My Blog

So, I don’t like to talk about work on my blog…but these stories I just had to share!  I apologize for not putting an update together sooner, I still don’t have a regular internet connection (yes, I’m working on it!). 

I went to Aberdeen with some colleagues last week to attend a conference for a day for some of our clients in the oil & gas industry…they went up the night before and I caught the early bird flight and decided to meet them at their hotel prior to the meeting.  As I was waiting in the lobby of the hotel, a woman with a clipboard approached me and asked "Are you here for the cabin crew interviews?"  Realizing seconds later that she wasn’t joking, I stammered "Uh..no".  Did I look Iike a future stewardess??  I made the mistake of telling my colleague John who, I realize now, can make a joke out of anything.  He then, throughout the course of the conference, mentioned to the participants, "If Taruna sneaks off and doesn’t come back, it’s because they managed to snag her after all", or "if you want to know where the emergency exits are, just ask Taruna"…I was soooo embarrassed. 

Being in a cube environment has it’s advantages (I haven’t figured out what those are yet, but I’m thinking positive)…but it also means anything you do while sitting there can either be heard, seen, or smelled by anyone walking by.  Minding my own business, and realizing my skin was a bit dry, I decided to put some lotion on my hands.  Unaware of what was unfolding around me, I looked up to see these random heads popping up, and people asking "What IS that smell?" to which another replies "It smells like loo cleaner".  I then open my bottle of Juniper Breeze hand lotion and say "It’s only my hand lotion".  Of course, the office erupts with laughter, and I’m thinking to myself, can’t a girl put on hand lotion without creating a scene???  I’ll have to find some unscented kind so the guys don’t make fun of me.  Sheesh. 

While taking a cab back from a client meeting, I was chatting with my boss.  When we stopped at a red light, the cab driver rolled down the window and proceeded to chat with the fellow in the van next to us.  We didn’t really pay attention to the conversation until we heard him say to the guy with a straight face "Do you know if Dan still has my leather pants?  You know, the ones with the hole cut out of the arse?  Tell him I’ll be by next week and he better have them…I’ve been looking for them everywhere".  I tell you…anything is possible in London!!

One of my friends here in London went to a speeddating event a few months ago and met a chap who in the course of their three minute date, went on and on about how educated and successful he was and then proceeded to ask her about her ambitions.  Feeling less than perfect afterwards, she checked out the profile he posted on the web.  Under favorite movies, he wrote "Shashawank Redumption".  Hee hee

As my shipment recently arrived, I’ve slowly begun the process of unpacking and organizing.  Most of my electronic gadgets operate on the US standard of 110 volts and need transformers to work here.  When I hooked up my alarm clock and set the time, I noticed a few hours later that it was a bit off.  So I reset it.  Again a few hours later, it was showing the wrong time.  This morning, it was almost two hours behind.  Humans are allowed to get a late start, not alarm clocks!  I suppose it isn’t interested in adjusting to London.  I’ve since pronounced it sick and retired it.

Speaking of electronic gadgets, I decided to hook up my microwave a few days ago.  I made sure it was connected to the transformer correctly, and then said a small prayer, stood a few feet back, and flipped the switch.  BAD idea.  In an instant, I saw a bright flash, and then nothing.  No smoke…so I thought I should at least unplug it.  Apparently I blew a fuse in the plug, which was a bit charred…as was the wall socket, but hopefully nobody will notice that.  I have made no further attempt at hooking up the microwave, as I’ve decided to check my leasing contract first to see if I would be held responsible in the event of a small house fire. 

How is it possible that something so ordinary as a small trashcan bring one so much joy?  Because it’s YOURS!  Yes, my shipment arrived today.  I’ve never been so happy to see a trashcan before…I needed one for the bathroom but instead of spending 30 quid ($60 for you Americans) I decided to tough it out and wait for my shipment to arrive, and of course it was the first thing I unwrapped.  The challenge now will be to find a place for everything. 

I didn’t think I missed any food from the States, but when I saw the Oreos, and of course my Smore’s Maker, it reminded me of home…hmm, now I’ll just have to find some marshmallows.  Grocery stores are weird here, they don’t carry enough junk food!  Aren’t marshmallows a staple in every diet? 

I had to purchase an Entertainment Unit for my TV, since I wasn’t smart enough to include one in the shipment…I’m rather proud of the fact that I was able to assemble it all by myself.  Surprisingly, it hasn’t collapsed yet from the weight of the TV (I’ll give it a few more hours).   I do wish my dad was around to hook up all the electronics though.  With all the voltage conversions, I’m almost guranteed to blow something up.