UK Adventure

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

It will take me a few more days before I can get my new blog online. I need to transfer some files from my laptop to my home PC. And at the moment I can barely get to my PC at home...it's surrounded by a gauntlet of three suitcases and eight boxes. Gosh, I hope I get unpacked soon.

Do you think this is as exciting as what I experienced in the UK and Europe?

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Sorry that I can't post reports just yet. Am typing from my sister's computer with a connection speed of 26.4.

The Avon Breast Cancer Walk was superb and we all survived. Jan walked 40 miles and Jane and I worked VERY long days. More later.

Am going to begin a new blog, since most of my life will now be tedium rather than adenture, since I returned from the UK.

Thanks for reading. Jer

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Got up at 5:30 AM. My eight hours of sleep and no more. I felt great.

I worked all day organizing my photos on the computer--from Paris and Denmark. Didn't realize I had so many of them. They should be ready to upload to my website as soon as I get to a Broadband connection. Probably next Thursday at Jill's.

Had dinner with the family. Katie had come home from the hospital today after being gone for five months so there was much to celebrate and much to talk about.

I showed Katie, Frank, Jim and Karen--and friend Debbie--the pictures on my computer. I talked to both my sisters on the phone about our plans to meet in Chicago tomorrow for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Can't wait.

I went to bed at 9:30. I know that's early, but I'll be getting up so early on Saturday and Sunday to work on the Walk that I need to stay on this schedule for a few days.

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

2 June, Wednesday: Getting ready to leave. It's nearly 6 AM here and my friend is picking me up at 8. Still have lots to do. Now that the day is here, the sad emotions are being surplanted by the excitement of going home. There are so many fun things in store in the next week and a half, beginning with the Avon Walk this weekend.

I'll stay at my brother and sis-in-law's home on Wednesday and Thursday night. They live in a western suburb and then will take the train into the city to meet up with my sisters on Friday. We're staying at the downtown Hilton on Friday and registration, etc. is there there. Saturday morning--very bright and very early (4:30 for me and 4 for Jane)--opening ceremonies will commence at Soldier Field. How cool that will be. They were at Grant Park last year, so it must have grown enough to need Soldier Field. The ceremonies won't start until about 7 but because Jane is on the medical team and I'm incident response we need to be there very early, just in case. My hours will be 4:30-10 and 6-whenever (last year it was after midnight) on Saturday and 6-10 AM on Sunday, plus some time during the closing ceremonies in the afternoon. I'm on what's called an AM/PM shift, basically split shift. My cohort will work from 10-6 during the day. I had a choice, why in the hell did I pick AM/PM?

I’m rambling, guess I don’t want to do the apartment clean-up. Sounds like me.
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What a strange range of emotions. But it was super to have Ruth pick me up--a great distraction to talk to someone you know instead of dwelling on what you're experiencing.

I decided to ship one of my suitcases. Simon suggested it yesterday--a good idea. I had so much stuff with me.

My missionary theme continues--Mormons on the way here and Buddhists on the way home. I take that as a good omen. A female Buddhist monk stood at the next agent and we smiled at each other when we both spoke about vegetarian meals.

Heavily armed police smiled and posed for pictures. Incongruous. Big automatic weapons in a country famous for its unarmed Bobbys.

Security is very thorough when you're flying to the states and begins prior to going to the counter to check in. Random searches through all luggage. An elderly woman in front of me lost the luck of the draw.

I bought some great gifts for a few people in the duty-free shop. Can't wait to see their surprised faces at Christmastime.

The flight was ho-hum. Movies were Big Fish and an older one--the Wedding Singer. In between they showed CBS Eye on American. Kept me occupied and awake, since I hadn't slept much last night. My goal as usual was to stay awake on the plane and then immediately begin living in the Central Time Zone.

Only things about the flight that weren't routine were two people--the pacer and the jumper. The pacer was a man who either had a developmental disability or was mentally ill. He kept walking/pacing up and down the aisle--back and forth, back and forth. Then he'd stand by the galley and look outside. At first I thought he was just a nervous flyer, but it was more than that. I noticed a flight attendant filling out the man's landing card for him. After he paced some more, a flight attendant spoke to him and must have told him to sit because he did. And only paced twice after that.

Which was very good because I couldn't concentrate on him because of the jumper--the woman next to me. She drove me MAD! It started slowly. She began moving her legs up and down a little and rotating her ankles. I thought, she's obviously exercising to avoid blood clots. It built slowly over the hours until her St. Vitus dance shook my seatas well as hers. She was slight and surprised me with how much my chair moved.

My problem was this--bad timing. The first two hours the twitching was annoying, but not maddening. In fact, I thought she might have had a neurological disorder and I tried my best to be social-worky sensitive. By the time her jumping became crazy-making, I dared not say anything. I was so upset that I knew my words would involve cursing, and I'd probably slug her. It was nearly the longest 8 hours of my life (one certain night in an Army hospital was the longest). When we landed she jumped over me, saying Pardon me, and rushed over everyone else. Hard to do in a plane completely full of people who'd been sitting for eight hours. Then it became clear to me--NICOTINE! That's why her behavior got worse. Now I wish I'd slugged her. Damn my sensitivity. LOL.

I cleared Customs quickly and I love the "Welcome home" you receive when the agents are nice.

Frank, my brother Jim's father-in-law, picked me up at the airport and we laughed as we drove "on the wrong side of the road." I think I'll use that line a lot during my first week back in the states.

Because Frank visited his wife Katie in the hospital, and my brother had an engagement he couldn't get out of, my sister-in-law Karen, her friend Krista, and I ate dinner together. I was bleary-eyed because of not sleeping, so I know my company wasn't the best.

I did check my email a few times (an addiction as powerful as my seatmate's nicotine), and called my niece Sarah to tell her not to see the new Harry Potter until I got to Quincy early next week.

Went to bed at 9 and my cell phone woke me up at 9:12. Turned it off and went right back to sleep.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

1 June, Tuesday: Aces Couriers picked up my seven boxes this morning. The driver kindly gave me a ride to work since he was going there anyway. So I missed my last bus ride to the office. He drove the same way however, so I got to look at everything from the same angle as I would have on the bus. I think he knew I was savoring the sights on the trip, so he didn't talk while he drove. Sensitive guy.

As the delivery guy left he said, "Cheers." I said, "Cheers" in return. Then got teary-eyed. That's the first time I said it, and I said it without thinking. I love the all-purpose word, and am glad I got to use it without feeling self-conscious.

I'm so psyched about going home, and hope the trip is eventful. Yep, eventful--but in a good way of course. I'll never forget the young Mormon missionaries on the way to the UK. Hope I have something fun to write about on the way home.

Had a delicious farewell lunch with a colleague. He gave me a series of placemats from the group. I'd expressed a desire for some UK placemats because they're unlike the ones we have back home. Instead of cloth or plastic, they are hard material with a cork backing, almost like a trivet. How thoughtful that someone paid attention to something I wanted. Very sweet.

I told Simon that I think one of the reasons the company may have asked me to take this job is that they knew I would bond with the people and the company. I feel like one of them. And that's a good feeling.

Someone gave me a refrigerator magnet from the place I love in Wales. Someone else gave me stretchable frogs. They are really cool and will be fun to play with.

My flat is now like an extended stay hotel suite. But that's good. Tonight was easy. Even though the kitchen is fully stocked with utensils, I'm ordered Chinese. This local place has a great variety of vegetarian options and I was dying to try the hot and sour soup. That's rare to find a veg version. Everything tasted superb. Spring rolls, hot and sour soup, and sweet and sour tofu/vegetables.

Played online Scrabble, finished packing, and watched Big Brother. Now that’s what I call a relaxing evening. I went to bed at 11 and am getting up at 5.

Monday, May 31, 2004

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.

Sunday, May 30, 2004

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.