Invaded!!

So I have a problem. Actually we have a problem. Matt and myself. I will speak for both of us from here on. I know, it's crazy, but I feel confident in doing so, because Matt and I have spoken about this subject several times and we're completely in agreement about it. Our problem is unfortunately a problem with infestation. And we're not the only ones in our building suffering from it. Nope, this infestation problem affects anyone who lives in our building or works in the business next door. It can also affect anyone who comes to visit us or anyone in our building. Regrettably, this infestation can't be cured by spraying pesticides or setting out traps, though the thought has crossed everyone's mind in my building to give it a try. Nope, this particular breed of pests just has to be tolerated. Though the infestation does settle down marginally once the summer ends.

I know, as you're reading this, you're probably worried that you might have a similar infestation. Or perhaps there's a chance you could be invaded with hoards of these pests. I have to say, it's possible, but not probable. This particular breed of pest comes depending on where you live, rather than the type of place you live in.

Are you ready for the name of this horrible, annoying soul suckers? Okay, here it is:

tourists

Yes, the breed I'm speaking about are tourists. We happen to live literally right next door to a very hot tourist spot. We get tourist groups congregating right outside our building, people graffiti-ing on the front walls of the business next door (and unbeknownst to them, the 'art' and 'words' get painted over every two months, so their loving tribute isn't actually there for ever and always, I'm sorry to be the one to break the news) and the worst part, stopping traffic. Unfortunately this 'hot spot' aka breeding ground for tourists is right in the middle of a road. And not just any road. A very busy road. A road with lots of traffic. Traffic that likes to honk because people are standing in the middle of the road, trying to recreate that very famous picture that took place in that spot many, many years ago.

Honestly, the tourists didn't bother me so much. I mean, I myself have been a tourist several times and have probably acted inappropriately once or twice. And granted, when we moved here, it was in the off season and there weren't nearly as many, but we thought they were kind of cute. We laughed to each other fairly smugly that we didn't have to pose for pictures, that we crossed that very street everyday, at least twice. We laughed at the earnest tourists and their attempts to cross the busy street. They were like little children, who don't realize how the world works yet. They were cute, and they were endearing, and yeah, we felt like big shots.

However, the summer started and our few tourists grew to several tourists (and when I say several, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say there are at least over a hundred a day). Every day. All day. And the honking of the traffic increased. And the annoyance of the tourists increased. And yeah, in order to maintain our sanity, we don't politely wait for them to finish taking their picture before we cross. No, now we just cross whether they're done or not. We don't want to be rude, it's just that if we stand there, we run the risk of a) being thought of as one of the Invading Ones and b) waiting there all day. That's not an exaggeration, seriously there are that many tourists.

The main problem with the pests isn't that they want to recreate a great picture, heck I'm a fan of the picture and want to recreate it myself someday. But there's a time and place. First of all, since this isn't an actual 'designated tourist' site, there's no type of regulation or instructions. People don't realize when they're at what's called a 'zebra crossing', cars have to stop to let you pass. When there's no light, like in this situation, the pedestrian always, always has the right of way. Well, a good recreation of The Picture doesn't have cars in it. So you get tourists standing there, as if they're waiting to cross, the cars stop, just like they're supposed to, and the tourists just wave their hands trying to encourage the cars to continue driving. That's illegal for the cars to do. And it causes the cars to pile up, honk their horns and all sorts of confusion runs riot.

Sometimes you get people who aren't such purists about whether there are cars in their picture or not and so they'll cross. The problem then is, that they stop in the middle of the road while, trying to get in the 'pose' while they get their picture taken. We seriously saw this happen the other day and there were a good six cars on either side waiting and honking. And the people were just standing there, posed. It was a very ridiculous situation and we didn't blame the cars honking one bit.

So if you're so inclined to become one of these mighty invaders and you know (or figured out from my not so cryptic descriptions) where I'm talking about. Let me give you a few helpful hints. We've already covered that cars have to stop, it's the law. Well, if you're going to take the picture, have your photographer in position and when you're ready, stand next to the road. When the cars stop cross just like you would. It's even okay to take a slightly (note the key word is slightly) slower pace, but always keep moving. If you don't want cars in your picture, either wait it out and cross when there is a slow down in traffic (rare, it's a busy road) or come at a time when there's not much traffic. One time we've found that is really good is Sunday morning. Every morning when we go to church, we leave around 8am, and the road is absolutely empty. Of both cars and tourists. It's the perfect chance to get that 'perfect' picture.

Oh and if you happen to come at the same time as everyone else and you're holding up traffic and your picture gets ruined by someone who crossed while you did carrying toilet paper. Yeah, that's probably me. Or Matt. And you know what? We're not sorry.

Tube Awakening...

Written by Matt:

The famous London underground is symbolic of the city it connects, transporting the millions of inhabitants each day to their various destination points; anywhere from historical sites to sophisticated new age city dwellings and places. For this well travelled tube commuter, here are a few thoughts of life on the tube.

I must admit when I first rode the tube, I was readily impressed with the sublime efficiency on show. Coming from a bedridden public transportation system in Sydney, where late running trains were the standard fare, I found it a novelty that a train came every few minutes. I couldn’t comprehend all the pre travel warnings I had received about the ‘crummy’ tube network. To me, this was public transport manifested in all its glory…one year later…

First thing to change: rushing around. I swear this city makes you walk faster than you’ve ever walked before. None more evident than running for the tube, up and down escalators, through tight squeezes dodging human traffic left, right and centre in an attempt to board a train. Despite knowing full well that there’s another train approaching a few minutes behind (beware those dreaded delays), there’s something highly competitive in the London psyche, that makes you run, grab, hustle and bustle your way on board.

As you step into the tube, newspapers dominate your view. Not one smile to be seen from the heads burrowed within the newspapers, no eye contact, no noticeable human contact despite the tight squeeze you walk/run/waltz/shimmy/squeeze (apply correct scenario) into upon entrance. Everybody seems to be off in their little world absorbing the latest headlines, whilst others are in a zombielike trance listening to their ipods. The balance of serenity is broken as a group of tourists clamber onto the tube bringing with them the enthusiastic loudness one associates with being in a new town. The Londoners casually glance up to see what has interrupted this serene balance and after giving some withering looks, withdraw the collective furrowed brows back into the gossip pages of the London papers. The ipod zombies hardly shift for the enthusiastic group of tourists.

Nothing highlights my tube amusement better than what I term the ‘Imperial march’. This is highly evident on probably one of the most disliked stretches of ‘in between’ station walking paths. I like to call it the ‘Green Park Mile’. You get all types of people here along this stretch. The robotic that go with the flow, where one misstep can cause severe consequences like stepping on someone else’s shoe upsetting the rhythmic synchronisation. I admit to marching with the flow to the music of the Empire’s Imperial March sounding in my head (for those familiar with Star Wars). Somehow it seems to depict the moment very well. You also encounter the ‘eager beavers’ who go against the stream to try and beat the crowds as they duck and weave whilst crossing over to the incoming wave of human traffic. Then you have the slow lane, these are Londoners who know on which side to walk on. And then you have the tourists, who don’t know the right side to walk on and are a constant nuisance to the London locals. Their leisurely pace equates to an increase in ‘eager beavers’.

Next up: personal space, this is where the phrase ‘mind the gap’ truly comes into play. An unwritten rule of tube riding, do not sit next to someone if there are other seats available. Why is this so, I haven’t a clue but on more than one occasion have I witnessed very such people who have moved when one has sat too close to them. Maybe I am not fully converted to the London psyche yet or maybe I just smell bad.

In true Londoner style, after a year of consistent hopping on and off the tube system, I must admit some of my original views have tarnished at a rapid rate. In between the fun and games mentioned above, has been non stop track work, service suspensions and delays stretching for what seems like an eternity (especially in those hot underground passages –where BO is at it’s full brilliance). It’s surprising how ‘Londoner’ one can become in this crazy city! But the glory days still has its moments for the tourist lurking in me, after all, what else can bring a smile and sense of shared amusement to you and your fellow commuters as you board the tube on your journey…..”Welcome to the Piccadilly line, this train goes to Cockfosters…”

Safe travels and see you somewhere on the underground….well not really, what was that newspaper headline?

Grocery Shopping = Giant Expedition

So many people ask about our lives in London. I've heard that things that seem so commonplace to us, are really interesting to those not living here. So fine, I'll give you the most commonplace thing that a person can do, and that's grocery shopping.

See in the states, you can get away with going to the store and doing some major shopping only twice a month, or once a month if you happen to have a big enough car or Costco card. In the UK, things are a wee bit different. First of all, there usually isn't the space to hold a month's worth of food. Especially if you live somewhere like London, where space is a luxury. Our kitchen for example, is literally the size of a phone booth. It's so small that we have to put our toaster on top of the microwave, because there isn't enough counter space. It's so small that our refrigerator is in our living room. Oh yeah. You didn't know it was possible to be white trash and live in the west end of London eh? Well, you can. Although, as Matt points out, he can't be white trash, because he isn't white. I told him that one of the unfortunate things about marrying a white girl from Utah is the fact that he can indeed become white trash by marriage.

Now when I say refrigerator, you're probably thinking of one of those nice big ones that are taller than you are, with huge freezer space and lots of lots of fridge space. Ours isn't quite like that. It's considered full size, for the UK and one of the things we had to negotiate when signing on for this flat. It originally came with what we in the US would refer to as a 'mini-fridge'.

Believe it or not, this tangent brings me back to my original point. Grocery shopping in London. See? You thought I was just rambling, you didn't realize that I could weave the written word so skillfully, shame on you. I keep trying to tell you, you're dealing with a master.

We're lucky in the fact that we actually have a big Sainsbury's fairly close by. It's only about a 1/2 hour walk (which we do on occasion when it's nice out) or a short bus ride. Since we don't have a car, these are basically our only options. And since we don't have a car, we can't load it up with groceries, so we have to carry everything we buy. Getting ready to go shopping requires great preparation on our part. And like getting ready to scale Everest, we have to go through a very detailed check list.

Backpack (one each)? Check.

Eco-friendly Sainsburys bags (three total)? Check

Good walking shoes? Check

Oyster card (for the bus)? Uh...hang on I have to run back to the flat (Matt actually has said this twice), but usually it's: Check.

Comfortable shopping clothes? Check

Flat keys? Check

Wallet? Check

Pound coin? Check

Take no prisoners attitude? Check

Finally we get to the store. Now usually the only day we can do our major shopping on, is Saturday. And shopping at Sainsburys on Saturday is akin to going to Disneyland on 'everyone gets in for free day' it is a zoo. And there isn't much rhyme or reason on how people walk. There's no sticking to a certain side. There's no checking around the corner before you come zooming out. Nope, it's every shopper for themselves. And if you get there too late in the day (or even do it at night, like we did last Saturday), you will find that all the good stuff has been picked over.

Now Matt and I tend to purchase the same kinds of things. We're always on the lookout for the 'buy one get one free' stuff. In fact, if you ever want Matt to buy anything, just make it a 'buy one get one free' and he'll buy it. There are a few times when I've had to convince him that we don't need diapers or wine (okay to be fair, I am exaggerating slightly, but he sure does love a good bargain). Anyway, we have a few set things that we always have on our menu. Like this ravioli type pasta that we always keep on hand for quicker, lighter dinners. Usually we have some chicken, both boneless/skinless and boneful/skinful. Lately, we've been experimenting with our new (to us) slow cooker, so we've been buying some roasts for Sunday dinner. The thing to keep in mind when you're shopping with no car, is how much you can carry. We've been pretty good about keeping an eye on the amount in our cart and make sure we only add the things we definitely need.

Once we've waited in the long queue and finally reach checkout, it's very important on how the items are loaded into the bags and backpack. See, in the UK, you bag your own groceries, which is good, because you really need a system. Usually by the time we actually reach the cashier, the food has already been laid out on the conveyor belt, Matt has a very systematic way as to how each item gets placed on the belt. Cold things with cold things, fragile things away from heavy things etc. That way, when you're bagging, it's already semi-sorted. So out comes the eco-friendly Sainsburys bags and off come the backpacks. Heavier things go in the backpacks, such as potatoes or bags of frozen veg. Or, alternatively, the fragile things can go into the backpack, because it's a little more stable.

Once the bags are packed and properly arranged, its time to return the cart and get your pound coin back. Yup, you have to use a pound to get a cart, you get it back when you're done shopping. We even have a special designated pound that we use each time. Pretty clever, eh?

Anyway, after you're done shopping, it's time to head home. Since we have three eco-friendly Sainsburys bags, my extremely nice husband always takes two of them, while I only have to carry one. Depending on how much we bought, they can be nice and easy to carry, or really heavy.

Upon getting home, we quickly unpack all the items (especially the ice cream like items, due to the melty nature they have when being exposed to less than cold temperatures). Then we fold up our eco-friendly bags, place them in the back room and collapse onto the couch until we have to do it all over again the next week.

So there you have it. Something that is very mundane for us, but oh so exciting for you to read about. Aren't you glad you came to visit this blog today?

Of course you are!

LOTR: Review

Another wet London evening greeted us as Thao & I strode down Drury Lane towards Theatre Royal, a cosy little place off Covent Gardens. Heading up the stairs to our balcony seats, we took up our seats with a view and journeyed to the world of Middle Earth.

Being familiar with the story (through the book and movies) it was no wonder that the performance began right on the dot, taking in the scenic greenery of the Shire and introducing us to the main characters Frodo and his hobbit mates, Gandalf, Aragorn and the other much loved characters from Tolkien's Middle Earth. The stage settings and costuming were very impressive and brought Tolkien's imagination to life, from the warm and friendly shire lands across to the mysteriousy enchanting lands of the elves, the oppressive mines of Moria, the tall forests of the Ents to the darkness and red fire of Mordor. The story moved at a fairly decent pace (quite splendidly done with the ever moving and changing stage floor), with the music and songs blending in nicely, however the complex plotlines left the dialogue a little long winded at times and provided a few flat moments along the way.

The actors delivered a well rounded performance, with Gandalf particularly commanding, and the hobbits displaying enough comic relief to highlight their laidback nature to offset the stoic energy brought by Frodo and Samwise. The dramatic dark forces of Sauron were brought to life, with the dark horseriders particularly impressive, casting shadows of dark menace over the fellowship's journey. The elven costuming was also particularly impressive, from the mysterious and beautiful Galadriel to the elegant Arwen, and filled the stage with wonder as dancers moved across the skyline floating above the stage area performing artistic gymnasts moves to the enchanting elven melodies. A dash of romance was also musically provided via the love shared by Arwen & Aragorn. The introduction of Gollum added a sinister, pyschological edge to the production and the appearance of Shelob added terror to the night. Sadly the lands of men weren't as well represented with the constant dialogue, whilst moving the story along, left the stage devoid of atmosphere until the appearance of orcs quickened the pace again.

Overall, despite the length (at 3 1/4 hours) and noticeable lack of air conditioning, it was an enjoyable performance with wonderful costuming and staging which swept us away to Middle Earth on our journey there and back again!

3/5 *

Life In London...

Frequently Matt and I get oohs and aahs from our friends and (sometime) family members back home about how great it is that we live in London. It became very evident when we were in Utah before we got married. Several times people have commented on how lucky we are to be living in London. And I admit, when an old friend contacts me on Facebook, and we go through the process of updating each other on the happenings in our lives, I do get a little bit of satisfaction when I say I live in London. Because, it does sound pretty exotic and exciting. And to be honest, I was the exact same way, not too many years ago. Maybe it's the 'grass is greener syndrome' but I longed for something different than where I was. Not saying that everyone who comments about how cool it is to live here feels that way, that's just where I was. Also add to that the fact that I'm married to an Aussie, who happens to also be Asian (we call him Austraisan), the comments increase to how fun it is to hear that great accent every day to how cute our mixed race kids are going to be. All things I completely agree with, by the way. Unfortunately, he doesn't get the same reaction to our friends about my accent...American accents just aren't coveted! Ah well, we all have our trials and tribulations.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is on paper, our life does sound pretty exotic and exciting. London is the hub of Europe. It is close to fly to so many neat places. And you can't beat the history of this city. But quite often, the reality is that it's not really that different from where you live. I know what you're thinking now, "Wow, Kate has written this post directly for me, how did she know I'd be reading it? Is she psychic or just a darn good writer?" Well my friend, it's a little bit of both.

Anyway...back to the subject at hand...life in London certainly has it's perks. But it's also got its drawbacks. Like the weather. It rains here. A lot. In fact, it's raining right now as I'm typing this. It's summer, yet I still feel the need to leave the house with a light jacket in tow. The rent we pay for our two tiny two bedroom flat would get us a really nice place in the states. A place where such luxuries aren't just dreams. Luxuries like having a washer that doesn't take an hour (on quickwash) and holds more than five items of clothing. Luxuries like having a dryer. No more hanging clothes on the wire hanger thingy in our spare room. And it would be really, really nice to be able to have our refrigerator actually in the kitchen. No more sticking it in the corner of the living room. And someday it would be nice to have a bathtub again. Or a shower that is big enough to turn around completely in. And don't get me started about the water pressure!

People also mention how great it is that we don't have to worry about a car. Which, I admit, is a nice thing to not have to worry about, especially with gas prices being what they are. But what people forget is that we have to deal with public transport. Which, to be honest, is really good in London. But it does have his drawbacks. Sometimes it's really smelly. And full. And you have to stand in unbearable heat (because of course you have your layers on, because it's so cold outside). And if you happen to be on the tube, it can stop without any reason or warning. Sometimes for a long amount of time. And if you're one of the unlucky ones without a book or a paper or an iPod on you, it can be torture. And there's nothing you can do about it. Especially if you have to pee. Plus, going grocery shopping without a car is not fun, especially if you have a large load. In fact, I think our method of going grocery shopping (not unlike preparing to scale Mt. Everest) is worthy of a blog post all on its own.

My point of this post isn't to complain about what a tough life I have. I realize I don't. The intent isn't to downplay life in London. It's really a great place to live. It's got museums, theaters, and pretty much anything you want, culturally speaking. In fact, Matt and I have realized that we don't take as much advantage of what London has to offer.

My point is, if you're going to envy us, don't do it because of where we live. Envy us because of our dashing, movie star good looks, or our incredible talents in all things related to sarcasm and wit. Or our abilities to find great deals from Sainsburys or Tesco. But unless you take all things into consideration, don't envy us just for living in London.

Our lives are pretty normal and mundane, we go to work, come home, watch TV and occasionally we go to a movie. See? Not too different than where you live.

"Again she's writing straight to me!" you think "I'm the luckiest person alive!"

Now you think, "how does she know exactly what I'm thinking?"

I just do.

I just do.

Welcome

This will be a blog written by Kate and Matt for our friends and family to keep updated on our happenings as we explore life as a newly married couple living in the Big Smoke (London for the non slang savvy).

Keep checking back, we're committed to updating this thing regularly.