Jamie and Lori Visit!

So, my aunt works for one of those companies that every now and then rewards their top sales people with cruises. My aunt is a total all-star so, no big surprise, she won the cruise this year - a Mediterranean tour, if I recall, for her and a guest. Obviously, my uncle was her guest and decided to make it a twofer: prior to embarking on the Mediterranean company cruise, they opted to first go on a cruise of their own choosing going around Northern Europe (Russia, Finland, Sweden, etc). Want to take a wild guess where they spent the three days between the two cruises?

LONDON!

My Uncle Jamie and Aunt Lori...obviously not in London, LOL.

They came to visit me and I was totally, completely psyched out!

SUNDAY. They arrived, coming in on a British Airways flight to Heathrow. I met them outside their hotel (which, FYI, could have used a bigger sign or...something to help it stand out from its surroundings - I actually missed it twice) just off of Bond Street. We walked from there up to Trafalgar Square and back again, chatting and catching up, while I pointed out some of the more spectacular sights and some of my favourite haunts and then we grabbed supper at Bella Italia. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it was to see them, to have that little taste of home brought to me. I felt the urge to pinch myself a couple times just to be sure they were really, truly there. Turns out, yup, they really were - how cool is that?

MONDAY. I had to work so the plan was to meet up with Jamie and Lori afterwards outside of Ripley's Believe It or Not. I just had to text them when I finished work to be confirm the plan. So, naturally, on my way to work Mr. Hip locked, I fell, the phone went flying and, presto! I ended up with my cellphone's screen shattered. And for those of you playing at home, that would be my smartphone with a touch screen which, obviously, no longer functioned with its screen turned into one giant spider web. Needless to say I had to rush from work to the nearest cellphone seller (in this case Carphone Warehouse) and buy a new one. This time with an insurance plan to cover it should it be dropped again. Grr.

Went on to Piccadilly Circus. Lori texted to let me know they'd relocated to a coffee shop across from the Ripley's gift shop. You know what's almost impossible to find if you don't already know where it is? Ripley's  had to ask the Ripley's guide hanging out in their lobby for directions. We went to a pub off of Leicester Square for supper - Bear & Staff - and caught up on their day.

TUESDAY. This time around we met up along the Thames, right by the National Theatre which proved a nice bit of luck with where my bus dropped me. Jamie and Lori had done oodles of walking that day so it was good that the restaurant - Nando's - was just a bit further up the Thames. Afterward we took the Tube back closer to their hotel and walked the rest of the way. I got presents, which is always nice (snowglobe, doll-like knicknack, Finland socks, two pairs of shorts and a jean skirt). They flew out the next morning so parting that night was beyond bittersweet. I was so totally homesick afterwards but I wouldn't have traded those three days for anything! My only regret is that I had to work and couldn't have had the whole day with them.

Christmas (and my trip home) cannot come too soon!

iDay and House Hunting

So, iDay was a dud. Or, to put it another way, I went, I saw, I did not conquer. Sniffle.

I arrived at the Institute of Education (it's over by Russel Square) at 8.40 Monday morning after spending 20 minutes playing lost and found in the surrounding area. Because I'm that kind of awesome. I interviewed with four of the five schools I was scheduled for, the fifth having filled its positions earlier in the day. The interviews themselves went well but, alas, I did not seem to be what they were looking for. Got to love coming in second. A lot. At least I still have my GPS so, you know, silver lining and all that.

How did the interviews work exactly? Well, essentially I sat in a room with other teachers waiting for consultants to come find me and direct me to the little cubbies where the school reps were interviewing. The interviews were pretty basic - strengths, weaknesses, opinions, processes, etc. - and went pretty well in and of themselves. We were served lunch (salad bar and buns with a choice of lasagna or some kind of vegetarian stew, steamed veggies and potatoes), which was pretty awesome, and I'll be paid for the day so, all-in-all, not to bad a day just disappointing results.

*sigh*

Friday night, Christa stayed the night. We ordered Chinese and watched Kindergarten Cop. On Saturday, we went house hunting. We had three appointments set up, all in the Wembley area since the prices are a mite cheaper up there.

#1 - Wembley Central
We had to go back three times because the landlady was a bit of a flake. Finally got inside to see it was caught in the middle of construction and, oh yeah, the two rooms she was advertising? They were in different houses. FAIL.

#2 - Wembley Park
It was on top of the world's steepest hill so right there I was not a fan. The house itself was something of a slum with tape on the windows, dirt and grim on every surface, stains on the beds I'd rather not think about and...well, I'd prefer just to forget the entire viewing. *shudder* I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to learn there were rats nesting in the walls. I exaggerate nothing. FAIL.

#3 - Alperton (pictured above)
You know what they say about third time being the charm? Turns out it's true. The location was great - within walking distance to both the Piccadilly and Central lines, close to a Sainsbury's superstore and around the corner to several good bus routes. The house was clean, spacious, and nicely decorated. The landlady was friendly and understanding. And perhaps the best point of all? It had two bedrooms available and one was downstairs. WIN!

We signed a 6 month lease that can be cancelled anytime thereafter, made £400 deposits each, and need only to pay first month's rent before moving in next weekend and we're set.

My new room (just because I can):

Yup, that's a sink, boys and girls. And that window? It's a bay window. I've always wanted to have one of those! Also, the bed clothes are included and I think the drapes are just kind of random. As you can see below, there are a bunch of seating options AND a desk and OMFG I HAVE SHELVES! I'm totally counting this as an improvement in accommodation. Oh! Oh! OH! And you know what else? It's £50 cheaper a month than my current place with all the bills included save for the electric/gas bill which comes quarterly. 

Talk about your good news, bad news weeks!

Old Friends

Had a pretty great week, let me just say that right off the bat.

On Monday I was sent to one of not-so-favourite schools. Remember my second day when I went to that school out in the far off at the end of the tube line? Where the bus took forever to pop up and when I finally reached the school it was a disorganized mess with a rude secretary? Guess where I got to go again! *sigh* I was in a different class - year one this time - and the munchkins were fantastic but the organization was still a disaster and the commute was still a pain in the butt.

The rest of my week, however, was spent at that pretty awesome Catholic school I've mentioned before. All four days were with the same year four class - although Wednesday afternoon I did PPA coverage in Year One and Year Two. Thursday I had Monday's iDay confirmed and got a random call from Moynul checking to be sure I was still alive, LOL. Friday was awesome. The kiddies watched Hop in the afternoon so that was nice and easy. I got the list of schools I'll be interviewing for on Monday and they all seem pretty cool; I've even supplied at one of them before.

Friday night I went out with Nicole. As in Nicole-I-went-to-CEGEP-with Nicole. She's doing a stint as a docent at one of the WWII museums in France. I can't remember where exactly, but it's one the beaches for sure. Anyways, she'd taken advantage of her recent vacation time to hop the Channel and visit Jolly Old England. Friday night we met up and it was like the years since we last saw each other never happened. Very cool.

We went to Shepherd's Bush and saw Now You See Me - which had a truly surprising twist that made the whole thing awesome squared. We then grabbed lunch at Spaghetti House over in Westfield Mall and end the night by walking back to Turnham Green. On Saturday we met up again and did the whole tourist thing. We checked out the British Museum, then wandered around the Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square area checking out all the sights. We were planning on seeing a show, but everything was pretty much sold out - including The Globe and The Lion King. We ended up seeing Despicable Me 2 at The Empire in Leceister Square. It was very cool.

Today I went over to Christa's to use her printer and put my portfolio together. I've been working on some lesson plans for awhile now so it was nice to finally get them out on paper. I'm beyond excited and nervous for tomorrow. Cross your fingers and wish me luck, peeps!

Married!

Well, not me (that I know of, at least) - but my cousin Curtis. Yup, that's right - my cousin Curtis, a guy I used to all "Pizza Head" and who taught me how to throw a baseball, who is a whole seventeen months older than me (not a year - SEVENTEEN months) got married, tied the noted, was joined in matrimony, walked down the aisle, dropped anchor, got hitched, became one with another, was pronounced man and wife, wed - whatever your idiom, ladies and gents, as of yesterday that boy is MARRIED! 

And I missed it!

Stupid ocean. I only have 4 cousins, 2 siblings, 2 BFFs, and 3 friends - that's not a lot of potential weddings to look forward to and I missed one! Oh, the prices we pay to follow our dreams. 

I mean, heck, LOOK at what I missed out on:

So, this is Curt and his bride, Allison. I've never met Allison, but from everything I've heard and from all that I've gathered, she's a truly wonderful woman. I mean, call me biased, but that's rather a given seeing as how my cousin loves her, but she holds up well to expectation, or so my mom and sister report. Totally bummed I haven't met her but looking forward to one day doing so.

Here's Curt with his parents - my aunt Juanita and my uncle Kris (Juanita, if you're wondering, is my mom's sister). Doesn't my aunt look adorable? I love the colour of her dress - it matches her colouring well and the style suits her body type perfectly. And look at my uncle being all squinty eyed. Isn't it sad how age can affect the vision? If he's not careful he's going to end up with trench lines around his sockets. LOL - I kid. I've just got a tad of residual wrath going on from him hanging my stuffed Mickey Mouse by his neck from the ceiling fan last time I visited. "Suicide" my foot. Grr.

This is Curt and his sister, Janna. Isn't her dress just beyond adorable? Not just the layered skirt and sweetheart neckline, but that cute-squared pink colour - it's just the perfect storm of cuteness, especially with her skin tone! I'm also beyond impressed by her Queen Amidala hairstyle.

This is my brother, JR. He's holding the rings. Why is he holding the rings? Curt and Allison's ceremony included a ring warming. What the heck is a ring warming? Well, during a ring warming, the couple’s wedding rings are passed among their guests, who are asked to say a prayer, blessing, or make a special wish for the couple over the rings while holding them.  This intimate exchange is meant to inject all of the loving energy of the couple’s friends and family into the rings that they’ll be wearing for a lifetime. And JR was the one who collected the rings at the end and brought them to the couple.

Here's the happy couple with the groom's family. Let's see how well I can do this, shall we? So, obviously my aunt Juanita is sitting on the left arm of the couch, my cousin Janna on the right arm. Seated in the chair on the left is my uncle Kris, in the chair on the right is his mother (Curt's grandmother) Daphne. 

Behind my uncle Kris: my cousin Jess (in black), my cousin Jenn (in red), my sister Bunnie (the red-head), her boyfriend Steve, my mom Ramona (in blue behind my aunt), Kris' brother Bud (white shirt), I have no idea who that is in the black dress but my brother JR in in blue behind Curt and Alley and in the back behind JR in the suit is my uncle Grego. And there ends the extent of my identification abilities. Half the crowd...ish...so go me!

Here's hoping for a long and happy ever after for decades to come!

Checking in and Superman

Last couple of weeks have been pretty uneventful. Worked everyday, lots of days being at Gayhurst and Three Bridges being a close second. Also on the work front, I was accepted for iDay (an interview day hosted by Engage - basically schools come together to interview several teachers at once to fill what job openings they have) on the 18th. It was supposed to happen on Monday but apparently there weren't any suitable positions so I've been pushed to July 8th.

In regards to my social life, Christa came over for movie viewing last Saturday and this weekend I went to see Man of Steel. It was awesome...for a Superman movie. I loved seeing all the little Easte Eggs - like Superman and Zod flinging each other through a Lex Corp oil truck and flying past a Wayne Enterprises satellite dish. I also like how they fixed one of my biggest Superman pet peeves (hint: has to do with Lois). Didn't hurt that Henry Cavill was yummy as all get-out. I especially liked how they fixed the story-telling issue that hampered Batman Begins; instead of a slow build up from the beginning up towards the advent of the hero, Man of Steel staggers their info-dump through flashbacks. Oh, and Kevin Costner and Russel Crowe totally rocked as Papa Kent and Jor-El, respectively. Overall, nicely played, Mr. Snyder, nicely played.

Mom and JR have headed down to Moncton for my cousin's impending nuptuals. He's get married next Saturday but my mom and JR are heading down earlier for a visit and to help with the preparations. Wish I could there too!

Jeeves and the British Museum

Met up with Jeeves this morning for breakfast. We went to Garfunkel's. Thought a second try would tell me for sure if I liked it or not. Turns out I don't. Bright side, got lots of catching up time with Jeeves which is always a hoot.

Afterwards, he headed off to meet up with friends in Richmond and I went to check out the British Museum. Again. Had to convince them to open their Alexander the Great exhibit. First time I came around, it was closed. I just couldn't miss it a second time! Luckily an understanding security guard helped me out and in I skipped. Still haven't found the Magna Carta. I know it's in there somewhere...I just haven't come across it. Yet.

I've seen the Rosetta Stone.

I've seen the bust of Alexander the Great.

I've seen several statues of Aphrodite and her fellow gods and goddesses. Not to mention any nymph, grace, monster, sphinx, animal, or scenes mentioned in an ancient myth, poem, play, or story.

I've seen the Egyptian Book of the Dead (or one of them anyway).

I've seen mummies (and sarcophagi, of course).

I've seen skeletons (it's all about method of internment, apparently, and it seems it was better to leave them in the sand than to put to them in a box...who knew?).

I've seen oodles of statues depicting one pharaoh or another (below is Amenhotep III,  but Ramses II is pretty popular too).

But no Magna Carta. Yet. I will one day though...mark my words.

Know what I DID find, though? Afterwards, when I left the museum and was making my way to the bus, well any bus really, I ducked into a - what does the rest of the world call a depenneur? - and came away with this beauty:

My weekend is complete.

Half Term Break

Half term break means another week off. By some miracle, however, I had five days of work the week before, despite GPS being void.

Mini drama alert: So, on the Tuesday, I was booked for two days at this school in year two. At the end of the day, consultant calls to let me know that he's booked for the following day. When I told him it was already booked by another consultant, he told me that assignment had been cancelled because apparently I didn't show good control and hadn't done any marking. Um, yeah...except that I was at the school until 5 marking, all the students had completed all their work, and the only hiccup in the day was when no one told me my phonics group happened outside the classroom. To say I was peeved is an understatement of gross proportions. Fortunately, I got booked right away for both Wednesday and Thursday but it was still beyond aggravating.

Anyways, this week my roommates were all off and away on trips so I had the house to myself. Nothing much happened - I saw some movies, browsed the internet, worked on my writing and such, did some reading, pretty much same old. On Thursday, Christa and I went around Ealing Broadway registering at all the letting agencies. At the end of the day, we looked at the fees involved, the costs, our budgets, and ultimately decided that finding two rooms in the same house to rent would be better suited to our needs. And, hey, who doesn't love all inclusive rent?

Writing the day off as a learning experience.

Friday I began my day by running to the post office and retreiving my Dr Seuss Baker's Dozen collection. Because, naturally, despite my being home 90% of the week, the mailman came while I was out with Christa at the letting agencies. Clearly, our feud goes on. Sigh. Afterwards, Christa and I went to the Super Cuts located near the Shepherd's Bush station. I got my hair trimmed and some red highlights tossed in. Christa got a wash, a trim, and a dry. As a thank you for putting up with me, I bought Christa lunch...or possibly supper, I forget...at the Spaghetti House in Westfields mall.

Saturday...Saturday I embarked on a super secret mission I will no doubt mention later - MUCH later - so we'll revisit it again then. Suffice to say it was time consuming, exhausting, and border-line crazy. The things you do for love.

Today, naturally, I didn't work so I headed off bus hopping instead. Ended up at Piccadilly Circle where I grabbed lunch at Pizza Hut - their Happy Hour special where you get a drink, a side, and a pizza for £7.

As always, I can't wait to get back into the trenches. Going a bit stir crazy. Plus, you know, there was no Paris this time around to take the edge off, LOL.