Sunday, April 23, 2006
Another week has passed. Where does the time go?
I don’t want to slide into shop talk but did have a very busy week at work. I am getting better at remembering the names of all the folks I am meeting. I am so awful with names, but I almost never forget a face.
I found an Anusara Yoga Studio. WOO HOO! (Anusara means “flowing with Grace”) I am thrilled about that. I was really missing my practice in a class atmosphere. My home practice is not very focused or structured…mmmm…that sounds like me. The yoga studio is brand new and right in the middle of Charing Cross. I went to a two hour Anusara workshop on Friday night. It was great! I am a bit sore today. We did Urdhva Dhanurasana (backbend) several times. It is one my favorite poses.
The first time I went to the studio, I took the tube and came up in the middle of Trafalgar Square. How cool is that? The House of Commons is also right there. I took the bus home which although it takes a bit longer, it helps me get a perspective on where I am. Taking the bus home, we passed Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street. Oxford Street is the ultimate High Street…if you will. Every borough and town in the UK typically has a High Street. I think in the US we would compare it to Main Street USA type of thing. They are actually called High Street usually preceded by the town or borough name.
I had planned to go to Stratford Upon Avon this weekend but didn’t make it because my crate arrived on Friday with 18 boxes, my bed, and my bike. I am making good progress putting it away but far from done. I sure have a lot of clothes and shoes and I purged lots of them before I left KCMO.
Happy Sunday after Easter! I hope everyone is enjoying springtime wherever you are located.
I don’t want to slide into shop talk but did have a very busy week at work. I am getting better at remembering the names of all the folks I am meeting. I am so awful with names, but I almost never forget a face.
I found an Anusara Yoga Studio. WOO HOO! (Anusara means “flowing with Grace”) I am thrilled about that. I was really missing my practice in a class atmosphere. My home practice is not very focused or structured…mmmm…that sounds like me. The yoga studio is brand new and right in the middle of Charing Cross. I went to a two hour Anusara workshop on Friday night. It was great! I am a bit sore today. We did Urdhva Dhanurasana (backbend) several times. It is one my favorite poses.
The first time I went to the studio, I took the tube and came up in the middle of Trafalgar Square. How cool is that? The House of Commons is also right there. I took the bus home which although it takes a bit longer, it helps me get a perspective on where I am. Taking the bus home, we passed Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street. Oxford Street is the ultimate High Street…if you will. Every borough and town in the UK typically has a High Street. I think in the US we would compare it to Main Street USA type of thing. They are actually called High Street usually preceded by the town or borough name.
I had planned to go to Stratford Upon Avon this weekend but didn’t make it because my crate arrived on Friday with 18 boxes, my bed, and my bike. I am making good progress putting it away but far from done. I sure have a lot of clothes and shoes and I purged lots of them before I left KCMO.
Happy Sunday after Easter! I hope everyone is enjoying springtime wherever you are located.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
HK in London #2
Thanks to all of you that responded to my initial blog. The comments were quite heartwarming and encouraging. So…you’ve all encouraged me to keep at it. On a housekeeping note, to my knowledge, you can only comment on my blog via the site. I think you have to register to be able to do that. I don’t expect this to take the place of personal interaction (email or voice), my hope is that it will give many people at once a chance to read about what I am up to in London. If you send me a personal email, I will do my best to respond personally on a timely basis. My CRS is getting worse as I age, so I didn’t want to risk repeating my London adventures…hence the blog.
Work…many have asked…my work enables me to live in London and get paid the “differential” which pretty much makes the British pound equal to an American dollar. That alone makes it completely worthwhile. The Cerner project in the UK is currently dedicated to the Southern Cluster. This does not include London but is the entire south of the country including some 142 trusts. A trust is one hospital and can be many associated smaller healthcare venues. It is a massive project and the entire country is undertaking the process of moving towards electronic records. The country wide project is called Connecting for Health (CfH) and regularly takes a merciless beating in the newspapers here as much of the project to date has cost more than expected and achieved less than the desired result. Sounds like an IT project to me. It is bit strange when you read about it in the papers since it is really many projects in one and Cerner is only involved in the Southern Cluster and two other hospitals in the greater London area. The contract is held by Fujitsu, a huge global IT consulting firm. It is up to them to deliver on the contract with the National Health Service (NHS) and I am quite confident Cerner is up to the task and may have an opportunity to provide our services to the entire country.
My personal situation at work involves a short train trip to a suburban Fujitsu office in Slough. Cerner has a fabulous new office near Paddington Station but the office is so full already that I am quite happy to be in the Fujitsu office where we have lots of space. I do find myself in the Paddington office for certain meetings and such. It is quite impressive, lots of glass and it overlooks Little Venice, called such because of the canal that runs through it. I am the team leader for 5 workstreams designing our Cerner solutions to meet the requirements of the NHS. The detailed work is still building up as are the team compositions but I find myself extremely busy with learning about all the details of the project as well as the design decisions to date. The NHS requirements are quite detailed and a fair amount of project time will be spent on determining how to best meet those requirements via current and future solution capabilities. Enough about that…a bunch of you asked.
My work associates are just great! I was having a most difficult time understanding one lady on my Clinical team. Her accent is really thick and she talks really fast. These Brits constantly make fun of each other with their accents and where they are from…it is so funny. “Ahhhh…she must be from the north…but we forgive her,” and stuff like that goes on all the time. Anyway, I told Catherine I was having a little trouble understanding her and wondered where she was from to which she replied…”Ah…I am Scottish but my accent is nothing…if you go to Glasgow, you won’t understand a word they say.” I am actually starting to notice subtle differences in accents as well. Later that day another lady I work with said…”so Ellie, what is your accent?” To which I proudly responded, “I don’t have an accent.” The entire room erupted in laughter and I was teased the rest of the week. “This is Ellie…she doesn’t have an accent”…followed by hysterical laughter. Open mouth…insert foot. Yes, I tried to explain that I don’t have an American accent like NY, Boston, or the deep south. Of course, too little too late on that one.
Lots of music to talk about. I started this blog after this show, but cannot go without mention of Leela James, a lovely young Rhythm and Blues singer I saw in Camden (North London) at Koko. She was great! So full of energy and she has a great sound. That was my first live performance here in London. The venue was really nice, I expect to go there again. I just saw that Toots and the Maytals are playing there in June. I might have to go check that out.
On Friday of this week, I went to the famous Apollo Hammersmith to see Bonnie Raitt. I love Bonnie. She looks fabulous and I imagine she is likely close to sixty. I think sixty is the new forty, at least to see Bonnie you would think so. She had a great band and played lots of my favorite songs. What a cool theatre…pretty big…it holds 5000 people. It is just a couple tube stops from where I live so very convenient. Bonnie did “Bad Case of Loving You” as an encore which I thought was so poignant as it is a song written and performed by the late, great British rocker, Robert Palmer. I saw Robert Palmer at the Starting Gate in 4 Corners (MD) with my late sister, Sally…that was 1975.
The concert ended just before 11 p.m. which gave me an opportunity to send positive vibrations to my little sister, Rach, as she performed her opera recital as part of the completion of her Master of Arts in Voice at Boston University. Her performance at 6 p.m. was 11 p.m. here in London. I was so sorry not to be there in attendance so I dedicated a traditional Buddhist chant used in my Anusara yoga class to her from across the pond. The power of positive thinking…indeed.
Easter Sunday today and I went to the Sunday Morning Coffee Concert at Wigmore Hall. Florilegium (ensemble of flute, harpsichord, cello, and violin) with a soprano, Gillian Keith. They played a lovely selection of baroque pieces including two versions of St. John Passion, one by Bach and one by Handel. It was in a lovely hall with amazing acoustics.
I’ve written more than I intended as I sit in my flat looking out on the twilight. It is 8:15 and still quite light out. As I have been fighting a bit of a cold so I expect to keep a low profile tonight. Tomorrow is a holiday with more opportunity to explore and enjoy.
Today I saw a huge Saucer Magnolia in full bloom…just like in Kansas City. They are FABULOUS!!!
Namaste.
Work…many have asked…my work enables me to live in London and get paid the “differential” which pretty much makes the British pound equal to an American dollar. That alone makes it completely worthwhile. The Cerner project in the UK is currently dedicated to the Southern Cluster. This does not include London but is the entire south of the country including some 142 trusts. A trust is one hospital and can be many associated smaller healthcare venues. It is a massive project and the entire country is undertaking the process of moving towards electronic records. The country wide project is called Connecting for Health (CfH) and regularly takes a merciless beating in the newspapers here as much of the project to date has cost more than expected and achieved less than the desired result. Sounds like an IT project to me. It is bit strange when you read about it in the papers since it is really many projects in one and Cerner is only involved in the Southern Cluster and two other hospitals in the greater London area. The contract is held by Fujitsu, a huge global IT consulting firm. It is up to them to deliver on the contract with the National Health Service (NHS) and I am quite confident Cerner is up to the task and may have an opportunity to provide our services to the entire country.
My personal situation at work involves a short train trip to a suburban Fujitsu office in Slough. Cerner has a fabulous new office near Paddington Station but the office is so full already that I am quite happy to be in the Fujitsu office where we have lots of space. I do find myself in the Paddington office for certain meetings and such. It is quite impressive, lots of glass and it overlooks Little Venice, called such because of the canal that runs through it. I am the team leader for 5 workstreams designing our Cerner solutions to meet the requirements of the NHS. The detailed work is still building up as are the team compositions but I find myself extremely busy with learning about all the details of the project as well as the design decisions to date. The NHS requirements are quite detailed and a fair amount of project time will be spent on determining how to best meet those requirements via current and future solution capabilities. Enough about that…a bunch of you asked.
My work associates are just great! I was having a most difficult time understanding one lady on my Clinical team. Her accent is really thick and she talks really fast. These Brits constantly make fun of each other with their accents and where they are from…it is so funny. “Ahhhh…she must be from the north…but we forgive her,” and stuff like that goes on all the time. Anyway, I told Catherine I was having a little trouble understanding her and wondered where she was from to which she replied…”Ah…I am Scottish but my accent is nothing…if you go to Glasgow, you won’t understand a word they say.” I am actually starting to notice subtle differences in accents as well. Later that day another lady I work with said…”so Ellie, what is your accent?” To which I proudly responded, “I don’t have an accent.” The entire room erupted in laughter and I was teased the rest of the week. “This is Ellie…she doesn’t have an accent”…followed by hysterical laughter. Open mouth…insert foot. Yes, I tried to explain that I don’t have an American accent like NY, Boston, or the deep south. Of course, too little too late on that one.
Lots of music to talk about. I started this blog after this show, but cannot go without mention of Leela James, a lovely young Rhythm and Blues singer I saw in Camden (North London) at Koko. She was great! So full of energy and she has a great sound. That was my first live performance here in London. The venue was really nice, I expect to go there again. I just saw that Toots and the Maytals are playing there in June. I might have to go check that out.
On Friday of this week, I went to the famous Apollo Hammersmith to see Bonnie Raitt. I love Bonnie. She looks fabulous and I imagine she is likely close to sixty. I think sixty is the new forty, at least to see Bonnie you would think so. She had a great band and played lots of my favorite songs. What a cool theatre…pretty big…it holds 5000 people. It is just a couple tube stops from where I live so very convenient. Bonnie did “Bad Case of Loving You” as an encore which I thought was so poignant as it is a song written and performed by the late, great British rocker, Robert Palmer. I saw Robert Palmer at the Starting Gate in 4 Corners (MD) with my late sister, Sally…that was 1975.
The concert ended just before 11 p.m. which gave me an opportunity to send positive vibrations to my little sister, Rach, as she performed her opera recital as part of the completion of her Master of Arts in Voice at Boston University. Her performance at 6 p.m. was 11 p.m. here in London. I was so sorry not to be there in attendance so I dedicated a traditional Buddhist chant used in my Anusara yoga class to her from across the pond. The power of positive thinking…indeed.
Easter Sunday today and I went to the Sunday Morning Coffee Concert at Wigmore Hall. Florilegium (ensemble of flute, harpsichord, cello, and violin) with a soprano, Gillian Keith. They played a lovely selection of baroque pieces including two versions of St. John Passion, one by Bach and one by Handel. It was in a lovely hall with amazing acoustics.
I’ve written more than I intended as I sit in my flat looking out on the twilight. It is 8:15 and still quite light out. As I have been fighting a bit of a cold so I expect to keep a low profile tonight. Tomorrow is a holiday with more opportunity to explore and enjoy.
Today I saw a huge Saucer Magnolia in full bloom…just like in Kansas City. They are FABULOUS!!!
Namaste.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Hello Kitty in London #1
Welcome to my London Blog. I have decided it is TOO difficult to try and keep everyone updated on my adventures via random emails so I am now an official blogger.
I have now been in London full time for 3 full weeks and it is so fabulous. I have to pinch myself so that I believe this is really happening to me.
This city in so full of energy and activity…the opportunities for entertainment are truly endless.
This weekend I visited a lovely little venue just around the block from my flat. They have fabulous selection of tequila. Of course you are wondering how I stumbled upon this venue. Well, it is associated with a lovely eatery called Lucky 7. I read about Lucky 7 in my TimeOut Cheap Eats guide to London. They have really delicious burgers and fries which I have indulged in once so far. Anyway, back to the tequila. The owner of Lucky 7 loves Mexico and decided to open a little tequila bar right next to his hamburger place. I had a long discussion with the bartender about various tequilas and opted for the Herradura Silver in my margarita on the rocks with salt. I also had some yummy homemade tortilla chips with 3 different salsas and some chunky delicious guacamole. When I left it was pouring rain so I ran to my flat.
My flat, sits in W2 which is Bayswater, but it is right on the edge of Notting Hill. I may the only person in London who hasn’t seen the movie Notting Hill as yet. I plan to rent the DVD and watch it on my computer one of these days. My flat is great, it is a third floor walk up and there is no lift. My reception room looks over a beautiful communal garden which is just now starting to show some serious green on the trees. The daffodils and forsythia are just about past their peak so it must really be spring. There continues to be a distinct chill in the air in the morning and seems to almost always get windy in the afternoon.
I fell asleep very early Friday night and slept until 5 a.m. I spent early Saturday morning meditating and practicing yoga while listening to the radio on the internet, in this case I was listening to traditional Iranian music. It was lovely and a nice accompaniment to my practice.
By 9:30 a.m., after a delicious soy latte from the lovely little eatery around the corner, I was on my way to Brighton via train. Brighton is the closest coastal area from London. Just a little over an hour on the train and I was looking at a lovely seaside town and the white cliffs on Dover in the distance. Yes, I kept hearing that Jimmy Cliff song in the back of my head:
“Many rivers to cross
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost
As I travel along the white cliffs of dover”
The song was also covered by UB 40.
Brighton was BRILLIANT!!! It was a very sunny day albeit windy and a little on the chilly side. A lovely little seaside town where they literally sell cockles and mussels. I had some tasty crawfish and cockles. Cockles are very similar to clams, I imagine we would call them clams in the US.
I returned on the train mesmerized by the lovely countryside of the south of the UK. I saw some amazing houses off in distance. Also saw lots of horses, most of whom were wearing blankets out in the field. I thought that was so cute.
Saturday night I found yet another “gastropub” near my flat. This one has a lovely atmosphere with lots of big leather couches. A gastropub is a pub that serves higher end food. I guess Americans would compare to the “fern bar” connotation that started in the eighties. The British style of service is a bit more laid back than USA. In the pubs, nearly everything is paid for as soon as you order it. This pub had lovely young waitresses taking orders as well. Mine spilled my martini on me, brought me the wrong baguette sandwich and then offered to buy me another martini. When I was finally able to track her down to pay my bill, I was charged for the other martini. OK, this pub gets an A+ on atmosphere and D on service. I think I prefer the pay at the bar when you order routine.
Sunday I continued to sort through my clothes from the air shipment as many needed ironing and there are still some that need to be dry cleaned as much of my shipment arrived wet. I am excited about getting my bike and bed when my crate arrives. I believe that should be anytime.
I took a long and restful nap in the afternoon. This is really starting to be a routine for me. I wonder if I can find time for a nap at work? Sunday evening I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral for a chorale performance of The Crucifixion by John Stainer. It was very moving. The cathedral is spectacular and filled with all those lovely voices brought tears to my eyes more than once.
I lit several candles in the cathedral for all of my friends and family including those that have passed. I am truly blessed and thank God for allowing my path in life to take me on this wonderful adventure.
I have now been in London full time for 3 full weeks and it is so fabulous. I have to pinch myself so that I believe this is really happening to me.
This city in so full of energy and activity…the opportunities for entertainment are truly endless.
This weekend I visited a lovely little venue just around the block from my flat. They have fabulous selection of tequila. Of course you are wondering how I stumbled upon this venue. Well, it is associated with a lovely eatery called Lucky 7. I read about Lucky 7 in my TimeOut Cheap Eats guide to London. They have really delicious burgers and fries which I have indulged in once so far. Anyway, back to the tequila. The owner of Lucky 7 loves Mexico and decided to open a little tequila bar right next to his hamburger place. I had a long discussion with the bartender about various tequilas and opted for the Herradura Silver in my margarita on the rocks with salt. I also had some yummy homemade tortilla chips with 3 different salsas and some chunky delicious guacamole. When I left it was pouring rain so I ran to my flat.
My flat, sits in W2 which is Bayswater, but it is right on the edge of Notting Hill. I may the only person in London who hasn’t seen the movie Notting Hill as yet. I plan to rent the DVD and watch it on my computer one of these days. My flat is great, it is a third floor walk up and there is no lift. My reception room looks over a beautiful communal garden which is just now starting to show some serious green on the trees. The daffodils and forsythia are just about past their peak so it must really be spring. There continues to be a distinct chill in the air in the morning and seems to almost always get windy in the afternoon.
I fell asleep very early Friday night and slept until 5 a.m. I spent early Saturday morning meditating and practicing yoga while listening to the radio on the internet, in this case I was listening to traditional Iranian music. It was lovely and a nice accompaniment to my practice.
By 9:30 a.m., after a delicious soy latte from the lovely little eatery around the corner, I was on my way to Brighton via train. Brighton is the closest coastal area from London. Just a little over an hour on the train and I was looking at a lovely seaside town and the white cliffs on Dover in the distance. Yes, I kept hearing that Jimmy Cliff song in the back of my head:
“Many rivers to cross
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost
As I travel along the white cliffs of dover”
The song was also covered by UB 40.
Brighton was BRILLIANT!!! It was a very sunny day albeit windy and a little on the chilly side. A lovely little seaside town where they literally sell cockles and mussels. I had some tasty crawfish and cockles. Cockles are very similar to clams, I imagine we would call them clams in the US.
I returned on the train mesmerized by the lovely countryside of the south of the UK. I saw some amazing houses off in distance. Also saw lots of horses, most of whom were wearing blankets out in the field. I thought that was so cute.
Saturday night I found yet another “gastropub” near my flat. This one has a lovely atmosphere with lots of big leather couches. A gastropub is a pub that serves higher end food. I guess Americans would compare to the “fern bar” connotation that started in the eighties. The British style of service is a bit more laid back than USA. In the pubs, nearly everything is paid for as soon as you order it. This pub had lovely young waitresses taking orders as well. Mine spilled my martini on me, brought me the wrong baguette sandwich and then offered to buy me another martini. When I was finally able to track her down to pay my bill, I was charged for the other martini. OK, this pub gets an A+ on atmosphere and D on service. I think I prefer the pay at the bar when you order routine.
Sunday I continued to sort through my clothes from the air shipment as many needed ironing and there are still some that need to be dry cleaned as much of my shipment arrived wet. I am excited about getting my bike and bed when my crate arrives. I believe that should be anytime.
I took a long and restful nap in the afternoon. This is really starting to be a routine for me. I wonder if I can find time for a nap at work? Sunday evening I went to St. Paul’s Cathedral for a chorale performance of The Crucifixion by John Stainer. It was very moving. The cathedral is spectacular and filled with all those lovely voices brought tears to my eyes more than once.
I lit several candles in the cathedral for all of my friends and family including those that have passed. I am truly blessed and thank God for allowing my path in life to take me on this wonderful adventure.
