last night, our office had a leaving do (brit speak for going away party) for two of my co-workers. one of the great things about working in clerkenwell is the copious amount of pubs. i could throw a rock out the front window and hit three different places, one of which is the three kings.
three kings is small, always packed, sweltering hot inside, and they don't take cards. oh, and the staff know many of my co-workers by name. i tend to drink beer or cheap white wine when i go out in london, mainly because it's what i can afford. however, we had a company tab running so i helped myself to a double G&T. :-) seven hours, seven G&Ts, and a shot of vodka later we had closed down the pub (note: the company tab stopped in like, hour two). pubs here close early, around 11:30, but due to our rapport with the bartenders, they let us stay longer...they just shot off the lights. my memory of the evening is fuzzy, but a few interesting bits and bobs:
one of my co-workers was wearing a She-Ra costume.
i sang a few bette midler tunes for no reason (that i can remember) - three kings is NOT a karaoke bar.
i didn't get out of bed until noon today, couldn't find my shoes OR my keys, and i have about £2 (in change) left to my name. :-)
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
mad as a box of frogs...
...is my new favorite phrase. what a visual, eh?!? our executive creative director used it today in a meeting and i feel determined to use it at least once in a sentence very soon.
actually, i'll use it now in reference to london town when it snows. good. lord. we're getting some flurries here right now, the wind nearly blew me down oxford street, and it's like, 0 degrees Celsius or lower. however, the flurries seem to be the root of the madness around here. i didn't think it was possible for a city to freak out more regarding snow than cincinnati, but i'm telling you friends, london wins. hands down.
apparently public transport SHUTS DOWN when we get an inch or two, and if tonight is any evidence of that, i'm scared. i waited 30 minutes for the 55 bus before giving up and getting on the tube at tottenham court road. tcr is nowhere near where i needed to go but i was just done with standing outside. i would up crammed into a central line car, with my face mashed against some dude's chest and two dirty hipsters eating mcdonald's pressing into my rear end.
i almost yakked. i really hate the smell of mcdonald's ketchup.
however, lots of good things happened today too! i had a nice coffee break with my boss this morning, i finally dropped off my dry cleaning, and i had dinner with new friends! we went to ping pong, a dim sum restaurant on great marlborough street and i had all sorts of new dumpling bits and bobs. we continued the party around the corner at an italian place, where i had lovely chamomile tea and something sweet. AND my friend Tu Anh gave me a box of chocolates from liberty department store. unexpected pressies = awesome.
lastly, i did meet a very nice englishman while waiting for the damn bus. we snickered, we discussed his family's trip to disney world, we made fun of the transport system, we wagered bets on which bus would go by next (2-243's, 2-390's, FOUR-25's, 3-10's, and a handful of 7's, if you're curious). in the end, we gave up on the bus (see above) and i had to waddle to the tube because my feet were frozen. sigh. :-)
dim sum!
wait, it snows here?
mmmmm
actually, i'll use it now in reference to london town when it snows. good. lord. we're getting some flurries here right now, the wind nearly blew me down oxford street, and it's like, 0 degrees Celsius or lower. however, the flurries seem to be the root of the madness around here. i didn't think it was possible for a city to freak out more regarding snow than cincinnati, but i'm telling you friends, london wins. hands down.
apparently public transport SHUTS DOWN when we get an inch or two, and if tonight is any evidence of that, i'm scared. i waited 30 minutes for the 55 bus before giving up and getting on the tube at tottenham court road. tcr is nowhere near where i needed to go but i was just done with standing outside. i would up crammed into a central line car, with my face mashed against some dude's chest and two dirty hipsters eating mcdonald's pressing into my rear end.
i almost yakked. i really hate the smell of mcdonald's ketchup.
however, lots of good things happened today too! i had a nice coffee break with my boss this morning, i finally dropped off my dry cleaning, and i had dinner with new friends! we went to ping pong, a dim sum restaurant on great marlborough street and i had all sorts of new dumpling bits and bobs. we continued the party around the corner at an italian place, where i had lovely chamomile tea and something sweet. AND my friend Tu Anh gave me a box of chocolates from liberty department store. unexpected pressies = awesome.
lastly, i did meet a very nice englishman while waiting for the damn bus. we snickered, we discussed his family's trip to disney world, we made fun of the transport system, we wagered bets on which bus would go by next (2-243's, 2-390's, FOUR-25's, 3-10's, and a handful of 7's, if you're curious). in the end, we gave up on the bus (see above) and i had to waddle to the tube because my feet were frozen. sigh. :-)
dim sum!
wait, it snows here?
mmmmm
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
strange times
2 pm. back of a black cab. traffic light on clerkenwell road. i looked out the window at the crosswalk and there was a PIGEON walking across the street with the humans. when he got to the other side, he simply hopped up on the curb and went about his pigeon business. the whole scene caused me to squeal with delight; however, my creative director and the cab driver thought i was mad. seems to be the general consensus 'round these parts...
curry vegas
my friend carrie, who lives in portland, was brave enough to introduce me to yet another of her london friends - neil. neil and i must lead insanely busy lives, because it took us a week to find a night we were both available! :-) the plan was to check out old street and shoreditch, which are technically where i live...i've just never gone out and explored!
we met up at old street tube exit 7 (there are 8 exits and i've recently learned that #7 is the closest exit to my pad) and then we walked to hoxton square, where we went to a trendy-looking bar called bluu. trying to heed my own rule, i ordered the only beer on draft i had never heard of:
not bad, kinda thick, i could only drink one, so i switched to peroni after that. :-)
two pints, 8 pm, and we were craving curry. we decided to head to brick lane, which i was told had dozens of curry places. in fact, the street we were on ONLY had curry places complete with aggressive doormen who would try to get you to come inside. also, every place had some sort of claim "best chef 2008", etc. and bunches of neon lights.
neon lights. exactly how i'd picture india, really. hence we dubbed brick lane "curry vegas".
we selected our restaurant based on the offer for free drinks with dinner. i don't usually drink with curry but if it's free...
food was decent, free wine was crap although what do you expect??? we ended the evening at a brick lane bar, even trendier than the hoxton square one, where we decided we were definitely the oldest, least hip people there. :-)
we met up at old street tube exit 7 (there are 8 exits and i've recently learned that #7 is the closest exit to my pad) and then we walked to hoxton square, where we went to a trendy-looking bar called bluu. trying to heed my own rule, i ordered the only beer on draft i had never heard of:
not bad, kinda thick, i could only drink one, so i switched to peroni after that. :-)
two pints, 8 pm, and we were craving curry. we decided to head to brick lane, which i was told had dozens of curry places. in fact, the street we were on ONLY had curry places complete with aggressive doormen who would try to get you to come inside. also, every place had some sort of claim "best chef 2008", etc. and bunches of neon lights.
neon lights. exactly how i'd picture india, really. hence we dubbed brick lane "curry vegas".
we selected our restaurant based on the offer for free drinks with dinner. i don't usually drink with curry but if it's free...
food was decent, free wine was crap although what do you expect??? we ended the evening at a brick lane bar, even trendier than the hoxton square one, where we decided we were definitely the oldest, least hip people there. :-)
Monday, December 7, 2009
everybody look at me, cause i'm sailin on a boat
worst song ever but strangely appropriate. i spent most of monday in training and in the words of lonely island, yeah, never thought i'd be on a boat...for dinner that is.
events surrounding this particular client end with things like mandatory dinners. usually you can eat in peace then sneak away quietly after the meal, if you so desire. but they got CLEVER this time and sent us sailing up and down the thames. in the rain. in 40 degree weather. ha ha ha, no escape.
i have to say, the view was spectacular. i got to see things i've only looked at from the cab window previously, such as big ben, parliament(!), the london eye, etc. we had a really cool motivational speaker (another MO for this client), who actually sailed around the world in some sort of yacht race. the goal, of course, was that we would be inspired about team building. i suppose i was, although i do hope i don't have to deal with things like severed fingers or compound fractures in any of my all-agency meetings.
at any rate, ahoy!
events surrounding this particular client end with things like mandatory dinners. usually you can eat in peace then sneak away quietly after the meal, if you so desire. but they got CLEVER this time and sent us sailing up and down the thames. in the rain. in 40 degree weather. ha ha ha, no escape.
i have to say, the view was spectacular. i got to see things i've only looked at from the cab window previously, such as big ben, parliament(!), the london eye, etc. we had a really cool motivational speaker (another MO for this client), who actually sailed around the world in some sort of yacht race. the goal, of course, was that we would be inspired about team building. i suppose i was, although i do hope i don't have to deal with things like severed fingers or compound fractures in any of my all-agency meetings.
at any rate, ahoy!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
brave girl
my hair had become unruly. it was long. the roots were unsightly. it was time for a haircut, but i kept putting it off because let's face it...highlights and haircuts can EASILY go awry. however, i realized i couldn't wait anymore and set an appointment for last thursday, which i promptly had to cancel because i ended up working till 11. luckily, jarrold's on old street was able to squeeze me in today.
the salon was three minutes from my flat, well lit, and gave me loads of free earl grey (black, which truly frightens londoners) while i sat in the chair. all good things. about an hour and three fashion magazines later, i was washed up, towel removed, and the new color unveiled. i was nervous. i couldn't remember what my hair was supposed to look like, especially since i've been staring at two inches worth of roots for the past couple of weeks. oh boy. the stylist trimmed, crafted, blew it dry, and trimmed some more, and finally...i recognized my cut and color. thank gawd.
relief is not the right word. everyone here looks perfect, all the time, even when it's raining. i usually look like i've just crawled out of bed and bad highlights weren't going to help that. luckily i can at least have decent hair color, even if i'm not polished and proper looking. sigh.
the salon was three minutes from my flat, well lit, and gave me loads of free earl grey (black, which truly frightens londoners) while i sat in the chair. all good things. about an hour and three fashion magazines later, i was washed up, towel removed, and the new color unveiled. i was nervous. i couldn't remember what my hair was supposed to look like, especially since i've been staring at two inches worth of roots for the past couple of weeks. oh boy. the stylist trimmed, crafted, blew it dry, and trimmed some more, and finally...i recognized my cut and color. thank gawd.
relief is not the right word. everyone here looks perfect, all the time, even when it's raining. i usually look like i've just crawled out of bed and bad highlights weren't going to help that. luckily i can at least have decent hair color, even if i'm not polished and proper looking. sigh.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
day tripper™
my friend alex told me last wednesday that he was going to oxford this weekend. i've never been to oxford, don't know much about it, but i figured, hey, why not? it's only about an hour away!
to get to oxford, you have to take a train. the little red lightning bolts with a line through them signify overground trains in the london transport system. paddington station is where you catch the train to oxford. i showed up at the station a bit clueless, bought a ticket, and found a seat.
i arrived around 1 pm, about 4 hours after alex. (long story) we were both STARVING so we grabbed lunch at this french bistro, where i had a croque monsieur (basically a fried ham sandwich). really healthy. :-)
neither one of us had a map and these arrows weren't really that helpful. luckily alex had been on two bus tours that morning and somewhat knew how to get around.
christ church, where they filmed some of the harry potter movie stuff. i was too cheap to pay the entrance fee, so we just wandered around outside.
not sure what this is, i just thought it was neato looking
another church somewhere in oxford
beautiful tree that caught my eye
wtf is steampunk, other than a really cool word? according to wikipedia:
Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.
we managed to stumble into an exhibit of this highly genius artwork for free! by far the coolest thing in oxford i think.
walking around makes me pretty thirsty. anyway, how could you not stop somewhere called the three goats heads?
cheers to not getting horribly lost!
we made it back to london a little after 8 pm and for the first saturday night since i've been here, i didn't go out. instead i enjoyed a lovely self-date night with a tesco pizza and my bed. so nice. :-)
to get to oxford, you have to take a train. the little red lightning bolts with a line through them signify overground trains in the london transport system. paddington station is where you catch the train to oxford. i showed up at the station a bit clueless, bought a ticket, and found a seat.
i arrived around 1 pm, about 4 hours after alex. (long story) we were both STARVING so we grabbed lunch at this french bistro, where i had a croque monsieur (basically a fried ham sandwich). really healthy. :-)
neither one of us had a map and these arrows weren't really that helpful. luckily alex had been on two bus tours that morning and somewhat knew how to get around.
christ church, where they filmed some of the harry potter movie stuff. i was too cheap to pay the entrance fee, so we just wandered around outside.
not sure what this is, i just thought it was neato looking
another church somewhere in oxford
beautiful tree that caught my eye
wtf is steampunk, other than a really cool word? according to wikipedia:
Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.
we managed to stumble into an exhibit of this highly genius artwork for free! by far the coolest thing in oxford i think.
walking around makes me pretty thirsty. anyway, how could you not stop somewhere called the three goats heads?
cheers to not getting horribly lost!
we made it back to london a little after 8 pm and for the first saturday night since i've been here, i didn't go out. instead i enjoyed a lovely self-date night with a tesco pizza and my bed. so nice. :-)
Friday, December 4, 2009
in and out
it's been a long week. :-) i worked till 11 again last night and had to be up at 4 am today, as the car was coming to take me to city airport at 5 am. 5. i normally don't get up until 7:30 or 8! good lord. luckily my cool creative director was going with me and i at least had someone to banter with in the car and on the plane.
we landed in geneve at 9:30 am, presented from 10-11:45, then RAN back to the airport to catch a 12:40 flight. we made it, by the skin of our teeth! (skin of our teeth, if you really must know, is a biblical reference to Job. my co-worker and i looked it up one day) i was back in the london office by 2:30 UK time and several colleagues were like, "aren't you supposed to be in geneva?" when i explained they looked at me as if i had three heads. my executive director actually said "you came IN after that? are you mad?" ha ha. i told her maybe i was mad. tough call, that one.
i really let loose and left the office at 5 pm, so that i could go home, change, and then meet Beth for a Christmas festival in smithfield market. we had some mulled wine and then headed off for greener pastures, aka jerusalem tavern, where i enjoyed a lovely grapefruit beer. the pub was SO crowded that we ended up sitting on a bench outside. we were having such a good conversation that we didn't realize it was pouring and we were both soaked. :-) we decided it made sense to go somewhere indoors where we could also grab dinner, so we headed to dovetail.
i had my first bangers and mash, although it was a vegetarian banger (cheddar and spinach), so Beth said it didn't completely count. :-) we also tried a delightful new beer called kwak (ha ha ha) that was 8% alcohol and only came in half pints. we each had two. needless to say, i staggered home a bit drunky drunk. i do love me some good beer...
we landed in geneve at 9:30 am, presented from 10-11:45, then RAN back to the airport to catch a 12:40 flight. we made it, by the skin of our teeth! (skin of our teeth, if you really must know, is a biblical reference to Job. my co-worker and i looked it up one day) i was back in the london office by 2:30 UK time and several colleagues were like, "aren't you supposed to be in geneva?" when i explained they looked at me as if i had three heads. my executive director actually said "you came IN after that? are you mad?" ha ha. i told her maybe i was mad. tough call, that one.
i really let loose and left the office at 5 pm, so that i could go home, change, and then meet Beth for a Christmas festival in smithfield market. we had some mulled wine and then headed off for greener pastures, aka jerusalem tavern, where i enjoyed a lovely grapefruit beer. the pub was SO crowded that we ended up sitting on a bench outside. we were having such a good conversation that we didn't realize it was pouring and we were both soaked. :-) we decided it made sense to go somewhere indoors where we could also grab dinner, so we headed to dovetail.
i had my first bangers and mash, although it was a vegetarian banger (cheddar and spinach), so Beth said it didn't completely count. :-) we also tried a delightful new beer called kwak (ha ha ha) that was 8% alcohol and only came in half pints. we each had two. needless to say, i staggered home a bit drunky drunk. i do love me some good beer...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
on a mission for Mexican
contrary to popular belief, London has a wide array of restaurants that have a nice variety of takeaway for lunch - thai, indian, italian, pub grub, sandwiches, kfc knockoffs, etc. i've even seen a subway! one thing that's missing is mexican food. there are some bad burrito places but nothing really solid.
however, my new friends Pam and Andy told me about a burrito stand around the corner from my office. it was walking distance, i had a free bit of time today, and it wasn't raining. plus, who could resist a place named Daddy Donkey???
(shot backwards thanks to Photo Booth)
the leather lane market was small but interesting, and there was a long queue for burritos. i got close enough to read the menu and found that you could order:
a burrito
a fajita burrito
or a bol
you then picked your meat:
chicken
beef
pork
vegetarian
and your level of spicy for the salsa:
mild
medium
hot
WOW
the British version of chipotle!! ha ha ha. the burritos even come wrapped in foil:
i went a bit wild and got medium salsa, which caused me to break into a sweat. it also helped with the scratchy throat/congestion thing i've been rocking all day.
there were some subtle differences for sure (red peppers in the fajita variety, different spices on the chicken) but all in all it tasted pretty much just like chipotle. two enthusiastic thumbs up! :-) although i'm still on a mission to find real mexican food...
however, my new friends Pam and Andy told me about a burrito stand around the corner from my office. it was walking distance, i had a free bit of time today, and it wasn't raining. plus, who could resist a place named Daddy Donkey???
(shot backwards thanks to Photo Booth)
the leather lane market was small but interesting, and there was a long queue for burritos. i got close enough to read the menu and found that you could order:
a burrito
a fajita burrito
or a bol
you then picked your meat:
chicken
beef
pork
vegetarian
and your level of spicy for the salsa:
mild
medium
hot
WOW
the British version of chipotle!! ha ha ha. the burritos even come wrapped in foil:
i went a bit wild and got medium salsa, which caused me to break into a sweat. it also helped with the scratchy throat/congestion thing i've been rocking all day.
there were some subtle differences for sure (red peppers in the fajita variety, different spices on the chicken) but all in all it tasted pretty much just like chipotle. two enthusiastic thumbs up! :-) although i'm still on a mission to find real mexican food...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
just when you think you have london transport all figured out
you discover that transport on sundays is a wee different. :-)
i was meeting some new friends at a pub for lunch today in W1 (oxford circus area). easy enough! the 55 stops right by my flat and i am well familiar with the stop i needed to get off at on oxford street. but since it's sunday, it took FOREVER to get a flipping bus and it was standing room only.
standing on the top floor of a double-decker bus while its in motion is scarier than paragliding.
luckily i got a seat pretty quick and even better, my friends were having a similar problem on the tube. we arrived at the crown and sceptre at exactly the same time and had a great time chatting over cocktails and delicious pub food. i had a burger, they had traditional sunday roasts. we hung out for a few hours, so much fun. afterwards, we braved the rain and headed to oxford street to go our separate ways and do a bit of shopping.
i planned on a quick stop into h&m, which ended up being disappointing, so i went out to wait in the drizzle for the 55. i waited. and waited. and every other bus on the planet went by, but no 55. hence, i started walking towards oxford circus tube and on the way i became distracted by...top shop.
top shop is a huge clothing store chain here and i've been meaning to check it out. it was huge, confusing, and i couldn't find a fitting room to save my life. :-) i did wind up getting two pairs of leggings though.
the 55 never did come, so i hopped on the circle line thinking i could change to the northern line at tottenham court road. what i forgot was that the northern line splits twice and TCR is on the charing cross side. old street (my station) is on the bank side. F.
i finally got it sorted out but it was so crowded that i was getting a little grumpy. then someone on the tube pointed out that an old banana peel was hanging from the ceiling just above my head. four strangers and i had a good laugh at the randomness of this, and it made the day brighter for some reason. this could also be due to the fact that it stopped raining soon after but whatevs. :-)
i was meeting some new friends at a pub for lunch today in W1 (oxford circus area). easy enough! the 55 stops right by my flat and i am well familiar with the stop i needed to get off at on oxford street. but since it's sunday, it took FOREVER to get a flipping bus and it was standing room only.
standing on the top floor of a double-decker bus while its in motion is scarier than paragliding.
luckily i got a seat pretty quick and even better, my friends were having a similar problem on the tube. we arrived at the crown and sceptre at exactly the same time and had a great time chatting over cocktails and delicious pub food. i had a burger, they had traditional sunday roasts. we hung out for a few hours, so much fun. afterwards, we braved the rain and headed to oxford street to go our separate ways and do a bit of shopping.
i planned on a quick stop into h&m, which ended up being disappointing, so i went out to wait in the drizzle for the 55. i waited. and waited. and every other bus on the planet went by, but no 55. hence, i started walking towards oxford circus tube and on the way i became distracted by...top shop.
top shop is a huge clothing store chain here and i've been meaning to check it out. it was huge, confusing, and i couldn't find a fitting room to save my life. :-) i did wind up getting two pairs of leggings though.
the 55 never did come, so i hopped on the circle line thinking i could change to the northern line at tottenham court road. what i forgot was that the northern line splits twice and TCR is on the charing cross side. old street (my station) is on the bank side. F.
i finally got it sorted out but it was so crowded that i was getting a little grumpy. then someone on the tube pointed out that an old banana peel was hanging from the ceiling just above my head. four strangers and i had a good laugh at the randomness of this, and it made the day brighter for some reason. this could also be due to the fact that it stopped raining soon after but whatevs. :-)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
'Stiner's last day :-(
my girl Christine's last day in london. i knew this was coming, but i didn't know it would get here so FAST. this month has flown by and i can't imagine this city without her. boo to America for stealing her away.
despite the fact that i was sad, saturday was a day of exploration for me. firstly, it was my week for the house cleaning rota. i spent 2 blissful hours scrubbling, scouring, mopping, and tidying the place...my way. oh yeah, it's Jen Clean™ in here now baby!
after the cleaning fiesta, i walked to camden passage with Beth and Christine. camden passage is a local market on weekends, where i found some pressies for my fam and a few potential future ones for me as well. :-) i also bought a vegetarian cookbook because, even though i still REALLY LOVE MEAT, i can't afford to buy/cook it here and i can't keep getting my vegetables from drinking bloody marys. will be exciting to try some new recipes!
ha ha ha
there was also a spurs match today, so we headed to our favorite football bar, cafe kick, to enjoy the game, tapas, and pisco. i love pisco. it is so smooth and so delicious. it also hits you like a ton of bricks. :-) after four sagres (brazilian beer), a pisco sour, and a pisco + coke, i was barely able to walk to hobgoblin. i stuck it out though and even managed to get some dancin' in, as well as make a new friend.
pisco, pisco, pisco!
i'm so excited and i just can't hide it
not even going to hypothesize about what's going on here
but, as all good things must come to an end (really, universe?), it was soon time to walk back to the clerkenwell flat with Christine, where we had a tearful goodbye. hence, phase 1 of london is officially over for me. phase 2 is london without any ties to my old life being here in the city with me.
how many phases will there be? only time will tell. ;-)
despite the fact that i was sad, saturday was a day of exploration for me. firstly, it was my week for the house cleaning rota. i spent 2 blissful hours scrubbling, scouring, mopping, and tidying the place...my way. oh yeah, it's Jen Clean™ in here now baby!
after the cleaning fiesta, i walked to camden passage with Beth and Christine. camden passage is a local market on weekends, where i found some pressies for my fam and a few potential future ones for me as well. :-) i also bought a vegetarian cookbook because, even though i still REALLY LOVE MEAT, i can't afford to buy/cook it here and i can't keep getting my vegetables from drinking bloody marys. will be exciting to try some new recipes!
ha ha ha
there was also a spurs match today, so we headed to our favorite football bar, cafe kick, to enjoy the game, tapas, and pisco. i love pisco. it is so smooth and so delicious. it also hits you like a ton of bricks. :-) after four sagres (brazilian beer), a pisco sour, and a pisco + coke, i was barely able to walk to hobgoblin. i stuck it out though and even managed to get some dancin' in, as well as make a new friend.
pisco, pisco, pisco!
i'm so excited and i just can't hide it
not even going to hypothesize about what's going on here
but, as all good things must come to an end (really, universe?), it was soon time to walk back to the clerkenwell flat with Christine, where we had a tearful goodbye. hence, phase 1 of london is officially over for me. phase 2 is london without any ties to my old life being here in the city with me.
how many phases will there be? only time will tell. ;-)
Friday, November 27, 2009
naughty friday™
i actually enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet in the office on friday, and since it was Christine's last day in the London digs, i decided to join my co-workers for fish n' chips and pints at lunch! i had my first pear cider - pretty good but i like apple better. this is kind of funny because i didn't enjoy cider at all in my previous life (same thing with olives). has this grey island caused my taste buds to change???
ah, but i digress. back to naughty friday. i was happy (but not drunk) after a pint or so of cider; however, some folks decided to hit another pub on the walk back to the office. (really, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a pub around here.) i'm usually nonsense after two pints...and it was a work day...and then one of my colleagues reminded me that we are usually too busy to take advantage of such opportunities. well. when in rome...
after a lengthy lunch, i made it back to my desk and then we left at 5:30 for Christine's going away drinks! we wandered across clerkenwell green (which by the way, is not green) to the three kings pub. i was so full from all the noontime nonsense that i switched to wine after just one happy hour pint. it was freezing out (winter is finally here), so we walked over to a pub called the green where we could be indoors. but we brought our drinks from the three kings.
man i love london. :-)
i really enjoyed hanging with my co-workers, although i learned that you should not say the following things to brits:
"whoa, way to double fist!" (has nothing to do with having two drinks at once here)
"my flap is being really tricky" (i was referring to my mitten flap. they thought i meant something else.)
doh. Beth and Lou met us out and we had a few more rounds, a shot of Jaeger, then went off in search of dinner. there's a great curry place on the green so we headed there. it was kind of a nice restaurant, i'm sure they were impressed with our impaired states of consciousness. ha.
a few of my adorable co-workers
the trifecta
ah, but i digress. back to naughty friday. i was happy (but not drunk) after a pint or so of cider; however, some folks decided to hit another pub on the walk back to the office. (really, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a pub around here.) i'm usually nonsense after two pints...and it was a work day...and then one of my colleagues reminded me that we are usually too busy to take advantage of such opportunities. well. when in rome...
after a lengthy lunch, i made it back to my desk and then we left at 5:30 for Christine's going away drinks! we wandered across clerkenwell green (which by the way, is not green) to the three kings pub. i was so full from all the noontime nonsense that i switched to wine after just one happy hour pint. it was freezing out (winter is finally here), so we walked over to a pub called the green where we could be indoors. but we brought our drinks from the three kings.
man i love london. :-)
i really enjoyed hanging with my co-workers, although i learned that you should not say the following things to brits:
"whoa, way to double fist!" (has nothing to do with having two drinks at once here)
"my flap is being really tricky" (i was referring to my mitten flap. they thought i meant something else.)
doh. Beth and Lou met us out and we had a few more rounds, a shot of Jaeger, then went off in search of dinner. there's a great curry place on the green so we headed there. it was kind of a nice restaurant, i'm sure they were impressed with our impaired states of consciousness. ha.
a few of my adorable co-workers
the trifecta
Thursday, November 26, 2009
thanksgiving on the other side of the pond
thanksgiving was...hard. i'm so thankful for so many things, but being away from my family and friends, not being able to hear anyone's voice, etc. just SUCKS.
that said, i'm lucky to have good friends here in the city who welcomed me to a very yummy London thanksgiving table. :-) Beth spent all day slaving in the kitchen to make Christine, Lou, and me a wonderful spread! each one of us had a little job to do for the meal. mine (as i've mentioned 800 times) was to make the pumpkin pies. everyone else's pilgrim duties went as follows:
Christine making some awesome mashed potatoes (check out those guns...awwww yeah)
Lou brought limes, mint, tequila, and cranberry juice which produced...
...a fab cocktail called Nautilus, which we dubbed "Happy Pilgrims"
Beth made a cheese plate, roast turkey with gravy, green beans, and waldorf salad with homemade dressing
mmm, mmm, good. before we ate, we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. awww. :-)
in all honesty, this holiday was way harder than i ever imagined it would be. i know that i'm on an island (literally) but on thanksgiving it became very clear to me...i'm 4,000 miles away from home. no matter how much i love it here (and i truly do) i'm always a little sad. so, it's good that i have other Americans to cry with on occasion. ;-)
American girlz
that said, i'm lucky to have good friends here in the city who welcomed me to a very yummy London thanksgiving table. :-) Beth spent all day slaving in the kitchen to make Christine, Lou, and me a wonderful spread! each one of us had a little job to do for the meal. mine (as i've mentioned 800 times) was to make the pumpkin pies. everyone else's pilgrim duties went as follows:
Christine making some awesome mashed potatoes (check out those guns...awwww yeah)
Lou brought limes, mint, tequila, and cranberry juice which produced...
...a fab cocktail called Nautilus, which we dubbed "Happy Pilgrims"
Beth made a cheese plate, roast turkey with gravy, green beans, and waldorf salad with homemade dressing
mmm, mmm, good. before we ate, we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. awww. :-)
in all honesty, this holiday was way harder than i ever imagined it would be. i know that i'm on an island (literally) but on thanksgiving it became very clear to me...i'm 4,000 miles away from home. no matter how much i love it here (and i truly do) i'm always a little sad. so, it's good that i have other Americans to cry with on occasion. ;-)
American girlz
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
american girl, american pie
if i lived in the States, i'd be enjoying thanksgiving tomorrow. two free days off of work, delicious food, and wonderful time with the family i took for granted. however, i live in the UK where it's about 60 degrees, we're working tomorrow, and the concept of laying around all day eating turkey is lost on people.
luckily i have an american friend who recognizes the importance of these things. she's having Christine and me over for dinner, so i needed to bake up some pumpkin pies in preparation.
i had all the ingredients, a working oven, etc. no problemo, right? er, hmmm. i should learn to stop thinking that. let's review the events of the evening, shall we?
the much sought-after canned pumpkin. it's all natural for crying out loud, how much harm could it cause??
plenty, as it were. the small hole in the can was all i could manage to produce with the weird tin opener i found in the drawer. i asked (bribed with a glass of wine) my roomate for help, who tossed the tin opener aside and went for a knife. this is as far as we got.
we decided our tin opener and the knife were rubbish. roommate sent me next door to borrow neighbor's tin opener.
cripes. i've given myself a blister.
victorious! look closely. the lid was cut from the SIDE of the can and not the TOP like an american can opener would do. sodding backwards crap.
i win i win i win i win i win i...oh wait. the recipe called for ground cloves and all i could find at sainsbury's were...whole cloves.
i win i win i win i win i win
a very long while later, two small pies emerged from the oven. it was a difficult birth and they're not the prettiest things, but i'm a proud mama nevertheless. :-)
luckily i have an american friend who recognizes the importance of these things. she's having Christine and me over for dinner, so i needed to bake up some pumpkin pies in preparation.
i had all the ingredients, a working oven, etc. no problemo, right? er, hmmm. i should learn to stop thinking that. let's review the events of the evening, shall we?
the much sought-after canned pumpkin. it's all natural for crying out loud, how much harm could it cause??
plenty, as it were. the small hole in the can was all i could manage to produce with the weird tin opener i found in the drawer. i asked (bribed with a glass of wine) my roomate for help, who tossed the tin opener aside and went for a knife. this is as far as we got.
we decided our tin opener and the knife were rubbish. roommate sent me next door to borrow neighbor's tin opener.
cripes. i've given myself a blister.
victorious! look closely. the lid was cut from the SIDE of the can and not the TOP like an american can opener would do. sodding backwards crap.
i win i win i win i win i win i...oh wait. the recipe called for ground cloves and all i could find at sainsbury's were...whole cloves.
i win i win i win i win i win
a very long while later, two small pies emerged from the oven. it was a difficult birth and they're not the prettiest things, but i'm a proud mama nevertheless. :-)
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
new running digs
i've been meaning to join a new running group. since Christine goes home this weekend, i've decided there is no time like the present to start getting out and actually doing all the stuff i've just been talking about. niketown london has running groups that meet for FREE several times a week, and i opted for the tuesday night mixed gender run. you could choose from 3, 4, or 7 miles. since i haven't run much in the last month or so, i selected the four-mile option.
i wasn't sure what to expect but the run was awesome! you show up at the niketown store a bit early and check in your gear, which they give you an id tag for. (better than some races i've run!) then you get a chip and a reflective vest, and THEN they lead you through warmup exercises. a bit awkward but if 100 other people didn't mind doing it then i didn't either. :-)
two nice girls offered that i could run with them so i didn't get lost, and we set off for regent's park. however, i lost my new pals pretty quick due to the traffic and other pedestrians we were dodging. then i spotted a guy next to me sans headphones and struck up a conversation, which lasted the full four miles and resulted in an invite to join him and another runner for post-workout pints. woohoo!
back at the store, my buddy went to change his clothes and came back wearing...a three piece suit! he works in finance and that was what he wore to work. his friend was wearing the same getup. they both looked dapper, i looked like someone who just ran four miles in the rain. ah well.
we found a cool pub around the corner and remembering my previous vow, i ordered a fruili, which impressed my new friend. turns out it was some sort of exotic strawberry beer. it reminded me of my strawberry shortcake dolls from childhood. tasty but maybe overkill?
we hung out for another pint and some burgers, during which time i tried to explain a few american things to the lads, such as:
- the difference between country and bluegrass
- why the Cincinnati marathon is called the Flying Pig
amongst other things. all in all, was one of the most fun nights i've had with strangers and i hope i see them again next week!
the evening ended with me a bit tipsy, chasing the 55 bus down oxford street. :-)
Monday, November 23, 2009
beer me
i'm on a new mission. no more ordering any beers i recognize (except at cafe kick). every time i go out, i vow to pick something i have never heard of. tonight i met up with a new friend who has already adopted this practice, and i ordered a new beer called doom bar. my favorite beer so far! also, it's from cornwall, which is also where the town of st. ives is. i smell a field trip...
good beer was followed by good saag paneer, which tastes pretty much nothing like it does in the states but is tasty nevertheless. :-)
good beer was followed by good saag paneer, which tastes pretty much nothing like it does in the states but is tasty nevertheless. :-)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
pace
pronounced "pa-chay", this means "peace" in italian. why am i suddenly blogging in italian? well...i found myself awake at 9:30 am this morning, which meant it was time to get back into the routine of going to church. there are about three catholic churches in EC1 - the one i've been eyeing on amwell street had mass at 10, so that was off the list. one was at 11:30, which seemed too late, so the only one left was st. peter's italian catholic church.
really, you'd think the name would have given away the fact that the mass wouldn't be said in english...but nothing here is what it seems, so i didn't really know what to expect. i was running a bit late (surprise) and then a French dude stopped me in the street to see if i would take his picture in one of the red phone booths. since i did this myself just last evening, i could hardly say no.
i was now REALLY late and i couldn't find the street i was looking for. damn, damn. then out of nowhere i stumbled upon the steps (stupid map was wrong) and i scurried inside just in time.
once seated, i noticed everyone else had a bulletin in hand. oopsies. mass began and it was most definitely not in english. :-) it was actually really cool to hear it in italian, and i participated in my own language a little bit...but not too loudly because i didn't want to seem disrespectful. EVERYONE else was fluent and recited along flawlessly.
the whole experience was pretty interesting, despite the fact that communion was a bit disorganized and the lady behind me bumped me in the rear end every time we moved. i think i'd go back again, but i'd need to make sure to grab a bulletin so i could at least play along. could be a good way to learn italian! ;-)
really, you'd think the name would have given away the fact that the mass wouldn't be said in english...but nothing here is what it seems, so i didn't really know what to expect. i was running a bit late (surprise) and then a French dude stopped me in the street to see if i would take his picture in one of the red phone booths. since i did this myself just last evening, i could hardly say no.
i was now REALLY late and i couldn't find the street i was looking for. damn, damn. then out of nowhere i stumbled upon the steps (stupid map was wrong) and i scurried inside just in time.
once seated, i noticed everyone else had a bulletin in hand. oopsies. mass began and it was most definitely not in english. :-) it was actually really cool to hear it in italian, and i participated in my own language a little bit...but not too loudly because i didn't want to seem disrespectful. EVERYONE else was fluent and recited along flawlessly.
the whole experience was pretty interesting, despite the fact that communion was a bit disorganized and the lady behind me bumped me in the rear end every time we moved. i think i'd go back again, but i'd need to make sure to grab a bulletin so i could at least play along. could be a good way to learn italian! ;-)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
pub crawlin' in the rain
since Christine only has a week left in london, she's been making a list of pubs to hit before she goes:
jerusalem tavern
dovetail
bishop's finger
to name a few. pubs here are weird though as far as hours of operation go, so we knew jerusalem wasn't open on saturday. we figured we could have a quick dinner, then hit bishop's finger and meet up with Beth and Lou at dovetail. ah, the best laid plans. :-)
we started off at a clerkenwell restaurant called match, which was more of a bar but they had good pub food on the menu so we took a chance. i ordered a half pint of some strange beer (don't remember the name) and it took FOREVER to get our food. i was getting fish n' chips, Christine was getting shepherd's pie. as my friend Dave would say, we were trying to lay a good base.
the food finally came out and the terrified looking waiter said "if you don't think this tastes good, you don't have to pay for it." just what you want to hear before you dig into a meal. :-) turns out that the chef hadn't shown up for work, so the restaurant manager was preparing everything and she didn't really know how to cook!
we started eating and the waiter came back a minute later to see how things were. we assured him the food was fine, but he insisted that we needed some kind of compensation...so he whipped out three tequila shots and we did them right then and there. i love london.
after dinner (which we decided to pay for), we headed to the bishop's finger...which wasn't open! silly pubs.
closed!
we strolled back through the empty smithfield market where i made a quick pit stop inside one of the fabulous red phone booths that are all over the city. i didn't think anything could actually smell worse than the underground on a rainy day, but the phone booth definitely did.
'ello london!
even though the green was not on our list, we went in for a pint since it was starting to rain a bit harder. good thing we did! the rain was coming down sideways, upside down, and every other way you can think of. poor Beth called from finsbury park and said they were soaked and probably wouldn't make it down. Christine and I were wishing we were home on the couch. gross, gross weather.
but then, as they always do, the skies cleared and we braved it over to dovetail where one of Christine's college friends was going to meet us. it was 10:20 and the dovetail closed at 11 (most pubs do), but we grabbed a half pint anyway. there was a cactus on the table, ha ha.
the college friends arrived and not long after, last call hit and we were booted out into the street. cafe kick was close by though, and open for another hour, so we headed there for some sagres. at midnight we were booted out AGAIN and walked up to the lexington in angel. i bailed at this point though, as drinking for hours on end every weekend is starting to take a toll on my wallet and let's face it...i was probably drunk enough anyway. :-)
jerusalem tavern
dovetail
bishop's finger
to name a few. pubs here are weird though as far as hours of operation go, so we knew jerusalem wasn't open on saturday. we figured we could have a quick dinner, then hit bishop's finger and meet up with Beth and Lou at dovetail. ah, the best laid plans. :-)
we started off at a clerkenwell restaurant called match, which was more of a bar but they had good pub food on the menu so we took a chance. i ordered a half pint of some strange beer (don't remember the name) and it took FOREVER to get our food. i was getting fish n' chips, Christine was getting shepherd's pie. as my friend Dave would say, we were trying to lay a good base.
the food finally came out and the terrified looking waiter said "if you don't think this tastes good, you don't have to pay for it." just what you want to hear before you dig into a meal. :-) turns out that the chef hadn't shown up for work, so the restaurant manager was preparing everything and she didn't really know how to cook!
we started eating and the waiter came back a minute later to see how things were. we assured him the food was fine, but he insisted that we needed some kind of compensation...so he whipped out three tequila shots and we did them right then and there. i love london.
after dinner (which we decided to pay for), we headed to the bishop's finger...which wasn't open! silly pubs.
closed!
we strolled back through the empty smithfield market where i made a quick pit stop inside one of the fabulous red phone booths that are all over the city. i didn't think anything could actually smell worse than the underground on a rainy day, but the phone booth definitely did.
'ello london!
even though the green was not on our list, we went in for a pint since it was starting to rain a bit harder. good thing we did! the rain was coming down sideways, upside down, and every other way you can think of. poor Beth called from finsbury park and said they were soaked and probably wouldn't make it down. Christine and I were wishing we were home on the couch. gross, gross weather.
but then, as they always do, the skies cleared and we braved it over to dovetail where one of Christine's college friends was going to meet us. it was 10:20 and the dovetail closed at 11 (most pubs do), but we grabbed a half pint anyway. there was a cactus on the table, ha ha.
the college friends arrived and not long after, last call hit and we were booted out into the street. cafe kick was close by though, and open for another hour, so we headed there for some sagres. at midnight we were booted out AGAIN and walked up to the lexington in angel. i bailed at this point though, as drinking for hours on end every weekend is starting to take a toll on my wallet and let's face it...i was probably drunk enough anyway. :-)
on a mission
Beth is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week, so Christine and I set off for Whole Foods in Stoke Newington today. why Whole Foods? because it's the only place in london where you can get canned pumpkin! since i'm making the pie, pumpkin was a necessity. we piled onto the 243 and about 25 minutes later we found ourselves outside what used to be my local grocery in the states. sigh. they indeed had pumpkin as well as a bunch of other american brands. good to know.
precious pumpkin
we wandered up and down church street afterwards and saw the cutest shops and cafes! i bought a plant and a candle for my new room, as well as a card featuring WW2 propaganda "keep calm and carry on." seems like a good motto! :-)
before heading back to my neck of the woods, we stopped into a cafe and i had a sicilian breakfast consisting of: fried halloumi cheese (my new favorite), spicy salami, olives (another thing i can't stop eating), hashbrowns, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a fried egg. it was fabulous. time for a nap!
Friday, November 20, 2009
moving on up...in EC1
moving day! i finally got into my new digs tonight, thanks to Christine, Beth, and a rather unwilling mini cab driver from addison lee. i just had too much stuff to carry, so i called a mini cab...the driver wasn't so keen on being a "moving van" even though the dispatcher said it was fine. we haggled back and forth a few times and i eventually said in a serious voice "i ride with your cab company six times a week, so i'm glad you're able to be flexible with me." happy he wasn't, but he at least loaded up the stuff and even helped us dump it on the sidewalk in front of my new place!
ironically, the hot water heater is in my bedroom closet, which means the room can get...balls hot. this is funny to me because my old bedroom was above the boiler room, which meant that it was also...balls hot. ha! at least my windows open.
my new flatmate Ly showed me the weekly cleaning schedule, where i could put my food in the cabinets, the central vac system (!) etc. it took me a good five minutes to get out the front door last night because i couldn't figure out how to unlock it (it was midnight and i didn't want to wake my flatmates...if they were even here). Beth had to stick her head in the mailslot and instruct me how to open the door. :-)
Christine shot this from the street. There's Beth...I'm on the other side of the door panicking...
ironically, the hot water heater is in my bedroom closet, which means the room can get...balls hot. this is funny to me because my old bedroom was above the boiler room, which meant that it was also...balls hot. ha! at least my windows open.
my new flatmate Ly showed me the weekly cleaning schedule, where i could put my food in the cabinets, the central vac system (!) etc. it took me a good five minutes to get out the front door last night because i couldn't figure out how to unlock it (it was midnight and i didn't want to wake my flatmates...if they were even here). Beth had to stick her head in the mailslot and instruct me how to open the door. :-)
Christine shot this from the street. There's Beth...I'm on the other side of the door panicking...
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