Oh goodness it's Friday. Couldn't come soon enough. The best thing this week is getting to know the kitten - who now officially has a name. And that name is (drum roll!) NIMBUS! (Yeah, I know it didn't win the survey - suck it up!) I guess the Harry Potter love won out! I was forced to choose this afternoon when I took him to the vet for a quick check up (everything is fine) and registration visit. It was good because it forced me to make a decision and go for it. And then I put it on Facebook, which (according to Rach) definitely makes it official. So there you go. Anyway, he is ever adorable and so so sweet. Also, crazy. Seb is calling him Psycho and Trouble, interchangeably, because we do seem to spend a lot of time hauling him out of places he shouldn't be, or dodging as he comes hurtling out from who knows where, moving at breakneck speed. It's fun. And then there's me, waking up in the morning to this purring ball of fur who wants to cuddle. Amazing. Also, you should notice the cool new icon that I have already made of him. More to come I am sure. I actually added about ten new icons today - a big sort out of ones I had been saving and considering - so that's pretty exciting too.

In other news, the dollar/pound exchange rate is at $1.52 today. Which is fine, it doesn't really affect me anymore, so it shouldn't bother me. I barely have any dollars anymore, I'm not earning dollars, and I rarely spend them. So why should I care? And yet I heard that number and my stomach dropped. It's just the idea of it, I guess. And I think part of me is sad that if this had happened a year ago I would have been rejoicing right now. This time last year I was working at the Embassy, and every small fluctuation in the rate was watched with eagle eyes as we all thought about what it meant for our finances. At that point it was going up up up to over $2, so actually we were all pretty depressed about it, but the point remains. I've spent my entire life worrying (or at least thinking) about the exchange rate, because I was always spending both dollars and pounds. I always straddled that line between off-base and on. And my mind can't seem to get used to the idea that it actually doesn't matter to me anymore. Of course it matters to the people around me (Rachel, my parents) but technically it doesn't have an effect on my own finances. Or not much of one anyway. (Of course you could argue here that one of the reasons I changed jobs was that my salary at the Embassy was so low, and now that number would be worth about 25% more because of the rate change, but that's neither here nor there.)

Also on the subject of "this time last year" I was thinking about Starbucks. The end of October is traditionally when I start thinking about the red cups, and when will they be here! I actually get quite excited about it. Gingerbread lattes are pretty much the only thing I ever drink at Starbucks. Otherwise, if pressed (like if there with other people) I get a caramel frappacino in the hot and a caramel machiatto in the cold. (Boring I know.) The rest of the year I'm kinda take it or leave it, not being a huge coffee girl (TEA!) but the red cups lure me in just for the gingerbread. (A side note here to say, why yes, I do have an obsession with gingerbread. Raise your hand if you remember my "perfect gingerbread recipe quest" last year, which led to an incident we don't talk about, which may or may not have been molassas on my macbookpro keyboard.) ANYWAY, I have sadness this year, because I just realised I will have very little access to Starbucks on a daily basis. There isn't one near my house, and there isn't one near my work, which leads to me having to actually go into the city to get it. Whereas last year, there were like three on my commute, so for two months I had the daily question of "can I resist today?" I'm actually quite sad about this. So then I started thinking about the holiday season in general, and what I'm going to miss by being stuck working out here in BFE (otherwise known as zone 4). I love living out here, but it's not too good for working. I miss working in the hustle and bustle of zone 1, because in Finchley Central it doesn't quite feel like London. I mean what's the point of living in the city if you never get into the centre of it? I used to complain like crazy at all the shoppers and insanity on Oxford Street the later into December we got, but at least it felt like Christmas. This year, the weather will be the only Christmassy thing I see, giving that people don't decorate their homes much. I guess I'll need a lot of carols to get me through it! And we'll have to do a really great Christmassy decorating job on our own house (I mean inside really). I don't know, it's just that I've felt somewhat nostalgic towards the Embassy lately - not that I want to go back and work there exactly, just that I've been thinking about it at lot. Eh.

Seb and I were talking about Nano yesterday. It is now literally a week away, which is TERRIFYING. I have no idea what I'm doing at all, and it's in A WEEK! That's insane. And worrying. Lucky old Rach has her entire thing sketched out already. I'm excited, but it's also very strange going into it for a second time. Last year I had no idea what to expect, and winning was great. This year I've got an idea of how it was, and also if I don't win then I'm doing worse than last year, so that's added pressure.

I'm at home tonight, but tomorrow I actually have to go to my parents' again. Yes, I know I was just there last week, but I'm having a dilemma with my dress for the wedding. The thing is that it FINALLY came in the mail, but it doesn't quite fit. It was made for (how can I put this delicately?) someone with less up top. This is what happens when you try to pick out a dress to work for several people's body type. I may have linked it before, but this is the dress. So I'm having alterations done - the good thing is that of course it's too long (everything is) so the plan is to take the foot or so of fabric that gets removed from the bottom and add some of it somehow to the bust area. We shall see! But yes, I have to go home for the fitting. I guess I could have found someone to do it in London, but that would have meant finding a good seamstress when my mom already has a friend who always does that stuff for us and we trust her, plus you know it would have cost at least twice as much to get it done in the city. So, going home. And leaving Nimbus for a night. Sob.

One good thing about going home is that I'm hoping to convince my mom to come see HSM3 with me on Sat night. (Yeah, isn't that just the most ridiculous Sat night plans ever! HSM3 with my mom!) I can't find anyone in London who will agree to see it with me (are you guys surprised by this?) and dang it I WANT TO SEE IT. I don't even care, and my ears are deaf to your mockery. Look at the good review! I wish it had existed when I was younger. And, btw, HMS is so much better for kids (and more wholesome) than Twilight. Not that that's saying much...

I leave you with an old meme that I've been meaning to do for ages, because I'm just in that kind of mood:

( Who comments the most on this journal? )

adinarj better be sharp - basilm (Rach) is catching you up!

So the biggest news is that after an (extremely short) house-hunt, we found a fantastic new place to live! Seriously, this house is so great, and it has so many things that I was sure we wouldn't find or be able to afford, so it's just incredibly awesome that it worked out. The deal isn't done and dusted yet, as we still have to do references and pay in full, but we've put the deposit down to secure it, and everything seems to be going to plan. It was the third house we looked at, which I think made my mom nervous, but really once she sees it she's totally going to understand. ( Info about the house, because it is AWESOME. )

Okay, I have this other section that I wrote up before and never posted, so here's our weekend and some shopping:

On Sat in the AM we went house-hunting. [BLAH BLAH BLAH - it's all out of date now so I deleted it!]

Then in the Sat PM Rach and I went to this Democrats Abroad thing. We weren't sure what it was, but it turned out to be canvassing (at a festival on the Thames) to try and get Americans registered to vote. It was a bit scary at first but after you got used to it, really fun. A few people were rude, but most were really nice - probably tons easier then doing something like that in the US because the sentiment was overwhelmingly Democrat. We got a lot of confused Brits though - "why are you doing this here?" - but it did seem to be worth it because there are just SO many Americans in London. We were some of the last to leave, so we inherited this huge sign "London for Obama" that we have now hung in our front hall. :) Also, I randomly saw a friend of mine from university, so that was weird. I just heard my name and turned around, and there he was. (Actually, if you ever follow/remember my stories, it was the guy who got married earlier in the year and didn’t invite me.) Anyway, overall a positive experience on the campaign-related stuff, and nice to feel like we were actually doing something! ( Also, it got me a new facebook profile pic, so that's cool. )

Then on Sunday we cleaned. Ugh. (Well, mostly Rach cleaned and I just sorted out my room.) But at least now my room looks beautiful. It was really getting out of control. Oh, and I made cookies, which if I do say so myself, turned out awesome. It's much harder without an electric mixer though.

Also, have been doing a bit of (US) shopping online:

Erin(Kristen’s sister) found a dress for the Costa Rica wedding. We're dressing matching, to give a semblance of a wedding party feeling I guess. I think it’s really pretty, although I’m sure I’m gonna have to hem it. (Or get someone to hem it if the fabric is too delicate – we’ll see.)

I’ve been looking for a new laptop bag, and have searched a bit in actual shops but not found anything that fits what I want. I needed it to be something that didn’t look too much like a laptop bag, because when I carry my current one around London I feel like a target. Also, I wanted it to be big enough to hold quite a bit of other stuff, and also to be pretty! So I finally ordered this one from the Mac store. I was just a bit worried because the straps don't look that padded, but hopefully it will be okay. I found it for about $20 cheaper on some random sites, but none of them ship to APO's. Stupid. I talked to mom this weekend and she was just saying "why buy it online? you can't look at it that way" but I just think it's so much easier! Real shopping is such a pain in the ass.

The last thing I was considering (but haven’t ordered) is this raincoat. I have been looking (for like two years! man I suck at shopping) for a raincoat/trench that would be nice for work. The only summer/fall coats I have are casual, so I mostly end up wearing sweaters until it’s cold enough for my wool ones. (I have tons of winter coats!) But I don’t know – the pretty blue doesn’t come in petite, so I can’t decide.

Other than that, not much. Except that I think I might be allergic to the new shampoo that I bought. AND THAT WE FOUND THE PERFECT HOUSE. Ahem. I'm done now, I swear!

Well the icon isn't exactly appropriate since they are (mostly) having great weather this year, but when else will I have a perfect time to use it?! Anyway, I'm sitting here watching Wimbledon, perfectly happy. I just watched a fantastic match between Jankovic (Serbia) and Wosniacki (Danish). W is SO young; she's only 17! J is the world number two, but she actually had a bit of a battle for it. Anyways, good match. Next up is Murray on center court! Playing a German, Hass, who I actually also quite like. I wish I could see some of the more random matches and be switching back and forth, but since we don't have cable it's all BBC1 and 2 and no red button. Too bad I didn't go today, but it just didn't work out.

All in all it's a great sporting weekend because the final for Euro08 is on Sun night. It's Spain/Germany, which eh, but I'm still hoping to go somewhere and watch it with someone. Probably Phil and A&A.

I'm having a lazy weekend, which is nice after the crazy office moving week I've had. Now we've pretty much got my office and my boss's office set up, as well as the conference room re-organised, so that's good. I'm still trying to make him get rid of more stuff though; we have too much crap lying around the office. Also, was ready to kill him on Friday as I tried to move and set up the computers. (He's not so computery.) I was ready to hurt him by the end of it, especially as he stood over my shoulder as I tried to set up the wireless internet, trying to tell me what to do. Finally I lost patience and told him he should do it. Fifteen minutes later he was back in my office saying he ran out of time and would I just set it up for him. Riiiiiight.

So yes, lazy weekend, mostly consisting of Wimbledon and Dr Who. I've just found out that Jessie (new flatmate) not only has the entire new series on DVD, but also quite a few old ones. So we spent last night watching a bunch of those, and have plans to continue. We watched Robots of Death (Baker/Leela), Carnival of Monsters (Pertwee/Jo Grant) and Hand of Fear (Baker/SJS). Good times. It also solves my "what shall I watch next" problem, because I am now re-watching New Who from the beginning. I wonder if I can finish by the time she leaves? Also, tonight is NEW WHO!!! Woot! iamseb is coming over and he and Jessie and I are making a night of it. Less then 3 hours and counting!

And Murray took the first set!

I'm still at work, and very annoyed. I got her at 8AM this morning, so I should have been able to leave early, however I’m still here, waiting for Virgin Media. We closed the flat account, so they were supposed to pick up our router and TV box today between 8 and 12. Well I called around 2 since they hadn’t come and the guy was all “oh, they have until 6 to come by” which totally isn’t true because they had given me the option of 8-12 or 12-6. But whatever. So here I am, still waiting. But it’s 20 to 6, so I kinda think they aren’t coming. And I’m supposed to meet people in the city at 6:30 for dinner – SO not happening. And now what happens? I call Virgin once it hits 6 and they give me a different day they can come by? What a complete and total pain. And how nice of my flatmates to be helping me deal with all this crap. Anyways, I’m totally bored and need to kill some more time so I think I'll bore you all in turn with the contents of my week.

( And this is the way of it... )

Not too much else. On the TV front I finally got around to downloading the end of the season of Gossip Girl. I forgot how fabulous that show is! And I’m totally addicted to Jacob’s TWoP recaps of it too. He takes this show that so many people just look at as a guilty pleasure, and makes it into this thesis like examination of social attitudes and manages to find something important in every single choice the producers/directors/writers/actors have made. Now THAT is the way to watch television!

Just a drive by posting to say that I got to my parents' house and what was waiting on my bed? The Gilmore Girls Complete Seasons Set!!! I'm SO excited. I totally plan on starting with the pilot and watching all the way through - I wonder how long that will take me, between other things I'm watching? I'm pretty happy with it, although to be honest it's a bit weird. The case is actually foam padded. And as I've said before, I don't like the artwork as much as I do on the individual season sets. But it's so lovely and compact! So that in the end, wins for me.

Also, one little annoyance that happened last night. The second season of Bones finally downloaded, so as a reward for finally packing I was going to watch the first episode before going to bed. I was at least ten minutes in before I finally had to be like "this CAN'T be the right episode". I had no idea what was going on. And the worst thing of all is that now I'm totally spoiled for a really important shippy thing. ( Cut for S2/S3 Bones Spoilers ) I'm usually not a huge spoiler-phobe, but in a case like this where I would have never known and it would have been so nice to watch organically develop, it makes me really mad. Plus, now I have to wait and download the first episode again because I hate watching things out of order. (I did check a few of the others and they seem to be the right ones.)

This was supposed to be a short entry!! Whoops. Anyway, I'm home and I've got my Gilmore Girls. Plus, tonight was already fun. My (sorta) friend from highschool who I haven't seen SINCE highschool is staying with us with her boyfriend, and they're both really cool. And we went to the first party tonight and had tons of fun, although we (and the bride and groom) were the youngest for miles. And then tomorrow, ceremony and big party! Yay.

So I got home from the wedding a week ago, but I’m also a sucker for completeness, so I’m gonna write this third entry detailing the rest of the trip despite the time lapse. Most people on this side of the ocean have already heard the story, but hey, LJ is for the telling right? I mean it’s all about getting the words out there, and journaling for yourself. Or something.

So anyways. ( It begins with the epic (and surprisingly serendipitous) tale of my brother’s journey from Atlanta to Chicago. )

Ridiculous. As I told basilm and iamseb when we were out on Friday night, I sometimes think I exist in a constant state of drama. I must be really annoying to put up with! But that’s just in real life. As for LJ, isn’t that kind of what this place is made for? Maybe I need an icon that just says "unnecessary drama!" to use like, all the time?

ETA: I just reread this entry, and it's really stream-of-consciousness sounding. But I can't really be bothered to edit. So read it if you dare, or care.

Two entries in two days - huzzah!

So to cap off my very useful weekend, today I finished up two of the freelance tax returns I am doing. Yay for productivity!

Anna came over for later lunch/early dinner and to watch Seinfeld (her DVDs are region 1, so she keeps watching them at my place). We did stirfry, watched three episodes, and hung out for many hours. Good fun. Then my new flatties came home and we had a mini crisis.

I went to wash our dishes and realised there was no hot water. Sometimes this just means the boiler needs to be reset - God knows why - so here goes... I turn everything off and do just that. No go. We realise the heat isn't on. We check the water pressure (the internal value) and turn that up a bit so it is fully in the green. Still no dice. So after one last reset I go for my last ditch effort, which is to take the front off the boiler and try to re-ignite the flame that way. STILL NO FLAME. This has never happened, so I call the landlord. One 12 minute conversation later I learn that I should never take the front off (it's too dangerous!) even though that's how it got fixed before, that I should just use the reset button on the front (DONE THAT YOU IDIOT) and the water pressure valve (CHECKED THAT TOO) and that if that all doesn't work then it must be something simple I am missing. Oh, thanks. Smug bastard. He's in NY, so I'm supposed to call him tomorrow if it still isn't on. The only good thing that came out of this conversation was flat-mate bonding as I put him on speaker phone as he blathered on for 12 minutes about his many properties and responsibilities and I kept saying "sure" and "okay, well then" as I tried desperately to end the conversation. Eventually I got of the phone, we tried resetting it again, and then finally gave it up as a bad job and went to the pub instead.

The pub being our local just down the street (The Shakespeare) which is always rammed and we really don't go to enough. It's a nice little place. So we spent a couple hours there, the four of us having some drinks and getting to know each other. Good fun, and making me realise that I really do like my new flatmates. I think it's all going to be okay.

On the other hand, we got home and there is still no heat or hot water. What a fun phone conversation I'm going to have tomorrow morning.

It's Friday night and I've got a great weekend ahead! I'm so excited, because tomorrow I leave for Stuttgart to hang out with biscottimoment and gator1313!! It's going to be awesome. The last time I was in Stuttgart was the World Cup, when we went to see England v Ecuador (we won) and the place was crawling with English fans. Not exactly the best way to see the city!

After Germany, gator1313 is coming back to London with me, so the fun can continue. Too bad I have to work all week - that really puts a damper on it all! I worked some extra hours last week though (I work flex) so hopefully I can leave early most days or something.

basilm and I went out for her birthday on Friday. It was fun, but not as great as expected. We went to the singles night Ceidleh, which was a bit awkward. We definitely decided that the Friday night ones where anyone can come are better. (In other words, bring your own guys to dance with and you are spared that weird pressure.) Also, more people come on a Friday. But we did have fun once we started dancing, because we made it fun. So that was okay. Oh, and a random guy came with us all the way to Kings Cross on the tube. He was nice but a bit excitable, and very difficult to shake.

I think that's all I have for now. Not too much excitement. But tomorrow! Stuttgart!! YAY!!

It's 2AM.  What am I doing?  I'm watching Never Mind the Buzzcocks on YouTube.  What should I be doing?  I don't know - one of the many millions of things I need to do before Cat and Jared get here Thursday and my life kicks into overdrive.  Oh Christmas, I do love you, but you make life insane.  Oh yes, I suppose (since I have to work tomorrow at 8:30) that technically what I should be doing is sleeping.  But I just got my computer back today, so actual work or sleep is difficult as I find it hard to tear myself away.  I've pretty much been on since I got home, including a two hour conversation with Trev.  (Never mind that he'll be here in 6 days.  I love Skype.)


Hmmm..what else?  Have I mentioned how much I HEART Never Mind the Buzzcocks?  It is the win.  I don't think I laugh at anything else quite as much as I do during that show.  (Not so much during the Mark Lamar years, but now that Simon is on.)  Also, Ryan Jarman from the Cribs came back and was a guest again a few weeks ago.  BEST GUEST EVER.  I don't even know why, but he has me in fits every time he opens his mouth.  At least my brother agrees with me on this point.

Oh yes, and MY BROTHER GETS HERE IN SIX DAYS!  Sorry for all the caps but it merits them.

Here's the plan:
Mon night (heh - now) - make bed, pack up presents, sleep
Tues - work, meet with new boss, pack for parents house, clear side floor
Wed - work, spend night with teaatsix (nearer airport)
Thur - pick up C&J at airport, half day work
Fri - work party (last one)
Sat - Choral service at Albert Hall
Sun - TREVOR ARRIVES!, Terracotta Warriers exhibit, go to my parents (evening)
Mon - Christmas Eve (start of week off)

I'm going to V Fest this weekend!  I'm SO excited.  I'm leaving at 7AM tomorrow morning to get the train there, and then camping out for the weekend.  Of course it's totally going to rain, and be muddy, and cold - but what's an English summer music festival without all that?  V has the best lineup of this summer: Snow Patrol!  The Kooks!  Foo Fighters!  Killers!  Editors!  Damien Rice!  The Fratellis!  Guillemots!  And millions more - do I even need to go on?  I AM SO EXCITED!

Okay, and I should really go to bed now since I have to get up so early.

You can read all about it here: http://www.vfestival.com
Lineup is here: http://www.vfestival.com/index.html?pid=3006

WOW!


Okay I lied and didn't go to bed, so I am adding the FridayFive to this.

Who do you live with?
Two flatmates - Kiwi girls that I met through an online roommate site.  They're way cool though.

Do you like who you live with or do you want change?
I'm good for now.

Describe the ideal roommate.
My brother was pretty near ideal as a roommate - he cooked, I cleaned, we hung out together when we felt like it, left each other alone when we didn't.  Obviously the best type of roommate is a partner, but who knows when that's happening for me, so!

How much sleep did you get last night?
About five hours.  My friend Peter is visiting and I was out with him til late.

Where would you love to play hide-and-seek?
Underwater shipwreck - diving hide and seek!  Come on, you know it would be fun.