London calling

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T20:44:00.005-05:00

Katie got real creative this year and made a nice treat for the kids. Brownie Sundays in Chocolate bowls. Yes the bowl was made out of chocolate. Willy Wonka style. How do you make your own? Blow up a balloon and paint the top of it in melted chocolate. Then cool in the fridge (not the freezer). Once hard melt more chocolate and spoon out a disk onto wax paper. This will be the base of the bowl. While the base is still wet put the balloon chocolate side down onto the base. Let that cool. Once that has hardened you can pop the balloon. Then you can use the bowl like any other bowl. It's like diabetes in bowl form!

Disney 2012

2012-01-31T21:46:00.006-05:00

We lucked out that Gwen is 4. We flew Southwest out of Manchester and they have a policy where you pick your own seat - sort of a free for all. That is great if you're by yourself but if you have kids you can't be separated. Luckily they allow families with children 4 and under to board ahead of the crowd.

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort which is the largest resort in Disney. It's made up of many buildings clumped in groups named after Caribbean islands. We knew this time of year is Disney's slow time but I was amazed at how few people we ran into at our building. The Caribbean is a moderately priced hotel located near Epcot and because it is the largest the bus that takes you to the parks has to drive around the complex before it even leaves for the park. We found a great deal online for a car rental so we did that so we wouldn't have to deal with the bus. It helped reduce the stress of moving about Disney.

Because we went at the slow time Disney had a great deal where we get the meal plan for free. Each person gets a sit down meal, a quick service meal, and a snack. We brought snacks and breakfast food as well.

We made a reservation at the Polynesian resort on the first day because we were told the food was to "die" for. It was good but no one died. I've always wanted to stay at the Polynesian but it costs three times the amount of the Caribbean and I'm waaay too frugal aka cheap for that.

We took the monorail from the Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom where we got in just as it opened. We stayed just before closing and watched the fireworks from the ferry back to the parking lot. That is when I remembered I had been on that same ferry before when I was about as big as Gwen. I think that first trip to Disney melded with later trips in my memory.

What amazed me most was Gwen's ability to keep walking all day. We were out there over 12 hours. She pointed at an older kid in a stroller and asked what was wrong with his legs?

We spent two days at the Magic Kingdom then went to Epcot where we watched the captain EO 3D show staring Michael Jackson. It might be time to retire that show - the quality is really bad, but Morgan is a huge fan of Michael Jackson so we had to see it. On the plus side we got to go the steak house in the Canadian pavilion which I am told is always crazy busy. It was very good, so I can see why. We also enjoyed the food at the Indian, British pavilions.

Lastly we went to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Both we find are not full day events. Hollywood has some great rides for older kids but not much for younger ones. Animal Kingdom just doesn't have much at all which is fine since we had a late flight to catch anyway. However, both have a great BBQ stand with smoked meats including turkey legs.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-09T20:00:00.003-05:00

This year for Thanksgiving we had a pie theme. Everything was a pie. The turkey, potatos, creamed onions and so on. It wasn't that great. Some things should not be in pie form, but I'm glad we tried it.

For more exciting news. We just booked our trip to Disney World. We haven't told the kids yet so hush. We will be going at the end of January. After running what felt like hundreds of simulations we found January to be the cheapest time to go. Not only are the hotels cheaper but we got the free dining plan. We plan to drive down in the wally wagon as it will save hundreds. I can't imagine Gwen getting grumpy at all! NOT. The plan is to drive down and stay in a cheap hotel just outside Disney for one night then go to Disney the next day fully refreshed.

Summer 2011

2011-09-28T21:54:00.001-04:00

Yes, its time for a random picture slide show!

This summer we went camping for a few days in the White Mountains. While we were there we went to Story Land and then on a nature hike to some falls. I enjoyed the nature hike up until Gwen stepped in dog poop again. I think she looks for it.

We had some tickets for the zoo. The stone park zoo to be exact. It is very small and the kids were disappointed at the selection of animals.

We have a tradition where you can choose whatever you want for your birthday dinner. Gwen asked for "Hardware Store Pizza" That would be C&S next to the hardware store. So we had her birthday right there. We brought a cake and opened presents.

Morgan on the other hand had a sleep over with a boat load of girls meant not much sleeping took place. They danced the night away to Michael Jackson. I allowed Morgan to blast over the house speaker system and I set up a strob light.

King Richard's Faire

2011-09-27T22:10:00.005-04:00

King Richard's Faire is done up like a medival fair, so there are people in ye olde timey clothes, there are period activities and entertainment. By no means are they aiming for accuracy, but rather how to make money...I mean making sure everyone has a good time. They encourage people to come in period clothing which I thought would be cool but I was out voted. I enjoyed myself but I did have two compliants.

One: The ye olde latrin was a little too authentic I thought (smell wise). They were bathrooms in trailers.

Two: The food tickets. You have to buy food tickets. Each ticket is 50 cents which you must buy in 5 dollar increments and then you redeem these tickets for food. No refunds on un-used tickets and that is what annoyed me as it was darn near impossible to work it out so you used all of them.

Once we did finally get our food it was awesome. I had a turkey leg, honey meed, hard cider and yard of ale. Strangly the yard of ale came in a container that was less then a yard tall. Perhaps yard sticks were shorter back then.

I highly recommend it.

Master Bedroom Remodel

2011-09-27T20:32:00.004-04:00

This summer's major project was to remodel the master bedroom. When I say master bedroom I mean the room I sleep in. It's not big nor has a bathroom attached. It does have a small walk-in closet so I guess that's something. I never understood the need to have a master bath - just another toilet to clean up and the kids still manage to find you when you're in there.

I took a week off from work and in that week I demo'd the room, insulated, re-wired, hung drywall and got most of the mudding done. So you'd think we moved back into the room the week after then right? Not so much. It's amazing how the last hurtle is always the hardest. It took several weekends more to finish up the trim, and paint. We still did not install the carpet. I'm not doing that. I've installed carpet only once - it was hell. The plan is to change out all the doors covered in lead paint on the second floor then replace the carpet in the hallway, stairs and bedroom.

Spreadsheet test

2011-08-11T13:22:00.001-04:00

Arrg a Pirates Cube For Me!

2011-08-02T09:32:00.001-04:00

My co-worker went on vacation and asked me to take care of her insanely large palm tree in her cube. I decided it needed pirate decorations to spruce up the decore

2011-05-24T20:41:00.003-04:00

Katie received a bonus for being rep of the quarter and with that bonus we bought new couches. It was time - the old ones were just falling apart. I think the new couches make the room finally look finished which it is not but close enough.

A while back we went to Higgins Armoury in "beautiful" Worcester. For us it was tad disappointing as we've been to the Tower of London and its a little hard to follow in those foot steps. However, if you've never been to the Tower then Higgins would be pretty good. Its the largest collection of armour in North America which is really not saying much.

100th post

2011-05-22T22:22:00.003-04:00

Yes, this is my 100th post to this blog. Insane - I know, but no time for fan fair I'm busy watching the Family Guy - Return of the Jedi special. I let Morgan play with the camera and she did not disappoint.

2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen

2011-03-26T18:12:00.003-04:00

We bought Katie a new car and a couple days after picking up the car my problems started. As I was arriving home I felt a small drop in power and response from the engine. It was small and that feel normally means it had leaked or burned enough oil to be low. I checked it and sure enough so I put in a quart and really thought nothing of it. I left the next morning and the car felt right again. When I was nearly at work I felt the drop in power again so I got off the highway and stopped at the nearest gas station.

As I pulled in the check engine light just came on. I checked the oil again and again it was a quart low. I was alarmed but I figured I'd put another quart in, make it to work, and then decide what to do next. I left the gas station, the check engine light was out, and it felt fine again. A mere mile or so down the road I heard a load bang and then a loud grinding and clacking noise. Oil went everywhere the dashboard lit up like a xmas tree. I was in a construction zone at that point. A snow bank on one side and a concrete barrier on the other. There was nowhere to ditch the car and it died in the road. I pushed it to the next driveway which was for an office. There I got it into a parking spot.

I knew that engine was done, and there is no point in replacing an engine for a 12 year old car. I took the plates off, grabbed my stuff and told the charity I donated it to where to pick it up.

I then went online and asked for quotes on various different cars and started my research again. Now I must say getting quotes online is the way to go. You are in control and you should be - its your money. You sit in the comfort of your own home and you pit dealer against dealer which increases your chances of getting a better deal and we did. When I actually stepped foot in the dealership I already had an agreed upon price so there was no fuss.

Xmas 10

2011-02-13T14:00:00.003-05:00

January has been a tough month. We've had several feet of snow. Every week we've had a big storm. I had to get up on the roof and shovel it off to make sure we didn't get an ice damn or overload the roof.

We are planning on replacing the Oldsmobile this spring when the snow melts, but another breakline burst. I was able to fix it myself for 12 bulks by splicing in a new line but Katie is ready to retire it sooner then later now. We are looking at several vehicles. The Honda Fit, and Ford Focus are the top contenders right now. Katie wants something small but big enough that two adults fit in the back plus a weeks worth of groceries.

Now for something not snow related. I found a UK food wholesaler in Westford with a nice online store. What makes these guys different from where we have gone in the past is they sell Walkers "crisps" potato chips. They are made by the same company that makes Lays. The difference being the UK version has odd flavors like turkey and stuffing, prawns, beef something, and roasted chicken. The roasted chicken is our favorite.

For Katie's birthday we went to a British pub in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire. The food was just so so but the deserts were awesome. Bannaoffe I think it was called. Bananas and toffee were the main components and it was good.

Can we fix it?!

2010-12-11T19:14:00.006-05:00

Katie had some friends and their kids over. I've never seen so many kids in our house. Anyway some of the kids got into the secret passage and wrecked Morgan's legos. Some buildings were totally demolished. She was very upset to say the least about it so I helped her fix things.

Of course her attention span for fixing soooo many lego sets was limited so she took off with the camera and filmed her own little monologue. I guess there is some kid(s) at school who doesn't believe any of Morgan's stories. Like that she has a secret passage, has been to Paris, lived in London, and saw the Queen in the trooping of the colours parade. I guess that does seem a bit far fetched if your 8 and have lived in small town USA your whole life.

During Hanukkah we bought some draddles to donate to the kid's daycare. We played a game before handing them over. I think the draddle must be weighted or something. Statistically each side should have a 25% chance of coming up, but we hit the nothing happens symbol where you get nothing but don't have to put anything in the pot more times seems possible. We played with M&Ms since I was fresh out of chocolate coins. Gwen didn't understand why we were playing with our food and why she couldn't eat her winnings.

Legos and Disney - Does it get any better?

2010-10-27T21:52:00.007-04:00

For Morgan's Birthday I purchased two tickets to a Lego event in Boston. It was insanely crowded and the first area we went to was all ads and non Lego stuff so I was really down about the whole thing, but things turned around. A Lego master builder gave a presentation which was amazing. He talked about how they build life size models, how he got the job, and some tricks of the trade. That guy was awesome and that presentation was my favorite part of the whole day. What was Morgan's favorite part? Crappy pizza at lunch I think. Actually I think the best part was all the attention she got from her cool new Lego Digital Camera. So many snot nosed dorky brats wanted to see it.

Morgan learned it is easier to find the Lego you need if you sort your Legos by color. I remember as kids Jeremiah, Dan and I talking about ideas like that but it sounded like too much work. As kids we did develope a way to comunicate what type of brick we needed by the number of bumps wide and long. The pros do the same thing but some of the verbiage is slightly different from what we used as kids. When we got home that night Morgan and I sorted out her spare legos by color into bins.

A few weeks later Katie and I went to Disney World. Katie had to go down to Orlando on business so we took advantage of it. Going to Disney without our children has been near the very top of our to-do list for a long time. We originally planed to go to Disney World on our honeymoon but things didn't go as planned.

I will say this when going to Disney World I would recommend not staying at the Value line of resorts. I figured we are only going to sleep there so why waste the money on some fancy pants hotel? We knew the cafateria style breakfast buffet would suck so we brought our own breakfast. We stayed at the Pop Century Hotel and you can only take a bus to the parks. The bus service for our hotel sucked. Luckily there is more to Disney then busses.

We ate at an amazing place at the Grand Floridan resort called Sarcosee (spelling). It was right on the edge of the lake in front of the Magic Kingdom. So our table was set up to look out on the water with the castle lit up in the background. Sounds expensive because it was. Luckily I signed up for the Disney meal plan and got a great deal on it to boot. Basically you pay a base rate for a sit down meal, quick meal , and snack credit. Normally a resuturant costs 1 sit down meal credit. This place costs 2, but it was worth it.

I'm also pleased to say Disney still does the smoked turkey legs in frontier land. There is nothing better then waiting in line to go on a roller coster eating a turkey leg.

Here is the video. I would have done more with it but our camera broke on the thunder mountain ride. I think my car key hit the LED screen and broke it in my pocket while going around one of those crazy turns. So I guess I know what Santa will be getting me for Xmas.

Morgan's 8th Birthday

2010-09-18T19:37:00.005-04:00

We went on a canoe trip down the Nashua river. We were out for over four hours and I think everyone had a good time. We don't own a canoe and renting one was kind of expensive so I think if we were to do it more we would get a used a canoe.

Sept 11th was Morgan's 8th birthday. I don't recall being old enough to have an eight year old? My mother won a birthday party at an aerobic dance place from a soccer raffle. The raffle took place in June and we didn't get the prize until the end of August. The person in charge of the raffle was extremely incompetent and I think she wanted to keep the prize for her own use. By the time we got it we could not make an appointment in time so we tried to give it to someone else to use but that didn't work out. So the whole thing was a waste and we won't be participating in that raffle in the future.

After Morgan's birthday we went to Davis Farmland. It's an old dairy farm converted into a petting zoo. The kids really enjoy going there and we normally get discounted tickets.

Gwen's 3rd Brithday

2010-08-11T22:23:00.003-04:00

This year for Gwen's third birthday party we combined her party with her best friend's party. Hannah is the daycare director's daughter and her birthday is a couple weeks before Gwen's. So we got the room for free and split the cost of the creature teacher. He has a slew of animals he brings. Most of them he lets the kids touch and he explains a little about each one. The kids seemed very interested and most were excited to touch every animal.

Camping

2010-08-07T22:16:00.004-04:00

We went camping this summer in Sturbridge Ma. Yes, that is where Old Sturbridge Village is located. Every local school child went there on a school field trip. Its a museum based on a village from the 1830s. They have many old buildings, the staff dresses in period clothing but sadly the gift shop and restaurant do not charge 1830 prices. 1830 is before the civil war but a whole generation after the revolution. At this stage the U.S. has clearly established itself as an independent country separate from England.

We lucked out because many of the trade shops like the lumber mill, grist mill, and black smith were around and operating so we could talk to them and see how they did their job. I asked the lumber mill guy how they dealt with the saw jambing and he said it never jambs. "Of course it jambs" I said "I was asking for the benefit of the kids. You would use wedges and a mallet to spread apart the logs which un jambs the blade." The guy rolling his eyes said you are right, but this particular saw has never jambed on us.

The cooper (barrel maker dude) was not around, but you could see his shop. I was showing Morgan how to operate the clamp to make the stays (wooden pieces). Basically the clamp holds the board so you can put an angle on the edges with a very sharp blade you pull towards your crotch. Safety was not a high priority. Another example. To smooth a beam you would use an adz which is like an ax with the blade turned 90 degrees like a hoe. You stand on the beam and swing the adz towards your feet. If you miss the beam you will likely take out a toe or your shin. In fact the term half assed is derived from half adzed which is to mean the beam is only half done - most likely because the operator injured himself half way thru the project.

Morgan seemed very interested in how they made clothing. We found women dyeing yarn and they explained they used all sorts of herbs, bugs, and what not to make different colors, but a key ingredient in the process was ammonia. I asked where they got it and they really didn't want to answer which is when it hit me. The only source of ammonia they would have had at the time was urine....Yuck. Anyway since Morgan showed an interest in the whole process I thought I might take her to the Lowell mills museum. Its a couple of mills which highlight how cloth and clothing was made in the latter half of the 19th century in Lowell Ma. I believe they focus on young girls horrid working conditions. Anyone who is anti union and anti government regulation should check it out. History repeats itself if you forget it.

Chicken Run

2010-07-24T15:15:00.003-04:00

There is a great disconnect in our modern society between our dinner plates and the farm. I thought it important to show Morgan how a chicken becomes our dinner.

Roof

2010-06-22T21:31:00.004-04:00

I couldn't figure out why I had so much raw footage on the camera. Its because I hadn't made a video in a really long time.

The Kimball household has been a bustle of activity. I have completed two major projects in the last month and half. The roof project which you are about to see and we put in bamboo flooring in the kitchen, dining room, living room, and front entry and hallway. It looks snazy and you will get to check it out in future videos.

We also gained a new member to the family....a kitten named Maggie. I don't like cats and this one likes to pounce on me while I sleep. Its worse then a new born child. When I say pounce she aims for a certain appendage I'd like not pounced on. Aside from that she is very patient with Gwen. Gwen is very rough and doesn't realize she is a living thing and not a toy. So Gwen has spent more time then usual in time out.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T09:10:00.004-04:00

I think this is the warmest Easter we have had in a while. As usual the Easter bunny paid us a visit and hid eggs thru out the house. Unfortunately, the house is a disaster. I'm putting in a new floor in the dining room so we have the dining room table in the living room. I'm sure the construction site made the Easter Bunnie's job that much harder. Oh well he can deal. I will say one thing. The Easter egg hunts now a days are completely different from when I was lad. Morgan and Gwen work together and do not fight...at least during the hunt. When I was a lad it was cut throat. Anything goes, and the strongest of the fittest. Damn good thing I was the oldest.

The Living Room

2010-03-10T20:26:00.002-05:00

A year ago now we refinanced the house. We originally had one of thus funky 80/20 mortgages where you get a mortgage to pay the down payment of another mortgage and avoid PMI. The whole thing was shady but it was the only way at the time we could swing buying a house. Then the bubble burst. Anyway now we have one normal mortgage and we got a kick ass rate.

During that we had to have the house appraised twice. Both appraisers said get rid of that old 1950s ceiling as fast as you can in the living and dinning room. While I ripped the ceiling down I took down the plaster walls, insulated, rewired, fixed some plumbing issues, ran new network, phone, cable lines and so on. Normally when I redo a room it takes a couple months tops but this project took 9 months from start to finish. I really wanted to push my finish carpentry skills to the limit and that takes time.

We still have to install new floors. We plan on putting in solid bamboo flooring. It looks good, its durable, cheaper then oak, and is environmentally friendly. Before I can install the new floor I need to replace the front door. It is original to the house and the house was built in the 1900s. The door is drafty, the door knob doesn't work right, and its covered in a million layers of lead paint.

Sorry, I don't have the before pictures or any videos of the construction. I made them, but its been 9 months and I haven't a clue where I saved them.

Disney on Ice

2010-01-31T17:48:00.004-05:00

January has been a very busy month. The kids went with Katie and Lynn to see Disney on Ice. Chris bought tickets for X-mas and everyone had a good time. I've been trying to finish stage 2 of my epic home improvement project. I got to the point where we could move back into the living room which is good timing since Katie got a Wii for her birthday and we need the space to move around and play.

Xmas 09

2010-01-31T11:06:00.004-05:00

I totally forgot to post this video a month ago. Sorry for the belated Xmas video.

Test

2009-12-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

I'm testing something

Trimming the Tree

2009-12-20T11:37:00.003-05:00

We were a little late this year putting up the tree. I've been renovating the dining and living room since this summer which is why you haven't seen to many updates on the old blog. I found all sorts of surprises and what not that are taking more time than I thought to overcome. However, the room is almost done. I still have to sand and paint the trim and we still need to replace that nasty carpet. We are not sold on the color scheme in that room. It could be the fact that the color of the carpet just clashes badly with the walls. Perhaps when the carpet is gone it will look better?

Morgan and Kumar's Christmas Special

2009-12-20T10:57:00.003-05:00

This year Morgan was in a "Holiday" Concert because you can't have a Christmas concert anymore - that would not be politically correct. So this video is anything but PC. Enjoy!

My new hobby

2009-12-03T10:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I didn't post anything in November. I've been rather busy with the holiday and working on the living/dining room. I've got a lot of raw video to edit of the kids and what we have been doing so stay tuned. In the mean time here is a hobby I am thinking of taking up. It might be a little on the expensive side.

Morgan's Halloween Birthday Special

2009-10-26T21:43:00.005-04:00

Morgan's birthday is on Sept 11th but she wanted a Halloween party. We felt most parents would not be able to find a costume in Sept so we waited for Oct. She turned 7 this year which made me feel a little old until one of the parents at the party said "Its was tough when I turned 40" I really wanted to say "I wouldn't know" I decided my comment would not be appreciated.

Tower Hill

2009-09-12T22:03:00.003-04:00

Over the labor day weekend we went to Tower Hill. It's a botanical garden, which does have a hill but there is no tower on the hill or near the hill so I don't know where the name came from. My guess would be they wanted something that would make you think of England. Which it did for me since its the name of the tube stop near the Tower of London.

The garden is setup to make you think of an English botanical garden. It reminded me of what Kew Gardens just outside of London would have looked like while it was under construction. You see the management at Tower Hill have this 8 stage plan and they are starting contruction on stage 4. They would like to be done in 2038 or something like that. So I guess I'll wait till then to go back. What they have done is very nice and I think it was time well spent.

Rocket Man 2: Bigger is Better

2009-08-22T12:06:00.004-04:00

Morgan and I made better 2 liter bottle rockets. We added fins and nose cones. They flew much better then regular bottles, but their flight path was very unpredictable and we ended up spending a lot of time searching for the rockets. We really needed to make the body of the rockets longer and attach our fins better. We also tried adding water to the rockets and that helped make then go much higher.

Anyway Morgan had a great time even though we lost her rocket that day. I did eventually find her rocket which had landed on the far side of the house in a trash can. What are the odds we would hit the trash can?

Story Land 2

2009-07-01T18:23:00.003-04:00

Okay here is the happy sappy video you were expecting. Before you watch it you must know two facts

1.Since Micheal Jackson has passed away Morgan has become a fan of his music. She knows the chorus to Annie are you okay. I don't have any Jackson songs but I do have the remake of her favorite song so I played that even though it does not tie into the video at all

2.Katie's dad created a theme song for King Kone based on the King Tut song sung by Steve Martin. Basically just replace King Tut with King Kone and you have the song. Alright now you have the inside story. Enjoy

Story Land

2009-07-01T16:53:00.005-04:00

To kick off the summer we packed up the wally wagon and drove up to the white mountains to check out story land. Now anyone who has talked to me or seen my facebook comments knows I was dreading the vacation. Who wants to be dragged up to a small amusement park in the middle of the woods geared towards small children then asked to shell out too much money for crap we don't need. To make matters worse Katie had me practically drive up to Canada and come back down, so the trip took forever. It was not scenic as planned as it rained the whole time. In the end it was not nearly as bad as I had feared. The threat of rain kept the crowds down so at least we were not sitting in lines for too long. The bed and breakfast we stayed at was nice. It only rained at the very end of our stay at Story Land so we were very fortunate.

On our way back we stoped at Clarks Trading Post but only checked out the gift shop. Did you know they want 17 bucks for an adult! That is crazy! The whole Clarks trading post 'adventure' is outdoors and it was threatening to rain so we decided to skip it. We then ended up in Merrimack were we got ice cream at the legendary King Kone stand and then checked out the Anheuser Busch Brewery. Sadly there are no Ompa Loopa's or a river of Bud Light. However, there were free samples at the end of the tour.

In keeping with my torture theme I have made a video based on a suggestion for the US department of defense to use as an alternative to water boarding - the threat of being forced into going to Story Land and outlet shopping is far more effective then the simulation of drowning any day. Gwen was very troubled when she watched the video for the first time so caution is advised.

This Old House

2009-05-24T17:21:00.006-04:00

I was sick and tired of our closet in the "master" bedroom. There is nothing master about my bedroom other then Katie and I sleep there. The closet is a walk in closet but it is not organzied well so you can only access the front half. The back half becomes a black hole where stuff gets lost. Plus the old plaster is starting to crumble, so its time to rip it out. Here are the highlights.

American as Apple Pie

2009-04-18T19:47:00.008-04:00

We had a lot of photos from Easter so I have broken them up into two videos.

Did you know that apples are not native to North America? I didn't but I recently saw a PBS (public broadcasting station) special on New England Native Americans during the time period the first English settlers where settling the area in the 1630s. Anyway the Pilgrims brought apples, and used to eat apple pies for breakfast. I totally agree that Apple Pie is a breakfast meal not just a desert. Of course their pies didn't have nearly as much sugar as a modern apple pie.

As many of you know I had a very tough time finding the supplies needed to die eggs last year while we lived in London. Apparently that is not a tradition they observe. I called around to several grocery stores and not one had white chicken eggs. I did find duck eggs which were a little larger then chicken eggs and more money but they did the trick. I don't recall how we came about the kit to die the eggs. I think Katie had it shipped over. The stupid things we do for kids.

Rocket Man

2009-03-14T20:55:00.008-04:00

Morgan and I made a 2 liter soda bottle launcher powered by compressed air. We didn't do anything special to the bottle like fix a nose cone on it or anything. I figure that is a another project for another weekend. Plus we only had one bottle and I didn't want her to accidentally put a hole in the bottle and ruin the experiment.

Oh and we found out that if you fill the bottle with 1/3 water it goes much higher or further depending on your perspective. It seemed like adding more didn't do much for you and at some point the performance degraded. I suggest if you make one of these that you do not aim it straight up as the water then rains down on you.

Next time I'll aim at the street in hopes of hitting a car. We shot the rocket many more times then you will see in the movie but Morgan's filming skills still need some practice.

If you look to the right I added a new feature called "Followers". I'm not exactly sure what it does, but its nice to know people are watching my videos. I also added a RSS feature as well. Hopefully these new tools will help notify you when I have added a video.

Egg-tas-tick

2009-03-01T16:45:00.005-05:00

I've been spending this cold winter doing a lot of inside home improvement projects. Painting, fixing walls, a little electrical that type of thing. This weekend however, I decided Morgan and I would do some experiments. Good quality educational time together. I don't know if she actually got anything out of it but she enjoyed it. We made contraptions to hold an egg and keep it safe while being dropped from a high point on the highschool bleachers surrounding the football field. Football is an important sport at my old highschool. Let me correct that American Football is important. I don't even know if they have a soccer team(football to everyone else).

Wha??? You call that a snow storm??? Rubbish!

2009-02-03T21:53:00.004-05:00

London gets a few inches of snow and the whole place shuts down. Pathetic the whole lot of you. Man I wish I was there so I could see it. I imagine I would have been the only one to show up to work not thinking it was a major event. Then I'd wonder where everyone was. Of course I still wouldn't of logged into the phones. I'll never forget what Jodie (UK co-worker) said to me when I had less then a month to go. You do know how to log in to the phones - don't you? My response "I'm supposed to log in?" Oh well I wasn't about to start then. I'm not much for the phones. Ah memories

Xmas 08

2009-01-07T18:16:00.004-05:00

Here it is...what you've been waiting for. Another real video. For Christmas I received a camcorder so I can start doing different types of videos. Pretty snazzy!

It was a year ago now that we arrived in London on Jan 1st 2008. I had to work the very next day. What a disaster. I was so jet lagged and my clients were not in the mood to give any slack. I think my successors learned from my lesson and they have given themselves time to adjust.

The person who is there now was shocked to find that London is basically closed on Sundays. Most of the stores are only open for a few hours in the middle of the day. Its most annoying, but its one of those things you get so used to that we planned around it. I never thought to warn her. Opps.

There are many things I miss from London. I miss being able to hop on the tube or bus and get around. I miss not having to shovel snow, and not having to drive 30minutes to get to a store. We can't find fish and chips that taste anything like that greasy chip shop on bethnal green run by the Asian couple. Lets not forget about the Indian take away. You just can't find that here in the sticks. Most of all I miss having stuff to do. There was always something going on and something to see.

One thing I no longer miss is the BBC. We signed up for Direct TV and one of the channels is BBC America. I get to see my favorite show Top Gear. Joy!

The Ice Storm of '08

2009-01-05T11:51:00.004-05:00

Okay, I'm sorry I haven't posted in some time. The holidays and winter weather have kept me away. A few weeks ago we had a freak ice storm that sent us back to the stone age. Here is a poem describing the incident. I can not take credit for it but I thought funny.

Twas two weeks before Christmas and all through the town
it rained and it froze and the trees all fell down.
The wires that were strung on utility poles
snapped like a twig and the houses all froze.

We got our selves nestled all snug in our bed
while visions of warmer days danced in our head,
and me in my thermals and Pa in his cap
stayed huddled together for a bone chilling nap.

The moon on the ice made a crystalline glow
and we thought to ourselves, just how long can this go?
When what to our wondering eyes did appear
but our son with some coffee and donuts and cheer.

We could see our white breath in the darkness above
and deep under the covers I searched for my love.
His feet, they were frozen and so was his head ---
made me think to myself that he just might be dead.

The days passed so slowly, we must be insane
as we waited and wondered and called out by name
"On Thursday, on Friday, on Saturday (shit!)
on Sunday, on Monday, on Tuesday (please quit!)
on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday (oh dread!)
the kerosene fumes must have gone to our head.

To add to the pleasure of winter's delight
two snowstorms came by - 18 inches of white.
The snowing and blowing made things bad to worse
and we prayed to the heavens our pipes wouldn't burst.

Pa’s eyes now were sunken, his expression --- not merry,
his cheeks had a pallor, his nose like a cherry.
The odd little smile on his face wasn't fun
and he often was mumbling "go get my gun".

Then a rap on the door, and the fireman said,
"Are you sick, are you sane, and is anyone dead?
There's a shelter, there's warmth, you can come if you're able,
we have showers and kindness and food on the table" ---
and we looked at each other and thought --- "what the heck?"
yeah ... eleven days later you FINALLY check!

On night number twelve we heard the faint roar
of a convoy of trucks and we ran to the door.
To the top of the poles, to the stretch of the cable ---
please bring us your power just as fast as you' re able!

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work
and the power came on with a hum and a jerk.
They heard us exclaim, as they drove out of sight ---
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
WE HAVE HEAT! WE HAVE LIGHT!

Pumpkin Assassination

2008-11-09T17:13:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-30T20:48:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-30T16:26:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-22T15:32:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-04T22:37:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-22T23:06:00.007-04:00

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

2008-08-07T21:33:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-02T22:20:00.007-04:00

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

2008-07-21T20:27:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-09T22:42:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-08T16:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-07-06T22:25:00.003-04:00

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.

2008-07-06T21:34:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

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

2008-06-30T12:14:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-23T06:57:00.004-04:00

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

2008-06-17T07:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-17T07:03:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-12T08:43:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-06T08:45:00.002-04:00

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

Party in the Tube

2008-06-04T08:49:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-04T07:57:00.007-04:00

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

2008-05-19T10:33:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-19T10:27:00.006-04:00

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

2008-05-19T10:18:00.004-04:00

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

2008-05-08T06:02:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-06T11:45:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-22T07:57:00.004-04:00

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

2008-04-14T09:23:00.008-04:00

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

2008-04-11T09:38:00.006-04:00

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

2008-04-09T03:59:00.002-04:00

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

2008-04-04T05:21:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-26T06:05:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-13T05:44:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-04T10:13:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-03T04:39:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-03T04:13:00.002-05:00

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

2008-02-27T08:09:00.005-05:00

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

2008-02-21T08:32:00.005-05:00

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

2008-02-11T04:18:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-03T12:52:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

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

C is for Cookie and that is good enough for me

2008-02-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-27T11:23:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-21T08:27:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-14T09:26:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-10T12:54:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-01-08T03:52:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-01-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

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

Update on the war front

2007-11-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

So I thought I would update you all with whats new concerning the trip to London. Its just over a month away and we are all getting excited. We bought our tickets. We are flying out at 7:45 pm on Dec 31st (New Year's Eve) and landing at 7:15 am the next day. We already booked our return flight as well. We will depart London on June 26th at 2:30 pm and land back in Boston at 4:50 pm.

I finally got a laptop from work. This is great because I now can bring the laptop with me to London and use it in the flat. When I get over there I am hoping to get the company to buy me an Air Card. It's a modem that uses cell phone technology to connect to the Internet anywhere. For whatever reason I can't get one here that will work there. If that makes any sense.

Also the flat we will be staying in will be much larger then the original flat. The new one has two bedrooms. Get this its cheaper then the old one bedroom flat, so the people after me will benefit for years to come. I don't know the exact address but I know the general location and it is still within walking distance of the office and still nowhere near any tourist stuff. Once I have the address I will email everyone in my contact folder but I will not be posting it here. Wouldn't want any wierdo's we don't know visiting us you know.

For all of you visiting I should warn you the dollar has lost value against the pound so it will cost just over double for everything. Another words if your dinner comes to 20 pounds then it will show on your credit card as more then 40 dollars plus most credit cards charge between 2% and 3% to do the exchange. JOY! With that said it will be expensive to do anything over there and we will be accepting care packages HINT HINT HINT!!!!

Halloween

2007-11-01T18:39:00.000-04:00

Hope you all had a great Halloween. I know the Kimballs did. At my work Halloween is a day no work gets done. We have a pumpkin carving contest and a costume contest. The vice president and a few others judge the contest. The group that wins the pumpkin carving contest gets a $5 dollar gift card to Dunkin Donuts. The winner of the costume contest gets a 100 bucks! Not bad. So this year I went all out on both fronts. I starting growing a beard two weeks ago for my pirate custom. I also worked for three days on the props for the group pumpkin. I didn't win the custome contest but my group did win the carving contest!

Here are some pics.

Halloween

So your Hungry

2007-10-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

Okay so when you come to visit there a few things you should know about British restaurants.

First many of your favorite fast food joints are already out there so if your homesick you can get your BigMac fix. You have heard that the Brits call French Fries "Chips" The younger generation calls them fries just like us so don't worry about it. You will want to double check your favorite number. A number 10 my not be a number 10 in a British fast food place. Other then that they are the same and taste the same. KFC on the other hand does not have mashed potatoes.

Of course you did not travel all this way to pay twice the price for American fast food. If you decide to go to a real restaurant here are some tips. You don't normally tip the waitress. You also don't usually tip a bartender. Since you are not tipping they don't care about the quality of your service, so expect the worst service you have ever had.

When the waitress first comes over they will ask if you want still or sparkling water. Still is like bottled water and sparkling is with the bubbles. If you ask for still water they bring out a glass bottle of water. You may need to ask for more if you run out. They don't always automatically bring more.

The portions are much smaller. I went to a run of the mill British restaurant and ordered a steak. It was 6oz. Not 16 it was 6oz. That is about the size of a deck of cards. As your eating you will notice they don't come by to check on how you are doing or to bring you your check. When you want the check you need to ask for it.

If you manage to have enough left over to bring home don't. It is considered rude to ask for a doggy bag. honestly I could care less about offending a restaurant. I paid for it so I should get to bring it home.

If you decide to order take out like pizza or Chinese they call it take away.

Food terms
Bangers and Mash = Sausage and mashed potatoes
Rockets = a type of lettuce that has pointed ends
zucchini = courgettes
lima bean = butter bean
Eggplant = Aubergine

Scary British Food

Black Pudding is made from blood
Marmite is a spread made from the leftover yeast from brewing.

Toad in the Hole is sausages covered in batter and roasted.

Bubble & Squeak is like leftovers that have been fried in a pan.

Pie and Mash used to made with eels

Need I say more?

The First Trip

2007-10-02T12:08:00.000-04:00

So I went over to London for a week on business to check out were I will be working and the flat were we will be staying. I did not get to actually see the flat. The company has not acquired it yet but Lucy (my english boss) told me what area it will be in. I have marked it on the google map found at the bottom of this blog. It is within easy walking distance to the office but as far as tourist attractions its in the middle of nowhere. It is near the Liverpool tube station so anyone staying with us can hop on that and get to a more exciting area of the city.

I did get a few pictures, but because I was working I could only go out at night and it rained two nights so many photo opportunities were lost. I'll have more opportunities later anyway.

Right near the flat is a cool Argentine steak house. In front of said steak house is a really radical lighted square. The lights change colors and the benches are made of glass block which glows with the changing spectrum of colors. The serving sizes of beef are measured in ML (no idea what that means mil liters perhaps) instead of ounces. I found the 400 ML to be equivalent to a normal American steak house serving. The prices seemed reasonable until you do the exchange rate, but still I feared much worse.

Notice in the picture below the word Passport is missing the P. I guess this is where they do the body cavity searches. Now that would put a damper on tourism.

Actually this sign was in the Dublin airport. I went over there for a couple hours to check out our office there and meet a few people. I would like to go back and check Dublin out some more. The people look like they came straight out of South Boston. The driver that picked us up from the airport looked and laughed just like Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Funny Stuff!

Near these classic British phone booths is Piccadilly Circus which is like Times Sq and on the opposite is a street full of brothels. Now you know where the red light district is.

In London they have a Smog tax and a Congestion Toll you have to pay when entering and leaving the city. However if you have one of these sweet rides below you don't have to pay those fines. Its an electric car for two.

Double Click on the photo to see the slideshow.

London - week 1

Townsend 275th Anniversary Parade

2007-09-23T20:29:00.000-04:00

Today Townsend celebrated its 275th anniversary. There was what the town officials called a "Super" Parade. It was two hours long, and there were many vendors selling goods out on the town common. There was even a guy selling brisket, pulled pork, and ribs across the street from my house. Hmmmmm pork products are tasty.

Townsend 275th Anniversary Parade

Morgan's Pirate Party

2007-09-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

Morgan's 5th birthday party went well. It was a pirate theme, and I dressed up for the occasion. We had a fun treasure map that lead the children around the house looking for clues that lead to more clues. My favorite clue told them to pop balloons to find a hidden clue inside one of the balloons. That clue lead them to the X spray painted on the ground telling them were to dig. The kids squealed with delight when they opened the treasure chest to discover all the great candy. Jay had sent up chocolate coins before the party and that really added to the look.

We played pin the parrot on Captain Morgan's shoulder. I had drawn the character from the rum bottle on poster board and colored him in. The winner of that game got to hold the key that opened the treasure chest from the previous paragraph.

Even the ants enjoyed the spoils of cotton candy left over at the end. I later burned them with starter fluid. Fire is COOL!

Morgan's Party

San Diego

2007-09-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

I went to San Diego for two days on business. I'd never been to the west coast before, and had never felt jet lag. I woke up both days at 4am thinking it was 7. I did get to check out the Pacific and saw an air craft carrier, but I didn't have my camera then. I also saw a little of the oil lamp district but nothing note worthy.

The Boeing 757 going down to San Diego was like that crappy old bus you rode on for school field trips. The plane had duck tape holding the light fixtures together and the paint on the wings was chipping off. The old TV monitors were straight from the 80s and their plastic had yellowed and cracked. I felt really safe!

I had bought new shoes for work and they were not broken in yet and I started developing blisters so I ended up staying close to the hotel. Luckily the coolest mall I have ever been to was attached to the hotel. It was an open air mall with many ramps and stairs leading in all directions. It reminded me of the modern painting of stairs going in all directions in ways that are not logical.

Double click on the picture to view the slideshow.

San Diego

Test

2007-09-04T12:26:00.000-04:00

I wanted to add a cool slideshow to my blog. I've been experimenting with picture websites and I really like snapfish but I could not figure out how to show my slideshow on my blog, plus people have to log in to see my pics. This slide show is done by Picasa which is not as fancy but its easy to use and I can do my slideshow.

As of Sept 17, 2007 I have three slideshows on my blog and have found that they seem to be slowing performance a bit, so I'm going to use a hyperlink that brings you to the slideshow in picasa for all my historical posts. Current posts will still show the pretty slideshow and provide the hyperlink.

Test

Photo Album Ideas

2007-08-24T14:38:00.000-04:00

Need your Help

As we draw closer to our departure date I wanted to get opinions on what might be the best way to display all of our lovely photos. We could use this blog but it would not be good for several hundred photos. It is certainly a good place to show the best photos and make diary style entries but I think I should include hyperlinks that bring you to sites that make viewing slide shows or albums easier. I noticed sites like flickr and shutterfly seem nice. Shutterfly seems to be free and have many options that I like such as adding comments and organizing pics into groups. For example when we go to Paris I want those photos to stay separate from my Irish photos. Its also cool that you can order prints but that is not a requirement. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

Walsh (co-worker) just sent me this link which discusses various photo sharing sites. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958413.htm