I was forced to stay home from work today. I say 'forced' but what I really mean is that I have been feeling rotten, probably simply as a result from the added stress and pressure at work, which has led to a little infection in my throat. I went to the doctor this morning and got some antibiotics, and was advised to stay home from work. Darn, yes I am really upset about that one... The good news is that in addition to laying around and drinking copious cups of tea all day, I have also been able to be very productive. I have gotten not one...but TWO loads of laundry done. Yes, given the fact that it takes approximately 4 hours to wash and dry one load, I have managed to complete two whole loads in the 8 hours I have been sitting on my sofa. I am starting to realize why they have to give us so much holiday time!
Managed to have a bit of fun in addition to the stress. My friend Alex and I decided to be cultured and bought a few tickets to some shows. We went to see The History Boys a few weeks back - amazing. Made me realize just how different the UK and US school systems (and the process of getting into college) really are... We're going to see an opera of Puccini's La Boheme at the Coliseum in a few weeks too. Also, finally went to see Avenue Q a few Saturdays ago - quite funny. Though I don't really get why a Brit would find it funny - lots of references to Sesame Street and American childhood stuff. But pretty impressive all the same.
My friend Neil (ketchup boy) has been over in Dublin working (on a secret blend for Irish ketchup??) for a few weeks, so I decided to go over and join him for a few Guinness(es) last weekend, given it's only a 50-minute flight. It was a quick trip, but nice to escape. The only vaguely touristy thing we did was visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells. Oh, and we also went to the smallest pub in Ireland (capacity: 24), among many, many other pubs, including what has got to be Dublin's largest pub, Cafe en Seine, which seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. I didn't manage to take any pictures, but it was so nice to be away, if only for 36 hours...
After I landed at Heathrow, I tubed it home, dropped off my bags and ran (literally) down the road to the famous Hammersmith Palais, to meet Adrian and Johnny M for a little soup - Bowling for Soup, that is. It was a venue I have always wanted to visit, and running out of time, as the historic venue is about to be demolished, after 90 years. What better opportunity that to go and bounce and sing to the Soup, the little punk band from Texas. When else will I get an opportunity to sing along with hundreds who probably don't quite get the references to 'Blue Bell' and 'Baird fruit pies'?? A fun night indeed. A few pics snapped below.
I won't go into what happened on Night Two of the 'locked out of flat incident', but needless to say I spent another several hours waiting outside my flat (locked out again for a second night running, as it turned out the guy had put on a lock with no key the night before!) while a shouting and screaming match (and yelling about being a crackhead) ensued, as I (and all of my neighbors) watched on. Good times...
In an effort to make Londoners happy about their rising cost of travel, Transport for London (who runs the tubes, buses, DLR, etc) now offers a texting service whereby you plug in the details of your daily commute (time and route) and they send you a text message with service updates. One would assume this is so you can plan alternative ways home if there's a problem (like a person under a train, for instance). This evening, though, I received a new one: 'District Line: Minor delays due to non-availability of staff...' - gotta love living in Europe!
I am sitting on my sofa drinking a glass of wine from a bottle I have been saving 'for a special occasion.' It is not, in fact, a special occasion, but I have had the kind of day that can only happen on a Monday.
Work is out of control at the moment (more on that later) but the icing on the cake today was getting all of the way home, only to realize my house keys were not in my bag. I had actually taken them down at lunch to the man in the caravan downstairs to make a copy of the set...and forgot to pick them back up. It was nearly 8pm and he closes at 5:00. Shite. What's a girl to do? Tried to call my landlord...out of the country. Unfortunately, that was my first and last option. Oh how I miss being in a city where I would not only have a set of keys left with a friend in case of emergencies, but also someone I could call to help me! Talk about feeling sorry for myself. The only thing I could think to do was to call a locksmith.
I had to wait for an hour in the dark outside my flat. It was also windy, raining and 4-degrees, and I had forgotten my hat (it was Monday, after all...). He finally arrived and we learned the locks on my door were so good that he couldn't pick them. He had to drill through both locks, removing them altogether. More time...more money. As is now usual in this country, the 'estimate' miraculously doubled upon hearing my accent. 'Your locks in America are not as good as ours--they are much easier to pick--believe me, I know,' he said to me. I didn't question how he knew, but judging from the fact that it took us an hour to get in, I was somewhat comforted to know how good the locks actually were. It was nearly 10pm by the time I actually got in, half my door ruined--can't wait to fill my landlord in on this one... So I have now treated myself to a home-cooked plate of migas and a nice glass of wine 'for special occasions.'
I haven't posted lately, simply due to the fact I had nothing much exciting to share. I was sort-of given a new role at work, temporarily. Positioned to me as 'an opportunity' (I should have known better!!...) I have taken over another division while one of my colleagues is on maternity leave for 6 months. This is on top of my current job, and in typical frugal studio fashion, they're paying me not a penny more for my efforts. The 'opportunity' has turned out to be much more challenging than I had originally thought. I am working all of the hours under the sun, have had to make someone redundant and hire 2 others, sent off to glorious cities such as Leeds and Birmingham, and am left at the end of the day feeling a bit duped. Fun.
The good news is that Arsenal are doing well, I love my new neighbo(u)rhood, it has snowed a couple of times recently (the most snow in 10 years!), Adrian's got a job as a pilot for BMI Airways (see picture of his new 'toy' below, and one of my titles (Battlestar Galactica Season 2) has been shortlisted for the BVA Awards (like the BAFTAs, but for the video industry). We had to present to a panel of judges last week and found out yesterday the entries that were shortlisted. The actual awards ceremony is in late March - we're up against My Name is Earl and BBC's Planet Earth, but we already beat out Lost, so I am pleased. 'I am happy just to be nominated...' :-)
