Dead man's bones

Yesterday I finally got to venture out to Londontown for my job interview and a jaunt around the city and it was wonderful. And bone chillingly cold and damp, which I cannot complain about because this is what I signed up for.

The job interview went really well and I hope I'll be getting another interview next week. The company is called Brightsolid and they do ancestry research. It won't be quite as exciting as writing commentary for Fashion Police but it will pay the bills and support my drinking habit. Plus, get ready for it, the job is full time! Vacation (five weeks)! Health care! Respect! What are these things? I have no idea.

Actually, I explained my history of interning/contracting/slave labouring to my two interviewers and they seemed appalled.

I like them already.

So we'll see what happens there. I have an interview with Amazon tomorrow and with MSN Friday. I was told by my interviewers at Brightsolid that both these places suck to work at (though clearly, they weren't very impartial). So we'll see how that goes.

After the interview I had a stressful time getting my traveler's cheques cashed but managed to sort that out and follow it up with a pub lunch. My stomach cannot handle this British food. It's like giving someone from a trailer park $10 million and telling them to buy whatever they want. They return with a diamond encrusted grill and solid gold flask. My stomach, much like white trash, just can't handle the richness.

Anyway, after that we hit up the Tate Modern. Martin told me it's important that he goes there every once in a while so he can remember why he hates this kind of art so much. I laugh and ask him what kind of art he likes. He says he likes the art in his house. What a shocker. To be fair, a lot of the stuff in there is so beyond me. A pile of second-hand clothes? Shit, I should quit writing. I have works of art like that lying all over my room.

After the Tate, we walk alongside the Thames on what in the summer is a bustling boardwalk but in January is relatively dead. We walk for about an hour. We see Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings, 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Covent Gardens (great, fantastic cheap cheap shopping. I refrained from purchasing anything until I have a job. Though I do want to buy every single item of clothing in Ben Sherman).

Then I finally met up with Franca which was wonderful. She filled me in on the housing situation (she's been talking to some agents, found some great places on gumtree.com [the British equivalent of craigslist] though she thinks one of them sounds too good to be true and might be a scam). We talked about our trip over, our family, how excited we are, job prospects and how weird it is that we are both sitting in a pub in Covent Garden when a week ago we were at karaoke bar on Queen Street.

After that we met up with two of my sister's friends from university that have been living in London for three years. We went to this great Vietnamese place on Oxford Street (after drunkenly getting lost about 10 times, we finally found it). They filled us in on where to live (and where not to live) and generally what life in London is like. I realized I hate being new to a place and I can't wait until I am schooling newcomers on the ways of this city. I've also realized based on its size and sheer awesomeness, this will take me quite some time.

Miraculously, dinner, a large bowl of steaming hot pho, with a bottle of wine and an appetizer was only £10 each! And you don't tip!

I love this country already.

Today I am taking it easy because tomorrow I have to be up at 5 am to make to make it to my Amazon interview. I'll post tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for all your words of encouragement by the way, you're all too sweet.

Cheers,

Patsy

P.S. More Facebook pics from London here.