Friday, 21 October:

Weather! Well it finally arrived two days ago. I left the flat in the morning to get some water and various groceries. I left to a light rain and made sure I had a good coat on. By the time I had walked out of Tescos, I was being blinded by the sun. Ah well, it was good while it lasted. I walked home directly into the sun, though I have to say, it was a bit colder out, which was nice. By 1pm, it was raining again. Hard. I was loving every minute of the showers and thought fall must finally be here. Sure enough, rain turned into hail. Pebble sized hail that quickly began coating everything. Hail turned back to rain, which became thundershowers. Loud and bright, the storm was in full fury and sounded like it was directly over our building. Within an hour, the storm had passed and we were left with a light drizzle. Here I was worried about not getting any weather, and we got it all in one night! The next day was bright and sunny, but considerably colder than San Diego for a change. Since then, we have been blessed with on and off rain and cool weather that rosies the cheeks. This is what fall is supposed to feel like, and I am loving every minute of it.

On the job front, things are starting to move forward. I have another interview on Monday, and I have been trying to network with people that might lead to jobs. And, of course, the internet… The internet, for all its wonders and joys, is an extremely boring way to try and find a job. Almost as boring as looking through classifieds in a newspaper, though I think that has to be the absolute worst. (All you newsies out there have to admit, it sucks looking for work that way. And this is someone who used to sell classified ads talking.)

Bureaucracy 101: Well, the snail mail was supposed to be at BT yesterday. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I waited until today to call about getting a land line. Sure enough, nothing. I was told the ultimate English sentence: “Let’s wait until Monday and see if it has shown up then.” I love bureaucracy. However, I did get a bill from BT today requesting that I send off my deposit promptly so that they can give me phone line. The 2^nd class bill took less than two days to get to me, but my first class stamp sent through Her Majesty’s Royal Mail still hadn’t reached BT. Too bad I can’t insist that they hook up my phone line and then check for my bill on Monday. This isn’t too big a deal, except that I have to wait “5” business days before I can get internet, once I have my phone. So that means that the soonest I can get online without buying a cup of coffee is the following Monday. That’s without any hiccups. It’s a good thing I like coffee. And that Starbucks is only one building over from where I live.

We went for Mexican food tonight. Alright, we went to a Mexican restaurant, but the food didn’t qualify as Mexican. Neither was the server, she was French. And the “cajun hot sauce” was vinegar and red food coloring. Not the burgundy red that good hot sauce is, but bright, double decker bus red. I ordered a beef chimichanga. I know I requested beef, but after life in San Diego, I had visions of carne asada, then I realized where I was and lowered my expectations to shredded beef. I didn’t quite lower them enough, as it was ground beef. Suzanne ordered a combo plate. Apparently combo meant that she was getting a combination of countries as well as dishes. There was a “green”, “chicken” enchilada which was a cheese enchilada in red sauce. She also got a “Mexican” salad, which was a salad in a large tortilla with the requisite??? Italian dressing. Let’s review, Suzanne’s Mexican salad was served by a French waitress and was topped with Italian dressing. Still, the effort was there. And it was close enough to Mexican food that we aren’t craving it like we were. Or maybe it was far enough away from Mexican food, that we can’t crave it until we know where to get it, I’m not sure. I’d do almost anything for some Las Cuatro Milpas. Maybe that sailing sponsorship will work out and I will be able to fly back once a month.