Graduation!

Enquiring minds wanted to know Cap and Gown?? No, I didn't have to wear the cap.

Well I have been finished with school for quite sometime. Dissertation was submitted in December, I found out I passed in February and June was graduation. Behind in the photo is McEwan Hall where I donned my gold and black dress and was hit on the head with John Knox' pants (UK pants aka underwear, squirrel covers, BVDs.)

Graduation was quite memorable. My parents came out and spent time with me in London and Edinburgh. Friends from all over the world descended on the city to join in our celebration. The day brought a mixture of emotions: Elation that I actually did get to graduate; Pride for never giving up; Sadness for the friends that will scatter; Blessed that I was afforded such a lifetime opportunity; Hope for what will unfold. I only left in September 2005 and while time has passed quickly, so much has been discovered and Redondo Beach seems a lifetime ago.

I did want to thank everyone who has given me words of encouragement and phoned, written, emailed, chatted, skyped (yes Skype people!) and visited. There were many times that these conversations came just at the right time like little angels knowing that I needed to hear a friendly voice to say, "hey" "when are you coming home" or "we miss you". Thank you!

Now a new adventure awaits. For the time being, I will continue to be a stay at home mom with no kids. And now back to the job search.

Love Loyalty and Friendship,

Laura

When all you can do is laugh or drink.........

I'm unemployed. Everyone is up to speed on this fact, right? Each day consists of an early wake up call, turning on the computer and sifting through the countless job boards searching for the needle in the haystack which will one day be my next high paying, consulting job. Key words: high-paying, consultancy.

Last week, I stared at the wall and sat at my computer from 9-5. This week, I relocated to the dining table with a lovely view of the communal gardens. It's not as depressing as the magnolia (they don't sell Navajo paint here. go figure!) walls.

Thinking that this respite will be good for the soul, I plug away each day sending out countless CVs (aka resumes) to recruiters and employers. You would think I was doing this peacefully, however, 2 flats are being gutted. From 9-5, drills, hammering, swearing, hauling...it's absolutely doing my head in. I CAN'T THINK! It's making me sketchy, there may be voices surfacing in my head. And just when you think the crews are done for the day, calm sets in....BZZZZZZZZZZZ blasts through the floor penetrating my numbed brain. All I can think is this must be some freaking joke and I have to laugh.

Tomorrow I swear the lawnmowerman and weedwacker/leaf blower boy come; it might get ugly.

Stop the madness!

This is a 30 second re-enactment of the drill....

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see it lulls you to thinking it stops and

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Didn't God make some covenant with Noah that there would never be 40 days/40 nights of rain. WTF? No rainbows, just rain....since May 3 folks. Honestly!

Do you know where getting flooded ? I am happily safe in Muswell HILL, but the other towns...not so much. May 3rd commenced the Noah's Ark reeactment. "See the animals 2x2, see which is which and who is who?" (that's the song from my play at St. Pius V in first grade-The Rainbow Express-I was a butterfly)

The Model town is now under water, there will be no hikes of the Cotswolds anytime soon and I may be helping my friend fill sand bags in Windsor. I have free time!

Mom and Dad closing in on Warwick Castle.

My parents came to London a week prior to graduation. I enjoyed sleeping on the floor, Ian got the boot to the south side of the river and my parents fought over who snored and stole the blankets in my Dream House Barbie size of a bed. (yeah, so don't let this picture fool you.)

Good times were had by all. They were greeted with a week of thunderstorms, but thankfully we were all trained by the rain of Portland to not let the weather ever get you down. They quickly found the nearest bakery in town and I introduced them to my new life in the City.

They arrived the last day of my work at Corex and I greeted them beaming with joy as I made my exit. A new adventure awaits me! I hope???!

My father wanted to return to Warwick Castle as that was the only thing he apparently enjoyed when he visited the UK 45 years ago. He rarely mentions that he was travelling with my great grandmother and her entourage....could that have something to do with it? Just a thought. You all remember the last time that I hung out with my grandparents...the geriatric sing-along.

The original Fab Four.

So why have I been MIA?

Well, I took off to Greece when I got my visa. I had originally planned to meet up with Rach and RJ on their postponed honeymoon. From there, I was to dart to Chicago for my cousin, Cait's wedding. It was great to hang out with the Toner clan as most I have not seen since I've been away at school. Got a quick shopping trip in on Michagan Avenue..you know the necessities like Walgreens. How sad is that? Each time I get home, it is a must do. Toiletries just aren't the same in the UK, let me tell you folks! Bygones, I did a 11 minute walk about Old Navy just in time to scoop a few tanks...$6!! Ya-woo! Kids $6 just doesn't happen over here. Have you seen the exchange rates? Have you seen my bank account??

Anyways, wedding was great. Cousin Cait is happy. Toners are fab!

Oh, and I'm an aunt twice over! Ya-woo! Details to follow.

I don't know where my travel book is so I really can't remember what this was, but I liked it. The olive trees were great, however keep in mind that olives only taste nice once they've been prepared. Olives...straight from the tree???BAD!

The view looking up at the Acropolis. There is a ton of work happening at the Acropolis so a large portion was under rehab, I suppose it's a little old and perhaps in some serious need. Amazing 360 views from the hills and the only thing I could think about was that Sparta movie.

Rachel and I in Athens.

We met up in Plaka, the old village of Athens. As Rachel and RJ had been plaqued with rain their entire European vacation, they brought the clouds to Athens too. I needed a break from the sun and sand so it was a good thing.

Athens was great for sun and food. I wasn't too thrilled with the taxi drivers as many tried to rip you off. Athens definitely didn't have the feel as the other Euro cities I've visited. I really did go just to lay out and relax, but I did capture a few sights and was truly amazed at the Acropolis. I wished I had visited my first day in town so I could get a better appreciation for the city. Cleanliness is not a top priority and the Greeks are first to tell you that it's one of the poorest countries in the EU. I don't think they can claim that now that Bulgaria and Romania were welcomed.

Stop the Presses!!!! I got my visa!

Ya-woo. I found out just in time to book a really expensive trip to Greece and Chicago. Actually, I don't care. I'm just very excited to see friends and family.

Work visa....2 year stay in UK.

Currently, I'm in Athens. Photos coming later.

Headed to Chicago for Caitlin's wedding. Big Toner family bash.

Talk to you soon.
Laura

Here's to you Uncle Tom!

This is a re-enactment of my 1st Communion picture that has haunted me into adulthood.

During the Cotswold experience, we went to Burton-on-the-Water which is home to a quaint village, zoo, motor museum, and.....the Model Village. I didn't know what to expect, but sure enough the model is an exact replica of Burton. Talk about spare time! The only thing I noticed was that maybe some of the residents should be spending some of that time in the gym rather that playing with baby bricks and mortar. That's just a friendly suggestion.

*69, not so much.

This is part of the 10 mile walk in the Cotswolds. It smelled significantly better than the booths in London, can't imagine why.

For tonight we dine in hell!

As we started our trek in the Cotswolds, we were met with cows who dared us to cross their path. I'm not the best with animals. Again, I blame cartoons for my stored knowledge. The childhood brainwashing far outlasted an encyclopedic learning when in school.

I still struggle with the polar bears and penguins...I thought they were friends, bulls bad, mountain lions...thought they were like bobcats. Back to cows, the only vision that came to mind was my brother's, childhood reenactment of the Incredible Hulk which took place when my family was in Iowa. He proceeded to pose and roar like the Hulk frightening the cows and there was a possilibity of the cows busting down the gate. My only other knowledge of cows is the size of its eyeball. Why do I know this? Because when I was in 2nd Grade, my lovely cousin Debbie asked if I wanted a drink of her Strawberry Milkshake from McDonalds. What kid would turn that down? As I started to take the drink, the only thing that cup held was cows eyeball that was stolen from the high school biology lab.

Fascinating thing in England, no one can stop people from walking through your private property. We have the green light to cross this field with the exception of the cows who have taken on the Spartan fighting form. My camera is not zoomed, actually I couldn't get the whole pack (are cows packs? herd) in my shot. My camera is sitting on the fence and I'm clicking.

Four educated adults and a herd of cows commence the staring contest/stand-off until one local opens the fence and starts walking.

"Can we follow?"

"Hurry up, I'm late for the pub. Surely you're not afraid of these cows. They're dumb and afraid of you. They'll move as we walk, but hurry I need a pint."

Cool experience.

I love that Sir Walter Scott!!

So I was walking to work the other day and I saw this Blackberry in the middle of the sidewalk. Sometimes I really hate these moments because of all of the thoughts that bombard your mind.
"If I pick it up and put it in my bag and someone sees me they'll think I'm stealing this." "Great, look what I get to deal with today!"
"Cool, maybe I'll never find the owner and I can step it up from my 30P phone that always resets the VoiceMail setting"
"What fabulous reward will I get for a Blackberry"
"I'll just leave it on the fence and the owner will find it"
"Phone, what phone?...walk over it and don't look back." \
"I hate CATHOLIC guilt!!!"

Does anyone feel me on this?

I pick up the phone, assess my surroundings and see that there's a work truck beside me and roofers working at the house adjacent. I proceed to sound like an idiot saying, "sir, excuse me..Sir?! My timing was a little off between the moments of silence and his hammering away. As the scaffolding was draped with the roofers advertisements, I made a call to the office with the query whether crews were issued with Blackberries. The laugh at the end of the line was my answer. I next left my business card at the home address thinking that I would soon be the victim of prank calls, or possibly the thought that maybe this household would attempt to steal the phone from me. Take it!

By this time, I'm late to work and now have to deal with this. Blackberries have never been my thing...way too many communication capabilities coming at ya and it really leaves users with no outs for saying, "oh, I didn't get your call, email, fax, SMS, RSS." In a nutshell, I don't know how to use it to find the info and get this back to the appropriate person. My coworker gets me to the address book so I can peruse for the standard titles..Mom, Home, ICE, Office...something. After 500+ contacts, no clues whatsoever. Surely I must have missed something, so I'm back at it. Hmmm...BBC, Her Majesty's Treasury, Dun and Bradstreet, Morgan Stanley, Home Office, Security Task Force, Virgin, the Big Four, financial institutions, every government office...you get my drift? All of sudden I'm thinking, "hey this guy's big time." Let's look for Tony Blair!

So this guy's Big Time, so shouldn't he be calling his phone wondering if someone picked it up? I'm back to work and just sitting close in case Big Time calls. After an hour, I start thinking that surely there is something in this phone with the person's details and I find a name and phone number with the "if lost/return" message.

Here are my hints:
1. First Name
The name: "Peter, _____, and Mary" "_____ Frank is you friend" "John, ___, Ringo, George" "Pope John ____, II"
2. Surname (last name folks), 2 syllables
1st syllable
Mr. _ _ _ _ Bar
The _____, the bad, the ugly"
"___ night, and ____ luck"

2nd syllable
And on the sixth day, God created _ _ _.

One last hint for the surname..."John _ _ _ _ _ _ _ starred in Roseanne, the Big Lebowski, and Arachnophobia.

Moving on. I call this fool stating, Sir you dropped your phone at 6 Pages Hill. I live and work in Muswell Hill, here are my digits, let me know when you want to meet.

Due to the amount of prominent contacts and now discovering his name, I of course hit Google and start the search. Mr. Big Time is an MP. I call his office, but no one is there. I find his phone the same day Blair announces his departure. No wonder no one's been calling, there are definitely more important things going on. Around 2 I finally get a call.

MP: my "wife" got the message about the lost phone. Let's meet, but I just don't know how the phone ended up in Muswell Hill. I don't live anywhere close...it was stolen.
LT Thoughts: Really Sir, because you've made many phone calls since 4:30 this morning. One to your wife or sister....what a freaking coincidence. If someone stole it, you sure haven't been trying to call it!
LT: I called your office, you're the MP right, I'm sure you need the phone how should I get this to him, etc.
MP: "No, I'm not an MP" (the contacts state otherwise)
MP: "Oh, I can't meet" (ya, b/c then I'd know you were the MP right?)
LT: Ian works in the City, he could bring it tomorrow.
End of call
MP: "Oh, I can't meet in the City." (ya, b/c then I'd know you were the MP right?) Let me call you back.
End of call
MP: "Oh, my wife will pick it up tomorrow b/c she's coming to Muswell hill"
LT: Really Sir, that's odd, I thought you didn't live close. Where shall we meet.
MP: Let me call you back
End of Call
MP: My wife has a Doctor's Appt tomorrow in Muswell Hill.
LT: Really? (all doctors here serve a radius of 1/2 mile.) Great where shall I drop the phone
MP: Let me call you back
end of Call
MP: The address is 6 Pages Hill, that's pretty close to you right?
LT: Yes, shall I leave it with reception?
MP: Just drop it through the Mailslot, but only between 9 a.m. and before the appt at 4.
Lt: Would you like me to put it in a padded envelope before it falls to the ground and falls to a million pieces?
MP: Yes. Can I have your address so my "wife" can send you a box of chocolates.
LT: That's kind, but no thanks.
End of call

As I'm walking home from work sure enough 6 Pages Hill is exactly freaking across the street from where I found the phone. That one question, "Are you an MP?" set off a series of ridiculous lies. Little did he know that I was facing deportation.

Shady acres, whereas I wanted to send it to the Daily Mail and have them figure out the story, I bought my padded envelope and enclosed a little note, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive."

Now, every morning I walk by this home trying to figure out what exactly is going on behind the closed doors. I've seen a few men come out...option 1. The resident doctor is a female...option 2. Politician living out of district....I've never seen that happen between Torrance and PV!....Option 3. Meth lab...Option 4. I don't know, but I definitely enjoy my walk to work thinking of silly possibilities. Also, I get a little tingle of anticipation thinking my lovely MP is walking around with a guilty conscience.

Good people, good times. (1st syllable)

L

32....I'm OLD
Curses!!!

Thank you for the birthday greetings! A few notes:
Unfortunately my father has no idea when I was born and called me on April 30 Cali time for a wake up call on May 1. Folks...I'm only 8 hours ahead. It's not that hard or serious.

My sis, Mo, tried to buy me concert tickets in London and while she was on a UK site her credit card info was highjacked and the bank called her with fraud notices of £900 charges to Costco. The Mastercard has since been suspended. See what happens when you're nice!

Sarah has sent the best b-day card ever with a drawing of her Gerkin-tongue-licking photo...Remember the post in August when Sarah was being a dirty bird? (I'll try and post.)

So the latest and greatest is that my visa has been declined. What does this mean?
1. fork out another £750 pounds ($1500)
2. no passport
3. no passport means no CHICAGO and cousin's wedding
4. No travel to Greece to meet RJ and Rachel
5. pending illegal alien status
6. I could be kicked out in 30 days

Life has taken a peculiar turn.

Again, that birthday card rocks!!! Love it. I'll try to post the other picture so you can do a side-by-side analysis. Kisses. L

I'm having a RANT.....

i am on UK lock down and not loving it!! i need off the island. Somebody, please save me.

If I get erased, the UK government did it. Not that I'm into conspiracy theories or anything. The Home Office has my whole life wrapped up into a little package of 2 envelopes. Everytime I correspond with them it seems to cost £350 POOOONDS. Not cool.

I'm bored and should be working, must make sales. I've been scolded by my cousin Caitlin for adjusting my spelling to the UK english. Well let me just tell you that I'll take the berating from home rather than the comments from British colleagues. I fought the Z-zeds and extra consonants when I was at Edinburgh; however, no that I'm trying to emmerse myself into the working world I must submit to some brainwashing. I am holding out on Route, I refuse to pronounce it ROOT, and quite often I'm selling Learning Routes to Organisssssations. Phrases such as "I'm fine, Sure, I don't care" have all been deemed inappropriate or rather strong statements. I never really tried the "Whatever" phrase in the workplace.

Ok, i'm back at it.

Chicago.....here I come. Anyone wanting to see me stateside will need to be in the Chicago/Indiana area the weekend of June 9 or the 9th June.

Cheers, L

Good thing this blog is not anywhere close to being part of my New Year’s resolution. Bust out the difibulator! Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! Someone give me a jump start! Please, something to bring this thing back to life. Alright, I’ll do better. Just so you know this blog is reflective of my life right now. I am seriously focused in some areas and completely lacking in others. My inbox now contains more recruitment notices for job postings than short quips from friends and family. Not good. While the jobs may pay the bills, my school bus is surely to find itself running on empty in no time.

I am well. I have been busy over the past 3 months and am absolutely amazed at how quickly time has past. I have dedicated a sufficient portion of my time to getting things in order for the Home Office in order to transition from my student to work visa. It was supposed to take 5-6 weeks and I believe that time has come and gone. I am slightly concerned, but it should really work in my favour.

Here is the overview of what I have been up to.

January-Went to Bristol with Ana and Laura
February-Went to Brighton and John Fellows came to town
March
Celebrated Ian’s birthday in Edinburgh
My friend Brent Herrera came to visit his sis Jen in London. (Brent’s my prom date from high school.)
St. Paddy’s Day in London
April-went to Edinburgh for Easter

Good thing this blog is not anywhere close to being part of my New Year’s resolution. Bust out the difibulator! Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! Someone give me a jump start! Please, something to bring this thing back to life. Alright, I’ll do better. Just so you know this blog is reflective of my life right now. I am seriously focused in some areas and completely lacking in others. My inbox now contains more recruitment notices for job postings than short quips from friends and family. Not good. While the jobs may pay the bills, my school bus is surely to find itself running on empty in no time.

I am well. I have been busy over the past 3 months and am absolutely amazed at how quickly time has past. I have dedicated a sufficient portion of my time to getting things in order for the Home Office in order to transition from my student to work visa. It was supposed to take 5-6 weeks and I believe that time has come and gone. I am slightly concerned, but it should really work in my favour.

Here is the overview of what I have been up to.

January-Went to Bristol with Ana and Laura
February-Went to Brighton and John Fellows came to town
March
Celebrated Ian’s birthday in Edinburgh
My friend Brent Herrera came to visit his sis Jen in London. (Brent’s my prom date from high school.)
St. Paddy’s Day in London
April-went to Edinburgh for Easter

Deep Thoughts by Laura……………………………………………….
Some of the randomness is life.
My parents are coming to Edinburgh for graduation….Ya-woo! Both will be here for 10 days and then my mom and I will head to Ireland for a trip to the west coast.
I went to the Charlotte Church Show, that was a good time. Avril Lavigne was on with a few others that you wouldn’t know.
My brother is starting a business that I’m vying for an equity stake and advisory role. Right now he just wants a business plan for free.
I received David Bowie CD, who knew that I’m a big fan. I’m one of those people that don’t know artists nor song titles.
Rachel and RJ are headed to Italy and Greece for their honeymoon in May/June. I’m hoping to join them.
I’ll head stateside for my cousins wedding June 9. Shopping in $$$$!! Ya-woo can’t wait.
Abu Dhabi? Would you live there? I’ll keep you posted.
I Joined a book club. Truly it’s my worst nightmare, but I think it’s good for me. It’s part of my self-help programme of learning to interject myself and thoughts into new situations. The goal-speak in a clear and concise manner, and stop sitting back and listening to people; make an impression with a statement.
I got my MBA for 3 reasons:
1. Career progression
2. Learn from a strong organisation/strategy firm that would position me for an international role
3. serious USD or GBP
I’m writing it because instead of just talking about it, now it should become about 90% true.

Brent and Jen are headed to Edinburgh this weekend as well. Should be an interesting time in the City. Four days off of work! I’m still on UK lock down. I have no passport, no driver’s license, no paper identity. If I get erased….call Tony Blair…we’re tight.

Brent is here!

Brent Herrera was my prom date, and yes that’s what he says anytime he introduces me to someone. His comments are usually followed by, we never danced. He took me when I was a sophomore and I thought that I was on top of the world. We have been great friends ever since. He killed me over the weekend. We headed to a few bars and clubs in Soho and I had the best time out. I’ve tried to get hag status over here, however, it just hasn’t worked out too well. Great night dancing, trying to play match-maker and having great conversation. The night left me sans voice and yet another week of ailments. Curses! Thankfully, I’m feeling much better as the weekend approaches and I’m ready to rock and roll again.

The great thing about Brent coming to London was the fact that he was coming to visit his sister, Jen. We went to Rosary together and I haven’t seen much of her since high school. She lives in north London as well. I’m looking forward to the chance of us hanging out. Open school bus door.

Ian’s Birthday in Edinburgh
In March, I headed to Edinburgh for the weekend to celebrate Ian’s birthday. I realised that I had not been back since November. I continually find myself anxious when I return to Edinburgh. The scars of falling behind in reading, not quite grasping the Discounted Cash Flow financial concepts or looming paper still haunt me. I do wonder if that will pass with time or if I am just scarred for life.

Ian’s birthday. I actually pulled off a surprise gathering of his friends and family. My deceptive behaviour started early in the morning with the sudden craving for Mexican food. I avoided his plan to head to East Lothian, a journey outside of town. Good stuff. Met with friends and enjoyed a long weekend away.

St. Paddy’s Day in London
People are often asking if the school bus is full. Well it really ebbs and flows. St. Paddy’s day was a real kick in the ass reminding me of this. It started out there was a group of us, and then there was one. I was not going to give up though, for the love of god, it was St. Paddy’s Day and I was going to salvage the day. Calling up my frenchie friend, Jean Marie, he and a friend met me for a pint and no sooner had we finished the beers, he wanted to go to the movies. Not really understanding the ST. Patrick’s tradition, the need to drink Guinness and sing traditional songs. However, I gave up, went to the movies, and was home by midnight with just a few pints down. No fear, the parade and festivals were on Sunday and I ventured solo and enjoyed the festivities in Trafalgar and Leicester Square and Covent Garden.

I think I have said before that some of my friends are from Westminster Cathedral which I attend on Sunday evenings. My St. Paddy’s weekend concluded with the realisation that my social interaction really just consists of a Groundhog Day scenario. I see people once a week, some are new, and others are old faces that sit next to someone else. I have met these people; however, I continue to have the same freaking conversation repeatedly. I have met one girl that is great so we hang out rather often.