Wednesday, June 28, 2006

 

Secret Pal o'rama!

Well, this weekend has been both good and bad. First, I worked all day Saturday then left to spend a three day "weekend" with friends I haven't seen since I got back from Europe (I loooove saying "Europe!" forgive me). Anyway, I got sick. These are good friends, so they took care of me and we had fun anyway, we were all kind of sick together. Anyway, this morning I left their place and headed back to work, which is only a thirty minute commute from their place rather than the hour one back to my place. I left early because I was so nauseated and weak. Yuck. This was my worst feeling day.

Then I got home and my neighbor called and said he had found a package for me. He wasn't sure if this one needed refrigerating (see previous entries for story on THAT one!), so he went ahead and stuck it in his fridge just in case.

My Secret Pal has struck! And boy, she should be HURRICANE Secret Pal! How she got all of this goodness in one box is beyond me.

First thing I saw when I opened the box is this, how gorgeous is this bag? Big too!
Can you believe it???

There were these lovely, and delectable items as well. Love the bamboo DPN's! Not quite sure if the German sounding treat bag is for me or not, it has kittens on the outside ... could be a kitty treat. There is also a very lovely tape measure. I never have enough, and had just lost my last one. How did she know????
Yum!

Then, to go with the lovely bamboo DPN's is this lovely bag. Do Not Fear the Sock. I laughed so hard it hurt. And since I'm sick, it really hurts. :) But in this kit that she put together for me are instructions and her helpful comments to make it easer ... Not to mention the two skeins of LOVELY Cascade 220 in my favorite color!!!!!
Indeed!

Then there was this "mystery" bag, looks home made ...
Huh?

Someone knows me way to well. There are gifts in the bag, HOMEMADE knitted items. Three of 'em! Items to be FELTED. And even better ... INSTRUCTIONS!
3 items to felt

And as I pondered the plunder (can you tell I'm ready for the new "Pirates" movie??), I realized that there was a rather large box in my box.
More??  Wow!

I don't know who my SP7 is, but wow. WOW! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Everything was so wonderful and cool! (not just refrigerated either!)

I am going away now, to contemplate socks ....

Lola

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

 

Interesting

Hey, I took this quiz that I found on my friend's blog. I found it truly interesting. Here's the result for me:

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational.

Cultural Creative

75%

Idealist

63%

Postmodernist

63%

Fundamentalist

56%

Romanticist

44%

Existentialist

25%

Modernist

13%

Materialist

0%

What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com


Also ... I just watched a documentary/film "Blindspot: Hitler's Secretary". It really differs from all other films I've seen. It is nothing but a monologue/interview with no interruptions by archival footage or such. It was in German and I had to read the subtitles which subtracts from the emotional connection to the lady. It didn't matter. The last part, told without cuts at all, was her recounting of the last day with Hitler at the bunker. This piece did not need all the bells and whistles to hold attention. It just is what it is and it holds you or it doesn't. I felt for her and I believed her. Here is a woman who battled depression and self-loathing for years, decades, because she "didn't know" or as she amended, "didn't want to know". She was his personal secretary and took dictation, but the military and social agenda items were not in her auspices. I won't say too much more other than it's worth watching. She tells a tale that is not romantic or heroic of a man she once considered a father figure, but whom she ended up hating. Just a side note, she never joined the nazi party.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

 

Cat vs Bear and yes, more pictures of London

You have to see to believe, a 15 pound CLAWLESS cat named Jake chasing an unwelcome visitor out of his yard, or that was the original idea. Now, normally I would speak out about letting CLAWLESS cats roam outside, so pitifully defenseless .... right.

Check out who ol' Jake chased up a tree.

Poor bear.

Worked a half-day today and then went to my friend (and former student's) wedding. Very lovely bride, wedding and reception. Her poor father was tearing up all day, then the father/daughter dance made me really tear up. It was "their" song, and the whole time they're dancing, he's singing it to her - just like he's done since she was a little girl. It was just one of THOSE moments, you know?

Okay, here are more pictures of my vacation:

PETA better not throw blood or paint on these guys hats, they have serious weapondry. Canadian bear fur though.
British Guard at Windsor

This one was a picture I took just outside of St. Paul's Cathedral, unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside of St. Paul's.
Outside St. Paul's


And here's a closer look at this random London arch.
Love the zoom!

And this (bad) picture was taken from the tour bus (I was on the wrong side of the bus apparently) of 10 Downing Street. This was as close as we could get, in a bus, and since there were guards and gates, maybe by foot as well. That's Holly's head by the way.
10 Downing Street

The following were all exterior shots of St. Paul's Cathedral. This was the place where Princess Diana got married. It holds the tombs of Wellington and Lord Horatio Nelson. Those were ... wow.
Designed by Christopher Wren

St. Paul's Cathedral

Still at St. Paul's

More later!
Lola

Sunday, June 11, 2006

 

More pictures of London

Alright, I'd LOVE to post all my pictures from my recent travels abroad, but since there are 600+, I will try to cut it back just a bit.

On Day Three (day one was actually lost to travelling) we started out by picking up a guide and going to Windsor Castle. Beautiful! We could not take any pictures inside Windsor itself, but here are a few from that day:

Here is a statue of Queen Victoria just outside the castle. I got this lovely picture because I was late meeting the group (got left behind). They found me, it's all good.

Queen Victoria

And here is Windsor, or a part of it, it's BIG!
Windsor

More Windsor, and because the British Union Jack is flying overhead it means the Queen is not in residence. If she had been home it would have been her personal standard flying up there. Oh, and if you are in London and see a green taxi being driven that has NO license plates - that's Prince Phillip driving around. Really.

I never saw a green license-less taxi, but I did take a picture of a lamborgini from our bus. Does this make me paparazzi?????

Windsor with flag

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official residence, but she prefers Windsor. This part of the castle was behind locked gates. Funny story to follow. Heeeee!
Still at Windsor

These are the locked gates, and those are the guards sent to relieve other guards. Only ... HE COULDN'T UNLOCK THE GATE! Apparently, they'd brought the wrong key. So they marched back (in unison of course) to get the right key. Mother, Pat and I went shopping and walked back up the hill through Norman Gate and saw the same three start back down the hill. So I stated quietly (alright, maybe not SO quietly), that I hoped that this time they had the right key. Apparently, I wasn't quiet at all and one turned and laughed and smiled. That made my morning. I know they weren't actually on guard duty at Buckingham Palace and could move and all that, but still. It was tres cool.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

More later!
Lola

Friday, June 09, 2006

 

The Tale of the Boxes

Hurray! My Secret Pal's treat box did arrive! My neighbor's wife had put it in the refridgerator. My neighbor then picked up a box and also put that in the fridge. When I came home, he gave me the box he had put in the fridge, not realizing there was another box.

These lovely gifts were from my terrific SP!

Oh boy!

I even took a picture before eating any ... that's HUGE for me!

More travel pics later, munchies await!
Lola

Thursday, June 08, 2006

 

Things to challenge a bladder

Absolutely true story:

I left for London on Tuesday, May 30th ... the day after Memorial Day. My Secret Pal sent me an e-mail saying she had forgotten about no mail delivery on Monday and my "treat" wouldn't get to my house until AFTER I had left for Europe. The problem? She said the package would need refrigeration.

Okay, that piqued my interest, but I immediately called my dear neighbor who had agreed to tend my cat and kittens as well as pick up my mail while I was away. She said no problem when I explained I was expecting two packages - one from Amazon and one from my SP.

I got back the day before yesterday, but spent the night and next day with my parents, zoned out on jet-lag. Seriously. I got up, ate breakfast, and took a shower - checked the time and it was 3:30 p.m.!!! Not sure what really happened to that day other than I felt like crap. Soooo ... went to work from my parents house today and suffered through wearily until going home. Went to my neighbors and they had my Amazon package, mail, left-over kitty food, oh ... and one package in the fridge. Yeah!

Well, I went home and unpacked the car, all the while thinking "what did she send me???". Finally, I sat down and picked up the box. Hey, it's marked "Amazon". Was there a mix up? No, the other box is also marked "Amazon". Okay ... did my dear Secret Pal send me something from Amazon???? No. I opened the chilly package to discover a book I'd ordered. Okay. Opened the other box, there was the other book I'd ordered.

My neighbor had so nicely refrigerated and preserved .... A BOOK!

I laughed so hard and long that I was a bit afraid of bladder control. Now, this story does NOT make my SP feel good, she's trying to track down this package, and I'll be checking on my end as well. But in the mean time, everytime I look at my book, I can't help but giggle. So nice of my neighbor to keep my book from becoming all melty in the heat.

Okay. Now. About the TRAVEL!

Day One:

Leave for Europe. This entails a 2 hour ride to Raleigh. Checking in and security checks. Meeting the others on the tour. Making sure I (and Mom) remembered everything. We didn't - Mom forgot her sunglasses and when we stopped for lunch she bought another pair (she later found her original sunglasses in her suitcase). Flight to Detroit. Delay. Delay. Fly from Detroit overnight to London. Sleep badly on the plane, but am tremendously happy the medicine patch worked. No nausea. Get to Gatwick airport in England. Stand in line. Stand in line. This sucks, we stood in line for what seemed live forever. Finally, we're through.

We meet our tour guide, Bambi.

Yep. Not a nick-name. Bambi. We play "follow the deer". Bus ride to our hotel, check-in, ride the train to Victoria Station from East Croyden (where our hotel is) which is a burrough of London. Have fun trying to figure out how to turn on the lights in our room - did you know you have to put your door key card in a slot and leave it there to make the electricity flow? Oh well, onward! Take the tube to ... Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square, and Covent Garden. Meet the 20 odd teenagers and there chaperone's that I did not realize would be part of our tour group. Oi, hormones and junk food.

BTW ... Bambie can MOVE. Fast little deer even though she's 5 months pregnant. We leave Trafalgar and go to Liechester (pronounced Luster) Square where we eat ... and I kid you not ... what the Brits think of as Mexican food. This does not bode well for food in England. Sad. It was awful.

Went exploring. Visited Marks and Spencer for some shopping. We're all exhausted and it's getting dark finally. Check the watch and it's nearly 11 p.m.! It doesn't get dark til late in London apparently.

Here are some pictures from day one:

This is a view of London from the Hungerford Bridge just off Victoria Embankment. You can see the dome of St. Paul's in the distance.
View of London

King Edward the first was bringing the body of his beloved Queen Eleanor back to London to be buried. Everywhere they stopped on the journey he had a cross built in her memory. This is not the actual one, it's been moved from it's original site and it's a Victorian "copy" of the original cross.
Charing Cross

St. Martins in the Fields just off of Trafalgar Square.
St. Martins in the Fields

This is a bronze statue of George Washington outside of the National Galary at Trafalgar Square. It was given by the commonwealth of Virginia to England in 1921. And I love this - it actually rests upon 2 tons of Virginian soil because good ol' George had declared that he would never again set foot upon "foreign soil".
Virginia Soil under his feet

I would have loved to have taken a picture of Lord Horatio Nelson's monument in Trafalgar Square, but it was covered from tip to base (and that's HUGE by the way - only beaten in height by the spire of St. Martins in the Field - see above picture - for height) because it was been cleaned and tended. I did get to see his tomb (not on today's agenda though and no pictures allowed inside of St. Paul's Cathedral unfortunately).

Anyway, more to come later!
Lola

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

 

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig

Well all, mother and I got home last night about 3:00 a.m. due to a delay with the United flight from Dulles. They had to change a light bulb and there was only one mechanic who could do it and it delayed us by 2 hours. On the otherhand we had a little under 30 minutes in Munich to change planes (including terminals) but you have to love German organization, it was no problem! BTW, loooove Lufthansa, very nice flight (and the food on the airplane was sadly better than our meals in London). Paris food wsa good though.

I'm jet lagged and sniffling, but all is well. Have lots of souvenirs (sp?) and over 500 pictures. I will post some (NOT ALL) on my blog as soon as possible. I'm staying the day with my parents today because I can't face the idea of driving home and unpacking. Today is a day to relax.

Much more later,
Lola

Thursday, June 01, 2006

 

Waving from the UK

Well, I'm here in London in a little internet cafe. The trip was delayed about two hours, but we did finally arrive. We toured Windsor and Windsor Castle today, in the past two days we've been to Picadilly Circus, St. Paul's Cathedral (where Princess Di was married), Covent Garden, Liecester Square, and many many more.

I'm tired, but there's too much fun and too much to do to even think about stopping. Tonight we're going out to Drury Lane (Covent Garden) and see the Blue Man Group. Tomorrow we tour the Tower of London (among other things) and then get a free afternoon. Mum (so British!) and I are heading straight for the British Museum.

Later all, Lola is on the move!

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