only in london

into the 2nd of the summer bank holiday weekends here and things could not be more delightful... i can't believe how nice the weather is... and what better way to spend it that discovering new neighborhoods!

today was spent in broadway market with an old but new hoya friend... lots to take in, from the delish lunch we had (cold meze platter and lamb with turkish beer) to the delightful sights and sounds of the market and london fields near by...

a couple of things to note:

1) apparently it is totally fine to start a bbq in the middle of the park.  forget the english obsession with safety... open fires do not qualify as a hazard, or so it seems.

2) apparently it is also fine to hang outside a pub all day (love the name - "the cat and mutton") with your 2 children... strollers and Stellas, what a combo!

but, hey, i just got here.. and what do i know... i mean, hot and jellied eels sounds pretty damn tasty to me!

not-so terrible tuesdays...

yes, i've been absent a bit, and sure, you can believe all of the stories you heard of my matt's mitteleuropa adventures... even that last one... but sometimes, it's the everyday that makes me smile...

there used to be a time after a long weekend of debauchery that i would hit a case of the 'terrible tuesdays'.... ie., after going "full on" for a period of 72 hours, i'd be back at work, still on the (figurative) high from the weekend... and then tuesday came around.  we used to call it "terrible tuesday" because that's when the walls felt like they were comin' a tumblin' down, two days into the work week.  you didn't want to eat, you couldn't focus at work... shit, you couldn't even get out of bed.

and even after some shenanigans this past bank holiday with elee, today was anything but terrible.  in fact, it was one of the most pleasant days i've had here in london so far.

highlights included:

1. getting out of bed, no problem, and hitting the gym

2. enjoying my favorite somerfield cereal and fat free yogurt before work

3. a "cheers, thanks luv, thanks very much, ta" from the lady at the canteen this morning when getting my starbucks (and i'm only 1 red stamp away from a free drink!!)

4. a good update with my boss, who seems to be pleased with me

5. a very productive meeting with a co-worker today, who is working a very complicated project but who is doing a fab job and makin' me proud

6. a postponement of a meeting i really didn't want to have

7. an interesting new combo at the canteen salad bar this morning: cucumbers, watermelon and feta cheese.  i like!

8. BOOKING MY TICKETS HOME IN AUGUST (and only 3 months away to a week in the pines)

9. a chat with a long, lost friend back at the Tower... who really needs to update her facebook page more

10. and, to top it all off, seeing and hearing my favorite london tube singer today at euston station... this woman's voice gives me the chills, and today it brought an extra smile to my face when i heard her sing one of my favorites -- definitely worth the fiver i gave her!

And, for a bonus round... getting home at 7:30p and it was STILL LIGHT OUT!

not so terrible, eh?

ttfn

commercial break

the same day i found out that there will be a sequel to SATC next may, i find myself channeling my inner carrie bradshaw - in front of my laptop, preferring a marlboro menthol light to carrie's reds...

and of course, it just so happens to be that comedy central has an 'omnibus' of SATC episodes on the telly... kettle on?  feet up? let's roll...

tonight's episodes include the one were carrie gets fixed up by her married friends with this guy who can't wait to get married... miranda pretends to be one-half of a lesbian couple to impress her boss... charlotte is toujours hopeless... and samantha fucks the cute doorman at charlotte's apt building.  an oldie, but goodie...

followed by "land of the twenty-something guys" ... this one's for sure a classic, not just because it's the first time that carrie goes out on a date with big, but because charlotte is faced with getting it for the first time... from behind!  she summons the girls for a cab ride around town to help her deal with her "crise du cul", and the lines are timeless!  my fave - the cab stops short, the girls go flying, and charlotte asks "what the heck was that?" miranda's always astute reply - "a preview!"

love you, ladies...

 

march madness

wow, it's been a little bit of time, huh?

well, lots to update you on... 

since we last blogged:

as they say, march comes in like a lion... and with it, comes a lot of visitors too!  this month brought 4 actually: 

- my 2 dear friends from lewes, delaware, jm & rp... who ironically i (sorta) met for the first time nearly 3 years ago in another euro-fun capital, amsterdam.  as jm&rp weren't staying with me, our time together was brief but big on fun!  introduced them to one of my fave dining places on the cheap, gaucho grill, which is a funky little chain of trendy bistros for the carnivore set.  best part there was watching rp try and order a vodka martini from our polite, yet bewildered waitress... Apparently, the phrase must not exist in the polish language... though i find that hard to believe... poles are not that different from brits in certain proclivities..

- my friend from the big apple via the deep south, jr... who was here on official business actually... the definition of which expanded later to: 1) discovering girls aloud (ok, NOW do you believe me?), 2) demystifying the concept of "music on demand" and 3) determining that pretty much everywhere you go on a friday or saturday night, you're bound to find people who have had a few cheekies too many.  glad he came, hope he comes back soon.

- and last but not last, dj jb from TO... who was here on a bit of a layover en route to italy... some people have the life!  jb and i had only a brief couple of days together, some of the time being spent in my old stomping grounds south of the river in vauxhall.  remember the early days of cheeky pint!  it's where it all began!

and so as march came in like a lion, i'm looking forward to it going out a bit more like a lamb... 'cause as i look at the calendar, i see that we'll have a few more visitors to welcome in the weeks ahead!!  april showers will be the least of my worries!  :)

onward and upwards...

wicked icky-ness

saw a great play the other night called "entertaining mr sloane" which is at the trafalgar studios, just off, err, trafalgar square...

anyway, it was a great show with an awesome cast...storyline involves a young, sociopath drifter who takes up a room in a house owned by a horny old lady... said horny old lady won't stop flirting with the boy until her libido gets the best of her and she throws herself at him... act done, the deed is done...

act two, we meet the lady's brother, equally creepy, and equally infatuated with the young lad (aka mr sloane).  he hires the boy to be his driver, and of course, every driver needs head to toe leather for their uniform, right?  ew... anyway, the real plot picks up when the old lady's father, who lives in the house and is a bit of a side character, realizes that the drifter is the person who murdered his boss and was never found until now... it's then when the boy decides to kill the old man, and when discovered by the brother and sister, rather than send him off to jail, they decide that they will 'keep' him, each six months at a time, so he can be 'entertained'... ew ew!

but it was a great laugh... good times, good times...

don't diss the nhs

hey there, been a while, lot going on, yadda yadda yadda...

but one thing reassures me - the health care system here in england ain't so bad... and i don't foresee me needing to use it any time soon, but in case i do, i think i'll do all right... 

actually had a chance to be introduced to it last weekend under not so nice circumstances... a saturday night trip to the "a&e" which doesn't stand for arts&entertainment (always my favorite trivial pursuit category, next to geography... and history... and science & nature... ok, i like the game, i guess).  anyway, back to the a&e which stands for accidents & emergencies... had to accompany someone whose mouth got him into a wee bit of trouble and whose mouth suffered the consequences...ambulance attendant was very efficient and professional, which helped calm things down a bit.  the a&e staff were also very calm and made sure we knew what was going on, who we'd see next, etc.  

also had the chance to register with my GP (general practitioner) today as well... in and out of the place in about 10 mins after i had my health screening and gave them a urine sample... clocked in at 175 cms, 75kilos.. which actually, according to some UK standards thing i'm bordering on overweight!  haha, guess i gotta lay off the pints or something.  but all in all, not half bad...

royal retail fix

after counting my lucky stars that i not only have a job, but also was lucky enough to get a bonus on friday, i decided i should put those hard earned dollars... er pounds.. to work.  and go SHOPPING!! credit crunch, my ass... 

well, anyway, it wasn't the bentley or the baccarat that i was after... no, needed to stay pragmatic and go after things to complete my flat for when round 2 of the visitors from 'cross the pond start to invade in a couple of weeks.

first stop on saturday was CARGO... i'd describe cargo as a mix between restoration hardware and bed, bath and beyond... a fairly decent selection of your basic homewares... was able to scoop up some new mugs (chrissy the kettle was a little over me pouring fine earl grey tea into some cruddy white mugs that i've had since i was a sophomore in college), a lovely little bath mat for the guest bathroom (nycgirl almost slipped on her ass coming out of the shower when she was last year, can't have that again) and what was most enjoyable... suction-cup toilet roll holders and soap dishes!  why didn't the americans think of that?  it's time for change, america!

next stop on sunday was SHEPHERD'S BUSH where a mega-mall of middle america proportions opened up a couple of months ago... but you won't find any orange julius stands or "as seen on tv" stores here... the brits do a MUCH better job of store selection, food court action and even transportation.  while i only managed to buy a cute little spring jacket for myself, the trip was well worth it and i'll be sure and go back.