Still Waiting...

This week was full of ups and downs in my quest for normalcy. While I did finally receive my check card, I had to fight with DHL in order for them to deliver it to me in a timely manner. I finally got the phone line hooked up, but only after 3 additional calls to BT and a whole lot of arguing, threatening, and crying (by any means necessary!!). Since the phone line was finally activated, I was able to call the internet company on Friday to order broadband. They said that they would send out the equipment within 5 days, but it will take up to 15 days for the internet to be activated in the apartment. WHAT??? At this point, I really don’t care—I just want to be able to work from home instead of going to the library everyday!!

Anyway, aside from my daily struggles with DHL, BT, and Citibank, the rest of the week was not too bad. I worked out 4 days this week, which is good for me because I usually start out the week with these lofty fitness goals and by Tuesday I have talked myself out of doing more than a few minutes on the treadmill and a few crunches. This week I actually did all of the workouts that I had set out to do, so I am happy about that. I also registered for the Paris marathon (April 6, 2008) so I guess I have to do it now!! I’m excited!

We also got satellite television this week, but we were disappointed to find that satellite television is nothing more than 500 channels of American reruns. L It is sort of funny because all of the shows that failed in died in the US are thriving and successful here. It was nice to watch some oldies but goodies though, like “The Goonies” and “Real World” episodes from 6 seasons ago. :)

On Saturday Victor and I tried to go to the Museum of Branding & Advertising in Notting Hill, but we couldn’t find it and of course no one we asked knew where it was, so we ended up going to a nice outdoor market that had lots of yummy fruits and vegetables and nick nacks. We bought some really good strawberries and blueberries for only £1.50 each and 5 avocados for £1. The good thing about London is that even though housing is expensive, food is really cheap! Then we went to Harrod’s to look around at the merchandise. We’ll have to go back there to shop after a couple of extra zero’s have been added to our paychecks!! After that we met up with some of Victor’s co-workers and we had dinner at a cozy little Thai restaurant, then headed home and got in around 1 am.

Victor is doing well at his job. He gets compliments from his managers all the time because he is such hard worker and he goes the extra mile to produce quality work. I am very proud of him and all that he has accomplished so far.

The other day when I was at the grocery store I noticed that the potato chips here have fancy flavors with long elaborate names. My favorites that I have tried so far are:
· Vintage Farmhouse Cheddar with Pan Fried Shallots
· Balsamic Vinegar with Olive Oil and Chili
· Thai Sweet Chili with Roasted Red Peppers
I also noticed that there are a lot of meat –flavored chips, like roast beef, pork, roasted chicken, prawns…it’s sort of weird.