June 2005 Archives

I was having a conversation with a number of colleagues today on a number of subjects and we somehow ended up talking about marriage and pre nuptial agreements. Being a realist, I think it's sensible to get one.

Terry McMillian's boy toy that inspired the book (and subsequent movie) titled: How Stella Got Her Groove Back turns out to be gay. Dear God! Say it isn’t so. After reading that book shortly after graduating from college in 1992, I wanted to run off to a Jamaican resort to find the man of my dreams. But I resisted the urge because Caribbean men are notorious womanizers. Plus I had no money and I was also optimistic that by the time I turned 40ish, I'd be happily married and have no need for a boy toy. But here I am, almost 35 and still single without a decent prospect in sight. Oh well! There is more to life than being married with children. Well at least that's what I tell myself through those lonely nights.

Hat tips for this scoop to Jennifer Weiner. She is one of my favorite authors!!

Out of sight and out of mind. That's how I feel about Chicago sometimes. Not really a good thing as quite a few people are asking me for recommendations on what to do when on a possible visit to the Windy City. So for those of you sitll there, I'm looking for recommendations. Tell me what you would consider a must see/do for someone who is visiting for the first time. In the mean time, I have got to put together my own list of favorite places (restaurants, bars, Museums, etc.) before it all becomes a blur.

I am in a really awkward stage. I am no longer running around trying to get set up in my new city. My things are here from America and for the most part, my apartment is all sorted. This means I have lots of time on my hands in the evenings and on weekends. However, my social calendar is somewhat bear as I don't know that many people outside work. Sure I have family here but they live about an hour or two away from London, so that is not really helping. And as it is more difficult to meet people that I am compatible with for friendship, I find myself lounging about in front of the television most nights. So I am feeling a bit lonely. However, I am by no means regretting my decision to move here. I like London a lot. But I just can't wait to get to the stage where I know more people. Staying home along or even going out and doing things by myself feels a bit lonely.

England is a classed based society and having recently read Kate Fox's brilliant book titled: Watching the English I am becoming more aware of all the nuisances in this sort of society. So it has been interesting to read the recent articles published by the New York Times on class in America. As the articles make plainly clear, ones class in American society is based on education, occupation, income and wealth. In addition, it is possible to move up the class ladder. Oh sure there is tension between old and new money, but being Nuevo rich is not such a bad thing. In fact, people are admired for their hard work which leads to amassing new wealth. Here in England, class has more to do with ones upbringing. So you could be fitly rich but without the proper upbringing, you would still be considered middle or even lower class. At the same time, you could be poor but if your family is part of the aristocracy, you would be considered upper class. Personally, I think a class based society that hold people back is not sensible -- as such, if I had to choose, I’m all for the American version of upward mobility.

Once I start up again, I can't stop myself.

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Quiz found while cruising by Enjoy and Exciting! blog.

It is customary for the English to complain about the weather and I promised myself I wouldn't do it....at least not for a while. But the recent increase in the temperature as well as humidity has me pining for air conditioning. Goodness! My apartment is almost unbearable and something tells me that even if I could open all the windows it wouldn't really matter. There is no breeze.

According to Mercer Consulting, London is now the third most expensive city in the world. Last year it was numer two. Now if only it could drop some more on the list....

Mercer’s survey covers 144 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. It is the world’s most comprehensive cost of living survey and is used to help multinational companies and governments determine compensation allowances for their expatriate employees.

London remains the most expensive city in Europe, with a score of 120.3. “Steep accommodation and transport costs together with the appreciation of the pound against the US dollar have contributed to the city’s high ranking,” said Marie-Laurence Sepede, Research Manager at Mercer. Scores are based on the cost of living for expatriates who are likely to stay in Central London, where accommodation is more expensive. Other UK cities are less costly, with Glasgow in 40th position and Birmingham in 47th place (scores 87.5 and 85.8).

Quiz found while cruising by the O'EO Cookie blog.

If planned properly, it is possible to see a good deal of London in a day. This I proved to a colleague who was visiting from Chicago. She had been here for almost a week and except for a bus tour, she really hadn't spent much time exploring my new home city. As such, I told her I would show her around. We started the day two Saturdays ago promptly at 9:30am at Westminster Abbey. After spending an hour touring this magnificent church, we then headed across St. James park for the 11:30am Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, there was a special celebration for the Queen's birthday that day, so we didn't get to see the Guards do their thing. We then headed back towards The River Thames stopping briefly to admire the House of Parliament and Big Ben. We then walked along the river, passing the London Aquarium and London Eye along with other attractions. In that we were walking for some time, we then stopped for lunch at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Once we had rested adequately, we continued on and then spent about an hour at British Tate Modern Museum. Unfortunately time constraints didn't permit us to check out the Frida exhibit which was really crowded. After a bit more walking, we ended up at the Tower of London around 3pm. There we spent time touring the buildings and then gawking at the crown jewels. Feeling a bit tired, we then hopped a bus to my colleagues hotel in Covent Garden. After a brief rest there, we were on our way to Harrods department store -- a must see for anyone interested in high fashion. Once the store closed at 7pm, we then headed back to Piccadilly Circus for dinner and drinks at a local pub. All in all, a long day, but definitely lots of fun! London is a really cool city.

Last week, one of my colleagues asked me if I missed home. My response to his question was that home was where I lay my head at night. It is where my stuff is at -- and now that my stuff is here from America and mostly put in its proper place, I am feeling very much at home. I followed that up by saying, oh don't get me wrong, there are places and people I miss back in Chicago and every other city I've lived in since my birth -- but London is now home. It will be for the indefinite future. So while I look back, I am mostly looking forward. To look back and pine for what I left behind, what could have been -- is not a real positive thing to do right now. London has a lot of promise for me and while I am here I plan to make the most of the opportunity.

Thanks to Telewest, I now have internet access at home. I also have digital cable and a land line. Yeah me!!

I am not going to begrudge Michael Jackson for his acquittal in the child molestation case as I strongly believe in the American judicial system. It is perhaps the best in the world. But one has to question the jury’s judgement to acquit this man on all counts. Something just does not seem right and I’m not buying the argument that they had doubts about the victim's mother's testimony. What about the victim? Where is the justice? I grew up adoring Michael but based on the entirety of the evidence and previous allegations/payoffs, I was sure he was guilty this time around too. So in my eyes, this is just another acquittal for a celebrity who has the money to hire the high price lawyers, jury consultants, experts, etc. Such a miscarriage of justice.

Brad Pitt finally made a movie that I like and would recommend to others. That being the recently launched Mr & Mrs. Smith. It was a bit over the top but the movie worked despite the gimmickry due to the sexual heat/chemistry between Brad and Angelina. Plus there were also some very clever funny lines. And despite the violent aspects of the plot, the movie at its core is an old-fashioned romantic comedy.

I would like to install a wi-fi router/Card on my laptop so that I do not have to be tied to the location of the modem in my apartment. Does anyone have any recommendations on wi-fi products? I'm totally cluess here.

MEGA CONGRATULATIONS to the Michigan Wolverines Softball team for winning their first National Championship. Hail to the Victors!!

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan softball team defeated two-time defending champion No. 7 seed UCLA 4-1 in 10 innings to claim the teams' first-ever national championship tonight (Wednesday, June 8) in front of a national television audience on ESPN. The Wolverines (65-7) claimed the 52nd national championship in school history and the second for a women's program when WCWS MVP Samantha Findlay (Lockport, Ill./East HS) connected for a dramatic three-run home run in the top of the 10th to break a 1-1 tie.

I forgot to mention in my list of actitivities for the last two weeks that I've also seen a couple movies at the theatre. The first being The Interpreter and the second and perhaps more memorable being Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. No doubt about it, this last in the Star Wars series is extremely visually appealing. But am I the only one who found the story and dialogue lacking? Hmmm, maybe I'm being too harsh a critic. And really despite the £10 price for entry, definitely think I got more for my money with Star Wars than The Interpreter. Goodness, what was Nicole Kidman or better yet Sean Penn thinking.

Goodness! It's been a while since I've really posted anything substantial. Reason for this is that until yesterday, I still hadn't purchased a television. But now that I have one (JVC 23" LCD flat screen), and plan to get digital cable & broadband installed (unfortunately not until next Saturday), I'll then have access to the internet from home which will make it a lot easier to post. I could do it from work but we the office layout at work is open plan and in that a zillion people can see what's on my computer screen, I'm selective about what personal sites I visit. I’m not opposed to my colleagues finding my blog but I sure as heck don’t want to point them in that direction.

In any event, let me say that things are progressing. Oh I have have moments of doubt about my decision to move here (mostly when I’m in a store making a purchased) -- but overall, I'm happy to be in London. This is an exciting city and I plan to make the best of my time here. Last Saturday, I went with a new friend to visit another historical home called Ham House. Then Tuesday before last, I went to see The Lion King with a college friend who was visiting from Kuwait. Yup Kuwait. She and her husband are both contractors for the military. God bless them both because I don't think I could do it -- but it's important work that must be done. Getting back to The Lion King, if you haven't seen the theatre production, go see it! The costumes and set design along with the singing is absolutely amazing.

The other big thing I've done is get my apartment organized. Everything is set up in the common areas, but my bedroom and small study are still a work in progress. Goal is to have everything finished by the end of the month. Thinking once it's all done it will finally feel like home.

Also, I've been doing a bit of reading. The books I've finished since arriving (all of which I recommend) include: Watching The English, Small Island, Fruit of the Lemon, Never Far From Nowhere, Every Light in the House Burnin' and The Shadow of the Wind. I'm also now rereading one of my all-time favorite books: My Secret History by Paul Theroux. Brilliant! Just brilliant writing! And oh yeah, if you weren't with me in the beginning, let me take this opportunity to mention that the title of this book is the inspiriation for my own blog title. Oh goodness!

Finally, I've been putting in a lot of hours at work. There is much to say re the situation, but in that this is a public blog, I'll remain silent for now.

Well, cheers mate! Let me count the days until I have Internet access at home.

Michigan's softball team is in the college world series. Too bad I can't watch it over here. Oh well! Here's wishing the team the best of luck!! Go Blue!!!!

Championship Series
(Best-of-3)
Monday, June 6
Game 1: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
UCLA (39-18) vs. Michigan (63-6)
Tuesday, June 7
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
UCLA vs. Michigan
Wednesday, June 8
Game 3: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN), if necessary
UCLA vs. Michigan

GO BLUE!