I'm on my way, just set me free, home sweet home....

I'm almost home and definitely looking forward to it as well as needing it. Nearly 10 months since Christmas and I can't wait to see my family and friends. I've been running ragged here with work and hosting guests.

Guess what? I will be promoted to Business Development Manager upon my return to London. I'll be working only 16 hours/week and writing my dissertation. I'm happy with the new position as it suits my skills and interests just a bit better. The fact that its a 3 person operation soon to be 5 is challenging, but shows so much room for growth.

I'll be in Palm Springs my first weekend home and hanging in Ana-HEIM. It's not exactly the beach, but my mom and dad are there.

I'll post contact numbers when I'm home; I'm hoping to hijack my mom's cell b/c of course Verizon wouldn't just sell SIM cards like the rest of the world. We'll see, maybe things have changed.

See you soon. LO

365 Days Later...

Can you believe it? Are you shocked? It's been 365 days since I hopped into the British taxi cab and said please take me to my high priced hotel where I'll stay for 10 days b/c I wouldn't let a flat over the internet. So let's recap. If not for you, for me b/c I didn't have this blog a year ago.... Memoirs of LT. Let me break it down.

September

• 10 days in the Links hotel
• Started school, thought to myself, who needs money? (should have checked that little exchange rate) p.s. GBPs aren't the same as Euros.
• Found a garden flat that looked better than the hotel, realized no oven, a shower that trickled and the lou was on siesta
• Went to a Ceilidh with the class
• Went to a party and found a boy (good Laura...way to be single)
• 9 classes...WHAT???

October

• Torrance was Mon-Fri (actually 9/80 schedule)
• Edinburgh-studies were 24/7 and the feeling of guilt if you went to the pub
• Weekend in Perth with the friends
• Realisation that no one can dial an international phone call

November

• Visit from Cliff
• Trip to Amsterdam
• Ditch a couple of classes...not good!

December

• Complete freak out from final
• Christmas Ball
• Home with the fam...Ya-Woo!

January

• Hogmanay, Edinburgh's New Year Celebration
• Saw the Edinburgh and surrounding sites before school started.
• Trip to Stirling
• New semester, elective courses, cool profs
• Received 1st semester grades and learned that people with English as a Second Language schooled me.
• With these exchange rates, by god I will learn Finance before leaving this school...Behavioral Finance, Take 2
• Trip to the Highlands

February

• Visitors...Ya-Woo!
• My aunt and uncle, Bill and Leslie Toner from Chicago
• My Redondo Beach friends, Leslie and Aleece
• Trip to Dublin, met crazy Welsh, Orange Army Protests
• Study, study, study
• Broken Toe....bring out the gimp!

March

• End of the semester
• Sad goodbyes
• Freaking out; I'm moving to France
• Road trip-east coast of Scotland, Cantebury, Dover to Calais, Paris, Lyon

April

• I love Paris in the springtime; school at ENPC
• Mom and Dad visit me in Paris
• Shanghai surprise, I know they tried to kidnap me
• Friends from Edinburgh-Ana, Machiko, Ian, Annabel, Mariela, Hero!!!

May

• Morocco
• Met my current employer
• Morocco bacteria...Paris hospital...death bed...caretakers Jay and Ian
• the things you do to get out of your last MBA class; ya right.

June

• Enjoyed Paris with Jay
• Visit from Scott
• First trip to London via the Eurostar which I swore I'd never do
• So sad to leave Paris
• Time back in Edinburgh
• Move to London and start working, not cool (haven't even been unemployed for a year)

July

• Work placement in London
• I lived in my business
• Found a flat and pay more than living at the beach!
• Sarah visited me...ya-woo! Trip to Edinburgh

August

• I can't type anymore (where'd the @ symbol go?), can't spell anymore (is it s or z?) and who says ZED anyways?, it's ZEE, strange words (is it a queue or a line?)
• John Fellows visits
• I have no friends
• Jay hangs out
• Figure out my dissertation topic, thanks Jay
• Edinburgh goodbyes...it's all over

Edinburgh really is over and it's rather sad. The full-timers turned in their dissertations last Friday and the new kids are already claiming our territory. The few who remain are the internationals who are scattered through out the world.

Urrrggghhhh! I just wrote the August recap and it's gone. Curses! Maybe you'll like this version better.

August: trash strikes, bosses on vacation, London walk-abouts, two trips to Edinburgh, visitors: Sarah, John Fellows and Jay, befriended a French boy (he's 20,) found another girl friend, figured out the dissertation topic, saw Big Lebowski at the Somerset House....

Things are good and busy here in London. Time is flying by and my work placement is coming to an end. I've been offered to work a couple days a week while writing my dissertation. Dissertation question, "How does an organization use a case study for organization learning?" I'll be using the case study I'm writing for Network Rail as the basis for my topic.

I'm still pursuing my love for France and so when I was sitting next to a boy on the Tube, I asked if he wanted to meet. I could practice French and he English. He agreed and we've been chatting. Again, I'm determined to break the perception that the most unfriendly people are on the London Tube. I've really had no problems thus far.

Big Lebowski...that's been on the life list to see a movie outdoors as part of a summer festival series. It was fabulous. While maybe my American compatriots may have appreciated the movie more, it was an enjoyable event that of course I ventured to solo.

Jay dropped down for a surprise visit. As usual, we had the best of times both in Muswell Hill and exploring London. We ate Moroccan and reminisced about our days in Casablanca and Marrakesh. I may have manipulated an early release from work so we could enjoy Friday. The pub crawl started in Notting Hill and carried on to Leicester Square, Chinatown and Soho.

I'm off.

Cheers, L