All Caught Up

To get you completely caught up on my time here in London we'll need to rewind a couple of weeks.  Let's go back to the weekend where Danny proceeded to work some highlight magic on my hair.  Did I mention how amazing he was?  I still can't get over how much better life is as a blonde.  My Aunt Bailey taught me early in life that it's better to err on the side of too blonde than not blonde enough, and boy have I taken that sentiment to heart, especially after being stuck in the dregs of almost blonde the last few months.  Make all the blonde jokes you want, I'll just keep on smiling and having more fun.  As Dolly Parton said, "I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb, and I also know I'm not blonde."  I personally like to contest that last little bit, but I digress. 

  

You'd think starting the week on such a high note might lead to a tad bit of disappointment, but I can happily report that things only continued to get better here in West Kensington.  Ann and I got a new washing machine, our Internet was FINALLY connected, we had a lazy Saturday morning shopping session, and we had a fun girls' night out, which I'll tell y'all all about later.  Oh, and I celebrated my one-month anniversary of moving to London.  Sounds like a pretty successful week to me.

While I did spend the majority of the week at work (what can I say, life isn't all roses), I did get to enjoy spending time outside the office with some of my coworkers and friends.  Since we don't get to spend the day gabbing, it's sometimes nice to get everyone together after work for a quick drink to catch-up and decompress a little.  We have several pubs around our office that we like to frequent.  There is Ye Olde Chesire Cheese, affectionately known as The Cheese, which, besides being in close proximity to the office, also happens to be one of the oldest pubs in London.  Opened in 1538, The Cheese managed to survive the Great Fire, allowing it to play host to literary greats such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Lord Alfred Tennyson, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to name a few.  We also make regular visits to several other local pubs, but none quite as famous or as interesting as The Cheese.

Besides having a drink or two with friends at the pub after work, I also try to make time to run and stay active.  I get so fidgety and restless after being stuck at my desk all day that not much sounds better than taking a nice, long run after getting home from work.  Running has given me the opportunity to explore more of our neighborhood and several nearby parks the last couple of weeks.  I'm not looking forward to the weather getting colder; I'll have to join a gym and find other ways to channel all of my extra energy.  Cooped up Caitlin is not the most magical being one can encounter.

The last few weeks I've also gotten to play in a couple of indoor softball games.  Two friends from work helped form a team before I arrived in London and invited me to play with them.  It's been a great opportunity to get back into team sports and meet some new people. 

Now, back to that girls' night I mentioned earlier.  After spending Saturday morning decompressing, Ann and I were able to get out and have a little fun!  We went to Bistro Benito, the great little Italian place I told you about last blog, for dinner.  We met two Australian women, a mother and daughter, who we happened to be seated next to.  They overheard us talking, and curious about our accents and food choices, they struck up a conversation.  As it happens our southern accents tricked them into thinking we might be Australian too.  They didn't think we were from the US because we didn't have the nasally accent of those people from up north!  I, for one, was flattered, especially since I usually get asked if I'm Canadian.  If the British assume you're from anywhere in North America they guess that you're Canadian first because apparently the Canadians get offended if you accuse them of being American.  I typically laugh rather than get offended when they ask if I'm Canadian, so clearly their little guessing game is working.  

Anyway, after we finished eating our delicious dinner and chatting with our new friends, we rushed off to our next destination: the Kelly Clarkson concert!  I've always loved singing along to Kelly Clarkson's songs, but I've never really considered myself to be a big Kelly Clarkson fan.  She wasn't someone I ever thought of paying to see, but when Ann asked if I'd like to go it sounded like a fun night out.  I'm so glad I bought a ticket because it just so happens that she puts on one hell of a show.  She has this incredibly raw talent that doesn't require constant auto-tune or a huge production.  Instead of keeping the audience interested in her show by constantly changing sets and costumes, she kept us interested by belting out all of her biggest hits.  It was great getting to enjoy all of our favorite songs and spend the night singing and dancing along!  I forgot just how long she has been in the music business (she won American Idol ten years ago!) and how many great songs she has released over the years!

This past weekend was a little less interesting.  My immune system decided it wanted to play games this week so I ended up spending most of the weekend in bed trying to recuperate.  I blame public transportation, constant human contact, and an immune system that seems to enjoy keeping me in bed for my illness, but thanks to a lot of OJ, a warm, cozy bed, and a round of antibiotics I'm already on my way to feeling better.  There is too much fun to be had and places to be explored for me to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary sick in bed!

Just a quick aside before I wrap this up.  If you're looking for a good movie to see I highly recommend The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  I fell in love with the book in high school and was excited/nervous to see it translated to the big screen.   Sometimes books you love have a habit of becoming films you hate, but in this instance that was decidedly not the case.  The author of the book, Stephen Chbosky, wrote the screenplay and directed the film, so I felt pretty assured that I was in good hands, and he did not disappoint!  The story was just as touching on screen and possibly more impactful than the novel I first read almost ten years ago (I can't believe I'm old enough to date stuff like that now).  Along that same vein, if you have any film or book suggestions please send them my way.  And, if you're looking for a good book I recently finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend, and I am currently reading A Game of Thrones, the first book in the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin, which has been a great addition to my morning and evening commute.

I think that about covers all of the big events leading up to now.  They say the older you get the faster time moves, but this is just getting ridiculous.  Time must be moving at warp speed because I feel like I've been here for a week or two at the most.  If I didn't have a lot of fun to show for the last five or six weeks I might be pretty upset, but luckily for myself, and all of you, I've been pretty busy since I got to town.  I have a pretty busy concert/travel schedule for the next little bit, so I hope to have more subject matter to delve into over the next few weeks!  Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings; I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures as much as I enjoy writing about them!

Caitlin

Fall in London

The past few weeks have been a blur of fun and work.  I haven't quite known which pieces of fun to begin with or how to go about telling you what I've been up to recently so I've done exactly what you'd expect me to do; I've been procrastinating.  I've started drafting lines here and there, but nothing sounded quite right so I'd delete what I'd written and tell myself I'd start over tomorrow.  That first tomorrow was roughly three weeks ago.  As time lapses you can see how this problem might multiply.  It's actually gotten a little out-of-control, so I just decided to rip the band-aid off and see what I can accomplish tonight.

I guess the best place to start would be my second week of work.  I won't bore you with the details of office life, but I'll fill you in on my extracurriculars.  First, I saw Fun. and Walk the Moon at the 02 Shepherd's Bush Empire.

I hadn't been a big fan of Fun. before the show and, to be perfectly frank, I'd never heard of Walk the Moon, but one of my close friends, Karen, absolutely LOVES Fun. and I knew she'd die if I had the opportunity to go and didn't...so I went.  

Walk the Moon

I went with my roommate and another girl from the office, and I had the best time!  Both bands had high-energy front men and upbeat music that you couldn't help but dance to.  Also, the venue was incredible; it was small and cozy so you could get fairly close to the stage without being in the thick of the overly excited fans (who always insist on being front and center).

Fun.

Nate Reuss, Lead Singer of Fun.

I later read that the Shepherd's Bush Empire was built in the early 1900s and originally used as a theatre.  While the building has changed hands and uses over the last century, much of the original interior remains for the public to enjoy.  The intricate details along the balconies and ceiling were incredible and worth seeing a show in order to enjoy.

I spent the next few weekends trying to furnish and decorate my flat.  I was surprised by how excited I was to decorate my space.  I really enjoyed picking out my bedding and dishware and storage containers; I became much more fixated on detail than I ever could have imagined.  I now have most everything that I need, but unfortunately I'm still lacking in the maid/house-elf department.  If anyone has a spare that they would like to donate I would be only too happy to take them off of your hands.  I'm afraid if I don't get one soon y'all will never get pictures of my flat.  My messy ways are way too embarrassing to have permanently embedded on the Internet.  You never know when Al Gore might pull those pictures out of his lockbox if they were to get posted.

The weekend of October 6th, one of my work friends had a tailgate party for the Ole Miss and Texas A&M game!  It was weird seeing the game on TV and a little sad knowing how much fun the Rebels were having in the Grove, but it was really great getting to enjoy my first tailgate experience in London in such great company.  Southern food, a glass of wine, and an Ole Miss win would have made for the perfect weekend, but unfortunately the Rebels didn't come through for me that game.  As they say, "You win some, you lose some."  Until recently, Ole Miss seemed to be losing more than their fair share.  Hopefully our team has said farewell to those days thanks to new leadership on the field and within the athletic department.

Somewhere in the blur that has been the last month I also celebrated my 24th birthday.  I have to say 24 isn't what you'd think of as the most exciting year, but I think it has the potential to be one of my very best!  My parents and I celebrated my birthday before I left for London.  They surprised me with a nice dinner, a Becker's cake, and a new camera!  I don't think it could have been more perfect if I'd planned it myself.  That being said, I didn't do too much in the way of celebrating when my actual birthday came around in London.  Unfortunately, my birthday fell on a Monday, and I had to work.  Boo!  That night, however, Ann and I went to this great little Italian place, Bistro Benito, down the road from our flat.  The food was beyond delicious and the people were friendly and hospitable.  We definitely plan on Bistro Benito becoming one of our regular destinations!

The weekend after my birthday I decided that I should do what I do best and give myself a little something to celebrate.  The little something I had been wanting most was a head full of blonder hair.  I found a salon near our flat with a good reputation and a great discount, and I made myself an appointment.  All I have to say about that experience is that Danny at Rush in Kensington is a magician.  I'm not sure I've ever walked out of a salon as happy as I was with my hair!  I can get pretty worked up over my hair so it's a pretty big deal if I can leave the salon with a smile on my face.  Needless to say I made my next appointment before I was even out the door.

Later in the day I decided to explore Kensington Palace, which is just a short walk from my flat.

Adult ticket prices be damned...I still have my student ID, and I plan on using that thing to my advantage until I can't pass for a student any longer.  I figure my parents paid enough for my education to give it a few extra years validity, right?  Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Anyway, back to Kensington Palace.  I've seen a lot of castles and a lot of palaces, but I was still able to find my tour surprisingly interesting.  I love hearing the histories of the rooms and the people who inhabited them, and I enjoy filling my imagination with what it must have been like to be present when the space was being utilized at its peak.   Kensington Palace was home to Queen Victoria before she inherited Buckingham Palace, and it was the official residence of Lady Diana and the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.  Most recently, Prince William and Duchess Catherine have decided to make the space their official royal residence.

While the interior of the Palace is in itself exquisite, it is the gardens that provide the most breathtaking views.  I was able to enjoy them much more thoroughly later in the day when I took a long run through Kensington Gardens and the adjoining Hyde Park.  I cannot even begin to imagine how lovely the flowers, trees, and ponds will be in the spring and summer.

That gets us mostly caught up into mid-October.  I'll try to hone my creative juices this week and hopefully finish October out properly.  Until then, I hope everyone is getting into the Halloween spirit!

                    

                                                                                         Caitlin

The London Era Begins

A year-and-a-half later and I'm back in London, this time on a more permanent basis!  Last year I was so consumed with finishing the Masters of Tax program at Ole Miss and passing the CPA exam that it barely registered with me how much I was missing being in the city.  I am beside myself that I am getting such a wonderful opportunity.  I know that the coming years will provide endless adventures, which I hope to share with all of you through my blog.

Getting settled into life in the city has been a little more strenuous this go-round.  Last time I was in London I was here on a three-month internship, and I was living in corporate housing for the duration of my stay.  This time I am living in my very own flat!  My roommate, Ann, who is both a co-worker and an Ole Miss Rebel (Hotty Toddy!), arrived in London three weeks before I did and was able to find us a wonderful two bedroom flat in the stylish and sophisticated area of West Kensington.  Since arriving in London last month I have spent most of my spare time running around the city looking for just the right things with which to furnish our new space.  So far I've been able to purchase most of life's basic necessities, but I'm still in search of several nonessential items.

When people talk about finding the perfect location I imagine they must have been talking about West Kensington because location, location, location is exactly what we've got!  We live within walking distance of several of London's most popular attractions (Kensington Palace/Gardens, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, and Notting Hill's Portobello Road).  We also have the largest Whole Foods in London just a few minutes walk down the street, as well as two other large supermarkets and an unlimited wealth of shopping opportunities (please don't tell my parents that part).

Below is a picture of the outside of our building.  

I am in love with the bright red door!  The style of our building is very much indicative of the style of buildings in our area.

Through our various furnishing efforts our flat is already starting to feel like a home.  As I'm still in the midst of unpacking I've been unable to include pictures of my flat's interior, but hopefully I'll have everything set up within the next few weeks and will then be able to share photos of my bedroom, the kitchen, lounge, and bathroom so that those of you who are interested can get a better picture of where I'm currently living.

Apart from trying to get settled in London, I've also started work.  My first week was mainly spent training and completing various administrative tasks.  I managed to arrive after the summer busy season so the office is in a little bit of a lull right now; I'm going to enjoy it while I can because I know that it won't last!

My second weekend in London was both peaceful and productive.  I spent some quality time at the Portobello Road market with my roommate and several other friends from work.  

This market is one of my favorites in London, and I always have the best time exploring the various stalls and shops.  I was able to find a beautiful raincoat and a warm blanket for my bed at a Scottish shop, which specializes in wool and cashmere accessories.  Now I'm actually looking forward to the rain so that I can wear my new coat!  After leaving Portobello Road we headed over to Oxford Street and Regent Street to eat lunch and do some more shopping.  Ann and I came home loaded down with home goods!

I also took my first run since moving to London.  The weather this weekend was perfect and provided just the catalyst I needed to push me outdoors.  This was decidedly the most breathtaking run (no pun intended) I've ever been on.  I ran down several streets in our neighborhood and into a park not too far from our flat.  The park had a bike trail that I took lined with trees changing color for the fall.  I also was able to run through a beautiful garden filled with flowers and expertly manicured topiaries.  As I was leaving I was already looking forward to my next run!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to while here in London.  I'm going to go now and do a little more unpacking and get some sleep before the workweek starts tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll have more London adventures for you soon.                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                            Caitlin