early
This week started off fabulously. I got up at the early hour of 6AM in order to be at the museum by 8AM for the beginning of a marathon 13-hour shift. The only problem being I was a week early. When I got to the Clore Education centre in the bowels of the museum, instead of the usual sounds of the catering staff clamouring with cups and saucers and mammoth coffee urns, it was dead quiet, dark and empty. Doh! So I was sort of relived that I had a whole long day "off" ahead of me, but kind of bummed that I still had a 13-hour day of work ahead of me next week.
I was so early that my favourite coffee shop didn't open for another hour, but I decided to wait it out and get a nice cup before going back home. I walked around for a bit and then settled in Soho square on a bench to wait, watching the 9 to 5ers rushing to work through the park, and the nicotine junkies stopping for a fix before going into the office. I saw three people dressed as brightly coloured hippies passing out stuff. Of course being so brightly coloured immediately gave them away as fake hippies, as real ones never seem to be truly Technicolor. Somehow you can't get really bright hues with hennas and hemp, or maybe its just that thin layer of dirt over everything? For a minute I thought they might be making a Freeserve commercial*. They turned out to indeed be fake hippies, passing out coupons for free Ben and Jerry's ice cream in honour of "World Peace Day". I guess the solstice would be the best day of the year for such a thing, since sunshine makes everyone happy, (even people who say they don't like the sun). But it being London in June, there wasn't much of it in sight anyway. It was rainy and cold, not a good day for eating premium fake-hippy ice cream in the park.
What am I doing these days? Looking for work. Watching Euro 2004, mostly routing for the home team, unless Thierry is involved, then its Viva la France! (I'm sorry, but he is just so hot! plus he has that super sexy voice/accent.) Sold my expensive city bike and got a slow town and country deal with a wicker basket on the handlebars. Celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary with Bill. (I am glad we got married in June, it is always such a beautiful day on our anniversary. Unlike World Peace Day this year!) We had a nice lunch at the local Michelin-star restaurant, Chez Bruce. (It only has one, but thats still saying a lot.) Puttering around the new house. Planning to make potato salad and iced tea for the Brits for a fourth of July BBQ, using a borrowed grill but in our own backyard.
All moved in and settled into the new place. Besides what I previously mentioned, here is a quick outline of the good and the bad of it.
New place pluses:
Can sit in lounge without feeling like the walls are closing in on you.
Can look out the window without having to crane your neck.
Cats can go outside.
Dear husband has own room for playing screechingly loud computer games.
New couch long enough to stretch out on without having your feet hang over the edge.
Cafι on the Common has much better coffee that Gondola Cafι in Battersea Park.
Very quiet, lots of green around.
Self-contained two-story unit with own entrance makes the place feel more like your own.
No horrible carpet in the bathroom.
New Place Minuses
Cats can go outside (Mrrrooooww! Let meeeeoooooow in! at 4am)
Can cook entire meal in tiny kitchen while standing in the same place.
Water pressure non-existent, takes 20 minutes to fill tub for a bath. (and yes, I timed it.)
Fridge had huge freezer, but 2 liter-sized bottle of soda will not fit in it. (In the fridge, not the freezer.)
Shallow sink in kitchen and as a consequence cannot do too many dishes without getting soaked, or taking twice as long to compensate for turning tap down so as not to splash.
Can no longer walk 5 minutes to grocery store. (Nearest prolly 20 minute walk?)
Even with extra bedroom, nowhere to put books, other crap, as this place came barely furnished.
Strange things:
Little window/hatch thing that connects kitchen to lounge. Always makes me feel like shouting orders through to Bill when he's in there: "two eggs, over easy, side of home fries." Or saying "order up" when I am in the kitchen.
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*( I found this advert which I thought was a bit more amusing, if not a bit disturbing. I just didn't think it was appropriate for the above description since the people I saw weren't naked.)
Posted by shannon at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)