Pumpkin Assassination

Every year the problem of how to dispose of ones jack o lantern stumps thousands. I would like to offer this video as a suggestion.

Antique Roadshow

Sad news I am afraid. We lost our camera so I have not been able to make my usual videos. My brother got married and I was unable to take any pictures. I suppose it was just as well. I would have had that big bulge in my pocket during the whole ceremony and what would people have thought.

Anyway out of boredom I made this spoof on Antique Roadshow. The intro song is from the British version which I did watch once while in London. It sort of puts the US version to shame. We don't really have anything over 200 years old were as some of the smucks on the UK version were like yeah I think Henry the VIII use to pee in this bucket. Not often you can say something is several hundred years old.

Stairway to Heaven

My cousin Dan is a major led zeppelin fan - as we all should be! I know at one point he had aspiration's to become a singer - he still might, and there is nothing wrong with that. I recall one evening years ago he tried singing the stairway. This You Tube video is a very close approximation to Dan's performance that night.


Enjoy!

Morgan's 6th Birthday

It's mighty weird to see your little girl go off to school. When she tells me stories she expects me to know all about the people she is dealing with and how her school is setup. She hasn't come to the realization yet that others do not know what she knows. Some never come to that realization in life.

Katie went to a "blessing way" Sunday afternoon. A blessing way is like a baby shower but you don't give gifts. Her friend is on baby number 3 so there is no need for more baby crap. So anyway I had the two girls for the afternoon. I thought I would be the good dad and take them to the playground were they could run around get tired out and then nap the rest of the time. We walked down to the playground and Morgan wanted to show me the monkey bars and how well she could climb them. So as soon as we got there she got all the way to the top and promptly fell off landing flat on her back. I had to carry her and Gwen back to the house. That is about 90lbs of wiggling crying children. So the rest of my time watching them was torture as both of them were crying at the top of their lungs. Morgan is fine now...I think anyway.

Also I apologize for the spelling errors in the subtitles. I had to redo them and I was in no mood to check on them.

The 1st day of School

Morgan started Kindergarten today at Spaulding Elementary aka Primary school for you Brits. Katie is going back to work soon and Morgan and Gwen will have to go to daycare in the morning before school starts. This means that even though we live less then 100 feet away from the school Morgan has to take the bus. Oh well its Morgan's first lesson that when you enter the "machine" aka US educational system many things don't make sense. We also got some fun pics and videos of Gwen. She has become very daring recently. There is a shot of Gwen and I going down a slide at the end of the video which is not evident but its a really long tube that twists and turns. After we went down together once she went as fast as she could to get back up to the top and then wanted to go head first by herself. Morgan never would have done that at her age. Its amazing how different two kids can be.

The state of Maine

Hi again, Its been a busy time of year. Gwen's real birthday has come and gone so she is officially a year old. Morgan and I went camping in the backyard. We had a campfire, made smores, hotdogs, and slept in my tent. It was freakin' cold that night, but good times were had by all.

We climbed Mt Watatik which is a small mountain located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The rangers marked the state line on the mountain so you know when you cross. Morgan made it all the way to the top without complaining. I'm very proud of her as it must have been tough for a five year old.

Last weekend I went up to Maine. My uncle Rick has a cabin on Hancock pond in Denmark Maine. Its really a lake not a pond. For those of you not familiar Maine is the most northerly state in New England. Its nicknamed vactionland and is a popular destination for camping and other outdoor crap. Its also known as the lakes region for all the lakes carved out by the glaciers during the last ice age. Similar to the lakes region in the UK.



Here is my cousins video on the same subject matter.

The American Dream

If the American Dream is to own a house, have nice cars, and 2.4 kids what is the British Dream? I'll guess that it is the same. Although you may want to dream of better teeth. Just Kidding...sort of.

I wish kids would do cute things long enough for me to record it. Gwen is prentending to drive and making brum brum noises... and now she is crying. Well that was a short lived bit of happiness.

Below is a video of my house. We bought it three years ago and have done a ton of work on it. There is still a ton left to do. We've been lucky and the structure of the house is solid and in good shape. Many of the mechanical systems are also of top quality but the electrical, insulation and general decor really needed to be upgraded...bad. I didn't film every room. I guess you don't need to see the boiler room, tool shed, and my office in the basement. We also didn't film the "master bedroom" as I honestly forgot about it. There is nothing master about it. Its just slightly bigger then the other bedrooms and it has a larger then average closet even for modern standards. We have not done any work in there either. The room has no insulation and in the winter you can feel the cold breeze come thru the wall.

Happy Birthday

Thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday. Its the first year I have ever received a global happy birthday. I had an excellent Birthday meal - Lobster, steamers, and corn on the cob. Yummy!

Gwen's birthday is on August 10 but Katie's Grandmother was up from Tennessee. That is the skinny state below Kentucky. The Appalachian mountain range runs through it and Elvis' house is located in Memphis. Since she was up we celebrated Gwen's 1st birthday already. The four us will do something on her actual birthday.

Check back soon. I will be posting pictures of the house soon.

Ice Cream Anyone

Last Thursday we had two of my favorite work events happen on the same day. Lunch with Ray and an ice cream social. Ray is the VP of our division and he walks over to our wing of the building and talks to my department every quarter about the state of the company and what not. People can send in questions ahead of time or ask them on the spot. The best part is the company brings in PIZZA. I love free food. I had sent Ray a few questions ahead of time. He called me on one of my questions. I asked what his favorite ice cream flavor was. Its black raspberry in case you wanted to know.

After lunch the landlord put on an ice cream social by the volleyball court. 6 flavors and all the magical toppings you could imagine. It was very good.

The video showcases the highlights of my daily commute to work along with photos of the ice cream social.

4th of July

The 4th of July has come and gone and for the majority of the world this meant nothing to them other then the US was closed. Yes, the 4th of July is the day we celebrate our Independence. My hometown always puts on a parade down main st, and fireworks on the town field. Lots of town folk turned out in their red, white, and blue to show their patriotic spirit. I kind of expected St. Georges day to be similar in England. I guess its a day to celebrate English patriotism, but I only saw a few places put out a couple English flags. Drag really. It would be a good excuse to get another day off work. Anyway I put together a little video. I picked an ironic song for the background music. It is as much of an unpatriotic song as you can find but it has a good beat. I think many hard core patriotic Americans would not approve, but its all in good fun. Plus I think my UK buddies don't want to get too much American patriotism shoved down their throat.

Morgan Lost Her First Tooth

Well the subject line pretty much says it. Katie and I as parents have hit a major milestone. We have children old enough to loose baby teeth. We gave her a buck for it. Many parents give more but really what's the point. Its not like she has something to spend it on. She was extremely excited and that is really the goal - to make her feel special. Mission accomplished. It will not be long now before I tell you about her first day at school. Now that will be a very weird feeling to have a child in school. It wasn't that long ago I was in school myself.

Interactive Data

So I wanted to take some pics of the office in the US so the guys in the UK can see it.

Interactive Data

Wait I forgot to post the last week.

On the last day Morgan and I visited the Geoffrey's Museum. It shows how the average house would be laid out and decorated in England through out history. At the end they show a house from the 90s and it had the same chairs we have at the flat.

At the end of the day we rode the number 8 bus all the way to Buckingham Palace. Then walked to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Horseman's Guard, past Downing st, and up to Trafalgar Sq were we picked up the 15 to Tower Hill were we saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge one last time. Then we walked back to the flat from there.

We have had a great time and we already miss it, but its also good to be home.

We have Landed

In case you have not yet found out we have landed safe and sound. We touched down in the US on Thursday June 26. It is good to be back in our own house with our own stuff. We had an exellent time but I think we were getting just a little tired of being cramed into that little flat.

My brother had a pig roast the saturday after we landed. This year he did a cow leg as well as a whole pig. It was exellent! I wish I had taken some pics to show everyone who was not present as it is hard to picture what a pig and a cows leg looks like on a spit.

The gang in London gave me lots of nice presents to send me on my way. In fact I am wearing my Union Jack socks right now. I already stained my green grape shirt. Hopefully Katie can fix it or Katherine will give me hell for already wrecking it.

I plan on making some videos of the house and the secret passage to show the London crew. I've got to finish cleaning the place so it doesn't look like a dump. I'm also going to make a best of London video.

After that I don't know what I will do with the blog. Our European vacation is done which is the point of the blog. I think I might have to modify the mission statement of the blog to just be a general place for me to post random videos and pics. I won't do a weekly update as I am not that interesting.

Week 24

So I missed a couple weeks in the end there, so I wanted to post them now.

On the 14th of June we went and saw the trooping of the colors which is when the queen's birthday is celebrated. Her real birthday is in April. She rode in a carrige down the mall (a road in front of Buckingham Palace). We were about 20 feet away from here when she rode past. Unfortunately she turned her head to look at the oposite side of the road when she went past us. We also saw Camilla, Prince Henry, Prince William, and the Duke of Edinborough.

After the parade we went to Regents Park which is a very formal garden like park which little paths, fountains, and hedges. The London Zoo is located in the park but the Zoo is tiny so we never bothered to go in.

Week 26

The last weekend has come and gone. We came to the realization that we had overlooked the Tate and the V&A - two major museums. So we went out to see them. The V&A was great. They had tons of activities to do. The May pole, ethnic music from multiple locals around the globe, a guy showing off odd instruments, an art/music workshop. Along with "Architecture hat" making. I wish we had gone earlier during our stay.

The Tate was really small and off by itself south of the Big Ben. They had some fun things going on but it paled in comparison to the V&A. They had art projects kids could do which focused around various paintings. Morgan decided to make a dioramas of a room. The painting we were to study was that of a man standing in a bed chamber with his children, dead wife in the bed, and his new wife in a chair. I thought it was an odd painting to have kids study so we didn't go into depth on that.

We are exited to be going back soon and we are working on packing our bags. Its been a great experience but we will be glad to be back among family and friends on American soil.

LondonWeek25

Top Gear

British Tele is something most Americans and I think most Brits dislike with a passion. We get BBC1, 2, 3, 4, 5. In the US this would be like getting Channels 2, 4, 5 ,7, and fox. Morgan does not realize there are only five channels and just flips through 10 times thus equalling the 50 channels we are used to having at home on basic cable. So you can imagine there are many nights with nothing on. The worst are the soaps, tweeny tv shows, the news, dramas, and most comedies.

There are some moments of entertainment. Dr. Who for example scares the shit out of me. I mean us Americans are used to the good old days of Dr Who when I guy in a ridiculous scarf and bad teeth would run away from a upside down garbage can yelling destroy. Those days are long gone. They now have some awesome special effects.

The BBC also has all the major US shows like the Simpsons, CSI, Law and Order and so on. The problem is the Brits don't do tv series the same way we do. In the US we have three major seasons for TV, The fall (Sept - Dec), Spring (Jan - May) and Summer which is all re-runs mostly. A show on British TV only lasts 6 weeks then it changes. There are less re-runs so that is a good thing but by the time I find a show I like it goes away. I can never develop a schedule.

My favorite British show is Top Gear http://www.topgear.com/. Its these three guys who are given automotive challenges. For example drive to the north pole, or make a limo. They do others things as well like test drive cars we will never afford to own, and make celebs race around a track in a crappy car. By the time I found this show the season was near over. Well the next season starts this Sunday so I get to see one more episode.

I also found out that they are coming out with a US version. Here is the link to that.
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/2956/

I hope the pilot program is successful so I can watch.

Does anyone know how to play British DVDs on a US DVD player? I'd rather not buy a new DVD player to watch my Top Gear DVDs. I wondering if there are settings or dip switch somewhere that I can just switch to the correct zone.

Post 50 why my local McDs sucks

Hello, This is the 50th post I have written on this blog, so if you have been reading along then you have realized its a bunch of crap.

Yesterday Morgan and I went down to McDonalds on Bethnal Green while Katie and Gwen were out doing their own thing. Bethnal Green is the "high street" or main drag of the neighborhood. Its a dirty place with trash everywhere and stupid little market stalls clogging up the street and sidewalk. It's also a very diverse street which means there are many Muslims and Indians from India or perhaps Pakistan. Now there is really nothing wrong with all the diversity but I really dislike the practice of covering the head and face. I mean if I can't see your face I assume you are hiding something and are therefore not trustworthy and bad. What would the general public think if I wore a ski mask out on the street?

So back on track. We finally make it through all that and get to McDonalds. Now the menu does not cover what they actually sell nor does it list prices. What would be the point of that?! Instead it just shows the latest McCrap sandwich they trying to push. Something called the LA, Miami, and NY burgers. I just wanted a number one but they don't do numbers, so I have to ask for a Big Mac meal. The cashier says "oh you American (of course she does not speak English as a first language) you want it supersized" Just because I'm American does not mean I need a larger portion...I might want it but I don't need it.

So we manage to order and then it is time to pay. I wanted to just us my AMEX card so I hand it to the young girl and she points to the a slot to insert the card in. The British credit cards work like debit cards were you need to enter a pin instead of signing a slip. Of course my AMEX does not have a pin setup for it. I tell her she needs to swipe it and make the hand gesture of swiping. Total confusion ensues and I finally just pay with cash instead of getting the manager.

Now its time to find a seat. There are plenty of empty seats but a clean table is the problem. See the locals don't know they are supposed to throw their rubbish in the bins provided around the restaurant. I see the locals just throw trash on the street too which I find very annoying. In true American fashion I have no issue with telling them they are slobs and to pick up their mess. Its not just immigrants not picking up their own trash but the local Brits are slobs too. I've been in other fast food joints around the UK and I don't see this same level of disregard for cleanliness.

The time before last I had gone by myself and a bum actually walked in a begged for food from an old British lady. I got up to intervene but she didn't need my help. She chewed him a new one. You got to love those old east enders they have attitude and don't take crap from no one.


There are only five work days left.

Week 23 Paris

Bonjour! We went to Paris on Saturday June 7. Originally we had planned to go two weeks prior but Gwen was really sick so we postponed our trip. The downside is we were going to see the Red Bull flue thing in Hyde Park on the Serpentine Pond. Basically people make "flying" machines that they ride off a ramp into the water. It was free so no big loss.

We got there by the Eurostar and then took the metro (subway) to the riverbank. Luckily the person at the ticker counter for the metro spoke some english. At the end of our transaction Katie said Bonjour (Hello) instead of Merci (thank you) or Au viour (Good Bye). We then boarded a double decker subway car.

We decided to start down near Notre Dame and walk along the river until we got to the Eiffel tower. We came out of the metro not were we wanted to be and wandered down to the river. We entered into an area with lots of little tents. Turned out to be a haven for bums to sleep. Not a great start, but eventually we got on the right track.

The city in general was exceptionally clean - even the bum tenting area was clean. However, there were many parts that smelled of urine. The French charge to use the toilet so its no wonder the place smells. The argument is that they are cleaned more regularly. Bull I say.

The Eiffel Tower was my favorite part of the trip. You see it all the time in movies, TV shows, and as little statues, and in those mediums it is not that impressive. However, when you see it in person it is massive. The line to go up the tower was way way too long so we decided to have some crapes and cotton candy (brits call it candy floss)instead.

On the train ride back our seats were not together. Katie and Morgan were together with another young (actually older then me) couple with a 9 month old from Toronto. Gwen totally dwarfed the other baby and showed her up by cruising up and down the aisle while the train was moving. The other baby had not yet crawled, but found Gwen to be fascinating. The other baby was an only child so he had no older siblings to follow. Morgan didn't really crawl much at that age. I don't think the story of Morgan made them feel better.

A guy in the group of seats behind us showed up in a tux like you would expect James Bond to do. As soon as the bar opened him and his party left. Katie and Morgan moved around to that group of seats to get a change of pace. Next weekend is the Queen's Birthday celebration. We know have less then two weeks left.

Paris

Pictures of the Girls

Okay so here is my attempt at uploading the video of the girls. Hopefully it works this time.

Party in the Tube

Week 22 has come and gone. We have less then a month to go now. This weekend we went to Sir John Sloan museum and the Banquet House. The Banquet House, which is just a really large room, is all that remains of a larger palace that burnt down. It was originally built by King Henry the VIII then remolded by King Charles I.

Morgan steps in a yells out "This is it!?" I'm sure that is what the people working there want to here. We got in for free so who cares if it was just one room.

The Sir John Sloan Museum is a house next to Lincoln Inn Fields (a park that has seen better days) John Sloan was an architect and collector of architectural crap. Looked like he must have lived during the Victorian era or 19th century for those of you not up on your English time periods. It was very cluttered with things very fragile. Morgan was bored and Gwen was in no mood to site see. It was free too so no big loss I suppose.

We learned the Queen's birthday will be celebrated on June 14th. Her birthday is in April but the monarch's birthday is always celebrated on the second Saturday in June. We were lucky enough to see a practice parade down the mall towards the Horses guard from Buckingham Palace.

Next weekend we are off to Paris.

Oh yes the title of this week.... They banned drinking on public transport this weekend. Seems like an obvious thing to do and I am shocked it had not been done right from inception. Anyway, the last night before the ban everyone had a big bash in the subway. We saw it on the news and I'm glad we didn't need to go anywhere. The cops did nothing and let the masses trash every tube station in London. They showed workers the morning after using shovels to clear the mess out of Liverpool station. There were even mini kegs!

Here is another fun factoid.

The Brits are thinking of putting a 5p deposit on cans to encourage recycling. "What a great new idea" the news caster said. NEW IDEA!!! Geez we've only been doing it my entire life in the US. New Idea my ass.

Week 21

Okay so I know I'm late on week 21 here but for whatever reason I am having issues uploading my videos to google video so I was hoping to get that resolved. On Week 21 we went to Kew Gardens again. They have setup this catwalk in the tree tops. You climb up a whole bunch of stairs and walk around in a big circle. The structure is made of steel but it sways a little in the breeze so it is not for the weak hearted. We got some nice senic shots and what not. Morgan played in the Azela flower area. They have a large circle of Azela bushs in bloom. She collected the fallen blossems to make pressed flowers. I shot a video to the music of the flight of the bumblebee, and while shooting it I actually came across a bee. It rained the rest of the weekend so it was a total washout. I'll see if I can't get those videos fixed.

Week19 - Pics of the Girls

What Happened to Week 19 you say???? For whatever reason Google flagged my video as breaking Copywrite laws. I guess someone copywrited Gwen's cheeks or something. Who knows. Its most likely the song I have choosen to play in the back ground. Its the man puting my creativity down.

week20

Week 20

Gwen was very sick this weekend. Thursday I went to Dublin on business for the third time. I forgot my passport so I had to go all the way back to the flat to get it. I still managed to make it just in time then the flight was delayed at the last minute. I got stuck in a massive line at immigration in Dublin then played 20 questions with officials. Where are you going, How long. What's your favorite color, Do you like long walks on the beach...that type of thing. You better answer green as your favorite color. The flight coming back was delayed and the driver bringing me back to the flat got a little lost. When I got home Gwen was very sick. Problem at both ends of the food pipe if you know what I mean. It was an "explosive situation" you could say. So Katie and I didn't get much sleep.

Gwen is much better now but it was just Morgan and I this weekend. We went to the Royal Mews and the Imperial War museum.

blog

Week 18. The family comes to visit

I know everybody has been waiting for these pictures to be uploaded and I finally got it done. I think we all had a great time. For those not in the know. My mother, aunt Louann, brother Jeremiah, future sister in law Shelly, cousin Jay, and Jay's wife Cherry came to visit. Katie and I ran them ragged around the city. There is so much to see and do in this city. I tried to fit in as much as possible. I know many of my guests may never come out ever again. My family visiting was sort of the climax of my time in London and I'm now ready to go back home. We are tired and out of money. We have less then 40 days left. About 25 of those are work days. Its been a trip of a lifetime that we will remember forever...well Gwen won't but we can say Hah Hah when we watch these corny videos 10 years from now.

We have tickets booked to see Paris which will be the last major outing before we go back.

week18

Flat Stanley

We had a few visitors last week. One of them being flat Stanley, Stanley is a character in a children's book who was flattened by a big heavy cork board. He is so flat he can be put into an envelope and mailed out. So he arrived from US by post. We showed him around the sights and then sent him with Jay to Paris. From there he will go to another location in England then to Miami Florida and up to New York before going back to good old Massachusetts. I feel a little bad for the other family in England as it will difficult to compete with London and Paris.

Week 17 Jersey

Hello, Sorry for the late post for this week. I was on "holiday" last week so I figured I'd make the rest of you wait. I was given the opportunity to travel to Jersey...No not New Jersey but Jersey the original. It is an island located in the English channel. It is nothing like New Jersey. There are no highways, or smog. It is very quite and there are plenty of ocean views and warm weather. I went down there on company business. Some UK product specialists wanted me to brainstorm with them about our US products and how to get the best of those products into their own. I had a good time.

Gwen has become more confident at cruising. Cruising is walking while holding onto something like the side of the couch or your hands. I can see it won't be long before she lets go and walks on her own. It helps to have a big sister show her the way.

During the weekend we went to Greenwich. That is were the meridian is located on top of a hill at an observatory. The observatory was a bit of a disappointment but the park was very nice. We also found Waldo at a store next to the park. The Brits call him Wally not Waldo.

Week17

Week 16 Head bagin' hurt brain

Hello, I had the worst client visit ever this week. I was sent out to give a demo for one of our US products called Remote Plus. The AM was going to go but then something came up and he didn't go. I walked into an ambush, lambs to the wolves, and my ass on a silver platter type of scenario. The client was a prospect (not yet a client) and they had tons of data questions and questions about other products I do not support. Basically I got chewed up and spit out.

This weekend Lynn and Morgan went to Hampton Court Palace and Katie, Gwen and I bought some movies from a nice Asian man on the side of the road. Strangely enough the movies did not have cases, and no graphics on the front of the DVD. I'm sure they are perfectly legal. We also got lunch at a local pub. We had some meat pies which is like a pot pie. Mine was called Mr. Porky. Hmmmmmm Pig...

Week 15: Let the Force be with you

Lynn, Katie's mom, is staying with us for awhile. While I have been working they have visited many of the major sights and even saw the changing of the guard. They tell me they played the theme to Star Wars.

On Saturday we went to Windsor Castle. It was very expensive and it takes well over an hour to get there. It was cool but perhaps not worth the travel and expense. They wanted to charge for Morgan to get in. I lied and said she was four, they didn't believe me for a second, but they couldn't really argue. 9 pounds is way to much money to let a five year old in. Plus what is a five year old going to get out it. Actually she got a lot our of it. She is a big fan of King Henry the VIII. He lived in the castle and his body is buried in the chapel St. George with his third wife Jane Seymore.

I also realized my brother is flying in on a British Airways flight. If you haven't heard Heathrow opened a brand new terminal just for British Airway. Its been a nightmare. They have had all sorts of software issues, lost peoples luggage, and flights have been canceled. As the Brits say "Its rubbish" Anyway it should add an interesting twist to his "holiday"

The slide show has more sub titles then the movie. Enjoy!

week 15

Traveling in London

So your coming to visit and you need to get around the city. What are your options???

Walking = You will do a lot of walking no mater what, but many of the sights are within walking distance of each other. As long as you plan ahead try and walk it. When walking its important to have a map. The best map is the London A to Z, which I have a copy. I also have other maps of London as well that others can borrow, but they are no were as good as the London A to Z. Oh and Z is pronounced Zed here, so if you ask for the book at a bookstore you say London A to Zed.

Black Cab = By far the most expensive way to get around, but it is a very classy way to go.

Hover Bike = oh wait those haven't been invented yet.

Regular Bike = If your have a death wish and access to a bike go for it.

Public Transport = The Tube and Bus are the way to go. Here is the website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

If your only coming for a short while you can get an Oyster Travel Card. This is useful if you are going to be traveling constantly on the Tube (subway) and or Bus and other forms of public transport. Below I have pasted details about the travel card along with the cost.

If, however, you are not going to be constantly traveling on public transport you may opt for the pay as you go Oyster Card. Katie and I both have our own. This is the best deal since we only need to travel on public transport on weekends. We can go on any Bus, Tube, DLR (light rail), and overground light rail in greater London. To obtain one of these glorious oyster cards all you need to do is go to the first Tube station you find and ask for a "Pay as you go Oyster Card" They take US credit cards for payment. You tell them how much money you want put on the Oyster Card and you can add more if you need it later. When your done your trip you return your card to any tube station and the remainder funds are refunded back to you.

Oyster Travel Card Details...

• You can buy One Day and 3 Day tickets up to 7 days in advance of the start date (except at Tube station touchscreen ticket machines which issue printed tickets on the start date only)
• If you normally buy a 7 Day ticket, it may be easier to make the starting day a Thursday or a Friday, to avoid Monday morning queues.
• You can buy a 7 Day, monthly or longer period ticket on Oyster in advance of the start date:
♦ up to 30 days before at Tube station ticket offices;
♦ 7 days before at Oyster Ticket Stops;
♦ up to 4 days in advance from Tube station touchscreen ticket machines.
♦ Up to 30 days in advance online at tfl.gov.uk/oyster or by phone on 0845 330 9876 (7 day, monthly , 3 monthly, 6monthly and annual Travelcards only)

Adult Travelcards
Adult 7 Day Monthly
Zones 1-2 £24.20 £93.00
Zones 1-3 £28.40 £109.10
Zones 1-4 £34.60 £132.90
Zones 1-5 £41.40 £159.00
Zones 1-6 £44.60 £171.30
Zones 1-7 £48.00 £184.40
Zones 1-8 £56.00 £215.10
Zones 1-9 £65.00 £249.60

If you do buy a travel card I would suggest getting one that will allow you to go to Zone 1-6. Zone 1 is the center of the city and every zone after that is another ring around the center. Zone 6 includes Kew Palace and Kew Gardens and of course Heathrow Airport.

Week 14

This weekend it snowed! Friday was almost 70 degrees outside and then Sat and Sun it snowed. Crazy weather. Katie's "mum" (mom) arrived Tuesday morning safe and sound. Hopefully she gets some good weather while she is here.

The company just started an Australian version of the program I am taking part in here in London. We have an office in Melbourne which is our base for South East Asia. My colleague Jayna went out there about a week ago and is just getting settled in now. She says the weather is awesome out there, so I am little jealous. I'd love to go out there too some day. There is a very short overlap in the hours we work. She instant messaged me 9 am (London Time) this morning and said it was the end of her day. The tough part for here is that she will never be working the same time our US office is open, so she can't IM anyone at home. I imagine it must be difficult to phone friends and family as well.

Scotland Week 13

We went to Edinburgh Scotland for a five day "holiday" (vacation). We had a great time. The city is very clean and the people are very nice. Its a small city and easy to walk around to all the sites. The old section was very well preserved so it looks much like it did back in the day hundreds of years ago - well minus the raw sewage, rubbish, and plague.

I saw a very cool sign that said "Keep Scotland Green...Throw your rubbish in England" The Scots and English don't seem to get along that great or they might just like complaining about each other. Whatever the case its good fun to listen to their bitching and moaning.

Our favorite part was the HMY Britannia. It has been decommissioned but it used to be the Queen's yacht. We bought a "royal tour pass" which gets you two days worth of traveling on various tour buses and free access to the yacht, castle, and holyrood palace. It was a great deal.

Anyway the boat has been preserved just the way the Queen would have left it. The oddest part are the items the Queen cheaped out on to save the taxpayers money and what she decided to spend the big bucks. The sofas are from the old yacht. Her bed was only a Single bed used by Queen Victoria, but she had custom silk sheets made for it. The boat had several dinning rooms, and multiple lounges with bars. It was very different from the HMS Belfast Morgan and I had visited the week before.

We also had the best steak we have had while we have been in Europe. We went to a place called the Smoke House. Katie got bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and the sausage didn't taste like ass. English sausage has just been horrible. The steak was cooked to perfection on a grill. We don't have access to a grill at the flat so we have to broil or pan fry which sort of sucks the fun right out of it.

Next Monday Katie's Mom flies in to stay with us for a couple of weeks. Hopefully she brings us American supplies or we'll have to leave her at Heathrow. :)

Scotland Week 13

Easter Week 12

The Easter Bunny did manage to find us to the great relief of Morgan. We had a hard time finding dye and white eggs to dye Easter eggs. We searched over 10 stores for white chicken eggs with no success. I finally came across some white duck eggs. I've found searching for ingredients to be the biggest challenge living in a city abroad. We have to go to several stores to do our shopping. There is no Super market as we know it in the US. There are just small stores and your forced to make several trips a week to do what would normally take one hour a week back in the states.

Over the long weekend we went to Kew Gardens, Kew Palace, HMS Belfast, Golden Hinde, and the British Museum. Kew Gardens is located just outside the city but still on the tube. Its very nice even though is was really cold and snowing. Yes it snowed here but nothing stuck.

Kew Palace was free for us because of our membership to the historic palaces. It normally costs 5 quid (pounds) and you get what you pay for. Its not that exciting. Kew Palace was the summer home of King George III. He was King during the American Revelation. He had some 14 kids and ended up coming down with some sickness that made him go mad. Personally I think it was the 14 kids which made him go crazy.

HMS Belfast is a WWII battleship. Morgan was scared to go into the engine room as it was very tight and dark. If your not a history buff then I would suggest skipping this attraction as it was 10 quid to get in.

The Golden Hinde is a small wooden sailing vessel used to sail around the world several hundred years ago. They had some pirate thing going on this weekend so Morgan and I thought it would be cool to check out. It was closed due to weather. I guess pirates don't like the snow.

I didn't have time to put together a video this week as tomorrow we are off to Scotland. Haggis anyone? Blah!

Make sure to check out the slide show by double clicking on the picture below.

week 12 Easter

Gwen is on the move Week11

Yes, Gwen has figured out how to successfully move about by creeping and crawling or just flaying limbs around. Last night she crossed the room and went under the table while we ate dinner. If that was not exciting enough for you she has two teeth. The bottom ones in the front and they are sharp.

We are also feeding her more solids which mainly consist of little bits of whatever fruit or vegetable Katie is eating. We don't buy baby food as many of them are filled with odd chemicals and loads of salt. Babies don't need any of that stuff. Plus they taste nasty and if you wouldn't eat it why should your baby? Her main diet is still nursing which is FREE, so there is no rush to ween her off that.

As for this weekend we went over to Canary Wharf and the O2 arena. Canary Wharf used to be all run down back in the day but the city has been pushing to refurbish it. Its filled with modern brand new sky scrappers. It does not feel like your in London when you are there...It feels like a US city.

The 02 Arena looks like a massive circus tent. Many concerts, and sporting events are held there. They also have shops, restaurants, and a cinema (movies). Sunday was very windy and rainy. We were going to go to the St Patty's day parade but who wants to deal with the rain. Instead we watched Gwen crawl around the floor looking for bits of whatever to put in her mouth.

Today (Monday) is actually St. Patty's day but no one in the office is wearing green. I sure did, and I asked the others why they did not. They are not Irish was the response. Everyone is Irish today! I replied.

Anyway check out the video...Its mostly Gwen moving about trying to get at things she is not supposed to.

Euro Disney Week 10

We spent three days in Euro Disney located just outside of Paris. Its the off season and also their 15 year anniversary so they had some nice package deals we took advantage of. I would have preferred to take the train which has a stop right outside the park - and I mean right outside the front gate. Instead we flew Air France and landed in the Charles De Gaulle airport. The terminal we were in is a very revolutionary design that is basically a massive concrete tube. A section of it actually collapsed so I was a little nervous when I realized we are standing in a building with a history of falling down.

The hotel was wicked cheesy and crappy but you get what you pay for, and we were not planning on hanging around the hotel anyway. The TV did play a couple English channels. The Disney channel and the park information channel trying to sell you on the extra shows you can go and see.

They were really pushing the Wild West Show which has "real Indians". I think real Native Americans would be cooler to see but real Indians from India would be interesting...I guess. We decided to pass.

Most people spoke English so there was no real issue with communication. Almost all the signs were in English and French. The only time I got stuck was trying to read the Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. Blanch is white and Sept is Seven. Whatever reason that sign did not have English. Katie figured it out from the Plywood cut outs of the characters on the wall next to the sign.


Most of the stalls to buy food were closed as it was their off season, and the ones that were open were very expensive. I recall when I last went to Disney World my dad made the same comment on the cost. We did find the actual restaurants to be much more reasonably priced. Actually the first night we ate at the hotel which had an all you can eat buffet. It SUCKED! Way to crowded, the food was gross and it was almost the same price as a regular restaurant. We learned our lesson - spend the couple extra bucks for something you will really want.

My favorite part of the whole trip was eating at the Blue Lagoon which is located in the Pirate of the Caribbean ride. Our table was right on the shore of the Blue Lagoon so you could watch the boats go by.

On the last day I decided to try the speed pass so I could ride on the Run away Railroad. For those of you who don't know about the Speed Pass. There are machines next to the popular rides. You put your ticket into the machine and it gives you a speed pass. You are only allowed one at a time. On the speed pass is a time period for you to show back up at the ride. When I got the speed pass my time was not for another hour so we went on its a small world ride..again. When the ride was over I ran back to Frontier land. Katie and Morgan went back on Its a small world for the the third time. On my way I passed the Pirates of the Caribbean ride which had no line. I still had time before my speed pass would work so I went on the Pirates ride again. That finished just in time for the speed pass. There are two lines for every ride that is eligible for the speed pass. I got in the speed pass line. They check your ticket and you head right to the front. I didn't have to wait at all to get on the train and away I went.

I offered to let Katie do the same since I imagine going on Its a small world three times is not her idea of a fun time. Instead she wanted to go threw all the shops on Main Street USA.

I took just under 300 pictures. I got it down to about 100 for the video, and the slide show has a few more.

Enjoy

Euro Disney Week 10

Help Help I'm Being Oppressed

The UK IT department here at work has blocked access to YouTube, MySpace, and FaceBook. I've got to find away around it. Luckily I can still access my blog. The problem is You Tube as I can't upload my videos now. I noticed they have not blocked Google video so I might have to switch to that. I've been experimenting with some sites that help hide were you actually going in an effort to get around but my results have been mixed. Anotherwords I know it is possible to overcome this annoyance but its a real pain. I beleive that is why the US office doesn't bother trying, as they know we would all stop working until we have figured out how to get around it or raise a real fuss. No one here seems like they want to rock the boat which I find odd.

Here is the last video I uploaded to You Tube now uploaded to Google Video. Lets see if it works!

We are a third done our trip

Our quest for the Holy Skippy Peanut Butter was actually successful. We received several tips from our fellow Americans. Sainsbury (looks like a Target) near the Angel tube stop had small containers. Waitrose (grocery store) near Finchery st tube stop also had small containers. Our quest was completed when we found a store called Partriges (like a Trader Joes)located near Sloan Sq, which had a large American product section. They have all the products we crave. The only downside was the cost. The peanut butter wasn't bad but the chocolate chips were outrageous. They were over 5 pounds a bag which equates to almost 12 dollars. They had stove stop, fluff, Kraft Marshmallows, Quaker oatmeal, Nerds, and on and on.

I also found popcorn kernels at our local Tesco (grocery store). They keep them in the ethnic food area with the lentils (duh I should have guessed?). So now the only item we are desperate for are those chocolate chips.




Click on the image below to see the slide show.

week9

Queen Morgan and the Holy Skippy

Morgan and I put together a fun little movie. 5 year olds have a very short attention span so I had to think of a very quick movie.

Enjoy!

Haircuts and Beer

Okay so Week 8 we did not go to Hampton Court as planned due to the train being down. We went to the tate modern instead. I got my hair cut and tried out some local discount brew.

I found out that the brits don't use the term noon. They do say midnight but not noon. They asked me when I wanted my lunch break..I said noon and they all stopped dead in their tracks and said in unison "whot??" (what).

Katie meet a few Americans recently and they warned us that the soft serve icecream over here is cool whip! Blah! They don't eat too much icecream over here.

Make sure to check out my new wacky You tube video. No regular slide show this week.

For those of you thinking of visiting us the spare room is pretty much booked for April and May. Still there is March and June open! All are welcome...okay perhaps not all. Most...no thats not right either. Okay a select few people are welcome, but I think you know who you are.

If your thinking of sending a care package or visiting us please send us Skippy Creamy Peanut butter, popping corn kernels, chocolate chips, and stove top stuffing.

Week 9 we plan on searching all of Britain for Skippy. Its like the Holy Grail. so watch out for the nasty rabbit, and the knights who say knee! My goal is to theme next weeks You tube like the movie.

Run Away!

Anyone have any ideas for funny parts I might try and incorporate? Remember my video equipment is rather limited.

Brussels

Last week we went to Brussels Belgium. Its not exactly the a big tourist mecca but there were still plenty of Americans and even though the locals speak wither French or Flemish we found almost everyone spoke enough English for use to get by. The strangest part of Brussels is that the city shuts down around 6pm. The malls, shops, museums, and even some restuarants all close earlier then expected which turns the city into a bit of ghost town. I went out one night to find an open grocery store but all I found were scantly glad women in picture windows, and liquer stores.

We were surpised to find they drive on the correct side of the road and the steering wheel is also located on the correct side as well. They also drink more soda then the Brits. We also found many stores selling American products such as cowboy boots, and hats as well as blue jeans. All were crazy expensive. In general most things cost more then they would in the US. Or first meal in Belgium was at Pizza Hut which was the nearest restuarant to the hotel. They had a wine menu but other then that it was the same.

We had plenty of Belgium Waffles, chocolate, and beer. The chocolate is good but it melts at a very low temp so your hands get messy. I personally prefer Cadbury chocolate over Belgium or Hershey's. We also bought ice cream while we were there and the regular size was smaller then a kiddie cone in the US, and it was of low quality (lots of air).

I made up a You tube video which is almost 12 minutes long. Sorry for the length but I included a section of pics of the kids as per popular demand. Below that is the standard slideshow. Just click on the picture to be taken to the slideshow part.

Next Saturday is Children at Hampton Court Palace. They have kid actors dressed up in period dress.

Enjoy!

Brussels

Chinese New Year

This week we went to the London Museum. We saw what London was like from ye old cave men days to the great fire in 1666 (give or take a couple of years) The rest was being remolded so the trip turned out to be a half day. It was a fairly decent museum but I wouldn't recommend it to others as there is so many other better things to see and do, but it was free.

From there it was a quick walk to St. Pauls cathedral. It costs 10 pounds to get in and it looks like something all our visiting family members would like to see as well so we will wait and see that with them. Along with Westminster Abbey which also costs 10 pounds.

We walked up to Trafalgar sq and checked out a few more rooms at the national gallery. From there it was a quick walk to the shore line, so we walked along the river bank. It was a fantastic day. I'd say in the mid to upper 50s with little wind and a very bright sun.

We had fish and chips again for dinner. I don't mind the cod as its fishy taste is mild and you mainly just taste the beer batter. Katie got something called rock fish which tasted too fishy to me. Morgan got a deep fried sausage which is about the most nasty thing you have ever tasted.


On sunday we saw the Chinese New Year parade. It was very good and it was the first parade I'd seen outside of Pepperell and Townsend. We then went and checked out the festivities in Trafalgar sq and China Town. It was WAY to crowded at Trafalgar sq so we left there quickly. China town was a little disapointing as we expected there to be lots of vendors selling traditional chinese food, trinkets and stuff. I mean its nice that Pizza Hut put up some decorations but Pizza doesn't cut it for chinese even for a hick like me. Morgan did think Gramps would like to see the cool decorations hanging across the street since we eat Chinese sometimes when he visits. From there we went to St James Park in front of Buckingham Palace and ate a picnic lunch we had packed. The plan was to then go and see the fireworks but it seemed like a huge waste given the fact it was the middle of the day and the sun was so bright. We decided to wrap it up at the point and call it a day.

Next weekend we are going to Brussels so we will have some Belgium Waffles and Chocolate. We plan to visit a brewery, some crazy palace, Lenorado exhibit (the artist/inventor not the ninja turtle), and a cartoon museum. Did you know the Smurfs are belgium?!

Below is a snazy You Tube video and a traditional slideshow below that. Just click on the picture to start the slideshow.

Oh and this morning I actually got yelled at by a native, which I was starting to think was impossible as they are all very polite. It was extremely foggy this morning and I walked in front a bicyclist and he was non to happy about it.

London Week 6

Hampton Court Palace

Week 5 has come and gone. This weekend we went to Hampton Court Palace which is the first place outside of London we have visited as a family since we arrived. We took the Tube to the Waterloo station and then the train to Hampton Court Station. The station is right next to the palace. We could have take our private yacht as the palace does provide a dock for such use but decided to mingle with the commoners. As if! We got in for free because we have a membership. It is most famously known as the palace of King Henry the VIII. He is the one that had 6 wives. They have people dressed in period custome that give tours. It was very good and we hope to go back and check out more of it.

Morgan was sick on Sunday so we didn't go anywhere but that gave me time to make some videos with the web cam. Enjoy

london week 5

Money

Here is a little PSA about British Coins I put together. Enjoy

C is for Cookie and that is good enough for me

My cousin Jay is coming to visit in May, and it so happens he has a "vblog" video blog. The most recent entry was about cookies. He discussed cookies while making some from a tube. I decided to make some of my own home made cookies in reply to his own. I ran into some difficulties finding ingredients and the oven was in Celsius rather then Fahrenheit.

Here is my cousin Jay's vblog



Here is my own cookie video

Kensington Palace...Not so Great

Week 4 has come to an end. We have decided we better fine tune our planes to visit areas outside the city before its too late. Within the next month or so we plan on visiting Edinburgh Scotland, and Brussels Belgium.

This weekend we visited Kensington Palace which was once a royal residence and was mainly used as the home for the lesser important royals. We got in free because we got a membership at the Tower of London that lets in free to a whole bunch of places. The Palace is not worth the actual cost to get in. Many of the rooms are bare so it does not look that impressive. There is also not really that much to see. The park around the palace is another story. That is very nice and we have actually been several times. Morgan really enjoyed the play ground.

We also had the opportunity to go to an Indian restaurant Friday night. They were not happy to see the kids and we were a little under dressed for the restaurant. We had originally planned on trying fish and chips when we left the flat. I have no idea what I ate or what it was called but I ate it just the same.

This week I experimented with our web cam and you tube. It takes alot of effort to put a video together so I think I will just do it once a month.



Click here to see the normal slide show

London Week 4

More about Food

This weekend we went to the Natural History Museum. They have dino bones and other animal exhibts. Morgan had fun and it was free. During lunch we went to a Chinese buffet called the paper tiger. It was awful and the place should be condemned. You have to walk down these small steep slippery steps. the ceiling height is like 6'1 and in some places there are beams that go even lower.

We tried spotted dick and that will be the last time we will try that. It was like mushy eggy mess. Gross! Katie tried to make chocolate chip cookies and they didn't come out right. We used brown sugar but found the consistency of the sugar to be odd. Brown sugar here is natural cane sugar not sugar with molasses. They call our brown sugar something else. We had a hard time finding it too. We ended up at a whole foods near Kensington Palace. They had several hard to find US products such as the brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, dairy free products, and pretzels. Yes Pretzels are hard to come by! We also bought a Steak and kidney pie. We have yet to try it.

On Sunday's there are some really good markets on brick lane and spitfields. They sell just about everything you could think off from fruits and veggies, power tools, cleaning supplies, clothing, nic nacs, bread, shoes, dvds, electronics, watches and the list goes on. Some of it is just a big garage sale with people trying to sell their used junk. Other parts are all brand new stuff. We've been buying our produce there as it is really cheap and fresh. 6 pounds bought us all our produce for the week. Not bad!

We also found that our local McDonald's has free Wifi so we should be able to use our web cam now. If anyone wants to try and schedule a call so we can try it out on the weekend let us know.

Here are some pics to enjoy.

The Tower of London

Week 2 has come to and end. This weekend we visited the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The science museum, and we went on a double decker bus. The tube was partially down for maintenance for the weekend. We didn't realize it until it was too late and we got out at a tube station without any clue as to were we were. An employee of the tube told us to get on a bus to take us to the DLR (dockway light railway) We got on the bus and found it to be really cool and scary. It felt like we were going to hit several cars. When we got the DLR the main entrance was blocked off for maintenance and we didn't know were to go. We eventually figured it out and made it to the Tower.

The guide books say leave 3 hrs for the tower. We spent nearly the whole day there. We also found that if you buy an annual membership you get free admintance to the tower along with several other historical sites we intend to visit anyway.

I'm also experimentating with YouTube. I plan on making a video of the best slides like Jay did when he went to Japan. Should be exciting. Next weekend we plan to hit up some more free museums.

Good Fun!

London week 2

More Food Please

Everything is the same but different in the UK. You can get just about everything you want, but it just a little different. For example...



Notice the shape of the bottles. That is so they fit in the door of the fridge.

We have also had the opportunity to eat some local cuisine. We had sausage wrapped in a pastry. Morgan loved it but I thought it not that great. We had bangers and mash. Sausage and mashed potatoes. Not so great. I've been to the local Pret Manager which is a sandwich place. Its good and the prices are not really that bad.

We also bought some British candy. Now the Brits love their candy. We've been to the grocery store several times and the candy section is larger then the meat section and it is super busy. Explains the bad teeth I guess. I brought cheap American candy with me to share with the gang. They went crazy over it.

We bought what is called a flake bar. Its flaky milk chocolate. It wasn't worth the money.

The Cheese Smuggler

The company allowed me to ship a few boxes ahead of my trip. Its ment for personal effects in my cube and supplies I can't get here that I might need. We packed a few food items as well in the mix. Well I shipped the boxes out over a week ahead of me. When I arrived they were not here. Instead I got a letter saying some of the items I had shipped had been seized by UK customs. I had packed just enough powdered cheese for making macaronni and cheese to reach their limit of so many grams. The next box had tuna fish in it and your not allowed to ship any fish. My toothpaste was also missing as well. So why ship tuna you ask? There tuna is packed in brine not water. The powdered cheese was more of a "well we have room why not"

Oh well so in an effort to save some money I lost out and those items were "distroyed" My guess is some bloke is eating my tuna fish and crappy cheese right now. Then brushing thier teeth with my toothpaste. Speaking of which most brits have lovely teeth but there are some classic british smiles out there. SCARY!


Here are some more pictures that have nothing to do with cheese!

London week 2 Mid

I see British people.

Katie and I were sitting on the couch late the other night and it was very quite. I was thinking of that movie with Bruce Willis and the kid who sees dead people. Anyway I leaned over and in a scary whisper said "I see British people"

Now for something completely different!

Our first weekend has come and gone and we have some great pictures and memories to share. It really made up for the horrible first week we had trying to get settled into things. We mainly stuck around the high tourist stuff this time out.

The Tube (subway) is very easy to use. Its very similar to the T in the way its laid out, and no were near as confusing as NY. We bought Oyster cards which save us money on the tube. They have all sorts of deals and even great deals for tourists if you come and visit. We got the pay as you go cards. You load up the card with money then just swipe it when you enter and leave a station and it automatically deducts it from the card. They give you a huge discount on the rate and they also put a daily cap on how much they will charge you in a day. So at the most I won't pay over something like 4 quid (pounds (like dollars)) to travel in a day. The unfortunate part is that we are directly in between two tube stops and it takes about ten minutes to walk to the bethnal green stop. The old st stop takes even longer but it is a more direct line into the city. On the flip side Morgan and Gwen are free as long as they are with one of us. I can't imagine letting Morgan go alone anyway. That would just be crazy.

So check out the slide show. Its about 55 images so it will take awhile.

Week1

The Flat

Finally you get to see some pictures of the flat. Click on the image below to see the slideshow in all its glory. Where located on the fourth floor which is labeled as the third when you take the lift (elevator) because the ground floor is not 1 it is the 0 floor. Confusing yes! If you look at the picture we are on the corner on the far right.

The flat was very dirty when we first moved in. The floors needed a good wash, the walls needed to be repainted (emulsified), some things were broken, and there was mildew around the windows. It also did not have many kitchen tools to cook a proper meal. For example there is nothing to use in the oven in order to bake or broil with. I did make some jacket potatoes (baked potato) as they did not need any special tools. The company did send in a cleaner and painted some of the walls. They are also working on getting more kitchen tools as well. We are starting to settle in finally.

FLAT

The old Homestead!

So I thought since we won't see the house for 6 months why not take some pics to remember her by. Plus you guys might be interested too. Double click on the image to open the slide show.

15 Turnpike rd