The stupid things I've done so far

No blonde jokes please. As much as lots of things here are "normal" by American standards, and as much as I am used to being more on top of things, there are differences here that will take awhile to sort out. Here's a glimpse at some of my mistakes, meanderings, or (perceived) odd behavior.

Scene: My first shopping trip to a store called Waitrose (it's in the style of the new Safeways that have many, but not all, organic options and pre-made/ready-to-serve food along with regular ingredients and a decent wine selection). Mission: Get some fixin's for lunch that day and breakfast the following day. Seems easy enough, and I had a list. After looping around the store a few times, I got almost everything except eggs, bacon, and cream chesse.

The eggs turned out to be in the baking aisle (I guess that makes some sense, but I don't think of eggs as a baking ingredient over just regular breakfast). The bacon I was having a difficult time finding, but I finally found the closest match in the aisle with the cold meats, although they called it pancetta. Turns out, there is an entire bacon half-aisle (how did I miss that? and how funny/gross is that?) and none of it looks like American bacon (ahem, except for the pancetta that I ended up buying but was laughed at by my friends).

I was having a really difficult time with the cream cheese. The dairy is spread out all over the store, milk in one section, the cheese behind a counter with the meats, the yogurts elsewhere, the various levels of cream at the end of an aisle, and then, oh yes, the wall of butters. But no cream cheese. I thought I found it: I handpicked one labeled "light" and it was in a silver Philly-look-a-like box. When I got home and opened it, I realized (boo) it was butter too! (Again, more teasing). I admit now, it does say butter on it, but in really small elf size letters. Sigh.

Another event was later that day when I headed into town to return the bad wine (I switched it out for another bottle) and meet up with friends for happy hour. I had John's phone, so I was contacted by some of his friends to tell me where to meet up with all of them, but I was walking from St. Paul's to Picadilly Circus and was having a real-life run in with trying to use a tube map that is nowhere near scale to estimate what streets to take to the bar. It took me an hour, and I got lost a few times. Instead of being teased, I was just given a look of surprise as to why anyone would walk that distance instead of taking the tube, and I didn't want to admit that I was actually just trying to save a few pounds. Both of these problems will be solved when I get back from my travels and buy an Oyster card, the tube fastpass, and the pocket size "A to Z", basically the Thomas Guide of London.

And then tonight, I was late to one flat viewing because I mistook the directions from the overland train as the tube (now I definitely know they are not the same thing) and so I had to backtrack. I turned out not being a fan of the building or location. It's across the street from Council Housing (i.e. the projects)). I then missed the second viewing because I simply could not find it. I realize now that I was just looking on the wrong side of the road, but being sans phone and sans map, I was a bit lost and helpless. So I proceeded to take the bus to the next appointment, which went quite well, and I am planning on accepting even though after the temporary term is up, I may try to get somewhere less expensive. For now, I just need a home base, and this will take me through Christmas.

I'm sure there are other things that I've already forgotten, but let's just say I'm getting used to not knowing where I am or what's going on. :) Over the last few days, I've learned a lot about how mobile service, banking, renting apartments, and other such necessities work, and they are definitely different (not bad, just different). It's just as well that I am departing for two weeks of travel tomorrow because several of these items just take time, and I can use my US accounts and go be a tourist while they get sorted out. By the time I get back and start work, I should be mostly up and running.