The Winter Blues

I've been a bad blogger (both my mom and my MIL have told me so), and I know it.

It's just that the weather has been so darn cold that it's been incredibly difficult to get motivated to do anything other than turn on the radiator, curl up on the couch with a blanket, and eat everything in the flat.

My fitness regime was ticking along fine until the cold snap hit in late January. Winter had been really mild up until then, and the first snowfall didn't arrive until a little more than a week ago. But then it got butt-ass cold! I usually run outside, and I normally have to wear three pairs of gloves during the cold weather. That's right - three!

It got so cold that I had to add a fourth pair of gloves, and my fingers were still frozen by the end of my run. It's been so bad that I've had to run warm water over them to get them to start moving again. Faced with the prospect of adding a fifth pair of gloves, I decided to call it quits until the weather warmed up a bit.

Other than that, life has been pretty mundane. We had a houseguest visit us in mid January, and he tagged along on our visit to Canary Wharf during the ice-carving festival, which was pretty cool.

I suspect the guys didn't mind waiting for me as I walked around with my camera since they found something a bit more interesting.... Raclette cheese! I just noticed that they were both dressed like the Una-bomber.

Since then, it's been pretty quiet other than going back to my old job for a week to help them wrap things up. I've had a lot of time on my hands, and I'm not much one for just sitting around so I've used that time to decorate our flat, which had been looking pretty sparse all this time.

I worked on some art stuff to hang on our bare walls. It's a cut-out map of central London over a Union Jack flag. I've got big plans to do one for Los Angeles once my blister from the Xacto knife has healed.

I also bought a mirror to hang over our mantle. It's a bit more gold than I thought it would be, but that's what online shopping gets you. I'm waiting to see if it grows on me. If not, I bought some sanding paper and masking tape in case I need to repaint.

I think just a few more things around the flat should finish it off nicely.

I suppose it's just in the nick of time I've finished my home improvement efforts since it looks like things are ramping back up again. I've got a new contract starting on Monday that's meant to last for 4-6 weeks. I'm also planning a backpacking trip to Asia with one of my US friends, and I really need to build up my fitness so that I can hike in high altitudes with a large pack strapped to my back. I've also organized a large drinks thing for one of my close English friends, and she's also having a party at her house. J just surprised me with tickets to see Matilda in March. Whew! When it rains, it pours.

I Protest Against Protests

As an alum of UC Berkeley, I know it goes against the foundation of my education to say this, but I HATE PROTESTS. As selfish as it may be, I like to mosey about my life as undisturbed as possible, and the protests here in London have a way of making an impact on your every day life whether you care about the cause or not.

For instance, the Tube protests of yesteryear made sure that all commuters suffered along with the Tube workers by effectively shutting down the Tube system and forcing everyone to figure out another way to get to their destination in a city where hardly anyone owns a car. Just last week, over 50,000 people gathered in central London to protest against the cuts proposed by the government, and I could hear them from my bed in my cosy little flat a mile away.

And today, everyone on Canary Wharf has been put on the alert that more anti-cut protestors will be assembling in front of the only Tube station on the Wharf to conduct a "noisy" protest as they've been instructed "to bring something loud." They're meant to gather at the station right before rush hour and plan on making my already miserable commute worse. We've been assured that they are "unlikely to be violent," but those are not sweet words of reassurance to my ears. Especially when they're followed by the warning that we may be locked in our building for our own safety.

Now I have a quandry: Should I just brave the crowd of protestors and fight my way to the Tube? Do I try to avoid the crowd by tunneling underground to the Tube via the shopping mall? Or do I stay late at the office until the protestors go away?

An easier question to answer: Could Canary Wharf get any worse? No, probably not. Sigh.

Canary Wharf

It's been nearly a month of commuting to Canary Wharf for work, and I have to say, it's been pretty miserable.

There are only two ways to reach the Wharf, and you get a "which is the lesser of two evils" choice: either the DLR or the Jubilee line on the Tube. The DLR comes in from the City, and it's actually pretty spacious and travels above ground. The negative is that it connects to Bank station (aka the station from hell), it's quite slow and costs a bit more than the Tube. I take the Jubilee, and it's notorious for being unreliable, especially on weekends. Truthfully, I don't mind the "is it running?" factor nearly so much as the crowd factor.

The DLR

For the first week of work, I sucked it up and dealt with being squished on a daily basis and becoming uncomfortably close to strangers. Close as in, "oh, I can smell that you've had cheese for breakfast" close. After breathing in hot cheese breath for about a week and sweating like a pig in my extra warm woolen coat, I caved and decided to start going in earlier and earlier until I figured out when the crowds weren't so bad. Which means I have to be out of the house by 7:10AM at the latest. Ouch.

There are some nice things about the Jubilee line though. Through some unspoken understanding, people actually queue to board the trains the closer you get to the Wharf. This does not happen anywhere else in London - it's unique only to those that are Canary Wharf bound. I get on around Waterloo station, which is about 5 stops away from Canary Wharf station, and I queue to get on the train. It's pretty marvelous.

Canary Wharf Station

Some other weird things about the Wharf other than the transport:

• It's much too clean. Like bizarrely, freakishly clean.
• It's got its own security so you see loads of people in fluorescent vests with dogs lurking about.
• All of the buildings are connected underground through an extensive shopping mall, which gets especially packed during lunch hour. Which leads us to the next item...
• You could theoretically never emerge into the actual world with air and sky and all that business, but instead spend all of your time underground - the Tube connects to the mall, which connects to your office building. When did Canary Wharf Group decide that people should live like moles?
• There are many more people underground than aboveground in Canary Wharf. Can you say "ant farm?"
• There's a plaza with a bunch of clocks that were originally meant to show the times of major financial centers of the world, but now it just shows the time in London. A bit narcissistic, isn't it?

Photo: Lucy Hayward

It's seriously twilight zone over there, and I'm not sure I like it...

Back to Work, Part Deux

I woke up this morning at 8AM, and it huuurt. It's been a while since I've had to wake up on a schedule, and I forgot how much it sucks to get up when your body doesn't want to.

I had an interview with a major law firm this morning for a contract position, and I got on the Tube for my forty minute commute to Canary Wharf. J and I don't use the same Tube station or lines for this new job so we didn't get to hold hands on our walk or smirk at each other during the Tube ride. Boo.

J's still a bit confused as to why I want to work, and I admit I was a bit confused too this morning when I got dressed in a black suit and stockings and heels. I think that's the worst part about working - the clothing. I haven't worn anything that doesn't have an elastic waistband in ages, and I don't know how to walk in heels any more. It would be funny, if it wasn't so sad, to watch me lurch about on the pavement in my heels like a giant, drunk baby. What happened?!

Canary Wharf is a pretty cool area - it's all new built and super modern so it looks like a downtown from the future. It's right by the water, and everything is very, very clean to the point of sterility. I debated taking my camera with me to take a few snaps while I was there, but then I thought the interviewer may think that I was a bit odd for bringing a camera to the interview. I guess that was a good call because I got a call an hour later saying I got the job. Yay!

The bad news? Apparently, there's a ton of overtime and weekend work involved. So the TK bakery is shutting down for the next two months or so, and J is understandably a very sad boy.