31 May, Monday: Today is a bank holiday. Another three day weekend. One of the many reasons I love the UK. I basically finished my packing. Left one box open for last minute bits and bobs (another expression I picked up here). Finished up all my laundry save one load, which I’ll do Tuesday night or Wednesday morning prior to leaving.
Tomorrow at 8:30 AM, Aces Couriers will pick up my seven boxes and transport them to the office. Then my flat will be just like one of those extended-stay hotel suites. But that’s okay. Tomorrow night I can play Scrabble guilt free. Well, maybe not guilt-free, but at least less guiltily. I like having a guilty pleasure.
Even the word pleasure isn’t the right word. I’ve been losing so much that I’d have to be masochistic to really feel pleasure in that. Of course, like with most games, the more you play the better you get. For example, I’d forgotten that xi is a legal word. Really comes in handy when you get the x toward the end of the game.
I couldn’t sleep so I watched the late version of Big Brother. It’s such a major thing here that there’s even a BBLB (Big Brother’s Little Brother), a daily show that keeps people up on the gossip and happenings. As a reality show junkie, I’m lovin’ that.
30 May, Sunday: Got a lot done today, only one or two more boxes to go. Then my suitcases and I’m done. But someone on the CSz forum has now got me hooked on online Scrabble. I love it. Go to www.isc.ro if you’re interested. It’s an international game, but you tell it what language you want to play in. I won two games and lost one so far. But I know many more losses are in my future. My name is CrisisGal if anyone is interested in playing sometime.
That’s all for today. Staying busy in my flat. Okay, and some of the busy-ness is playing games.
Birthday girl, Jill, in between her kids, Hunter and Kayla.
29 May, Saturday:
In 1974...Betty, a friend from church, decided to go to Vietnam and relocate the children from An Lac orphanage. For many years, she and her husband (a pediatrician) volunteered there every summer. Saigon was falling to the Communists and the founder of the orphanage (Mme. Ngai) was targeted to be "hit." Most of the children were Amer-Asian and were listed as undesirables. By early 1975, Betty did some major work and ultimately got a HUGE military aircraft from the US government and made arrangements to fly over there. We were all living in Georgia at the time. Betty also made arrangements to convert a vacant school into a makeshift orphanage. This school happened to be across the street from my house. I was a stay at home mom with a 2 year old son, Rob. Rob is Samoan and we adopted him when we lived in Hawaii. Anyway, I volunteered to assist at the orphanage.
Betty REALLY worked hard to get the kids out of Vietnam. (Details of her endeavor can be found in the first Chicken Soup for The Soul, the chapter titled "She Saved 219 Lives.") Most of the children had no birth certificates, but she was told that they couldn't leave the country without them. So she "found" some. She had to bribe many people, and finally was told that she could take all the able-bodied children 12 and under. There were around 200.
She also managed to leave with a few kids over 12 who were severely disabled or injured. Anyway, I was there when the kids arrived. (Lots of stories there, too.) The baby I took off of the airplane was the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen. There was this immediate physical bonding that happened. Her name was Vu Thi Ngoc Hong. And her birth certificate said she was 11 months old (May 29, 1974). She was so tiny, looked about 5 or 6 months old, but healthy.
In order to get all the kids into the states, Betty not only had to have birth certificates for them, she had to tell the powers that be that they were all "spoken for." After falling in love with this beautiful child of God, I went to Betty and said, "I know that all of these kids are spoken for, but could I have one?" Sounds simple. Sounds stupid. But my heart was in every word. I told her that my (then) husband and I were already approved for trans-racial adoption, and the state of Georgia had all of our records transferred from Hawaii) because we had been interested in pursuing adoption in Georgia. Betty laughed and said that actually only a few of the kids were spoken for...and that I could go and choose almost any child I wanted. (This is EVERY adoptive parent's dream....)
I said that I didn't need to look, I wanted to adopt Room 7 Bed 23, Vu Thi Ngoc Hong.
She looked at her records and said that this girl was one of the few who was spoken for. My face conveyed my feelings. Then Betty said, “Wait...these people have never seen her. I'll just assign them to another healthy infant girl.”
The next day, I picked up this precious bundle in my arms. As I was getting ready to leave, a cablegram arrived from then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, saying that since these kids were refugees, there would be no private adoptions. I had to put her back in her crib.
There followed a week of absolute despondency. It's too late to make this bedtime story short....but the upshot was, we were able to work out the red tape bureaucratic mess. Vu Thi Ngoc Hong came home with us.
Her name is now Jill Hong Dufresne Potrykus and she's 30 years old today (give or take a few months). Hong means Rose or rose-colored. She is indeed my precious rose. Hope you enjoyed Jill's favorite bedtime story. Before anyone says that I should write a story about this....someone already did. It was made into an ABC Movie of the Week in the 80's called Children of An Lac. Starred Shirley Jones and Ina Balin.
Jill and her husband, Todd Potrykus, have two adorable kids, Kayla and Hunter. And Kayla’s middle name is Hong.
Happy birthday, Jill. May your life continue to be full with as much joy as you’ve given me. Love, Mom
28 May, Friday: Just a few more days left. I'm finding it hard to concentrate. Am glad for a three-day weekend so I'll have three concerted days to finish everything I need to do in my flat. (BTW, it's not Memorial Day here but one of the lovely Bank Holidays with which we are gifted. I love Bank Holidays--there are so many of them.)
I've got my desk emptied and cleaned off, but still have lots of work to do via computer for the rest of today and then Tuesday.
Took a brief break in the afternoon when Rob and Beata called me from Japan. What a wonderful surprise! It was 2:30 PM here and 10:30 PM there. They just got in from Denmark and she was ecstatic. Got the results from her GED test and she not only passed, she excelled in every single area. Now she's enrolling in college already. Green card, GED, and college--turning into a real American. What a great afternoon break for me.
They still don't know if they'll be home in June or September. Either way, it's wonderful, and I can be patient, as Rob and I haven't lived close to each other since he graduated from high school and entered the army in 1989. Now he's getting ready to finish his BS and go to law school. Time flies. And my baby, Jill, is going to be 30 tomorrow. How did they ever get so old? I think I’ll tell her favorite bedtime story in my blog tomorrow.
Kevin left work around 2 and it was hard saying good-bye to him, even though I’ll see him in Milwaukee in several weeks. He’s a great guy.
The day just dragged. Luckily (or unluckily) I’m searching for an article I need for one of our journals and I can’t find one I want to use. I always need four nice-sized articles for this journal and I have one and two more promised, so with three original articles I can afford to use one reprint. But besides finding the right one, I have to secure reprint permission. Time is running out—both to receive those two articles and to find the fourth one. Yikes.
A friend asked about me going to the funeral last Wednesday and I thought I’d written about it, but nope. What happened was that the family had a private, family-only memorial service, so it wasn’t appropriate for me to go after all. That was why I ended up able to go to CSz practice after all.
Tonight was interesting. I decided to not do any packing or any work at all. Watched the last ever Friends (yes, a few weeks late here in the UK) and the beginning of BB5, the UK version, which of course is the original. Fun and absolutely outrageous. Cursing, near nudity, and girl on girl action. This is quite different than the US version.
I couldn't get to the Cavern, but did see a sign for one of the many Beatles' museums and memorabilia spots.
Albert Dock is absolutely lovely, and the food at Blue was divine.
Proof I was actually in Liverpool. How cool is that? People here joke about the Scousers, but those of us from the states have an idealized view of the city.
27 May, Thursday: Had a great, great day. Worked hard (on things I’m publishing/editing) and played hard too. After work, at 6:45 Mandy picked up Carole and me in front of the Altrincham Train Station. She drove us to Liverpool to the Britannia Hotel where we met Kev and Chris. I’d never been to Liverpool before and was quite keen on seeing some of the sights. Because it was already late—8:00—we couldn’t do much sightseeing, so we just took the long way to dinner. I got to see the absolutely gorgeous Anglican Cathedral. A few of us popped inside when we saw the door was open. They were having a conference of some sort, so I hurriedly took a picture and ran back outside giggling. The inside pic didn’t turn out, but I got a good one of the outside. We didn’t get to go by the new Catholic Cathedral, but it’s called the Wigwam because of its configuration. Wish we’d been able to see it closer up.
Another thing I wanted to see was the Cavern, where the Beatles first played, but there wasn’t time. (Kev played there too, as did Mandy’s husband, Chris.)
We went to Albert Docks for dinner. It’s a lovely area, with warehouses and docks completely refurbished and quite the tourist attraction. The first restaurant we went to, EST, had a waiting list of about 40 minutes, so we went to Blue and it was a super choice.
The loo was really different. You walk in and the middle of a large room is a double row of sinks. Two men were washing their hands when I walked in. I asked if I was in the right place. One guy nodded and motioned his head to a door toward the back of the room. There was a separate women’s and men’s toilets, but shared washing facilities. Interesting.
My mouth waters as I think of the food. We all had starters, main course, and a sweet. Well, except Chris. He didn’t have a sweet. We also had lots of laughter as both Chris and Kev were “on a roll.” I loved the evening and it was so nice of everyone to want to go out with me.
Saying good-bye wasn’t hard as I’ll see Kevin in the office tomorrow and in several weeks back in the states. I’ll see Chris in five weeks in the states, Mandy on Tuesday, and of course Carole tomorrow and Tuesday. Ruth wasn’t able to join us as she had a commitment.
All in all, a fabulous day. But I got home really, really late. Of course it was SO worth it. Thanks, friends.
26 May, Wednesday: Work was kind of strange today. Nothing to remark upon, it was just a little weird. I was able to help someone with computer problems, so that felt good.
Mandy said she and the lads (Kev and Chris) want to take me to dinner tomorrow night in Liverpool. How sweet. Mandy will pick me up and Kev will take me home. I’m really looking forward to it.
Left work at 4:30 for my last trip to Chorely. Bron couldn’t be there tonight as she had to be in London. But she called and left a voice message. The rehearsal was a riot and one of the scenes I was in was deemed the funniest ever. (I’m not taking credit for it—but hey, I was in it.) I have lots of pictures. Brought my digital camera and told everyone to use it and the only rule was to make me look thin. They failed miserably. I’ll post the pics in a few days—they’re ace (a word the kids taught me, trust me it’s good).
Jools led the practice and at 8:20 said, “We only have 10 minutes left so what are we going to play?” I asked, “Oh, why are we ending early tonight?” He said, “For your surprise party which I just ruined.”
It was great. Lots of people brought snacks and we sat around on the floor and ate and talked. Actually I sat on a chair. During one scene I threw myself on the floor several times so I was done with being on the floor for the evening.
Oh, before we had snacks we circled up and as usual had to say something positive about the rehearsal. So many of the group mentioned meeting me and the fun we’ve had together, and I was so touched. I was last to speak. As a joke a few got on their knees and bowed down, and then everyone did. I asked Tony to take some pictures. It’s not often people kneel in adoration.
A few of the older ones were going out for a drink (18 is the legal age) and they invited me. It would have been fun, but I get home so late the way it is, that I couldn’t make it any later and still get to work on time tomorrow.
Then it was time for good-byes. The only two I wasn’t sad about were Jools and Pij, since I’ll see them with Bron in two months in Milwaukee. Otherwise, it was tough. Especially Sean. He’d given me a CD and written me a letter and cried, which of course made me cry. I’ll miss them all, wish Steph and Ste and Paul could’ve been there, but that’s life…
I’ll miss this group. As I told them, they were my only friends outside of work for five months. That’s significant. I also let them know how talented I think they are.
They’re ace. Every single one.
Okay, so my eyes are closed. But this is still a good picture at Conwy Castle. I'm practicing using Hello to send pictures to my blog via BloggerBot.
25 May, Tuesday: The UK office was to move this week to a larger suite in the same building. It’s now on hold. The good news is that means I don’t have to move prior to leaving for the states. Less work and hassle.
I finished packing another box, plus worked on some pictures for the website. Felt it was a productive evening.
24 May, Monday: The work day just flew by. I’m knackered, but got a lot done. At home did the usual—laundry, pack, computer, TV. My life is a series of exciting stretches separated by mundane existence.
23 May, Sunday: So much to do at home. My place is a wreck with clothes and “stuff” strewn about. I did get two big boxes packed yesterday. And only have three loads of laundry to complete.
Today I decided to accept Bron’s offer of a sightseeing trip to Conwy Castle in Northern Wales. I love castles. This is one you can explore. Am drinking coffee sitting aoutside at a café—okay, a Starbucks. Will meet Bron in front of the train station at 10:30. She reckons she can find the train station, but I think it would be too difficult to describe how to get to my flat—even though it’s only a one minute walk from the station. To drive there would involve one way streets
______________
She arrived at 10:45 after a detour. Went to the train station in Timperley instead of Altrincham. This is one of the things I’m not supposed to tell anyone. Aha!
Bron’s real name is Brainne, pronounced Bron-ya. It’s Irish. And she’s as pretty as her name. She does have some Welsh relatives though and really knows Wales. So even though I’d driven over the northern coast a few times, this time was different.
Our destination was Conwy and Conwy Castle. We came up upon it so quickly that I actually squealed. Luckily I had my camera on already. I took one hundred pictures in the several hours we were out.
The castle was built in 1283 and is HUGE. Edward I built it as one of the strongholds he developed when he conquered Wales. I called this the Day of the Pigeon however, because we took so many pictures of birds. They were nesting everywhere and were lovely.
There’s a wall that goes around the whole town and newer roads were cut into it. It’s still complete except over the main road where the wall was taken down to allow for more traffic. I took pictures of the entire framework.
After we walked on top of the village wall, we entered the castle itself and walked around the wall there. The first tower we climbed was the prison tower, right above the great hall. Bron hates heights but she gamely climbs anyway.
Besides the prison tower we climbed the King’s Tower, Chapel Tower (sometimes known as the Queen’s Tower) and the Southwest Tower. There were remnants of GIANT fireplaces where you can just imagine whole oxen being roasted.
The steps to the top of the towers were a little dodgy at times. But thick ropes ran along the sides that I grabbed onto to keep my balance. The views from the top were unbelievable.
In the gift shop I heard some American voices and struck up a conversation with two Texans. I told Bron that if it had been two Brits the conversation would have lasted 15 seconds, instead we talked for a few minutes and learned all kinds of things about each other. She said, “Yeah, but what if you don’t want to know all that information?”
After we’d spent a long time enjoying the castle we went to Canfadoeidlolnyynnn (Bron, please read this and tell me the real name so I can correct it. Thanks. Okay, I just read Bron's blog and it's Llandudno.) It’s a lovely seaside resort town. The architecture reminded me somewhat of the Isle of Man. I really enjoyed it and so did the million other people who were there to celebrate an actual sunny, warm day.
Because it was so crowded we had trouble finding a parking space. I yelled, “There’s one and it’s large enough.” Well, Bron had just gotten a new car and it was manual transmission and without power steering. It probably took us 20 minutes to park and we ended up with two wheels on the sidewalk and couldn’t get them down. One of the problems was that we were laughing so hard, it was difficult for her to drive at all. She kept thinking she didn’t want anyone watching and thinking she was some dumb female. (This is the other incident I'm not supposed to talk about.) It was really funny. Especially when a guy came over and offered to help. Just at that point her car—on the very edge of the curb—slid off very slowly. So now the tire and wheel cover were so tight against the edge of the curb that the wheel cover was bending in. The man picked up the side of the car by himself (yes, it’s small) and lifted it an inch away from the curb. All well and good except he broke the bumper. That’s why people don’t like to be Good Samaritans.
We ate at The Habit Tea Room. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. I must confess I had dessert. (Slap my hands. Bad Jeri. Bad. Bad.) I had apple crumble with custard (remember the insidious custard from previous blogs?) and Bron had a banana split.
The waitress was a stitch. Old. And if she’d been in the US her name would have been Flo. She saw Bron’s Portland CSz shirt and asked if it was from Portland Oregon. When Bron said, “Yes,” Flo told us all about Robert Scott Baxter, an American from Portland who she dated during the War when he was stationed at the bomber facility. Her mother wouldn’t let her go to the base like the other girls did, but Robert would call at her house. After the war, he asked her to come to America, but her mother wouldn’t let her. She corresponded with him for a few years, but then lost track. Now she thinks about him and wondered what happened. I told Bron that I think I’ll look him up on the Internet. (I did, but didn’t find anything relevant.)
Then we walked through the town so I could get some money from the ATM and we bought rock. No, it’s not drugs. It’s a rock candy, made into long sticks. I didn’t eat any of it, but am taking it home to share. It’s famous here I guess, so I’m looking forward to trying it.
We walked back along the beach where Bron picked up some rocks for her boyfriend. There were some beautiful ones on the rocky shore.
It didn’t take as long to get out of the parking space as it did getting into it. But we still laughed about it.
Then we drove to the Great Orme, which is a huge country park and reserve. From a distance it has the look of Diamond Head on Oahu. What a beautiful spot. We drove very high up on narrow roads and the view was spectacular. One particular view was the side of a hill where everyone takes large rocks and writes their names on the hillside. I took a picture but the names are hard to see. We also stopped at a very old cemetery where Bron’s Great-Uncle Jessie is buried. While she tried to find his grave I had my first encounter with nettles. Omigod! I can’t believe how much they hurt. The plant injects a kind of venom in you. At first I thought I was stung by a bee or even bitten by a snake, it hurt so much. She found some duckweed and I rubbed it on both my ankles. That’s supposed to help. And it did for a while. But now my ankles hurt and one is swollen. All from a stupid old plant. Well, I always say I crave adventure.
Bron gave me a framed picture of me in the stocks from the show at the Malthouse Pub. And she wrote on the back. Very nice.
I bought some CSzUK shirts to give as gifts, and will buy more when I see her in Milwaukee in August.
A very good day. Thanks, Bron.
22 May, Saturday: Packed, did laundry, went to the market. Yawn.
21 May, Friday: Up early. Needed to get to work to prepare for training I delivered. Never again will I teach a new course after being gone for the week. As a professional trainer (or rather former trainer), I can’t stand not being fully prepared to give a workshop.
There were only four staff members able to attend, as Kev had to answer phones in the office. I worked with Chris, Mandy, Carole and Ruth. I think the training went well, but I haven’t read the evaluations yet.
Simon’s father passed away, and I’m going to go to the funeral next week as the company representative. A sad occasion. Plus it’s on Thursday and in a fairly remote location, so I have to leave Wednesday to get there. The problem is that Wednesday is the LAST Comedy Sportz rehearsal I can go to since I leave the following Wednesday. I’m really sad about this, and will try to see if I can fly out early Thursday morning instead. I doubt if it will work, but you never know.
Came home and lazed around. Watched a few hours of the Best of CSzCUK, a video Bron developed. She is such a good director and videographer. I really laughed. Tomorrow I have TONS of work to do as I need to not only clean and do laundry, I also need to begin packing. Ugh!
20 May, Thursday: Up at 6:30. Did some computer work until I met the guys for breakfast at 8:30. Kev had already been over to the exhibition hall where he straightened up all the brochures, muttering that people should fix the piles of literature after they touch things. He’s fun to make fun of because he makes fun of himself. (Hi, Kev.)
This morning was fun for a few reasons—both Kevin and Chris were in fun moods, my feet didn’t hurt, and a guy named Pete flirted with me. Plus, we had a spy game going with a company that does similar work. Like Spy vs Spy vs Spy from Mad Magazine.
And also I was right about not being able to sightsee in London, although I did take a few pictures from the cab on the way to London City airport. It’s a tiny little airport near the Millennium Dome where a woman in Security searched all my bags, all the time speaking so softly that I had to lean toward her plus ask her to repeat everything. I wonder if it was a power play.
I checked in at the airport with 30 kg of checked baggage and they didn’t charge me for the extra weight. Kev always has to pay for extra. Afterward I stopped at BR Trattoria for lunch. Very good spinach and ricotta tortellini with bread, water, and coffee. Got the coffee for free, the guy liked my smile. A good deal.
I called Chris and Kevin to tell them to call the same taxi I used. A guy named Gorgi. A great price and beautiful car. Turns out they couldn’t use him because he was already booked for the evening. Too bad.
And the cabbie I had from Manchester Airport to my flat was wonderful too. He carried my 30 kg bag up to the third floor. That’s over 66 pounds. I’d carried it downstairs and just couldn’t make myself drag it back upstairs. I gave him €8, since I was out of £ once I paid for the cab ride. He said it was fine as he was going to Amsterdam next week on holiday. When I got home there was an email from Beata and Jill caught me with an IM. I’m a lucky bug.
Also, an acquaintance from CSz on the west coast wrote with questions about England. She’s now reading my blog and enjoying it.
I caught up on some TV that I’d recorded and just relaxed. Only unpacked absolute necessities. Not only a lucky bug, but a lazy one as well.
19 May, Wednesday: Up at 5:30, 6:30 Denmark time. Worked on email a little more but I have so much more to do. Plus am giving a workshop to the UK staff on Friday so I have a lot of preparation for that as well.
And it’s hard to believe, but two weeks from today I leave the UK to go home. It’s going to be a dizzying two weeks, I know. Besides the daunting task of packing and shipping, I also have actual “work” to do. And I’ve taken back more of my US duties to relieve my boss of some of the load.
Met Kevin and Chris for breakfast at 7:45, then off to prepare for the tradeshow which opened at 9. They set up the booth before I arrived but said it might need a woman’s touch. But it didn’t…they’d done a good job.
So much is going on at home. I feel a real loss in not attending Nate’s, Liza’s, and Jordan’s graduations and parties. Luckily, my sister is letting me chip in on their presents so I don’t have to worry about shipping anything else.
I was so tired from all my past days of walking, that I found it hard to stand all day. Came to my room when the tradeshow ended for the day, ordered room service, checked email, and wrote a report for work. So much to be done. But I’m confident I’ll get everything done that I need to accomplish.
Tomorrow will leave the hotel at 12 to go to the airport. No sightseeing in London, just as I feared. Shoot.
18 May, Tuesday: Up at 6:55. Woke up B and R at 8:30. A and S went to work at 9:30, and said goodbye to them with lots of hugs and kisses and promises to meet in America at Christmas and in Poland next year.
Bea made breakfast and then I finished packing. We left the house at 11:10 to catch the 11:32 bus to the airport. The walk was short and the sun was shining, but the wind was horrible.
At the airport I checked in and then we went for coffee. Rob had a Carlsberg. We kissed and hugged a lot as I left but it wasn’t as bad as it was last time, as I know I’ll see them in June or September.
The BA flight was uneventful except that the food was really good, for a flight of only an hour and a half. A melted cheese sandwich with fantastic bread, fruit salad, muffin and a Kit Kat bar. I almost didn’t get back into the country. An immigration agent said I wasn’t allowed to leave the country and return again, even though I had a work permit. Finally two other agents told him to get over himself (basically) and he said I could return.
I took a train from Heathrow to Paddington Station and then a taxi to the hotel. I have a horrible feeling that that’s going to be the extent of my London sightseeing.
When I got out of the cab, I noticed I had a welcoming party—Simon, Kevin and Christopher were sitting on the patio enjoying drinks. So before I even checked in, I had a beer with the lads. After I checked in we walked a block or so for an early dinner. Italian and VERY good. I made it back to my room by 7:40 and caught up on my email, at least a little. Phone usage costs are exorbitant.
Went to bed around 11.
17 May, Monday: Up again at 7:15. Took a shower and woke up Rob and Beata at 8:30. Read a while, uploaded pictures and ate breakfast. Then I got Rob addicted to Zuma (I can just hear friends chuckling.) Now he’ll hate me just like my friends do.
I went outside and took many more pictures of Alexander and Stasha’s garden.
At 10:45 Alexander gave us a ride to Central Station where we met Beata’s best friend, Malgasia. She’s a beautiful girl, very friendly and fun. She visited R and B in Okinawa, so Rob already knew her.
We took the train to Malmö Sweden. No reason—other than to say I’d been to Sweden. What fun! I’d forgotten my passport, so every time we passed an officer Rob said, “Don’t talk, Mom.” I think he enjoyed saying that anyway, as there’s no passport control between countries via train.
To get there we had to pass over the longest bridge that connects two countries. And part of the journey included the train going under the sea. That was fun. Of course, I had to find the toalett right away—5 kroner. They took Swedish or Danish kroner, it didn’t matter. Bea said they voted twice not to institute the Euro, but I think it’s inevitable at some point.
We started walking through the city (on “walking streets”) and we took a lot of pictures. Ate at Casa Mia’s—I was craving Italian food. I insisted and finally they let me buy lunch with appetizers and alcohol as well. Totaled 921 kroner. Luckily I don’t know how much that is. I’ll find out soon enough when my credit card statement comes in. But it was worth every penny, er, I mean kroner. So delicious.
You can tell the tourists in Sweden. They’re the only ones who aren’t stunning. I have a little Swedish in me, from my great-grandfather Charles Gustison. Was Gustafson before it was Americanized. He was born in the US though. At least I know where I get my good looks—I crack myself up sometimes. (Now there are people going to be reading this who don’t have fluent English and they’ll think I’m serious about my good looks.)
Then we kept walking for a long time. I loved it but the girls kept saying how boring the city is.
A little after 4:30 we arrived back in Copenhagen and headed for the Tivoli Gardens. First I stopped at Hard Rock Café to get a T-Shirt. Then of course we had to have a beer. So I ordered coffee instead as I was getting tired, but before long someone slipped a beer in front of me. What could I do but drink it? I didn’t want to appear rude.
Tivoli is gorgeous, full of gardens, rides, and food/drink. As we walked we noticed the brand new roller coaster was stuck up at the top of the ride. Luckily it wasn’t when it was upside-down. A man said it had been there 90 minutes already. So we took pictures of workers climbing up toward them. There was no danger and after a while, it took off and finished the ride. They ran it empty twice to ensure that it would work, and then put people back on it again. I did want to ride it, but Rob said maybe later. We didn’t do it though.
We laughed for hours and hours. Such a beautiful place.
Took a bus back to Stasha and Alexander’s house—walked about 10 minutes to finish the journey. My feet were very tired by then. But when we got home, I plopped on the couch for a few minutes and soon dinner was ready. Stasha had prepared this fragrant, delicious soup from Turkey. She made two versions—vegetarian for me, and with lamb for everyone else. It was so good it makes my mouth water just to write about it, even though I’m still full. They served it with Turkish rice, and it’s eaten with a fork as a stew rather than soup. We had bread as well. Oh my, it was good.
We sat and chatted for a while, but I had to sleep. It was a tiring, but wonderful day.
16 May, Sunday: Woke up at 7:15 after sleeping like a baby. Took my shower before anyone else was up, but when I got dressed, Stasha and Alexander were up. Rob and Bea slept until 9:15 when I woke them up.
Wrote out yesterday’s notes in one of the courtyards of the house. Sunshine, birds singing, no sound of cars or people. Exquisite.
This morning I asked Stasha why they live only in the older small section of the house. She said they are more comfortable there and they enjoy having the new part for guests.
While I was typing yesterday’s notes into the computer, it suddenly popped and Bea yelled, “It’s on fire.” Thank God it wasn’t my computer and thank God we were home at the time. It was the converter that I had my camera charger plugged into. She quickly unplugged it and tried to take it outside. At this point you could see that there was a tiny fire inside the converter. She jumped over some furniture and tripped over a plant and tried to open the door to the front terrace—and it was locked. She finally was able to flip open the lock and took the burning converter outside. Very soon it burst into flames. Quite a sight. I told her she was my hero.
Earlier, breakfast was again a superb experience with many of the same sumptuous presentations. The meat was veal sausages from Poland. Again, I ate way too much—especially of the breads and cheeses, but it was so good!
We piled into the van and went to see the statue of the Little Mermaid in the harbor. Because of the Copenhagen Marathon many of the streets were closed and we had to park at quite a distance. But the walk along the shore was wonderful. Warm and sunny weather. So many people were out enjoying the day. We took tons of pictures.
Then we went to a Laundromat (wasketoria) so R and B could quickly do their wash from Poland. Poland was Bea’s home for the first 18 years of her life, so they spent a week there visiting Grandma and other relatives. Rob loved seeing where B grew up and he learned lots of Polish in that week. Beata was so proud of him.
While at the Laundromat we drank Carlsberg’s Carl’s Beer. Tasty. Then of course I had to find a toilet. None anywhere. I even looked in a bodega. Found a public toilet outside on the street—a pissoir. The facility was a squat toilet which I’d previously experienced in Japan, but this one had water running though it nearly continuously plus a hand washing mechanism. But I still hate squat toilets!
Then we went to a section of town where people have summer garden houses. The houses are so small, almost like doll houses, but so cute. We took many pictures.
After we returned home, Rob helped Alexander with yard work, Stasha began dinner, and Beata and I ironed. I hope that realization doesn’t cause heart attacks in my family members, but I really did iron.
15 May, Saturday: Up at 3:10 AM, before the alarm. I ordered the taxi for 4:30, but he arrived at 4:20 and I was already outside. A beautiful day is in store, I believe, but I won’t be around to see it.
The BA plane is very small, like the ones that fly into Quincy, so I’m used to them. The flight takes a little less than two hours. As we fly into Denmark I notice three things—there are islands all over the place, there are windmills (power generators) in the water, and the wind is very blustery. All three things cause excitement. After landing we had to take a bus to the terminal, and I went through passport control very quickly. They stamped my passport which made me happy, but I forgot to check if it shows, or if it’s very faint like the French stamp. I quickly grabbed my suitcase to see Rob and Beata grinning at me. They both engulfed me in a giant hug; actually Beata was in the middle and we kind of crushed her. Then I noticed Stasha and Alexander (Bea’s mom and step-dad). We did lots of kissing and hugging and they presented me with a huge beautiful bouquet of flowers.
We drove to their home and Stasha began preparing a sumptious breakfast—eggs with Muenster cheese, polish sausage and ham, a salad made from chopped onions, tomato, pepper, garlic, herbs from the garden and olive oil (like a fresh salsa). And fresh bread toasted on top of this very old toaster. Also, banana marmalad that Stasha made, riccota cheese, cottage cheese, other cheeses,radishes, pork pate, red caviar, beet and horseradish dish, coffee, water and Turkish tea. Omigod. Luckily this was both breakfast and lunch, because I ate until I could barely push myself away from the table. The bread, dipped in the sauce from the salad, was heavenly.
We went for a tour of the city. Stasha stayed home as she’d just had chemo yesterday. But Alexander drove. They have a truck-like van, so three of us can sit up front and someone has to sit in the back with no windows and no access to the front. Since it’s carpeted back there, it’s nice because it offers an opportunity to sleep without offending anyone. So we all took turns (except Alexander, who always drove).
We saw so many wondrous sights. The Marble Church and Amalienborg Palace were first, then to the harbor where two tall ships were in. We got to tour the George Stage for free. It’s a tall ship, and it’s masts were so high. Apprentice seamen climbed up while we were there and I got some pictures. Also Rob took a picture of Beata and me at the wheel, but he couldn’t see my face because I was too short, so I bent down and my face shows through the spokes.
Some of the streets were a mass of people, still in town from the royal wedding yesterday. The day started out nasty—weather wise—but ended up so beautiful. Our tour also included the former “red light district” which has been gentrified. Everywhere were hearts, banners, and pictures of the happy couple, Prince Frederich and Princess Mary. Yesterday they rode through the streets in their carriage after the ceremony.
We took many pictures. Bigger than life statues were everywhere. Got so many good ones. (Mostly what I got were lots of hugs and kisses from Rob and Beata. That makes up for few hugs in the UK.)
Copenhagen is lovely and so old. The Marble Church is a giant circle with a glorious dome…all of marble of course. On the outside it’s surrounded by statues of the apostles, saints, bishops, and Kierkegaard. Bea and I have a picture with his statue. Inside the church there’s a memorial to the men who died building it. Amalienborg Palace is the residence of the royal family. It surrounds a square (actually a circle) with a gorgeous fountain. Several good photo ops there. Beatka kept repeating that she couldn’t stand being a queen with cars driving by all the time. She said that everyone likes the Crown Prince and his new bride but no one likes his younger brother who married a golddigger. “He is ugly like butt.” Bea speaks four languages beautifully, and every so often gives us a wonderful turn of phrase that I document and remember. (I’ll never forget her joke in Japan about “mother-in-law from the hell.”
I must write about Beatka’s mother and step-father. Mom is Stanislawa, called Stasha. Bea didn’t grow up living with her, she lived with her Grandmother. So her relationship with her mother is still growing and evolving. She and Beata look alike—that means she’s very pretty. Stasha is a very gracious and solicitous hostess. She makes a beautiful home and cooks such delicious meals. She is in the midst of chemo and is one of the people I’m working for in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. I gave her one of the T-shirts and she liked it, even though it’s way too big for her. Alexander is half-Greek and half-Egyptian—a handsome man. They’ve been married eight years.
Twenty-five years ago Alexander started building this house and is always adding to it. Stasha said all winter they work inside and all summer outside. He is an architect but does absolutely all the work inside, no need for contractors. The woodwork is fantastic.
The gardens and courtyards are superb and fun. Little surprises await you everywhere—a gnome here, a Greek artifact there. He and Stasha live in a small section of the house and leave the larger portion for company. She is more comfortable in the small kitchen and lounge rather than the fancy new one. They are very nice people.
Stasha speaks Polish, some English, and very little Danish. He speaks Turkish, Greek, German, some Danish and some English. So it’s an interesting conversation they have. When Beata is here she speaks Polish to Stasha, Danish to Alexander, and English to Rob and me. Too bad no Russian is here, that would give her an opportunity to interpret more. I thought she spoke four languages but Rob says she speaks four or five more, but she doesn’t say she is fluent, so doesn’t talk about them. She is so smart. Constantly going back and forth and keeping all of us in the conversation. She does it effortlessly.
Dinner was steak, new potatoes, broccoli with cheese and nuts, sautéed mushrooms and onions. Mmmm-mmmm good.
Before dinner I downloaded all of Rob and Bea’s pictures to my computer, along with my own, so we had quite a slide show. I also showed them my pics from the UK. After dinner we watched Eurovision 2004, the international song contest. It was held in Turkey this year; every year it goes to the winner’s homeland. So many of the acts were just plain bad and we laughed a lot. Perhaps because we were drinking? I had beer, straight Polish vodka, and red wine—and basically all at the same time. Beata’s mom will not take no for an answer. Luckily I knew when to stop.
Stasha and Alexander are coming to the US for Christmas this year so we’ll be able to return their hospitality.
I forgot to mention all the gifts I received. From Stasha and Alexander I got a beautiful decorative plate and stand from Copenhagen. Also a lovely necklace, earrings and ring. Rob and Beata gave me a beautiful plate from Krakow Poland (where they visited relatives), an amber egg and stand, a green amber frog pin, and a handmade chess set. I just couldn’t believe all the wonderful gifts I received. I’m one lucky bug. I gave some gifts but they were so insignificant by comparison. Luckily no one cared about that.
I went to bed around 11:40 PM. Very late considering I only slept 3 hours last night.
14 May, Friday: At work, I finished one project by 10, another by 11:30 and finished the copyediting by 4. Plus met with a co-worker to do a little training on our database. I felt really productive today.
Tried calling Rob and Beata in Copenhagen this morning, but they must have already been out for the day. Tried again around 7:30 (8:30 their time) and was able to connect. It was cool. Beata said everyone loves Robbie so much that I'll need to pay a lot of attention to her. Even her Mom and Grandma are more emotional with him than her. I assured her I would be way "over the top" with my affection for her.
Today the Crown Prince of Denmark got married to a commoner from Australia. There's nothing common about her. She's drop dead gorgeous. They met in a bar in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics. Amazing. When his mom dies, this girl will be Queen Mary of Denmark. A real fairy-tale. So I told Beata that there's hope for me yet. She said there are no unmarried princes in Denmark left so we'll have to travel around looking. I said I didn't care if he was a prince. He could have the name Prince or a dog named Prince. That would be okay.
I’m so excited about going there tomorrow. Can’t believe it! My plane leaves so early though. I’ll have to get up at 3:30 AM. Omigod. Guess I better finish my laundry and packing.
13 May, Thursday: Even though I didn’t get to sleep until nearly 1 AM, I feel pretty energized today. Was on target to finish my copyediting of RCY Journal, but another project came up in the early afternoon which was urgent, so I got sidetracked. That’s life.
Dan made the announcement at the Thursday Morning Meeting that I’d be rejoining them in June. He told me he was going to do it, and when I called to speak to someone, the woman who answered the phone said, “So I hear you’re coming home soon.” It was nice to be able to talk about it with her.
Later in the day another matter came up I had to deal with. So tomorrow I have three projects I need to complete. Yikes. But I do like to be busy, so maybe this is a blessing.
Went home and spoke to Jill and the kids on the phone. That was a wonderful treat! I’ll get to see them soon.
Did some laundry in preparation for my trip to Copenhagen and London. Will have to wait until tomorrow night to finish. Must confess I do miss my washer and dryer.
Right before I went to bed I chatted online with a CSz friend. I'll go out with him and another friend for beer and celebration when I get home.
12 May, Wednesday: At work I copyedited all day, and still am only half done with the Journal. Will finish it on Thursday. Needs to be faxed to the US office by Friday.
After work took the train to Chorley for CSz. As usual it was so much fun. I think it was an excellent rehearsal, although Bron had a very sore neck and was in a lot of pain. Wonder if there was any connection? Good rehearsal—Bron in pain? Don’t know.
A new person joined us—Laura. I thought she did a great job considering she has acting training but no improv experience. I won’t be able to go next week as I’ll be in London, but the following week (the 26th) will be my last time with the group. It will be hard to leave them. They’re basically my only friends outside of work.
I think I’ll go somewhere and shed a tear. Don’t want you to see me in pain.
11 May, Tuesday: It was fun going back to work, because it felt like Monday but was Tuesday already. It took forever to do my expense report for last week, then I did my regular Weekly Report. Afterwards I tried to catch up with my work-related email. Tomorrow I must copyedit a journal that’s due this week. Lots to do.
Tomorrow night though I’m going to ComedySportz rehearsal in Chorley. I only have two more to attend before I go back to the US.
10 May, Monday : Up early again. Told the hotel guy that I was going to see the “Tour Eiffel” today, but that there was no way I could walk, my feet still hurt and my bones still ached. He gave me directions to take the Metro. But I started walking anyway, and ended up walking the whole way—there and back. I’m so glad I did. There were so many wondrous things to be seen on the trip.
One thing that’s so cool—you open a massive door of a building and instead of going inside you are in a courtyard. Surprising and beautiful.
As I got close to the Tower, I could finally see it, but not all of it, the clouds were too low, it was misty raining and very grey. I walked through a little park across the street and saw one of my favorite sculptures. The Dance Triumphant. It was Athena after she vanquished the giants (at least translating using my Latiny French). She was gold and had a sword, shield, and helmet—and she was dancing. I loved it. Loved it.
I’d always pictured the Eiffel Tower as being surrounded by cafes and boulevards and people, but actually it’s set apart. There are beautiful grounds surrounding it on one side, on the other side is the Seine. It cost €10.40 to go all the way to the top, and less if you wanted to stop at the other stages instead. Of course I wanted to go to the top. Just like at the Empire State Building you had to change lifts a few times to get to the top. I took lots of pictures….but at the top all you saw was mist/clouds/grey nothing. So I took a picture of that too.
The only rude people I met were tour guides, determined that their groups not be separated.
Had a late breakfast on stage one of the Tower, coffee and a chocolate crepe. After I finished I walked along the Seine. Lovely. Even though my feet hurt I wanted to go back to the hotel by a different route. Went up to a guy and said, “Sil vous plait. Avenue George Sinc?” He said Oui. I just wanted to ask a question without using English. I know I spelled things wrong, but I said it right. I do know lots more French than I realized, can’t speak it certainly, but I can read it pretty well because of taking Latin.
Walking along Avenue George V was so cool. The Four Seasons Hotel, Louis Vuitton, Prince de Galles Hotel, Hermes, Armani, this was Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive rolled into one big French experience. Stopped at a restaurant for my last lunch. On the Champs Elysees at Publics Drugstore. Yep, that’s the title, but it’s very French, expensive, and tasty. Ordered vegetarian lasagne and white wine. And of course it came with a salad and hard rolls. The lasagne was made with aubergine and was tasty.
Good thing about France, you never have to ask for bread, plus coffee is great and tipping is only 10% and then only if service is good. How sensible.
Madame Dufresne. I love that my name (ex-husband’s name actually) is French and I fit in here in that respect anyway. My name fits, but my hips don’t. Public bathrooms are teeny-tiny and getting to your table in a restaurant can be a real adventure. In order not to disturb others I have to twist and turn in what I call the “big butt dance.” To celebrate the success of my dance at this restaurant, I ordered a crème brulee for dessert. They gave two very small ones—one vanilla and one coffee, plus coffee to drink. Okay, no dinner tonight but that’s okay, it’s worth it. Back on my healthy eating plan tomorrow.
I don’t expect the same food in Copenhagen next weekend. It will probably be even better since I will eat at my daughter-in-law’s family home. My d-i-l spoiled me so much when I visited her and Rob in Japan. I really love her and am so happy Beata and Rob got married.
Forgot to say that something bad about Paris is there is TOO MUCH SMOKING. Several places do have non-smoking sections now, so that’s something anyway.
After lunch went back to my hotel and waited in the lobby until it was time to catch my bus back to the airport. At Charles de Gaulle the plane was an hour and a half late because there were so many storms in Manchester—including hail. I was so tired I almost got on the wrong plane, luckily the gate agent caught me.
It felt great to get home. I had forgotten that yesterday was Mother’s Day. At home I found a voice mail from Jill, emails from Rob and Beata (from an Internet café in Poland), cards from Rob and Beata, Jill, and Kayla and Hunter. What a wonderful way to be welcomed home.
Back to work tomorrow.
9 May, Sunday: Up at 7:15 (6:15 in the UK). By 8:30 I was in the Metro on my way to Notre Dame. Found the right spot to exit the subway. Walked onto the island where Notre Dame is but didn’t bother with my map and turned in the wrong direction. Saw the Palace of Justice, a huge hospital, and a police station. Everything was beautiful. Finally I saw Notre Dame. It’s beyond what I imagined…through charades I got a Japanese tourist to take my picture in front of ND. Inside I had time to tour, for some reason I started crying at the St. Joan of Arc statue. Mass began at 10 but I was there early enough for the 9:30 chanting of the Divine Office . Called Lauds. The Mass I attended was in Gregorian chant. Lots of Latin and of course French. The Children’s Choir (Choir Les Enfants) sang and they were superb.
The cathedral was full of people of all colours, speaking many languages. I felt a part of something so big. Catholic is Greek, meaning “universal.” That was borne out by the different cultures present. I especially loved the Sign of Peace. You could hear so many languages saying the word “peace” as we shook hands and wished each other well.
After Mass I walked around the cathedral again, then walked across the street to a café, Le Tours de Notre Dame. I sat and had a croissant and coffee and watched a queue across the street of people waiting to climb to the top of the towers of the cathedral. I would have loved that, but didn’t notice it until I was eating.
In the café many people were standing at the bar, eating, drinking and talking. I think it’s cheaper if you don’t sit. The coffee was wonderful, and the bathrooms were clean. But you had to pay 40 cents. What I didn’t realize was that you had to put the 40 cents in a machine and get out a white coin which you used to get in the toilet. I lost 80 cents by putting it in the door itself. What a dork!
Just a note—I love that Parisian men are so flirtatious.
I walked all the way from Notre Dame to the Arch de Triomphe and my hotel. My feet hurt unbelievably, so do all my leg muscles and my knees. Basically everything from my hips on down. But it was totally worth it.
I took a picture of the Louvre—I thought. But it was just a very small piece of the museum. Can’t believe how HUGE it is. Paid €8.50 and went in. Not crowded on this wet and cold Sunday. Immediately I saw Winged Victory at Samathrace, and was proud of myself for recognizing it and knowing the whole name. Mona Lisa was lovely but the only place where there was a big crowd, so I didn’t get too close. But Venus de Milo wasn’t crowded at all so I got to view it at my leisure. Fascinating, and wonderful to be able to see these works of art in person. But my favourite exhibits were all about antiquities—Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Etruscan.
And how surprised was I that you can take pictures everywhere in the museum. We had to go through scanners to enter the place, but they were searching for weapons, not cameras. I thought for sure there would be signs against taking pictures, but nope. So I took many of them.
Then I walked from the Louvre through the Tuilleries , such beautiful gardens, through the Place de la Concorde and down the Champs Elysees. The gardens are breathtaking and I wished the weather was better, but at least it wasn’t raining much, just light mists.
The Champs Elysees reminds me of Fifth Avenue in NYC, lots of fancy shops and stores. Plus the Virgin Megastore, Gap and Planet Hollywood. (Yes, I know those aren’t fancy, that’s why I said Plus.)
Finally I stopped for lunch at 3:30 at a brasserie along the CE. I had a cheese omelet, salad, bread and coffee. And then a beer. How funny—the guy said the only beer they had was Amstel. But later I saw another guy drinking a Heineken.
A handsome man kept smiling at me and giving me flirtatious glances. Wonder how much he’d cost? My friend, Charlie, said I needed to buy something memorable for myself. (I’m laughing out loud.)
After this late lunch I went back to my hotel, put my feet up and felt like I was in heaven. Watched CNN International (the only English-speaking channel) and read.
Around 8:30 I decided I was hungry so I went to a café next door and had the best soup—Chinese tofu. My mouth is watering as I type this. Wish I had the recipe.
Went to bed around 10:30, planning on another full day tomorrow.
8 May, Saturday: Today’s the day. My “waking pattern” has gotten worse. Today I woke up before 5 AM. Guess I don’t handle excitement well. But I was showered and dressed by 6:30 and was able to get some good computer time in. Chris said he’ll wake up around half 8 so I’m trying to be quiet, especially when I walk by his room.
Dinner was fun last night. I definitely love Irish accents and have asked him to be on the lookout for an old Irish guy who likes overweight American women and would like to relocate to Milwaukee. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
We’ll go out to breakfast, then to the post office for me to exchange £ for € (Euros). I’m not taking my computer so will fill in the blanks upon my return on Monday evening. I’m PSYCHED! Life is so good, and (in Kayla’s words) I’m one lucky bug.
On the airplane on my way to Paris—BMI Baby—the discount arm of BMI (British Midlands). The flight attendants wear red sweatshirts or white T-Shirts that say bmibaby.com, reminds me of Southwest Airlines. Kind of fun. Only bad things, because it’s a discount airline there are no frequent flyer miles and if you want a drink or snack you pay for it.
I bought a small book with maps of Paris City Centre, my hotel is on it and is right by the Arc de Triomphe and I also see Notre Dame de Paris and the Louvre. It’s 11 degrees C in Manchester and they said it’s 9 in Paris plus our rain headed over there to the continent. Yuck.
(Later) The weather was so bad that we landed almost before I could see the ground. Windy, cold, cloudy, rainy, yet nothing could get me down. It took me a while to find the bus I needed—the Air France bus to the Place de Charles de Gaulle at the Arc de Triomphe. Immediately after pulling out of the airport I saw part of the Eiffel Tower way off in the distance. My heart started racing and being me I looked around for someone to talk to about it, but no luck. No one was around me at all. After a relatively short trip we arrived at the Arc and I squealed with glee. Yes, I did. Someone told me I’d be disappointed in the Arc, but nosiree, it is huge and beautiful, and everything I knew it would be. My hotel is only one black away from it. In fact, the bus passed my hotel to get to the Arc.
The Etoile Park Hotel is very old. The lift is so small I can barely fit my hips and my luggage in. My room is small too. Very European. Old, but there’s an internet connection in the bar. Very cool.
Walked around. Is May 8th VE day? There’s a band playing at the Arch and lots of flags flying. Someone told me “commemoration.” Very moving.
Went to Le Tilsitt for dinner. Heard people sitting near me struggling with the menu. I said, “They have them in English too.” We laughed, Americans sitting together. Me: Where are you from? Them: Los Angeles. Me: My daughter lives there. Them: Where? Me: Castaic. Insert a beat or two as they pick themselves up from the floor. They’re from Santa Clarita. They live across from College of the Canyons where Jill took some classes. And they hang out at the same Starbucks I do—the one with the cool ledges for kids to play on. I showed them pictures of me with Kayla and Hunter playing there. I told them that in June I’m taking the kids to Chuckie Cheese’s right across the street from there. Also, Marlene is a writer and has a BA in it from Cal State Northridge. They use the Iowa Writers’ Workshop methods there. We had so much in common. Her husband Neil is an engineer. They took my card and said they’d email so we can get together when I’m in LA. I still can’t believe that this happened. I know exactly where their home is.
Now to important things—for dinner I had a big salad, white wine and an apple torte. I decided that instead of beer I’d drink wine since I was in France. Good stuff.
After dinner I walked a big, found an ATM because I didn’t have any Euros, and then went to my room. Turned on CNN, read a while and slept very well in the tiny bed. Felt like a little girl in it..
7 May, Friday: Oh my heavens, I’m going to PARIS for the weekend. I cannot believe it. But I booked a flight and a hotel. Since I’m going back to the states a little earlier than originally planned, I have to take advantage of every weekend possible. I’M SO EXCITED!
Woke up at 5:45 AM. I know I’ve got a little anxiety about getting everything done so I can leave on June 2, but this waking up early has got to stop. Maybe my body is slowly adjusting to getting back on US time, so soon I’ll be waking up at midnight here or whatever. But to really work, I should be sleeping later, so I’d get in synch with Central Time. Ah, well, whatever is going on, I want it to STOP.
And now that I’m going to Paris, I’m afraid it will be even worse. Well, I can put up with sleeplessness for fun like this.
My friend, Chris, arrived around 7:15 and we went to dinner at Franc’s, a lovely French restaurant in Goose Green. I felt like a freak. They tried to take the bread away and I reacted as if it were my first-born child. Do ya think I’m a carb addict?
Afterward we walked for a short time and then returned here where I was able to show Chris some of the company websites and of course my blog. He’s been with the company less than a week, and the bigwigs should be leery of letting me spend too much time with him. Bad influence.
It was a relaxing evening, culminating with watching the game show Distraction, which is a really sick puppy. It’s like a train wreck, you know you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t stop yourself.
6 May, Thursday: Today was Claire’s last day for a while. She’s beginning her six month maternity leave. The UK provides generous leave to its citizens. It was hard seeing her go, as I know I’ll be gone when she gets back.
We gave her some presents, a beautiful flower arrangement and baby blanket from the company, and some individual gifts as well. Some of the staff in the US office sent a package but it hasn’t arrived yet, which was disappointing. We went out to a nice lunch at the Axe and Cleaver. I had a superb Greek Salad and French bread (was feeling European).
Went home and cleaned up the house since Christopher will stay over tomorrow night. Feels good to have a clean place, I've been too lazy lately.
5 May, Wednesday: Worked from home today and got a lot done with some major projects, so I feel good. Decided not to go to CSz rehearsal tonight so I could get more done, but started getting lazy around 6 and just vegged.
Talked to the VP at work. There’s a good chance I’ll be going home in June instead of July. They do want me back there, because there’s so much to done. I’ll just have to work hard to get things accomplished here. Other than a few tasks, I can do most of the work from the US. So I think it will work out okay.
Tonight I put a lot more pictures on my site, but still don’t have the ones from Manchester, Ireland, and the Isle of Man.
4 May, Tuesday: I had a wild idea today. (What, only one, you may ask…) I noticed I had a lot of frequent flyer miles and thought, Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if Jill (my daughter) flew with me to Copenhagen to surprise Rob and Beata? But too bad, she can’t get the time off work. It would have been so much fun. Talked to Jill on the phone, but Kayla was too busy watching Ice Age and Hunter was napping.
Didn’t get much done at work today, so I decided to work from home tomorrow. I’m in the midst of several projects and hope to get a lot done.
I put up the photos from the Malt House Pub CSz gig. Some funny ones.
3 May, Monday: Today’s a bank holiday so I slept until 8:15, felt lazy. Went to Starbucks for coffee and a low fat muffin for breakfast. Mmm-mmm good.
Hopped on the tram for Piccadilly on the way to catch the train to Chorley. Such a nice ride today, no kids and no drunks.
I’m in a good mood, I’m down five pounds since Tuesday when I started my healthy eating on Tuesday. (Almost wrote five £. Getting Anglicized.) One thing that’s happened is that I write behaviour, centre, and many other words without even thinking now. I also don’t have to concentrate on coins—I know them. Many people here don’t seem to have accents anymore either. It’s all normal to me, except for some that I seldom hear like Cockney, etc.
A mentally ill guy stood by the door of the tram. His zipper was down and he was talking to people the rest of us couldn’t see. He started yelling after a while. Out of nowhere a cop calmly walked up to him and escorted him off the metro at the next stop, where he was joined by another cop. Very cool, and very well done.
Oh, I forgot to write that I saw my first Bobby the other day. That was cool too.
The show was interesting to say the least. A pub and restaurant celebrating a fourth anniversary. Lots of different things going on—my first glimpse of Morris dancers, and there were magicians, and of course us. We didn’t get a lot of attention, but the people that watched us seemed to like us. I took lots of pictures.
Bron, her boyfriend Ste, and his mom gave me a ride back to the train and I caught the 4:55. When I got to Piccadilly I waited for the Metro and these two cute young-ish guys (late 30s or so). One kept flirting with me and was really chatting me up. It was fun. Oh did I say he was really drunk? Yep, of course he was. Still he made me laugh.
2 May, Sunday: Another sunny day. I took a walk in between what I as doing at home. Later in the afternoon it clouded up, but was still fairly warm.
Today is Kayla’s 4th birthday. I called and she would only talk for a short time, she was way too excited. Still it was nice to talk. I’d left a purse for her with her initial on it. She was so happy to open it. Jill said she showed it to everyone and said, “I picked this out.” Actually she did. She and I went shopping together and I’d bought her so much stuff I said we’d save the purse for her birthday.
1 May, Saturday: SUN!!!!!! A sure sign that prayer works.
Only went out once—to Sainsbury’s for groceries. Did a little cleaning and a lot of writing today. Other than that, it was just laundry and TV. Yes, I know it’s a boring day, but that’s the reality of it.
