flat at last, flat at last

thank god almighty, we have a flat at last!

a crazy week wrapped up with some good news - la da dee, la da da, she is no longer homeless (well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, i know).  i tell you, the london flat rental game is nothing like new york.  sure, in both places you start out the search with high hopes - high ceilings, lots of sunlight, and close to everywhere you'd want to be

... and then the expectations come down slightly.  "ok," you tell yourself, "i really don't mind being that far away from the subway... my friends will still come visit me."  or perhaps it won't bother you that much that your neighbor always keeps his muddy sneaks and mountain bike outside in your hallway space (but hey, he's got such great legs, you really don't mind)..

... and then, you give up.  Beaten down by the system.  Ready to start checkin' out whether the YMCA still rents rooms to single men.  You take what you can get, you plop down more cash than god, and become a victim of rentercide.

For me, after three failed attempts, I managed to find actually a decent sized, nicely equipped place in a kinda funky little hood.  I think the part I like the most about it is the name of the building - britannia lofts.  Can't you just picture the Queen in her younger days going back to 'da lofts for a chill-out session?  ok, maybe not.  But perhaps I will have one in her honor when everything is moved in.

Watch this space.  The adventure has now begun.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Read this and you'll get a sense of what we're going through here...a colleague of mine calls it the "silly season". Love the references to TO as well, shout out to my friends up north!!

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/554219

HRH cheryl cole

ok, so i've always heard that brits are obsessed with pop culture and after being at a xmas party last night where people were GLUED to the telly for a finale episode of x-factor, i believe it (hallelujah, alexandra!)

but this phenomenon with cheryl cole is crazy!

i have seen at least 3 newspaper articles on her since i've been here.  the brits are going mad for her.

here's why i like her though:

1) she is dead cute

2) she has a hot husband

3) she cries a lot on television

4) she is part of girls aloud, which i love (thanks to LL for turning me on to this)

... and

5) her accent is so naughty north

Plus under that sweet little exterior, there's a real bitch!  like when she beat this bathroom attendant a club? Tough as nails, this girl.  But I hope I see more of her (if that's possible).  She's really gives that victoria what's-her-name a run for her money...

all my single ladies

dear kylie and patty,

well, what a week it has been!  i don't know how you ladies make it in this city... nothing is easy!  but week two went off with pretty much no hitches... home now, relaxing, watching the results show of x-factor and reflecting on all of the little accomplishments...

1) cheeky pint-4, mister washer-dryer combo nil

2) resetting my voice mail password at work.  yeah, it's a big deal.

3) going out for my first proper "christmas drinks" - yeah, we say christmas here, can you believe?  but i *STILL* cannot believe how much you drink here.

4) giving someone directions today near victoria station

5) getting my christmas shopping done.  god bless harrods.com

love you all...

xoxo

c.p.

weekend wrapup

so much fun... 

to think that i thought the highlight of the week would be being able to do 3 consecutive loads of laundry (take THAT, mister washer-dryer combo)...

my first visitor arrived from the states and we had a blast!  papa doe arrived on friday night and after giving him a brief tour of the flat, we hit the town.  as you know from previous posts, i live in a very lively quartier.. the gym, the sauna, etc... well, i didn't mention that there are about 2 or 3 bars/clubs as well, just across the street.  we decided to hit one, barcode, which was quite a laugh.  you brits sure know how to drink!  it's definitely going to take some getting used to (all right, no comments from the peanut gallery!)... we had a few and then called it a night.  

saturday was literally spent all over london... a late start, but then on to some major shopping.  we could not BELIEVE the crowds and think that the memo about that recession thingy has not yet reached londoners.  massive, massive, massive.  it was good fun though.  the crowds at least were somewhat orderly, and despite the fact that VISA (ugh!) sponsored this huge shopping promotion that was everywhere, they did know how to play some good music to shop to.  

a quick stop for a pint at a soho standby, then home for a quick costume change.  our plan was to hit 2 parties of friends of papa doe's - in complete opposite ends of the city.   first one was in east london (think williamsburg, but a little bit grittier), which was great.  american couple that had just settled here and landed a HUGE flat with amazing windows and open spaces.  then we headed west to check out another party at a former colleague's house.  neither of us was too keen about the trek over, but it was well worth it in the end.  think bridget jones christmas sweaters, rosy cheeks from too much wine, inappropriate jokes involving the words "sausage" and "underbelly" and you've got your first true english christmas party. it was hysterical.  

but of course, boys will be boys (lads will be lads?) and we needed to have another go at the code.  a few of the same faces from the night before, a few different ones.  met a lovely british - moldovan (moldovian? moldovak?) couple, chatted for a bit, and then returned home.

today was full-on recovery mode, but we did manage to get out and do a bit more shopping.  i am still on the flat hunt, so we checked out a possible contender before heading over to knightsbridge for some retail action.  

and some hot italian rugby action - have you guys seen this ad?  it's everywhere in london

... sorry, i digress.  anyway, it was loads of fun.  as i write all this on sunday night i'm a bit, 'knackered', as they say, but thankful and blessed to have such great friends that made a foreign city seem a little less foreign this weekend.

:)

cheeky pint 1, mister washer-dryer combo nil

'nuff said.

an open letter to an electrical appliance

dear mister washer-dryer combo,

i think we got off on the wrong foot... when i first met you on monday morning, i'll admit, i was a bit taken with you... you wash and you dry ... you're like my cute girl friends that i can take to gay bars...you're cute and you get boys for me..  i thought it would be a match made in heaven...

but, on our first date, you decided you wanted to wash my wool pants... err, trousers... instead of slightly dry them after being jampacked into a suitcase for too long.  what's up with that? i thought you were just being, as they say, "cheeky" so i was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.  what's a little high water cuffs when you live right on the bank of the thames anyway, eh mate?

now you decide you want to "child lock" my whites in the machine so ALL you will do is dry them... Child lock?  what the heck is that?  who asks children to do laundry these days anyway?  it's all very oliver twist, i think.  Anyway, i do wish you'd give me back my whites... my best mate papa doe is coming tomorrow and he'll definitely need a white towel after his long journey over.  if you could ever so kindly relinquish my clothes, i promise to stop laughing at your last name... (SIEMENS!?!?! hahahahahaha)

xoxo

cheeky pint