Not a terribly exciting weekend, but I wasn't working so that was awesome. We spent Saturday getting sushi near Harrod's and walking around Hyde Park. We also stumbled across the U.S. Embassy, which aside from looking like a panic room, looked like every building in DC. It stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the old time Victorian buildings and row houses in the neighborhood. And God help the person who stumbles into there on accident, as they will be greeted by several of America's finest with big guns. Also Saturday we rented a pedal boat at Hyde Park. I didn't realize how much work they were, but it was still fun. We only had one or two collisions, but nobody had to be tipped.
Today we decided on the London Zoo, which really wasn't anything spectacular. If you seen one sad and depressed giraffe, you've seen them all. They did have a sweet gorilla exhibit, though, where you actually are outside with them, no glass in between. They're pretty cool creatures, just sitting around eating each other's bugs and grass and occasionally pooping themselves. They really aren't all that different from you or I.
Photos from both excursions can be found here.
The real excitement I suppose was booking our tickets for gay Paris. I was there a few years back but the chunnel is exciting every time. I especially like the part when it goes dark for 20 minutes. My soul belongs to work next weekend, so it'll be a nice get away after a nice 73 hour week.
What I'm Reading...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Estelle Getty: 1923 - 2008
America has lost one of its greatest thespians today. Estelle Getty, or "Ma" as she was known among friends, has passed away at age 84. Why does God always take the good ones? There are 4 freakin Baldwin brothers running around this planet, and yet Heath Ledger, Sidney Pollack, and now Estelle have been taken from us. RIP Estelle, your legacy will continue to live on. On Channel 45, the Lifetime Network, weekdays from 8:00pm to 9:00pm, and Saturdays at 4:00pm.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Happy Flying Ant Day
Apparently about this time every year something very special happens in London and across Britain. Millions (yes, millions) of ants ascend from the ground and look for a little post-hibernation fornication. The ground and skies were covered with swarms of flying ants looking to mate. After the deed is done, their wings fall off and the female finds a suitable place to start a colony. Of course, only about 1% make it this far as most are stepped on or run over or eaten by the cherry-picking birds. It's like taco salad day for those things, more food than they know what to do with.
Read more here and here.
Read more here and here.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Haggis Is Not Good
So we made it to Scotland this past weekend, and I must say it was quite lovely. We were on a time budget and spent our time in Edinburgh, but there was plenty to see and do. We arrived via train Friday evening and grabbed dinner at a Chinese place. I know, that's cheating, but after nearly 5 hours on a train we didn't feel like being adventurous with our cuisine.
The next day we woke up to torrential down pour, and it showed no signs of letting up. After catching the hotel's authentic Scottish breakfast (which looks suspiciously like the authentic English breakfast) we decided we'd have more fun in the rain than in the hotel. So we set off under a tiny umbrella, and luckily the rain began to die down. We did some shopping on the main strip (Princes Street) and then happened upon the Scottish monument. I hadn't heard of it until I was staring at it, but it's basically a 200 foot high tower with 280 some-odd steps. The views at the top were well worth the £3. One word of warning: if you're over 6'5" or are claustrophobic, I would advise against climbing to final set of steps.
After the tower, we wandered down the Royal Mile. This is the street that runs from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Abbey (one the Queen's official residences). The street is actually several smaller streets, lined with cafes, pubs, and tons of tourist shops. At the end of the walk (past Holyrood) is a nice little mile or so hike up to the top of a plateau. Now, I must admit that there were several signs saying the trail was closed, but we, along with about a hundred other people, decided to go anyway. And the view from the top was well worth the risk of hard time in a Scottish jail. As the pictures show, the day turned out quite nice.
On Sunday we plotted our charge on Edinburgh Castle. This castle dominates the entire Edinburgh skyline and it one of the main attractions, so we had been looking forward to it. As noon broke over the calm summer sky, we set out on the westerly route. Resistance was light and we reached the gate in no time. But our advances were turned away not by arrow, nor sword, nor armor, but money. Those greedy bastards were charging £12/person to get inside, to which we said thank you no. Defeated, we headed down the other half of the mile we hadn't seen and decided on a Whiskey tasting tour. Ahem, a Scotch Whiskey tasting tour. We learned that Scotch Whiskey is disgusting and tastes like gasoline. But we got some free glasses, so that was fun.
Before we headed back to the train station, the inevitable had come. No trip to Scotland is complete without sampling the local fare. So we wandered around and found a place that offered a haggis appetizer, which we thought was a good compromise. I'll just get right to it: it's not good. The flavor isn't horrible, but the texture is just wrong. They add lots of fat to help overcome the flavor of heart and lungs and whatever other organs they have laying around, and chewing it is like chewing oatmeal and bubble gum. I'm happy to cross that one off the list and move on with my life.
All in all, it was a great trip. The people were friendly and the city was much cleaner than London. I would definitely like to check out Glasgow and the highlands if I get the chance, but Edinburgh had plenty to offer. You can catch all the photo goodness here.
The next day we woke up to torrential down pour, and it showed no signs of letting up. After catching the hotel's authentic Scottish breakfast (which looks suspiciously like the authentic English breakfast) we decided we'd have more fun in the rain than in the hotel. So we set off under a tiny umbrella, and luckily the rain began to die down. We did some shopping on the main strip (Princes Street) and then happened upon the Scottish monument. I hadn't heard of it until I was staring at it, but it's basically a 200 foot high tower with 280 some-odd steps. The views at the top were well worth the £3. One word of warning: if you're over 6'5" or are claustrophobic, I would advise against climbing to final set of steps.
After the tower, we wandered down the Royal Mile. This is the street that runs from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood Abbey (one the Queen's official residences). The street is actually several smaller streets, lined with cafes, pubs, and tons of tourist shops. At the end of the walk (past Holyrood) is a nice little mile or so hike up to the top of a plateau. Now, I must admit that there were several signs saying the trail was closed, but we, along with about a hundred other people, decided to go anyway. And the view from the top was well worth the risk of hard time in a Scottish jail. As the pictures show, the day turned out quite nice.
On Sunday we plotted our charge on Edinburgh Castle. This castle dominates the entire Edinburgh skyline and it one of the main attractions, so we had been looking forward to it. As noon broke over the calm summer sky, we set out on the westerly route. Resistance was light and we reached the gate in no time. But our advances were turned away not by arrow, nor sword, nor armor, but money. Those greedy bastards were charging £12/person to get inside, to which we said thank you no. Defeated, we headed down the other half of the mile we hadn't seen and decided on a Whiskey tasting tour. Ahem, a Scotch Whiskey tasting tour. We learned that Scotch Whiskey is disgusting and tastes like gasoline. But we got some free glasses, so that was fun.
Before we headed back to the train station, the inevitable had come. No trip to Scotland is complete without sampling the local fare. So we wandered around and found a place that offered a haggis appetizer, which we thought was a good compromise. I'll just get right to it: it's not good. The flavor isn't horrible, but the texture is just wrong. They add lots of fat to help overcome the flavor of heart and lungs and whatever other organs they have laying around, and chewing it is like chewing oatmeal and bubble gum. I'm happy to cross that one off the list and move on with my life.
All in all, it was a great trip. The people were friendly and the city was much cleaner than London. I would definitely like to check out Glasgow and the highlands if I get the chance, but Edinburgh had plenty to offer. You can catch all the photo goodness here.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Work, Pictures, and Visitors
I spent the past week and weekend in a data center, standing at a console in 50 degree temperatures, typing away for 14 hours a day. I knew I would be taken advantage of out here, but that's just obscene. For anyone who has ever built out server rooms, I have a new found respect for you.
Before I was hauled off, I did upload the latest pics of jolly ol' England, as well as jolly ol' Caribbean. My online photo album of choice is Picasa, and you can check out the albums here. I think we've pretty much hit the major tourist spots in the city at this point, and now it's time to work our way out. We've been planning a trip to Scotland for a few weeks, but work keeps foiling us. Also on the list: Oktoberfest in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and gay Paris.
We also hosted our first visitors last week, which was delightful. I of course was working, but Lori was excited to have some company during the day. And September and November are looking busy, so if you're planning on visiting tell me before you book so I can make sure we'll have an occupancy.
Before I was hauled off, I did upload the latest pics of jolly ol' England, as well as jolly ol' Caribbean. My online photo album of choice is Picasa, and you can check out the albums here. I think we've pretty much hit the major tourist spots in the city at this point, and now it's time to work our way out. We've been planning a trip to Scotland for a few weeks, but work keeps foiling us. Also on the list: Oktoberfest in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and gay Paris.
We also hosted our first visitors last week, which was delightful. I of course was working, but Lori was excited to have some company during the day. And September and November are looking busy, so if you're planning on visiting tell me before you book so I can make sure we'll have an occupancy.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy Birthday America
Apparently today is the 4th of July. That doesn't mean a whole lot here in the UK, but for those of you back home I imagine it involves lots of beer, no work, and a BBQ. And for those of you lucky enough, perhaps it even includes an amateur fireworks display. I actually didn't even realize that it was a holiday until about 2 days ago. I already knew I'd be working all week anyway, so it kind of slipped my mind. It wasn't until our staff meeting today when one of the locals referred to our Independence Day as "...the day we kicked you out..." That's funny. That must be why you called us everyday begging us to come back, and finally sailed 3500 miles to try and take us "home." It makes me wonder what they're teaching their kids here.
The day wasn't a total bust. Several places were holding 4th of July celebrations for expats. We decided on the British Museum, as it sounded fun and one writer called it "the most celebrating you can do without being in America." As it turns out, it was actually the lamest thing I've seen this year. The free American beer tour was filled up after like 5 minutes, and the "authentic" American dancing was country-western. And the real American food I was promised? It was a hot dog, some popcorn, and a Budweiser.
They also had a display of truly American sports: football and basketball. I ran a few snaps with the football guys, and after I wind-milled one of them they told me to leave. And the basketball "team" was 2 dudes spinning balls on their finger tips and dribbling the ball over the heads of a bunch of 5 year olds. I think they went home later and beat some 5th graders in four-square to erase any doubts of how awesome they were.
All in all, the museum made a total mockery of our beloved holiday. A friend from work did make a good point though. I never really thought of America as having a culture, but we really do. You just don't realize until you're on the outside looking in. On the 185th day of every year, we skip work, fire up the BBQ, invite our friends and family over, and drink lots of beer. And we wait for the sun to go down, while playing ladder golf, or lawn darts, or beer pong, or whatever else. And then we stare at the sky for 20 minutes while fireworks explode overhead.
I think Lori and I were both a little homesick today, thinking of all the BBQs and fireworks. So for anyone back home, have a pabst, light a roman candle, and think of us. We'll do the same for you in August when Bank Holiday rolls around.
The day wasn't a total bust. Several places were holding 4th of July celebrations for expats. We decided on the British Museum, as it sounded fun and one writer called it "the most celebrating you can do without being in America." As it turns out, it was actually the lamest thing I've seen this year. The free American beer tour was filled up after like 5 minutes, and the "authentic" American dancing was country-western. And the real American food I was promised? It was a hot dog, some popcorn, and a Budweiser.
They also had a display of truly American sports: football and basketball. I ran a few snaps with the football guys, and after I wind-milled one of them they told me to leave. And the basketball "team" was 2 dudes spinning balls on their finger tips and dribbling the ball over the heads of a bunch of 5 year olds. I think they went home later and beat some 5th graders in four-square to erase any doubts of how awesome they were.
All in all, the museum made a total mockery of our beloved holiday. A friend from work did make a good point though. I never really thought of America as having a culture, but we really do. You just don't realize until you're on the outside looking in. On the 185th day of every year, we skip work, fire up the BBQ, invite our friends and family over, and drink lots of beer. And we wait for the sun to go down, while playing ladder golf, or lawn darts, or beer pong, or whatever else. And then we stare at the sky for 20 minutes while fireworks explode overhead.
I think Lori and I were both a little homesick today, thinking of all the BBQs and fireworks. So for anyone back home, have a pabst, light a roman candle, and think of us. We'll do the same for you in August when Bank Holiday rolls around.
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