After my first UK post I got a lot of concerned emails and communications, which was great. You know what though? The transition happened quickly, although a bit stealthily. One day I just didn't feel like crying anymore, and then soon after I realized I was pretty happy to be here.
I think the "ah-ha!" moment happened last Friday afternoon. I had been to an interview in the morning with a fabulous company, and then one more in the afternoon on a beautiful side street near Notting Hill Gate. Instead of hopping straight back on the tube, I decided to take a stroll and ended up at the top of Kensington Gardens. The sun was shining, and it was warm. People were out in the park walking their dogs and playing games with kids and adults. All the spring flowers were in bloom and it was green and lush and smelled great. So then I got a phone call from my recruiter with more positive feedback from interviews, along with a stellar job offer (not my first). I just felt on top of the world, and I said to myself "I am in love with London right now!"
Not bad for a week and a half. And not to say that I still don't miss people and things in LA, but it just means this is right for right now, and that I am enjoying myself and relishing the opportunity to be here.
And wow have I been busy! What have I been up to?
.......
Massive Amounts of Job Interviews
* Like I mentioned before, the demand for Sr. level project managers in the creative interactive consulting world is HUGE in London right now, and despite my best efforts to hold off on things, I have been drawn in...(while writing this blog, I have had 3 calls from my two recruiters to set up more interviews!)
* I still plan on waiting a while to start working, but I am happy to say that I have met with some great people and companies, who apparently all are interested in hiring me
* Better still, even though they are in a similar vein to the companies I have worked for over the past 10 years, many of them offer a distinctly different environment and challenge for me, so I am actually excited by the prospect rather than bored by the same old thing -- THIS IS KEY FOR ME -- having done this for 10 years I felt myself on the edge of total blahness and potential burnout if I couldn't find something a bit new that made me excited again...so hooray!
Massive Amounts of Roller Derby
* Been throwing myself into the London Rollergirls of course...practise is 2x a week so I don't miss one
* Also, since I have bouting experience, I have been doing a bit of coaching and teaching the girls more stuff like blocking and strategy and some fun new pace lines, etc...and have joined the athletics committee
* Getting to know all the girls - guess what...lots of Americans, and Aussies too!
* I also skated the Serpentine Road in Hyde Park on Sunday, which is where all the roller disco and London skaters hang out....pretty fun, not quite as fun as Venice Beach, but it's a good substitute alright
Massive Amounts of Socializing, Exploring, and Pubbing
* I have found myself pretty darn busy: running errands to get "life" supplies, job interviews galore, meeting with people for drinks, etc...
* In Camden I have been to The World's End (first large stop off the tube pub), tThe Devonshire Arms (goth pub...also have recruited bouncers for derby), The Elephants Head (rockabilly, punkish pub), The Hawley Arms (uber trendy indie music hipster pub where I drunkenly talked the owner into considering me for a job), and several canalside watering holes as well
* Went to a burlesque cabaret night at the Bread and Roses pub in Clapham (south of Thames) where Blue Murder (LRG) was performing her solo ukelele act and her acoustic duo all in one night
* Been to Anna Monoxide's house several times for a hard core punk show...and for some good takeout Japanese (and free sushi cause we waited so long)...all in Brixton (must go back to the Brixton market for cheap stuff!)
* Wandered into Liverpool Street Station and decided it was one of my favorite railway stations even though its on the smallish side
* Become addicted to cheap and healthy sandwich options at Sainsbury's, Boots, and M&S food halls (salmon and cucumber, british ham and cress with mustard!, roasted vegtables and hummous)
* Took the bus through posh neighborhoods and wished I was a millionare
* Went to a concert with my flatmates at the Shaftbury Theatre, and partied backstage in a teeny tiny dressing room afterwards (because the room I occupy belongs to the pianist, who is on tour and happened to be in London for a show)
* Sang cabaret with a live piano in a small basement jazz club (not quite as well or beautifully as the regulars AND my flatmate R - who is an excellent professional singer)...also poo-poo'd the quality of our cosmos as "way too red"
* Begun to speak with a slightly modified accent, and have adapted British phrases and terms (but seriously, its just easier to be understood)
* Played ultimate frisbee near the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park with my other flatemate's regular crew
* Toured round Camden Market with Ethan (Le Grande Morte, husband of La Petite Morte of the Throttle Rockets from Rat City Rollergirls and co-owner of Fast Girl Skates). We discovered we worked for the same company back in the states, ate BAD british hamburgers at a chain pub, and searched for derby accessories sporting a pink star (for the throttle rockets)
* Hoegaarden = good, Guinness = good, bottles of wine in pubs = good (and cheap), vodka and soda with lime = weak cause they measure it, red bull = always good
CONCLUSION: it's all good....
P.S. Next up: my friend Brian from NYC arrives on Wednesday for a visit. He has never been to Europe, so I am looking forward to showing him around and seeing his reaction!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
My Flat is Famous!
So I should have realized from the tourists taking snaps from the canal path, not to mention the look of it, etc... (I do wave to them)....but apparently my building is kind of famous. It's the 1988 work of one Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Architect.
Check it out (pic of the Sainsbury's flats is my building)
Click Here, duh...
Check it out (pic of the Sainsbury's flats is my building)
Click Here, duh...
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Stranger in a strange land
I am here. I actually got here on Wednesday the 18th, but I held off on blogging until now. I was just an emotional wreck...and I couldnt face it.
The build up to the move was pretty stressful, and I didn't have time to deal with the emotions as I should have. Leaving my apartment in Santa Monica took WAY more time and effort that I had imagined, and without the help of my mom and Adam and my brother and Annie and some derby pals I seriously would not have been able to do it. Even on the day I was flying out I had a million things to do...so by the time Adam dropped me at the airport and I tearfully said goodbye, I was a bit of a stressed wreck. A good note: Virgin Atlantic undercharged me for my extra bags by at least $200. HA...suckers!
Of course as soon as I got here, I was again stressed with trying to get all my bags to the flat in a train system that apparently no longer believes in porters. I guess people with lots of bags are now expected to travel by private car in the UK! Despite the hassle, at every turn I was helped out by some nice passerby or train worker or cabbie, as I had trusted would happen.
So I got to the flat...and damn is it cool. I was greeted by R and her mum, who was down for the day. Both very nice, and immediately pushed me out onto the sunny balcony overlooking the canal to have some tea and cake. This place really is cool...its like a modern architectual metal pod house, and literally sits overlooking the Camden Canal.
view from the balcony:
my as yet unpacked room:
Basically after I had been here a few hours I was compelled to rush out and A) get local mobile phone service and B) get a phone card so I could call the US and have an emotional breakdown....which I proceeded to do for the rest of the day. Seriously, I was freaking out. I talk to my mom, my dad, and Adam....repeatedly. Thank god for modern communication or else I would have been even more miserable.
It was certainly not how I expected to feel on my arrival, but I guess in hindsight I should have figured on it. I mean seriously, a lot of people make this kind of move because they are tired of where they were before. I love LA...I love my friends and the life I had in LA. I did this because I always wanted the chance to live here...not because i wanted to leave LA. For me this is a challenge I gave myself....not a reward. So it's hard. But yeah, that day I was seriously questioning myself. And I still have that thought from time to time...but it's more geared towards allowing myself the possiblity of not living here for a long spell...and being ok with going back home if thats what feels right too. People have told me that I am pretty ballsy to make this move, and I get it now...cause it sure aint easy.
So anyhoo...I did go out that first night with one of the London Rollergirls, who I knew from before, and we met up the next evening too. That was good, because I didn't feel too lonely. I also met with a local recruiter, who was very cool, and I am feeling good about my job prospects, and about having the ability to pick and choose because the market for Sr. PMs in the internet industry in London is apparently one of the hottest ones in years. Good timing, eh?
Then Friday I spent a long afternoon shopping all around Camden and Oxford street for a set of plain inexpensive sheets, and perhaps some new comfy walking shoes with a bit of style. IN VAIN. Ugh.... Everything was SO expensive and so crappy. I like good sheets, and in America I had tons. (as you do) So I was introduced to a first oddity....any sheet in the affordable line (i.e. less than 20 quid for ONE) appears to be of the poly/cotton blend. WTF? Hasn't the British sheet manufacturing industry realized that sleeping on and under polyester ain't so nice? I mean I went to fricken high street (term for main shopping area and stores...also kind of means "nicer") department stores and they had walls and walls of poly/cotton blend sheets and then smaller sections of designer 100% cotton sheets for exorbinant prices. Ridiculous. I finally ended up buying some cotton sheets for more money than preferable just because I was so utterly frustrated by the whole tiring experience. Let's not even talk about shoes. Ok, lets.... :)
I used to dream about shoe shopping in the UK. You could always find these great styles and unique stuff here...and then sometime in the last 10 years it all just got homogenous and cheap. I even went to the venerable Shelly's Shoes...where I used to get my cool Doc Martens back in the early 90's....ho hum. So for the first time since I started visiting the UK I actually said to myself "well I guess I can get new shoes when I go home for a visit". HA!
Is this turning into a "Why the UK sucks" blog?
Ok, ok....on to other topics.
Friday night was a bit rough...after the shopping debacles I had nothing to do, and all I could think about was how much fun everyone in LA was going to be having at Mo's birthday party. After a long tearful conversation with Adam, Joetta (over IM) convinced me to go out to the pub by myself. That's intimidating for a gal....especially when you are in a different country. But I did it. I actually went across the street to the Devonshire Arms, which happens to be the goth pub in Camden. And it wasnt that bad. I guess the flip side of it being hard to go out alone as a girl is that you are likely to have men speak to you. Sure enough, I spent the night chatting with a couple of nice guys and forgot to be sad.
And today, finally...my first London Rollergirls practice. It felt good to be skating again, and I was really excited to meet the gals. There are some good skaters, and I was impressed by the turnout and the enthusiasm. Lots to learn for sure, but I think teaching and sharing what I know will make me a better skater too.
After an after practice drink at the local, I headed down to Brixton with one of the skaters...who also happens to be American. She invited me to a hardcore punk show, and I had a good time with her and her Irish husband before catching the last tube back to Camden.
Tomorrow is Shakespeares birthday and I hear there is a festival of sorts (complete with free wine!) at the New Globe theatre...I am gonna check that out for sure. Got to get some culture in...
So ta ra for now!
The build up to the move was pretty stressful, and I didn't have time to deal with the emotions as I should have. Leaving my apartment in Santa Monica took WAY more time and effort that I had imagined, and without the help of my mom and Adam and my brother and Annie and some derby pals I seriously would not have been able to do it. Even on the day I was flying out I had a million things to do...so by the time Adam dropped me at the airport and I tearfully said goodbye, I was a bit of a stressed wreck. A good note: Virgin Atlantic undercharged me for my extra bags by at least $200. HA...suckers!
Of course as soon as I got here, I was again stressed with trying to get all my bags to the flat in a train system that apparently no longer believes in porters. I guess people with lots of bags are now expected to travel by private car in the UK! Despite the hassle, at every turn I was helped out by some nice passerby or train worker or cabbie, as I had trusted would happen.
So I got to the flat...and damn is it cool. I was greeted by R and her mum, who was down for the day. Both very nice, and immediately pushed me out onto the sunny balcony overlooking the canal to have some tea and cake. This place really is cool...its like a modern architectual metal pod house, and literally sits overlooking the Camden Canal.
view from the balcony:
my as yet unpacked room:
Basically after I had been here a few hours I was compelled to rush out and A) get local mobile phone service and B) get a phone card so I could call the US and have an emotional breakdown....which I proceeded to do for the rest of the day. Seriously, I was freaking out. I talk to my mom, my dad, and Adam....repeatedly. Thank god for modern communication or else I would have been even more miserable.
It was certainly not how I expected to feel on my arrival, but I guess in hindsight I should have figured on it. I mean seriously, a lot of people make this kind of move because they are tired of where they were before. I love LA...I love my friends and the life I had in LA. I did this because I always wanted the chance to live here...not because i wanted to leave LA. For me this is a challenge I gave myself....not a reward. So it's hard. But yeah, that day I was seriously questioning myself. And I still have that thought from time to time...but it's more geared towards allowing myself the possiblity of not living here for a long spell...and being ok with going back home if thats what feels right too. People have told me that I am pretty ballsy to make this move, and I get it now...cause it sure aint easy.
So anyhoo...I did go out that first night with one of the London Rollergirls, who I knew from before, and we met up the next evening too. That was good, because I didn't feel too lonely. I also met with a local recruiter, who was very cool, and I am feeling good about my job prospects, and about having the ability to pick and choose because the market for Sr. PMs in the internet industry in London is apparently one of the hottest ones in years. Good timing, eh?
Then Friday I spent a long afternoon shopping all around Camden and Oxford street for a set of plain inexpensive sheets, and perhaps some new comfy walking shoes with a bit of style. IN VAIN. Ugh.... Everything was SO expensive and so crappy. I like good sheets, and in America I had tons. (as you do) So I was introduced to a first oddity....any sheet in the affordable line (i.e. less than 20 quid for ONE) appears to be of the poly/cotton blend. WTF? Hasn't the British sheet manufacturing industry realized that sleeping on and under polyester ain't so nice? I mean I went to fricken high street (term for main shopping area and stores...also kind of means "nicer") department stores and they had walls and walls of poly/cotton blend sheets and then smaller sections of designer 100% cotton sheets for exorbinant prices. Ridiculous. I finally ended up buying some cotton sheets for more money than preferable just because I was so utterly frustrated by the whole tiring experience. Let's not even talk about shoes. Ok, lets.... :)
I used to dream about shoe shopping in the UK. You could always find these great styles and unique stuff here...and then sometime in the last 10 years it all just got homogenous and cheap. I even went to the venerable Shelly's Shoes...where I used to get my cool Doc Martens back in the early 90's....ho hum. So for the first time since I started visiting the UK I actually said to myself "well I guess I can get new shoes when I go home for a visit". HA!
Is this turning into a "Why the UK sucks" blog?
Ok, ok....on to other topics.
Friday night was a bit rough...after the shopping debacles I had nothing to do, and all I could think about was how much fun everyone in LA was going to be having at Mo's birthday party. After a long tearful conversation with Adam, Joetta (over IM) convinced me to go out to the pub by myself. That's intimidating for a gal....especially when you are in a different country. But I did it. I actually went across the street to the Devonshire Arms, which happens to be the goth pub in Camden. And it wasnt that bad. I guess the flip side of it being hard to go out alone as a girl is that you are likely to have men speak to you. Sure enough, I spent the night chatting with a couple of nice guys and forgot to be sad.
And today, finally...my first London Rollergirls practice. It felt good to be skating again, and I was really excited to meet the gals. There are some good skaters, and I was impressed by the turnout and the enthusiasm. Lots to learn for sure, but I think teaching and sharing what I know will make me a better skater too.
After an after practice drink at the local, I headed down to Brixton with one of the skaters...who also happens to be American. She invited me to a hardcore punk show, and I had a good time with her and her Irish husband before catching the last tube back to Camden.
Tomorrow is Shakespeares birthday and I hear there is a festival of sorts (complete with free wine!) at the New Globe theatre...I am gonna check that out for sure. Got to get some culture in...
So ta ra for now!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Final Countdown -- April 10, 2007
One week from today I will be sitting on a plane, heading to the UK. I seriously can't believe it. It's almost surreal. The past few weeks have been a strange combo of relaxed and frantic. Relaxed because I am done with work (heaven!) and frantic because of the social obligations and THE PACKING. UGH!
I have to be out of my apt by Sunday and it just seems there is still so much to do. Its crazy.
This past weekend I went up to Portland and Bend to visit friends and family (including dad and stepmom) which was lots of fun. The guy came with me, and it was great to have a solid 3 days with him, but a bit melancholy too, since I know it's gonna be very soon that we won't be together.
But I am still here now, and I have lots to do to get ready. My friends are throwing a little goodbye party tonight....gonna miss them terribly. Check out the great flyer Mo made for me:
And so....back to packing....
I have to be out of my apt by Sunday and it just seems there is still so much to do. Its crazy.
This past weekend I went up to Portland and Bend to visit friends and family (including dad and stepmom) which was lots of fun. The guy came with me, and it was great to have a solid 3 days with him, but a bit melancholy too, since I know it's gonna be very soon that we won't be together.
But I am still here now, and I have lots to do to get ready. My friends are throwing a little goodbye party tonight....gonna miss them terribly. Check out the great flyer Mo made for me:
And so....back to packing....
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