Election night!

We're watching BBC on mute and luckily are able to listen/watch to my favorites online - Brian Williams, Andrea Mitchell, etc from NBC. Looks like it will be a late night for us!

At least we'll have these cupcakes as snacks! Andy is eating a blue one every time Obama wins a state. One down so far...

How I get my news (and why there is no reason to ever buy a newspaper in London)

No matter what time you get on the tube, whether you have to get up well before the rooster to catch a train or you go in late to work, you will find a newspaper to read. There are at least 4 daily papers that I can think of off the top of my head and 3 of those have a morning and an evening edition. Oh, and these are just the free papers. Pretty good value. OK, fine, they aren't exactly filled with challenging articles that make you think or even use GRE words but they give you a very brief summary of the headlines, what's on the TV, and most importantly, what celebs were spotted in London, where they were and what they were wearing. For me, that's worth picking up the paper and getting the black ink on my fingers. I don't always know all of the 'famous' people in the paper but two of my favorite coworkers are helping to enlighten me on the local British stars. Who knew that Katie is Jordan and Jordan is Katie? Well, I do now. Also, thanks to the daily rags I know what a WAG is... well, actually, I didn't know what the acronym stood for, I just knew that Colleen, Cheryl, and Victoria Beckham all fell into the category. And to my great surprise it's actually not pejorative at all. Again, my friendly sources at work have educated me: Wife And Girlfriend (generally of footballers, but I think other sports stars can have them too, though I don't think they are as fab). Hmm, wait, it's not disparaging right?

But back to my point, which briefly escaped me, you never have to part with your hard earned pounds in order to stay loosely informed on important world events, sport, ridiculous happenings of stupid citizens of our world, and which hollywood celebs are living in or visiting London. The papers always cover the movie premieres that happen in Leicester Square or Covent Garden and everyday I shake my fist at the sky and say 'why didn't I know about this!' Maybe it's just me but some days I really wish I was Kyle Chandler's character in the great but short lived TV show Early Edition... but instead of preventing crimes or tragedies, I would just know when to show up to a premiere or a restaurant or a club to glimpse my favorites. Only my very favorites though. It would be fun and not stalkerish at all! Well, whatever, the paper occupies my loooong commute to and from our flat. (Note: we are moving next weekend so my complaining about the tube and hour commute will soon cease! hooray.)

The way you get your paper is pretty interesting too. I mean, sure, you can get one from the annoying guys that stand in middle of the street handing them out, or if you are really early to work you can pick one up off the stack on your own. But my favorite way to stay informed is to pick up one of the many many papers left behind on the train for others to read. It can't be that Londoners are big litter bugs, right? They are just contributing to the great information recycling scheme, I am sure. It is amazing though how few rubbish bins there are in London, particularly in the tube. (They were taken out during the days of IRA conflict for obvious reasons... and if it's not clear to you what I am talking about, email me. I just don't want to type that word on the blog, frankly.) So maybe it's just because people have no alternative and they have to leave their papers all over the tube. Or maybe it's just for me! Cheers everyone.

And in those highly irregular times when the tube is crowded and the paper math doesn't add up I am simply forced to read over someone else's shoulder. Oh, come on, everyone does it. I need the scoop! What would I do if I couldn't find out what Amy Winehouse's hair is doing and whether or not she is finally in rehab? (They tried to make her go but she said no, no, no). I don't even want to think about it.

The TV Made Me Wear It

On television, when people go to the gym they wear super cute outfits. In the US, I think what characters on TV wear could be seen (to some degree) in real life gyms. Not sure if TV is reflecting life or if life is reflecting TV.

But recently I realized, in the UK, it's definitely the latter. I have seen a whole host of things that I am not sure about, and have certainly not seen on TV in the workout in the gym context.

The first one that comes to mind is indescribable, but I will try: it was a one piece halter outfit. It had a deep hole in the front and back and a tie that met under the breast bone. It was something akin to a cat woman outfit. Maybe they showed Batman on TV here recently. I have seen the wearer twice, both times in different but similar ensembles. So that was one.

Something I see all of the time is people wearing polo shirts (some with and some without popped collars). It was one of those experiences where you see one and then you realize, they are all around you. I just could not figure out why you would preppy up to go sweat. Who does that? I have seen fancy workout clothes and makeup in real life, but not this. Not even on TV. Then, one day, Andy came up with a brilliant explanation: in England, the major sports heroes all wear collared shirts when they play their respective games. Football, cricket, rugby, etc. It's weird now that I think about it. I now chuckle to myself a little when I see people wearing them and I down right belly laughed when a dude teaching a total body conditioning class busted out in a bright pink one. So, this one is definitely TV related. I was wrong.

I have also seen a bunch of Brits wearing American specific apparel like a 'Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky' T shirt, a Nationals cap, several NFL football jerseys, and a lot of UT shirts. Now, I cannot imagine that the guy wearing the KY T shirt had any idea where the state is (I am yet to meet a Brit who does) and I know the dude in the Nationals cap was clueless (I said aloud, 'Nationals, sweet' to no response). I could probably argue that the NFL jersey-wearers knew the teams and possibly the people wearing burnt orange would have said Hook Em back to me, but then again, maybe it's all about the telly they watch.

Can't wait until my next sighting. I will for sure go to tvguide.co.uk to figure out the inspiration.

The Office: UK v. US

For once, I am not making a cultural reference. Perhaps you expected that I was currently watching the Office on Slingbox or surfthechannel.com? Or when it comes on the actual television here (which incidentally they call 'The Office: An American Workplace')? But no. I'm not really a huge fan of the show even though I think that Steve Carell is comic genius (as evidence, I submit his Golden Globe 2006 speech his wife Nancy 'wrote' and that should be enough), his Michael Scott character makes me want to crawl out of my skin with awkwardness and discomfort that not even John Krasinski's charming Jim Halpert character could make me become an avid watcher of the show. The show is a hit in the US and it's a hit here in the UK even though they had the original Office with Ricky Gervais and that dude who played Gareth, Mackenzie Crook, who is in a new movie, Three and Out, for which there is a ginormous poster of in all tube stations in London. But what was my point? Ah, yes, this posting is not about pop culture, not really.

No, no, the title of this posting is actually referring to how I am about to compare working in the UK and working in the US. Be warned, the following discussion could possibly a) give you a sense of the differences in general work environs in each country, b) help you figure out which country your office is in, c) convince you that your office is better than the alternative, d) make you angry that you don't live and work somewhere else, and/or e) inspire you to drink a cup of tea.

When I reflect on my experience in my new office in London, several major differences spring to mind (not including the fact that I don't always know the vocab for various office supplies).

1. Cube Farms Are Illegal in London. Ok, this may be a total lie, but I am yet to see anyone sitting in cubes which is why I think they may be banned. True, at Mathematica we didn't have cubes, we had our very own offices with doors that closed so that you could listen to your music as loud as you want so what do I know of cubes? But I'm just saying, in London it's all about the open floor plan. Some places as dividers but they are not the same as cubes. With the open floor plan you have greater collaboration and team work and you actually get to talk to your coworkers (and assuming you like yours, like I do, that's kind of fun!). The downside is, less opportunity to check gmail (shame!), no chance to catch 30 winks, and zero door space to litter with ridiculous post it notes (where is my creative outlet?). I'm not saying I want a cube though. Let's just be clear about that.

2. Anyone Care for a Drink? I am in no way exaggerating when I say that I am offered a cup of tea or coffee at least 5 times a day. There is an unwritten law that says when you want a drink you need to offer your colleagues one. If you are going to the kitchen to get yourself something the obligatory 'Anyone care for a drink?' must be asked. It's possible you could get knifed (remember, it's England, they don't do guns here) if you decide you are the only thirsty one in the room and go turn on the kettle without extending an invitation for others to hand you their cups. After a while you pretty much know how everyone takes their tea or coffee and since it's the UK, you know for sure that everyone is having milk with their tea, that's a non-issue. Whether they take it strong, very strong, with sugar, without caffeine, etc. that's the tricky part. And while sometimes it's difficult to carry them all back at once without a tray, it's actually a very nice gesture that makes me truly enjoy my work day just a bit more. It's downright hospitable! Just the kind of thing a transplanted southern girl longs for (since no one seems to be willing to make eye contact or flash a smile on the street!). This is not the type of thing that happens in the US, and even on the off chance that it did, it would never happen every single day, every single time someone goes to the kitchen. I imagine that if a Brit were to go work in a typical American office (in a city not located in the south where this may well happen regularly) they would be shocked by the lack of consideration when it comes to making sure coworkers have had their morning, midmorning, afternoon, late afternoon tea.

3. Well, If You Are Happy To... In England, there is a regular discussion of happiness, whether the asker of the question knows it or not. I am pretty sure it's just a saying that people use without thinking about it, like 'how are you?' You don't really want anyone to respond with 'Well, I have had a crappy day if you must know' and then proceed to tell you all of the things that have gone wrong the last couple of hours. No, what you are really saying (not asking) is 'Whether or not everything is ok, please say fine, good, great, spectacular, to what I am about to pretend to ask you.' In the UK, particularly in the workplace, you are not asked if you can or will do something. You are asked if you are happy to do something. This is actually a brilliant strategy for getting the answer you want. If you ask someone if the can or will do something they have an opportunity to say they are too busy but when you ask someone if they are happy to do that something the options are more narrow-- No. I am absolutely loathed to that! is just not an answer you can give. We are not talking about ability here, we are talking about how you feel about doing the task... and really, no one wants to hear about (nor do you want to talk about) your emotions at work. It's simply inappropriate. So, happy or not, you are almost forced to say yes, that you are more than happy to do! Thinking about similar approaches in the US, the only equivalent I every came across was while working in DC. It was employed by one of my very favorite people who also happened to be very senior (which gave him credibility and the opportunity to do this). If he sent you an emailing asking you to do something, he never put a question mark at the end of the request. For example, "Sarah, can you call our subcontractor and make sure that they are planning to send us an invoice for the work they have done." The first time you get an email like this you assume he made a typo, after all, the . and the ? are next to each other on the keyboard. But after a while you realize that he is telling you do something, not asking. It's subtle. It's effective. And, frankly, it's pretty genius! I called him out on it once and he laughed a deep hearty laugh but continued with the periods.

4. The Shape of the Work Week. My first job out of college was in Boston where the work week is 37.5 hours long. But Boston, apparently, is not the real world. In almost all other parts of the US, you work 40 hours a week at the very minimum. And let's be honest, when do you work the minimum? In London, the official work week is 35 hours long. Your day begins at 9:30 am and likely ends around 5:30 pm if you have taken an hour lunch. Those are the basic rules. Of course there are exceptions like if you are working on deadline etc, but generally speaking 7 hours per day of work, 5 days a week. And I thought I liked working in Boston!!

5. Holiday vs. Vacation. In my head these words are synonymous, but maybe they aren't. In the US, average vacation days = 10. In the UK, minimum holiday = 25 days. In many cases companies in the US think that giving employees unmarked days lumped together is more generous than allocating the number of days you are 'allowed' to be sick and take a vacation separately. I can kind of see the logic here, if you give people enough days to realistically take time off to relax and also factor in the likelihood of their getting sick in that year. So, usually, when a company gives combined 'annual time off' it ends up being about 15 or so days. I would assume the thinking is 5 days for people to get sick and 10 days for them to take vacation. If you are someone with a weak immune system, you may not get any vacation days at all but if you are healthy then you get to have all 15 for traveling the world, or hibernating in your house, or whatever. Well, regardless of how the days are allocated, 2 weeks out of 52 is not enough to recharge your batteries! In the UK, you get a minimum of 25 days holiday (more depending on the employer) and if you are sick, well, you are sick. If you are ill for an extended period of time then a doctor's note will be required but generally, if you feel poorly and need to stay home to recover and/or not spread your germs to coworkers then that's what you do. If you give limited days then people end up judging on their own if they are sick enough to warrant staying home and in the case of people who horde their vacation days (that would be me!) you end up going to work sick and being a menace to public health. sorry, about that.

Conclusions? Well, because I value vacation time, shorter work days, sleeping an extra half hour, being 'happy to' do things, and drinking tea, I am very much enjoying working in London. That said, I miss my office on the B hallway terribly! I could ply my door with a million post it notes and it was right next to the supply closet where I knew the names of all the office equipment!

Smiling

I like to smile. It's part of who I am. Not everyone enjoys smiling, I realize. Maybe that makes me weird? Or maybe it just makes me Southern? My face enjoys a good smile and sometimes my teeth just need to be flashed. I'm a smiler, ok?

Brits don't smile, at least not at strangers. I both talk to and smile at strangers. By the transitive property, I must not be a Brit. Last week I decided that I was going to conduct a little experiment and boldly smile like I haven't smiled since Austin (DC was a scary place to smile at strangers what with all the crack heads and teenage flashers in my neighborhood). Our neighborhood in London is not only safe, it's downright charming so I should survive this trial.

Here's how it will work: On my walk to and from the tube in Chiswick, I will make eye contact with as many people as I can (not an easy feat in and of itself in London!) and then give them a great big smile (with feeling). Afterwards, I will note whether they a) smiled back innocently b) smiled back with a glint in their eye saying 'what do you want?' c) smiled back with a 'how you doin'?' look in the eye d) glare angrily e) offer a confused look or f) look away quickly.

My money is most people will fall into the f category, assuming I can even make the initial eye contact. I'll let you know.

How I decided to get a cat

I am a dog person. I see a dog walking by and I greet him or her. I encourage them to come to me for a pet. I remark at how cute or pretty they are. I'm not sure what to do with a cat except leave it alone and admire it from a distance or allow it to brush against my leg (on its terms!) So imagine my surprise (and Andy's) when I said that I wanted to get a cat last week. I even went so far as to look up shelter where we could adopt one.

So why the heck would I say 'let's get a cat'? Well, it's very simple. Last week, Andy and I stumbled out of bed to find a tiny little mouse dying in our hallway. Egads! I have never seen a mouse in my house! Andy scooped up the little guy and took him to the trash outside. Gnarly. Yuck, yuck, yuck. When we got home from work we took the little mouse out of the trash can and walked it to down the street to a park just in case it woke up and wanted to have a run (or to release its spirit?) It just felt more compassionate.

When we moved here we heard that there were mice everywhere and with an old (even refurbished) home there will be cracks and holes and ways for little dying mice to get inside on a cold night. Regardless of how commonplace it may be to see mice, I am not cool with it... so our landlord called the council to come by and take care of it. Unfortunately, they told her there London was experiencing a mouse and rat infestation (words I never want to hear again!) and that it would be a week or so before they could come by. The British local government system is interesting. Everyone has a council. The taxes you pay to the council (and yes, we pay the taxes, not our landlord!) take care of things like trash, recycling, street lights maintenance and cleaning, maybe a few other things. They also entitle you to a discounted pest control service. Luckily our landlord offered to pay the few for the council to come out and take care of it. They come tomorrow and hopefully they find that it was a fluke the little mouse got in the house and they seal the hole where he made his entrance. If not, and they find out that we 'have mice' I am going to become a cat person immediately and try to adopt the most dog-like cat (ie something I can cuddle) I can find.

Learning to speak the language

For the last 8 weeks, I have been mentally compiling a British to American dictionary. When we moved here I was under the impression that England was, well, an English speaking country... and I was right, but I forgot I don't really speak it. Apparently, I speak American. Well that's ok, it's who I am, but I am starting to pick up the local language and assimilate.

For example, I went to the grocery store weeks ago and asked an employee where the zucchini was in the produce section. The what? He had no idea what I was talking about. 'Zucchini it's a vegetable,' I said. 'It's green and should be near the squash.' He gave me a very confused look and then went to consult a coworker. They both scratched their heads. When he came back over to me he asked what language zucchini was and a kind passerby told me that 'we call it courgette here.' That was my first British lesson. Many others would follow including a mad search for cilantro only to be told (after 5 stores) at a fruit and veg stand that 'we call it coriander leaf here.'

I have also learned a new sentence structure, I have, as well as how to respond to common greetings like 'you okay?' When I was first asked this, I thought, 'yes, I'm fine, wait, don't I look like I am fine?' but what I said was, 'I'm ok' or something like that. What I was supposed to say (and have since responded with) was 'Yea, I'm good' because really they are asking 'How are you?' There is a variation of this greeting in Australia which confused me years ago (they say "how are you going' to which I always wanted to say back 'by foot' or 'by bus') so I have adjusted to the British greeting quickly.

Before moving here I knew that there were a few new terms I would have to get used to-- rubbish bin (trash can), post box (mailbox), boot (trunk of the car), bonnet (hood of the car), and a few others like pub, cheers, ta, loo, and flat-- but I kind of thought I knew them all. Most of the new words I have had to add to my lexicon are things I just would not have thought of and would never had known if we didn't live here (they never used these words on Coupling). As a tourist you wouldn't go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of ingredients for a recipe that you always cook in the US and expect to be able to by here. For those of you that were contemplating a move across the pond, here is an abbreviated dictionary for any number of random situations:

the grocery store:
chopped tomatoes-- diced tomatoes
creamed tomatoes--crushed tomatoes
bap-- hamburger bun
lindseed-- flaxseed
golden syrup-- kind of like molasses but not exactly
semi-skimmed milk-- 2% milk
cling film-- saran wrap
baking paper-- wax paper
bin liner-- trash bag
loo roll-- toilet paper

also, you will find it odd that eggs are stored on the shelf, not in the cold section

around town:
alight-- get off the train
humps-- speed bumps
high street-- main street of a neighborhood
hole in the wall-- ATM

at the gym:
press up-- push up
box-- step

getting dressed:
pants-- underwear
trousers-- pants
jumper-- sweater
smart-- well dressed
jersey-- shirt
cardy-- cardigan
morning suit-- gray pinstriped suit with tails worn at English weddings
lounge suit-- more casual man's suit

sports related knowledge:
We have also learned that you "support a team" you don't cheer for one. While playing a softball/baseball, if the ball pops up and you are going to catch it you would not say 'I got it, I got it' you would say your own name (!) so, "Andy, Andy, Andy!"

So, in short, I am learning a lot. This is just a partial list, of course. We recently went to our first English wedding which was really fun and very nice. More on that in another post but I will say that as two random Americans at a very British wedding, we were, dare I say, quite a hit! I think the Brits are learning a little bit from us too.

March Sadness

March is probably my favorite month for one reason: the Madness. Growing up in Kentucky it was basically a foregone conclusion that I would be raised on college basketball.  One of my earliest and favorite basketball memories was in 1986.  UL was playing Duke in the NCAA championship game.  My brother Scott and I were allowed to stay up late to watch the whole game.  We were all at my Grandpa Benny and Grandma Birdie's house.  At age 8, this was my first chance to cheer against Duke, many subsequent opportunities would follow and thanks to Christian Laettner, I would actually get to develop a grudge against the team. But then, Grant Hill was also on that team, who I kind of loved... but I digress. The 1986 final was a great game. Never-Nervous Pervis, are you kidding me? The best. When UL (Go Cards!) beat Duke my brother (then 6) actually cried.  He hated Louisville then.  How times change. Anyhoo, I have watched the tournament every year since. 

In high school we watched games in between classes (and sometimes during class) in the student lounge.  In college, well, we were almost mandated by the administration and coach Knight at IU to watch the games. In Boston, I think they set up a TV in the library at GHP (my office) and Jodie, Mamta, and I definitely watched the night games together in our basement apartment.  I'm pretty sure Jodie and I cheered against Duke, sadly for Mamta, but all three us of cheered on the Cards together.  Somewhere between Boston and Austin, Brooke and I spent countless nights in random bars cheering on the Hoosiers to (almost) victory in 2002.  In grad school at Texas, I spent whole days at the Fox and Hound with Mehul watching games until my eyes bugged out of my head (still cheering against Duke, much to Becca's chagrin).  In 2003, many of us actually went to see some of the games live in San Antonio and when Texas made it to the Final Four, Mehul made sure that we were in New Orleans at the games.  Even when I had a for real career-like job in DC I kept an eye on the games in real time online (thank you CBS Sportsline!) and occasionally wandered downstairs to the office gym to watch close games. I am nothing if not dedicated.

Besides only being able to watch the games online and not on my actual TV, the saddest part of my March is that no one here cares.  At all.  In fact, no one even knows that they should be caring about something.  When I go into work on Tuesday (4 day weekend for Easter holiday-- but I like to think of it as days off work in honor of the first two rounds) no one is going to have the foggiest idea what I am talking about when I exclaim how well I am doing in my Hoopla pool, I lament about how Kentucky and Indiana have already lost, round 1, or I complain about my sensory overload.  Because really, the best part of March Madness is sitting around with friends watching 4 games at once, trying to remember the brackets you filled out, eating chicken fingers and fries with honey mustard or other bar food and complaining about how much your eyes burn from too much television.  Oh. What fun. 

This year, Andy and I will be watching the games online, checking our brackets, and drinking tea and eating biscuits in a country where no one else but us cares.  At least I have the blog to wax nostalgic. 

And while I can't possibly stay up for all of the 9:30 EST games (because it's like 1:30 am until day light savings when it's 2:30 am) though I may try, I will definitely be slingboxing 'One Shining Moment' and watching it later. What is it about that song? Luther Vandross's voice gives me chills.  In fact, I am going to YouTube past years right now.  Love that Montage.  

Desperate times call for desperate measures

I miss US television.  Luckily, my dad is an early adopter of technology and bought a Slingbox last summer.  The technology actually boggles my mind. I have no idea how it works or why it should even be able to work but really I don't care.  It works. It's like magic.  Andy and I can access my parents' television and their DVR via my computer.  So we can set their DVR to record, let's say, LOST, and watch it later while my parents continue to watch their TV without interruption.  Genius.  So, we have been able to stay current (like a day later because of time difference issues) on LOST, Project Runway, and Friday Night Lights... and one day we will stay current on our (my) other favorite shows now that the strike is over. 

Oddly, being over here has made me crave all things American, even those shows that I would never have watched at home.  Shows I probably scoffed at actually.  Really, I just mean American Idol.  I am not entirely sure how Andy and I started watching it this season.  Maybe it's the whole absence makes the heart grow fonder thing?  I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that we not only watch it but we enjoy it. Oh no.  And to make matters worse, I have my favorites.  

One good thing about being here is that they play some US shows every single night.  Some are shows I have seen over and over and probably memorized like Friends and Sex in the City, but also others that I tried to or wanted to get into at home but didn't for whatever reason like House and Numbers.  Now I have the time and the drive.  Even more fantastic is that because for most shows the UK is a season (or series as they call it here) behind, I can now start watching the two shows that started in the fall that I couldn't take on because I didn't have time. (Call me a terrible TV fan for prioritizing an international move and a wedding over new television. I can take it!)  That's right,  ITV2 will soon be airing Gossip Girl and Pushing Daisies.  It's incredibly exciting. 

Something else I have decided to do, is to take on a few British shows... but it's hard.  The channels really are dominated with US television shows (because they are so good). Sometimes I forget I live in London until I am reminded by the British voiceovers in all the adverts. We should have moved over here years ago when they had The Office and Coupling.  A show called Gavin and Stacy is coming back for a second series so I am going to try to take that on... plus there's Skins which I am going to try as well.  The other stuff is harder to dive into.  Neighbours and East Enders just aren't grabbing my attention.  Gavin and Stacy is actually going to be made into a US TV pilot so that's a good sign.  I will of course let you all know which shows win me over.  

Beyond my Prime Time TV watching, I miss my Good Morning America.  The BBC "Breakfast" is okay but it's just not the same.  No one can replace Diane, Robin, Chris and Sam, clearly.  But maybe that's okay... I mean, now I can at least get to work on time. 

Adventures in London Transport

There is almost no way around taking some form of public transportation if you live in London. Few people have cars (and those that do, have to pay a congestion tax to drive into the city) and and taxis do not come cheap so they are for special occasions. The city is big, like really big. The Tube has 6 zones, concentric circles with downtown being zone 1. It takes Andy and I an average of 45 minutes to get to work and we live in zone 2. Like I said, it's a big city. After being here for 6 weeks, we have had our fair share of highs and lows making our way across and around town. I submit to you all some tales from the roads, the tunnels, and the sidewalks.

Tube (also known as the London underground): The first line began running trains in 1863 with a few stations and one track. Now there are 268 stations and almost 250 miles of track. As of March 2007, the city estimated that 3 million people ride the tube every single day. Oh, I can attest to that. It seems that the tube is only just being updated now(maybe the first time ever?) in honor of the upcoming Olympics so stations indiscriminately close on the weekends for work(Emily, Bob, and Emily and Ryan-- you got to experience the joy) and both minor and major delays plague rush hour. Somehow, incredibly, in a city that gets phenomenal rain, the tube also hasn't figured out how keep it together when the track lines are wet... so, like today, the tube is late and uber-crowded and hot from too many people breathing at once and smells like wet dogs from all of the umbrellas and rainboots. But whatever, the tube goes everywhere.... and it's just getting bigger, so there's that.

Bus (double deckers and plain old one-levels): It has to be said that in DC I rode the bus when I saw it coming. Interesting experience and definitely not the same vibe as the Metro. In London, I dunno, I kind of love the bus. If you sit up top it's sort of like a cheap tour of London neighborhoods. Plus you are pretty high up which feels powerful. And shockingly, they run on time. What? So far the bus gets my vote for favourite London transport.

Taxis (black cabs and other cars): I think we have only taken 2 maybe 3 taxis since we have been here. Our first was a Mercedes (two actually, one for Andy and one for me) that took us from Heathrow to our storage unit with our ridiculous number of bags and boxes (hence two cars!). The second one took us from our temporary flat to our current flat and had to use GPS to navigate the city. So, cabs, eh. Expensive.

Walking (at your own risk): This weekend we had two interesting walking experiences. On Saturday we had to hoof it about 2 miles to the UK version of UPS to get a package that the Parcel Post would not leave for us here. The weather was crummy and we had to walk on a sidewalk down a highway for half of it but in the end, we were rewarded with our coffeemaker! (THANK YOU HEATHER! You saved our lives. Nescafe was about to kill us). Then on Sunday, I had a run in with a mini. Andy and I were walking to meet friends for dinner in Notting Hill and well, a car came flying around the corner (serious bat out of hell action) and kind of sort of hit me. My knee was the first thing it hit and then it ran over my shoes before i jumped out of the way (only one tire got my two feet). I was pretty stunned. The driver didn't even look back and by the time I got the words out about what happened it was too late for Andy to chase the car down. Seriously though, it hurt. Miraculously, I walked away slightly dazed with no more than a bump and bruise on my knee. My feet are totally fine so it seems. Thank you Rocket Dog boots! You saved my feet.

Lessons learned? Um, leave early for any tube journey and bring breath mints and patience (plus an ipod and reading materials), look both ways 3 times before crossing the street, don't waste your money on a taxi, take the bus and sit up top when it's available.

Love and Miss

We have only lived here for about six weeks, maybe a few days more than that, and I have already started compiling a list of things that I love about living in London.  Some of my favorite things about living here may not be specific to living in London, as much as just living abroad.  

Comprehensive recycling schemes

Free family planning

Fair trade products without a huge mark up

No extra charge for prepared foods at supermarket

The mail slot in my front door

Tea with milk and sugar 

Posh accents

Inexpensive fruit and vegetables

Mint humbugs and Maynard wine gums

Compulsory 5 weeks of vacation

Double Decker buses

Strongbow Cider

Serving beers in brand and type specific glasses

Bobby uniforms

Schoolchildren in their uniforms with matching hats 

Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) every Wednesday

Simple income tax structure

Boxing Day and other random bank holidays

Cheap flights to hundreds of cool destinations

The number of guests who come for a visit and stay with us

Being weighed in stones

The Queen and her hats

Delicious Indian food 

Then again, there are a bunch of things that I miss about the US, of course:

Family and friends

How easy it is to set up house (e.g. Utilities)

Super fast broadband access

Clear water from the tap

Full sized refrigerators

Reasonably priced public transit

Real coffee (e.g. NOT Nescafe) served everywhere

Half and half and flavored creamers

Quaker Oatmeal Squares and Post Great Grains with Dates, Raisins, and Pecans (e.g. fabulous cereal)

Showers that are fully enclosed

Beds larger than a double

Smiling faces and chatty strangers

American Television and my DVR

Separate washer and dryer

Garbage disposals

Cliff bars

Trader Joe's trail mix 

WHY?

If you have ever met me, even for a minute, you know that I have a slight, if not significant, love affair with television.  When Andy and I were planning our move to London, I was immediately worried about keeping current with my shows.  Ridiculous? Of course not.  Well, maybe a little.  The writers strike coincided with our move and suddenly I wasn't behind in my TV watching and had time to figure out how I was going to stay devoted to my shows.  Luckily, the strike is now over and new episodes are on the way.  Phew.  In that spirit I wanted to create a blog comparing US and UK TV, and thus 'straddle the pond.' 

Then I realized, hmm, maybe no one wants to read about my television watching exclusively, so I decided to throw in some other discussions and notes about what I miss about the states and what I love about living abroad.  And since I have a tendency towards the random, I am sure I will just go ahead and post whatever I am thinking at any given moment as well.  Enjoy...