i can't resist

...I'm totally copying this from my friend Beth.

It turns out...snails actually really are cute!!



I'm not sure I'm going to stop eating them, though.

bank holidays: no joking around

Given that I can't keep up with any of the other trips (large or small) and associated pictures that require posting for your viewing pleasure...I thought another trip away to pile on the picture-posting stress would be a good idea.

Seriously though...a(nother) trip to Ireland is around the corner! Mick and Abby and I are going to Northern Ireland for 4 days! Yes: I'm going to be on vacation with a 4 year old person. Nobody panic: I will have supervision!

What prompted me to share this bit of information with you, my dear reader, when I don't typically pre-share all of my other holiday plans? Well, because it seems the British don't kid around with their holidays, and that makes me chuckle a little bit.

Almost all my friends here and several work colleagues (total English phrase I can't not use) are all fleeing the immediate area for the bank holiday this coming Monday (thus creating a 3-day weekend trip, at the least). If some of us weren't going to other parts of the UK, I'd be nervous that there would be a mass exodus of the entire country, leaving nobody to watch the cricket matches! Oh wait...nobody watches those anyway.

a few pictures

There are heaps of photos I'm working through to post an album of Houston, LA, Christchurch and Edinburgh sometime soon.

However, for now I offer a few random snapshots...because something is better than nothing, right?

Mick loves trucks...and they are EVERYWHERE in Texas. Yeehaw!


Obligatory stop in Houston for boots and a hat. Yes, we're at "Boot Town".


Mick's mom (mum) in Christchurch with tiger-faced Abby. don't you LOVE her dress?!


The fam (L to R): Abby, Mick, Nanny Ruby, Margaret, Barry.


Beach huts along the quay in Mudeford (near Christchurch).


View from Mudeford toward the Isle of Wight.


Heather "accepts" a flyer for a Fringe show in Edinburgh.


Ensign Ewart pub...this one's just for Kelly. :)


I guess the Cow Parade came through Scotland as well...?


And finally, one for all my punny friends...a souvenir shop in Edinburgh.

return...with a guest blogger

Ladies and Gentlemen,

After a season of relative silence, I offer a return to the blogging world by way of a guest post courtesy of my Mick. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dovie asked me to do something about this photo for her blog ages ago…apologies for the delay…even though you didn’t know there had been one until just now.

A couple of years ago I was watching a news report that had something to do with Canterbury Cathedral. I really can’t remember what it was, and to be honest it really doesn’t matter. The news reporter was standing at the bottom of this flight of old and worn stone steps while saying his bit to the camera.

For some reason the thought struck me that these steps were a symbol of hope. When the steps were first put in place they would have had sharp square edges and have been completely smooth and flat. The thought of changing the shape of those hard stone steps simply by walking on them would have seemed ridiculous. Yet hundreds of years later, thousands of feet have walked up and down those steps and slowly over those centuries the shape of the steps has changed.

Sometimes I look at situations that seem just too vast for me to realistically expect any significant change. It’s at times like that when I need to remember the steps, remember my God and faithfully play my part.

Dovie and I went to Canterbury Cathedral earlier this year and walked up and down those same steps. We took this picture as a reminder of hope.

my, how the time does fly

I'm dangerously close to a month of silence. I'd chalk it up to writer's block, but the truth is that life is just a bit out of control these days.

However, it's been an eventful summer so far. Here are a few pictures from July.

less is more

Jonah and I were talking last night about a few specific situations that have recently happened which make me wish I had the power to actually change the world.

It reminded him of this Tolstoy quote:

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

Ouch. Tolstoy also said:

"True life is lived when tiny changes occur."

Wow. Eight tiny, but powerful, words.

Interestingly, one of the things that came out in our conversation last night is that I have a habit of over-explaining things.

I know that I do this. I HATE that I do this.

It's one of the things that frustrates me in other people...but I'm guilty of doing it myself!! I won't out Jonah on any of the things that came out about him, but since this is my blog, I'm happy to use it for my own personal confessional. (See! I just did it then a little bit! Oi! What am I like?!)

I think that this over-explaining habit has something to do with the fact that I like quotes.

Partly, it's nice to find a blurb where someone famous says something that supports your thinking, because somehow that seems to make it more valid - which is an entirely separate discussion which might be fun to have.

But really...the reason they appeal to me is that when you find a quote that sums up an idea or argument really well, it's fantastic...because the best things come in small packages, right?

The most difficult thing for me is finding the delicate balance in giving enough background for people to get the big picture with sufficient detail, so that when you throw out a punchy one-liner...it has real impact.

birthday shout out!

The holder of the strong opinion was born this day many moons ago.

Is it time yet for those "By the time Jesus was your age...he'd saved the world" jokes yet? Or did I miss my chance at that last year?

weekend snapshots

Jonah and I went to Kent this weekend. The rain followed us almost all the way to Canterbury, but we lost it somewhere along the way.

Even though it wasn't exactly a pilgrimage, we walked for hours around the city on Saturday and saw quite a fair bit of history, most of which we were completely unaware of...much like one is when traipsing around Rome.

On Sunday, we got out the atlas and picked a place to spend the day along the way back to Wimbledon. There were lots of choices, but we decided on Hever Castle - which we've both decided was a very good choice.

For the picture lovers: here they are. ENJOY!

the story of the kerfuffle

I left work at 5:30 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Excited to have an early night at home with no other commitments, I came strolling through the main door of my block of flats just after 6:00, and that's when the fun started.

There's a flat just inside the main door, and I heard an alarm going off inside. Oven timer? Smoke alarm?? Burglar alarm???

Knock, knock, knock. No answer. Hmm...I head back outside to check the windows...can't see a thing inside. Grr. Well, maybe it's nothing. Up the stairs to change clothes and wait a few minutes to come back down to check again.

Coming back out of my flat, I could have sworn I smelled something electrical burning, so I hurried downstairs to investigate further. Still the alarm is beeping. Still no answer at the door. The door isn't hot, but after another quick run upstairs to knock on the neighbor directly above said flat, I'm now convinced I smell an electrical burn of some sort. Right, then...I'm calling the fire brigade! My first ever 911 call (though it's actually 999 in England).

Fifteen minutes later, they showed up and 3 firefighters poured out of the truck. They can't decide if the smoke they're smelling is really there, or just their clothes. I'm thinking: "Seriously guys?" They do all sorts of poking around and peering through windows with fancy heat-sensitive cameras and can't find any reason to break down the door or do anything else.

So I get a "Well, you did the right thing by calling, but there's not really anything else we can do." Um, thanks...I guess.

I trudged back upstairs, convinced something still wasn't right, but who am I to argue with a fireman about FIRES? I decided I'd come back down and sniff around in about 15 minutes. I mean, clearly the building isn't on fire, but maybe things will have changed in a bit.

I hate to admit it, but I got distracted and forgot to watch the clock. About 30 minutes passed before I FELT something shake the building.

Um, I think the fire brigade is back, and I think they just broke down the door. I managed to grab my handbag and mobile phone and get downstairs in about 10 seconds where a neighbor confirmed that, yep, it was just as I suspected. Someone else got home and went through the very same scenario...and this time the smell was strong enough to convince them they needed to go in.

I still don't know exactly what happened, but three firemen came and knocked on my door two separate times and spent some time poking around the heating cupboard checking wires and such. Sadly, none of them appeared to be a fire brigade calendar model. Unlucky.

And that was it. A funny sounding smoke alarm. The smell of electrical burn. A fruitless first call to 911. But a night that ended with a broken-down door for one of my neighbors and a nasty smell in the hallway.

All rather anti-climactic, but I guess that's what you want in a potential fire situation, isn't it?

what a waste

The London 2012 Olympic logo has caused quite a kerfuffle (there's that word again) on this side of the Atlantic.

It cost £400,000 to create and is U-G-L-Y, which has sparked even more bitterness about the overall cost of the Games, which as risen from the original estimate of £2.35 billion to the current estimate of £9.3 billion. Ouch!

There's an online petition to have a new one commissioned, and people from all over the UK are sending in their cut at an improvement on the icon that will label the Games. The BBC has posted at least 2 galleries of images: this one and this one.

Of the amateur submissions the BBC has posted, I think they would have spent the money better by giving it to the guy who created this one:



Or they could have given it to me. I'm sure I could come up with something than the official logo. Or something people would hate less, at least!

word of the day: kerfuffle

There was a bit of a kerfuffle at my building last night.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to write the story at the moment (oh, to be a well-trained journalist who can throw down a 10,000 word story in 30 minutes or less).

However, I'll leave you with this teaser: I got to dial 911 for the first time in my life.

paintball, anyone?

We went. We saw. We did not conquer.



On Saturday, Jonah (a.k.a. Mick) and I went for a day of paintball with his brother and brother's fiancee...and 14 or so complete strangers that we got paired up with once we arrived.

The opposing team that we competed against all day was CLEARLY more experienced than our rag-tag bunch, and we lost by a land-slide.

And it was pretty hot out.

And the masks you have to wear (complete with someone else's sweat from the day before) constantly steam up so you can't see anything.

And sometimes you do something stupid like leave the field because you got hit before you realize that it bounced off and the paintball didn't explode (which therefore doesn't count as a legitimate hit). Sometimes you do this 2 or 3 times. Ahem.

And sometimes the guy you nail right in the knee refuses to acknowledge he's been shot, hides from the game marshalls and proceeds to wipe off the hit. GRR!

BUT...and this makes everything else above worth it...

YOU GET TO SHOOT A (paintball) GUN ALL DAY LONG!

Excellent stress reliever. I highly recommend it. In a word: cathartic.

Highlight of the day: Jonah was the only one to earn bonus points for our entire team (including the strangers) all day long! At the end of the day, a decent percentage of our total points earned were directly attributable to him (which unfortunately tells you a lot about how many overall points we earned)!

I blame the strangers for our overall loss on the day. I mean...I'm a TEXAS GIRL. I was practically born with a BB gun in my hand. And with the team hero coming from our little foursome...there's a clear theme emerging here, I think.

two for the price of one

First, at long last...I have finally finished the bit of editing I wanted to do on Barcelona pictures, and you can see them here. Yes, I know that I forgot to edit the title paragraph, but I haven't figured out how to fix that in the last 30 seconds, and I'll live with the imperfection.

Second, I did a 5K with my friend Janet this morning. I'll spare you the before and during pictures...but here's our "after" shot.

communication tip #274

Don't ever let your marriage become like this one.

an offering

In the absence of anything else blog-worthy these days (save, of course, the forthcoming pictures of Barcelona)...I offer the following, which should at least be good for a chuckle:

A bloke sitting in the pub hears voices coming from the bowl of peanuts on the bar..."How are you doing?" says the voice..."You're looking well. Have you lost weight? That shirt looks good...takes years off of you"

Strange though it is, he quite enjoys the attention until he walks over to the jukebox and a voice says "Oi, you! Get out of my pub, you ugly prat, before I smash your face in!"

He goes back to the bar and mentions to the barman that the peanuts were saying such nice things to him, but the jukebox was really quite rude.

The barman says "Yeah, I know. The peanuts are complimentary but the jukebox is out of order."

Let the groaning and eye-rolling commence...

shameless

So, I still haven't finished editing my photos of Barcelona...but feel like I should have at least something to offer my faithful few readers. Now, this may not seem like something FOR you, but really...it is...sort of.

Wait for it...

< plug >

Basically, I'd like to draw attention to the fact that my half-birthday is coming up in just a few (well, seven) short weeks. I thought I'd alert you now if you're the kind of person that enjoys giving half-birthday presents to your favorite people.

If you are that kind of person, it may prove helpful to know that I have a wish list on Amazon.com, AND that I'm not opposed to USED BOOKS.

And honestly, I do want to read everything on that list...in no particular order, but if the first book I got happened to look like the one below...I would be delighted.

And really, there's only so many John Grisham books a girl can read in a row. After the second one, all the characters start to blend together and you start wondering what happened to what's-his-name only to realize later that he's not even IN this one! Basically, I need to be able to alternate between fun stuff and good-for-the-soul stuff, and we all know that reading is FUNdamental.

I'm just sayin'...most of us are not fortunate enough to have perfectly-timed birthdays such that we're never more than six months away from presents...and there's plenty of time for shopping and shipping between now and July 21.

< /plug >

how to choose a man

Oddly enough...I got this from a man who most definitely wouldn't describe himself as "the one with cash". Nor does he have long, flowing Prince Charming-esque hair (a la the Shreck movies) like the guy in the cartoon.

Somehow, neither of those facts keep me from thinking he's pretty darn fabulous.

Barcelona...coming soon

Yeah, yeah...I know! I'm sure you're waiting on pins and needles (well, my mom is anyway) for pictures of Barcelona.

Mine will be up soon enough...in the mean time, go look at Heather's snapshots. I DO have a life*, people!


*The term "life" in this instance is defined as "too much work to do and not enough hours in the day for that AND sleep AND a boyfriend AND torture sessions at Peak Fitness and therefore no free time to sort, crop and caption a load of holiday photos".

a day in the life...

Random bits and pieces from the weekend:

"Captain Bucket" as I have dubbed him (I kept calling him "Feather Guy" on Saturday, which just doesn't seem right), who seems to have been raising money for one charity or another and looked quite comfortable as he roamed around Wimbledon High Street with his giant plume hat.




The Captain was very chatty, and we were impressed with his ability to capture the attention of a group of teenage boys and even got them to pull precious metal out of their pockets to donate to his cause! Well done, Captain!


Some flowers near South Park Gardens, a quaint little park hidden away in one of the neighborhoods in Wimbledon. No, we didn't run into Cartman or Kenny.




How English is THIS contraption?? Very, I'm told. I have to admit that's a bit scary, because who wants to be drinking water with a cow potentially in such close proximity? Not me!


And how cute is this little scene? You'd think he was still a 7-year old boy watching Saturday morning cartoons the way he's perched so close to the TV!




And finally...the lasagna* I made while the boy was supervising the football match.



*Um, well...to be honest, this isn't a picture of the actual lasagna I made, but it's the one someone else took when they made it from the same recipe, and for the record, mine looked very similar. So just trust me. Mine looked just as good. I promise.

just another day at the office

Reading important papers...making big decisions...all while fashionably protecting my noggin from objects which might fall from the ceiling.



The workplace can be dangerous, people! Safety first!

heightened sensitivity

It seems everywhere I turn these days, I'm confronted with the problem of poverty, and the soul-searching questions that go along with it, regarding my own love of stuff, comfort and a life ease. It's not just the series of snippets I've been getting this week from Stott, but literally, everywhere I turn. The sermons I've been hearing, the content of the personal Bible study I'm doing...the book I started on the train yesterday.

I think it's a subject I've thought I addressed well (or reasonably well) in the past, but I'm finding that I can barely look myself in the mirror these days for the way I have personally rejected and abandoned the poor, needy and hungry of the world.

John Stott Daily Thought
17 May 2007

Work, Wealth, Poverty and Human Rights (cont'd.)

876. Three approaches to poverty

How should Christians approach the harsh fact of poverty in the contemporary world?

First, we could approach the problem *rationally*, with cool statistical detachment. Indeed, this is where we must begin. There are over five billion inhabitants of planet Earth, one fifth of whom are destitute ... Whereas one fifth of the world's population lack the basic necessities for survival, rather more than another one fifth live in affluence and consume about four fifths of the world's income. In 1988 the 'total disbursements' from these wealthy nations to the Third World 'amounted to $92 billion' (less than 10% of worldwide spending on armaments), 'but this was more than offset by the total debt service of $142 billion, resulting in a negative transfer of some $50 billion' from the Third World to the developed countries.(1) The gross disparity between wealth and poverty constitutes a social injustice with which the Christian conscience cannot come to terms.

Secondly, we could approach the phenomenon of poverty *emotionally*, with the hot-blooded indignation aroused by the sights, sounds and smells of human need. When I last visited Calcutta airport, the sun had already set. Over the whole city hung a pall of malodorous smoke from the burning of cowdung on a myriad fires. Outside the airport an emaciated woman clutching an emaciated baby stretched out an emaciated hand for *baksheesh*. A man, whose legs had both been amputated above the knee, dragged himself along the pavement with his hands. I later learned that over a quarter of a million homeless people sleep in the streets at night, and during the day hang their blanket - other their only possession - on some convenient railing. My most poignant experience was to see men and women scavenging in the city garbage dumps like dogs. For extreme poverty is demeaning; it reduces human beings to the level of animals. To be sure, Christians should be provoked by the *idolatry* of a Hindu city, as Paul was by the idols in Athens, and moved to evangelism. But, like Jesus when he saw the hungry crowds, we should also be moved with compassion to feed them.

The third way, which should stimulate both our reason and our emotion simultaneously, is to approach the problem of poverty *biblically*. As we turn again to that book in which God has revealed himself and his will, we ask: how according to Scripture should we think about wealth and poverty? Is God on the side of the poor? Should we be? What does the Scripture say? Moreover, as we ask these questions, we have to resolve to listen attentively to God's Word, and not manipulate it. We have no liberty either to avoid its uncomfortable challenge, in order to retain our prejudices, or to acquiesce uncritically in the latest popular interpretations.

(1) The World Bank Annual Report 1989, p. 27.

--From "Issues Facing Christians Today" (London: Collins/Marshall Pickering, 1990), p. 230.
----------------------------------------------------
--Excerpted from "Authentic Christianity", pp. 363-365, by permission of InterVarsity Press.

Eurovision 2007

Right about now, I'm sure you're asking yourself "What, exactly, is 'Eurovision'"? Well, allow me to explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Eurovision seems to me like one giant American Idol or Pop Idol competition, with the competitors being one representative act from each participating country. I guess there are qualifying competitions within each country to win the representative spot, followed by regionals (?), semi-finals and the Final Competition, which was held LIVE on Saturday night.

Taking any excuse to have a party, Jonah decided to host a fancy dress (read: costume) party at Lee and Helen's home in Hemel, where they all live (brilliant idea - "host" a party at someone else's home and avoid clean-up duty!) to watch (read: ridicule) the final competition. We even had official scoring sheets.

Because the UK's entry (a band called "Scootch") was doing a song and dance about flying, the theme was "Air Travel", so we all dutifully gathered the makings of various characters one finds around the airport.

We arrived at Lee and Helen's to find the airstrip ready, and the sign on the door announcing our flight: "Hemel to Helsinki...1930...Gate 5...Now Boarding" (each year, the winning country of the previous year's competition becomes the new host country. Last year's winner was Finland...thus our flight destination).



Lee and Helen went for the Pilot and Flight Attendant route. It should be noted that (1) the original plan involved Lee as Flight Attendant and Helen as Pilot, but Lee backed out of that idea at the last minute, and (2) Lee had already shed his pilot's suit jacket by the time the camera was pulled out. Apparently, it was already shaping up to be a rough flight. In the end, our plane never left the ground. The UK's entry came in next to last place.



Jonah and I became employees of "Mustang Airlines" (of course!), complete with ID badges and various other company-branded paraphernalia, he as Ground Crew and me as a Gate Attendant.



Finally, winning the prize for best dressed - we had Kevin and Emma. It should be noted that Kevin is a professional costume designer, so I think the rest of us had all lost before we even started thinking about our costumes...but I can't not give full props to their efforts. They had company branded shirts, matching and coordinated outfits, and they even made replica life vests!



Sadly, none of us were aggressively playing the part of "shutter bug", so the pictures here do nothing close to justice for the various costumes and general good times we all had. However, I think Kevin and Emma have set themselves up for some serious competition the next time around. But I'm not competitive at all. Ahem.

fun with limericks...

Saturday is Limerick Day.

I'm telling you this today because most of my 3.7 readers don't read blogs on the weekends, and likely not on Fridays. Plus, it gives you a chance to write your own and impress people at parties this weekend.

Here's my attempt at an original:

There once was a girl come from Texas
Where ne'er did she leave any exes.
When she moved on in to London town
A sweet, handsome man did come 'round
And overwhelmed every one of her senses.

I found this one somewhere on the Internet, and offer it here in honor of my friends Paige and Dennis. If the first one didn't make you groan, this one will:

A minor league pitcher, McDowell
Pitched an egg at a batter named Owl.
They cried "Get a hit!"
But it hatched in the mitt
And the umpire declared it a fowl.

cinco de mayo en Londres

So, we didn't manage an invite to join the Corona party bus that was touring around London on Saturday, but we did stop off at the Texas Embassy to start the celebrations with our favorite bartender, Winston.



After winning a few prizes from the Corona girls (don't get me started), we headed over to Cafe Pacifico for dinner and more celebrating.



Strangely, they didn't seem to be quite ready for the festivities, and had this picture posted on the mirror in the ladies restroom.



My audible response on reading the sign: "Seriously??"

Regardless, we had a good time, and I managed a third stop for the evening at a little pub in Highgate for a drink and a chat with Jonah and his brother and brother's fiancee.

I know what you're thinking: "She's London's busiest social butterfly!"

I figure...why deny it? ;)

barcelona preview

The three amigos who are heading to Barcelona together at the end of May got together on Saturday to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and practice smiling for the camera in Spanish.



Aren't we cute?

More on Cinco de Mayo coming soon...I promise we haven't adopted the Vegas come-on slogan for London (or for anywhere on this side of the Atlantic) just yet.

no slouching!

Today is Good Posture Day. Now if I could just remember this every day...I might have a happier backside, and...well, better posture, of course.

selfish sadness

Jonah told me about John Stott's retirement from public speaking over the weekend, but he's also just had a very disappointing email from the folks who are hosting his last speaking engagement.

They think he's going to be speaking on a Tuesday evening, which means there's virtually no way I can attend.

The last scheduled sermon he was to preach earlier this year at All Souls was cancelled due to illness, so I'm more thankful than I can express with words for the one and only time I got to hear him preach.

After a well-delivered and beautiful sermon, I managed to get a picture with him, but failed to keep my peepers open for the point-and-shoot.



The vanity in me hates this photo, but the Jesus in me loves the fact that my soul was so close to his for even a brief moment.

an orchestra of coconuts

Monday was St. George's Day.

To celebrate, the cast of Spamalot gathered a crowd in Trafalgar Square to set the Guinness World Record for the largest coconut orchestra.

These guys were pretty organized. Check out the plan for the evening here.

They managed to set the record with over 5,000 people gathering together to bang two halves of a coconut together to the tune of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life".

The bbc was kind enough to snap some photos for me, since I couldn't make it out for the festivities.

It would have been fun to watch (read: quote) The Holy Grail along with 5,000 of my closest friends in London, but I don't really like to stand during films.

feels like spring

My sweet Jonah and I went for a picnic Saturday. The weather is finally beautiful again in England, and as we explored the depths of Wimbledon Common, we happened upon this hidden pond.

I like to call it the "secret pond", but apparently other people knew it was there, or there were a decent number of folks who were just as lucky as we were in their exploration of the area.



It was great fun watching these dogs tag-team paddle this log back to shore, and made me wish I had a pooch of my very own.



From our picnic spot, we noticed the turtles that were hiding in the water earlier had finally come out to play, so we went and had a little chat with one of them.



On closer inspection, it appears that they were looking after a bunch of frog babies.



When we finally managed to tear ourselves away from the pond, we headed off in another direction down this little path...



...and we actually managed to find our way back to civilization without any trouble. Sadly we never saw any Wombles, but there's always next time.

happy birthday mom!

I'm sure it's by sheer coincidence that my mom was born on the same day that Dr. Albert Hofmann discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD.

Equally interesting is that Momma K shares her birthday with one of the Wright brothers. You'd think somebody could get a free flight out of that little tidbit somehow.

Happy Birthday Mom!

texas bound!

I'm leavin' (on a jet plane) Saturday for a week in Houston. I'll be working for the better part of the week, but hope I get to see you if you're there!

maybe steff was right

I went to see Little Shop of Horrors last night. It was Heather's birthday.

Confession: I really liked it. Yikes!

I've been spouting on for a few years now that I "don't love musicals", but maybe it's just that, like with many other things, I'm just really picky about my musicals. Steff has been trying to tell me this for years.

So I decided to do a quick bit of math and let the chips fall where they may.

Loved it:

• The Sound of Music
  
• Chicago
  
• Aida
  
• The Producers (although I never want to see it again)
  
• Mamma Mia
  
• Little Shop of Horrors
  
• Cats
  
• The Wizard of Oz (does that one count?)
  

Hated it:

• Annie
  
• Les Miserables
  
• The Phantom of the Opera
  

I guess it's just that I really don't like the few that it seems everyone else in the universe seems to LOVE...and that just doesn't make sense, does it?

for the mac lovers

My camera phone either sucks, or i suck at taking pictures with it...but you can see this one and others here.

window shopping

This was one of the window displays at Selfridge's last weekend.



Lots of the bits and pieces were mechanical. The yellow dog was spinning around like he was doing tricks to earn a treat. The dog made from thread spools was animated as well.

I wish I were creative enough to make up stuff like this and get paid for it!

bonny prince charlie

OK, so technically that name refers to Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Silvester Maria Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), the son of James Francis Edward Stuart who was in turn the son of King James II of England and Ireland (James VII of Scotland). After his father's death Charles was recognised as King Charles III. But I digress...

The Prince of Wales paid a little visit to the thriving metropolis of Woking today, as part of a climate change exhibition going on in town.

We watched as he prepared to leave the vicinity from our conference room (gold star for the brilliant individual who chose our office space) and somebody snapped the picture below.



It almost rounds out my sightings of the royal family, since I've already been in close proximity to Liz and Will.

birthday shout out!

It's all about Heather today!

Birthday party in Covent Garden...if anyone wants to pop across the pond...

beware the ides of march

Or, if you're in Rome...go for a run.

when was your last deep belly laugh?

This weekend, I was reminded what it feels like to be a kid with no cares in the world. Heather has documented the root of such joy on her blog. Enjoy...and be jealous!

the coatless wonder

Today is the first day of the year during which I made my way out of the office and into town center (or centre, for those reading on the island) SANS WINTER WEAR.

I know we are still 9 days away from any official declaration of Spring...but I think it's safe to release the Hallelujah Chorus Choir to fulfill their intended purpose.

I suppose they could consider it a warm-up for their next gig - the completion of Hon's kitchen. Come to think of it, his journey could have made for some good reality tv.

you know you need a new routine when...

...you not only know all the baristas at your local Starbucks, but you know them well enough to anticipate, depending on who's on duty, whether or not you need to order your drink "extra hot" in order to obtain prime temperature for consumption.

mark your calendars, girls

Ladies, if you (like me) lobbied for support and accolades yesterday, you may want to note International Men's Day in your calendar.

Of course, if you happen to be reading this humble little blog from Romania, or can claim Romanian heritage...you could honor your man today.

not that anyone needs a reason...

...but why shouldn't a girl employ all the resources she has to hand?

That's right, ladies and gents...it's official: today is International Women's Day.

A bit from the link above:

The day remains an official holiday in [several countries] and is observed by men giving the women in their lives...flowers and small gifts.

Let the gift-giving commence!!

say no to spoon feeding!

Another tidbit from the mind of John Stott:

A doctrine of God
Behind the concept and the act of preaching there lies a doctrine of God, a conviction about his being, his action and his purpose. The kind of God we believe in determines the kind of sermons we preach.

--From "I Believe in Preaching" (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1982), p. 93.
----------------------------------------------------
--Excerpted from "Authentic Christianity", p. 332, by permission of InterVarsity Press.

Excellent exhortation to measure everything against Scripture...and resist the temptation to take anything for "gospel" that comes out of the mouths of men.

weekend fun

My friend Kelly and I met when we were both studying in France, and manage to re-connect from time to time. Turns out we're BOTH living in London now, so we got to celebrate Texas Independence Day together at the Texas Embassy along with Heather and a couple of other friends.


Saturday was full of good times, starting with lunch at Bodean's with Heather and Jonah. Mmmm...tasty! (How much for a rib?)

From there, our little trio headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral to do the obligatory tourist thing.


We all climbed up to the second level of the dome, where we took some pictures.


Jonah and I went for the full meal deal and headed up to the third level, but since I was armed only with my smarter-than-me camera phone, I can only offer this very blurry image of the spectacular view from the top.


The guided tour of St. Paul's was well worth the extra £3.00 on top of the price of admission. I was quite the eager student, because I enjoy learning about history (an ironic twist to reality since completing my formal education). I like to think that I was attentive and affirming to our sweet tour guide, but Heather has her own opinion of how the day went...which Jonah happily backs.

So now there's TWO of them ganging up on me. What hope have I of winning? Answer: none.

texas independence day!

On this day in 1836, Texas declared national independence. Yeah, yeah...we joined the Union later...but I'll still be celebrating at the Texas Embassy tonight!

surreal moment - workin' for the man

A bit of background:

1. I was very shy during my teens and early twenties.
   
2. I'm usually nervous and awkward around people I perceive as important.
   
3. I worked at that big, crooked E company for a few years - where, generally speaking, you were NOBODY if your title didn't include the words 'vice', 'president', 'managing' or 'director'.
   
4. I have never thought of myself as being 'all that', despite many attempts by others to correct (or at least amend) this thinking.
   
5. Despite landing in a fabulous place (the Blue Horse) after the crooked E went the way of the brontosaurus...it took me well over a year to even speak to the remaining two founders of the company (see item 3 above).
   
6. My title still does not contain any of the key words mentioned in item 3 above.
   
7. Even having been given a foreign assignment in a company that really doesn't do much of that, I still viewed myself as an average (what I like to call) corporate flunky until very recently, and frankly still consider myself that on most days.
   

That being said...imagine my own surprise at myself after this little episode unfolded last week during a very short visit to the Houston office.

[OF = Office Friend; BHF=Blue Horse Founder]

Me: Hi! Are we going to lunch? Where's Marketing Manager?
OF1: She's finishing up a meeting with BHF #1.
Me: REALLY? Where are they??
OF1: Office number blah blah down the hall.

Me: I'll be right back. [walk to the specified office, knocking expectantly on the open door as I enter the room, which also included External Executive Management Consultant Lady]

Marketing Manager and BHF #1 [simultaneously]: DOVIE!! How are you? When did you get in (...and various other greetings)?

Me: I'm just here for a couple of meetings and lunch, but had to come and hug your neck*, BHF #1!

BHF #1 [already standing]: Get over here! It's so good to see you!!

Me: I'll let you get back to meeting, but had to interrupt to say hi. [walk back to marketing department area.]

Me: Did you know BHF #1 is in the office?
OF2: Yeah...he's just in to meet with a few people today.

Me: I just had to run over and get a hug. [pause] You know, I can't believe I just did that without thinking!

To be fair, the Blue Horse is a VASTLY different place to work than the crooked E was...but still...wow! Funny how time changes things.

*Yes, I actually said "hug your neck" - I'll never be able to deny my Texas country roots.

march? seriously??

How does this happen? I mean...we JUST HAD new year's eve dinner!! January and February were an absolute blur. Tell me I'm not the only one...

Even though spring doesn't technically begin for 20 more days, it kind of already feels like it has already sprung. So I guess it's fitting that I have big plans to clean my flat and sort some paperwork tonight to get that whole 'spring cleaning' thing off and running.

Call me crazy, but I'm a little bit excited about this.