Home.

Just yesterday, Simon & I returned from 12 glorious days in Seattle. 12 days and 10 extra pounds on both of us I think...

It goes without saying that after a 10-month absence from Seattle, it was good-no, f-ing GREAT to be back. It seems like everything about Seattle (including my friends) have changed-but at the same time, it's all still familiar.

The main purpose of the trip was to go back and see friends, Adam & Kim get married. The opportunity to spend more time in Seattle and catch up with everyone was gravy on the reason. Their wedding was beatuiful and amazing-as I knew it would be. And, the opportunity to spend the weekend away from Seattle for the wedding with some of my favorite people-and have a proper catchup-was simply the best.

I'll go into the long details about the trip in the next post (with pictures...), but for now I'll just say this: I had a feeling that going back for this trip was going to be equal parts great (see: afore mentioned friends and wedding) and equal parts sad. It was. I spent the first 20 minutes of our flight back to London in tears because I was so sad to be leaving. Though, oddly, I was also looking forward to getting back to London. After not living in Seattle for almost a year and a half, the concept of 'home' is becoming more and more difficult to define. Parts of me still feel such a connection to Seattle that at times, there is a physical pain in my chest when I think about "Seattle." At other times, I'm still so freakin' happy to be in London, that I can't imagine leaving any time soon. Add to this the complication of Simon-albeit a welcome complication-and it makes it even more difficult for me to figure out where 'home' actually is.

Is it Seattle? London? Does it matter, as long as I'm with Simon? I haven't a clue, and would really love it if someone would tell me. Seriously. It would make the confusion simply go away. Where exactly, is home? I'd really like to know.

All quiet

It's been a while since I've updated the blog-a full month, actually. The truth is, it's been a relatively quiet June. Simon & I have both been working way too much and honestly haven't done anything that's been 'newsworthy.' God, I sound like an old fart.

Don't get me wrong, it's been a fun month-the Summer has *finally* arrived in London with a bang (hottest June in ages...), I've had the pleasure of seeing two groups of Seattle friends pass thru London on their world travels, and Simon & I leave for 12 glorious days in Seattle on the 7th-just a few days away.

But, that's been about it. After the back-to-back bank holidays in May, and the upcoming time in Seattle, I think I've been holding my breath in anticipation of the trip. I'm really looking forward to getting back-it's been 10 months since I've been in Seattle, and 5 months since I've been back to the US at all (my longest time outside of the US, ever).

With travels, I'm sure it will be quiet again for a while, but I expect I'll have a good bit to say once I return from Seattle!

A Wonderful Weekend...and my first 'Oi!'

This entry marks my 100th post...a milestone in some right, I believe. Or not. There are some bloggers out there who have been doing this for *years.* A little milestone for me, at least. :)

What a wonderful weekend to be in London! The weather could not have been any better, and I for one was happy to feel sweat trickle down my back when out and about. Saturday morning started off with my typical, Borough Market food shopping run. Simon joined me, and we had brunch-well, breakfast really at Roast- it was only 9a when we got there! Can I just say, Roast has the *best* porridge ever? And, I've become a huge fan of their bubble and squeak. B&S, comes from years ago when moms/cooks would simply take the week's leftover veg, chop up, combine and add some meat sauce (also leftover...), and fry up in little patties...Kinda reminds me of my moms day-old mashed potato patties (somewhat resembling a latke, I think...) from when I was a kid, but bubble & squeak is simply delicious! Potatoes, a green of some sorts-kale, spinach, leeks, onions/shallots, and meat sauce to add a little gooey to. yum.

Anyhoo, after the requisite Saturday morning shopping at Borough, we headed back home, dropped off the groceries and then decided to go over to Hyde Park to laze in the sun a bit-thought it was barely 11.30a, it was already warm enough outside to put on shorts (scary, scary glow in the dark white legs) and a cami top and still feel perfectly comfortable. Loves it. After an hour of laying on the grass and reading, we were both starting to pink up, and decided to play it safe and head home-plus, it really was starting to get downright hot outside, and we were both ready to cool off.

That evening, I got a wild hair and suggested we go do the London Walks walking tour, The Hampstead Pub Walk. We couldn't have had a better time! The weather was still amazing, the tour guide was a hoot, and the scenery was incredible! I'd been up to Hampstead several times for dinner, but this tour took us into nooks and crannies that I had no idea were there. I knew from reading that Hampstead is home to some of the poshest houses and well known residents in London (think Ridley Scott, George Michael, Jeremy Irons...), but getting off the High Street and ducking back into side alleys and roads was incredible. Fell in love with the area-as I do every time I'm there-and the scenery....simply perfect.











To top it all off, after the tour, we backtracked a bit and found a Portuguese restaurant, Stella, and on a whim decided to pop in there for dinner-it was pushing 10p and we were starving! What awesome food! Best calamari I've had in ages, and my chicken was amazing. Simon's steak was delish as well-and actually cooked rare as he ordered! Two, huge thumbs up! By now, it's pushing 11p, so we waddle out, head back to the tube, and go home. We're so full and tired, I don't think I managed to stay awake for more than an hour after we got home.

Sunday was just as lazy, warm, and amazing-view filled...

I had previously heard about Columbia Road Flower Market from my friend, Jamie, and decided to finally get my butt out of the flat early on Sunday and go-it's only open from 8a-2p on Sunday, and as it's in the NE corner of London, it takes a solid hour door to door to get there. So, I scurried out of the house at 10.30a, and by 11.30a realized I wasn't in Kansas any longer. I've never been to 'proper East London' until Sunday, and all I can say is....wow and yikes!

The few blocks that the flower market were located on (aside from the insanity and beauty of the flower market) were really great-cool, hip, trendy food, clothing, antiques shops, and overall a really great vibe. Wow. The walk from Old Street tube to this area?...yikes! I walked on a section of what can only be described as London's greasiest stretch of sidewalk (it's immediately in front of the door to a kebab shop, so it's not a a total surprise), and while on the stretch of Columbia Road that leads to the two blocks of the flower market, I passed by a group of flats that were truly gorgeous. Not only did they look like they didn't fit in this part of London, they really didn't look like they fit in London! Paris, Italy, parts of Spain, perhaps. But not London. In fact, one flat in particular was really well done up with all sorts of green leafy bushes and plants (I assume acquired from the market nearby...), and on my way back, decided to stop and take a photo of the flat. I wasn't on private property-in fact, I'd stepped out in the road in between two parked cars. I wasn't doing physical harm to anything. I wasn't making a nuisance of myself. I had barely stopped for 10 seconds to take one photo, and was actually in the process of putting my camera up and walking away, when I hear a door open and a disembodied voice yell at me, "Oi. Just because it's Sunday don't mean you can take pictures of my flat!" And then the door slammed shut.

WTF?!? Uh, sorry?...I think.

Interestingly, apparently said resident doesn't want to be found or seen-at all. The shrubbery all but conceals the entire porch (part of why I thought it was so cool...), and while digging around on Google Maps to pinpoint the jackass so I could properly call them out on my blog-Google Streetmap and all, I come to find that any view immediately in front of the flat has been 'blocked.' hm...Curiouser and curiouser...There's also a 'Beware of Dog' sign on the gate to the porch...this is beginning to seem so suspicious...




But, the best part of all of this?...When I zoom viewed the one photo I took when I was on the tube ride back home & reviewing my pictures, I realized that I could see his face peeking out of the window at me. Gotcha!










Oh, and here's a picture of the flat from Google Streetmap...it's the bottom flat seen above the 2nd car parked from the right -you can see a few bushes and greenerie peeking out. Corner of Columbia Road and Waterston St, London E2 if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Yeah. Consider this my petty shout out...

Oh, and 'Oi' for anyone that doesn't know... is like the equivalent of 'hey, asshole....here in the UK. OK, well, maybe not 'hey, asshole', but close...and is usually met with a 'shut the fuck up' retort...which, hindsight 20/20 is what I should have said back! :)

A banner day, for sure. Anyhoo, I digress again.

I returned home around 1p, and at 3p, after Simon & I deemed it not too Skin-cancer-inducing hot to go outside, we popped back over to Hyde Park for another hour-long laze in the sun on the grass. It was a rough day. Capping this off was a yummy grilled chicken and asparagus dinner, and an evening relaxing.

I couldn't have planned a more perfect weekend if I would have tried.

Travelin' Fool

One of my co-workers, Luke, asked me today what my remaining travel plans were for the summer. He knows I've just returned from several days in Barcelona, and he also knows I had spent a quick weekend in Brussels just a few weeks prior. Given this, I think he assumed my reply would be, 'oh. not much...'

Instead, it dawned on me just as I was rattling off the list of what's booked for the rest of the year, that I'm a bit out of control with the travel...

July: 2 weeks in Seattle (YEA!!!!)
August: Weekend in Paris
September: Long weekend to visit my lovely friend Jen, in Boston

And, there are at least three or four other trips somewhere by the end of the year that I want to take: Athens or perhaps Croatia (somewhere warm), at least one weekend trip to 'somewhere' in England (though, preferrably two trips...), hopefully Prague or Warsaw for a quick trip (read: cheaper Eastern Europe...), and hope of hopes, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a trip to Thailand later in the year. Mind you, this last one would involve winning the lottery or selling a kidney to fund, but I do still hope.

I'm sorry to say...

but, I watched the Man U/Barca football championship game last nite.

And enjoyed it!

Never thought I'd say that about a football game.

Hola Barcelona!

Last week, Simon & I took a proper holiday-four days in Barcelona. Four lovely days off from work. yea! Sometimes, you just need to recharge the batteries...

The weather while we were there couldn't have been more perfect-sunny and 70s the entire time. nice! And, as this was the first warm weather streak we've had since oh, October (regardless of location...), it was greatly appreciated.

I've been to Barcelona twice (though the last time was barely for 36 hours, and the other, proper holiday there was almost 10 years ago...), but this was Simon's first trip there. Aside from seeing the Barcelona Football statium, he really didn't have anything specific that he wanted to see, but based on my other times there, I knew that there were a few must-not-miss sights: Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, the waterfront, Las Ramblas (ok. kinda trashy & creepy, but still worth checking out...), and the Barri Gotic. We managed to get in quite a bit over the time we were there-saw all of this plus the Picasso Museum, Casa Mila, and several other amazing sites, thanks to one of hop-on, hop-off busses that we got tickets for the last full day we were there.


Sagrada Familia is one of my favorite sites in one of my favorite cities-though, I do wonder if I'm ever going to see what it looks like when it's not under construction!









Though ironically, one of my favourite-and likely persistent memories of the trip will be the time that Simon & I spent at a bar (every afternoon-we became 'locals' who got to know one of the servers well enough to have a round on the bar, and actually get to know him a bit) called Mirinda (Calle Xucla 7 for future reference...). Unfortunately, we never got the name of our server, but we're bettting that if we go back again next year, he'll still be there. :)

It was only a block off the craziness of Las Ramblas, but because if was off of a side street, it wasn't out in the open. We just happened to stumble across it our first day there & thought 'ok-let's grab a table & have a beer and a snack.' Little did we know that we got lucky in getting a table, as the place was solidly seated for the next 2 hours we were there. Same for the next two days. Can't describe the place-it simply had a great vibe. We were probably the most 'mainstream' clients the bar served, and the bathrooms were sketchy, but oh well. It was still an amazing place. And obviously, part of what made it so amazing was *who* I was with-Simon. We simply have a great time no matter where we go-and to be able to just sit outside, enjoy the weather, a beer, and a plate of tapas?...doesn't get much better than that!

Overall, Barcelona has and still is one of my favorite places on earth. I love the people, the food, the weather..and the architeture (Gaudi=God in my world...) really is just out of this world.

Anyhoo, a few more photos of the trip to add a little oomph to the post. :)....


A sign located on the pathway at Park Guell. I just thought it was funny.










I think perhaps, Simon's favorite moment of the trip-FC Barcelona Stadium.

Getting Political

In my 15 months in London, I've not yet really spoken about the local politics that I've observed/been impacted by here in London-or the UK, depending on the issue. But, there's been an item brewing here in the UK the past few weeks, that I have decided I am absolutely pissed off about-and it's also made me wonder about our own system in the US Government...

The link below provides great detail of why I'm so pissed off:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6264768.ece

A little background to explain some of the underpinnings:

MPs (Members of Parliament), which are like the equivalent of members of Congress in the US, while 'serving' in London can claim expense for said serving. Just like in the US, as DC is the political capitol where representatives come from all over the country and spend a good bit of time away from home in DC, the same is true of MPs and London. In the US, most representatives are easily hundreds if not thousands of miles away from their constituency-given the size of the US. The one big difference being that as London and the surrounding areas are so populous, many representatives that spend time 'away from home' in reality only commute 10 miles into London from their constituency.

Follow me so far? Here comes the part that I'm pissed off about. While 'away from home,' MPs have the option of claiming a second home as their place of residence while working in London. OK. Seems fair enough on the surface. The killer is that many of these MPs primary homes are also in London, and in some cases, only mere miles apart. And, when claiming a 2nd home, they can be reimbursed for the expense by the government. The 2nd home expense covers everything from mortgages, repairs, furnishings....etc up to £24k a year that is reimbursable. £24k. You can buy a lot of house for £24k a year (even in London)-even if that only partially covers your mortgage.

Well...aside from the *incredibly* shady expense claims that are being made (one MP recently got called out for expensing £10 of porn DVD rentals from her husband...), it's now come to light that MPs are selling (or even 'flipping') their 2nd homes-and making a tidy profit. All while their MORTGAGE WAS FUNDED BY TAXPAYERS. So, MPs are pocketing the profits from selling their 2nd homes, all while never having actually paid for the mortgage/equity in the home themselves, and in many cases, not having to pay any capital gains taxes on the sale.

Pissed.

And, in the course of all of this, it has made me wonder about our own policies in the US with regard to these possible expenses/reimbursements/2nd homes...etc...I can't say I recall ever hearing anything about the outrageous claims/problems that are going on here, but is it because the problem doesn't exist-I it just hasn't been sussed out yet. If it's the latter, and I'm sure it is...I'm already pissed about that as well.

Grr.