Wow, what a week!

Tuesday I went and met Matilda for the interview that I had set up before I went home. Things went really well, got on quite well with mum and baby. I was feeling quite good about the situation.
After the interview I met Michael Hannigan's nephew, Zafar, for lunch and we had a great time, go a pitcher of pimms and a sunburn....Good afternoon really.
Wednesday I went to Wimbledon, but I woke up too late and didn't get there until 11am or so. When I walked out of the station the air was literally buzzing with the excitement and all the people. I thought I'd go down to the grounds and see what it was about, but then I saw the queue for the buses to the tournament, and there must have been 1,000 people there. It was crazy!! So I just wandered around the shops and walked around the neighbourhood a bit.
Thursday was the worst day EVER! Went to bed early so I could get up to go to Wimbledon (they have 6,000 rush seats per day for £20, but you have to get there really early). I left the house around 5am and got to Wimbledon tube station, waited for the bus to the stadium and specifically asked the driver "Does this bus go to the stadium?" he said, "Yes, I'll tell you where to get off". Great, perfect. I get off at "my stop" and see a sign that points to Wimbledon Stadium, so I follow the sign....To basically the equivalent of the SE industrial park. Imagine walking around there, trying to catch a glimse of the Saddledome, so you know you're going in the right direction....but you can't see a stadium anywhere....oh, and it's 6am. Brutal. Finally found someone to ask directions and he said, "Oh no....You want southfields, just go back to the main road and follow it up...You'll see it." Great, perfect. But to get back on the main road you have to follow an "S" shaped road back to where you started....And don't think just because you can see the road that you can get to it....The Brits are waaaay too clever for that. I also have a strong suspicion that they were too lazy/forgot where all the street signs were supposed to go after the war, because they are few and far between...
Anyway, finally get on the main road and SIX MILES later (and a large number of buses that matched the number that I got off of had passed me) I finally get to the queue for the ticket lines! And I was 3892!! Amazing! I'm going to Wimbledon!
By now it's 7.15am and the turnstiles don't open until 10am so I sat and read my book, hung out basically. Then at 9am I got a phone call from Matilda saying that they didn't think they wanted a live in nanny and so she was sorry, but she thinks she just wants someone who will come and stay a few nights. It is my opinion that she isn't ready to go back to work, and isn't sure what kind of childcare would fit her....
So me being me, hung up the phone and immediately started to cry (I am like a four year old and when I'm tired I cry). Had the whole WTF am I going to do now thing going on and was basically a mess.....Oh, did I mention I was in a large field with 6,000 people? Great, crying alone....Classy. So I decided that since I was going to go to Wimbledon in a few days with Aimee, I should save my money and go home...Holy crap this is a long story.....Hopped on a bus down the hill....I'm not walking that shit again...Oh, I forgot to mention the 4" blister I had on the bottom of my foot had ripped open and I was in agony.....Right, caught the bus to the tube station where I almost got a concussion because the bus driver slammed on the brakes TO STOP FOR THE FREE RIBENA JUICE BOXES. Then got yelled at by the same bus driver because I hit the bell to for a stop that was closed.....I may have had a particular four letter word for him as I got off the bus. Really annoyed with myself that I didn't have a snarky comment about the Ribena stop not being closed.....A-hole.
Spent the rest of Thursday pretty much feeling sorry for myself. But did get a message for another job interview....That helped a lot ; )
Friday went and met Sarah about a nannying job 5 minutes from a tube station. Right now it takes me over an hour to get to the tube. So that alone makes the job dreamy. And again, things went really well. I'm hoping to hear back from her on Monday.

Today, went to Wimbledon with Aimee.....But will finish this tomorrow. I'm so tired and need to sleep.

Hope this wasn't just rambling and you were able to piece together some sort of story!!!

Settling In

Moved into my new place on Saturday. Nothing too eventful, just made the bed and checked out the lay of the land.

Went into central London at around 6.30p to meet Aimee. When I told her that I would be 45 minutes I forgot that I live in the effin boonies and made the poor girl wait for 2 hours for me....She got me back though......We went walking around all the touristy stuff, Big Ben, Picadilly, Trafalgar, Parlament, then after much whining from me went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Walked around more after dinner, got lost looking for a park to drink my champagne in, saw some wierd, wierd shit in some shop windows (check my facebook pictures) and finally decided to sit and drink the bottle on a bench directly across the river from the London eye**. Perfect way to spend my first Saturday night in London!!

Just as we sat on the bench Big Ben starting chiming midnight so I started opening the champers, but Aimee was calling Devon so I waited until she was off the phone...But the champagne pre-maturely popped and took out a tree and scared the crap out of a group of tourists standing almost right in the line of fire! We were laughing hysterically wondering where the cork went and then a leaf floated down like a dead bird, about 3 seconds after that the cork finally came down....We were laughing like maniacs. Mental note....Don't walk around London for 3 hours with a bottle of Champagne in your bag.

**I was in a pub a few days before and overheard the landlord ask a police officer what the policy on drinking in the street was and apparently there isn't one. So in our lost wandering we saw a police station with 3 policemen outside and I wanted to open the champagne there, but Aimee didn't think it was a good idea....What a spoil sport : P

Aimee graciously let me stay at her house so that I wasn't stuck on a bus by myself for two hours and we hopped a bus to hers the whole time doing a pee dance. Almost peed in a park, but sod's law, the bus came just as the top buttons were undone. Slept like the dead and woke up and went to the cafe for breakfast, so yummy! Didn't do much else on Sunday, just hung out at home and enjoyed the simple pleasure of wi-fi.

Today I woke up and went to ASDA (Wal-mart) to get some things to girl up my room and bathroom a bit. As I was waiting for the bus some guy that was a head shorter than me with gold teeth and a rottweiler and told me he liked my style (or at least that what I thought he said, which is strange because I was wearing a flow-ey summer shirt with black jeans and trainers, nothing too exciting) then he muttered something else and asked me if I had a boyfriend. Immediate answer was yes, then I realised that he said he liked my size....Terrible lead, anyway, he said something else after I told him that I wasn't single and I just smiled an said "No, thanks I'm alright" and he said something about me being sweet and told me that if I changed my mind he was available....What a strange way to start the day....Something else like that happened when I was walking but I can't remember it now.....

Got all my girly stuff for the bathroom and finally unpacked and hung up clothes so I feel a bit more settled. Tried to take the bus home but the bus driver didn't speak english so he didn't know if he stopped at my stop.....Got off and tried to figure out the transit system (I left my A - Z in the cafe on Sunday so it was pretty difficult), gave up as I had 4 huge bags of groceries and housewares and got a taxi. Sigh....Then the taxi caught up with the bus I had gotten off all the way to the end of my road, Grrrrrrrr.

Still searching for a job because not working=spending and would feel a lot better if I had something coming in. Not to mention it would alieviate the boredom. But things are good, still think this is the best decision I've ever made and will probably need reminding of that in 3 weeks time, but am really enjoying myself!!!

Meeting Matilda about the nanny job tomorrow. Then lunch with Zafar (Michael Hannigan's nephew) and maybe a show in the west end with Aimee and Andrea! Busy day!

Will write next time something interesting happens!!

Friday

I read the little black box attached to my computer cord and it is compatible with the UK, so my computer is fully charged!!

It's 12.30 on Friday afternoon and I really want to go some touristy stuff, but I have two massive blood blisters on the balls of my feet and walking around London is not too appealing today : (

Went into Sainsbury's yesterday (supermarket) for some lunch and twix and the very first thing that I saw was a big sign that said 1/2 off....And it was for champagne, not sparkling wine, but real french champagne for £13!! Don't do the conversion and it's a great deal! Went back to my room and almost drank the bottle because it was cold and I don't have a fridge....I texted my friend Zafar to see if drinking a bottle of champagne, by yourself, in a hotel room at 2pm is acceptable and he told me that as long as I had a glass to drink out of it was ok. Right out of the bottle is just not classy. This is why we get on so well. I didn't open it, but will this weekend sometime.

Went out for dinner with Devon's friend Aimee last night and had a great time! Met her in Oxford Circus and when I came out of the tube station it was the first time I truly felt I was in London, it was great!

Aimee and I went to a little creperie and had dinner on a terrace with a bottle of wine, fantastic! Then she showed me the BBC studios, where I took a picture like the radio dork that I am.

My way home on the tube was very entertaining, so many drunk Brits. One guy was loser pissed and tripped getting onto the tube so me and my saucyness to him to mind the gap, damn I'm funny. He sat down with his friends and pointed at me from across the train and said "That girl told me to mind the gap....because I didn't" and then we were best friends. I also made fun of some guy that got on the wrong train and was moaning about how being drunk on the tube only leads to catastrophie, I told him that that was true, but it was very entertaining for everyone else...And then we were best friends. I love the Brits, nothing offends. Found out he worked in radio and he told me to add him on facebook, but I don't think I will....Too strange, but very entertaining!!

Got off the tube and after careful pre-planning went to find the bus that would take me to within 4 minutes of my hotel and couldn't find the stop for it anywhere. Found the one that took me back towards the circus, but couldn't find one for the other way, so ended up getting a cab...£20 later...But I look at it as a tourist thing, I had to ride in one eventually....

Hope you're all doing well!!! Lots of love!

Somewhere to live!

I had my phoneinterview this morning for the part-time nanny job that would be heaven, and I found out that it wouldn't start until August. I only have my hotel until Saturday, and that is not August. Holy crap! Survival mode!! I went to 5 estate agents and had everyone tell me that they don't do short term leases and to try getting a room at the Queen's Hotel (the clean, but not ideal hotel I'm already in). Walked into estate agent #6 and the lovely Jane thought she might no of someone who needed a lodger. Took the 10 minute bus ride to meet Roger and I now have a room to sleep in for the next 6 weeks! I have the top floor of a nice house on a quiet street about 15 minutes from where I'm staying now. Seems like it will be perfect.
I'm meeting Matilda (nanny job) on Tuesday for a face to face interview and hopefully will secure a job and then will be able to relax and really enjoy London, instead of being stressed out with what I am doing next.
Plugged in my iPod speakers last night and the cord started to smoke.....Won't be able to charge my computer until I find a converter or new cord, so will be internet cafe-ing it for a bit...good thing I bought a mini computer to save money in the cafes....
Gotta run, computer is really going to die now


Love to all!!

S

The first full day

Well, I have just completed my first full 24 hours in London. In this time I have spent 5+ hours on the transit system, dragged a 50 lbs suitcase up and down (mostly up, only 2 down I think)15+ flights of stairs, lost all muscle use in my right arm from dragging a 50 lbs suitcase up and down said stairs, cryed when someone asked if they could help (I blame this on the lack of sleep from the plane ride) and found my hotel with little difficulty (yay!!).
Woke up at 6 am GMT this morning and went to my BUNAC orientation, got a cell phone ( +44 020 07 55293 4748...I'm not sure if that's how you dial it from Canada, but that is basically the number) so cheap!! £15, but it came with a £10 credit and got a bank account.
I am sitting in a pub somewhere close to my hotel with free wi-fi. I like it here, the menus are glued into record sleeves and they've played 3 Bonnie Tyler songs in the last 30 minutes!
I plugged my alarm clock in last night and it kind-of-sort-of blew up so I'm afraid to plug in anything else, I may have to play outlet roulette with my iPod speakers and if they blow up I will have to start going to internet cafes. I can afford to replace speakers, but not a laptop!!
My hotel room doesn't have wi-fi or a phone that dials out so I'm pretty cut off!
I have to run before my battery runs out!
Update you soon!!