adam has a friend who has an apartment in bodrum, turkey (where we can stay for free) and we have been excitedly plotting a week-long holiday on the beach. we finally get to leave today (yay!) but i'm nervous about flying.
no, i'm not worried about the flight itself, but traveling around europe, while it is mostly short distances, is a HUGE hassle especially since i'm not from the EU. for someone who is well used to flying, i find myself getting jittery over a few things here:
- there are always surprises. always. whatever can go wrong actually DOES go wrong, and it can be anything from not realising you have to fill out a fake visa (malta trip) to finding out you have to go through customs BEFORE you get on the plane/train. (and my friend beth wasn't allowed on a train because she forgot to pick up a free train ticket FOR HER BIKE) no matter how many times i read the fine print, there is usually something i miss.
- no one that works here actually cares if you miss your plane/train and they sometimes seem like they WANT you to miss it, because then you have to pay more money.
don't get me wrong, i love living over here and i love the opportunities that living here affords me. i just miss the days of being able to look forward to holiday without a care. there's something to be said about the ease of driving to florida or hilton head.
gah. wish me luck! x
Saturday, August 7, 2010
happy customer
i've been working on a switzerland-based account since march or so, and we recently picked up business with the uk market, which means i have regular face-to-face client meetings (yay!). while i enjoy this interaction, the client is very corporate and i don't have much dress up stuff here in london. i just haven't needed it! hence, i've had to do bits of shopping to save my co-workers and clients from having to see the same black and white dress from target appear in EVERY meeting.
shopping here is a nightmare since most clothes are targeted toward either pencil thin girls or the under 25 variety. however, there is always one safehouse i can find...anthropologie. i love anthropologie. i do think a lot of their stuff is overpriced but it is classic and fits well. i couldn't be bothered with the bus trip to regent street last weekend, so i rolled the dice and tried online shopping. online shopping never, ever works out in my favour but i carefully selected my (sale) items and then spent an hour (or three) reading online reviews from other american customers to see if things ran big or small, if they were good for people with large hips, etc. :-) after much deliberation, i decided on two purchases (not necessarily to be worn together although they could be, if were ever warm enough here)
i ordered everything on saturday and it was being shipped through the royal mail, so you can imagine my delight when the package arrived on wednesday! i was even more delighted to open the box and find this:
normally when you order online, it comes in a crap box and everything is in plastic bags and looks like it came from a nasty warehouse somewhere and not an actual retail store. but this came with my packing slip in a reusable sachet and my two items lovingly wrapped in tissue paper. awesome!
granted, there were still plastic bags once i dug a little deeper but the clothes had actual tags on them so i didn't care. it was the best experience i could have hoped for AND everything fit! hurrah! i would definitely do this again.
as a side note, i did do a little shopping in person in angel last weekend and stumbled upon what looked like the cutest boutique but is actually a giant global chain - all saints. (adam and my hairdresser had a good laugh over this story) well, whatever, we don't have that store in cincinnati and since when have i been on the cutting edge of fashion anyway??? :-) i bought a dress that looks like a combination between this:
and this:
it's black and really light jersey material, no eyelets but it does have the buttons and the sash. and it was a good bargain, too. :-)
shopping here is a nightmare since most clothes are targeted toward either pencil thin girls or the under 25 variety. however, there is always one safehouse i can find...anthropologie. i love anthropologie. i do think a lot of their stuff is overpriced but it is classic and fits well. i couldn't be bothered with the bus trip to regent street last weekend, so i rolled the dice and tried online shopping. online shopping never, ever works out in my favour but i carefully selected my (sale) items and then spent an hour (or three) reading online reviews from other american customers to see if things ran big or small, if they were good for people with large hips, etc. :-) after much deliberation, i decided on two purchases (not necessarily to be worn together although they could be, if were ever warm enough here)
i ordered everything on saturday and it was being shipped through the royal mail, so you can imagine my delight when the package arrived on wednesday! i was even more delighted to open the box and find this:
normally when you order online, it comes in a crap box and everything is in plastic bags and looks like it came from a nasty warehouse somewhere and not an actual retail store. but this came with my packing slip in a reusable sachet and my two items lovingly wrapped in tissue paper. awesome!
granted, there were still plastic bags once i dug a little deeper but the clothes had actual tags on them so i didn't care. it was the best experience i could have hoped for AND everything fit! hurrah! i would definitely do this again.
as a side note, i did do a little shopping in person in angel last weekend and stumbled upon what looked like the cutest boutique but is actually a giant global chain - all saints. (adam and my hairdresser had a good laugh over this story) well, whatever, we don't have that store in cincinnati and since when have i been on the cutting edge of fashion anyway??? :-) i bought a dress that looks like a combination between this:
and this:
it's black and really light jersey material, no eyelets but it does have the buttons and the sash. and it was a good bargain, too. :-)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
new haircut, y'all
i guess while i'm thanking people i should also thank my hairstylist from jarrold's for providing me with four consistent haircuts/highlights in a row. in my experience this is hard to find!
an ode to my local favorites
i'd like to take a minute to thank the local establishments who have kept me fed and watered these past few days. in no particular order, thank you:
café saffron
you always deliver my monday night saag paneer consistently and deliciously. though we seem to have a different idea of what "make it a little spicy means", i do appreciate the little treats you throw in the bag each time, from poppadom to those wonderful fried veggie things. i also appreciate that you never become aggravated when i bring my drunk friends in on a friday night, even though we are loud and once (accidentally) dropped a beer bottle into an irretrievable place.
sekforde arms
your £9.99 jugs of pimms keep me refreshed on a hot sunday afternoon, you are willing to serve up a nice pint of kronenburg even at 5 minutes till 11, and frankly, i am well pleased with your recent remodel of the ladies' toilet. also, your staff is quite friendly. i consider you my "local" even though i don't live across from you anymore and have to pass at least two other pubs to be received into your welcoming arms.
la porchetta
you are typically one of the first meals i feed to out-of-town guests who are weary from traveling and who always very much enjoy your fine, thin-crust authentic Italian pizzas. your lovely waitress never fails to recognize me, whether she is working in the clerkenwell or holburn branch. perhaps this is because i went through a month-long spell where i dined with you at least once a week if not more. thank you for making affordable delicious food that is close enough to my house to be convenient but just far enough away that the walk might count as exercise.
though i haven't been there in a while, i'd also like to thank:
the three kings, for their chili bakes and random jukebox full of B side songs from the 70's. also, their bartenders never let anyone queue jump unlike some other establishments on clerkenwell green...
the curved angel, for its small but filling salad bar and the free re-usable takeaway box, all for £3. you make lunch possible when i have loads of change and only five minutes to spare.
bless you all for making my world a happier place.
café saffron
you always deliver my monday night saag paneer consistently and deliciously. though we seem to have a different idea of what "make it a little spicy means", i do appreciate the little treats you throw in the bag each time, from poppadom to those wonderful fried veggie things. i also appreciate that you never become aggravated when i bring my drunk friends in on a friday night, even though we are loud and once (accidentally) dropped a beer bottle into an irretrievable place.
sekforde arms
your £9.99 jugs of pimms keep me refreshed on a hot sunday afternoon, you are willing to serve up a nice pint of kronenburg even at 5 minutes till 11, and frankly, i am well pleased with your recent remodel of the ladies' toilet. also, your staff is quite friendly. i consider you my "local" even though i don't live across from you anymore and have to pass at least two other pubs to be received into your welcoming arms.
la porchetta
you are typically one of the first meals i feed to out-of-town guests who are weary from traveling and who always very much enjoy your fine, thin-crust authentic Italian pizzas. your lovely waitress never fails to recognize me, whether she is working in the clerkenwell or holburn branch. perhaps this is because i went through a month-long spell where i dined with you at least once a week if not more. thank you for making affordable delicious food that is close enough to my house to be convenient but just far enough away that the walk might count as exercise.
though i haven't been there in a while, i'd also like to thank:
the three kings, for their chili bakes and random jukebox full of B side songs from the 70's. also, their bartenders never let anyone queue jump unlike some other establishments on clerkenwell green...
the curved angel, for its small but filling salad bar and the free re-usable takeaway box, all for £3. you make lunch possible when i have loads of change and only five minutes to spare.
bless you all for making my world a happier place.
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