Adventures in London: Issue 190

I know this eBay thing has been around for ages, but this week I had my first real eBay experience. Since we've purchased new bikes the time to sell the  mountain bikes had come. No sense in having two bikes. I put them up on eBay and to be honest did not think I would sell them, but in less than 48 hrs both bikes sold for the asking price. Lost £20 per bike, but given the bikes sold for new for asking price + £10...I think I did a good job getting them flogged and out of the flat :)

With that positive start of the week, I focused this week on training for the weekend's race. That said, Monday's productive gym session (in my new running shoes which are brilliant) was out done by Tuesday dinner with Steve. We haven't caught up in a while so it was great to see him and spend the evening together. We changed it up a bit and tried a new restaurant called Yauatcha, a Chinese/ Dim Sum restaurant with a brilliant vibe and atmosphere, delicious food and great twist on traditional dishes and a deadly cocktail menu. Steve and I had a great evening together catching up on life. It is sad that he is no longer my mentor at work, but he is still and will always be my brother from another mother and I am lucky to have a friend like him in my life all these years. Thank you Steve for a great and enlightening chat!

Finally the weekend came and with it the sunshine! I love it when the sun is out on the weekend, it just transforms the city. Truly... it is like a whole new city when the sun is out. We changed it up a bit and took The out for a walk in Clissold Park rather than the usual Finsbury. Such a different vibe from Finsbury. Both are beautiful in their own way. I just love that about the parks here, each one has its own identity with amenities, atmosphere and people. It is what the city is all about :)

That evening, we hosted a mini-dinner party with Powers. It was girls night in!! We couldn't have a crazy night as I was rather nervous for the race on Sunday, but it was just what was needed. We had a lovely evening eating, drinking Michaladas and more importantly laughing. One of the great things about the evening was that I was able to add two more dishes to the list - homemade Guacamole (even though I did not eat it) and mini-lamb taco bowls. It is great when you can just chill with friends and not feel the need to "entertain". That is know when you have something special and that is exactly the evening that we had with Powers. It is easy, breezy and just blissful. Got a bit intense over Wii 2012 Mario/Sonic Olympics, but we managed to get through it. Powers love having you over and cannot wait to see you again!

On Sunday it was the much anticipated Sports Relief 6-mile race. I had no idea what to expect nor if I was fully prepared for it. Thankfully it was not a massive event in Harringay. Unfortunately, the park where they hosted it was rather small and it meant 9 1/2 laps around the perimeter. I was not looking forward to that, especially since that also meant 9 up-hills!! Nothing was going to stop me from starting and finishing. The first lap was painful, but once my foot adjusted I just ran it. I did not pay attention to any one else or timing, for me it was just about finishing it to the best of my current ability. And that is exactly what I did. Had some disagreements with the race marshals on how which was my finishing lap so it is still up for debate on whether I ran 9 1/2 laps or 10 1/2 laps ;-)

What a great afternoon with the N4 crew!! Cannot wait for the next challenge!!

Hope everyone else is well! For you runners out there... never stop training, never stop training. Nothing is impossible :)

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 189

Another unexciting week...well maybe unexciting is not the word. Let's say another week that I care not to discuss too much about. The first half at least. I have never known a week like this nor do I recognize the person that it is making me. Thankfully, nothing lasts forever and the week ended on a higher note.

Work schedules are becoming more intense with the impending pitch just weeks away. Gotta love the cyclical media contracts. Just another opportunity to over promise work and cut timelines down, but maintain the highest level of quality. The notion of the TCQ triangle goes completely out the window at times like these. All we can do is rally on. As my friend just got tattooed on his arm; HFTB PFTW (Hope for the best, plan for the worst).

Thankfully nothing last forever and Friday finally came. The days lately have been rather monotonous of working silly hours followed by nap time at home. It has not been the definition of living life this week, but without weeks like this we fail to grow and appreciate what is import to us.

With the arrival of Friday night, came movie night!! Really wanted to see the Hunger Games, but as it was not out yet... we went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. If you have not seen it, please do! It was brilliant. Maggi Smith is a genius in the movie. It is a feel good, positive movie that you don't want to end. You could just keep watching it for hours and hours. Seriously...go watch the movie. You will love it.

St Patrick's Day in London town isn't the same as it is in NYC. One key is that in London, they are Brits...not Irish ;-)

The countdown to the Asia Vacation nearly a month away. Seems like awhile, but with social and work schedules ramping up over the next couple of weeks it is best to get the shopping done ahead of time. Turned out to be a day of running shoe shopping rather than holiday shopping, but what can you do. I did happily spend two hours in sweatshop getting my foot sized and analyzed. It was absolutely wicked and I walked away with two lovely shoes :-)

On Sunday, we went to LL's for Lil Wib's baby shower. It is unbelievable.... when we met we were celebrating weekends pub crawls, new restaurants, dinner parties and here we are celebrating with an afternoon tea themed Baby Shower. How times change I suppose. The important thing is that you change with them. It was a lovely afternoon tea style afternoon with mocktails, quiches, Waldorf salad and delicious cup cakes. It was a super afternoon with the girls! Miss seeing them, so it is always a pleasure when we get back. Lil Wib looked (and is) AMAZING! She is going to make such a great mom and it goes without saying that baby Wib is going to be a very lucky lil man! 

Hope you all are well! Miss you all very much and looking forward to seeing you (whenever that moment may be)

xxxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 188

This week started still in the Lake District. We opted to just chill on Monday. After a very activity weekend of biking and hiking, strolling the town streets was just what was in order.

Not much to share about the town. Small, quaint, cobble streets. You know. We walked about the main street for some time, did some shopping, went to a little cafe for what can only be described as a very interesting lunch. After lunch we made our way back to London town. Learnt something new on the trip back....and that is what a red engine light means. Nothing to worry or panic about. If I only knew that then.

I would rather forget the rest of the week. It really isn't one worth remembering. Learn from it, draw a line under it and move on! Enough said about that.

Over the weekend we celebrated KV's birthday with a night of comedy and clubbing. It was a top night if I must say. Who knew...there was a pub by our old office that did £5 comedy night on Saturdays. Who knew that for less that a £20 you could enjoy a bottle of wine and a night of comedy. I wouldn't say it was the best comedy show ever, but it was indeed rather entertaining. We may have annoyed the people around us, but that is what you get when you put a bunch of buzzed Yanks in the front row...;-)

After the comedy show we went our dancing. I cannot remember when the last time was that I went out dancing (and not at a wedding). It was wicked fun. Turned out to be a rather late night and therefore a rather slow Sunday morning, but it was well worth it.

Spent most of Sunday recovering from the birthday, but soldiered up for a 5 mile run outdoors. Did not think I would have managed that, but was pleased to have run the full 5miles without stopping :-) Here's to things getting better!

Hope you all are well. Miss you all dearly and truly!

xxx

T

Adventures in London: Issue 187

I signed up for my second race of the year and one that will probably be my biggest challenge for the year...The Royal Parks Half Marathon on 07-Oct-12! I am super excited for this race. It is through the company, so will be wicked to run with a bunch of colleagues and friends. Going to miss Steve and Sarah though. Won't be the same without them. So this is another blog with a plug, I need your support again. I am running in support of Tommy's the baby charity. Tommy's funds medical research into the causes of premature birthed, stillbirth and miscarriage. It is a great charity, so if you would like to sponsor, please visit my page: http://www.justgiving.com/teaknee. Thank you in advance for any support big or small!!

The weekend came early this week and with it the first holiday of 2012. In 2011, I travelled a lot outside of the UK. This year is going to be about enjoying the UK a bit more. First stop - the Lake District. The Lake District is a bit outside of London, so we took a long weekend. Before heading up to the cottage in the Lake District we made a stop in Lytham St Annes to visit with Hubbz' sister and her family. Lytham St Annes is a cute village by the sea. I don't know how to quite describe it. You could say it is a bit like Lake George without all the tourists. It is a beautiful village with such a pleasant vibe to it. I don't know how to describe it...sorry. We spent the day chilling with Sue, walking on the boardwalk, watching Dan at the skatepark (wicked) and a lush dinner at the local Italian restaurant. It was just the start we needed before kick starting a very active weekend!

On Saturday we woke up early and made our way to Kendall. We arrived before the cottage was ready, so we decided to go for a bike ride. The intended route was 26 miles + the extra distance from the cottage to Kendall. The route was A LOT hillier than we had planned for. I attempted to attach my camera (not that DSLR, but the samsung) to the bike, but the bumpy ride only led to the camera eventually going into the pocket. Will need to master attaching it properly next time on the road. The ride was beautiful! After 21 miles we arrived at the Arneside Pier. It was at this point I threw in the white flag and announced that I could not pedal an other inch. With that, we locked up the bikes to the pier and went to the local pubs for some pints. You are probably thinking that this concludes the bike adventure. NO! The fun was just starting! After ordering 4 1/2 pints of beer we realized that neither one of us had our wallets. Thankfully, the manager allowed us to drink our half pints (we promised to return any settle our tab). The adventure continues, but honestly I am not going to bore you with the details as it will just make you wonder why I am allowed to leave the house... ;-)

You would think that after the adventures of Saturday, we would be finished with the "holiday karma" (we always seem to have something go astray on holiday), but looks like we were not over it. Sunday's mission was a 8 mile hike...simples. What could go wrong? We had a map?! Had was the operative word there. 1K into the hike, we lost the map and had no clue which way we were supposed to go. What does one do when they loose their map....you keep calm and carry on!

The hike was a bit more challenging than we anticipated, but we continued through it. There was nothing that was going to stop us from reaching the top of the mountain. Probably worth saying. We started the hike with "oh look at the pretty snow cap mountain tops"....little did we know that is precisely where we were going. Looking back, I am so pleased and proud that we did this hike. The photos alone do not capture the experience of being on top of a mountain and having to cross three peaks before commencing our descend. Nothing can capture being 800m in the air and being caught int a snow storm and having snow stuck to your face as you hiked. Nothing will explain the hike but thinking about brings such a sweet smile to my face. What an experience. Never thought I would have managed that...but so glad that I did. Here's to more adventures ;-)

Hope you all are well and having adventures of your own. Miss you all dearly and truly!

xxx

T