It's the Weekend!

Hi my friends!

It's the weekend again! Thank goodness. After what seemed like a long week, I was so happy to sleep in this morning! The sun is shining, so I'm anxious to get outside and enjoy the day. But I wanted to write a little something...

All week I have been feeling a complete lack of creativity...which is driving me nuts! Not only have I been stressed about what to post on here for you, my dear friends...but I've been tasked with coming up with several presentations at work. Pressure! And I love public speaking, but for some reason - my brain was not helping me out this week! So, rather than fear the blank page...I'm just going to start writing. Something will come out of my rambling notes, right? Well, I hold out hope... (new goal...again!)

This week has provided lots of inspiration, despite my ability to use it. A new friend, Michaela, had a gig on Wednesday night at the infamous Madame JoJo's. It's one thing to get in front of colleagues or peers and give a presentation. But I can't imagine singing! And Michaela not only sings, but she writes her own music, too... Talk about opening up your heart on stage?! She was amazing! I was so impressed. Check out her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/thisismichaela

Well, I hope you are all having a fabulous day! I'm out to enjoy the sunshine! :)

xoxo

Officially Calling Myself a Nerd

I came across this video while doing some honest-to-goodness research for a presentation at work.

Who really has the time to do this:



Here's what the culprit had to say for his production:
Please note no effects or sampling was used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
- Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
- Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
- 8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
- 3.5 inch Harddrive as the gong
- HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals.
Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice. I tried to buy 4 HP scanners but for some reason sellers on E-Bay expect you to pay $80-$100, I got mine for $30.

(originally found at: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/)

Hope you're having a fab day - and remember, everything matters to me!! :)

A Couple Firsts

So, last night was my first "official" home cooked meal night in the new flat! Exciting times, right? After a month of eating soup and sandwiches...this is a pretty big deal!

After a couple trips around town to various shops and venues, I have finally collected the bare minimum supplies required to cook (not just microwave) a meal. Keep in mind, I have to carry everything around...so no Super Shopping Trips for me. If I can't carry it in a hand basket, I can't carry it home...so that makes for multiple trips and small pieces! FYI - I am now the proud own of not 1 but 2 pots (!), 2 spatulas, and a can opener! Still working on getting saute pans and some other appliances... All in due time...

Now I recognize that this was no gourmet meal...a meager pasta and tomato sauce with meatballs...but I considered it quite a feat! And I now know how to use my oven without burning the house down...something I'm sure my neighbors would love to know, but I'm rather glad they don't!

So, the other "first" was a walk in the pouring rain to the train station this morning. I've made it a month exactly without a rainy commute! It's been misty, but this was just downright rain today. I was a trooper, though. Slick red raincoat and Nicole Miller umbrella and I was off to the train, although not quite singing...more listening to my iPod. :)

I only wish I looked this good walking in the rain....

(photo: Rain with Love by =widjita)

J'aime Barcelona!

Ok...so that's French...but my Spanish did not improve this weekend. But God, do I love the city of Barcelona! It's absolutely beautiful. The weather was awful...but even with cold rain every day - I had a blast (sangria probably helps!).

Here are few snapshots from my weekend there with Amy Chason. Muy beuno!

(Mom is always there for me, whether or not even she knows it!)

(On the mosaic terrace of Parc Güell, created by Gaudi - Barcelona's favorite son.)

(Enjoying a frozen margarita shot...Like my new friend behind me? Creepy!)

(Barcelona has an Arc de Triomphe as well!)

(Amy and I are done with the rain and are enjoying the city from above in the Telefèric de Montjuïc Gondolas.)

A quick update

So, I caught the coolest show last night on the BBC. Okay, maybe cool isn't the best word...but I loved it! It's called The Speaker. Teenagers from around the UK audition to be the best public speaker. Check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/speaker/

I mean, I'm not knocking American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and the rest of those shows...they are great! Singers and performers are important...but what about showcasing the importance of public speaking skills and well-thought out & logical speeches? The next generation (gosh, I sound old!) needs polished, professional, intelligent leaders. What a great start!! Ok, so public speaking is something I'm passionate about...but I won't get on my soap box!

I'll just say this...my favorite line from last night's episode: "The geek shall inherit the earth."

Well, I'm off today to Barcelona for the Easter weekend. Very excited! I promise to take lots of pictures and post them for your viewing pleasure!

Happy Easter!

Family Ties and SSPU

Mom and Aunt Dorothy are coming to visit me! The revolving door at my flat has begun!

Actually (thankfully) they are staying in a hotel. My place, as I’ve mentioned before, is charming...but 3 Armstrong women under one little roof is a mess! Plus, what I call charming, Mom will call old, dingy and small.

Semantics.

In addition to having the ladies visit, I’m THRILLED that Silversun Pickups are playing in London this weekend. I missed them in Charleston 2 years ago and have been kicking myself ever since. It’s funny – they are too big for Charleston, yet they are opening for some band I’ve never heard of here. Must be a different continent thing...

If you haven’t heard of Silversun Pickups...don’t tell me...just download these songs and fall in love: Common Reactor, Lazy Eye, and Well Thought Out Twinkles.

(http://www.silversunpickups.com/)

Anyway, they are playing at some place called KoKo on Friday. I’ll just have to tuck Mom and Aunt D in bed early and head out. Not going to let this opportunity pass me again.

SO EXCITED!

I've got my Eye on you...

This past weekend, in addition to moving into the new digs, my dearest Jordan came down to welcome me to London. She’s been living in Dublin for the last few years. It was hard when she was so far away, but now we’re so close!! She was a Godsend this weekend...my little packmule. Helped me get situated in the new flat and taught me how to use a gas stove. Bless her...

As a treat, she welcomed me to London with a Champagne Tour on the London Eye.

I highly recommend doing the Champagne Tour if you’re going to do the London Eye. It’s a short ride, but having the champagne toast on top of the city is amazing. Yes, we did look a little like a recently engaged lesbian couple (“She’s quite a catch!”), but no matter...the views are worth it.

And who says no to bubbly?

I'm Sorry...

...I totally suck at writing a blog! I realize this and will try to be better in the future. Thank you for your patience with my fledgling attempt at being creative and tech savvy...

I’m sitting in my new flat (yay!) waiting on Fedex to arrive with my boxes from the US. Very excited, although I’m looking around this place now wondering how on earth I’m going to store everything. Yikes! I definitely had rose-colored glasses on when I was looking at apartments. Now that I’ve actually spent a few nights here, I can see some glaringly obvious oversights on my part. For one, there is only 1 closet!! How did I miss that?!? It was even something I noticed in other places as good/bad/whatever. So, how did I miss it this time? I’ll tell you...

The charm in this place is intoxicating. There are pretty little touches like beautiful stain glass windows in the kitchen and bathroom. There are fireplaces in the living room and in my bedroom. The natural wood frames of the doors and windows make a nice contrast to the whitewashed walls. It’s charming, plain and simple...

But it still doesn’t help me find a place for my clothes!

Once the boxes arrive, I’m off to search for storage. Here are some shots of the “charming bits” of the flat. More to come soon...

(They really use keys that look like this!)

(My tiny kitchen...good thing I'm not a gourmet chef!)

(Pretty blue stained glass in the bathroom)

(My bedroom window)

(My bedroom so far...and yes, I have a teddy bear!)

View from a Window

So, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about leaving my "temporary apartment" on Saturday. I've only recently discovered the gems of Borough...namely Borough Market!...and it is sad to think that this eclectic little area will be several Tube stops away from my new home.

Now, I'm still VERY excited about my new place...and I know Putney will have gems of her own for me to discover, but still...with views like this, what can I say?

(clear as a bell)

(garden delight!)

(watching the clouds roll in over the London Eye)

(all's quiet - the London Eye is bright against the dark sky)

I LOVE Borough Market!

Borough Market is a bountiful open-air market near the South Bank. It's colorful, great for people-watching, perfect for grabbing a snack, or even doing your weekly grocery shopping. Everything is here: produce, fish, beef, chicken, sausages, pastries, flowers...you name it and you're likely to find it there.

Now, this place isn't for those who don't like crowds. Because the market is only open 3 days of the week - people flock here in droves, locals and tourists alike. And because today was (yet again) a lovely sunshiney day, I imagine it was filled to the brim.

Here are a few of my photos from today. (Wish I'd taken more but I'm one of those people who don't like crowds, so my patience was limited...)

(my first stop)

(gorgeous fruits and veggies)

(preserves and spreads)

(a pretty flower shop just outside the market)

(this is Southwark Cathedral...very beautiful)

(a view across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral)

Rude Awakenings

Woke up this morning only to discover the water in my building has been turned off!?! What?!?

Thankfully, I had a bottled water in the fridge and could at least brush my teeth. So, I then decided to pop down to the little convenience store downstairs and get some breakfast. Imagine my delight to find they carry Diet Cherry Coke!! (I know - healthy breakfast...but I was swayed because DCC can be hard to find in the grocery stores back home and thought I was in for such a treat!) I picked up a few other little items for the week and rushed back up here to write this entry and enjoy my precious drink. Yep...it's not the same. It's not at all the same sweet deliciousness as back home. In fact, it stinks!

One pleasant surprise (and believe me, I had my doubts) was that hummus, or houmous as they spell it here, is great!

So, no banking progress as of yet...but I'm taking my stinky, no shower self off to explore Borough Market today. V. excited! :)

A New Start

The Search is Over!

I found a place to live! Hooray!

I found the most charming little apartment in an area called Putney. It’s in a great little residential neighbourhood and even has a sweet little garden in the back. So, move in date will be next weekend...which is great for me. Plus, it’ll be just in time for the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge, apparently a big party along the river towns. And, of course, my sweet friend Jordan's visit will be just in time to help me get settled!

Now, this wasn't necessarily the easiest thing to do. Let me give you a brief overview. The place I thought was picture perfect – wasn’t. It was in a great location and did have some charming features (brick fireplace in the living room was nice)...but it just didn’t feel right. So, I put foot to pavement and walked all over town Friday & Saturday. I swear I must have seen 40 + apartments, some were good but some were just awful! (The kicker was an apartment in a nice area which was literally the size of a shoebox! I was shocked considering the neighbourhood and the rental price. But even the cute guy living across the hall couldn’t persuade me to take the shoebox!)

So, now on to tackle the next challenge - opening a bank account!