all moved into my new flat :)
Yes, I'm all moved in - drove a standard shift
Honda Civic with my old flatmate Lou & her boyfriend Jeremy & we filled the car up with ALL my stuff in just
one trip!!! Used the car to go to the Tesco's superstore to get all the essentials - sugar, tea, oil, milk, noodles, salt, pepper, loo roll, kitchen roll, cereal, yoghurt, cheese, soap, shampoo, shower wash, sponges, a duvet & new pillows (as mine where from Dad's friend Patrick's house but they were probably 20 years old & rather ratty). Came down to Marble Arch (where Lou & J live) to have dinner & pick up my laptop, but now so knackered that I'm going to kip on their couch & return to Muswell Hill in the morning.
Labels: moving
TGIF & flatmates
Still trying to figure out the hiring of a car for tomorrow, but I did meet my flatmate Estee last night - she's 31, born & raised in London but of Iranian & Jewish decent. She is super great. She's trained as a behavioral therapist & currently working with youths in the Mill Hill area who are "at risk" trying to teach them basic life skills. To pick up extra work she does modeling/TV acting work (not big parts, more just extras on sets etc).
I also got to meet her cousin Stephen who lives near Jim & Rob (just up the road about 5 minutes) he's about 27 & really cool as well. His training is in chemistry, but he's currently working for a company that sells spinal implants.
The three of us had dinner together at our new place - chatting about this and that & then went out for pudding (aka dessert) in Crouch End so I could see that section of London, as I'd never been there.
I will meet the rest of the girls on the weekend. I know Julia is 24, Italian & a student who works on the weekends, but aside from that I don't know any more details.
Okay off to lab meeting . . .
10.20 update: just booked a Honda Accord for tomorrow's adventures in moving :)
11.05 update: freezer is cleared of all things pre-Debbie Smith (whoever she is) so now I have my own shelf in the -20C freezer :) times like this I truly miss Trudeau where I use to have my own -70C freezer & shared spaced solely with Paula in the pre-PCR freezer or "woody" up in Larry's lab, but I'll get use to my tight quarters with time, I do have half a lab bench which is more than most of the malaria techs can say, so I'm happy about that!
14.06 update: had a tuna sandwich on a brown roll with salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber) for £1, how awesome is that?!??!?!?! I don't have much else exciting to report, just been reading, ordering some stuff & chatting with Gareth & Claire about their lack of jobs. I've just been thinking about what type of telly & reading lamp I want to purchase for my new place.
Labels: flatmates
More about ME
Taken from
Shannon's blog:
1.
WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR KITCHEN PLATES? In the US they are white with 3 thin lines around the edge in yellow, pale green & blue. In the UK I have ones with a flower border which I'm going to add to my new house's collection which are white with black squiggles on the edges.
2.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? London by Edward Rutherford (it's ruddy long & I only read it on the tube ride in), a book my sis gave me which is awesome, an of course the ever faithful Immunobiology (I read it cover to cover last year but now I'm finding myself referring to it a lot again).
3.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? At home, nothing, I have a track pad & here at work I don't have one either, just use the beautiful wood desk top.
4.
FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Life, Clue and Monopoly.
5.
LEAST FAVORITE SMELL(S)? Bad body odor!
6.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IN THE MORNING? Should I walk to the bus or tube station to get into work today.
7.
FAVORITE COLOR: purple, blue & black
8.
LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: orange
9.
HOW MANY RINGS UNTIL YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? don't have rings, it's a song & depends on who it is ;)
10.
FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? No clue, I have a tough time helping my mom pick out dog names and as some of you know Rifkin Alexander took awhile to put together, but I think well worth the wait.
11.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate.
12.
DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST? Totally depends on my mood & where I am - beautiful windy roads in VT I like to go slowly & enjoy the scenery!! But yes, I have been known to drive fast at times.
13.
DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Nope
14.
DO YOU LIKE THUNDERSTORMS? Yes, love em, wish we had more in London
15.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? A 1989 Mercury Sable, well I was allowed to share it with dad, my first car purchase was a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder, man I LOVED that one!!!
16.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE? Can I get back to you on that one once I figure it out for sure? Interestingly 2 of my mates have said being a parent, so maybe that's it & in that case I won't know for awhile.
17.
DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI? I eat all of the broccoli.
18.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT WOULD IT BE? I want to be doctor, if I didn't freak out & feel like passing out whenever I saw human blood, second choice would be a vet, but again mass amounts of uncontrolled blood is not my thing, so I'm sticking with research for the time being.
19.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOR HAIR WHAT WOULD IT BE? I like being blond, but I have always wanted to try red & brown, but too much of a wimp to dye it.
20.
IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? Half Full and I’ll fill it up more (ditto SM).
21.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? The Notebook and Million Dollar Baby.
22.
DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? Yes, yes I do, I'm still amazed at how many people don't.
23.
WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? I don't yet have a bed of my own, but tomorrow night I will & under that bed is bugger all as I just moved it last night & the wooden floor was clean baby!!! (for the time being that is)
24.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 7 (interesting fact about fav #s, my grandfather's was 5, my dad's is 6 and I'm 7 . . . how weird is that?!?!?!?)
25.
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? hockey & American football, but we rarely get that here in the UK, so I'm turning to rugby & football (soccer)
26.
YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST INTENSE PAIN? The car ride home from the hospital after knee surgery & then the torture of getting up the stairs - I thought I was going to die!
27.
KETCHUP OR MUSTARD? tomato ketchup, and yes there are other types of ketchup!
28.
HAMBURGER OR HOT DOG? hamburger off a charcoal grill or a hot dog with Michigan sauce.
29.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? fall & summer
30.
THE BEST PLACE(S) YOU HAVE EVER BEEN? Costa Rica was the best yet
31.
WHAT SCREEN SAVER IS ON YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW? A rotating slide show of pictures that I have.
32.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAST FOOD? I guess fries, but every once in awhile I crave KFC or Taco Bell.
33.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Jeanne's in Wallingford for their blueberry pancakes on Saturday or Sunday mornings, Despo's in Lake Placid for the spinach burrito or Caribbean Cowboy in LP, Ahloo Abbi's on Edgeware Rd for Lebanese food & a hand full of curry houses spotted around Brick Lane in London.
34.
FAVORITE THING TO SHOP FOR? Other people or myself as long as the store isn't too crowded & I'm not desperately looking for something in particular.
35.
ANY WORDS OF ADVICE? Follow your heart & the rest will fall into place - easier said than done for sure!
Labels: me
pay day
So I've already been paid for my first week of work :) I have to go & pick up the pay check in a few minutes but I'm ruddy excited since this is the first time I will actually be getting paid in nearly 2 years - I'm sure my family (and friends) are very happy because I won't be asking to borrow money or saying, "no I can't afford to do that" (as often). Course Jim laughed when he saw my pay slip while I was dancing around the room in excitement of getting paid, I didn't care about the amount - lol!!! I also pointed out that his paycheck is much higher than mine due primarily to the overtime he puts in, I don't get overtime, while he gets TONS of it, mainly by choice, so he can't complain at all, but does cause we all know boys are whiners ;)
My mum sent me cute photos from last week when my sis went to visit her, if I get my act together I will try to save a few to this computer & then upload them on here for you.
I wish I had some more interesting stuff to tell you about, but I guess my work life is pretty boring - going to make some single cell suspensions later this afternoon, but I won't bore you with the details of that!
I did hear on the news this morning that 2 covers (one child & one adult) for the next Harry Potter book has been released, not being a big HP fan I'm not going searching for it to show you, but apparently they are out there for you to view, should you be so inclined.
hmmm, what else to tell you . . . it's raining here in London today & of course my brellie (what some people like to call umbrellas) broke on my walk from Kings Cross to LSHTM, luckily it was only a light rain so I didn't get soaked or anything horrible like that, but still it frustrated me!
Well I'm off to pick up my paycheck & meet with Nigel, the safety officer and if I'm really lucky be able to get my official ID card, how long does it take to get all this stuff done you ask? Well it's been nearly 3 weeks now, gotta love the relaxed attitude which some places take!Update as of 10.30, I know what I want to tell you, how annoyed I get when people go to shake your hand & drop their eyes/head to look at the floor, while extending their hand only for you to accept it, expect to shake it, just get that "wet noodle" feeling! That really drives me bonkers, if you're going to go through the trouble of making an effort to shake my hand the least you can do is look at me & shake my hand, none of this fany-pany hand crap!
Update as of 11.28, I now have my own personal ID card - which works cause I tested it before I go & return my visitor one. I now have in hand my blue safety paper, which I just have to figure out what the ADCP & DEFRA codes for the pathogen I will be using are (not even sure what those stand for). AND more importantly, I have deposited my pay check & my deposit check which I did FINALLY get back from the lovely Leo (landlord of my KT flat last year). I think the next thing on my agenda for the day is to read and in the afternoon maybe make a few single cell suspensions with Anna.
I also wanted to let you know they have some good prices on flights from the US to the UK, should any of you fancy visiting me here in Londontown. Of course in my new house I won't be able to put you up, as I only have my bed & doubt you want to share it with me, but I have also found the Muswell Hill Hotel which is just 5 minutes (via bus) away from my house & has reasonable rates (remember I live in a city not Saranac Lake!)
TOPICS you want info on in future posts. Please feel free to leave comments with other topic ideas, I will get to all of them eventually (aka slowly, but surely)
- food
- people I work with
- flatmates
- spot where Dr. John Snow shut down the public water pump to put a stop to the cholera epidemic until I get there in person you can check out this site about it.
13.21 update: Jim & I were talking the other night & I inquired why he was called a "bobbie" to which he sort of sputtered off some answer that he recalled hearing during training about the tickets that they use to give out where some how called a related term, but then he admitted he really did not know that answer. On Tuesday night however when he arrived home from work he said, "we're called bobbies because of our founder" to which I asked how the heck he found that out & he said he read it on the side of a building in Holburn while turning in some official paperwork. Here is more of the story for you all to read. Did you also know that many years ago today (1869 to be exact) Edwin Lutyens was born, he was an architect known as the last English designer of country houses and that on 30 March 1945 Eric Clapton, songwriter and guitarist was born?!?!?!?
16.08 update: So there are a lot of people using the tube these days and that is about the only interesting thing I can tell you right now, still waiting to hear back from the care hiring company and will be leaving here in just over an hour - yeah :)
Labels: daily mission, thoughts
FINALLY back at work
so I'm back to my real work after spending two TOTALLY useless days at an animal licencing course.
I learned how to properly handle & restrain mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits, that part only took 30 minutes while the rest of the 15 hours was spent being lectured at about legislation since 1911 - fun fun fun.
I'm really excited to move on Saturday, just need to iron out the details of hiring a car etc.
Got to work in the lab for the first time today :) My own personal experiment SO0701 (SO = initials, 07 for the year, 01 for first experiment of this year). Though it was kinda sad because I'm so use to writing SQ# on all my experiments it was a bit weird to write anything different, but I'm sure with time I will get better at it. Set up a restim of spleen cells with dead (irradiated)
B. pseudomallei & heat killed listeria. Friday I will take the supernatant for IL-12 & 18 ELISAs next week.
Also got to meet Mr. Couper's flatmate today. She & I share our open desk plan together. Her name is Karen & she's a post doc in my lab. She's Canadian, from the Vancouver area and she really really HATES the NY Rangers since they stole the Stanley cup away a few years back - we agreed to never talk hockey, seeing as I'm a Rangers fan and all. Another funny thing she told me is that she calls Kevin, "Coups", not sure why I find this so funny, but I just do!
Okay I'm off to try to figure out a few more business details like my ID card, which they are still giving me a hassle about!!
Labels: work
I have a HOME!!!!!!!!!
Hello all,
I have a place to live :) Flat six did not work out, so I'm taking flat seven with the super nice landlady & awesome garden & all new mattresses & appliances - I'm going to sign the contract tonight at 18.30 & get my keys! I'm very excited about this . . . finally a space of my own!
Well that's the only exciting thing that has happened since I last posted about 50 minutes ago, I think now I will go get my ID card sorted.
Speak soon, Tarra
Labels: flats
The title of this post is the theme for 2007 World TB Day, March 24th. So, what are you doing for
World TB Day? My friend Analise is going to
this, which I think is a fantastic idea, course I don't think many of you can join her since it's in Hotlanta as she calls it
(aka Atlanta, GA). I see that there are currently 599 walkers, which in my mind is really good, not sure how many they were expecting, but that sounds like a good amount to me for a first annual event!
Here is a bit of info on TB in case you're not familiar with it, which you all should be, but I am amazed almost weekly with the expression of peoples faces when you mention TB & they respond with, "
that's still around, I thought it was cured" or "
oh I can't get it, I got a jab when I was little" Would any of you admit to thinking it was "cured" or that you "couldn't get it"?????
To mark World TB Day we at LSHTM we are having a series of lectures from 12PM in the BENNETT ROOM (LG80)*ALL WELCOME* * REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED*
12pm Jackie Cliff -Development of Biomarkers of Response to Tuberculosis Treatment
12.30pm Katherine Fielding- TBC
1pm Ulrich Schaible - Tuberculosis, Immunity and Virulence
1:30pm Terry Joe from UCLH - Active case finding for TB among marginalised communities in London.
Chaired by Prof. Peter Godfrey-Faussett and Prof. Ulrich SchaibleAside from that it's just a typical Friday here in London, still COLD, but luckily no more snow/rain/sleet/hail - I tell you those are not fun when the temp is 1C
(33.8F) out!!!!
I must apologise in advance that I will be taking my animal licencing course at the Royal Veterinary College (in Camden) from 9-5 so I won't be able to post any blogs those days - I know you are heart broken (hee hee) I am hoping by the end of today to be able to tell you about my living situation. I went to see yet another flat last night.
Flat Seven:
Located in MH but a few bus stops past flat six. The house is a 7 minute walk off the main street, located in a quiet neighbourhood. There are 5 bedrooms (all with brand new mattresses), 3 bathrooms (all with new showers), HUGE kitchen (all new appliances), garden with exotic plants, BBQ pit, outdoor furniture, only down sides are no living room and I would not get to meet my flatmates (2 rooms are taken but nobody has moved in yet), but on the plus side the landlady is super sweet and lives just across the way.
I'm hoping this place will be my fall back living situation, should flat 6 not work out, again fingers crossed!!!!!! Okay I should try to read something scientific today and get my ID card sorted, along with my bank details to payroll so I can get some money - yeah baby yeah - first time in nearly 2 years - I'm loving that change for sure!!!
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend & remember World TB Day tomorrow, I'm amazed that Hallmark hasn't made a card for this holiday yet . . . maybe I could make a few million designing cards for them, now that's a brilliant idea :)
Labels: flats, TB
tubes/flats/work
So I've made it to Thursday, but barely, someone pushed me off the tube this morning on my way into work (I still have a hard time saying work, I'm so use to saying school or uni!!)
So here's the story . . . I stood outside waiting for the complementary shuttle service (b/c it was freezing cold & snowing) that exists in this posh estate that I'm living in for the moment! I got on the tube at Arnos Grove, couldn't get a seat (which is unusual, but I was 30 minutes later than normal so maybe that's the reason) so I got stuck standing by the doors. At
Finsbury Park lots of people where trying to get off, this guy who smelled of wee just pushed me off the train so that he could get off as well, WTF? So I figured I'd just push my way back on, right?!?!?! Well nooooo! All the other people who had been waiting on the platform felt that they had priority over me, not sure why since I had been on the train in the first place, but none the less I was not allowed back on, so I had to wait for the next train - how annoying is that?!?!?!
Note to self never get a train past 7.50am unless you want to stand for 15 minutes, get pushed off a train, wait for the next one & then stand another 15 minutes on the second train!!
As for flat hunting last night:
Fifth Flat:The place was very luxurious (marble tiles in the bath, but no stand up shower), HUGE ("my bedroom" was the size of my old flat), beautiful (wooden floors through out, new furniture), big roof deck, 2 nice girls living there, but I learned they both smoked when they said, "fancy a fag" (that statement still makes me giggle) and lit theirs, PLUS it was a 20 minute walk from the Arnos Grove tube station, so it would take me about 1.5 hours to get to work, which I'm not too keen on & I'm not exactly sure where I would buy groceries. They both have cars so maybe I could bum a ride from them once in awhile, but it's not like I could easily walk anywhere else.
Sixth Flat:The second place was smaller, in Muswell Hill, an area I really like. It has your typical kitchen, bathroom (with stand up shower!), living room & 2 bedrooms, the girl who is staying is Irish & works near
Blackfriars tube. She's gone 2 weekends a month visiting her boyfriend who is stationed in
Wales with the RAF (Royal Air Force) and he comes down one weekend a month. I will know more tomorrow about this place & I still have one more place to see tonight in MH.
Well I just finished my appt with personnel (finally) & they didn't have much to tell me aside from asking for a copy of my passport & they gave me a rather large folder full of papers to read on equality, health care, ID cards, pension plans, etc.
Next on my agenda for the day is to make a cup of tea, did I tell you it's freakin freezing over here in Londontown?!?!?! Well it is, there was
proper snow falling in Princess Park Manor this morning while I waited for the shuttle. After the tea is ready I think I will get back to reading all these exciting papers I just received & looking for a vial of MAC4 in the liquid nitrogen freezer log - don't ask me what that is, I have no clue, Greg just sent an email from
Washington DC asking me to do that, so I'm going to!
I'm hoping all of you in EST are getting up & getting ready to go to work and I hope those of you on PST are soundly sleeping as it is 04.22!!! This Sunday we switch our clocks forward which is really going to mess me up b/c I've finally learned to subtract 4 and 7 hours depending on which time zone I'm calling, now I have to go back to 5 and 8 - I have such a tough life, I know!!!!
Labels: flats, work
A380 arrives in the US
I think
these photos are cool, check them out if you have some time. I'm leaving soon to head home & then check out some flats tonight - keep your fingers crossed for me please!!!!
flats to view in my future
In case you didn't know, today is the
vernal equinox! Not that, that directly effects any of you on a personal level, but I wanted to pass along the info for those interested :)
After lots of fanning about yesterday I was able to make 4 appointments, 2 today & 2 tomorrow, to view some more flats. This means Thursday & Friday's posts should have amusing flat hunting stories.
What I have neglected to tell all of you is about my new wonderful shoes, which my mom purchased for me back in early January out in Portland, OR. They are Puma brand (tried to find them online to give you the direct link, but no such luck) & I just love them!!!
Also need to thank my mom for the lovely Easter gift which arrived yesterday in the mail & I found sitting on the coffee table this morning (I left J's card on the table for him). Hey mom did I ever tell you the postal annex must have screwed up the address on Jim's birthday present b/c it
NEVER arrived & cost me $50 to mail, I'm really pissed off about that, but have no record or tracking method, so be sure to double check the address before they send stuff since they type it into the computer & not you - I do recall that was a hectic day in there, but that's still not a good excuse!
I did get to do something "official" at work yesterday, I got to place an order of YTS191.1.1.2 (anti L3T4 - The antibody is directed against the A epitope of the mouse L3T4 T cell antigen, the murine equivalent of CD4) and YTS169.4.2.1 (anti Lyt2 - The antibody is directed against the A epitope of the mouse Lyt-2 T cell (CD8) antigen) with the
ECACC people, so that a collaborator of ours in Dorset can get the
hybridomas up & running. Aside from that I've not got much else exciting to report . . .
fantastic idea for those knackered/drunk passengers
While on
this website earlier, I found this:
How much easier can they make your life? Now you don't even have to be conscious on the tube you just have to rely on those friendly tube riders you are sitting next to. I of course think the "wake me up, anywhere but Brixton" is the BEST & should I ever get a chance to buy it, I'm going to just so I can send it to my mates Dom & Amanda in Madison, WI!!
I also decided I really want
this, I just tried to order it for myself & my US credit card won't work in the UK online - WTF is that about?? I don't really know why I want it so badly, but it's just cute! Wish they had a meliodosis one, I'd def get that one. PLUS
EBV and
giardia are pretty cute, I'm impressed by how much
the site has expanding, last time I was visiting it (a few months ago) they didn't have
malaria,
Lyme disease (rather cute as well) or
mosquitoes.
Well with that said I should go back to reading about important things, not that looking at Giantmicrobes online isn't important - lmao!
Labels: stuffed animals, tube
back to the grind stone
As for
Zee's question about Mame's place - I decided not to take it after speaking with her again to confirm the price & realized that for that price I could get my own studio with a lot more room & since I'm not in a rush I decided to decline & check out some more places.
I've been on
Gumtree most of the morning checking places out & hopefully will have a few replies later this afternoon/evening!
Aside from that I personally don't have much to report, had lab meeting, ordered some antibodies, and now just searching endlessly for flats.
This news was pretty cool - I heard about it this morning on BBC One along with
this topic, which I'm sure will start some sort of controversy!! And
this article about the A380 is pretty darn exciting since my lil sis use to work on the engine which
Pratt & Whitney are making.
Will keep you posted if I hear anything exciting during the day, so far it's been pretty dull & the weather is rather cold & cloudy to bout!
Labels: flats, news
Back to the Drawing Board
So the flat I really liked was given to the other girl b/c she went to uni with one of the girls who already lived there :( Now I'm back to square one . . . but since it's nearly 7pm I'm going to head home, get something to eat and watch a wee bit of telly. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more luck on the flat hunting
Labels: flats
5th WMC
Check it out!Almost forgot to tell you earlier, I got my haircut on Saturday as well for only £15 (yes that's $30) but that's a really good deal around here, I know people who paid £50 to get their hair cut. I on the other hand just went to the "no appointment necessary" place just down the road from where I use to live & voila . . . my split ends are gone :)
Labels: hair, melioidosis
Flat Hunting Adventures Continue . . .
So after my rather nice experience last Thursday, I was very optimistic about Saturday's viewings, here are the three stories:
Flat One:
I met up with MissyLou at the bus stop & we proceeded over to the first flat of the day. WOW, this place was fantastic! The rooms were bright & large, the place was clean. This place is a house, not just a flat. The house has a private entrance at ground level, but the house itself is on the first and second floor (with a one-bed flat below). It has cream walls and carpets and is fully double-glazed. On the ground floor entrance there is a second toilet and area for shoes, on the first floor there is a large, fully fitted kitchen with dishwasher and washer/dryer, a dining room, a lounge room and a spare room for when guests come to stay. On the top floor there are 4 double bedrooms, a 3-piece bathroom (with shower over the bath) and a separate shower room. There are 3 girls and a couple who live there now, with one of the girls moving out.
The room up for offer is large (you could fit about 3 double beds in it I guess), has cream walls and a light carpet. It is fully furnished with a fitted wardrobe, chest of drawers, double bed (which is less than a year old) and a desk/table. The room has 2 double-glazed windows on different walls, which means it gets lots of light, and has a double radiator.
Only problem here was that the girls who were going to be living there were not in, so I would have to come back on Sunday to meet them. NOT a problem as I really liked the place!!!
Flat Two:Had we not just called to say we were lost, we would have just kept on walking, based on what we saw on the exterior of the building, but we sucked it up & walked up to the 3rd floor, wading our way through piles of smelly garbage & flies. The boy as I will call him, answered the door in jeans that looked like they had been painted on (not attractive at all!!). He was a bit shorter than I am & his eyes were about at my chest level, which normally would not be a big deal expect for the fact that instead of looking up to speak to me, he decided to just look straight at my chest the
entire time MissyLou & I were there!!!! The inside of the flat was not horrific, but the boy looked like he was strung out on some drug & told us he worked as a music journalist, he tried to say he went to a few gigs a month, but the girl tenant corrected him with a few a week. The living room was really rather small for 3 people. I could not get over the stench of the stairwell!!
Flat Three:
A rather homely looking woman answered the door, showed us up to the flat & one at a time we entered. One at a time b/c when the door opened there was only room for 1 person to walk in, step around the door & let the next person in. I was not really thrown off by this, at first. Carefully we made our way down the hall to see the bathroom, again step in next to sink, close door before being able to reach shower or toilet. From there we went to the room that was being offered & she explained that everything but the bed was staying, so I would have to buy a bed?!?!?! Then on to the kitchen, which was typical, no problems there. Then down 3 steps to the living room/dinning room. Where we met the tenant who was moving out. The girl who will be staying said, "okay, ask away" and the guy started to fire questions at me. I thought it was funny that he was asking questions since he was the one moving out - shouldn't she be asking them?!?!?! Whenever she spoke (which wasn't often) especially when answering a question I asked, she would defer to him - I found that a big strange.
So after a long interesting day, MissyLou & I parted ways to go home. I had made plans to meet with the girls from the first flat at 1pm on Sunday. Saturday night was uneventful, Jim & I just watched movies & went to bed around midnight.
Sunday I woke up, showered, had breakfast & headed back down to meet the girls. They were super sweet & I really enjoyed them both. They announced it was between me & one other girl & that they will email me on Monday, so I've got my fingers crossed!! Will let you know asap.
Last night, Jim made pizza while I was talking to my mom -
I had called to wish her a Happy UK Mother's Day. I also had to tell the funny story of someone who shall remain nameless (recalling that Rob is away for 4 weeks) fell asleep on the couch Friday night with a FULL glass of pineapple juice in their hand. I woke up Saturday morning, stepped into the living room & the couch cushions were missing all of their covers & there was a faint smell of pineapple in the air. I looked in the washing machine & there were the covers, Arsenal shirt & jeans which nameless person had been wearing the night before. Apparently said person woke up when said person spilled the juice all over themselves, the couch, and all three remotes (TV, cable, and surround sound stereo). Feel free to laugh as hard as you want, I sure did & so did said nameless person.
I also wanted to wish my mum a Happy 26th Anniversary today - YEAH MOM, you rock!!!! Isn't that amazing?!?!?
BTW, it's hailing outside right now & yesterday I got stuck in a major hail storm, where it came at an angle & ruddy hurt when it hit your face :(
Labels: AA, flats, mothers day
safety differences
So over here the footwear requirement is only,
"Footwear should be appropriate for the work being undertaken. Open-toed shoes should not be worn when handling liquid nitrogen or moving heavy items" apparently sharps are not as much a worry?!?!?!?
Also
"Radios & tape players, including personal stereos of the Walkman type, are NOT permitted in the laboratories" Back in the good old days at TI, Pete & I use to listen to CDs all day long during big experiments - it's where I learned to like lots of different types of music, for example the day he brought in the zydeco band cd, forget the name of them now, but the music was fantastic!
They require a lot more reading than I ever remember in the states, but then again it was nearly 6 years ago that I started so maybe I did read all this stuff. LSHTM's general safety manual is 42 pages (read), the specific codes of practice safety manual is 90 pages (read), and then there is the Biological Services Facility Code of Practice which is 37 pages (read), followed by the Entrance to the Laboratories and Specific Codes of Practice for Burkholderia pseudomallei (ACDP Category 3) packets which are both about 10 pages long (both read). There is also a HUGE check list for general lab techniques & then also the Bp specific lab techniques!!
Thanks Zee for the food idea! I think this means that before I can say anything I need to try it out :) so I'll put it on my agenda to start checking out restaurants!! I know tomorrow MissyLou & I are getting a curry, so maybe on Monday I can talk about Indian food, which I already know is 900% better over here than in the states, I don't know if it is the water or what, but I've never had a good curry in the states (that is after tasting curries here!)
So I've got 3 flats to look at tomorrow & hopefully that will help me make my decision - if not I can come back to the drawing board Monday morning!Labels: differences in the UK, flats
Flat Hunting Story #1
So last night after a longish day at work -
did I tell you I was bloody knackered all day yesterday, guess going back to work full time after 6 months of holiday finally caught up with me, well that & staying up past midnight chatting with Jim & watching Pretty Woman - which btw Jim knows many of the lines to the movie, it kept me laughing - I jumped on the Central line over to Marble Arch to visit with MissyLou
(my old flatmate) & Jeremy
(her boyfriend who she is now living with).After arriving at their flat we immediately started cooking dinner, as MissyLou & I were rather peckish!! We had cheese & ham tortellini with spicy tomato sauce - yummers! After dinner we decided we needed a bit of sweet, so we popped down to Green Valley
(Green Valley Lebanese supermarket on 36–37 Upper Berkley Street, London, W1H 7PG - highly recommended!!!) for some baklava - again yummers! After dessert we legged it up to catch the bus to Chalk Farm area to view my first flat.
For those of you who didn't go with me last night to see the place, the flat
(location I will not post) was really nice! My potential flatmate's name is Mame, she's a Treasury accountant for a diamond company - sounds exciting right?!?!?! She is super friendly, very outgoing, and the place was uber clean. It's a 2 bedroom place with double glazed windows & a small deck off the living room. In "my room" the walls are a light violet colour with a TV, VCR & DVD player, double bed, built in wardrobe (aka closet), 2 small dressers & a huge window that faces onto the street. The living room windows face a shared garden. The bathroom, well it's a bathroom, but it has a stand up shower, unlike last year, so that's a big plus :)
Don't worry if I move in I'll take lots of photos & post them up for you to see. Louise & I had meant to take photos last night, but never got around to it, we were too busy gob-jobbing it (aka talking) with Mame. I'm just going to look at a few more places this weekend just to make sure I like this place for sure.The really cool news is that I sent Mame an email this morning explaining I really liked the flat, but that I didn't just want to take the first one I saw so I'd like to check out a few more this weekend & get back to her. Within a few minutes she replied with, "I was just about to email you to say that I really enjoyed meeting you too last night. I totally understand that you need to see what else is out there so I’m happy to hold the room for you until Monday. Basically the place is yours if you want it so just let me know." How cool is that?!?!?! Maybe flat hunting isn't as bad as I had made it out to be????? Well there is still a flat to see on Saturday at noon & a few more phone calls to be made, so I'm sure on Monday I will have at least one other flat hunting story & a decision about what to do with Mame's flat.
As for my flat which you saw yesterday which probably made you drool all over your keyboard about. Things are much better there as well, Mr Annoying (RG) as I will call him, left this morning for a 4 week trek around Thailand, which means I get my own bedroom & en suite bathroom, yippeeeee. Course if I take this flat with Mame it will sorta be a mute point & I actually think I might miss hanging out with Jim, but I can still go up for visits.
Okay I'm asking for your help now, what sort of things would you like me to blog about, aside from my oh so exciting days at work?? I know Pete was looking for flat hunting stories, but does anyone want to "see" or "hear" about anything in London or England for that matter?
Okay I'm off to read some safety manuals, I know you're all very jealous & want to read them as well - LOL - Happy Friday & have a great weekend in case I don't post again today or speak with you in the mean time via email. I miss you all, but things are starting to fall back into place - yeah!! I knew it would if I could just, let go & take it one day at a time.
Oh yeah Happy Saint Patrick's Day to ya!!!!!!!!!!
Labels: dinner, flatmates, flats
Ides of March
For more info on the importance of this day,
click hereBetter drink lots of
fruit juice!!
Look at where I am living!!!! If you go under "plans" then click "garden floor", then scroll around & zoom in to look at flat 300, that's the layout of our flat :)
So I'm bloody knackered today!! Apparently staying up past midnight watching the telly & chatting with my flatmates was not a good idea . . . my eye lids feel like lead weights right now!
Labels: flats
flat hunting fun
I hope in reading that title you heard sarcasm in my voice!! So last night I had booked an appt to see a flat in Queens Park area, but 15 minutes before hand the girl called to say she'd found someone - ugh!!
Tonight I have an appt to see a flat in the Kentish Town/Chalk Farm area (semi near my old stomping grounds :) at 7.45pm. Louise is going to go with me, I've got my fingers crossed that I can at least see this place.
Aside from that I don't have any other good flat hunting stories, but I'll keep ya posted . . .
Labels: flats
landlords can be such a pain in the arse!
So in typical Leo style (nothing has ever been easy with this particular landlord) he had to haggle with me on the phone about returning the deposit money to me. He started off by saying that I shouldn't be looking for a 2 bedroom b/c then when my flatmate & I have a fall out I'll be stuck for the rent - I don't recall asking for his advice, I just asked if he had any 2 bedrooms, (which he doesn't) so he decided to rehash the fact that he specializes in 1 bedroom & studios for the exact reason mentioned above & AGAIN advised me not to have a flatmate - ugh!!!
Labels: flats
Beef stir-fry
The stir-fry I made for dinner last night turned out okay. I left work at 5pm, got on the Picadilly line heading east & was back in Arnos Grove by 5.40pm, while walking home I found a few shops where I could buy food based on what I thought we needed. Apparently I missed a few key items as we didn't have any garlic or onions at home like I'd thought so that sort of sucked but what can you do . . . stir-fry with without & deal with it, that's what I did :) Dinner was ready around 7.15pm & I was still all alone (which I rather enjoyed) so I popped the telly on & sat down to eat, when the door opened & in came Jim who was starving. We eat & attempted to watch That 70's Show. I say attempted because he spent most of the time complaining about work, he did however ask how my day was when he was done.
After dinner I did the washing up & finished my laundry before we both decided we were knackered & were going to bed. Rob did not get home till 11pm & proceeded to walk into the living room, turn the telly on & start to chat to me, I pretended to fall sleep so he would leave me alone, it worked :)
Yesterday I finally got my act together & called my old landlord who had neglected to ever send back my deposit, of course he did not answer, so I left a message. This mornine while on the tube he left me a voicemail with a good time to call him, so I will do so this afternoon. Will be nice to have £1400 to deposit into my account!!
Today at 12, we have our weekly seminar session, which should be interesting. Have I told you I get to go to Thailand for free, yeah I know I have I'm just so excited about it - hopefully I'll have enough data by then for a poster as well . . . how cool would that be?!?!?!?
I just found out that
Daylight Saving Time is kinda weird this year, so right now I'm only 4 hours ahead of you'll in EST!!!
Off to read, "A critical role for neutrolphils in resistance to experimental infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei" by Anna Easton (awesome girl I work with, who just got her PhD about 2 weeks ago),
Ashraful Haque,
Karen Chu (post doc who I will be working with when she gets back from holiday), Roman Lukaszewski (from Defence, Science & Technology Lab in Porton Down) and
Greg Bancroft (my boss).
Labels: dinner, scientific paper
interesting facts about Burkholderia pseudomallei
For those of you wondering what I'm working on, here is some interesting stuff (at least to me it is):
B. pseudomallei was first named melioidosis which is Greek: μελίσ [melis] meaning a distemper of asses; ε ίδoσ [eidos] meaning resemblance. In 1912 Captain Alfred Whitmore and C.S. Krishnaswami wrote "An account of the discovery of a hitherto undescribed infectoius disease occurring amoung the population of Rangoon" while working at the recently opened Rangoon General Hpspital in Burma. A year later Whitmore wrote "An account of a glanders-like disease occurring in Rangoon". Glanders which is an abscess forming bacterial infection in horses (occassionally humans) from
Burkholderia mallei. It was rather commmon 100 years ago across Asia, but very rare now. There was a rise in reported cases during & after WWII, from the soldiers fighting during the war times. It is a
category B as far as the
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are concerned.
The bacerium is an aerobic, non spore forming, motile, gram negative bacillus. It is intrinsically resistant to quite a number of antibiotics. It can survive in triple distilled water for years, aka it's very difficult to kill!!
Melioidosis presents as a febrile illness, ranging from septicaemia to choronic localised infection, usually without a wound site. The overall mortality in adults in Thailand is around 50%. It primarily infects adults with predisposing condtions such as
diabetes mellitus. The lung is the primary organ affected, though abscesses can appear in any organ (liver & spleen commonly).
There is no vaccine and with it's resistance to antibiotics, aren't you all happy you don't have this disease?!?!?!
Labels: melioidosis
1st day of work at LSHTM
Before you read, remember that my spell check option does not work so please understand I have quickly proofread it but I don't promise anything!!So after arriving over a week ago I was somewhat worried about my decision to move back to London. It is totally different than the last time I was here. - the group of friends who I hung out with 95% of the time are not here anymore, not to say I don't know anyone, but it just makes it a bit weird at times. Living on someone's living room couch is not the easiest either. I'm totally thankful that I have a place to crash, but it's not as comfortable when your bed is also the couch & dinning room chair. Don't get me wrong the boys have been great about me staying & are respectful when I get tired & want to sleep. It's just all a bit strange, guess I was spoiled having my own bedroom & run of a house during the day for all those months in Connecticut!! (Thanks Anne & John, I miss you guys!!) Of course as of Friday morning it will probably get slightly easier as Rob leave to go to Thailand for 4 weeks & as most of you know he is the harder one of the two to get along with - as was evident last night when I got a phone call from the states & he decided to talk to me while I was obviously speaking on the phone, sometimes he can be such arse!!!
After such a wonderful first day yesterday I'm not as worried about it. I know my living situation will sort itself out very soon & I'll get into the swing of work. I'm sure in a few weeks time I will totally have forgotten about my indecision about moving here, it is just this interim time I have to try to remain calm & see the light at the end of the tunnel, for example my FREE trip to Thailand in November & the free croissant breakfast every Tuesday at 4th floor lab meetings - I mean in the long run, what more could I ask for???
Well I'm off to look for flats online & see what I can see. I still have not heard back from either prospective flatmate, so maybe I'll just go out on my own. And as
Pete mentioned in a comment yesterday, I have to start figuring out when I can take the animal course at the vet hospital to start the process of getting my license. Amasingly enough you can snap a neck without any license (which if done wrong could be very painful) but anything else you need one, go figure . . . Okay back to start my second day at work. If you're bored & want to read something interesting today,
check this out.
Labels: thoughts
exciting news!!!!!!
I'm going to Thailand for
free in November, thanks to work, I'm getting to go to a conference, how cool is that? Anyone fancy meeting up for a few day of holiday?!?!?!?!?!
In London
Hi from London, I'm sitting at my new desk after just having a 1.5 hour chat with my
new boss about
Burkholderia pseudomallei and what we hope to be doing over the next year or so. Lucky for me I had not forgotten ALL of my science knowledge!!!
I arrived safely a week ago yesterday (4th) and proceeded to New Southgate where I'm currently living on a sofa bed at my friend's luxury flat. I was really good & stayed up all day so as to aclimate to the UK time zone as fast as possible. On Monday I met Amanda & her parents at Paddington station around 9am to catch the train to Bath for 2 days. We visited the Roman baths & even tasted some of the (not so wonderful) mineral water. The second day we went on a half day tour of the local countryside (Avebury & some of the Cotswold area). While having a wonderful pub lunch back in Bath we recieved word that the Scottish trains were going on strike so our plan to take the sleeper train was foiled. Thanks to a bit of quick thinking we got back to the hotel, retrieved our luggage & caught the next train back to Paddington & made our way over to Kings Cross in order to catch the 5pm train to Edinburgh. We arrived at 9.30pm Tuesday night so we were able to spend 2 fulls days exploring Scotland, before catching the 11.30 train back to London. I spent this past weekend relaxing at "home" (aka Jim & Rob's) and catching up with my old flatmate Louise.
Next big step is flat hunting - fun fun fun (that was sarcastic)!! I do have one lead, but it's just for one room & since I have a lead on a flatmate I will have to follow up on that as well.
But for right now I have to sign up for my
BSI membership, get my ATM passcode sorted, buy desk stuff, and read some papers, speak soon . . .
Labels: jobs, London
CarMax ROCKS!!!!
So I just went to CarMax to see what they would give me for my lovely car & they offered me a deal I cannot refuse!!! So I'm going to sell it to them either later today or tomorrow. PLUS Matt doesn't have to work tomorrow so he can take me to the airport, guess today is going to be a good day, unlike how it started when I got stuck in traffic b/c the highway was closed due to a mudslide & water in the lanes & then got to Patty's house only to realize I'd given Dad all my keys this past weekend so I'm locked out . . . but things have since turned around.
Okay off to finish packing, will write more when I get settled in London, since I'm not sure when I will be near a computer next!
Labels: cars
getting down to the line
not a lot of time to write, I slept well last night & this morning (thanks to NyQuil) and so now I'm a bit behind in my schedule, have lots to do before I leave tomorrow - YIKES that's soon!!!!
I just realized that I'd left my sunroof open since yesterday was such a nice day out, but this morning when I realized it was chucking it down with rain, I think luckily it had not been raining for too too long!!
Dinner last night was really good, we had our typical family night, ESPN sports till 7 then Jeopardy followed by ESPN sports (Virginia Tech vs. UVA basketball) during our Asian Chicken Salad dinner - yummers :)
My cold is maybe slightly better, nose is clearer today but ear is still deaf :( Okay off to get my day really started . . .
thoughts & book meme
Once again I am amazed when I open my yahoo account to find emails from supposed friends which just blow me away. Maybe it is easier to rude to a friend when you know they are moving over 3000 miles away? Well I refuse to rehash the details, all it has helped me to do is weed out the fair weather friends. So I guess in a way I should be grateful to those of you who have emailed & proven where our friendship lies, in the long run it makes my departure on Saturday just that much easier, so let me take this time to thank each & every one of you.
As for my plans for tomorrow & Saturday . . . hmm . . . good question. Tonight I know is Asian Chicken Salad with Anne, John & Matt. Tomorrow I HAVE to go to Patty's and get my suitcase sorted (had originally planned to do that today, "Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done." -- Aaron Burr) Tomorrow night is up in the air (dependent on if Melissa comes to CT for the weekend) as is Saturday, but I do have tentative plans no matter what occurs.
Okay, on a happier note, my friend Zee's site,
Behind Blue Eyes, posted this book meme & since I have bugger all to do today (yeah right) I decide it was a good procrastination tactic. What I've learned from doing this is that I'm not well read according to
this list, but then again I'm not sure that Harry Potter is really a classic.
Instructions:
in bold=have read the book.
in italics=want to read the book
* =own the book
[]=notes from me
1. *
The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) [loved it]
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. *
To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) [a favourite from hs]
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) [started but never finished]
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. *
Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) [I read ALL the books in this series]
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. *
Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) [a disappointment after reading DaVinci Code]
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. *
Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) [really good, given to me by my
previous boss while recouping from knee surgery!]
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerors’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. *
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) [required reading for hs, but really enjoyed it as well]
23.
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. *
Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) [will never forget this book, Mrs. Smith read it to us in 3rd grade as we sat in a circle giving each other back massages]
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. *
Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) [highly recommended!!!!!!!]
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) [saw the movie & it was really good so I'm guessing I should try to pick it up]
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34.
1984 (Orwell) [was required reading in hs but never finished it]
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *
I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. *
The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) [not nearly as good as Tuesday's with Morrie]
45. *Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. *
Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50.
She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) [Started, never finished]
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55.
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) [hs reading list, not a big fan]
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62.
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) [Started; couldn't get through it]
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davies)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69.
Les Miserables (Hugo) [Started, liked it, but never finished it, saw the musical 10 times in NYC while growing up]
70. *
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) [read in French & English, top that!]
71. *
Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) [didn't like the movie, so doubt I will try reading it]
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) [ms reading I think]
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82.
Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94.
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)
Labels: books, thoughts
Just over 48 hours
and I'll be getting to the airport to start my trip to London :) I'd be getting more excited about it, if it weren't for this darn cold which has left me deaf in my left ear & spending most of my time blowing my nose. And what is up with everyone recently choosing restaurants that have nice white cloth napkins, making me run to the bathroom to get toilet paper Kleenex?!?!?! I mean if you're not going to have paper napkins at the table the least you can do is have a box of tissues in the bathroom, right?
Chuck E Cheese was a blast yesterday with all the kids, Jacob, Owen & Maya got along really well. When I went to pick up Jacob & J I found that Vanessa & Uncle Jeff were coming along as well, so that was cool. We got there around 4pm & stayed till almost 6pm. J also taught me a short cut on how to get to his & Matt's place, which was pretty sweet, course I'm leaving soon, but as he pointed out for when I come home & visit I'll know.
So last night's dinner at Ruth Chris' was fantastic!!! The bill on the other hand for the 5 of us (Rog, Patti, me, Patty, & James) was over $300, not so fantastic, but my adopted dad picked up the tab, Matt S will be disappointed he missed such a good meal. Patty & I had buffalo steaks with Cajun mustard sauce and for dessert Patti & I shared (in honour of Susan C) chocolate lava cake - yummers!
Allrightyroo, I'm off to Patty's to start organizing my suitcase & make sure everything is going to fit, if not I'll just make up a box for her to mail, once I've found a place to live. Also gonna pick up some NyQuil, sleeping last night was not fun without it :(
HOLY CRAP, I just realised today is March 1st, where has the time gone?!?!?!??!?!Labels: dinner
