And We're Back...

by popular demand I might add.

So, why the radio silence. Well, a few reasons. One, I've been diligently looking for a job. Two, we've been traveling - Bath, US and Ireland. Three, I haven't had a reliable Internet connection since we moved out of the hotel. Most of you probably can't relate, but when your gmail connection is lost and it comes back you get a little message that says "and we're back" thus the title of this posting. **Warning - I'm gonna spend a few lines on the broadband fiasco so skip ahead if you know this topic will bore you.** At first I was freeloading off of somebody's wifi network titled "Netgear", but I had a very weak connection and I often had to put the laptop in the windowsill in order to get a signal. It was pretty ridiculous and stopped working completely after the first few days. After much complaining to the relocation "service" they gave me a wireless anywhere card with a little antenna on it - back to dialup days and it would also disconnect frequently. We finally got British Telecom to fix the broadband, but of course for some reason I can't access my gmail account. I'm sure you are all anxiously awaiting resolution of this issue. I'll keep you posted.


Daily Routine
So, what have I been doing everyday? That's a fair question and when I think about it, I'm always amazed at how fast the day goes by. Anyway, I get up around 8. Now Tiff may disagree, and I'll admit that it's sometimes a little later, but rarely earlier. I turn on my computer and while Windows loads, I brush my teeth, throw on my Aresnal hat, some sweats and a T-shirt and head downstairs to the Starbucks. By the time I get back, Windows is nearly loaded so I make myself some breakfast. I wait a little longer to login and once I'm finally online I check my email and get on iTunes to download podcasts from ESPN and Oregonlive. Around 11am I head out for a run around Hyde Park and listen to my podcasts - so in some ways I'm more well educated on sports than I was in the US. I usually grab a sandwich on my way back (2.35 pounds and no mayo!) and get back to job hunting. By the time it's late afternoon, I start thinking of how I can convince Tiff to go to a pub for dinner. On the way to and from dinner we still comment on the number of Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis we see. Not just driving, but parallel parking on the street. Good thing for those people that I didn't come over with my 97 Honda. I can wedge that baby into any opening.

Culture Shock
I think this is all about expectations. You wouldn't think that there would be a huge difference between the US and London, but that's the problem. I think that Tiff is suffering more than I, but she has to cope with workplace challenges as well. The biggest frustration for me has been attitude toward service. Customer service is truly a foreign concept and it takes forever to get anything done. We still don't have our permanent flat, a bank account, a cell phone (for me) or broadband that works. We met up with Carsten (a foreign exchange student we hosted from Denmark who now lives in London) and he said that one of his co-workers tried to get broadband for a year. Makes Comcast seem like Nordstrom. Other things I knew about, but it's hard to fully appreciate them until you're here. First, the pubs really are packed every night of the week. Not sure if the people there are typical Londoners but you take notice when you walk by a pub on a Tuesday and the sidewalk is full of people holding a pint. The other aspect is the wealth in London. Some of it could be "new" money like bankers or hedge fund people, but my guess is that it's mainly old money - royalty, oil shieks, etc. In that same vein is the cost of living in London. Once again, you know it's 2x the cost, but it's difficult to internalize that until you pay 11 pounds for a glass of wine.

London News
Here's something entertaining. So, the Underground subway here does not have air conditioning and it gets uncomfortably hot on those trains. The latest idea for cooling the cars is to put large blocks of ice in the space underneath the seats. I swear this is true. Google it. I couldn't make this up.

A Perspective from No Man's Land
**Another warning - I'm going to cover sports here so if you're not interested, I won't be offended if you stop reading.**
So, I'm in this weird zone with regard to sports. I can't see any US stuff, but get plenty of info from ESPN.com and podcasts. What I do see is a whole lot of soccer - a game I know nothing about. I think this gives me a unique perspective to comment on both.

Bron Bron and the NBA
Now, I know this is late, but I had all this written before the end of the NBA playoffs. Anyway - let's chillout on the Lebron coronation. I didn't see one play from game 5 of the Detroit series, but every bit of commentary after the game was ridiculous. I even heard some say he's better than Jordan. You must be kidding. First, the competition he was playing against was truly pathetic and even more apathetic. All of this was driven home when I was back in the US last week watching the finals games from the early 90s on ESPN Classic. Today's NBA is like watching a bunch of high school guys play when they aren't keeping score. Since the conclusion of the finals there has been a lot of talk of how to fix the league. It's not about contraction, changing the playoff format, changing the lottery or even eliminating the music during play (who doesn't love the music from I Can't Wait (Baby) by Nu Shooz). Fixing the league can be done by changing one thing - eliminate guaranteed contracts. Problem is a mediocre NBA player only needs one contract after their rookie deal to be set for life. So unless they are psychologically over-competitive like MJ you aren't gonna have a high level of play.

Billy Donovan
Let me get this straight. Billy holds off signing an extension from the University of Florida a year ago because he knows his team is coming back and can only be offered more in a year. He never was going to Kentucky but doesn't end the distraction during the tournament to leverage Florida for more money. This turns out to be a successful strategy. Florida increases it's offer from $1-1.5M per year to $2-3M per year and the deal is on his desk. Instead, he signs a deal with the Orlando Magic for 5 years and $25M. He has a press conference to announce the deal and two days later he decides he wants to go back to Florida. Are you kidding? This is absurd. Florida should go back to it's original deal of $1M per year. They have all the leverage now right? Also, if you were a recruit would you trust this guy? On second thought, just look at him. He looks like he's trying to sell you the undercoat protectant on a 98 Pontiac Grand Am. I guess if you trusted him before, you will fall prey to his jedi mind tricks now.



Soccer
I'm trying to dive into the English culture. I drink beer. Lots of beer. I'm also trying to get into soccer. But here's the thing, I don't know if there's another major sport where the players make so many mistakes. Making a shot is rare and the players are constantly committing turnovers. They kick the ball to the other team, they get it taken from them, they kick it out of bounds. Not sure if there's a fix for this or if it's just the nature of the game. So far, I'm not loving it. I also don't get the strategy. For example, England is playing Brazil in their first game at the new Wembley. They're up 1-0 in the 92nd minute (3 minutes of injury time) and Brazil scores. If you're England, why don't you have all your players playing defense? There were only like 2 guys back near the goal. Is there some rule that prevents playing defense? Someone explain this to me please. The other thing I don't get is how these teams make money. There are no commercial breaks for the networks to make ad money. You can't make that much on tickets, so where does it come from?

Enough for now. DWT - I hope this gets me back as your homepage.