Ciao

Well, it's hard to believe but in 6 hours I will be boarding a plane for Rome. I am so excited that I can't sleep. Considering I have to get up in 3 hours, this is not good. I will try and post while I am in Italy, but no promises... Have a wonderful two weeks!!

Amsterdam

Who knew that GMT changed a week earlier than the US?!? Well, I am sure someone knew, but I didn't. So, when I woke up Sunday morning at (what I thought was) 6:45, stretched and smiled that we would have plenty of time, I was in for a rude awakening. Thank goodness my computer changes time automatically, otherwise we would have missed our flight entirely. I guess this is why I should have a British calendar hanging on my wall rather than an American one.

Anyway, with a start like that, you can expect the journey to the airport to be a bit hectic. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Laura is one of the most easy-going people I know, so between the two of us it was a "don't sweat it" "it'll work itself out" kind of morning. Once we were on the train, all we could do was sit, or crossword puzzles in our case. Things were a bit hairy when we reached the airport station. We pushed our way onto the shuttle with only 5 minutes before the check in counter closed, hopped off and ran inside. I was ready to start a Plan B, but Laura saw some people on the shuttle with us that were arguing with the ticket counter attendant (with a camera crew recording). The attendant let them jump to the front of the check in line, so we followed suite. The woman checked our passports and said, "Run!" So that's just what we did. "I feel like we're on The Amazing Race," Laura said at one point in the airport and that became our theme for the trip.

It was not a very smooth flight from London to Amsterdam. I kept expecting to see the plane go up on one side, like a Dukes of Hazzard-esque landing. But, we had made it to Amsterdam and that was all that really mattered.

We got our passports stamped and bought tickets for the train into the town. We bought first class tickets, thinking "why not live a little?" Who knew there was no first class on those trains!?! Finally, we made our way to the hostel which was right in the centre of the Red Light District. The room was not bad, two single beds and our own shower en suite. It was now around 3 o'clock and we wanted to explore and see the Van Gogh Museum. We found Dam Square and picked up some falafel for lunch. Then we just started to walk. At first it was really nice, neither of us were in a hurry and it was a lovely day. After a while we got a bit turned around. Let's just say that after an hour or two of walking (in the wrong direction) we would have definitely lost The Amazing Race! By this time the Van Gogh Museum was closed and we were both tired of walking, so we hopped a tram headed for Centraal Station (at least we knew where to go from there). Of course the tram system was a bit confusing, especially in a different language. I'm sure we should have paid somewhere along the way, but neither of us knew where. Whoops.

On our way back to familiar territory we passed a crowd of people around what looked like a sculpture garden. It turned out that this was a 3-D version of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch." In the background of this picture is a statue of Rembrandt.

Eventually we made it back to the hostel, showered and hit the streets again, this time in search of food. Every guide book we read suggested that Amsterdam is a great place for Indonesian food, so who were we to argue? Of course, it took a little while to find a restaurant, but in the end it was well worth the wait.

Now, I won't go into much detail about the rest of the night. I had an absolute blast, despite the rain and creepy men wandering the streets. All I'll say is that it was definitely memorable - and yes, I remember ever detail.

We woke at 8:00 the next morning, made our way back to the train station and eventually made it back to the airport. This time we did not have any problems checking in and were back in England by 3:00. We had a few hours to relax before we were due in London at the Fortune Theatre to see "The Woman In Black."

If there is time to return to Amsterdam before I fly home, I'd definitely like to go. Next time I'd like to stay for a weekend, rather than just 24 hours. And I'd also invest in a better Tram Map so that I'd have a better chance of winning The Amazing Race...

Good Surprises

Bo sent a stack of Perpetual Groove CDs with Laura, including the show at The Visulite where we first saw them (October 2003). That is a night that I will never forget. We went because Laura had heard that they were good, but I don't think any of us had expected what we saw. I, for one, was completely blown away!! When Laura was here, we listened to the album, All This Everything. Since she's left, I have now made my way through two of the shows Bo sent (Visulite & Neighborhood Theatre) and am starting the Ziggy's show today. Bo is the king of good surprises (and Laura too)!

Whew!!

The last two weeks have been a blur. I haven't had much time to think, let alone type, but I will try and recap.

• The Ofsted inspection did not go very well. They observed 20 lessons that day and there were 4 unsatisfactory ones (that's 20% when more than 8% is unacceptable). I ended up with an Inspector in with my year 8s - I swear I have never seen them so good!!
• That Wednesday I got my hair cut, then went back Friday to get it colored. I am still adjusting to the shorter cut (I now have some fringe - bangs), but I like it lots!
• Laura arrived on Saturday. It was SO great to see her and spend time catching up. I always have such a good time with her!! We wandered around the city, did the pub-thing, went to the theatre, ate Indian and Sushi and fit in a trip to Amsterdam. It was a blast!!
• This Tuesday I had a county advisor in my classroom for another observation, this is a pilot program our department is developing and while exciting to be a part of, it was also a tough week to have more observations.
• I have been trying to get things together for my trip on Monday, so I have spent time last week and this one shopping, etc. I have a couple of things to return tomorrow, but otherwise I think I am ready to start putting it all in the suitcase.
• The kids have been NUTS this last half of the week!

So, that's been my last two weeks. It doesn't look like much here, but boy has it been busy!! I'll post more about Laura's visit and (hopefully) some pictures later this weekend.

Update

I've had the flat to myself these last two weeks. It's been quiet. It's been lonely. But I can't really say that it hasn't been interesting...

For Sale
The landlords have decided to sell the flat. There was a little drama in the beginning because they had listed the wrong dates for our lease and I panicked that I was going to be homeless for an extra month, but that was corrected and now we've had quite a bit of traffic through the place. We've had landlords and surveyors, they even had an Open House on Saturday. Everything seems to be happening so quickly. I'm sure it will slow down soon, the landlord just seems anxious to get things started. I am just happy that I can stick to my original plan and that I don't have to worry about a place to live for the month of July...

Firefly
I watched Serenity last weekend. One of the girls at work is into Buffy/Angel and has the Firefly series on DVD, so I have spent this weekend glued to the series. How did I miss this show when it was on a couple of years back??? I remember seeing one episode, but what about the rest? Was it on tv Tuesday nights, is that why I missed it - trivia? Anyway, watch the film (if you haven't already) and check out the series. Interesting and very creative.

A Saturday of Firsts
Well, maybe not 'firsts,' but 'in a long time' just doesn't have the same ring. I went into London for the first time in months. There was something I wanted to pick up and I wanted to be out of the flat for the Open House. It felt so good to be out and about again. I ended up just wandering the streets, eventually making my way to Oxford Street and window-shopped until the stores closed at 8. There is just such an energy that cities have - I've missed it.

Crushes are fun
That's all I am going to say about this one... For now, at least.

Countdowns
6 days until Laura arrives!! 12 days until the end of term!! 15 days until I leave to meet Kristin in Rome!! 144 days until my birthday!! And, 156 days until I come home!!

On that note... Night all... I am finally feeling tired enough to go to bed.

Too Much Energy...

Not the best thing to have at 11:00 on a Sunday night, especially with the week I have ahead of me... We have an Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education - the big inspection we had this time last year) visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Not a full visit, just a mini one to check on our progress since last year. They want to see how we have improved our behaviour management throughout the school... Ha!! This week could be a very interesting one.

I haven't really said much about school this year, probably because I am struggling (and I don't often like to admit that). I can't really say it's just me, though. People all over the school are hanging by a thread, old and new alike... The kids are getting more and more daring with the stunts they pull and no matter how bad, punishment seems obsolete. There is very little consistency when it comes to managing behaviour and the kids are just as aware of this problem as the teachers - scary! It is bad enough that the unions are getting involved. And now HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectorate) wants to know what improvements we've made!?!

This is not the kind of week you want to have just two weeks before the end of term.

A book I can't seem to put down...

Years ago I used to love to watch Lonely Planet on the travel channel. I SO wanted to be that girl... The one that went to all of these amazing places and got to tell everyone about the cool things she saw and did there. She was relaxed and funny and truly looked like she loved her job.

As it turns out, that girl is Jennifer Cox and she has written a book: Around the World in 80 Dates. I have found myself laughing out loud on the train as I read about her adventure and I can't seem to put the book down, too curious if and when she will meet her soul mate...

Pancake Day 2006

This year I made my own... Well, sort of, I bought the ready-made batter, but I flipped them all by myself (and didn't end up with pancake on the ceiling, so that's good news).






Pancakes here are very thin (very crepe-like) and the Brits like to sprinkle them with lemon juice and sugar before rolling them up and munching away.

They taster really nice that way...

Happy Pancake Day!!

My kids crack me up... Did you know that the reason that we do not celebrate Pancake Day in America is because we eat pancakes every day? :)

Song of the Day

I can't seem to get The Shins' "Gone For Good" out of my head today. Of course, "Fighting In A Sack" is a catchy tune, too.

What song keeps playing over and over in your head today?

Moon River

One of my all-time favorite songs. Ever since I saw 'The In Crowd' * on HBO one day after school (middle school, that is), I have LOVED this song. 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' only made me LOVE the song even more. I can't explain, it just leaves me with a wonderful feeling inside. So, I did a search for the song in iTunes and found some real gems. There are at least 150 different versions of this wonderful song including artists such as REM, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder and Louis Armstrong.

* You know the film is 'class' when IMDB can't be bothered to include a poster.

On a side note, it's not as fun when you try "What A Wonderful World" or "Over The Rainbow." Each have at least 150 versions, but many are quite scary! "Over The Rainbow" has a Kathy Lee Gifford version, as well as a Kylie Minogue one. I'm just waiting for the David Hasselhoff version before I download... Ha!



I've been feeling a bit nostalgic this evening. This week's downloads: "Moon River," "What A Wonderful World," a few Eva Cassidy songs, Rickie Lee Jones's 'Traffic From Paradise' and "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae. They've been playing Corinne's song a lot lately. It's catchy - a bit young, but I can't seem to keep it out of my head. Check it out for yourself.

I SO Want This Job!

Top Gear, this BBC show, amazes me every time I catch it! Now, I am not a gearhead, but you don't have to be in order to enjoy the mischief these guys get up to... I would love to have their job. Every week they get to do crazy things in beautiful cars...

This week's episode had an Olympics theme, so the boys raced a Jaguar and an Olympic speed skater on the ice rink... The Jaguar has only two-wheel-drive, so it was all over the ice and it gave little competition for the speed skater. Next, they took the Jaguar on a frozen lake in Norway. They made a huge track, full of twists and turns, and raced the Jaguar with a four-wheel-drive Range Rover. While the Jag was a much prettier car, it still could not handle the ice. Then they raced a Rally Car and a Bobsled. Finally, they used the Lillihammer ski jump and sent a Mini down the jump. They attached rockets to the rear for power, attached skis to the tires, created a huge snow drift at the bottom to stop the car... And launched the baby. It was definitely something to see.

And this is what the show is like on a regular basis. It's like an expensive version of Jackass, with grown men and without the pain. I'm hooked!! Check it out for yourself...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/downloads/ They have a couple of clips at the bottom of the page.

My favorite part of this week's show was the "hockey" match. They filled a snow-covered rink with Suzuki Swifts and had a huge inflatable puck. It was like watching bumper cars with a hockey puck in the middle!! Fabulous!!

Just A Matter Of Days

34 days until Laura arrives on British soil. So, yes, Laura is coming to visit. This is why I love Laura so much: I got an email Thursday titled, "I'm coming," and three days later the wheels are in motion. There's talk of catching a show and a quick trip to Amsterdam. I can't wait!!

43 days until I meet Kristin in Rome. The big Italian trip we've been planning for months. I'm so excited!! We'll see Pisa, Florence, Milan, Venice, Pompeii, Isle of Capri and Rome. I just purchased my plane tickets last night. :) Somehow it just seems more concrete when you have a plane ticket...

172 days until I turn 30 years old! I am hoping to be somewhere in eastern Europe for the actual day... Right now it looks like Budapest. This will be my last big trip in Europe before I head home, but it should be a good one.

184 days until I arrive on US soil. This is both good and bad news. I have really had a tough year at work and am ready to come home to a middle school environment. It is what I studied at school. I chose middle school for a reason and I am reminded daily that high school is not for me... On the other hand, I have really enjoyed my time here and there's a part of me that doesn't want to see it end.

My Life is Complete

I just watched, "On the Line," the movie Lance Bass made in 2001. I am the queen of cheese and even that was just a little too much for me. WOW!! Words don't do it justice. I guess I expected more of the BBC, even if it is late-night tele.

The United States of Leland

I watched this movie the other night. It has been so long since I have watched a film and thought, "wow" when the credits rolled. I guess I am a bit behind the times, considering it was released in 2003, but still... Better late than never, eh? There have been a lot of mixed reviews on the flick, at least on my ScreenSelect (like Netflix) website. Watch it and make up your own mind.

New Toy

Why is it, when you get a new piece of electronic equipment, you spend an entire day trying to make it work... Or is it just me?

I just bought a new MP3 player. The one I had died - it wouldn't take any new music and I got tired of listening to the same songs over and over again. Besides, it could only hold 60-some odd songs. I have held-out on the iPod bandwagon. Although, the new Nanos are very tempting. [I am always admiring the kids' when I confiscate them in lessons.] So, I broke down and bought a Creative Zen Plus. Nothing too fancy, really, but the FM radio on it sold me. Plus it holds approx. 500 songs. So, of course, I spent all day yesterday downloading software, organizing my music folders and trying to set up my new little toy. Oh well. I have the time and it's well worth it!

Its tough to admit to myself...

that something's gotta give. I had some high hopes for this school year, but I am struggling more than I ever did last year. Well, not really, just struggling in different ways. Things at the school are not going very well - at an administrative level - and it has affected us all. I have been ill this year more than I ever have before and I am stuck in this terrible cycle - the stress making me sick and then being sick making me stressed. I am having a very difficult time with the four high school level classes that I am teaching, and things are inevitably going to get worse after half term when I have to teach them chemistry and physics (Unfortunately, it's four different topics I have to freakin' teach myself before I can teach the kids).

So, I have decided to cancel my trip to France next week. It sucks, but if I can spend my holiday preparing for next term, then maybe I can keep my head above water. I'll have some time in June and July to travel, so all is not lost...

Its the sensible thing to do.

Damn I hate being sensible...

The Perfect Penis

This is the program I watched Monday night. Boy-o-boy, the Brits are not afraid to clog the airwaves with things that make this American blush. But with a title like that, how could I NOT watch... Of course, most of the people they interviewed were Americans, but I doubt the show will ever make US channels - too much frontal nudity. They showed some poor chap that went through extension surgery (looked painful for an inch and a half). Then they showed some guy who used the ancient Arabic art of jelqing to lengthen his member (A lot of pulling and twisting - I didn't know that could make a difference to the size?). And, the creme de la creme, they showed a man that chose injections to gain length and girth. Holy Bologna!! He said that he kept going back trying to see just how big he could make it... A scrotum the size of a freakin' football (the soccer kind) later, it was just scary!! Worthless for anything other than show, it was something I hope I never see again. The image is still on my mind three days later. I don't know how the man walks...

This is the station's theme for the week, so Tuesday night they aired a documentary about John Wayne Bobbitt (where is he now kinda programme) and tonight it is "The World's Biggest Penis." I'm not sure I can sit through another hour of schlong-city, so it may just be an early night for me.

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw...

Can you make a mistake and miss your fate?

Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate? Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love or have babies or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into our life and people go. But, it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart.

And, if you are very lucky, a plane ride away.

(I Heart NY, Sex and the City, Season 4)

Sex and the City Junkie

I've been on a kick lately. I can't say whether it is the fact that there is crap on tele between 7 and 9 or that I am getting ready for the big 3-0, but I have found myself reaching for the DVDs every evening as of late. Even the flattie (UK version of roomie?) is hooked.

Krissie used to say that she knew when I was watching Carrie and friends because she could always hear me giggling in my bedroom. I laugh, I cry, but no one can say it better than those four... Everyone has their favorite episodes, and this post, dear friends, is devoted to my Top 10 Sex and the City moments:

10. Carrie: "As I contemplated the fact that my relationship had gone to pot, literally, I realized no high or low would make this day any other day than the day I got broken up with by a post-it."
(The Post-it Always Sticks Twice Season six)

9. "Maybe there are no right moments, right guys, right answers. Maybe you just have to say what's in your heart."
Aidan's proposal.
(Just Say Yes Season 4)

8. "What was the allure of the 20's? On one hand there is great skin tone, the thrill of fresh experience and the sense of a consequence-free life full of seemingly endless possibilities. While on the other, there are horrible apartments, sexually inexperienced men and embarrassing errors in fashion judgment."
(Twenty-something Girls vs. Thirty-something Women Season two)

7. "Oh my god. She's fashion road kill!"
Carrie: "I had a choice, I could slink off the runway and let my inner model die of shame, or I could pick myself up, flaws and all, and finish. And that's just what I did. Because when real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep walking."
(The Real Me Season four)

6. Explaining a Booty Boy to Charlotte...
Samantha: "He's not a slave, honey, he does have a life."
Miranda: "But you don't have to know about it."
Carrie: "And you're generally guaranteed delivery in six hours or less."
(The F*** Buddy Season two)

5. Samantha: "I'm dating a guy with the funkiest tasting spunk."
Charlotte stands and walks out of the cafe.
(Easy Come, Easy Go Season three)

4. Big & Natasha's engagement party. "I have one question for you... Why wasn't it me?"
Big: "I don't know. It just got so hard, and she's..."
Carrie: "Your girl is lovely, Hubble." ("The Way We Were" reference)
Big: "I don't get it."
Carrie: "You never did." And walks away...
"Then I had a thought, maybe I didn't break Big. Maybe the problem was that he couldn't break me. Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with..."
(Ex and the City Season two finale)

3. Miranda always has the best lines: "He only has one ball and I have a lazy ovary. In what twisted world does that create a baby? It's like the Special Olympics of conception."
(Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Season four)

2. "You can't leave New York. You're the Chrystler building. The Chrystler building would be all wrong in Napa." And Big and Carrie dancing to "Moon River" (one of my all-time favorite songs).
(I Heart NY Season four)

1. I have never laughed so hard: The Up the Bum Conversation... All four girls are in a taxi discussing Charlotte's boyfriend's request.
Miranda: "The question is, if he goes up your butt, will he respect you more or respect you less. That's the issue." Carrie lights a cigarette and the Cabbie says, "No Smoking."
Carrie: "Sir, we're talking up the butt. A cigarette is in order."
(Valley of the Twenty-Somethings Season one)

A whale in the Thames?

Read more from BBC News...