A little about the flat

Greetings and salutations!

We do not have internet at home yet so it's very difficult to maintain this with regularity when we can't log on at home. We signed up for it, but it will take them 10 days. Not that they need to come to our place or anything. They just flip a switch. But it will take 10 days. Right. Great.

In other news...

We have had some watery fun in our apartment! 3 separate events:

1. A nice "welcome" note from the neighbor downstairs on morning #2. Something from our apt. above is "pouring" into his apt. below. Turns out to be the master shower. We use the other "shower" (a tub + a hose). We call the landlord, he caulks. We use the shower again. Another friendly note from Paul downstairs (same problem but not as bad). We call the landlord, he caulks, I get the feeling this may not be a simple leaky thing... perhaps a plumber might be better? We use the shower again... several times... no note. Hope there's no lawsuit pending.

2. Last Saturday morning, I awoke to the gentle pitter patter of falling rain on the window sill. How pleasant! A nice welcome to my first sleep-in in awhile. Then: splat, splat, splat, splat... the unmistakeable sound of dripping water on soggy carpet. Jason informs me that I missed the waterfall down the window sill. It's obvious from watermarks this is not the first time this has happened. We call the landlord. He cleans the gutter and moves around some wires that the phone company installed. It rained all day yesterday, and we're dry inside.

3. As noted on our 16-page move-in inventory, the freezer was so badly frosted over that the door wouldn't shut. We call the landlord. He said go ahead & defrost; he would not hold us liable for damage. Have you ever defrosted a freezer with scissors and a hammer? I have! I chipped away but Jason diligently monitored the 3-day unfreezing PROcess. We now have a fully functional freezer!

In case your wondering about the landlord... bought the "flat" in recent months with his girlfriend. Moved in. 2 weeks later, moved out. Ah, cohabitation (nor not). Anyhow, poor "bloke" is in a rough spot and I'm pretty sure our rent is not covering the mortgage. But it's got to be better than nothing and it's still a lot of dough! He's a really nice guy and has been fine to deal with, but hopefully we don't face anything major because I get the feeling he's not interested in investing a lot in the place!

Scary

The other day, Jason said "Cheers" to a bartender... unintentionally.

I guess it was bound to happen some time.

Oh, the irony! (Post Date: Friday, July 4)

OK this one I really wish I had a picture for. Today I worked on the 4th of July for the first time ever. I knew it was coming but I only realized the date after receiving my bought-incorrectly-on-board train ticket and seeing 4 Jul 08 stamped on it.

I didn’t think of it again until I went down to lunch. This was my first lunch in the Unilever cafeteria (I was at a TV shoot Wednesday and the ad agency Thursday). As I walked downstairs with a couple girls from my group, I saw a sign: “American Barbeque!”. Yep, there they were, Brits celebrating the 4th of July. They had a grill set up on a patio area, serving “Manhattan Burgers”, hot dogs, chicken, and kebabs, along with grilled corn on the cob. It was actually pretty good, even if I did have to go inside to hunt down ketchup packets from the condiment bar.

They had little American flag banners decorating the outside, and the chefs had tall Uncle Sam hats on. There was a woman giving 1oz samples of “American cloudy lemonade”, so you could try before you spent 50p ($1) on a full glass. As a “real live American” I was asked my opinion (always willing to give: it was good but a bit weak for my tastes; I bought a glass anyways – WITH ice).

I thanked my team for setting this up for me (ha ha, in case it wasn’t clear), and scrambled for stories of 4th of Julys past, as for at least the past three I have been out of the country. Now make that 4.

Oh and in case the irony’s not obvious: On my first working Independence Day, I am in the country from which we celebrate … wait for it … our independence. (Glad I could help explain that.)

Must be time to go find a Bud Light.

UK Week 1 (Post Date: Friday, July 4)

Given that this week has felt about 9 days long (whereas I arrived 4 nights ago), I will try for a digest of the highlights* of the week.

Maple Explosion
After having assured the Chill folks that I was indeed taking real NH maple syrup with me to England, that decision came back to bite me. However, it did mean that I immediately got to try out my funny little washing machine, located as standard in the kitchen. And, even though I later realized(1) that I put the detergent in the ‘pre-wash’ slot instead of the ‘wash’ slot, the fact that the thing ran for nearly 3 hours gave me great confidence that the clothes were clean!

The next load I ran with detergent in the right slot, and on the “short” cycle: about 90 mins.

(1)Please someone kick me the first time I type “realise”.

A Day “Off”
Tuesday I spent in Clapham, my new (area? town? village?). Found a coffee shop to squat at for about 3-4 hours for the price of 1 cappuccino (2.05 GBP, if you’re wondering). Managed to steal a spotty but free internet connection and took care of a bunch of administrative stuff, including sending details for my work permit application. This is the document that says I am more qualified for my job than anyone already living & working here.

I sat for lunch at a place that will probably become a breakfast favorite (The Boiled Egg & Soldiers). While/st waiting for my lunch, Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind played softly, followed by the Sex & the City theme (no, not Labels & Love, just the 30-second instrumental opener). I guess that someone out there was a bit late providing me my sentimental Hollywood moment (see previous post), and at this one I had to roll my eyes and chuckle.

Public Transportation
I think I have spent no less than 20 hours in the Greater London public transportation system this week (in the 3 days I have used it!!), and have probably spent something like 20GBP more than I should have. (Conversion: 1 GBP = $2) This included: a subway delay, a cab ride in an unfamiliar area, a 25-min ‘layover’ 1 stop from my train station, a couple trains I missed but wouldn’t have if I knew the schedule or how to read the board. Also included several incorrectly used Oyster-card reads (refillable Underground pass), one train ticket bought on-board when should have been pre-bought, and other mishaps for which I used my charming “not from here” accent to get out of. They may catch on…

I’m sure there have been other moments and I will share as they come back to me…

*term used loosely.