Day 92: Stairs

I've been looking out for stairs in the tube stations since they'll be necessary when Ace comes along with me.

I was highly amused that you should only attempt to walk up (or down) 117 stairs in an emergency. (Granted, I went down rather than up, but it's not like 117 steps takes forever or will kill you.)

Day 91: Bus

Despite being here for over 2 weeks, this is the first time I've ridden the bus.

Not so crazy about having to flag down the driver to get them to stop, but having the stops announced ahead of time is made of win.

Day 90: Cool door

I met up with a friend for dinner (yummy pizza!) and passed a few flats with cool stained glass window doors.

I bet their hallways look pretty when the light comes in through the window.

Day 89: Signage

This is an excellent example of a London road sign..it's big, easy-to-see, with clear writing.

The problem? Most roads don't have any signs, and if they do, they're rarely nice like this one. :(

Thank goodness for Google Maps on the iPhone.

Day 88: Greenery

This is just a random little grassy area between some buildings/housing complexes.

For a big city, London is super green, and it's awesome.

Day 87: Architecture

This is a really cool building (used to be a church and is now something else, I believe) that I encountered while out running errands.

I love wandering around and seeing cool places like this.

Day 86: More interviews...

I'm getting pretty tired of looking at/wearing this suit every day.

Today, however, should be my last day of interviewing...fingers crossed!

Day 85: Yum!

Frozen cheesy potato things.

Not the most healthy dinner ever, I'm sure, but it was very yummy.

Day 84: Blooming

My great-aunt has a hibiscus plant in her dining room that threatens to take over the entire building.

Every now and then, it decides to produce a flower that usually lasts 2 days max.

At least they're pretty. :)

Day 83: Offers!

I got an official offer today, bringing my total up to 2. :)

I have a couple more follow-up interviews left to do, but plan to make my decision by Monday. I'll probably end up not starting until the following Monday (March 1), but I should be gainfully employed pretty soon!

Day 82: Experimentation

I figured I would try this whole "beans on toast" concept, just for kicks.

Can't say I was amazingly impressed, probably because the baked beans were pretty sweet. I think doing black beans would probably be pretty good (as by then with the beans and cheese it's pretty mexican-y but on bread rather than a tortilla).

Anyway, I will give it credit for being pretty filling. Not so sure on the healthiness, but at least I got in some protein.

Day 81: Winter

It's been fairly "typical" London weather the past couple of days - overcast and drizzly.

Still, I've been surprised to discover that I actually enjoy it, provided my glasses don't get rain-covered. I'll need to find some good boots as well so that the hems of my trousers aren't soaked in 5 minutes.

I wandered down to a local JobCentre to meet with a consultant for general job hunting advice. She had some good suggestions for my CV, but otherwise said I'm pretty much doing everything I should be (given that I've had 5 interviews in 4 days so far, and 2 job offers).

Here's hoping to have the job part sorted by the end of the week!

Day 80: Yum

This is an Indian restaurant across the street from the tube station near the flat.

I had a greatly enjoyable meal here the other day, though I forgot to order the food to be extra hot. It was still very tasty, so I may go back another time to see how it tastes with extra kick to it.

Day 79: Billboards everywhere

I'm still getting used to seeing billboards everywhere. In the states, you'll see them on the side of the highway, but that's about it. Here they're on buildings, buses, overpasses, pretty much any vertical surface larger than 10 square feet.

Day 78: Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a status of Eros/Cupid in Picadilly Circus. I met up with a friend here and we wandered through several bookstores (where I was remarkably successful in not purchasing anything) and had a super yummy lunch at an Indian restaurant.

Day 77: Tall, dark, and handsome

I didn't discover this lovely boy's name, but he's a 3yo Rottweiler and this was his first time on the tube.

He handled it like a pro, except that he wanted to say hello to passengers on the train (sounds familiar).

The escalators all have "dogs must be carried" signs, so once I get Ace over here we'll have to explore for elevators (lifts) and/or stairs. I guess the concern is that the dog's paws will somehow get stuck in the escalator.

Anyway, glad to see that dogs really aren't an issue on the tube! I have heard stories of bus drivers being reluctant to take them on, but (in theory) dogs are allowed on any public transport provided they're not bothering anyone.

Day 76: More unusual taps

I've been encountering lots of different bathroom facilities while wandering around exploring/interviewing.

The little knob next to the faucet rotates to determine temperature and then pulls out for water pressure.

Easy enough to operate, at least. And this bathroom had paper towels as well as an air dryer (which, sadly, tend to involve cold air which is pretty uncomfortable).

Day 75: Another thing off the to-do list

I filed my 2009 taxes today, which is awesome. I should be getting a pretty nice refund (yay), so that will help beef up the bank account until I have money coming in.

I may have a lead on getting my house rented (though it's not an ideal candidate, at least some money coming in is better than none), and the job hunt continues...I had an interview today (think it went well) and another scheduled for tomorrow, and am waiting to get feedback on previous interviews. So, we'll see how it goes...

Day 74: Not so fantastic after all...

On my way back to central London for a re-do of yesterday's canceled interview, I had to take a photo of this address.

I'd sort of figured Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4 was a bit of fantasy, but apparently not.

Very random, to say the least, especially since this building took up most of the block. I'm not sure where the other 1/2 was, to be honest.

Day 73: Job hunting!

So, the job hunt starts in earnest today. I had 2 interviews scheduled, but one got canceled due to the interviewer being ill. (Not that I found this out until I was already there, but oh well.)

The other interview resulted in a job offer, which is both really surprising and gratifying. So far, so good!

Day 72: Oatmeal Fail

I'm still trying to figure out the power settings on the semi-ancient microwave. (Don't tell my great-aunt, but I think I'll get her a new one for her birthday, as this one is quite old and pretty gross inside, even post-cleaning.)

Anyway, I tried the same settings that worked yesterday, but apparently today my karma was bad, as we had another exploding oatmeal incident.

At least it still tastes yummy. :)

Day 71: About town

Met up with a friend for lunch, and as we were wandering around central London we passed by this group of breakdancers. They looked to be in excellent shape, though their routine wasn't completely polished.

Still, pretty cool to see random entertainment. We also passed by a giant Winnie the Pooh/Mickey Mouse combo, a Charlie Chaplin-looking mime, and a human statue (still not sure what the point of them are, really, especially when it's winter/cold).

Lunch was pretty cool, too, we ended up at this cafe that has huge communal tables, pretty yummy (and unusual) food, and a really neat looking building.

Day 70: Errands and such

I was out running more errands (the bank account I opened back in November apparently won't be really active until Monday, something they neglected to mention when I handed over a £90 in good faith).

On the way back I spotted this van, and could've sworn it said "Shoplifters". I took a second look (and a photo) in case it belonged to the best thieves in the country/world.

Sadly, not quite that cool. Ah, well.

Day 69: Wow, tired....

Landed in London at 7am, and got through immigration and baggage claim by about 8. Met up with a friend who generously offered to help lug bags around. Sadly, the tube system does not believe in elevators much, so we had to drag the bags up and down several flights of stairs. We eventually made it, though, with the help of a minicab for the last leg from the station.

Spent the rest of the day running a few errands (bank, grocery store, stop to pick up a pay-as-you-go sim card to have a UK mobile number).

Also bonded quite a bit with the teacup, in order to manage to stay awake and get over jet lag quickly.

Day 68: And I'm off!

After some frantic last-minute packing and organization, I flew to London today!

Photo coming after I get my cord for the camera.

Day 67: Last meal

Went out for Indian food with the family. The boys seemed to like it quite a bit!

Day 66: Snoozing

Ace likes lying on the Rupert rug that I've bequeathed to the boys for their room.

Day 65: Bubble bath

It makes bathtime fun!