Jet setter Karen makes a flying come back

Did you like what I did there? Good title, eh?! Well it amused me anyway :-) Simple things, simple minds and all that.

The plans are in motion and the plane ticket is bought for me to go to the States for a visit mid-October. All I need now is my passport - very key to traveling abroad, a passport is. I failed to plan ahead and time got away from me. My passport ran out in August, and I never sent it off to be renewed - plenty of time I told myself. Well time passed more quickly than I had planned and before I new it, I only had three weeks before I was due to fly out. I went to the American Consulate last week to renew my passport and they assure me that I should have it back in plenty of time to travel. (I'm unsure how they define "plenty" as it takes 10-15 business days - that's all I had: 15 business days!) Fingers crossed that all goes according to plan and I pray that I get my passport back the week before I travel. Even laid back, last minute, flexible me will start to panic a bit it I don't get my passport back a few days before I'm due to travel. I've spent quite a bit of money on my tickets, I'd hate to have that money wasted!

Keep your fingers crossed and your prayers coming and I'll see you in a few weeks!

I'm tentatively planning on being in Paris from 17 Oct to 20/21st Oct, then driving up to Arkansas to visit with my sister and her family til that weekend and then up to Kansas City. I'm due to head back to London on 30th. SO ... if you're in (or around) any of these places and fancy meeting up - it'd be great to see you, get in touch!!!

Monday madness

This scene look familiar? It's TOO familiar for me!!!! In June I was approaching a level crossing while the barriers were up and I decided it was safe to go through. It wasn't. As I started going through the crossing the barriers started coming down - I could have wet myself I was that scared!!! I mashed my foot as far down as the accelerator would go and made it through the barriers - sigh of relief I was alive. As I then turned the corner, I was greeted by a bank of police officers who where raining in all the level crossing violators. The police officer who was at the level crossing came high-tailing it to where I was stopped and got in my face. "I'm PC blah blah blah, Do you know why you were stopped? Do you know how stupid that stunt was you pulled? Would you like me to arrest you and take you down to the station? Do you know I can do you for dangerous driving and take your license off you?" I had started to answer one of his questions, but got the distinct impression that the questions were rhetorical, so I just listened (as respectfully as possible). Off goes the angry policeman and my details are taken by some trainee policemen. Nothing like a training operation to be stopped by. Before I left I asked what would happen and was told I'd get a court summons with the offense. I should expect 6 points on my drivers license* and a hefty fine.
Roll forward to two weeks ago, I finally get something through the post summoning me to court in two weeks (today). I spoke to a solicitor and the legal advise team at the court house. I'm not able to afford the legal fees of a solicitor , and I was told that I shouldn't need one - 95% of traffic cases won't have solicitors and the ones that do generally are facing a suspension of their license. I also spoke to a friend who's just completed her law degree and she had some good thoughts on my situation. Until Sunday night, I was not really phased by going to court. Sunday night the anxiety started which grew into fear which grew into knots in my stomach. I knew that my trepidation / fear / anxiety was not justified - the WORST that could have happened was that my license got taken off me. I CAN live without a license. I know this. It WOULD be irritating, but I'd manage. I woke up feeling sick. I can't remember EVER feeling this way. I was OVERLY emotional. Finally 10 minutes before I was due to go into court I broke - proper inconsolable crying. I was so irritated. I went into the loo and tried to pull myself together. Red nosed, puffy eyed, I went into court. I managed to get half way through the proceedings when I started to cry. I KNOW this couldn't have helped (how many people do they have come into court and sob for sympathy - crocodile tears!). I ended up with a hefty fine of £350 (approx $675) and 3 points on my license. Not bad considering what I feared. But still really hurts!!! Boy have I learned my lesson!
Silver lining: at least my "stunt" didn't have any fatal accidents and no-one got hurt. Lesson learned.

*at 12 points your license is suspended for a year. A normal speeding fine is £60 and 3 points on your license. Points stay on your license for around 3 or4 years.

Weekend Shenanigans

Tonight I'm going for a few drinks (don't worry, I'm driving, so will be sober...just for the record, so you know I don't "have a problem") after work as a colleague is leaving to go back home to Australia tomorrow (actually it's the same guy that I'm in a photo with on my blog last Saturday). Then meeting a friend for a couple drinks later tonight. Tomorrow I'm having brunch with another friend in the City and then we're headed around London for something called "Open House" where buildings not generally open to the public are open to the public to tour around. Saturday night I've been invited by Ed (friend /colleague) do go out for a few drinks. Sometime this weekend I'm hoping to go see Lindsay's (old flatmate) new flat and drop stuff she left at my house at hers. I've also got a friend, staying with me for a few days. I've also got to get a load of work done before Monday. And Monday I'm at court because of a traffic violation; I'm quite anxious about this and fear that I should have gotten a solicitor. Say a little prayer for me Sunday night as you go to bed.
That's me and my weekend. Busy busy. And you thought you had a lot going on :-)

Creative Karen

Yesterday was a friend's birthday. A friend that is a guy. So I agonised (ok, agonised is a bit strong of a word) over what to get him. About a month ago we somehow had a half hour conversation about hoovering (vacuuming for those American readers) and how rubbish his hoover was. He really wanted a Dyson. As his birthday was coming up, I suggested he should ask for money towards a Dyson from his friends and family. He poo-pooed the idea, saying his family didn't really "do" birthdays.
I'm obviously not going to go out and spend £160 ($300) on a birthday present for a friend - if I had that money I would, but I don't have that kind of spare cash. So what's a gal to do. Perfect fun present - get his a miniature Dyson (kid's toy kind of thing), couldn't find one. So back to the drawing board of what to get said friend for a birthday present. Monday we were having a conversation by text message and made an off handed sarcastic remark about paper mache'-ing (we were trying to decided what to do on his birthday). Light bulb moment for Karen - tie the 2 random conversations together (wanting a Dyson and paper mache'-ing) and vwa-la - the perfect fun present ... a paper mache'd Dyson.
I forgot to get pictures of the boxes that I taped together before painting, so you'll have to use your imagination. This is made up of a toothpaste box, a toilet paper cylinder thing, and a couple other random toiletry boxes. Then paper mache'd with glue and an old magazine (very rushed process as it was after midnight on Monday night).

Paint drying on Tuesday after work (I had to paint the bits that were going to be yellow, white first as the paper showed through the yellow but not the white - go figure.)

A handle and yellow paint added Tuesday evening

Paint job completed late Tuesday night

Details added Wednesday morning. The finished product:

Completed with electrical cord!

I showed my impressive work of art to one of the art teachers here. She said it was good enough to pass for a year 8 student (9th grade) :-)

Busy Liitle Bee, me.

Those of you reading my blog more than likely know me, and thus should know I'm a pretty friendly and social person. I enjoy going out with friends and catching up, chewing the fat, what ever you want to call it. That said I usually end up going out once or twice a week and once or twice at the weekend. Somehow, over the past three weeks, I'm lucky if I have one night in seven days that I'm at home just chilling by myself. My social calendar just got really busy really fast. Let me tell you, it's not that easy working hard and playing hard - it's a lot of hard work! But I'm enjoying it!!

Last Sunday, the day after paintballing, I met up with Karen. I met Karen in 2001. She came up to the Midlands (where I used to live) from London (where she lived) to train me. We kept in contact and I came down to London a few times and she came up to the Midlands a few times over the years. When I moved to London she was literally the only person that lived in London that I already knew. Somehow we managed to get through 2 years of me being in London without seeing each other. I think it'd been around 3 years since I last saw her, so it was great catching up with her Sunday afternoon. After lunch we went shopping, Karen needed a few new shirts. Instead of finding decent things that we could purchase, we just ended up making fun of heaps of hideous clothes, wondering who would pay money for them. Karen's sporting a shaggy dog (ok ok, it's actually a coat, but she might as well be holding up a black shaggy dog, they look the same!)

During the week it was more catching up with friends, but alas, there's no pictures from it. Monday I was at a gastro pub (which is a pub that serves a bit more classy food than your normal burger and chips pub). Tuesday I went to the movies and saw The Dark Night for the second time, geepers that's a really looong movie!! Wednesday I was at work til 7pm (arg) then went out to a Thai restaurant with a friend from work. Thursday I was at home (yippee hoary!) but I was pretty dead after a workout at school. Each Thursday there's a "Keep Fit" class after school, Thursday was my first time attending. The instructor does different things every week (so it doesn't get boring and monotonous I guess), I think Thursday's session was a "Legs, tums and bums" session - let me tell you, my bum was aching for days. Sheesh!! Thursday evening was the last night my flatmate, Lindsay was here and I helped her pack a little. (She moved out Friday, sad times.) Friday night I went to the pub after work, a normal Friday night event.

Saturday I had been invited to three parties (seriously guys, can't we spread these events onto 3 days so I can attend them all?!) One of the parties was a 30th party in the midlands for Carla, a friend from church. I really wanted to go to this but another of the parties was Adam's leaving party. I've worked with Adam for the past two years in London and he's headed back home to Australia. As much as I wanted to go to the 30th birthday party, I knew I'd be able to see Carla again, where as I might never see Adam again. So I decided to stay in London and go to 2 of the 3 parties down here.

The first party was a street party at Clare's. I was invited to a street party but I didn't actually think it was going to be a full street of neighbours outside BBQing and having fun. It was something straight out of the 1960s,

complete with tug of war (Clare and [crud, I forgot her name again!])...

... BBQs (this is Louise, Clare and Neil)...

...wood cut outs that you stick you face in and make yourself look silly (as demonstrated by Clare here)...

...ping pong, music, a raffle draw and much more. It was quite a fun afternoon. (Thanks for the invite Clare!!!) I had to duck out of the party and head to party number two which was Adam's leaving do. This was a more quite affair (his street didn't show up to wish him off - how rude!) but there were still several friends there to say good luck and bon voyage! We'll miss you Adam!

Adam and I

Sunday (today) I was back out in the city for dinner and a movie, this time seeing The Dutchess. Busy busy busy. Sorry for neglecting my blog for so long, but hopefully you'll forgive me.

Detox

Hopefully you'll be impressed that four weeks on, I am still detoxing. Very few times have I "cheated". I've had many complements on how good I'm looking - apparently I look refreshed. Maybe it's the lack of big black bags under my eyes! I even have a friend insisting that there's something I'm not telling here - she's convinced I'm in love. But alas, I'm still single and not in love. At least I'm looking revitalised.

Paint? In little balls? That you shoot at people?

Yes that's right, I decided to see what the craze around the "sport" of paintballing was all about.

First things first. I'm a girl, so I have to get the outfit right!

Then there was an hour drive to get there (had to go outside of London to find some trees :-)

There were 6 rounds of paintballing. Each with a different setting and a different "mission". Each round had 2 ten minute rounds so each team got a chance to "complete the mission". For instance there was a fort in one of the missions, one team defended the fort while the other tried to invade, then the groups swapped and they tried to invade the fort while the other team defended it. The team I was on played more of a defensive game while the other group was more aggressive. We lost. I "died" in each round and still have the bruises to prove all of my deaths. But at least I took a few guys with me :-)

After round three we had lunch. This is Kelli and Mary B, two friends (and work colleagues)

During round 5 I got shot in the head which gave me quite a headache and made me feel slightly qweusey, so I headed home. I was almost out of paintballs anyway. This is Kate and I, just before I left. Slightly more wet and muddy than when I arrived.

And just for a little proof, here's one of my more deep bruises. Nice and red. I counted somewhere between 15 and 20 bruises that evening. Oh fun :-)