Boring week turned fun

A day at Camden market. This part of town is great for people watching. It is full of interesting, unique shops including piercing and tattoo parlors, goth and fetish shops and loads of costume stores. Just grabbed lunch with some friends and walked around a bit.

 

Another fancy dress party (their word for a costume party) - and yes again, a 40's theme. Which is only a coincidence...this one was a 40th bday party. It was at a private club in London - very posh, typically can only go there if you pay your yearly membership fee of thousands of pounds. We are told this is the largest free standing staircase in Europe and was where an Annie Lennox video was filmed (Walking on Broken Glass)....Here's me and my friend Charlie hamming it up.

After much anxiety about an MRI (the last one many years ago was traumatizing and included tears), it wasn't so bad. Just kept my eyes closed and they played me some music. They've come a long way with technology though - this thing looks like something from Star Trek. Results early next week...hoping no disc issues in the back.

Celebrating the 2 year birthday of the gym, our trainers took us out for a celebration. Always a great group of people to hang out with. Funny enough, we're all so different and from different places, that if it wasn't for the gym I don't think we'd be friends. But they are some of my favorite people here. This is me with (from left) Nicola, Trish and Phil.

 

Told you so

I told you this 2012 project would consist of days (possibly weeks) of not-so-interesting pictures...because my life isn't all that glamorous. But I'm still plugging away...

Mon-Wed
I read a list once of the funniest shop names in Britain. A few I can remember were Fishcoteque and The Cod Father (both fish n chip shops), Wok and Roe (Chinese...took me a while to get that one), and Jack the Stripper (decorators). There was a list of about 50 of them and I stumbled upon one the other day that made me laugh...now my eyes are peeled to try and find some more:

The next two pics explain why I miss American men.

Pinky ring? Nuff said.

Almost forgot to take my pic today. Walking off the tube and 5 minutes from my house, I spotted another gold shiny object on the pinky of a nice looking man. You had to go and ruin it, didn't you. This one was moving a bit too fast to get a good shot; he probably had to get to Zumba class.

Columbia Road Flower Market

There are about 90 street markets in London. Many specialize in particular goods - antiques or gourmet foods, for example. Like many things in England, they are a long standing tradition. Markets in London have their origins in the middle ages, where folks would come to barter and exchange their goods for things they needed.

Today, I went to the Columbia Road Flower Market for the first time and I have to say it is my favorite of all I've been to (my list to date includes Portobello Rd, Spitalfields, Borough, Brick Lane, Camden Lock, and Greenwich). I walked away with a lavender and a hydrangeas plant -- which I just realized is poisonous for cats, so will have to bring that one to work. But it wasn't the huge assortment of exotic plants and colorful flowers that was so great -- it was the vendors that really made it. They are all East Londoners, meaning they've got the great cockney accent that I can barely understand (think movies like "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock") and they use the best slang. They are all shouting out trying to be the most clever to entice you to come to their stands. Here's just a sample of what I heard today:

"I can't even BELEEEEIVE how much I'm givin yous for 8 pounds -- look at it!"
"So cheap, you can waste them on your mother in-law's grave!"
"So cheap, you can give to someone you don't bloody like!"
"Two for a ten-er, what a deal!"
(To someone taking a pic of some flowers) "Photos aren't gonna feed the baby, darlin. Ya gotta buy somethin and give us some money!"

It was amazing. Definitely worth a trip back. Perhaps I'll get a pic of the flowers next time, but today I saw a sign on the walk back that made me laugh out loud.

Pics of the week

It was a busy week at work - layoffs, a reorg and some late nights with colleagues trying to figure it all out. I was happy when the weekend came. Here's a totally random series of my pics of the day.

Today
Walking down Old Brompton Road in Kensington - thought this was one of the more beautiful entryways I've seen.

Friday

Danielle convinced me to go see "The Artist"...surprisingly I did not fall asleep.

Thursday

Woke up with a serious muscle spasm in my back. Meet Jami - my Finnish trainer who allowed me to be able to tie my shoes again.

Wednesday

This special picture I received last time I was home. It hangs over my phone at work and always makes me smile...thanks Camryn, xo

Tuesday

How are they still in business? Don't they know that carphones went out in like...1995?

Ketchup

Ketchup is so American.  Burgers and fries (chips) are primarily donned with mayonnaise here...ewww.

Anyways, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I was going for "catch up" - because I'm playing catch up with my pics of the day. Here's a few from the weekend.  (Yes, it is day 16 of Project 2012 and I have not missed one day. Is anyone proud of me? Can I get a 'woop-woop'?)

Starting from today...
One of the things that may be most annoying about Brits (aside from bad teeth, and yes - it is true) is that they always talk about the damn weather. Honestly - I get into the lift and it's "cold out there today, innit?"; get to my desk and it's "we had a nice one this weekend, eh? Not a drop of rain!"; headed out for lunch and it's "sun is so bright today, I actually had to pull the blinds!" You get the picture. It is the start to every morning and the crux of every awkward conversation.
I really do love the Brits though!
So today we had amazing, blinding sun - the kind which I really did have to pull the shades.

Sunday
I met my friend Lucy for coffee and went for a walk around her neighborhood called Little Venice. Forgot to take a picture, though really wish I did - the area is named after yes, you guessed it - Venice, Italy. With a little canal running through it and houseboats! I'll bring my camera next time. Well, I stopped at Whole Foods on the way back to get some goodies. The Whole Foods here is like an amusement park - 3 floors of amazingness. (Yes, I made that word up and I like it. Think I'll use it more.) This little slice of heaven includes a Wine and Cheese bar, multiple restaurants and...refillable wine or beer.

I could easily spend my whole paycheck at this place.

Saturday
I read somewhere that London attracts almost 30 million international visitors per year. That's like 82,000  TOURISTS per day - wow. (Carrie will check my math, thanks.) 82,000 clueless people wandering around the city looking at their iPhones, maps, or (if they are women) asking for directions. I have to wonder how many of those tourists have got themselves trapped in that gaping whole between the trains and the platform - literally stepped into that open air that lays between two solid structures. It must have been a ridiculous amount to warrant the constant announcements and signage. I secretly wish I get to see that happen some day. I don't wish any broken bones or anything, but it would give me comfort that the UK government didn't waste all that spraypaint for nothing.

 

A good end to the week

Thursday night I went to the London Prepares series where we watched gymnasts competing to qualify for the Olympics. It was pretty amazing - my favorites being the guys on the rings and the girls on the uneven bars.

Last night I went out for "one drink" with my friend after work. Of course that never happens. We went for drinks by the office and ended up having more than one and dinner. He and I are both ex-pats/Boston transplants and became friends when we got to London. Just having someone to relate to when you are solo in a new city is incredibly helpful - you feel supported knowing someone else is in the same boat and inevitably grew close. And while the first two hours all we did was talk shop, the conversation at one point led to friendships, the value of true friends and being away from your best friends.

It is not news to me, but the conversation just reminded me how incredibly lucky I am in that respect.

So I took a picture of our building on the way out of the restaurant and told him about my pic of the day project. State Street allowed he and I this amazing opportunity to live in London; it also brought me some new friends.

Ice Ice Baby

I hurt my back weeks ago and thought I was getting better...and then all I did was jump tonight in the warm up and I felt it. There it goes again. Literally almost cried to my trainer.
So I stayed to do some stretching and he gave me some things to do at home. He sent me home with a prescription to ice. Not an ice pack - no, no. An ice BATH. Yes friends - this is what I did tonight. Though wish I thought to take the pic when the tub was full. Yowza.

Pic of the day

Red double decker buses are a national symbol of Britain. For me, it's a handy way to get around and see the city. Was very proud of my mom when she learned the system and how to get from one place to another. Pretty good for someone who can't read a map :) kidding Mom. 

Here's the 22 from Fulham (yoga class) to Chelsea (home), which I took last night.

Mondays stink

It was back to work today after a nice relaxing weekend. We all hate Mondays, am I right? On Sundays sometimes I dream about never having to work again - travel the world, no stress, no responsibilities, all the time in the world...maybe I'd finally learn how to play the guitar. Then reality clubs me over the head and asks me how I expect to afford that kind of life. So off to bed I go with a pout, and about two hours into my Monday at work I realize - this isn't so bad. In fact, life is pretty freakin GREAT and I have no reason to pout.

Anyways, one of my favorite parts of my Monday is my workout and hanging out with my friends from the gym. Though the goal was to get a pic of Canary Wharf at night, by the time I remembered I was in a pretty boring looking part. So instead you get to meet one of my friends - here's Danielle, post-workout.

Neighborhood Stroll

Got my hair colored/cut today - salons open on Sundays here which is super convenient. I decided to walk the 20 minutes home because it was pretty nice out today...around 50. I live on a fairly commercialized street, but off of my street are some of the most beautiful neighborhoods. I captured one of my faves today - Bywater Street:

Sweatkini

This might be one of those "you had to be there" kind of moments...

Today's workout at Crossfit was intense and therefore sweaty. While lying face down on the floor after the workout, my friend Danielle was rolling out my hamstrings. I stood up and there was my sweat-kini. Sweat angel (snow angel, get it?) was another one thrown out there. Perhaps a bit sick, but it got a good laugh and that is my pic of the day!

Only in London

I am not exaggerating when I say London has a big drinking culture:

I'm not sure people will be dropping their greasy hangover sandwiches to go for a salad, but good effort.

Anyone got a cigar?

I felt like I should have had a smoking jacket and a snifter of whiskey tonight.
Hanging at the Royal Automobile Club - a private members only club in London that celebrates the history of cars and 'motoring' as they say. Here for a client event and it's got that old school British royalty feel to it...I'm thinking it was definitely a male-only club years ago where old dudes sat around smoking cigars and throwing back 100 year old whiskey while chatting about autos. Here's the featured car which perhaps only my Uncle Bobby would recognize - a Bristol 405 Drophead:

Don't forget your brolly

I've lived in London over a year and I still haven't learned one of the golden rules of living in London: never leave home without your brolly.
(Brollie = umbrella. Londoners love to "-y" lots of words. Some of my faves: breky = breakfast, telly = television, footy = football/soccer)
So I got up in a rainstorm on my way out of work. Not great weather for stopping to capture a piece of my day. The type of weather that made me want to curl up on the couch, put on a 'spot of tea' and break out a good book. Here's what I'm reading...from the author that wrote probably one of my favorite books of all time that I only recently discovered, The Alchemist.

The kettle is whistling...Cheerio :)

I'm a Sloaney

That's what they call us who live in Sloane Square - sloaneys. Known as a "posh" part of London, it looks amazing at Christmas time. Here's what I see every night coming off the tube...capturing the lights before they take them down!

Meat is good

So now that I'm eating red meat again (and LOVING it), I made my first beef dish in a slow cooker. Very proud moment! So proud that it made my picture of the day:

Project 2012

Wow, I haven't done this in over a year. I had to look back in my initial email to my family to even get the web address. But I decided to pick this up again and here's why.


My friend Danielle recently shared her "Project 2011" with me. It was 365 photos, one thoughtfully taken for every day of the year. Ugh - sounds like a LOT of work, particularly for someone like me who is easily distracted/forgetful/inconsistent with this type of stuff. However, she explained it to me like this: it makes you stop and look around every once in a while. Because you're always looking for your "picture of the day", your eyes are a bit more open to taking everything in. (And there's a lot to take in here.) She's also away from her home country and started this project as a bit of a documentary. 


I think it's a big task, but I love the whole idea of it...less of a documentary (think I've already proved that too daunting), and more just daily snapshots. So some days it might be boring given some days I may not do or see much of anything outside of my flat, work and the gym. It may end up being more for myself to force me to stop keeping up with the rat race and appreciate what's around me sometimes, and to remember at least a tiny piece of every day and (hopefully) capture some of the neat things I see or do. Here is my Jan 1 entry...cuz technically this was taken after midnight. 

Ringing in the New Year at the Blitz Party. The Blitz (from German, "lightning") was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between September 1940 and May 1941 during WW II. London was bombed for 76 consecutive nights. Here we are in a former bomb shelter - 40's swing music all night, plenty of polka dots, pin curls and lots of men in uniform...