I'm Not Crying...

I started crying while I was sitting on the top level of a red double decker bus today. I'm not really sure why, but I had been on the verge of tears all day.

I first noticed it on my lunch break when I suddenly got teary reading a really awful story in the paper about a girl who was attacked. Then a couple of our regulars came into work and I got choked up after finding out they held a benefit last night to kick off a charity they started on their daughters name. She was hit by a bus a year ago and killed; she was only 12. And on top of that I was listening to Jewel for some reason when I started crying. I could have left that part out of this blog post as it is very embarrassing, but if I'm being honest, it was a factor.

I've had a lot on my mind lately because our renewal for our flat is up next month. It's hard to believe we've been here for almost 6 months already. Justin and I have been discussing how long we see staying here and we have pretty different ideas of what our future holds, so that's tough. I'm not sure about any of it yet. At this point it's a wait-and-see kind of thing.

Being here has given me a lot of opportunity for self reflection, and I guess that can be overwhelming sometimes, and sometimes it can catch you off guard. At least in a city as big as London you don't have to worry about running into someone you know when having a little cry on public transit.

Kind of a bummer post, I know. Sorry.
Miss you all back in snowy Canada, but not missing the snow.
Gen

A Couple Sandwiches Short of a Picnic

Sandwiches are beautiful, sandwiches are fine.

I like sandwiches I eat them all the time

I eat them for my supper and I eat them for my lunch
and if I had a hundered sandwiches I'd eat them all at once!

I find this chorus from Fred Penner's classic song 'Sandwiches' running through my mind quite often here in London, because sandwiches are EVERYWHERE. I should have known they were a big part of life after meeting a girl who told me that "sandwiches were her favourite food". Who says that?! Londoners, apparently.

Sandwiches are the fast food of choice, and most places have meal deals where you get a sandwich, drink, and crisps or fruit for anywhere from £2.50 (at Tesco) and up. You can find sandwiches or these meal deals in every grocery store, at stand alone shops, drug stores, and even (so I've been told) the hardware store - with the quality being higher in the nicer chains. It's really not a bad thing, in fact I think North America could afford some sandwich infiltration as it seems easier, quicker, and healthier for the most part than McDonalds and other fast food chains.

At work we sell is sandwiches (of course) which we make every morning. As the shop is new we are trying to figure out what works and what doesn't, and last week we decided to scrap our BLT and come up with a new chicken sandwich option. After thinking of what we had on hand and looking online for inspiration I jumped into sandwich history and invented one to add to our menu - Chicken, caramelised onion, rocket, and paprika-lime mayo. It's delicious! And it's been selling very well.

With the sandwich mania being so huge in London, I can't imagine what it's like actually in Sandwich - the town here in the UK (visitsandwich.co.uk). I really want to go so I can find out. Also, it looks really beautiful.


With the chorus of 'Sandwiches' still running through my mind I decided to give the song a listen to in its entirety to see what the rest of it was like. That's when I realized - I think there may be something freaky going on with me and this tune; there are eerie parallels to my life. First thing right off the top of it, Fred says sandwiches are his favorite food (what!), and then check out this verse of the song:

Once I went to England, I visited the Queen.
I swear she was the grandest lady that I've ever seen.
I told her she was beautiful and could not ask for more,
She handed me a sandwich and she threw me out the door.

Well, I guess we know what's going to happen to Justin and I at the Queens Garden Party in May.

Cheers from London.
Come visit us and eat a sandwich!

Love,
Genny

(PS, if you want to listen to the song the link is here: Sandwiches)

Money... Well, Get Back

We have such a different relationship with money here, and not just because we are making less and our bills are more; It's almost a completely different way of spending in general.

I have been wanting to buy new shoes lately. I packed as many into my suitcase as I could, and even shipped a couple more over in a box once we were settled in, but 2 of those pairs have been totally ruined by work. I recently bought some nice boots at a charity shop but they have already fallen apart. So I figure I might as well spend the quid (I really wanted to type 'bucks' there) and get a good pair, but 70+ is a lot of money. So here I am still contemplating and not buying.

The thing is, it's not really about being unable to afford 'stuff'. It's that we'd rather spend our money on experiences than things - You find yourself weighing out whether you can get away with wearing coffee-covered-scuffed-worn-out boots for another night on the town, so you can justify buying a ticket on the EuroStar to Paris while your friend is there with a free flat to crash at.

Also Justin and I have a joint account here. Funny fact: Justin is listed as a homemaker on our account because I was employed and he wasn't when we opened it. They couldn't say he was unemployed because we would have been denied, so our banker had to fudge a few details. Another funny fact: Justin has become quite the homemaker since we have moved here, even cooking dinner a couple times a week.

At home in Canada our money was (and still is) very separate. In the past we've both been able to support ourselves and very rarely had to rely on the other financially, whereas here we can see everything the other spends, and how much money we make. It hasn't really been a big issue, but it has made me feel guilty if I purchase something just for me. I guess it's good in a sense because it makes you question what you buy before you buy it so you only get what you really need.

So maybe I'll buy some new shoes soon. I probably will. Screw it. I also really want a curling iron. And a pair of jeans. And a foamie to make our bed more comfortable...

I hear some sales calling my name.

Miss you all lots and think about home every day.
Gen