museum. If you did it right (i.e. followed the children’s game), you went in chronological order. Otherwise, if you just wander as I did, you go from the 1800s to the future and then work your way back through the 20th century.

What did I like about it? Well, I always like transportation stuff. The power, the purpose, the machinery. I think it’s part of the reason I so love Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The museum is in the old Flower Market at the edge of Covent Garden and they’ve maintained the building structure and incorporated it well. The old buses and sections of train cars they have are very cool. It reminds me of the Smithsonian American History Museum in DC.

Interesting things I learned / saw : (1) almost every picture of London they had used St. Paul’s Cathedral as the center, or it would be just a map showing the train lines and the image of St. Paul’s as the one landmark. I know this is in “The City”, but a bit bizarre that say, Big Ben wasn’t used. (2) In the 1800s, if you walked 30 minutes from St. Paul’s in any direction, you were in the country (I didn’t write down specifically what year this was. Sorry.) (3) In 1801, London had nearly 1M people; a century later, 4.5M. In the 2001 census? 7.2 M. (4) The wartime section was the most interesting to me – how women became in charge of a lot of the transport, how people were warned to wear white at night and that bus drivers couldn’t even see what stop they were at because of the complete darkness as a result of turning off all lights due to possible enemy bombings. (5) The museum has its own Flickr page. The ‘mega map’ and ‘Objects’ links are very cool

Then, I took the bus over to Royal Albert Hall where I picked up my ticket for the evening’s performance of Carmina Burana. Since I had time to kill, I walked down the street to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The V&A is a crazy place. There is just so much stuff there. It’s like a garage sale of historic stuff. I mean, do you really need to have that much of everything? And, the museum is laid out in a bizarre way. It’s almost as if they said, ‘hey, we need more space, let’s add a room here. What? Who cares if you can’t get here from the other side of the same floor and you have to go down a flight, cross to the back half of the museum, and then come back up. It’s art!’ The website seems much better. But, the museum is free and it was good to see so many people in a museum enjoying themselves. However, as I was a bit overwhelmed and over stimulated by everything inside, I only spent about 45 minutes there and then wandered until I found a place for dinner.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/

The best part of the museum was the Dale Chihuly piece hanging above the main information desk. It is huge and beautiful. I love his glass work. As a kid, my family and I went to the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Museum (now the Contemporary Arts Center) to see a showing of his work in 1992 and I’ve loved it every since. I think that is the one family, cultural outing as a child that I most vividly remember.

Yes, you have heard of Carmina Burana. It’s mainly sung in Latin, with a little Old German thrown in. I bought the program (yes, here you do not get the program for free, you have to pay 3-5 GBP for it!). In following along, my Latin was coming back to me more and more as the concert went on!

The opening and closing song / melody has been used in several commercials. Here are two – one for Gatorade (too bad it’s ruined by them using Manning and Jeter!) and one for Carlton Draught (a slight parody, quite funny).

The full lyrics are: (but the Garoade commercial starts in the middle of the second stanza and then cuts a few lines along the way)

O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis ;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis

obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris ;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris

sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite ;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite !


O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.

Fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,

shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.

Fate is against me
in health
and virtue,
driving on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!

Paris

Here are some photos from my trip to Paris for work a week ago. I went the first weekend for the 'Bloom While You Work' seminar at the American Church in Paris on 'working in France' and dealing with the French culture, visas, customs, etc. Very good. I stayed the second weekend because the bell choir was playing at ACP that Sunday, and for a concert for Habitat for Humanity Saturday night. As I am now part of the bell choir there, it was best I stayed!

This time, I only got 5 bug bites (one on my back right where my bra strap is - NOT comfortable; one on the back of my left shoulder and one on the front; one at the end of my right eyebrow; and, one literally on my left eyelid, right at the base where the lashes are, closer to my nose than the outside edge - NOT comfortable!)

ACP - set up for bells (obviously).

Went to Monmartre with Amy the first Sunday and walked around - way too crowded for my taste! The guy in the blue shirt in the middle of the steps was playing the song "Hallelujah" (on the Shrek soundtrack) and everyone was singing along. Very cool. I love that song!

The ACP is just on the other side of the bridge. The steeple is that little speck to the right of the Eiffel.

Bugs

Well this is fun – I somehow got 7 bug bites…two on my upper left arm, one on my left forearm, one on my 2nd knuckle on my left hand (that one really hurts/itches), one on my left eyelid (that’s attractive), one just above my eyebrow ring (no, I don’t wear it to work), and one on my forehead where I part my hair.

My guess is either from sleeping with my windows open in the hotel Tuesday night, or when I was at the GDF SUEZ LNG Conference in Chantilly (just north of Paris) Monday/Tuesday – that was a more wooded area. But seriously, why do biting bugs have to love me so much?

Megativity

Gwen and Amy came up with this phrase for me Sunday night. They said that it’s not that I’m mean, it’s just to me the glass is always half-full, and even the half-full part could be contaminated, too hot or too cold, or sparkling when you wanted still, or you shouldn’t have it now because you might need it later, or… well, you get the idea.

And, actually, the past two days this has described me perfectly I think. I’ve been in Paris since Friday night – I went to a seminar Saturday and then Mon/Tues was the “1st LNG Conference” for GDF SUEZ. It ended at 17:30 Tuesday, but I left early (14:30) with two guys from GDF with whom I got a ride up. Honestly, I wasn’t getting anything out of the conference. Even at lunch as others were talking about the presentations, I felt like they had been in a different room than me since the things there were discussing I had completely missed.

I don’t know why I felt like I had to come back early. In my mind, I’m trying to make it a bigger deal, tell myself I was near panic or something just to validate my decision more, but that’s not it. Basically, François said he was leaving, asked me if I wanted a ride back, and since I rode up in his car, I said yes. The whole uncertainty (in my mind) of the end of the event - getting everyone to the train or to the tour bus, was beyond my comfort zone. The indecision of it all was too much. And, everyone else telling me which option I should do was too much. I was too nervous to say no to the offer of the ride and then have to face leaving at 6 p.m., and getting back to the city late but then during the whole ride back and even in the office, I was nervous because I left early for no good reason. That is, I’m nervous because I ‘cut class.’ If it were just me, I could’ve gone to the train station and been fine getting back. But, since it was with about 175-200 other people, all scurrying about at 5:30, I knew I couldn’t handle that. Why is it I felt fine doing the train by myself but then couldn’t handle the fact of everyone being scuttled about together? Part of it, I think, is that the last thing I wanted to do was walk around with people and lug my luggage and be a slow, fat, sweaty, red-faced person at the back of the line.

But, I know I was already in a bad frame of mind:
-- I wore navy tights Monday with black skirt. Not a problem for some people, but for me that threw me off since I thought I had packed black tights. I didn’t plan on that and just felt uncoordinated all day.
-- On Monday I had a 9 a.m. meeting I forgot about and was ‘fetched’ by one of the participants at 9:30 – and I have no idea what the meeting was about since my expertise is not in the financial hedging side of things per se, but people seem to think it is.
-- I was supposed to be working on a project, and I was, but then my boss and another coworker evidently had lunch with others to discuss. Later in the afternoon we had a meeting with the traders to discuss and I was 100% lost in all of it, even though I am the one through whom the ‘orders’ flow and then when others were leaving for the conference, my boss suggested I go with them – basically, to me, it felt like I was asked to leave the meeting early, that I was not needed.
-- My room at the conference center was nice, but the window had been open so there were a lot of flies in my room.

Things I did learn at the conference were:
Logistics
-- Never give people click-pens or else when they’re bored or trying to stay awake, all you hear is the clicking noise.
--The translation service was about a 5 out of 10 and the headsets really hurt your ears. And, because I was trying to listen to the French too, I think I lost even more of the content.
-- There was a photographer and a videographer and they were very intrusive, getting right up in your face and in your conversations to take pictures. Come on, use a zoom lens.
-- It started about 16:30 on Monday and ended 17:30 Friday. So Monday’s work day was horrible as you had to leave by about 14:00, and your Tuesday night is horrible. Why not leave at 8:00 Monday, have a morning welcome, then lunch, then speeches and dinner. Tuesday have more speeches, then lunch, end with a cheesy picture or something, and everyone can be back in town before too late?
-- They didn’t budget time well - things never started when they were listed on the agenda, speakers were rushed along, for some there was no Q&A time, etc. If you’re going to plan this, plan it well. And, there was no agenda other than speeches, coffee break, speeches, lunch, etc. – we had no idea the overall flow of information we were receiving, etc.

Participants / Purpose
-- The “experts” in the company are all middle aged white, French men.
-- A lot of the presentations were lacking substance – I felt it didn’t really address us as “one” group, nor did it explain well our operations, nor our “shared objectives.” It never became clear to me the purpose of the event, or how LNG is across the Branches, let alone in our Branche. I saw / learned no “common vision”.
-- If you want the “experts” of your company to come together to share skills, how is sitting in a darkened auditorium looking at PowerPoint slides the best way to do that?
-- The “big” actions launched by this committee thus far are publishing a list of members (employee list), organizing this meeting, and publishing an 8 page newsletter. That’s “big”?
-- If our working language is English for our Business Unit, why did our leader speak in French?
-- Wouldn’t the fact that no one was asking questions be an indication that something wasn’t going well? Usually there are questions when people are engaged, dead silence when bored.
-- Some of them have no idea how to summarize their responsibilities / job description in 15-seconds on less. You'd be surprised by the rambling.

Quotes
-- The mediator / announcer actually said ‘leaving the male world of seafarers now…entering the more female world of communications’ – this is 2008, right? Did I go back in time by traveling to Paris? To top it off, he continued by talking about the newsletter as a ‘newborn’ and other such baby analogies.
-- Someone actually said, or it was translated as such, that we should ‘capitalize on the fault lines’ – what? Take advantage of others’ distress?
-- One speaker would’ve made any speech professor proud by outlining his points, ‘I have 3 points on…’ but then he had 2 points, then 3, then 4, then 3…
-- ‘Size matters’ and, ironically ‘size doesn’t matter’
-- One presenter actually said ‘corporate culture is by no means a hurdle’ [to the success of a merger]. Really? Seriously?
-- It was an office bingo lovers paradise with enough buzz words to make your head spin – synergies, develop relationships, stakeholders, objectives, optimization, strategy, trends, scope, etc.

Well Miss Megativity, what were the highlights?
-- Remember those flies in my room? I literally killed 9 of them against the sliding glass door w/ my shoe and left the guts on the window and floor. I think that was what made me feel best all day Monday.
-- UIOLI = use it or lose it. That’s a good acronym, and fun to say.
-- We had little boxes w/ 7 buttons numbered in a circle w/ an “ok” button in the middle, to be used for interactive quizzes. The numbers were red and the ok was green. I literally found it therapeutic to press the numbers so they would light up (all would stay lit up) and then press the ok button – it would turn green and the numbers would turn off. I kept doing that over and over during the speeches. I felt like smiling and clapping at my success, much like my 17-month old niece would do.

I guess I should’ve just taken a ‘happy pill’ or ‘drank the Kool-Aid’ and put up with all of it, but I just can’t ‘turn on / turn off’ as some people can. For someone who is an ISTJ (Myers Briggs), this just wasn’t my thing. The “I” in me was being trampled on and the STJ part needed more structure. I think I was just tired and need of some “Megan time” since I hadn’t had that since last week.
-- Friday: went to work, took the train to Paris, getting in at 20:30 p.m., then met Julia, Gwen & Marissa for dinner. Away from ‘home’ (flat / hotel) from 6:00 to 23:00
-- Saturday was a day conference on ‘how to work in Paris’ that involved socializing and interacting with strangers from 9 to 5, from there Julia and I met Gwen & Marissa for dinner and drinks. Away from ‘home’ from 7:30 to 23:00
-- Sunday: went to church with Gwen, walked around and had lunch, then directly met Amy and walked around with her (to Monmartre), and then met Gwen for dinner with Amy. Away from ‘home’ from 8:00 to 21:00
-- Monday: met Gwen, Marissa, and Amy to take bus to work, then to conference. Away from ‘home’ from 7:00 to 00:30

See the trend – NO time to myself over the ‘weekend’ and I think it just really got to me. Anyway. Am hoping for the next three days to be ok in the office. And am looking forward to bell choir rehearsal Thursday night and playing in church (in Paris) Sunday.

The eyeballing game

I just took this really cool "quiz" - my score was 5.3, what's yours?

Castro's Favorite Color: The eyeballing game

Good intentions

I tried to go to church today, honestly.

I woke up at 8:30, took a shower, got ready and left. However, I should've realised the signs pointing for me to stay in bed. (1) it is raining outside. and I have a cold, so going out in that isn't too smart. (2) the DLR ('tramway' that takes me to the Tube) is closed for repairs, so bus replacement service. (3) I waited for the bus for 20+ minutes in the rain. I told myself if it wasn't there by 9:50, I'd leave. Of course, it shows up at, literally, 9:49:53. (4) I get off at the next stop, Canning Town, to take the Tube. But, the Tube's Jubilee Line is also down for repair today.

At this point I would've had to wait for another bus to take me further west to Canary Wharf and get the Tube there; but, it was already after 10 and church is at 11 and I was pretty much exhausted from this little bit of activity. So, at that point I turned around and loandbehold a bus back to my stop was approaching. Stopped at the convenience store for a croissant for breakfast and a frozen lasagna for dinner and got home about 45 minutes after I left.

I'm back in my PJs and much happier about spending this rainy Sunday afternoon indoors.

Last Mango in Paris (or rather, last Train)

He went to Paris, as Buffett sang, but good luck leaving, I say.

The good news was, I got to go shopping. (Well, if you know me, you know that’s more like bad news as I really cannot stand shopping. And, I really don’t like wasting money buying things I don’t need. And doing this while jet lagged added to the pain.) But, as I flew to Cincinnati with only my carry-on bag from my trip to Paris the week of Sept 8, I needed to buy stuff. I just could not make 3 days worth of clothes stretch for 10!

What happened? Did you see the news, about the fire in the Eurostar tunnel (the “chunnel” under the English Channel that the Eurostar train uses)? Well, I had a 16:13 train out of Paris Thursday the 11th (yes, Sept 11th) and we departed just fine. About an hour into it, we stop. The announcer tells us there is a problem in the tunnel and we’ll be sitting on the tracks about an hour. After that hour, we reverse directions and head back to Gare du Nord (“North Station”) in Paris. Oddly enough, passport control was waiting and they just put two parallel lines through the top left corner of the “left France 11/09/08” stamp in my passport – that’s as technical as it gets? Two pen lines?

While on the train, I called our London office and our wonderful admin/travel woman and she helped me get a flight out of Paris Friday morning at 07:20, landing at London City Airport at 07:30. (The last flight of the night, BA Paris to Heathrow, departing at 21:55 was booked – because everyone else on a train or waiting in the station was also talking to travel agents.) Fine, I figured I could land and get to Gatwick for my 10:25 flight.

I then take the Metro to meet my colleagues/friends who were still in Paris as their train wasn’t until Friday noon. Of course, I took a few wrong turns in the crazy maze of walkways under Gare du Nord and ended up using 3 Metro tickets because I just couldn’t get to the line I wanted. I get to the station and when I come up to walk to their hotel, of course it is raining. Can I find my umbrella in my bag quickly? Of course not. So I show up at their hotel looking like a wet rat in a now sheer light yellow oxford shirt. The cover girl of fashion I tell you.

Marissa let me stay with her because I just didn’t feel like going through the hassle at the train station of booking a hotel with the Eurostar people. I wanted simple, easy, and fast. Plus, hotels were a hot commodity as the Pope was coming to town for the weekend. (Oddly enough, one of the last times I was in Paris was in 1997 with my dad and brother, just before Pope JP2 visited.)

After a delicious Indian dinner just off the Champs Elysee, we’re back in the hotel. Of course, I cannot sleep as I keep running through the timing of my 07:20 and subsequent 10:25 flights. Talking it through with Marissa, and looking up train times online (to get to Gatwick from the city), we realize that everything would have to be beyond perfect for me to make it, and even then, just barely. With rush hour traffic, and allowing for things like customs/immigration, we realized it just wasn’t possible.

So, I get on the phone with Delta at midnight – for an hour. They guy was very nice (and he was American, Delta must not farm out this service to India) and tried all he could do to help. But, he couldn’t change the departure city of the flight. He advised me to go to Charles de Gaulle in the morning and the ticket agent there could do so and I could be on the 11:45 flight. Perfect. I get about 3 hours sleep (after about 5 hours the night before due to going out for drinks after dinner at Harry’s and Kitty O’Shea’s – I know, an “American” bar and an “Irish” bar in Paris. Whatever.)

I just kept my cab for 05:00 figuring it’s better to be safe than sorry. At that time of the morning, nothing in Paris is moving, so I was at the airport by 05:25. Even the first flight out of this terminal (the Air France terminal) wasn’t until 07:15; the first Eurostar leaves at 06:43 I believe; even Starbucks doesn’t open until 07:30. Nothing gets moving early here – that will be a big adjustment for me!

I talk with the nice Delta man (first I started in French, and did quite well thank you very much; but he eventually switched to English). He couldn’t change the city of departure either since I had basically booked the cheapest fare. But, he could issue me a new ticket for either 1900 Euros or 50,000 Delta miles. As I had about 53,000 miles, I went for the latter and just paid the airport taxes. Now, I have a “return” flight from Cincinnati to Paris in February that I can change for $100 for use in the next year. Fine.

Of course I was bummed about not being able to actually have gone back to my flat to pack more clothes and things I’ve bought that I wanted to take to Cincinnati. Oh well. Now, I figure I’ve finished my Christmas shopping! Really, so long as you have your passport and a credit card, you’re all set. And, I just tell myself – it could always be worse.

Changing Channels

TV is bad…I am now sitting here watching Columbo (give me some credit, the Hallmark channel just called it a “classic” one of two pilots that ‘cemented the shows status for 30 years’). Actually, I’m trying to find any show like CSI … Law & Order, Cold Case, even Diagnosis Murder (i.e. Dick van Dyke, 1993).

What is hilarious about these “older” episodes (1990s) is how unsophisticated the criminals were, and the police investigations! Or maybe it’s just that CSI is so advanced? I mean, in some of these, the criminals are not wearing gloves, they leave clues behind, etc. And the cops never seem to find it. But, in CSI, they can solve a murder from a miniscule trace of a jacket’s fabric.

Anyway, I figured this was a great time to post this link about “People Who Live Without TV”. (And, if you have kids, I really suggest reading the article.)

This was me for 6 years; and, in retrospect, it was nice. I’m sitting here wondering what I’d be doing without a TV right now. Granted, having a cold and having my whole body ache (wait, that’s the flu), I’d probably be watching a DVD on my laptop; but otherwise, I’d be reading, going for a walk, going through the piles of papers around my flat, emailing, and being otherwise productive.

I’m not sure what I’ll do in Paris – part of me says only basic TV, so then I’m forced to listen to the language but part of me says getting a full cable package would be good for days when I just want to listen to English.

Anyway – do you think you watch too much TV? If you didn’t have TV, what would you be doing this weekend instead?

(oh, p.s., in the article, I was not the “guy” interviewed in Boston! Although I wish I had met him!)

postings to come

Ok, I know I am behind as I need to write about the Eurostar fiasco, my holiday in Ohio, my trips to Paris, the new bell choir I've joined (in Paris), and a variety of other things. I figure if I list all this out, put it in writing, I'll actually write and post it.

But, right now I just got home from Paris, and what is about a 5-6 hour commute, and I have a cold. I hate being away from home with a cold - and I am saying London is "home" because this is where my Puffs Plus are (I just want to hug that box and wipe the tissues all over my face because "boutique" hotel tissues are sandpaper; my Sudafed; my tea; my Vicks; a few other things I am probably forgetting; and my bed are. I just want to get a cup of tea, go to bed, and sleep til about noon. So much for doing anything cultural or touristy tomorrow.

Good night.

Life in Paris

Ok, on this trip to Paris I am being hit by major culture shock. There are several contributing factors:

1) I just didn’t want to be in Paris this week. Sure, I scheduled the trip, but there were meetings beyond my control that I needed to attend (such as my former boss from North America being in town). And, it’s Gwen, Marissa & Julia’s last week in the London office, so I’m missing that. Plus, I’m here for the entire week (Mon morning train & Friday late afternoon return).

But, it was good for me to be here all week because
(a) I got 2 days here myself w/ only one other person from the London office here;
(b) Some of the people I had to meet won’t be available the later part of this week; and,
(c) Gives my week some continuity

2) The Metro line that goes to our office is like the B line in Boston – the destination is Saint Denis University so it is overly crowded and mostly not with business professionals, but rather sardine-packed with students and crazys.

3) I got my new “GDF” laptop (I put that in quotations because even though we are now GDF SUEZ, we all still talk in terms of GDF things and SUEZ things). And, we are in a former GDF building and have to deal with GDF IT rules.

My laptop complaints:
a. It is a much larger (i.e. heavier) HP laptop and will have to give up my trendy little Vaio upon my move in January.
b. All the software is in French. Sure, you think you know MS Office and all of its menu commands well, but trust me, you don’t.
c. It uses Lotus Notes email, with which I am familiar, and like more than Outlook, but again, it’s all in French
d. And, I have my new email address, but it is only viewable on this new laptop and they do NOT have webmail and they do NOT allow forwarding to another account. So if someone emails me at that account, I will only see it when I am in the Paris office
e. Most frustrating of all is it has a French keyboard aka “azert” instead of “qwert”. Try typing my name with this layout. It took me sooo long yesterday to do any work whatsoever.
f. It uses Windows 2000. Don’t laugh. Yes, it really does look antiquated. Supposedly next year we’ll be upgraded to Vista (is that really an upgrade?) and switch from Lotus to Outlook.
g. I don’t have access to the LNG Department folder in “My Computer” – you would think that would be a given, wouldn’t you?

4) There is actually office space set up for us in the Portfolio Management team (5 of us) but we are at the complete other end of the hall, in the hinter lands. How we’re supposed to interact with the Operations and Shipping teams is beyond me. What, are we just expected to wander down there and ‘hang out’? From my experience in North America, proximity is key because if these teams haven’t had Portfolio input before, they’re not going to remember to stop and walk down the hall to ask us. Makes the job that much more challenging, and not in a fun way.
a. But, for someone who does like quiet, this location is good. However, for an introvert like me, it’s not that useful for job effectiveness
b. At least now I have a desk where I can leave stuff instead of lugging some of my things back and forth

5) Tea. I like to have a cuppa tea on my desk to sip on for a few hours. However, there is NO kitchen space in the Paris office. You cannot even bring in a kettle to plug in as brining in outside things to plug in is NOT allowed in big, giant, corporation land. Anyway, there is a little “coffee machine” out of which you get a really small cup of coffee / cappuccino / tea / hot chocolate / etc. All for 0.05 euros. It’s addictive – so cheap and the thrill is gone before you’ve started. The disgusting part, though, is the tea. You select the option without sugar yet what you get tastes like heated up Lipton tea from a can. When you’re finished, you can see the sugarwater at the bottom of the cup. Gross.

You may be thinking – what is her problem? Really, a laptop, a keyboard, a cup of tea…get a grip, right? Well, it’s these little things that add up to culture shock for me. Sure, I expect people to speak French, to not understand menus, to have to study maps, etc. but things like this that catch me off guard really put me off kilter! True, on my next trip here, I’ll be expecting them, but it’s still an adjustment. Really, this keyboard thing is troublesome!

Podcasts and Your Health

I’ve been so engrossed in podcasts these past several weeks that I haven’t been reading as much - otherwise it’s just too much information, too many words, during the day. Also, I think I approached my entrée into podcasting the same as I did my entrée into TV land back in June. I’m insatiable – I feel like I have to listen to everything, just because it’s there and to figure out what I like. And I only download NPR and Slate.

Currently, I’m making my way through NPR’s: Technology; Economy; Environment; On Health; Religion; News from Lake Wobegon; On Science; Pop Culture; and Sunday Puzzle. Plus, I haven’t even started on the backlog of Car Talk; Fresh Air; Intelligence Squared; Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!; and This American Life. Whew!

If you have suggestions for podcasts that you think I should listen to, or would enjoy, please let me know!

Of all that I’ve listened to the past few weeks (podcasts dating back from June to present), some were informative, but I’d say the ones that have stuck with me, or that I’ve enjoyed are: Lake Wobegon; Sunday Puzzle; and On Health. And I want to share these two things from On Health.

1) NPR’s Health Care for All series. Tagline, “In Europe, it’s a reality.”
They did studies of the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Japan. In each case, highlighting the +/- of that country’s system, interviewing people, and comparing it to the U.S.

“Countries with governments and economies similar to the United States have come up with a variety of methods to make sure that all of their citizens receive health care. While residents in Europe and Japan may pay higher insurance premiums or taxes than Americans, in the end, when all costs are added up, Americans spend more money on health care per person — with fewer people covered.”

Click the “Interactive Graphic” for a comparison of the different countries’ policies versus the U.S.

I’d be better off staying in France if I ever decide to get sick during my lifetime. I worry that when I’m older (1) Social Security will be gone so I cannot rely on that for income; (2) cost of living will be much higher; (3) I will have to rely on my current investments for retirement income, and the state of the US economy is doing nothing to calm me; all thus leading me to point (4) it’d be very easy to go bankrupt in the US when faced with health problems.

Just because you have insurance doesn’t mean you’re covered. It could be coverage only up to $100k (and that doesn’t cover a lot for a major illness); or doesn’t cover some types of surgery, rehabilitation, medicine, etc. And, who’s to say there will be enough doctors in the future?

2) WHO Patient Safety Checklist
Hard to imagine that there wasn’t such a checklist before (see it here) – I mean, having to put on paper, and check off, that everyone in the operating room has introduced him/herself to the rest of the team; or stating what procedure is going to be done; etc. seems redundant. But, you hear horror stories of people having the wrong operation, having medical instruments sewn up in them, etc.

If I ever have to have surgery, I’m taking this checklist with me! Maybe I’ll even create my own checklist for regular doctor’s visits – i.e. review what was written in my chart; ask what alternatives to the suggested treatment are available; etc.

Hope these are helpful and informative to you.

Fruitcakes

Just couldn't let these three things I've read this week go by w/o sharing. And this doesn't include all the crazy political and economic news of the week!

NEW ZEALAND - More mysterious lard-like lumps have washed up on lower North Island shores, proving a beacon to dogs and fortune hunters. (Read about it here)

And...

UNITED NATIONS - Michael Douglas had to field questions Wednesday about the financial turmoil shaking world markets from reporters recalling his role in the 1987 film "Wall Street." (Article is here)

Lastly....

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A West Virginia man who police said passed gas and fanned it toward a patrolman has been charged with battery on a police officer. (Read more here)

(As a coworker said, "I could have charged my brother with battery all those years ago???")

Trying to Reason With Hurricane Reason

Want to know where I've been lately?

Trials and tribulations getting from Paris/London to Cincinnati involved the fire in the Chunnel. Read here.

Once in Ohio...the fun continued. Read here. We are still without power (entering 72+ hours now); my brother got it back last night.

More details will be posted once I have more than 30 minutes online. Using the internet at my brother's is a bit tricky since it also involves watching my very mobile and curious 15-month-old niece.

Am afraid of what will happen when I leave for Marietta tomorrow!

Best, simplest dinner ever

I am in Paris for work this week (again). And, no, it is not glamorous. The Eurostar always makes me feel about 20% queasy. Just enough to make me feel weird, but not enough to actually be sick, or not go in to the office. I’ve tried eating / not eating; drinking / not drinking (free wine in business premier class); sleeping; doing work. Nothing seems to work. And I’m not a motion sick type of person in cars or planes. Can read happily there.

Met two colleagues / friends at near their hotel for dinner tonight (there are about 10 of us from London here this week). (Why am I not at their hotel? Well, always best to stay near one’s boss, in terms of location and price…) Anyway. Got off the Metro at Ave Victor Hugo, got off at exit Ave Raymond Pic… and started walking. Got to Avenue Foch and basically said Fooccchhhh! I knew I had gone the wrong way. This is about the widest Blvd ever, and richest street in the city I think. Turned around, walked UP the hill, and met my friends. We had dinner. Fan-tab-u-lous! The goat cheese (chevre) salad was perfect. Just lettuce, three pieces of toasted baguette (crostini?) upon each was placed a huge slice of chevre thicker and wider than the bread. Had great wine. Had crème brulée for dessert. My absolute favorite (after Graeter’s chocolate chip ice cream of course). This was the BEST crème brulée ever. No pretenses. Just basic vanilla. In a dish nearly the length of my forearm. Perfect. Thank you and good night!

Don't Chu-Know

One of the other things that has been weighing on my mind (there have been several), is something my friend Vivian told me when I was at Cornwall’s a few weeks ago (on my 2nd weekend in Boston last month). She said she’s learned more about me from reading my blog than she knew about me before. And we’ve known each other for several years – granted, we’d see each other about once a week at Cornwall’s on Fridays after work, and once a month for dinner, but still!

In one case, it makes me glad that I have this blog, no matter how infrequently I write in it, because if people I see regularly don’t know me that well, then most likely friends I see twice a year when I’m in Cincinnati must not know me at all!

But, on the other, it makes me wonder if I just don’t share things with people. Am I anti-social?

Neither thought is one that I can explain/expound upon more. But Vivian’s statement does trouble me – I just cannot put my finger on how or why. I feel like the character on Earth in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who is about to discover the meaning to all life but then Earth is blown up to make room for a new outer space super highway. I’m just on the verge of understanding something more about myself, but it’s just out of reach.

The title of this post is a Buffett song, two lines go: “The more we learn the less we know; What you keep is what you can’t let go.” I wonder if that is applicable somehow?

Quiet Faith of Man

This is something I’ve wanted to write about for over a month now (as there have been many things), so I figure I got home at a reasonable hour (18:40), believe it or not I’ve actually seen the few CSI episodes that are showing on TV over here, and I’m having some of my duty free Jameson aged 12 year whisky, so why not write?

What is it I’ve wanted to write about you ask? Song of Solomon (the book in the Bible). (Is “book” supposed to be capitalized? Is Bible supposed to be in italics or quotes since it’s the name of a book? – yes, these are the questions that go through my mind. And, yes, all this on only one sip of whisky.) I digress. One reason I probably didn’t write sooner was that getting my Bible out meant moving the picture frames and other things in front of the religion section of books on my book shelf; ever previous time I was going to get it out I realized I needed to dust and then got sidetracked; and I kept losing one of the pieces of paper I had notes on. Anyway.

Why Song of Solomon? Well, within less than 2 weeks, I read 3 references to this book, 2 of which were the same passage. A bit weird. First, I was reading the book Oil! By Upton Sinclair (*see my thoughts on that below) and one of the characters, Vee Tracy, the movie star siren, quoted a few lines of scripture, more as a pick-up line (p338). Then, when I was going through the weekly offering plate envelopes from Old South, the one for July 6th had a quote from the same passage. Lastly, on July 9th, the UCC’s daily devotional was from the same passage!

Song of Solomon 2:8-12
The voice of my beloved! Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag…My beloved speaks and says to me: ‘Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land…” from The New Oxford Annotated Bible

As Rev Anthony B. Robinson wrote in his UCC reflection, “Aren't these lines of Scripture lovely? Read them aloud to yourself once more. Scholars debate whether the Song of Solomon is human love poetry that is all about the love of two people, or a metaphor of God's love for Israel and the Church. But does it have to be one or the other? Can't it be both?”

I have never read Song of Solomon, but am very curious to now do so as this passage is quite lyrical and unlike most anything else I’ve read in the Bible, especially the Old Testament! It is a very short book in the Old Testament. Plus, to have those three references to the Bible, to the same book in it, and to the same passage, all within about 10 days is a bit much.

* Oil! By Upton Sinclair: If you’ve seen the movie There Will Be Blood, it is my understanding it is NOTHING like the book. In fact, the cover of the book says it was just the inspiration for the movie. Characters, story line, everything are different. The book is ok, but the main character is a whining, self indulgent, can’t wake up to the real world type of socialist young man. The Jungle is a much more convincing book both for socialism as well as industry reform. Oil! misses the mark.

Cooking

Ok, no laughing, I for some unknown odd reason, have had the urge to cook rather than consume my normal grilled cheese or bowl of cereal for dinner. And I've learned my lesson.

If a recipe ever calls for anything “stuffed”, ignore it. I should’ve learned my lesson 15 years ago when I used to make spinach/ricotta manicotti. While they taste great, it’s about the messiest food prep ever. But, obviously memory fades over time, hence I tried a recipe for spinach/goat cheese stuffed chicken. Tasted ok (well, rather bland) and was extremely messy and somewhat difficult stuffing those breasts. And, they didn’t taste nearly as good as when my friend Betsy would make random stuffed chicken entrees without a recipe – just from the depths of her amazing cooking brain.

And, why is it people freak out if raw chicken is around but not raw beef or pork? What is it with chickens that makes salmonella (or whatever it is) a risk, but you can touch other raw meat without having to rush to the sink at the first blush of contact?

Time to catch up

Time to get caught up on postings since I’ve been such a slug the past few weeks! Topics to include my two weekends in Boston, Houston, and random ramblings.

But first – great news! I’ve discovered that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are both on TV here every night (the previous night’s show from the US). How exciting – now I can get the “real” news. Two of my favorites from the US Thursday show were the phrase “Alabaster friends” to describe the ‘old white man’ scene in politics and when John Stewart said “Barack Obama has an adorable white war hero uncle?....[If I were him] every time I campaign down south I’m having him strapped into a Baby Bjorn.” Classic.

Travel

Heading off to Houston for a week of work this afternoon with some relaxing weekends before and after. I would say that I won't be able to post as much as normal, but as I've been such a delinquent in writing lately, you probably won't notice any change.

Houston in August? I know, but considering the location alternatives were Miami, Madrid or Trinidad, none were that cool!

Batman

Just watched Batman: The Dark Knight today.

I was not as enthralled by it as every reviewer seems to be. Maybe I was just expecting way too much because everyone has been writing that this is the best movie, acting, dialogue, etc. in a long time – perhaps my expectations were too high? The dialogue was great and it gave you a lot to think about, but you were given no time to do so as things moved along quickly. The action scenes weren’t all that grand either.

I think I’ll watch my favorite Batman movie tonight as I have it on DVD – the Batman with Michael Keaton (best Batman if you ask me) and the Joker (Jack Nicholson who did an amazing job). I think I like that Tim Burton version better.

Maybe I just need to watch The Dark Knight again? (on DVD, I’m not paying 10 GBP ($20) again!)

And, maybe I’m just in a funk because John Edwards admitted he had an affair (after denying it; while his wife was battling cancer; while he was in the midst of the highest echelons of politics). Ggggrrrrrrr. Another chink in my faith in humanity. Sigh. And, I just now read that Bernie Mac died. It’s cool and rainy in London. Time for a hot toddy.

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

I am soooo happy - one of the two camping chairs I ordered came today! It is the kind that you can fold up and carry with you, complete with head rest, extended foot rest, and cup holder. Now, I can actually sit outside on my patio and relax. And that is just what I have been doing tonight. I have a feeling my remaining months in London will be spent this way!

Sure, it helps that I am reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. What a phenomenally amazing book. Its so well written, poignant, thought provoking…I wish I weren’t reading it so quickly so I could actually digest the larger issues, morality, consequences, etc. But the writing and story are just so good, I can barely put it down. I’m on page 200 and I just started reading it last night!

It just feels so good to sit and relax. I am in a bit of a funk right now with regard to work - just finding it difficult to be 200% motivated all the time. With all the merger stuff, trying to figure out who's moving when, who's responsible for what, who reports to whom, who has what title, when responsibilities are supposed to transfer, what IT platforms we're using, piecing together what someone heard from someone else that someone else was thinking about doing something or heard something...it's all a bit much. Things keep changing so quickly that when I think I have some of it figured out, the paradigm shifts again.

For tonight I'll just breathe in, breathe out, move on and sit and relax in my chair.

You Call It Joggin'

If anyone watches any of the Mazda London Triathlon this weekend, you will be watching the area around my flat. On the map, my flat is next to the #3 markers and almost in front of #2 (water side). I won't have a clear view from my flat as I face the inner courtyard area, but as soon as I step outside, I'll be on the run route!

My weekend, however, is hectic with plans both afternoons, but as Sunday races start about 7 a.m., I'll be able to watch some of that.

He Went to Paris

Ok, how upset am I? I'll tell you - VERY UPSET.

Jimmy Buffett is playing IN PARIS, AT A JAZZ CLUB (New Morning) in September and I cannot go! I will be in Marietta and Cincinnati, Ohio for an alumni advisory council meeting at Marietta College and visiting family, respectively. Sure, tickets are sold out, but you can get them from brokers and such.

Unbelievable.

Let's just hope he comes back and plays in 2009 when I'm there.

Oh Canada

Am back from holiday and have posted some pictures on Flickr.

The 10 days away were good, but it wasn't the best week in Canada. Mainly, it was due to the weather - cool, cloudy, and rainy. Only 2-1/2 days of pure sunshine I'd say. And, none of the rain resulted in a huge, hail throwing, thunder crashing, wave rolling storm like we love to watch! Having four adults, 2 Pomeranian dogs (small dogs), and an active 14-month old couped up inside isn't exactly the perfect formula for pure relaxation. Fun, yes, but peaceful, not so much.

Holiday

It’s so weird to be getting ready to go on holiday to Canada but via airplane instead of car. I’m not nearly as stressed about it. Very weird. Usually I’m making sure my car is in working order, full tank of gas, I have my maps and toll money, I’ve mapped out which service plazas on the NY Thruway have Starbucks, I have my CDs and discman and iPod ready for the drive (yes, my car has a tape deck), and my packing is a bit more sporadic as I can take any number of bags I like, and any size containers of liquids or gels. I don’t have to go to bed by 9 p.m. to be ready for 8 hours of solitary driving and I don’t have to make sure my mobile phone hands-free device is all set once I’m in NY state.

Now, with flying, I’m just one of lemmings. I’ll get on the Tube, follow those orders, get off at the last stop, then follow the signs and orders at the airport. Someone else handles the bag, someone else does most everything. I just get on the plane and sit there for 8 hours. Definitely makes for a much much longer commute. Makes even the 11 hour drive from Ohio seem short!

The view

The Town (for Hay Day 2007)

My niece at 2 months old (2007)

Photos on Flickr

Ok, I've now expanded my technology web even further and have joined Flickr for posting my photos. And, I'm utterly confused.

It displays my photos with 'most recently uploaded' first, even though I don't want them that way (my Greenwich shots are in reverse order). I need to figure that out, and the eight gazillion other things that Flickr has - public/private, sets and collections, profiles, copyrights, etc.

Enjoy.

Only Time Will Tell

Maybe I’m just thinking it because it’s the first exploration I’ve done “outside” London since I’ve been here, but I don’t think so. Greenwich really is a gem. Being SE of London, just south of Canary Wharf, it isn’t on the whirlwind tourist’s agenda, but it should be. As the Blue Guide, City Guide London says, “If it is less ‘royal’ than Hampton Court or Windsor, it has finer architecture; if it is less central than Westminster, it is nobler; and the view of the assembly of buildings from across the river…stays with you for life.”

I got a somewhat late start due to the fact that I wanted to sleep in because of my cold. I got off the DLR at Island Gardens and walked toward the Thames and there I got my first, breathtaking, view across the river of Greenwich. The view is of the Royal Naval Hospital grounds with the Queen’s House in the distant middle, and up on the hill is the Old Royal Observatory. It truly does look majestic and well laid out on the banks of the Thames.

I took the foot tunnel – only one of two that go under the Thames – and walked and ended up on the other side, right next to the ship the Cutty Sark, which is closed for repairs. I walked through the old Royal Naval Hospital, taking pictures of the views, which were enhanced by the ominous sky. I went in to see the ‘Painted Room’ and the ‘Chapel’, both of which were elegant yet a bit overdone. I then proceeded to what is a ‘must see’ if you are in London – the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House.

The NMM is sort of well laid out, but what I liked is that it wasn’t crammed with artifacts and such. There is space inside, and a lot of natural light. Very welcoming. And, good gift shop.

The Queen’s House was nice because it had a Flemish & Dutch Masters exhibit “Turmoil and Tranquility” – all drawings of the ocean. Unfortunately, I breezed through this as it wasn’t air conditioned (or if it was, I didn’t notice) and my internal thermometer was all screwed up because of my cold. (You know how it is, when you have a cold and you get the sweats one minute and chills the next?)

The Royal Observatory complex wasn’t nearly as well laid out as the NMM – and here, I think they were trying to cram as much as they could into the very limited space they had. The walkways to get from exhibit to exhibit weren’t well marked – you could easily miss half of what is on display. And, what is on display is truly unique. If you’re read the (excellent) book Longitude by Dava Sobel, you know what I mean. All four of John Harrison’s clocks are on display. There are many different types of time pieces for perusal as well.

The Prime Meridian is a bit weird – while you are in Greenwich, you cross it multiple times (I cross it every day), but it is just at the Observatory that you can get in the queue and have your picture taken with one foot in each hemisphere. It is quite nice that there is a queue instead of everyone elbowing each other for their photo op. However, walking through the grounds to get to that point, you pass two of the historical GMT lines and on your way out, you pass the actual GMT line on the inside of the building, instead of outside. None’s taking pictures there. And, weirdly, when I took a picture (several) of the GMT digital clock, the digital images really don’t show up – must be some sort of crazy timekeeping technology thing.

The best part of the Observatory is the view of London. Yes, it seems far away and you cannot really see any tourist sites, but I think that’s the charm. You haven’t left the Greater London area, yet you fell as if you did. And, the Café is quite nice with really good views of the park. And, it is nicer, I think, than the Café on the grounds of the park.

Lastly, I wandered through the park and saw the Rose Garden – which, in pictures, looks similar to the flower garden thing in Niagara, Ontario (which is a drive from the falls, and bit of a tourist trap, although the flowers are beautiful and it is a large amount of them). As you can see from the photos I posted, roses really are different. I (stupidly I know) thought a ‘rose is a rose’, but from the photos, they are different.

Greenwich is a great place – young and old alike – great parks, views of London, easy to get to, National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory (for GMT and astronomy), and the Naval Hospital.

One last point - the Royal Observatory - as you can see from my pictures, there is a red ball on top of the main building. This is raised every day at 12:55 and dropped at 13:00 so ships in the Thames can set their clocks (lots of interesting history with this, why GMT is in London, etc.). But, I must point out that I think this red ball looks surprisingly like the Rambaldi creastion from Alias that caused so much havoc.

Love in the Library

The third reason I haven’t posted as much is twofold: work and tourism. First of all, I am amazed by people who have full time jobs, social lives, etc. and still find time to post frequently. How do you do it? I find that getting up at 5:30, going to work for 7:30/8:00 until 17:30/18:00, and then coming home to relax and have dinner, takes up most of my time. Plus, one of the last things I want to do at home at the end of the day is sit in front of my laptop because I’ve been sitting in front of it all day long. And, no, I really cannot / should not post while at work because, well, I’m at work.

The other more exciting reason is that I’ve been trying to get out and about in London. Basically all I’ve done thus far is quite superficial – just walking around, looking at and taking pictures of the outsides of places. I just haven’t been able to motivate myself to get on a train and do a day trip outside the city. I want to sleep in on Sat and Sun, I have to do laundry, clean, etc. Plus, I now have a cold. Figures.

Anyway, the “new” things I’ve done (that is, things I’ve seen that I hadn’t seen when visiting London in 1995 or 1997) are the British Library and the town of Greenwich.

The British Library is fascinating – sure, it’s like any other library in that it’s freakishly quiet and a bit unwelcoming because of its extreme quietness – I don’t know, I just always have a fear I’ll go through some door I’m not supposed to or bother someone or something. The Sir John Ritblat Gallery is an amazing treasure trove of history. It includes things such as Shakespeare’s first folio (1623), Jane Austen’s handwritten correspondence, an original copy of Beowulf, original scores by Handel and Mozart, The Golden Haggadah, The Gutenberg Bible (1455), dozens of sacred texts and map, and the Magna Carta (1215). Plus, in the middle of the entire library, encased in glass, stretching six floors, is King George III’s Library. And, there is the British Library Sound Archive.

The library is huge, including over 150 million items, stored on over 625 km of shelves. At the main library, users do not have direct access – you have to have a reading card and then request books – it takes 70 minutes to retrieve something on site! In the Reading Rooms you cannot have coats or bags, no pens or highlighters, no sharp object, no food or drink, and no cameras. They seem to take their book collection seriously.

As I’m typing this, part of me thinks that these historic papers and sheer volume of books are just so cool, to be able to see the handwriting or read the author’s own comments or see the musicians’ scribbles and to appreciate them for what they are – amazing pieces of artwork, or first of their kind publications. The British Library was founded “on the belief that collecting world knowledge and making it available for investigation generates new ideas and advances society.” But if one reads 5 items/day, it would take 80,000 years to get through the library’s collections. So isn’t this a bit of information overload? And who has the time to do this?

Then part of me wonders why we take such pains to save all this and worship it? I mean, people used to write hundreds of letters – the famous and the non – all expressing thoughts and desires. Why are only the famous people’s letters important? What will happen in 300 years? Will the Ritblat gallery have printouts of emails or blog pages? Will we just stare at old computers and marvel at those the same way we do a Gutenberg Bible?

Posting of my tourist walking pictures and about the great town of Greenwich later, once I figure out how to use Flickr and have a link to it from my blog (as Tiggs does), and after I get a cuppa tea to assuage my sore throat and dual ear aches.

57 Channels (And Nothin' On)

Another reason I haven’t blogged much, especially the past week - Television. After six years, I now have a TV, and I got cable TV July 3rd. Needless to say, I’ve become enthralled with the moving pictures and voices in the big black box. Not that I’m becoming a better person for this, quite the contrary. I’m only watching reruns of Ally McBeal and CSI. I could choose from any number of US reruns to commandeer my free time – from Scrubs to Frasier to Simpsons to every CSI and Law & Order to Ally McBeal to Friends to Sex and the City and so forth. And that’s just the shows I recognize. Of course, there’s all the British stuff (but honestly, I haven’t been that enthralled with what I’ve seen). I have discovered that when you watch one or two episodes of a show every night, you start to realize just how formulaic each series is. When they’re only one once per week, you don’t quite notice it.

I do get TCM and TCM2 (it seems most channels here have a “2” – meaning if you missed a show, no worries, it’ll be on an hour later). Last night I watched the Cole Porter musical “High Society” (1956) with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong on music. It was good – at least something different.

The ironic part about having a TV and cable is that on Monday, July 7th, the daily devotional from the United Church of Christ (UCC) happened to be written by Quinn Caldwell, the Associate Pastor at Old South – and it was about TV. Using Romans 1:18-23, he wrote:

“Have you ever waited all week long for the next episode of your favorite TV show, your excitement building day by day until finally, heart going pitter-pat, you sit down to see what will happen next? Ever felt that way about church? ...

“Look, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty here; I think most of us are like this. But it's a legitimate question. Why don't most of us--even the churchgoers--get as excited about God as we do about Carrie Bradshaw?

“At least some of the time, the problem is with the church, maybe more than any of us wants to admit. But I think the real issue is this: TV seeks to give us exactly what we want, when we want it, and so elicits an excitement and devotion that almost nothing else can…

“God, on the other hand, seeks our devotion not by giving us what we want, but what we need: redemption, repentance, salvation. Which, God forgive us, is less riveting than The Wire, and significantly less funny than The Simpsons.

“Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with watching TV. It's just that it's nowhere near as right as worshiping God.”

Amen!

Horses

Imagine my surprise one day earlier this week when I got off the Tube at work around 7:30 and came up the steps to the street to hear the clipity-clop of horses. I stopped and looked and no joke, about 30-50 horses were being ridden down Oxford Street. Three across with a woman on the middle horse. Very weird. Never mind the cabs or the buses trying to get down the street. Sure, it wasn't really rush hour (most pastry / coffee shops don't open until 7:30 a.m., if that gives you a clue what time things get busy) but come on!

Happily Ever After (Now & Then)

You’re probably wondering where I’ve been for the past week (well, hopefully you are!). And really, I have several good excuses which I will proceed to post about today and this weekend (in no particular order: culture shock, television, and tourism).

First up, culture shock.

I think I’m in phase 2, or maybe 3, of culture shock* - the I-hate-everything or I’ll-put-up-with-it-because-I-have-to phases respectively. Several things are annoying me and otherwise, I’m just a bit complacent / blasé about being here.

(*I am referring to an article by Kay Clifford from University of Michigan (at least I think it was her) – a summary is here . I have to give kudos to Professor Barbara MacHaffie at Marietta College. She was my Freshman Seminar advisor and while I cannot remember what the theme of my Seminar class was, I think I reference the culture shock article monthly. I read that 13 years ago and I still remember it, use it, and find it relevant!)

This whole week I’ve been feeling very uncertain / not at ease with what I’m doing at work. It’s just that I’m not 100% sure what it is I’m supposed to be doing, and whenever I am given direction, or come up with it on my own, I soon discover that the focus has shifted and what was once important no longer is.

Also, I think all of us at work are just a bit over stressed and uncertain about or futures due to the GDF SUEZ merger. I think 95% of us in the Operations team (Logistics, Trading, Shipping, Portfolio) have each other’s best interests at heart and are working for the good of the team, company and each other. But that 5%.... It’s difficult to keep spirits up and be ‘normal’ when no one knows for sure what his/her new job description will be (will there be enough responsibility, is it a good career move, etc.) nor when he/she is expected to move (Sept, Oct, Jan, not defined, etc.) Adding these uncertainties to each person’s already quirky personalities is a bit much.

Earlier this week at work, the Lucinda Williams song “Are You Alright” came on my iPod. (Link here for lyrics and video with audio.) Whenever this song comes on, it always gives me pause and makes me think. The lyrics are just so haunting – the beat, the constant questioning “are you alright?” just make me think. “Are you alright? All of a sudden you went away…Are you alright? Is there somethin’ been botherin’ you?” Even now, when I found the link for the lyrics and video, I couldn't keep typing or surfing, I just had to stop and listen.

I think the major thing that’s bothering me is that I have no friends or acquaintances or mentors or anyone in London except my coworkers. And, even then, I really only socialize with 2-3 of them. Makes for a very small circle. I am missing having non-work related people in my life! I think that's really getting to me. Sure, I can complain about people or tasks to coworkers, but they have their own complaints, and it’s just not good to be gossipy or whiny like that in an office of Type A Personality Over Achievers. You don’t realize until it’s gone how good it is to (1) be able to vent to friends just for reason of venting; (2) have friends who will agree with you just because you're friends; (3) have friends who will give you advice based upon what they know of you, not what they think is best for the company / you in the company; (4) listen to your friends vent about their jobs because their venting can lend insight into your own issues; (5) I'm sure I could go on...

I contemplated not posting any of this, thinking ‘why would I want to post anything about my insecurities, worries, etc.’ but part of me just needs to vent this, and part of me realizes that if I don’t post it, I’ll be presenting a false picture of myself. I’m reminded of two things – one is the Jimmy Buffett song from the Banana Wind album that goes "Some people never find it, some only pretend; But me, I just want to live happily ever after, Every now and then."

The other is from the movie You’ve Got Mail, where Meg Ryan’s character expresses some of her concerns and sadness, typing (thank you IMDB): "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."

I’d be a fool if I thought life was happy-go-lucky all the time and I have to remind myself that it’s ok if it’s not. Good night.

Weather With You

Well, I tried to get culture tonight, but got rained out. Gwen & her visiting friend, Marissa & her visiting mother and her visiting friend and I all went to the open air theatre in Regent’s Park to see Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. (And why is there an F in twelfth, that just doesn't seem right.) Sounds lovely and cultured, right? The park is beautiful – with a decent sized pond, amazing flowers and landscaping, and great walkways.

The theatre is open air and very charming, but when it isn’t even 55F outside (I swear I saw my breath a few times), and windy and rainy, the charm slowly fades. It actually felt like being at a Red Sox game in April. Everyone bundled up, huddled under umbrellas, braving the rain hoping that the game (show) will continue. What I can’t figure out though is why they would have non water resistant cushions on all the seats? This is London. It rains a lot (supposedly – this was the fist week of bad weather since I moved here).

But, the rain continued so the show was cancelled about 20-30 minutes into it. At least we can exchange our tickets for a future show. And a good thing, too, as I just couldn’t concentrate enough to follow all the dialogue. I know the story line because I looked up a summary online, but I just couldn’t follow the lines.

The best part of the evening was waiting for Marissa at the Tube stop. Gwen, her friend & I were outside and saw, no joke, 75-100 old white men walking by at various intervals, no more than two together, more often alone, in blazers with orange/yellow striped ties. Truly bizarre. None seemed to have wedding bands, were all a bit disheveled, more of the 'crazy professor' type than businessman. A few had gigantic umbrellas with MCC on them - turns out, they were all from the Lord's Cricket Ground just up the road. Explainable, but still weird.

Americana

Happy 4th of July!!!

I'm spending the day at work, but will do tourist stuff this weekend. My friend Angela is in town this weekend (today until Sunday a.m.) (she and I were both on XO House Corps at Tufts in Boston) - she's interning in the JAG program at a military base outside Frankfurt and thus has today off (her blog link is on the right - she's done lots of travelling!). She's out being a tourist today while I'm at work.

It's not weird at all to be working on the 4th because you don't even really realize it's the 4th of July, other than a date on the calendar. No signs, no sales, no parties, etc. mentioned. Maybe there is mention in the Metro (free "news"paper), but I don't read that. I'm not really in an ex-pat community, so no one's having bbqs or anything (actually, I'm not really in any community at all!).

Laundry

Why is doing laundry in other countries always so complicated? When discussing laundry, I’m always reminded of Seinfeld’s stand-up piece about clothing (dry-cleaning) on “I’m Telling You for the Last Time”. He basically says that the “dry clean only” label in clothes is “the only warning label human beings do respect.” … ‘Cigarettes – it’ll give you cancer, emphysema, definitely kill you, babies, everything – screw it, I’ll do whatever the hell I want! Don’t take this medicine and operate heavy machine – who cares, glug glug glug, that’s for beginners…I’ve been working on this job for twenty years! But, try to put something with a dry-clean only label in the washing machine and people yell “are you crazy, are you out of your mind?!’

When I was staying with Gwen my first month here, she told me exactly what settings to use on her washer, so everything was fine. However, when left to my own devices in my own flat with my washer, which is slightly different from hers, things were not so simple. At least I was smart enough to begin with a “test load” of just socks, underwear, and a pair of jeans. But really, does laundry need to wash and spin for 2h40m? And does it need to be at 65°C?

I have been doing my own laundry for 13 years now and all my clothes have always been the same color, shape and size coming out of the machine as they were when I put them in – even when I was in the Netherlands, Geneva, and China. But these poor socks and underwear are all a nice shade of either pink or grey. Blasted one pair of red socks that I’ve washed several times before with no issue, decided to spread their color to their friends.

I finally got up the courage to do another load of laundry, after spending quite some time studying the one page chart of the different wash settings (there are about 10-15 of them, with options for the spin cycle, pre-wash, delay wash, etc.) This time, I figured I’d play it safe and only wash things that were pure white. Success! Actually, more than success – my whites have never been so white. Maybe there is hope for my foiled first load – perhaps those socks will once again be white? Here’s hoping… A few loads later, I seem to have the hang of it, at least I think I do. The black and dark navy clothes I washed last night came out still being black and dark navy (not grey or some lighter variation) and in the same size and shape.

The secret – I discovered the “handwash” cycle which is the ONLY coldwater wash cycle out of the 10+ options. (And, it’s the shortest – at a quick 1h03m wash/spin.) I’m not entirely sure how effective this “handwash” cycle is as the clothes don’t seem to be moved around much in there, meaning not rotated in the bin. Rather, they just seem to sit there and soak and rotate occasionally over the hour. Granted, all the soap is gone, so that must count for something. I figure if I smell, someone will tell me. But not on the Tube as it seems 7 out of 10 people smell on there, or have horrible breath, or some terrible combination.

Lastly (as I’m sure you cannot believe that I’ve already devoted five paragraphs to laundry), this machine is a small ‘one stop shop’ machine for washing and drying. The ‘regular’ size load that fits inside is about the US equivalent of a medium-small load. And the drying is not really drying but just a fan that blows air / sucks out the moisture, basically steaming the clothes. I just air dry everything. I think most people always have clothes lying about on drying racks, over railings, etc. You’re basically always doing laundry since the load sizes are so small, and due to the temperamental nature of the different wash cycles, you want to be sure you’ve separated your clothes appropriately. No wonder the majority of the women in the office wear all black – makes laundry much simpler.

21st Century

Amazingly enough, I now have internet at home! Wheee!!! Having my own internet at home is so unreal to me - I don't even know where to begin. Ok, I know, actually posting more here, which I will do tomorrow.

(And, the cable TV guy comes tomorrow to set that up for me - where does the fun end?)