Monkey infinitum

found this during “home relocation service” research
The Best of British – The American’s guide to speaking British…

be careful when clicking on the slang link — although the other links are very useful for kids of all ages.

hmmm… landline service here is charged per call, per minute. makes cell phones look good. need a landline though to set up adsl internet connection.

looking into cable options too.

gotta go. need to save the laptop battery for reporting later today…

boy time sure flies when you’re sleeping. my body is rebelling against all the excitement this past week. recharging for monday.

i have learned that asking for bacon and eggs for breakfast at this hotel yields just that – bacon, and eggs.

asking for a full english breakfast results in the aforementioned bacon and eggs plus the rest of the goodies: tomato, sausage, a bit of toasty bread.

neeedddd… waateeerrrrr.. must have (raspy cough) waaaterrrrr

crud those helicopters kept me up for 2 hours.

i originally logged in to look for warnings or news alerts or something. then i got to editing previous posts to add hyperlinked info.

this is undisputably the coolest map i’ve seen to date of the transport system in london. click on the link to open the map, then click on the station names for more information — including very detailed street maps of the surrounding area. TfL (Transport for London) Interactive Map

ok this was a most interesting week.

well in houston when there are helicopters swarming the area one tends to get nervous, since this is a sign of:

1) police looking for dangerous fugitive
2) potential hostile takeover from terrorists

but in london on a friday night it can only mean:
helicopter tours

ok now i can sleep easy.

boy the air here sure is dry compared to the sub-tropics of houston.

also fyi, it seems that i’m only writing about internet access points but this is a kind of “handsel & gretel” breadcrumb trail i’m leaving behind.

kind of like a terrestrial “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” sort of thing as well…

mabel’s tavern, fyi (referencing the previous post)

http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/pub/london/mabels-tavern.aspx

i’m trying to find the source (or a closer access point) of the signal that I occasionally access via my hotel room. it was a “good” quality signal in front of the pub next to the hotel so i did the logical thing and went in to investigate. 🙂

too bad. the signal is completely gone but i picked up a new one… “low” quality but it works… and yum the pint of Oranjeboom (yep that’s how it’s spelt*) isn’t bad at all…

*and “spelt” is really spelt “spelt” here, not spelled “spelled” as in over there…

gotta go. the concierge is getting restless.

i’ve been editing the posting below as i performed research…

today’s intensive online research yields the following information:

gov’t safety info for americans
* http://travel.state.gov/acs.html

promising sites for grade-school research
* http://www.parentcentre.gov.uk/

* http://www.schoolsnet.com

* http://www.expatagency.com/click on “Education” button

* http://www.uk-yankee.com/schools.php

promising sites for americans living in or moving to the uk
* one of my favorite info sites for americans living in the uk switched from free access to fee-based access. grrr.

* http://www.naconnect.com/Links_Resources.htm

* http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/acs/ukentry/family-uk.htm

* http://www.expatagency.com/ click on “Keyfacts” and “Housing” buttons

* http://www.reloburo.com/uk_information/american.shtml

found a hotel a few blocks from my own hotel that has a ReadytoSurf hotspot.

and a power source!

ok the hotel’s breakfast made up for the tiny room.

homework for today: find a laundomat (laundrette here) and continue research for moving costs & such.

tips for walking in the london crowds (most are just good tips in any place with more than 3 people walking anywhere):

1) find the biggest, fastest person and stay closely behind him if you are both travelling the same direction.

2) when following the person mentioned in the previous tip, switch people periodically or you’ll spook the poor guy.

3) when departing the railway, find a large, immobile object and stand close to it while adjusting your coat, scarf, briefcase, etc. DON’T stand in the middle of everyone that is moving around you to make the adjustments.

4) same goes for looking wildly around for the signs that point to the next rail line or the “Way Out”.

5) when walking, lead to the left. you may bump into someone or another at times but at least you can say that you’re following the rule of the road… which leads to the next tip:

6) nearly everyone here comes from somewhere else. especially when you bump into others in the railway. since social mores and attitudes differ from culture to culture, be conservative and practice the (hard for us americans) skill of not looking around whenever someone enters the rail car. to us americans, it’s considered part of a normal appraisal process. to londoners it’s considered gawking and brings attention to both the viewer and the viewee. not good.

7) you can smile and nod to indians and the french and they’ll smile back and may even cut up a bit if you share a common funny experience (like losing your balance when the train moves about and flailing wildly into the air for the grab bar). don’t expect a response from anyone else. they’re not being rude — they’re just trying not to embarass the both of you. see previous point.

8) don’t carry bulky big black briefcases with you on the railways. that sets off all kinds of security alarms. you’ll soon have an entourage of uniformed guards casually stolling past you. on the plus side, the added security presence scares off the pickpockets.

9) when you bump into someone or are in someone’s way, DON’T say “excuse me” or “pardon me”. doing so will announce the fact that you’ve just farted. say, “sorry” instead.

fyi, t-mobile internet is not free even with a t-mobile phone account. it’s also 5 GBP on a per-hour charge, and 16.50 on a per-day charge. more homework to do… and i may end up keeping my per-use account and phone with virgin after all.