On a break...

This blogger has taken a temporary break in order to re-acquaint herself with real life.  Perhaps she will encounter something exciting enough to blog about one day.  Until then...

The Things That Perplex, Astonish, and Mystify Us About Our New Home

There is more than one way to skin a cat. To each his own. You say "to-may-to", I say "to-mah-to". Viva la difference.

We expect to encounter differences when we travel outside our normal safety zone. The trick is to experience these differences objectively, without passing judgment.

This post is not meant to pass judgment on the methods used by the British or to imply that the American way is the best way (at least, not ALL of the time), but to share some of these difference with our friends who may never have a chance to experience them first hand.

We have also discovered that by encountering these difference, we are forced to ask ourselves, "Is that how we do it in the US?" You would think we would already know the answer to that question but, really, do you know how many watts are required to pop your popcorn in the microwave? More on that later.


The House
I have gotten lots of questions about the house. The truth is, I really like it. It is small but it doesn't seem as small as I expected. We may all feel differently about that when our shipment arrives!

Here are some of the oddities of British home making. (Click on any picture and that picture will open in a larger window.)




The Front Door
Take a look at this picture and see if you can figure out what is missing.

There is no door knob. This is our third British home in 11 years and the second to have no door knob. I'm not sure what this is all about but we have learned to be really careful when we leave because the door automatically locks behind us! Oh, yes. There could be big problems with this in our future but Kevin is thrilled that he doesn't have to make sure the door is locked every night!



The Microwave
Instead of just selecting your cook time, with this microwave, you have to select your cooking wattage as well. OK...get real. I can handle directions like 50% power, but wattage? I couldn't begin to guess how to scale a watt. Is 50 watts the same as 50% power? As if cooking isn't hard enough for me already, I'm going to have to visit Google before I can use the microwave!





The Oven
Just as I was beginning to get used to our new convection oven at home, here we go with this contraption. This oven dial has symbols instead of words. This might be OK if I understood the symbols. I don't even know what the symbol directly above the knob means. There is another knob on the other side that has exactly the same symbol above it that presumably operates the grill/toaster oven thingie. If they both have the same symbol, how do I know which one works what? All I need is ONE button that says ON.


The Doors
Fire code requires that all doors to rooms be on springed hinges. This has been my family's biggest complaint. Taylor has almost been concussed by her door. Imagine walking out of your room then turning around to get something you forgot and, BAM, there's your door.

These doors seem a little like those alarm things that we, in The Woodlands, are required to have on our back door if we have a pool. They only stay on the back door long enough to pass inspection then they are tossed. Our work around for the closing door problem is to prop them all open with door stops. Fire code, my eyeball.

The Washing Machine
I am no domestic diva but I know how to use a washing machine...most of the time. The washing machines here are much smaller than what we are have in the US, but that was no surprise to us. What I didn't remember was the temperature settings. Again, instead of just saying cold, warm, and hot, this washing machine expects me to know exactly what temperature is needed to wash my clothes...in Celsius! The Celsius part would be easy, thanks to www.convert-me.com, but I don't know what temp to choose in Fahrenheit!


The Dryer
The dryer's settings are easier to work but, get this...it works by evaporation! It is called a condenser dryer and I didn't even know they existed until we first moved to the UK in 1998.


Unlike a standard, tumble dryer known and loved by most Americans, this dryer does not vent air outside. Instead, the heat of the dryer causes the water to evaporate and collect in a tray that must be emptied after every wash.

As a tribute to my greater age and maturity, this isn't as big of a deal as it was in the past. Maybe I was just better prepared. Maybe it is because we have not gotten all of our stuff yet and have fewer clothes to wash!



The Toilet
When I first saw the toilet I thought, "Hmm. It must be a PC since it has a left AND right click." (If that makes sense to you then you, too, are a geek.) Why are there two flush buttons? We tried them both and they seemed to do the same thing. Our landlord visited this week and explained that the two buttons are meant for water conservation. The big button is for a full flush and the small button is for a half flush. Enough said on that topic.


I haven't mentioned anything about electricity in this post but the topic is on our minds. This, as well as other strange things that we encounter, may be included in future blog posts. Ryan and Taylor have also been added as contributors so expect to hear from them soon...I hope!

A Visit To Camden Market

Based on what I've seen so far, I seriously doubt that anyone who lives in London is aware that London is purported to be a fashion epicenter. Today, however, we discovered a part of London that certainly has plenty of unique style. It is true that Camden Market's style leans more towards cabaret than runway but we strapped on our emotional corsets and fish-nets and allowed ourselves to be swept away into the world of Camden Market.

Our trip began on the Northern Line of the London Underground into the tiny Camden Town station. We had arranged to meet up with Taylor's friend Kate and Kate's mother at the station but began to wonder at the wisdom of those plans when we saw the herds of people who were shoulder to shoulder as we all attempted to exit through the turnstiles.

Shuffling out of the station, I noticed a beautiful yellow Labrador being led on leash by a man in a dark blue shirt. I snidely whispered to Ryan, "I hope that isn't a drug sniffing dog. If it is, I bet he is going to be very tired at the end of his day."

Guess what?

It was a drug sniffing dog which made our first Camden experience observing multiple drug busts. We waited for our friends and watched with fascination as the sweet dog alertly sniffed everyone then, when he found his mark, circle around the criminal, wrapping him up in his leash. The officer would then calmly ask the mark to step to the side for a word with his colleague. All very calm and reasonable...at least from our point of view!

When Kate arrived, Kevin and Jackson decided to forgo the shopping and head to the Imperial War Museum. I can't imagine why! We girls dove straight into the shopping chaos.

Camden Market started out as a craft market in 1974 but very few things on display now would qualify as a craft (except maybe witchcraft!). The market consists of a mixture of stalls and shops with the stalls primarily open on the weekends. Many things about the market reminded us of Canton (not the witchcraft part).

One of the focal points of the market is the Camden Locks, a twin manually-operated lock on the Regent's Canal. (Source) Apparently, an American Express commercial starring Kate Winslet was filmed on this site. I just enjoyed seeing a working lock for the first time.

As we explored the stalls and browsed through the shops, we discovered an unexpected area of the market, Camden Stables. This section of Camden is a converted Victorian horse hospital complete with cobblestone alleyways and underground tunnels. This was much more to our particular tastes with many vintage shops including several antique stores that carried some beautiful pieces of antique technology. If we had traveled in the car rather than on the train, I would have added an Imperial typewriter to my collection and maybe a few cameras! Of course, that gives us a great excuse to go back.

Our day ended with an early dinner at a local restaurant called Pier 1 where we enjoyed the best fish and chips that we have had so far.

We completely enjoyed our day at Camden Market and highly recommend a visit there for anyone who can handle the crowds and is prepared to experience the other side of London.

The Cars

While the kids and I were sleeping through jet-lag on Thursday, Kevin went into work for a few hours. He came home with a car. A very loud and fast Nissan Skyline (Kevin insists I add that it is a R33 twin turbo). I'm not up on cars but Ryan says it is very cool and she knows cars! This Nissan is straight from Japan (sorry Shirley) so all the words are in Japanese. Thank goodness there are also symbols on everything or operating the GPS would be even more difficult than usual.


Saturday morning, again while the kids and I were sleeping, Kevin went out to run a few errands and came back with another car, this one for me. A Land Rover Freelander. No twin turbo here but it is an automatic transmission which is not very common. Hmmm...do you think that Kevin has concerns about my ability to drive on the left AND shift gears? Hey, I'm a born and bred Texan. I can drive anything!

Kevin does a decent job driving on the left, with one slightly hysterical incident yesterday when he attempted to enter an exit ramp. I drove today for the first time and did fine but it wasn't far and I only encountered one roundabout. We keep telling Ryan that she has to drive at least one time before she leaves but she isn't sure that is a good idea. She is a very careful driver so I think she will do fine!

From Houston to Heathrow

The last days leading up to our July 1st move went by with startling speed. I had forgotten how hard moving can be, particularly moving overseas. We never would have made it as well as we did without the help of our family and friends.

I am not one who easily asks for help but with less than a week to go before our move, I relented and called my sister. She will know better than to offer her help in the future! She arrived at our house at 8 am the next morning with the seats removed from her van, determined that she could fit everything in our house in the back of her van! We worked hard all day, reorganizing our storage buildings then moving things into them.

Later that night, the rest of my rescue team arrived in the form of my mom, grandmother and step-dad. We worked really hard but we also had some fun. I'll spare you all the details but we have a new family joke. If you need to move something big, just call Tricia. She can fit it in the back of her van. It will fit. Yes, it will. See? The picture proves it. That is the bottom of my Dyson vacuum, shoved up into a huge floor lamp, squeezed between two pieces of a five piece Thomasville entertainment center. Yeah, it fit but the van may need new shocks!

Even with all the work we have done in the past few months (and all the teasing I got about how early I started packing), when the airport car arrived at its scheduled time, we were NOT ready! I cannot even describe how NOT ready we were! Our neighbors were patiently waiting outside to send us off and the cleaning lady was already doing the final cleaning and I was still trying to convince Jackson that he didn't need to take all of his PSP games in his carry-on since his PSP was broken! The girls tried to hurry us along by dragging all of our luggage out to the driveway but I still had things to check and double-check.

Finally, I was alone in the house with the cleaning lady, trying to build up the courage to walk out the door. The little Hispanic woman (whom I have never met) said two words, "It's hard," and I burst into tears. I grabbed a box of tissues that hadn't been packed and headed out the door. There on my driveway was a bon voyage brigade the likes of which have only ever been seen on TV. Our friends and neighbors, whom we have come to think of as family, were waiting patiently, in the Texas heat, to bid us farewell. I'm glad I had the tissues!

While we were sad, our driver was in shock. Lucky for all of us, Kevin had warned them that we would be packing a full load so they brought a conversion van instead of the standard airport Lincoln or limo. Still, it was a trick to get all of our luggage in. It's a shame we didn't have Tricia's van.

At the airport, we reaped the rewards of Kevin's elevated BA flying status. Wait in line? Not us! We went straight to the desk and checked in 12 bags with only one being over the 51 pound limit. (Yes, it was mine, weighing in at 58 pounds but I weighed the suitcase after it was emptied and it weighed 17 pounds!)

We should have checked in 13 bags, but, at the last minute, Kevin decided to make one a carry-on. Too bad he didn't check the contents first! We had all been diligent about checking our carry-on bags for liquids and had appropriate items, down to lipgloss, bagged for security. But, what was in that newly-turned-carryon bag? All of our shampoo, bath gels, hand soap, hand santizer, etc. It all went into the garbage. I'm sure there is a life lesson there if you dig deep enough.

The plane ride was completely uneventful with Kevin riding in first class while the kids and I slummed in Club World. It has been four years since our last International flight together and I had forgotten how hard it is for my family to sit still. The next time we fly together, I'm going to do some hard negotiating for Kevin's first class seat. I think I'll get it!

Major Updates

I don't have much time for a FULL update so here is a short blurb on the major things...

Major Update #1:

The Fortune's will be leaving for the UK, Wednesday, July 1! For those who have been secretly keeping score in the "He Said/She Said" game, that would be a point in the Tiffani column (insert evil laughter here).

Major Update #2:

We have a contract on our house! Just as we were approaching two months on the market, the offers started rolling in. We ended up getting THREE offers over the course of around two days with one buyer being smart enough to offer the full asking price. With nothing EVER being as easy as it should be, we were out of town for my birthday and Father's Day and our Realtor was on vacation in Jamaica, so the deal was done primarily via text message!

In a strange series of events, I got to meet the buyers (a lovely young couple from Pennsylvania) and she told me that she knew when they first came into the neighborhood that this would be a great neighborhood for them. Since this is the best neighborhood in the world, I would say she has excellent taste!

More to come!

A Week Has Passed and I Still Know Who I Am...

The promised identity crisis has not yet occurred. We have been out of school for one week and I don't feel any different. What I mean is it feels like just an ordinary summer. I think there may be something wrong with that.

Last Friday, June 5, my last official day of work, was such a busy day that I didn't have too much time to be sad. My "To Do" list was long and filled with examples of my OCD tendencies. Thanks to some help from my team, I was able to complete most of the items on the list but must confess that I brought home about 3 boxes of manuals and 2 cases of files to sort and reorganize. Well, what can I say?

Throughout the day, many of my colleagues stopped by to wish me good luck and try to make me cry but I was tough. I hate saying goodbye and this time it seems so much harder. These ladies have been my friends, mentors, models, supporters, comic relief, and sometimes my primary source of aggravation. I have spent time with each of them privately and within their teams and have the greatest amount of respect, love and admiration for them all.

But I held my tears until the only other remaining bodies in the building were the destruction crew. My emotional strength disappeared as I pulled my class schedule off the wall and locked the door for the last time. I had the painful thought that this closing door symbolizes the pre-mature ending of an important and meaningful season of my life. I was tempted to open the door back up and slam it really hard but decided that didn't reflect very well on my level of maturity.

This is just the beginning of a series of goodbyes and I expect that each will be difficult in its own way. The whole thing would be so much harder if not for the support of my family. For example, every time I leave to see someone "for the last time", Taylor says, "Don't forget to wear water-proof mascara." Ah, such profound words of wisdom from one so young!


PS. I was going to write a little about my replacements but it just doesn't seem to be the right place. I'm very excited about them, though, so plan on seeing them featured in the near future!