The Jacket Potato

The jacket potato is a staple meal in England for either lunch or dinner.

The most common toppings are brown beans (much like the ones you would find in a can. In fact, I think they are from a can. However I can't confirm that they are Heinz Beans), and grated cheese. The other common topping is tuna and mayonnaise.

I have yet to try one of these out. I probably should before I leave. I guess I don't have much time.

Scotland

The only good picture I have of the castle. It is just too big to get a good picture of the whole thing. However, I did buy some nice postcards of Edinburgh Castle. I just wish the damn light post wasn't in the way.
An awesome view of Edinburgh from the castle.
Another spectacular view of Edinburgh from the castle.
On the road up to Edinburgh.
The view from our hostel in Edinburgh.
Golf Course at St. Andrews

Finally, More Pictures

Here are some more Pictures from Paris. It won't let me post anymore pictures for some reason, so I will have to do another post for the Scotland Pictures. No worries Rilla, they were on there way.

I am situated in Napoleon's Tomb, right above his casket.
Notre Dame.
Here I am, thinking as hard as one can when at Rodin's Museum.
(above)Here I am at the top of Sacre Coeur, overlooking the city of Paris.
This beautiful picture was taken from the pedestrian bridge in Paris.
This picture is definitely a keeper. We had so much fun on the crusie. And the Effiel Tower looks great at night.
Our last night in Paris. As part of our Bike Tour we got a one hour night cruise on river. Taylor, our tour guide is in the middle.

My project

My project has finally start to progress as I had hoped. Not that I wasn't getting stuff done, there was just a lot of leg work to be done. It took some time to gather a suitable contact list, and then I had to contact all the individuals on my list. Using both email and the phone, I hardly got through to anyone. I forgot how horrible it is to get a hold of busy business people.

However, things have begun to turn around. I conducted my first interview today, and then spent 3 1/2 hours transcribing the thing. I have another interview tomorrow, one to reschedule and three more people to have preliminary talks with.

If I can get 6 interviews, that will be good. My original goal was 10, but I think that was asking a little much given my time constraints.

For my SweetHeart

This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

[CHORUS]
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know

[CHORUS]

So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know

I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go

Edinburgh and more

Carla & I rode Peter, the Peugeot all the way up to Edinburgh Friday night. I cut outta the office early, and met Carla down at the car hire place to pick up our rental. We were both a little anxious, but I agreed to be the main driver, and that made Carla feel a little better. I am not sure why, but it did.

The drive took us quite awhile. It approximately 600km to Edinburgh, but we hit some heavy traffic which delayed us a bit. It was a good thing we got off earlier than we had planned. The driving wasn't as nerve racking as I thought. Sure, it was weird and awkward, but as time went on, you got use to be in the right side of the car and on the other side of the road. Plus, the motorways were pretty much doubled the whole way, so that made it real easy. The real challenge came when we enter different towns, villages, and cities. We were constantly reminding ourselves, 'wide turn right, sharp turn left.' We had a lot of fun in the city limits of Edinburgh, and even more fun in downtown. We haven't crashed (yet). No one has even honked at us. I think we are doing pretty good.

Hiring a car was a great idea, and we are both glad we did. We have seen much more than we would have otherwise.

To start things off this morning, we went to Edinburgh Castle. I was pretty awestruck, and could have spent the rest of the day there. However, Carla (Miss Pro/Amatuer Golfer) wanted to visit St. Andrews, the home of golf. So, we hopped into Peter and drove out to St. Andrews. We stopped off at a used bookstore that was closing out, and I picked up a few books on for 50P. I just couldn't resist the 'choose your own adventure' that was sitting on the shelf.

Earlier in the day, we had popped into a whiskey store in Edinburgh, and we ended up talking to one of the clerks who gave us free tickets to a distillery. Clara had wanted to go on a tour, and this was the perfect opportunity. Tullibardine Distillery was located in Blackford, so once we were done at St. Andrews we were back on the road to Blackford. Our driving excersion took us through various villages and farm areas. The area is green, hilly, and covered with white dots (sheep), and the roads were pretty winding and narrow. It was fun!

However, we got to the distillery and they had already started the last tour of the day, so we were outta luck. So we hopped back into Peter, and headed back to Edinburgh for supper.

Carla picked Creelers Seafood Restaurant for supper, so we headed back downtown. We both had salmon. It was delicious.

We are back at the hostel, and we are both pretty tired. I am not sure what we will for the rest of the night, but it isn't gonna be hectic. Tomorrow we are going to do a city tour, check out the shops and then head back to Oxford.

I am having so much fun.

Party Time

Last night was the first time that we have go out with the people from PharmaVentures. What a great way to get immersed into the British culture. Not everyone came out, only a handful. The *official* work outing got moved to next week, but some people still wanted to go out so we did.

The party started off at the Turf Tavern. There were many good conversations. Miguel (Mr. Dutch/Portuguese)and I talked about floor hockey (or has he like to call it running hockey), and his dislike of guns. Curtis (gamer geek) and I talked about CoH, CoV, Guild Wars, and roleplaying. This was pretty much the highlight conversation, as I think I have been going through some type of withdrawl. Not only have I not been playing any type of game - tabletop or computer. I haven't had anyone to talk to about the geeky things I like. We also spoke on other topics that reminded of me home, like my research thesis project, socialism vs capitalism, and the difference between the English and Canadian education systems. I think we talked for a couple of hours. Steve (the Scot with a PhD in genetics), was a little bit of a geek too. We talked about Warhammer, Blood Bowl, painting, and Heroquest. The night was full of great conversation, and lots of drinking. I think it was the first time I have never had to buy my own drinks. It rocked.

As the night wore on, Carla and Miguel decided they wanted to go dancing. So we chugged our drinks and headed over to the mood, a little nightclub not far from our place. The next 2 hours were filled with dancing. Miguel was outta control; bumping and grinding everyone. If you didn't get your leg rubbed by his ass, you musta not been dancing. It was actually quite entertaining to watch.

Carla and I bailed around 1:30am, due to the smoke. I used to be able to take the smoke when I was younger. But now with everything non-smoking in Saskatchewan, you forget how disgusting it really is.

I am not feeling 100% today, but I still managed to drag myself to the office. I do have a few things I need to take care of before next week. I actually have 3 interviews set up for next week. Yipee!

Carla & I hope to go to Scotland this afternoon, however the I just checked all the hostels this morning and they appeared to be booked. I am not exactly sure what we are going to do. I am sure we will figure it out.

Argh..Stupid Blogger

There was a good attempt to upload more Paris pictures. However, Blogger is being difficult. On top of that, the internet connection at this cafe isn't the greatest.

Still having a great time. However, it isn't all fun. I am back to work on my project for the week. I hoping to make some serious headway and get some interviews set up. It isn't easy making cold calls in another country.

It looks like Carla and I are going to shoot off to Scotland for the weekend. It is a ways - 5 hours or so. But, its Scotland, when am I gonna have this opportunity again. I think we are gonna finally tackle some driving and rent a car for the trip. It should be interesting. I am not quite sure about it, but I have watched plenty of drivers over the last couple of weeks. The bus ride to and from work is a driving lesson in itself.

Cheers!

Paris Weekend

On Friday afternoon, my classmates and I left Oxford for a weekend trip to Paris. We decided to take the
train, rather than fly. We figured travelling via the Channel Tunnel would be a more interesting experience than flying - and it was.

We arrived safe and sound, and hopped onto the metro to get to our hotel. We ended up having a fairly late supper, and then crashed for the night.

This morning started bright and early. We had half of our day planned, and wanted to get started as soon as possible. As recommended by Chad's friends, we decided to check out the Fat Bike Tour. We left the hotel by 9am, and walked over to the Eiffel Tower. It was a good hour, but it was a great way to see non-touristy parts of the city, and walk along the river. The Eiffel Tower was packed with tourists. It was amazing to see all the people in line waiting to go up the top.

The bike tour was AWESOME! It was the best tour I have ever been on. It was four hours, and it took us all over the city (mostly the tourist areas). Check out the pictures.
Here's me just before we left on the bike tour.
At one time, an infirmary.
The Lourve.
I have tons more pictures. Too many to post.

After the bike tour, we headed over to Notre Dame. All I can say is WOW! It was amazing.

After a hot day in the sun, I look like a beet, and I am tired. But, there is still more to do tomorrow.

Quick Facts

1. ALWAYS look right first when crossing the street. Otherwise, you will get hit.
2. Pedistrians DON'T have the right of way, except at the Humped Zebra Crossing. hee hee!
3. Driving is very chaotic, yet it works quite efficiently. There are probably a dozen different private bus companies, so there are buses EVERYWHERE. I am not quite sure how they manage with such narrow streets, but they do. I have seen it everyday on the way to work. If a bus, delivery street or construction vehicle is stopped, just drive into the oncoming lane and go around. If there is no room to park on the street - try the sidewalk. It works just as good.
4. About 50% of the population either bike or walk. Most bikers don't even wear helmets. I sure I would fit right in.
5. Telephone numbers are 11 digits long.
6. It is a fairly laidback lifestyle - the workday doesn't start until 9-9:30 A.M.
7. Clothes dryers are a rare commodity. And the washing machine is usually located in the kitchen.
8. Garbage is set outside on the sidewalk for pick-up - as is, just in the bag. No cans or bins. And, it doesn't matter if it is pick-up day or not, that is where it goes. (This was much more prevalent in London. Some of the garbage wasn't even in bags. No wonder the city was dirty and stinking)
9. Garbage is called rubbish.
10. The word *Cheers* is universal. People use it for hello, goodbye, your welcome, thank you, good morning, etc.
11. It is unlikely that you will be able to purchase food in large quantities. Almost all grocery items come in small packages. The portion size is a lot more appropriate. It's great!
12. Cookies are called biscuits.

These are just some of the things that I have observed over the last week and a half. I am sure I will have more, so stay tuned.

London Pics

World Cup Venue
More World Cup Venue


I took this just for you...guess who?

Piccadily Square

More Piccadily Square

Again Piccadily Square


Where I work - Oxford Science Park

The World Cup in London

We arrived in London last night around 7:30 and headed to Craig & Kat's (Chad's friends) place. We got settled and headed out to The Swan for a drink.

We woke up early and our awesome host made a fantastic breakfast of back bacon, eggs, toasted french bread, pineapple, cherries, and cherry tomatoes. Having tomatoes for breakfast is a English tradition. I kinda like it.

After breakfast we headed out to the venue that was playing the first World Cup game. We hoped onto the London Underground (The Tube) and headed north. We paid our 20 Quid and got a beer, a burger, and into the venue. It was interesting to watch Brits watch football, kinda like watching Canadians watch hockey. It was quite easy to get caught up in the excitment - especially when England won, woot! My new drink of choice, Pimms Lemonade. I can't really describe the liquor, but I will be picking up a bottle at the duty-free shop on my way home. It is a great summer drink.

We left the venue around 4:30, and walked to the Tube to head down to some of the tourist areas. We got dropped off at Covent Garden , and started our tour from there. There were a great number of shops, and an entertaining one-man show on the street. There is a great story that goes with the pictures of the one-man show. We pushed through the major tourist areas - Picadilly Square and the Theatre Distrcit. I was actually glad to get outta those areas - TOO MANY PEOPLE. There are approximately 12-20 million people in London and area. The walk ended in a quieter area, where we found a quaint Italian restuarant. Supper was fantastic, and so were our hosts. It was more than nice that they paid for the huge meal, it was awesome.

By 9;30, it was time to head home. Chad and Craig still had to full night ahead of them. They were off to the Canadian High Commission to watch the Oilers game at midnight. Lets hope they do better than the last 2 games. The girls and I jumped on the bus and headed back to their apartment in west London.

Wow!

The first round of pictures

This is our street - Observatory Street. Very colourful.

The day we arrived. That is Carla and Chad in our backyard. The roses smell wonderful.

A picture from my bedroom window. It isn't safe to keep it wide open. The fear is a room full of pigeons.

A 10 min walk from our flat, on the way towards downtown.

More downtown.

Keble College - one of the many Universtiy of Oxford's colleges. Not too far from our flat.

Another picture of Keble College.

Free Day

Chad & I don't have to start work until tomorrow, so we are out exploring. I think we have figured out the bus system and are going to have a trial run out to the Oxford Science Park. We also need to hit the grocery store and pick up some food to eat.

Carla headed out this morning for Bristol. She was attending a waste management conference, and was hopefully going to talk to a few people regarding her project.

I don't have any pictures to post yet, but hopefully I can get some up within the next few days.

Cheers!

I made it

I finally arrived. We arrived a little early, and checked into our place. It is So cool.

No internet access in our apartment, so the posts will be sporadic. Mostly from work and the internet cafe that I am currently in.

Just wanted to say hi and let everyone know that I am here and doing ok.

So Long...

Only a few more hours to go, and I will be off on my adventure.

My bags are packed, and I am killing time til I have to go. My parents are in town to see me off, and should be by soon.

I will keep you posted as regularly as I can.

Miss you all!

Love,

M

Packing

It has already been a full day and it is only 6:30.

I got a excellent sleep last night, and was up bright and early at 8:30. With Jeff's help, I have spent most of the day running errands, doing laundry, and packing my suitcases - which are currently bulging. I am sure I have over packed, then again, I will be away for 35 days.

I am SO excited. However, the whole thing still seems pretty surreal. I am sure once we take off from Calgary, it will start to sink in. With so much excitment, it has been easy to forget that I am leaving friends and family behind. I was a little surprised at myself when I realized I WAS ACTUALLY leaving. I was sad, and got a little teary. I didn't expect that.

I think I have everything pretty much set. Just a few things left to check off my list. With that, I think I will relax for the rest of the evening with my sweetie.

Its been 4

Jeff & I celebrated our 4th anniversary today.

Jeff surprised me with flowers when he arrived home from work - my favourite: red and yellow roses with 4 of each colour. I surprised him with some comics I had picked up at 8th St. Books and Comics.

It was warm and sunny all day, so we headed over to Broadway, parked the car, and walked down the bridge into downtown. We strolled hand-in-hand along the river and through downtown. We stopped at 2nd Ave. Grill, and had a delicious meal with great conversation. Quiet restaurants are so much more enjoyable. After supper, we headed back towards the river with a pitstop at the Bus Stop for ice cream.

It was a wonderful way to spend the evening together, especially since I will be leaving on Sunday.