England is a 3rd World Country...

...and here's why:

1. They have condenser dryers and not tumble dryers. This has become the bain of my very existence. So much so that we are now sending our laundry out for wash and fold. In doing a cost analysis, it's actually cheaper to do that than to run the condenser dryer for the 3 hours it takes to actually dry clothes until they are crispy. Yes, crispy is the best way to describe your clothes after they come out.

2. It takes a bloody month to get internet in your flat and a blasted 6 weeks to get cable.

3. They don't have much in terms of variety in the food stores.

4. The don't have American football.

5. In the suburbs in places like Manchester, they have a serious bullying problem. Who bullies kids nowadays?

6. Most people here are either toothless or missing quite a few teeth. Go to a dentist! Get yourself some dentures, for christ's sake--do something!

Sure, they may have socialized medicine, Prince William, and very few homeless people, but a girl needs her internet dammit! So here I am in the hot and smelly internet cafe once again writing my blog!

Today we're leaving for Portugal. After quite a bit of blood, sweat, and tears (not really) we got ourselves on an all day wine tasting cruise. We're hoping to meet up with Amanda tonight, but we're staying in different hotels in different parts of the city, so that should be interesting. We are looking forward to Portugal though.

Talk to you soon!

They say it's my birthday....da da da da da da

Yes, yes, here it is. The very best day of the year. Twenty-eight years ago today the world was blessed with my presence, and quite frankly, it hasn't been the same since! Hahaha!

First off, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and cards and packages and everything! Having the messages from home has been really wonderful!

Today I went to get my hair done. I got my hair colored and cut and blown out. I was a bit nervous at first. My hairdresser, Rebecca, had bright orange hair, hot pink eyeshadow, purple tights, and pretty much looked like the singer Pink. Not what I'm used to at all! I have to say though, I think I got the best color I've ever gotten. She had a weird cutting technique where she twisted my hair and then cut into the twists. The place really kind of reminded me of my place at home DePasquale but on a smaller scale--funny, but the girl had even heard of DePasquale--they're WORLD FAMOUS! She was from New Zealand and will be here for 2 years--so it was a match made in heaven!

Tonight, Mike is getting home from Brussels and we're going out to dinner. Just a local tapas place near our house. Then this weekend, we're going to Porto, Portugal to meet my friend Amanda! What a birthday extravaganza! I hope all of my friends back home aren't missing my annual birthday extravaganza too much--though I'm not sure I could top last year's Survivor Party.

That's all for now! Talk to you all again soon!

Love,
The birthday girl

OH...Mike wanted me to make it perfectly clear that we didn't partake in the legal drug trade in Amsterdam...we neither purchased drugs, not took them!

Amerstam=Ann Frank+Beer+Pot+Prostitutes

Well, that's it in a nutshell! What a beautiful city though. I can't upload my pics here in the internet cafe, but will as soon as I get internet (in a week or two). They say Amsterdam in the Venice of the North as it has lots of canals and quaint bridges, and row houses, etc. The architecture is amazing! We stayed at the Pulitzer Hotel which is a Starwood Luxury Collection property. We were really up in the air as to whether it was luxurious or not. We were upgraded to an Executive Suite b/c of Mike's status there--Our room really reminded me of Aunt Marty's attic where Stephen and Brian's room was! We werein the gables of this row house and had REALLY steep steps up to our room. Was it cool to stay there, yeah, but it was a bit tight, and certainly not 'luxurious'!

When we got there it was around 7 or 8 o'clock and we went to grab some dinner. Mike wanted to show me the red-light district as well. We ate at an Argentinian Steak House...there are tons of Argentinian steakhouses there--I thought that was weird! The food was good, as was the price! From there we went to the red-light district which was certainly an eye opening experience. Girls--some really young girls--rent windows along either side of the street and stand in them scantally clad in either bikinis or bra and underwear trying to sell 'their wears'. What's funny about it is that all the prostitutes have to register, and all charge the same price and they pay taxes and everything. It really bothered me how young some of the girls looked...I would say they were all between 15 and 25 years old. Along the road going to the red-light district there were also lots of 'coffee houses' that don't sell coffee at all, but rather pot. In this area, I'm sure you could get a second hand high if you stood on the street long enough! It's perfectly legal to smoke marajuana, and really quite acceptable-even in restaurants!

On Saturday, I wanted to go to this antique toy store that got a great review in my travel book...what a let down! It was really a junk store with used (garage sale type) toys! From there we went to the VanGogh Museum. I didn't think Mike would like it, but he really got into it. It was really laid out well, and gave you the story of VanGogh's life along with the paintings. Mike thinks it's terrible that the public feels that VanGogn had such a tragic life. In reality, he mooched off his brother his whole life, never worked a day in his adult life, and just travelled all around painting. Then, he decided to off himself and cut off his ear. Nothing really tragic about it! They also had paintings of other artists there as well, so we got to see some Gaugin, Picasso, etc. From there we went and had lunch in a charming outdoor cafe and each had a couple of beers while we watched the street performers. One street performer in particular came and set up this huge pole with roles dangling from it. He then proceed to strip down to a thong--did I mention he was about 70 years old?--and then do acrobatics on the ropes...He really was quite good, but I have to say, I think the whole crowd was a bit disturbed by the thong! We only had a few appetizers for dinner that night and then went to an outdoor beer garden right in the heart of the city. It was great for people watching--especially since we were located on the road to the red light district.

Sunday morning we got up and headed right for the Ann Frank Museum--we tried to do that the day before, but it was Yom Kippur and closed. The line was all the way up the street, but it went quickly. I think we only waited about an hour. This was quite possibly the best museum I have ever been in. I was surprised that Mike had never read 'The Diary of Ann Frank' in school--especially being from Marlboro, but it was good because they gave a synopsis of the book as you went through. We were even able to go to the hidden apartments behind the bookcases and up the very steep steps where Ann and her family lived. I was very interesting and very well done! On Sunday we also hit a Christmas shop, got my wooden clogs, and visited a diamond factory. What a day, right? We were exhausted!

We still don't have internet in the house yet, so my posts may be a little sparce still. They say we might be up and running in a week or 2. Things go so slow here!

I'm Back!

and forgive my lack of capital letters. i'm using the keyboard at an internet cafe and it's all different, and i pay by the minute so i'm typing as quickly as possible! The move went well...nothing lost, nothing broken! It was really nice to have all of our clothes. Sadly, we really scrimped on the amount of 'things' we brought with us, as we weren't sure how much room we'd have, but really, we have quite a bit and could use some of those things! On saturday we had our housewarming party with all of the expats we know. people were pretty impressed by how big our place was. one girl said she didn't think places like ours existed in london! On Sunday we went to ikea...everyone goes to ikea here...LOL and looked for some furniture...we didn't buy it b/c they didn't take amex, but i went back today with cash. they will be delivering our stuff tomorrow. This weekend we're going to Amsterdam Friday night and returning on Sunday. We were going to go from there to Brussels as Mike has to go there for work on Mon, but I have to be home for our British Telecom appointment...as soon as we get phone, we can get satellite and internet! So i can't miss that appointment! So Mike is going to come home with me on Sunday and then take the train to Brussels on monday morning...he promises he'll be home in time for my birthday dinner! Next weekend we're meeting my friend Amanda in porto,portugal for the weekend...we're really the world travellers! That's all for now, I have to do my food shopping online now, so i need to conserve time!

Quick Shout Outs...Feel better soon Mom--she had surgery last week...and Congrats to the Canovas! I heard Matt and 'Riss and expecting another little bundle of joy!

Tomorrow's the day!

Greeting folks!

Tomorrow's the big day! We move into our flat! I can't even tell you how excited we are to get our of this hell hole known as the Cloisters! Okay, it's not THAT bad--but we're ready to get out of here...it's just not big enough for 2 people to live here, eat here, sleep here, or even watch tv here! That being said, I'm afraid I may be on a break from my blog for awhile. Things are so backward here. We're getting our broadband internet service through SKY--kind of like DirectTV in the states, we're also getting our cable from them as well. So, we can't sign up for SKY until we have a phone line...that makes perfect sense, no problems here--Well, I just called British Telecom (BT) and they may take a couple of weeks to set it up! It's going to take AT LEAST a week to get a call back from them after they figure out if there's a phone line already existing. So here's what that means--no cable, no internet, no American phone number, no BT phone number--not until BT gets us up and running! URGH! Somethings in this country are so ass backwards! So I may be signing off for a while...we'll see if our BT Openzone (internet we're using now) works there...you need a hotspot, so we don't know yet!

Today I'm just packing us up! It's amazing how we lived this long with such few things, but the trick will be fitting those few things back in our suitcases! I'm all set, I just have to figure out Mike's stuff!

That's all for now! Until we meet again!

Peterborough Here We Come!

Move-In Countdown: 2 1/2 days!

Today I was on a mission. I was going to find a place to buy our TVs that would deliver them on Friday. What's a lady of leisure to do without television???? Yesterday, I went to Harrods to look at their AV department. It was actually quite a nice selection (surprised?), and since I am now in the "Harrod's Frequent Shopper" club, I would have gotten cash back on my purchase. Quite frankly I wanted to buy the TV there just because it would be easy, but they wanted to take 2 weeks for deliver...2 WEEKS! I had to check them off the list. Then, I went to John Lewis which is kind of like Macys or Lord & Taylor, and they didn't take American Express. Today...this was my mission. I went online to find some electronics stores and found a place called Curry's. I jumped on the tube and was there in 20 minutes. It only took me a few minutes to pick out what I wanted--They had a 32" Sharp Aquos on sale, and there was a deal to get the stand...SOLD...then I needed to find a little TV for the bedroom...There was a Panasonic on sale...SOLD! Here's where it got a little complicated. Here I am making small talk with the salesman (who I found out didn't even make any commission on me!) he's running my American Express card, and SLAM! He has to call for special authorization. I knew this was going to happen...I guess English people don't make big purchases here. Our cards have been getting flagged for fraud left and right. So the salesman, Gerald, had to call Amex...They put me on the phone and said that I couldn't make the purchase and that someone would call me back in 48 hours! 48 hours! There's NO WAY I would have my TV in time then! Here's where I think being married to Mike has rubbed off on me! I simply told the woman on the other end that this was simply unacceptable and that I wanted to speak with someone who could resolve the matter now. She put her supervisor "Eddie" on the phone. Eddie told me that I simply could not make the purchase--end of story. Maybe his story, but not mine! I told Eddie that we were Platinum customers and although we were new customers in the UK that our Amex history in the states was stellar and that he was making a very serious mistake. He took my US Amex information...then he apologized!

In the end, I got my TVs! I'm very excited about this! We're having them delivered at 2:00 in Friday...

Another deliver coming on Friday is a whole slew of groceries! YES, I am having all of our 1st foodshop groceries delivered at 4:00 on Friday. This way, we don't have to figure out how to get them from point a to point b. They come to us! We had a really big shopping list because not only are we just moving in, but we're having a housewarming party for all of our expat friends on Saturday night. The plan is to grill, but I suppose we'll have to see about that, since I'm not sure where to find a grill! I'm making sausage and peppers and buffalo wings along with the burgers, so I guess we'll figure something out if we don't have a grill in time!

10:00---get our keys to Peterborough Villas
12-1:00---our shipment gets delivered
2:00---our TV gets delivered
4:00---our groceries get delivered

5:00---we're all set!!!!!!!!!!

Bodean's

Today we went to Bodean's in Fulham--right down the street from where we're to live as of Friday. Mike was feeling a little uneasy about the bar in Piccadilly...there were 3 floors and all kinds of sports going on...at least Bodeans was dedicated to American Football! We were able to see the Jets v. New England game...not much of a game but it was really nice to see something familiar...The best part for me was that they had LIght Beer! It may have been Coors Light, so it tasted more like water than beer, but I'll take it! We had real American food....nachos and wings for an appetizer and then burger and steak for the main course. We spanned that, along with about 6 beers each, for the 3 hour game, and it was brilliant! The waitresses were American so they understood when we didn't want any Guacamole---it's hard, very hard to get 'special orders' here! Our waitress was even from Florida and went to USF, she didn't know Stephen though, we asked! So now, the first game has just finished and Mike and I are "properly knockered" as they say here. Now, off to bed, and only 5 more nights in the Cloisters! I really can't wait to move! Mike's afraid I'm going to be let down, but I just can't wait to have our own place! Granted Fulham doesn't have the shops that Chelsea has, but they are only a few tube stops away! Besides, I've joined the Harrod's club, and that gives me cash back for all transactions, so we'll be shopping there often...it's not more money, so it's worth it!

Bath, UK Sept 8, 2007

Today we took a train ride to Bath--Just an hour and a half West of London. The day started out well, took a nosedive, and then ended on a good note! Read on...

When we arrived, we really hadn't done much research on the city, other than that the Roman Baths were there, we really didn't know much else. So like every other cit we've visited we took the City Sightseeing Tour Bus to see what there was. We really enjoyed the bus ride and learned alot. For instance, there are city ordinances that state that you have to use Bath Stone (Local Limestone) on the facades of the houses in order to keep them all uniform and in the Georgian style. Back in the day, the whole house was made fo the Bath Stone, but it's become too expensive for that nowadays. We also saw Nicholas Cage's new home. He lives at No. 7 Laura Place. The funny thing about this, in order to keep his privacy, he's removed the number from the front door---next door is 6 on one side and 8 on the other...Now, I'm not rocket scientist, but I'm pretty sure no. 7 would be in the middle of those two, don't you? Following our City bus tour, we got some lunch in a pub and went inquiring about a side trip to Stonehenge. We made it JUST IN TIME! We gave the shop our deposit and were heading right for the bus. Here's where the day went south...the tour bus driver gave our seats away! I really thought Mike was either going to wring the guy's neck or start crying! I can honestly say, I haven't seen him get this upset since we got banned from ordering pizza from Veneto's! He was ranting and raving to the driver, then we went back to the shop where we bought the tickets, more rants--People don't really flip out here, so it was a bit of a scene! It was ridiculous though, we were holding tickets! Mike was so mad that we went to go rent a car to drive ourselves to Stonehenge, it was 1:30, and they closed at 1PM! Here Mike declared (in the words of Christopher Rotola) that this was his "WORST DAY EVER"! Quickly, I said we would go and see the Abbey and the baths and take the scenic tour, and we would have missed all that if we did Stonehenge! We went and saw the Abbey which was interesting because there was an AMERICAN flag inside! It was a flag from WW2! Also in the Abbey, back in the 16th Century the wealthy people of Bath would pay to have themselves buried INSIDE the church. It was very expensive, but they were promised a quicker entry into heaven if they did! You can see pics of the tombstones inside the chuch. Finally, at the end of the day we made our way to the Baths after the crowds had gone and the que had died down. It was really very interesting to see. Of coure we both touched the water which was against the rules, and it was really very warm--not hot, but like Bath Water (no pun intended). Our tour brochure said that one American called it "the best 90 minutes they'd spent in Europe"...Now, I wouldn't go that far, but it was neat to see! After that, we just walked around the quaint little city and then back to the train and back to our London abode in the Cloisters (only for another 6 days though!)

Tomorrow marks the first day of American football....It's usually a holiday at our house and Mike usually has a sleepless night before because he's so excited, but we have to say it's a little anti-climatic here. We are going to see the first game at the "American Sports Bar" in Piccadilly Circus--I think they are showing the Dolphins game, but it's not that same as seeing everything...The Giants game doesn't even start until 1AM here! We're making the most of it here, and when we move we're getting Sky Sports which shows all the games.

On a sidenote, Mike has mentioned that he feels as my blog can sometimes be a little "Anti-Mike"...While I agree that sometimes I do poke fun at him, all of what I say is true, as I tell Mike sometimes the truth hurts! Hahaha! So to everyone Mike has told that I sometimes exaggerate my stories, or tell slight un-truths, please know that it's just his male pride getting the better of him, and yes, he did almost cry when he didn't get to go to Stonehenge...we were almost at a Chris Rotola boiling point--luckily I know how to handle a 6 year old!

Porto, Portugal

We are jetsetters! Tomorrow, we're taking the train to Bath, to explore there for the day and coming back that evening, next weekend, we move into our new digs, Amsterdam the following weekend, AND we just booked ourselves flights to Porto, Portugal for the following weekend! Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it! My friend Amanda is going to be in Poro that weekend--I knew this before we left, but I guess in all the craziness here, it just slipped my mind! Well, she emailed me yesterday asking if we thought we'd be interested in meeting her there--she even found us flights for 20 Pounds! How could we pass that up!!?!?! We get to see a friendly face from home AND get to visit another country! We're both really excited about Portugal because it wasn't really a country on our radar to visit, and PORTO is the Port Wine making captial of the world--Mike is very excited!

Like I said tomorrow we're hitting up Bath, which is supposed to be like a Jane Austen novel come to life for all you literary gurus. I think 2 of her books were even set there. We were going to stay over, but decided to just come back that night, save the money for another destination where we HAVE to stay.

Sunday is the first day of football! We're going to go to Piccadilly Circus to the "American Sports Bar" to watch. The Giants don't play 'til the night game, so we won't get to see them...as it is, the 1:00 game starts here at 6:00!

Only 1 more week at the Cloisters! The countdown continues! Every night before we go to bed, we say all the things we can't wait for...I can't wait for my pots, pans, and knives--and a normal sized kitchen. Mike can't wait for a human sized couch and a queen sized bed!

An Unnecessary Trek Across the City...

As far as we knew this morning when we woke up, the strike was still on. Mike work his Nike Air Cole Haans to work (he got a blister yesterday) and he was figuring out the best route to take! Sadly when he got to work, having passed no tube stations along the way, he came to find out that the strike had been suspended! He made a 3 mile trek across the city in his dress clothes for nothing! Have you ever walked 3 miles straight in a city? I assure you it isn't pleasant, especially in this city...sweating is not an option. You can be out for a leisurly stroll, and it may be chilly enough for you to need a sweater, but I assure you, walk 1 or 2 blocks and you are drenched! And if you're not drenched I may consider having you sweat glands looked at.

Today and tomorrow Mike is in a training class in Greenwich, which is in the East part of England (blah!) and has to stay overnight. We're not 100% sure of the overnight thing, we think it may have something to do with networking etc. So tonight I'm on my own...the best part, I don't have to cook! It's just me, some mac and cheese, a few tabloids and some reality TV. AND I don't have to share our minute couch!

Labor Unions + Labor Day = Labor Strike!

They don't even celebrate Labor Day here, but yesterday, they might as well have! Last night at 5:00 the tube shut down because the maintenance workers went on strike. Only the Piccadilly and Northern Lines were open...and that's really NOTHING! Mike was able to take the Piccadilly Line home, but this morning when he got to our local station, the weren't taking any incoming passengers, so he had to walk to work. It took him about an hour! I think we mapped it out last night, and it was about 3 miles from here! The other option was to take a bus, but when he got to work, Mike found out that the busses were so crowded that the drivers were just skipping stops! They are saying that they are going to do this 3 days a week until they get their demands met. What demands, you may ask? Well they are apparently doing all of this maintenance to the tubes, and it's supposed to take like 15 years or something to complete. They just want to know that if the company they work for changes hands that their pensions, salaries, and jobs will still be in place. If you ask me that's a load of crap. In the corporate world, how often are companies acquired and people laid off? Needless to say, the whole city is in an uproar over it, so I think I'm just going to sit tight here! I can walk to the Victoria & Albert Museum which is one I haven't visited yet, and I have to do a little food shopping for dinner tonight.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

Helps the medicine go down, medicine go dow-own, medicine go down! Last night we went to see Mary Poppins in the West End which is London's answer to Broadway. I liked it, but Mike wasn't impressed. I think that he's just spoiled though! Honestly, I thought the effects were good! Mary flew in with her umbrella and they really flew kites, and Burt even tap dances on the ceiling! It was certainly worth the 1/2 price tickets. We're hoping to take advantage of that often!

Today I brought Mike to CarGiant. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about the area it was in, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't my imagination, and sure enough it wasn't. Mike says that the area reminds him of Newark, where it's more than likely you'll get robbed at least once a year. So that put the kabosh on that job. I was supposed to go and have a 2nd interview on Tuesday, but I'm going to call the recruiter and cancel. I guess there's really 2 things about a job that makes it worthwhile...the location and the task. This one, that task was good, but location bad. I'm willing to compromise on both, but not when it comes to safety! It's probably better anyway. We move into our flat in exactly 13 days and I really want to get it set up like home...and being home will help me do that! I'm sure something will come up though!

After that we were supposed to take a walking tour, but alot of the tube lines were closed for maintenance, so we missed the tour, but we went to the Tower of London anyway. There we saw the REAL crown jewels, and the world's largest diamond--well, until they found that one in the Congo this week. Mike was saying that he really wasn't very impressed with the clarity of it, but I suppose when it's 52 carats, it's tough to find NO flaws!

Today we also booked our trip to Amsterdam for my birthday. We're going the week before it as it was a lot cheaper than the week after. We're staying in a hotel right next to Ann Frank's house...I love that! I've decided that my souvenir there will be wooden clogs...not to wear of course, I get blisters from everything--the last thing I need is splinters on top of it! No, I'd like to just put them on a shelf. They also have a really cool Christmas shop there from what I read, so maybe I'll get some unique ornaments. We're excited to get out of the UK for a bit the Euro is doing nearly as poorly as the dollar, so our British pounds will go far!

We're in for the night tonight, just chilling out. Mike actually went to the local store to buy some diet coke and came back with 2 six packs of beer, so I guess SOMEONE is planning on getting a little wasted tonight! Tomorrow we're thinking of trying the walking tour again, but from what we understand there's still going to be working on the tube so maybe we'll try to do one of the local ones.