...and Breathe

Wow.  What an intense 4 days it's been. I never thought I could be as stressed as I was when I moved FROM the US, and it turns out...I was wrong!

Saturday was chock full with errands, packing, and last minute details to get the flat ready for the check out guy to review (painting, replacing burnt out light bulbs, etc) on Tuesday.  We also had our leaving-do pub crawl in Borough Market, and I accidentally doubled booked myself at a college alumni event for the first pub of the crawl, so I spent most of the alumni event being stressed about missing my own leaving-do.
Sunday, we packed up the rest of our bits in the flat (movers had already taken most things the week before) that we'll use for the next 3 months while travelling. That was an effort in itself: I over estimated the amount of 'stuff' I was keeping-versus packing space, and there was a sizable moment of panic (in truth, an actual panic attack) when I tried to figure out how to deal with it all-what had to be packed immediately, what I would need for the next 2 days, and what I would need on Wednesday morning in the hotel we were moving into
From the packing, we brought all 6 bags to my office to store until we moved until a hotel on Tuesday night (our lease expired 10 days before our flights).  And then we raced home to get ready to go to a friends flat who was hosting us and our pub quiz team for Sunday lunch.  It was a lovely time-it's always great fun with that group, and the food was simply amazing, but around 6pm, my mind started thinking about all the remaining to-do items that had to be done, so we raced back home to continue pottering in the flat.
Monday, the cleaners came to give the flat the contractually required deep clean, and though they did a good job, they kind of broke the oven-and with the impending check out the next day, that caused unnecessary stress.
Tuesday...good ol' Tuesday.  I was up at 4.30am to catch a flight for work, so that left Simon holding the bag to deal with the check out guy-and juggle the cleaners returning 30 minutes before check out to try to fix the oven (which they couldn't...)-and managing to get the last 2 bags of our things out the door, back to work, and then eventually to the hotel
I finally got to the hotel around 11.30pm last night with barely one eye open, I was so tired.  So, after settling in, I finally took a deep breath and relaxed.

That was just me.  While all of this was going on, Simon has been dealing with his last week of work, a last trip to his Dad's house to deal with estate things, and juggling all of the bits from the move that I wasn't around to do (such as the check out inventory).  It all really seemed to pile up on Simon on Monday, and he had a little mini-breakdown after dinner.  He's made the mistake of not just doing the things that *absolutely have to be done* and is instead also trying to do things he *wants done*...and his list is too long.  Simon is trying to wrap up all of the loose ends, and there comes a point when doing what we're doing, where you have to realize that there are loose ends that won't get wrapped up.  Possibly ever.  At least in hindsight from my US to UK move, I did learn that very painful lesson, and am using it this time.

I think it really hit him hard, so Monday night was spent trying to calm him down and tell him that all of the must-do things WILL get done.  I don't like seeing him so stressed, and though I knew this move would be hard on both of us, since I'm worrying about him as well, I do think this move may actually be a bit harder than the US to UK move.  The logistics are no different (generally speaking...), but I have someone other than myself to think about -and that someone has never done this kind of thing before.

The GOOD news however, is that when I got to the hotel last night, it did seem as if Simon were feeling better about everything, as he seemed more relaxed and back to his usual chatty self (he wasn't chatty the days before).  And, this morning when I got up-and throughout today-I've realized that I am now beginning to look forward to the move, instead of dreading all of the things I have to get done before.

I think the hardest part of this life-change is over (God, I hope so!), and for the first time in a long time, I (we) seem to be breathing a bit easier.  Whew.

Oh, and the picture below?  That's 'home sweet home' until July 2.  Good times...

Let the Anger Begin

I had almost (*almost*) forgotten how incredibly frustrating my move here was 4 years ago.  I had almost (but not quite...) forgotten how incredibly angry I felt for the first 3 months I was living in London while trying to establish my life here, and had to deal with the endless bureaucracy.  Almost.

And, then I was reminded today when I had to go to the Post Office and submit our change of address form.    Oh, US Postal Service.  How I sooooo took you for granted when living in the US-and for that, I will forever be sorry.  I sincerely apologize.  I want to thank you for delivering my mail to me (unlike my current post man who is completely incapable), and I want to thank you for not charging me an extortionate amount of money (or, anything for that matter!) when I submit a change of address form when I move.  Mind you, this could possibly explain why you're currently bankrupt, but I don't want to split hairs...

The UK Post Office, in their piss-poor way, thinks it's OK to charge me £250 for 6 months of mail forwarding.  £125 for Simon. £125 for me.  Because we have different.last.names.  Same house.  Same address.  Both moving.  Different last names. And for that we're being penalized.

Given the track record of mail delivery the past 4 years (my magazine subscriptions 'mysteriously' stopped getting delivered....and last week, I took delivery of *all* of my neighbors mail-one of dozens of mis-deliveries...), I get the sincere feeling that submitting the form doesn't really matter-and we're very likely to only receive 10-15% of all of the mail that we'll be due.

Grumble. Grumble.

Life As We Know It

This is it.  The last week of life as we know it.  The movers come on Thursday to begin packing up, and will remove everything on Friday.  At that point, the flat will be barely a quarter full-compared to now.  That will be weird.
We head out Friday for our last long-weekend in Barcelona-well, at least 'last' for a good while.  We get back to London on Monday super late, and have our final leaving-do the following Saturday, June 16.
Tuesday, June 19, we 'check out' of our flat-and check in to a Travelodge in Covent Garden until July 2.

From there, we fly the friendly skies to the US-and by our estimation, will spend about 58 days on the road.  .

By my count, after Wednesday nite, it will be almost 100 days before we sleep in our bed again.  Excited-and not looking forward to bad beds all at the same time. :)

The Return List

One of the first posts I ever made in this blog was called The List, and it was quite literally the list of some of the big-ticket items (sell car, rent condo..) that I had to take care of prior to my move to the UK.  Well, it goes without saying that as we prepare to return to the US, Version 2 of "The List" is in full swing.
I've come a long way from scratching out things on a piece of paper to keeping a full blown spreadsheet with color coded columns:

The Return List

This is but a small fraction of everything that needs to be done, and I haven't quite gone in to full-blown detail ('final utility bills' instead of separate line items for electricity, gas, and water...), but I am nonetheless surprised at how shockingly different The Lists are from one country move to the other.  Yes, there are some similarities, but not as many as I would have expected for the same general experience.

My only hope is we're able to stay on top of everything.  I'm trying hard not to get too stressed over all of it (my mantra: 'it will get done'), and in particular, trying not to let Simon get too stressed, as he's also got his Dad's estate to deal with-he's the executor.  It will happen-goodness knows how bad it was when I came here-but I'm hoping that it won't be as bad, or last for as long.

The glass is always half full, right?

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times...

I'm sitting at work today-it's a Sunday-to get some work done, and some life admin done, as the past two weeks have been absolutely crazy.  I know people (myself included) overuse that phrase to describe their life, but in this case, the past two weeks are a real reflection of that sentiment.

It Was the Best of Times...
Sunday, April 29th, Simon and I took a big step in the direction of getting ourselves back to the US.  I've been really quiet about this topic the past few months, and it's time to let the cat out of the bag on everything related to this, as I have a feeling this will become a large topic of focus in our lives for the next several months.
On that Sunday, we booked our one-way tickets from London to the US (Charlotte, NC to be specific) for a July 2 departure-just 2 days before July 4; Independence Day.  Seems fitting. :)
We'll fly in to Charlotte, and spend a week or so visiting my father, catching up with friends, *buying a car* (oh, that little detail), and then head to the beach-the NC/SC beaches are just some of the best in the US in my humble opinion, and I've talked to Simon about them for ages-it's time he gets to experience it first hand.  From there, we'll take ~4-5 weeks and drive cross country and up to Seattle for our final destination.  I still have my condo in Seattle, so we'll stay there until we either get jobs in Seattle-or up sticks and move to San Francisco (plan B).  I'll bore everyone with the details on the job search later, and our travel plans-once we know what they are...but, that's the gist.

Then, Monday, April 30th was our First Anniversary as a married couple.  I can't believe it's been a year already!  It's been an incredible year, and if it's anything to go by, I look forward to the next 50 years with Simon as well.  We splurged with a 7-course tasting menu (wine with each course) at Le Gavroche, and oh what an experience that was!  We ate and drank so well (the best was the cheese souffle), and it is now surely a top-3 meal for me in London.  I will remember that night-and the hangover the next day-for some time to come.  It was a truly special experience.


It Was the Worst of Times...
Wednesday, May 2nd however is where life decided it was time to remind you how fickle it can be: Simon's Dad passed away.  He had not been a well man the entire time I've known him (3 heart attacks, numerous angina attacks, and more trips to the hospital than I can genuinely remember), and he was in the hospital when he passed away, but it was-and still is-a shock to the system.  I was in Dublin when Simon phoned my mobile at ~11am.  As soon as I saw the call, I knew exactly why he was calling: it's just one of those things you know.
We spent last weekend at Simon's Dad's house taking care of 'admin' along with Simon's brother & sister.  Simon heads back up today to have a meeting with the church vicar on Monday, and then the funeral is planned for May 18.
Simon is the executor of the will, so the past week has also been intense in beginning the paper chase to settle the estate.  I've tried to help where I can with phone calls to various companies to request paperwork to wrap up this account or that account, but there still seems to be a fair bit to do-and I think we're both feeling overwhelmed at the admin-both for his father's estate, and as we try to wrap up our lives here.

The silver lining to all of this (I am trying to stay positive...), is that it has meant he's been able to spend some good time with his brother & sister-and, Simon doesn't leave the country with the burden of his father's health hanging on him.  It sounds horrible to say-but it is the hard truth. Simon even recognizes that when he was to last see his dad in June before we leave could quite possibly have been the last time he saw him alive.   And, once we land in the US, Simon can't leave the country for 6 months (part of the conditional visa/green card process).  I couldn't bear the thought of Simon arriving in the US, and then not being able to return if he had to for his Dad.

What has been incredibly surprising to me (I disclose this in trying to keep with the true spirit of this blog), is the lack of difference in general approach/admin/details that seem to exist between the US and the UK on the topic of death and funerals.  It all seems incredibly familiar to me-the process-and I'm very surprised, given how different other common things (renting a flat, for example) have been.

Where the US and UK do diverge on this concept however is in price.  Before Simon spoke to the funeral director about the pricing for everything, I told him that I recall my mother's funeral expenses (all in) ran about $10k-and that was a fairly standard price.  Given how typically expensive everything in the UK is, we were bracing our selves for a £10k price tag (or ~$15k).  Surprisingly, the entire cost for the funeral will barely run £2k.  Everything (coffin, flowers, funeral home...everything) is so much less than what it is in the US.  Go figure.

Well, that's it for now.  There's so much to do in the next week-and subsequent weeks-that I actually need to get moving.  I will try to update a bit more regularly over the next few weeks about well, everything.  It's been a crazy few weeks, and it isn't stopping any time soon!

Moving to London-Revisited

Blogger has a new interface (I promise I'm going somewhere with this...).  On the 'back-end', I can now see a basic level of Google Analytics with each post.  It's a nifty way of seeing high-level information at a quick glance.
While posting about my Reims trip, I had a quick potter thru to see what old post had had the biggest number of views.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but a post I made in October, 2009 called Moving to London has received more views than just about anything else.  Though, British Teeth Explained is a close second. Hee..

So, I had a re-read of the Moving to London post, and I'm pleased that I think it still holds up.  My 20/20 hindsight on my 20/20 hindsight post hasn't changed.  And, even 2.5 years on, except for perhaps adding a few nit-picky things (paperwork to bring with you), I probably wouldn't add loads more.

Nifty.

My Favorite Things

It's probably no surprise from previous posts that I love good food and drink.  While at Borough Market this morning, I popped into one of my favorite stalls that I hadn't been to in a while-Uto Beer-and bought one of the best English beers I've ever had-Jaipur, from Thornbridge brewery.  After I was done, it got me thinking about other beverages I've discovered while living here here-that I likely wouldn't have come to know had it not been for living in London & travelling.  So, if you're fortunate enough to come across any of the below in a grocery store/liquor store near you, I'd highly encourage getting a bottle or two!

Spirits

Sipsmith Gin and Vodka...London's only distillery...I first came across Sipsmith a few years ago when friends gave me a bottle of Vodka for my birthday (thanks Todd & Dorothy!), and it has now become my vodka brand of choice-and often is the tip-off to the quality of the cocktail bar long before I've had my first sip.  Sipsmith isn't a mass producer, but their quality is high.  So, if a cocktail bar carries their product, it's a good indication of the quality of their cocktails. On a side note...I don't like gin.  It's too 'juniper-y', but Sipsmith's gin is so mild, that even their gin is delish.

Wine

Faustino and Torres...In general, I've come to be a big fan of Spanish wines over the past few years.  Between the close proximity to Spain (and availability of the product), to the frequent trips we've made to Spain, I've come to discover and drink a lot of Spanish wine!  And though it may sound cliche, Rioja has become a go-to for me.  On that, I've discovered Faustino to be an outstanding brand-their red are amazing, their white and rose (yes, red & rose Rioja...) are light and summery. And, at anywhere from 6 GBP to 20 GBP for their Reserva, their prices can be very, very reasonable.
And, a more recent discovery- the Torres Celeste Crianza from the Torres family of Spanish wine.  All I can say is yum.  It's light, but complex, and I've become so obsessed with it, I'm already looking for places in the US that may stock it for when I return to the US in a few months!

Beer
Last, but certainly not least!

Thornbridge, BrewDog, and Meantime breweries.  All three are micro-brews that produce beer with attitude (and high quality standards...)-and outside of the Pac NW, are three of my favorite labels...(Do NOT for even a moment think that Fuller's London Pride is a decent taste of UK beer.)  Thornbridge and Meantime are London-area breweries (Meantime is worth the trip to SE London to Greenwich to check out...their brewery/restaurant serves incredible food in an incredible location) , and BrewDog is Scottish.   Such great varieties to choose from -from simple ales & pilsners to stouts and IPAs.  And all, just worth trying!

100 Great Things About London

Thanks to James at 100 Great Things About London for the post (and the cool T-Shirt!).

100 Great Things About London is a great (pardon the pun...) site to have a potter on if you're looking for a little inspiration of what to do in London...yes, I'm totally self promoting (please forgive me), but I do get a little excited to see my words on the interwebs from time to time. :)

Taking my own advice, I personally think I'll be hitting this spot tomorrow on a stroll at lunch.

Happy reading.

London Retailers: Welcome to the 21st Century!

I've often been confounded at the seemingly random (and archaic) hours that retailers stay open for business on Sunday here in the UK.  Only in the Southern part of the US (where clearly, one must go to church before doing anything productive during the day, and return to church in the evening...) where I grew up have I ever experienced such a brevity of 'open for business' which typically meant noon to 6pm.

At the very least, given the size of the population (and spending power...) you would think that London businesses would be open at a more extended rate of time than they are.  Well, as of yesterday, I now know why these bizarre Sunday hours are what they are:  it's the law!

Only since 1994 have UK retailers been allowed to open on Sunday at all, and if you are a business with a shop of more than ~3000 square feet, you are restricted to be open no more than 6 hours on the day-and it has to be between the hours of 10am-6pm.   Also, apparently, only 53% of UK businesses are open on Sunday.  Crazy.

But wait:  that may all be about to change!  In an effort to 'stimulate the economy' during the Olympics and Paralympics, the Chancellor (think, 'UK Treasurer') is apparently soon to announce that they will suspend  Business Trading Hours rules on Sundays and allow shops to stay open for more than 6 hours.  Oh, and this is supposed to be a 'test' to see if the Trading Hours rules shouldn't be permanently suspended.

Erm...so, the crap-tastic UK Economy (read:  recession-and possible soon to come double dip) of the past four years hasn't warranted a revision of these rules already? Are we really *just now* thinking, 'hey! there's this thing called the internet that is open for business 24/7/365...if we want UK brick & mortar retailers to continue to be competitive, perhaps we should allow them to um...compete?'

As progressive as I think the UK is on many social and economic matters, something like this creeps up that just makes me smack my forehead and shake my head in complete and utter confusion.

My New Fave BBC Program

The Tube on BBC2 has become my new favourite guilty pleasure of the season.

This 6-part documentary gives a true behind the scenes look at the London Underground -in all of it's glory and failure.  After watching the past 4 episodes, I'm almost sympathetic to TFL.  Not to the point of being happy with RMT strikes, mind you (and I still think Bob Crowe, the RMT  leader should eat poo and die), but enough to at least have a good bit of sympathy for all of the TFL front-line employees.

At the very least, it's a voyeuristic look into how the general London population behaves, and is worth watching just for that.

Guess this will have to hold me until the new season of Lambing Live! :)

Spring has Sprung!

Spring in London

Seen at Borough Market today...no pun intended, but it put a bit of a spring in my step when I saw the flowering  tree today...Not to bad for March 10!

Happy Anniversary to Me

Four years ago to the day, I got on a BA flight with a one way ticket to London.

Time sure does fly.

Would you Like Fries with that?

Random seen on the way in to work...

The Wellcome Collection

One of London's Best Kept Secrets

Everyone knows of The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate, etc..but, The Wellcome Collection isn't a 'museum' I had heard of until I moved to London.  I use the word museum as I really don't know what else to call it.  It's a facility that runs a series of incredibly unusual collections throughout the year that are unlike anything you'll elsewhere in London.

I was first introduced to The Wellcome Collection in May 2008, when I went to see a collection of photographs that were taken of terminally ill people fairly soon before and immediately after they died.  I know it sounds morbid-and on some level, it was.  But, each individual had a little story about them-who they were, what was wrong with them, and I found it an incredibly moving exhibit.  To the point, that like many people in the room, I was crying within the first few minutes of entering the room (you could hear the sniffs and see the tissues everywhere), and didn't stop until well after I left.

The collections aren't always this serious-or rather, depressing.  Over the years, I visited collections on dirt (seriously), skin (tattoos, ailments, etc), and most recently miracles & charms (an exhibition exploring 'faith, hope, and chance').

I think the tagline of The Wellcome Collection sums it up better than I ever could:  A Free Destination for The Incredibly Curious.  It's right across the street from Euston Station.  The next time you find yourself in the area and have 45 minutes, pop in.  It will be worth your time.

The Bucket List

With the decision to leave London, we of course had to create a bucket list of things we want to do before leaving.  Some of the items are small/simple things in London; some will require travel (yea!).  We've already managed a little over half the items-and in truth there are one or two items on the list that likely can't be done-but, we're certainly going to try!

• Cocktails in the OXO Tower.  Check:  Dec 30, 2011
• View the London NYE Fireworks.  Check:  Dec 31, 2011/January 1, 2012
• Horse ride in Hyde Park...a good incentive to lose another 5kg so I can get under the weight limits to ride the horses
• Visit Olympic Village.  Check:  Dec 27, 2011
• Visit Lakes District
• Visit Devon and/or Cornwall
• Visit Cockfosters Tube Station.  Check:  Oct 23, 2011
• Visit Reims, France (trip booked first weekend of March)
• Visit Porto, Portugal (a first for Simon).  Check:  Jan 12-14, 2011
• Visit Victoria & Albert Museum.  Check:  Nov 13, 2011
• Picnic in Hyde Park...er, seemed like a good idea when the weather was still nice in October; I'm not so sure, now!
• Visit all tube stations....we've perhaps the end of 3 more lines to go
• Ride a Boris Bike.  Check:  Nov 13, 2011 (to the V&A museum.  a two-fer day!)

That's it.  The list is short and sweet-in truth, the list could be over 100 items, but we wanted to keep it realistic.  

What would be on your London bucket list?

Life Admin: The Necessary Paperwork

Thanks to David for asking a question that I think prompts a post about my response-what paperwork/legal documents should you plan to bring to the UK when you move?  With the benefit of hindsight, I can only say this:  Bring everything you think you would need-and even everything you don't think you will need.  In other words, if it's an important document to you in the US, it will be equally valuable to you in the UK. If not moreso.
My list of documents-in no particular order- I've needed/reference on a regular basis include:

1. My passport-kinda goes without saying
2. US Drivers license-seems to be acceptable here as a form of ID (I've used it at the Post Office to collect packages..)
3. College transcripts
4. College diplomas-an odd one, but I did have to have this for my Tier 1 visa app
5. At least 3 years previous tax returns.  A. You'll want a few to help your tax pro when preparing your current year TR-and B. You could end up being the fortunate recipient of an IRS Audit letter of a recent tax return filing, and you'll want to have a copy of your returns handy.
6. Birth certificate
7. Social Security Card
8. Marriage certificate-certified
9. US Home mortgage paperwork-deed & loan docs
10. Immunization/Medical Records-probably even more important if you have kids

It will only take up a bit of space to have these handy-but could save some serious stress (and cost) if you suddenly have a need for one of these-and have to put an express order in.  Yikes.  

At some point in my 4 years in London, I've needed every one of these docs.  But, I'm probably missing a few things that I'm just not aware of.  What else? What other documents have some of you had to have?

Jonesing for American Food

I've not been back to the US since September, and it will likely be several months more before I go back.  As you can imagine, I'm beginning to miss some of the food that I always enjoy eating when I go back to the US.

So, it got me thinking...when I'm jonesing for some American food in London, where oh where do I go?  The list is short-but in truth, when I crave 'American Food', it usually takes only one of three forms:  burgers, BBQ (I am a Southern girl, after all!), or Mexican (that's technically 'American', right?..):

Burgers.  The most challenging of all.  I think I've mentioned more than once that I struggle with British Beef (my shortcoming, not British Beef's...). Until recently (hello, Byron!), I can count on two hands the number of burgers I've eaten in my four years in the UK.  So if there's one thing I truly crave as a food symbol of 'home', it's burgers.  Luckly, there are a few places in London to satisfy-and they seem to be ever-increasing in numbers (uh-oh):

• Automat.  Truly 'American'-they import and serve USDA beef.  Not the greenest burger in the world, but desperate times call for desperate measures, people!  Rumor has it, this is where Renee Zellweger would come eat when she was packing on the pounds for the first Bridget Jones movie. It's understandable why. Their burgers are incredible, as is everything else I've had on the menu.  They ain't cheap, but sometimes, you have to splurge.
• Byron:  A fairly new arrival on the London scene.  Their first shop opened in 2007-and in truth, I'd never heard of them until last year.  I'd never even set foot into one of their shops until just a few months ago when they opened a shop in the bottom of my office.  Sadly now, I'm averaging a burger there every 10-14 days.  This isn't good-but oh, their burgers SO are!

BBQ:  You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl.  And god knows I love a good pork BBQ (pork.  not beef..don't even get me started...;)). This can be difficult enough to find in the US when outside of North Carolina, never mind the UK!  Thank goodness there's Bodean's.   I first discovered Bodean's fairly early in my move to London, as there was one not too far from where I live.  I've spent a lot of time at Bodean's over the years-watching Tarheel basketball, joining friends for a bit of 'cue while watching an NFL game-and even most recently, spending Thanksgiving there.  They've been a great 'home away from home' in terms of food and entertainment, and I for one am a huge fan!

Mexican:  Ok. Ok.  I know this technically isn't 'American Food,' but I think any American Expat at some point in time comes to realize just how freaking difficult it is to find good Mexican food outside of the US (or Mexico.  ahem...).  This one is probably the most contentious in terms of which place is best in London-and goodness knows, I've read enough debates on expat forums on the topic.  But for me, when considering authenticity and location (read:  isn't an hour away from home...), one of my favorites in town is a place called Crazy Homies.  The name alone should be enough to pique the curiosity. :)  Next door and owned by the same chap who owns Lucky 7 Diner (another outstanding American-style eatery), Crazy Homies serves tasty Tex-Mex, and in particular darned good guacamole. 

I'm getting hungry just writing this post-and should scoot out and get some dinner.  But, it's something I've been meaning to post about for some time.

Where else?  Where else?  I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of places/categories (Brunch probably being a big miss...).  So what am I forgetting people? Give me some inspiration of places I need to hit up!

New Year's Eve in London

Finally!  After four NYEs in London, I finally got around to seeing the London fireworks in person! 

I’ve been planning this for months:  my company’s new office is in Soho-and we’re currently occupying the 5^th floor of a high rise building that provides the perfect vantage point-an unhampered view of the London Eye.  Yippie!!!

Sounds crazy, I know:  let’s go to the office to watch the fireworks!  But, many years ago, when I lived in Charlotte, NC-and my office was located on the 36^th floor of the Bank of America tower in downtown, I lost count of how many colleagues would go into the office on July 4^th with their families and watch the fireworks.  Why not?  No crowds.  No weather issues.  Great access to clean bathrooms...

So, Simon & I had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, Ebury in Victoria, around 8.30pm, and then around 10.30pm, we made our way to the office.  Signed in at security without any problems, and then made our way to the 5^th floor where we popped the bottle of champagne we had in the fridge to chill down for another 45 minutes.

I also discovered on this evening that you can live stream BBC TV programs (an evening of firsts!), so while we were hanging out in the office, waiting for midnight & for the champagne to chill, I live-streamed Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on BBC2 [as an aside...I love Jools Holland’s live programs-if you have the chance to watch, you should!].

Then, at midnight, we got to watch an incredible firework display from the comfort of the office with a lovely bottle of champagne.  

Pretty neat, huh?  If I had to do it all over again, the only thing I would change is that we’d do dinner in the Soho area as well, and avoid the tube as it’s getting that close to midnight.  The tube at 10.30pm/11pm on NYE is a zoo-I lost count of how many drunk people there were blocking the escalators/entrances, throwing up, and making general arses of themselves (as you do...).   

The tube station near the office was closed due to overcrowding when we finally left the office around 12.45pm, so we walked up to Great Portland Street tube about 30 minutes away.  But, the rain had stopped, and the temperature was perfect.  It was a lovely stroll once we got out of the madness of Soho, and was nice to burn off a few calories from our dinner earlier in the evening.

All in all, it was a fantastic NYE-and Simon seemed pleased as punch about seeing the fireworks as well!

Dishwasher Salt?!?

...and I thought I had seen it all!
I'm either the most clueless dishwasher user in the world, or this is truly a UK-only dishwasher phenomenon!  Regardless, after almost four years in this country, I'm still amazed at the things I learn on a daily basis.

We had a dinner guest over last nite, and in the course of pulling out a few wine glasses for drinks, Simon made the remark about how dingy the glasses looked.  Our genius guest asked us if our dishwasher was just out of 'dishwasher salt', to which we both just sat there with what can only be described as 'huh?' written across our faces.

Our guest proceeded to hop up off the couch, walk into our kitchen & open our dishwasher.  Where, in a matter of 2 seconds pointed out a covering in the bottom of the dishwasher marked 'Salt' (of course!) where you pour said salt.

Apparently, this is very common in the UK, but I've never heard about it until now.

Learn something new every day...

Getting a job in London or the UK

At the request of David who left a comment on my 'Work Differences' post and Alana who left a comment on my 'Reason Number 37...' (and after realizing that I've never actually done a post about finding a job in London/the UK...), I thought I'd try to do so now.  Ironically, though I have a job here-and have successfully found jobs once on the ground here, trying to sum up to others what to do is proving a challenge.  But, at the heart of it are 2-3 big ticket items worth mentioning (that, especially compared with finding a job in the US are rather different):

1.  It's not what you know, it's who you know.  This seems to be even more true in London (and the UK and even wider EU) than I've ever experienced.  Aside from my first role here in London in which I transferred with my company from the US, I've found my subsequent jobs thru people I know.  So:  If you aren't on LinkedIn, get yourself on with a good profile *yesterday.*  I cannot stress this enough. I've lost count of the number of times I've met someone in a professional setting-however brief the encounter-only to have a LinkedIn invite waiting for me in my inbox before the end of the day.

LinkedIn.  Do it.

2.  It's not who you know, it's who knows you.  On the flip side of the above, for better or for worse, recruiters/head hunters are incredibly active in placement for many-if not most-companies in London/the UK.  I don't know of any company who doesn't work with a recruiting agency aside from my current employer.  One simple search on Google easily confirms this space: type "London BLAH recruiter/recruitment" where BLAH is your profession, and you'll instantly see the full list of results of companies that operate in this space.  Check 'em out, and contact the ones that have a job you're interested in.

On a related note about LinkedIn, you will also likely find that with a full profile, recruiters won't be shy about reaching out to you either!  Mind you, my professional space is probably a bit more 'active' on LinkedIn than others, but I easily average ~2-3 connection requests/direct emails a week from recruiters.  I almost took a job via the recruiter route (opted instead for my current employer), so it is indeed a legitimate route-though at times, it can feel simply like a 'necessary evil.'

3.  Make sure you can um, actually *work* in the UK.  Sorry to have to state the obvious, but it does bear mention:  make sure you're speaking with companies that actually have the ability to hire a non EU/UK citizen and have to have a work visa. There are numerous types of visas, but for most people reading this blog, a Tier 1 or Tier 2 are the likely options.  A Tier 2 visa requires 'company sponsorship'-ie you can work in the UK as long as you are employed by your sponsoring company.  A Tier 1 visa effectively functions as 'self sponsoring' (though an employer can help you to receive this visa as well).  The difference/benefit of having a Tier 1 visa is you are now free to come/go to any employer you wish to-much like a EU/UK citizen.

To qualify for a Tier 1, you have to have a certain number of 'points.'  On the points based system, you'll have to prove things like....financial stability (bank records, as well as salary of your current job), English proficiency (a pass if you're American/Canadian/etc), education (Bachelors is good, Masters is great), and a few other bits.  If I recall, the Masters degree, and making over £40k (I think?...) were the two biggest boosts to get the points you need.

A note of caution: The rules for visas in the UK change numerous times during the year, so it would behoove you to do your homework first on this topic to even understand whether or not getting a job is even an option!

A note of caution #2:  It can take some time to get your visa.  So, whether you work with an employer/legal firm or DIY, you should allow for a good 6-8 weeks, if not longer-and plan accordingly.

OK. Short of going on forever, those are probably the three big things*I* think are most important regarding this topic.  I am *by no means* an expert on this-and would love to have input from others. What are your top tips for finding a job in the UK?