Sarcasm doesn't translate well in print

It's New Year's Eve...yippee. (Unfortunately, sarcasm is so hard to convey in writing, but if I were speaking, that would have been my sarcastic voice) Preschool Queen and Homer are having their annual New Year's Eve party in a few hours, and I can't even get excited enough to want to go. Hopefully I'll feel differently once I'm there. Sometimes I really just get stuck in my own head and tend to be a homebody... and that's how I'm feeling tonight.
I'm very excited that Marsh has offered to help me with my Arabic. I'm sure as soon as I get the program I'll be taking her up on the offer...Thank you Marsh (I hope you don't regret making the offer...)
Sitting here watching football right now. I slept through the Patriots game, but they won. The game didn't really matter because they clinched their playoff berth last week, but it's always nice when they win. Will can't understand why I love watching them so much. He says they are a boring team to watch. I have to agree. The wins are never pretty, but they win when it matters. It seems like that's what they are good at, and yes, some of the games can be pretty boring, but they're my team...So since I missed that game, I'm watching the Falcons play the Eagles. I can't wait for the playoffs to start--it's my favorite part of the season. I can't believe I've just been babbling about football, I think that's the first time I've rambled about sports. And yes, it is my idea of a perfect Sunday, sitting on the couch watching football all afternoon. I'll watch alone, but it really is something that I love doing with someone else. It's what I've done on Sunday for as long as I can remember, when I was little, I used to fall asleep on the couch with my Dad when he was watching.
Well, I should get motivated and put together the Artichoke Dip that I'm bringing and make sure the champagne is cold enough and get moving. Hope every one's New Years is wonderful. Be safe and sensible as well.

The Saga of the Rogue Wave...

Will has been taking great pleasure lately in teasing me relentlessly about my upcoming cruise. He keeps telling me that there is going to be a rogue wave to capsize the ship. And every once in a while he'll walk over with at photo or an article he's found about cruise ships and big waves. I think he does it just because he knows that it will rile me up, and I know he thinks getting me all riled is very funny. In fact, last night he was just hysterically laughing at me as I was getting more and more frustrated with it. In all honesty, it makes me laugh as well. I realize that he's just teasing and means nothing by it. The night before I left for London, he was trying to get me to sign a shift swap form (I have weekends off, he doesn't) "just in case anything happens." It really cracked me up...after I was done being mad. Somehow I always manage to make Will laugh, and I just love that. All of my friends outside of work are so funny, that I'm not considered 'the funny one'. So sometimes I forget that I am pretty funny. He reminds me of that. And I have to say that it's one of my favorite things, being able to make someone else laugh. I just love the sound of laughter.
And although I usually have weekends off, this is not to be one of those nights. One of my supervisors, was wheeling and dealing with me before we left this morning, trying to convince me to come in tonight. Well, he succeeded. He offered to change my days off, so that I work tonight, but have Monday night off. And since it's the holiday weekend, I thought that would be nice. That way if I drink a little too much on Sunday night , it is New Year's Eve after all, I don't have to worry about having to go to work. It's to the benefit of work as well, because we were going to be really short-staffed tonight, and over-staffed on Monday, so it balances things out just a bit. And it's a snowy, sloppy morning, so I don't mind going to sleep.
I'm starting a scrapbooking class online with Lead Momma. It's been so long since she and I were in any classes together. It should be a lot of fun. I think it's going to concentrate on a specific philosophy of scrapbooking and getting organized so that photos can quickly get into books rather than sit on shelves. I think it'll be really good. Sometimes I get too focused on the chronological scrapbook; and those can get pretty boring. Anyway, I'll update how it's going once it starts. I have really been missing taking classes and going to school. As soon as my BA is paid off, I'll get my Masters. I wish I could start sooner, but I'm trying to be realistic as far as the finances go. I found a great program online that I think would be great. It's a program in Diplomacy from Norwich University. So, maybe that will be in my future; but then again, who knows. If asked 3 years ago what things would look like now, this is not how I ever would have answered. I did ask my parents for a language program for Christmas and I know that they ordered it for me. I looked into all the different ways to learn languages, and Rosetta Stone was really the best option out there. So once I see my parents after they return from FL, I'll be on my way to learning Arabic. I'm excited but also quite nervous about it. Arabic is just so very different from English or Spanish (the other language that I've studied)...hopefully it'll work for me! Wish me luck!

Where I've Been

Okay, so I found this on another blog, and thought it was really cool, so I just had to add it to mine. As you can see, I've only been to 1% of the world, I have a lot of places to head to and as I travel, I thought I'd add to it. There are less than 90 days until the cruise, I'll be sipping frozen drinks and enjoying the warm sunshine before long! Can't wait!

Things are Good

I realize that I haven't posted much recently, no excuse, just an explanation...There is a lot on my plate right now that I would like to write about, but won't and so it sometimes makes posting harder.
Christmas was great, I spent it with Homer and Preschool Queen and of course Captain Contrary. He was so much fun to watch open all his presents. He was just tearing through everything until he got to the book that I wrote of the adventures that Tank and I had while we were in London, when he handed it to me and said 'read it'. So we sat and read the whole thing. He loved it, especially the photo of the guard at the British Museum throwing him out. After we were finished opening presents, we had breakfast, and then I had to head home so I could sleep before work.
Work was actually nice on Monday night. It was so slow that we were all able to enjoy the meal that we had made. It was fun. And of course there were way too many left overs--isn't that always the way?
My parents are currently in Florida for a family wedding. My cousin is getting married on Saturday, and most of the family is there. It should be fun for everyone. I'm still just not into going to weddings yet. I realize it's a family thing, and that I should be there, but I know myself well enough to know that I won't enjoy myself; and let's face it, at a wedding people should be happy.
I really can't believe this year is almost over. I know people say it all the time, but this year has gone by so very quickly. So much has happened, it almost seems impossible that it has only been 12 months. My life is so drastically different than it was just a year ago; but at the same time, it's better as well. I'm truly happy (and I have to say, I never thought I'd feel that way).
Things are good.

Christmas Baking

So I was right, there was not much sleep to be had yesterday. I tried to get into bed as soon as I got home so I could get some sleep before going to get Captain Contrary. Because that's not what my body is used to, it didn't work. I finally quit fighting it, and got up around 10:30 and did a few things here before picking him up at school. Now, who remembers what the last day of school before Christmas vacation is like? Yup, he was wound up on sugar like you wouldn't believe. Preschool Queen thought she'd be able to pick him up around 2:30 knowing that I needed sleep for work. Unfortunately, she was unable to get away until 5. I needed to be up at 7 so I could meet Will before work. So it was an insanely small amount of sleep. I'm not sure how some people function on that little sleep. And the crazy part is that now that I'm at home, I'm not remotely tired. Go figure.
I'm trying to finish up my Christmas baking right now. I've finished the coconut indulgences, and raspberry almond bars, and I have the first batch of lemon fig cakes are in the oven. All that's left are oatmeal chocolate chip cranberry cookies. Those I'll do tomorrow. I was supposed to drive down to see the 'rents, but the weather is supposed to be suspect at best (freezing rain/sleet) so we'll get together some other time in January. So I now have an extra day to do what I need to. Which also gives me time to work on the scrapbook for Captain Contrary.

Ramblings

I think, looking back, one of the things I treasure most about my trip was the silence. Because I was alone I had a lot of time to reflect on the amazing places I was visiting. I think I was able to absorb many more of the details because of that. It also afforded me the luxury of not being labeled 'the ugly American'.
I can say that I'm in a better space mentally and emotionally. I feel much more at peace and a sense of self-confidence that had been missing for so long. I'm quite proud of the fact that I did this alone, and can't wait until the next solo trip I take!
In the details of daily life, Preschool Queen and I hung out on Saturday. We really had a great time. She surprised me by telling me how much she missed me while I was gone. I'm not really sure why this surprised me, but I don't think she's ever put it so profusly before. Anyway, we went shopping and the goal was to finish my Christmas list...What is that saying about the best laid plans? It was certainly a successful shopping day, but I didn't cross a thing off my list. Oh well, the Internet is a beautiful thing. I'm just about done with the exception of baking, which I'll be doing throughout the week. Time to battle the oven again. And I'm just waiting for the post office to open so I can mail the few presents out to my out of town friends.
And hopefully my photos from London will arrive today so I can get started on the book for Captain Contrary. I can't believe how much I missed him while I was gone! I'm actually babysitting him on Thursday afternoon. His school has a half day and Preschool Queen asked me if I could hang out with him. It should be lots of fun. I think I'll try to come up with some sort of project for him to do to give to his mom and dad for Christmas (can you tell I used to be a teacher?) So, there won't be much sleeping on Thursday...oh well!

Reflections on London

This holiday to London did precisely what I wanted it to do. My self confidence has risen more than I thought possible. I feel so much better in my skin. I don't know if that makes any sense; but that's how I feel. Not having anyone to rely on was the most liberating experience. Knowing that I had to make all the decisions was great. I now know that I can do anything. And my fear of flying has gone as well (good thing what with the 7.5 hour flights from Heathrow to JFK.) I'm really looking forward to the next time I fly. Which is in less than 100 days when we catch a flight to Ft Lauderdale to board the cruise ship. That should be the relaxing holiday I need. The trip to London was phenomenal, but could never be referred to as relaxing.
And Christmas is almost upon us. I can't believe that it's in one week. I don't know if that's from being away at the beginning of the month, or if it has something to do with the weather. It has been abnormally warm here. Lead Momma said the same thing, she said it was 70 degrees on Saturday! Now it certainly wasn't that warm here, but mid-forties is not typical. I'd really rather like some snow for Christmas. Will has been complaining about the same thing.
So there seems to be that crazy rush that leads up to Christmas. I hate to say it, but I'm just not in the mood this year. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to get interested in it. I'm hoping that this will get better.

Wrap Up of the Trip Part II

So on Friday I went to the Tower of London. I would say, for the money, it's one of the best tours in the city. The Beefeaters (they used to be guards, now they are tour guides) are just great. They have so much information regarding the Tower. And the coolest part, they live inside the walls of the Tower. There are about 3 dozen of them, and they live there with their families along with a large regiment of active duty military men, guarding the crown jewels. Which is the most breath-taking exhibit I have ever seen. They are simply beautiful. I can only imagine what a 5 pound crown feels like on your head. As I wandered through the rest of the tower grounds/buildings I was specifically struck by the grafitti that remains from the prisoners. And I have to say that it's not like what we think of as grafitti...they are truly small and sometimes large works of art; beautiful carvings left on the wall. I can't imagine being forced into one of the small cells and left there. It must have been just miserable. I took so many pictures there I had to laugh when I got back to the room and was looking through all of them on the camera.
That night, I found a tiny Lebanese restaurant, and had simply the best meal I have ever eaten. I can't even begin to describe how good the food was, and the waiter was awfully cute as well. He wanted to know when he could see me again, and I had to tell him I was headed back to the States in two days. Anyway, the food was simply fantastic. I was really spoiled with all the delicious ethnic cuisine that I was able to get, compared to what we have here in VT. I think that's the part I miss the most about the city.
So on Saturday, I went shopping...Harrod's and Harvey Nichols to be precise. I have never seen anything like those two stores. For anyone who doesn't know, they are two of the most exclusive department stores going. I bought a beautiful handbag at Harvey Nics and really cool shoes at Harrod's. I was very tempted by a beautiful pair of Jimmy Choos at Harrods, but I simply refuse to pay the equivilent of $600 for a pair of dress shoes. I have to say that after a while I was pretty overwhelmed. The food courts were amazing, with delicacies you could only dream about and the clothes were simply stunning. It was a really long day, but I had just the best time and then headed back to the hotel to pack.
On Sunday I headed to Heathrow around 9 in the morning; and I'm glad I did, even though my flight wasn't until 1:30pm. The lines in the BA terminal were out of control. It took me about an hour to check in and then another half hour to get through security. The lines just seemed endless. The flights were very uneventful; although I must say that I sat next to a really nice guy from Bel Air on the flight from JFK to Burlington. He was cute and very fun to talk to, and he kept my mind off the fact that I was exhausted and not feeling very well.
On the whole, I'd have to say that this was just the greatest trip; and I'm not sure how I'll ever top it. I'd go back and in fact I'd move to London in a heartbeat. I simply loved the city that much. Now however, it's back to real life and getting ready for Christmas as well as all other kinds of drama. More later!

Wrap Up of the Trip Part I

So, I'm finally home and dealing with the aftermath of jet lag and the cold that I managed to get while I was in London, but refused to acknowledge. I do want to wrap up what the rest of the week was like, though.
St Paul's Cathedral is simply amazing. The current building was designed and built in 1666 by Christopher Wren. It's also the second largest cathedral in the world. There's St Peter's in Rome and then St Paul's. The building is breath-taking inside. When you first walk in, it's very light and peaceful, with light colored walls and simple lead glass windows. This part is how Wren designed it, and what he wanted was a certain amount of peace for reflection. As you walk down the Nave towards the Choir, the ceilings and walls are then covered in glass mosaics. The Victorians decorated that way. It is beautiful and I swear you could stare for hours and still see new details all the time. The building took a direct hit during the Blitz in 1940, and the high alter was destroyed. When it came time to rebuild, the British people put in a small chapel behind the alter for the American service men and women who died on British soil. The outside of the building, and of many other buildings in London still show signs of the damage from the Blitz. Those holes will never be filled in as a reminder to what Londoners went through. I learned during the walk about the Blitz that of the 60000 civilians who were killed during those bombings, 30000 of them were Londoners. But the spirit of the British and indeed of Londoners remained high due to Winston Churchill. He had a phrase that he used, KBO, which stood for Keep Buggering On. I love it. People just went about their daily lives, refusing to give in. Anyway, after I wandered around for hours, I asked at the information desk if there were any more tickets to that evening's preformance of Handel's Messiah. And to my great surprise, one of the women who volunteers at the Cathedral opened her bag and gave me one of her tickets. I was speechless. I thanked her, and went back to change and get ready for the concert. What I didn't realize at the time was that because she is a Friend of the Cathedral, they were different tickets from the general public ones, and meant that I had amazing seats. I think I was in the fifth row. The concert was simply fantastic. It was just beautiful, and went by so quickly. As I was leaving, I happened to see the woman who gave me the ticket, and thanked her profusly for it. An interesting fact that I learned during the Blitz walk, the Friends of the Cathedral are actually left over from WWII. Churchill decreed that the Cathedral must be protected no matter what, so a group of volunteers were gathered for a fire watch to protect the building and they did so and after the war the group became the Friends of the Cathedral.
Westminster Abbey was just as amazing. Besides being the resting place of some of Britain's most famous citizens, it's also where all the Coronations are held. The Coronation chair is directly behind the alter, and it's the same chair that has been used in every coronation except for two since the year 1300. The building is just so beautiful, but I think my favorite tomb would have to be that of the Unknown Soldier from WWI. It's right as you walk out of the Abbey, and the letters on the tomb are made from melted down weapons from that war. Here photography is strictly not allowed, and maybe because it was a house of God, but it was much more respectful to those who are resting there. I do think that I liked the Cathedral more than the Abbey, though.
I was at the Abbey on Thursday morning, and then went on the Blitz walk, which was just fantastic. I learned so much about that time; and I really wish I could remember some of the stories that the tour guide provided because they were great. The weather was pretty lousy, it was very windy and it was raining on and off. What I didn't know was that in North London, there was a tornado that touched down. There was quite a bit of damage done, and there are many families who won't be able to be home for Christmas.
Friday I went to the Tower of London, and I'll write more about that in my next post, this jet lag thing is just too much right now...

The Many Places I've Been

So, I realize that it's been a few days since I've written, but I've been so busy seeing this amazing city, and then falling into bed absolutely exhausted. I think the good thing has been that being so busy during the day has allowed me to sleep well at night, something that I've been unable to do at home lately. The bad news is that although I've been blaming the way I feel on the pollution in the Underground, I think I may be sick. Not that I'm acknowledging it or anything. As far as I'm concerned, I can be sick on the plane on the way home, not before then. They do however have some very cool cough drops that are OTC which actually have antibiotics in them, and they seem to be helping.
So, since I've written, I went to the British Museum, saw Mary Poppins, went to the British Library, St Paul's Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey and heard Handel's Messiah in concert at St Paul's Cathedral. Also went on a walk in the city focusing on the Blitz. So, where to begin. I guess at the beginning with the Museum. It was just amazing, but I guess I didn't get the memo that it was school field trip day. It seemed like there were a million children running around. And I do mean running and yelling. Now for me, it's a museum, and I really think the chaperons should have done a better job of keeping the children under control. The exhibits were amazing nonetheless. My favorite of course was the Egyptian section, it was my main purpose for going. I do however have one issue with the whole thing, the mummies. I didn't think that I would feel this way, but when I was standing there looking at these people, because they are people, I felt an overwhelming sadness. It doesn't seem like they are allowed their peace, being in a museum like that with people being disrespectful, taking photos and whatnot. Maybe I was over-reacting, but I cleared out of that room as quickly as possible. The great hall was just amazing, so full of light, and just simply beautiful, and to think that it was used just as storage until just recently.
Next was Mary Poppins. It was just great! I did have to get over the fact that it was not Julie Andrews, and it's not just like the movie, it's longer and there are parts that may be in the book but not the movie, but like I said, it was wonderful. The singing was simply lovely; and the actor who played Bert was actually an American (the only one in the play). And there was more hinting at a love story between Bert and Mary. It was quite sweet. So, completely two thumbs up on that one. Very worth the cash. And to be honest, I haven't done anything in this city that wasn't worth what I paid for it.
The British Library is situated right next to King's Cross Station (yes, the one from Harry Potter) too bad it doesn't look anything like what is described in the book or shown in the movie. The train station that is used in HP2 is actually St Pancreas, which is right next to King's Cross. I took some pictures, but unfortunately the building is undergoing a restoration, so there is much scaffolding in all of the photos. The library is a newer building, rather modern architecture. I think the Queen dedicated it in 1998. Anyway, they have a small gallery with some of their more famous books on display. It was simply amazing to see history like that. The have one of the first King James Bibles, the Magna Carta, one of the first written copies of Beowulf as well as hand written copies of lyrics to some of the Beatles more famous songs. They also have Jane Austen's writing desk; and pages from Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks. Like I said, simply amazing.
More later, as I'm getting quite hungry.

Trafalgar Square and the Cabinet War Rooms

As I had mentioned in my previous post, yesterday I used the bus to get on and off at a variety of locations. The first place I got off at was Trafalgar Square, where the city workers were busily getting the Christmas Tree ready for the lighting on Thursday night. I have to say, the huge monument to Nelson is cool, but it's so high, you can't actually see him. The lions at the four corners of his statue are cool, and really huge. And I learned from one of the tour guides that the man who designed the lions didn't know what their back was supposed to look like, so he modeled it after what his pet Labrador looked like lying down. Stuff like that cracks me up. The fountains in the square are also very nice. So, I wandered around there taking pictures for 15 minutes or so, and then went back to get the next bus.
The next time I got off was near 10 Downing St. I had to take a picture of the gates and the street that Tony Blair lives down. Before I took the photo, not wanting to get arrested, I asked one of the guards if it was even okay, and he teased me a bit, but then told me it was fine. This country loves it's memorials, and there is another one in the middle of the street across from 10 Downing St called the Women of WWII, and it's quite nice, it's all of the different uniforms worn by women during the war.
And then I spent the bulk of my afternoon at the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. The rooms were either left exactly as they were when the war ended, or they were restored using photos from that time. They even have all the original furniture. Imagine, the chair where Churchill sat, and the rooms in which they all lived for ages. I guess Churchill only slept down there a few times, because it is attached by passageways to 10 Downing St. It's certainly not a place for anybody claustrophobic. There was a movie playing at one point which was of what Christmas was like in 1940 London. It was heartbreaking, but again, I was amazed by the human spirit. Since they were spending so much time in shelters and basements, instead of having huge Christmas trees, they had small ones, not more than 3 feet tall. Apparently the popular gifts for children were model airplanes, and the children were all proud of the fact that they could identify a Spitfire by the sound. The Churchill museum was entirely interactive, with many clips from the speeches he gave especially during the beginning of the war, when Britain faced Germany alone. I am continually amazed at what an amazing orator he is, and many of the speeches he wrote himself. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but there are still buildings in London with damage from the Blitz. There's a church in the center of London with pock marks all over one side.
So, today it's off to the British Museum, and tickets to see Mary Poppins tonight!!

The Big Bus Tour

Okay, so on Sunday I took the Big Bus Tour of the city. For £20, the ticket is good for 48 hours and you can get on and off the bus as often as you want, or you can stay on for the entire 2 1/2 hour tour of the city. I decided to stay on for the whole tour yesterday. It was great, and this morning I'm going to go back and get off at a few different parks and whatnot to get some pictures that I wasn't able to get before. The depth of the history of this city is just amazing to me. I think one of my favorite things that I saw was a bridge over the Thames nicknamed the Ladies bridge. Construction was finished in 1942, mainly by women, since all the men were busy fighting the Germans.
And last night I saw a show at the London Palladium, which is just beautiful by the way, and the theatre where the Sound of Music is currently running. But the show I saw was called Christmas with the Rat Pack. The premise of the show was one of the nights when Frank, Sammy and Dean preformed at the Sands in Las Vegas. So, they sang traditional Christmas music, but also did the songs that these men were famous for. And I have to say, they sounded so much like those three men, I was astounded, and they even looked like them. I'm sure if you were very close, you could see differences, but from the audience it was like looking at Frank, Sammy and Dean. I loved it!!
I've been riding the Tube a lot in the past few days, and last night I was a some stop somewhere. I was standing on the platform waiting for my train, and I was watching the train opposite as it was loading and then moving on. Now I was pretty far underground, having to go under another train. And as I was standing there, I started thinking about how terrifying it must have been to have been in the tube when it was bombed. I can't imagine having it fill with smoke and fire on both ends. And as I was thinking about that, I also started thinking about the human spirit, and how it just refuses to give in. Sure, after 9/11 some Americans were afraid to fly, but a majority just went about their lives; and the same is true of the British with traveling on the Tube. I did however, notice that there are not garbage cans in the stations anywhere. But it's remarkably clean, and well lit and safe.

Charles Dickens Festival

So, yesterday I decided to take on of the London Walking Tours. This one was described as an explorer day which means that it's a trip out of the city for the day. And for only £23, I thought it was a pretty good deal. That included train fare to and from Rochester, Kent and two walking tours that were about 1 1/2 hours each. Anyway, I highly recommend the tours, they are great. I'm actually planning on doing another one here in the city on Thursday dealing with the Blitz. (I told you I was a history nerd...) So, back to the walk, Rochester is where Charles Dickens lived as a child, and then again as an adult. The town is full of locations from his books, and while I haven't read many of his books, the one I remember is Great Expectations and it was just wild to see the house that he had described as being the one Miss Havesham lived in. It was actually the Restoration House, where Charles II stayed his first night back in England before returning to London to resume the throne. The tour guides were amazing, both Allison and Simon were in full costume. Rochester also has a very cool castle, and very old Cathedral. There had been a church on that sight since the year 600. Now, being an American, things like that just seem so hard to comprehend. The church used to be Saxon, but was then rebuilt in the Norman style (apparently you can tell that it's Norman because they had rounded arches only...) and then at the back is a more recent addition in the Gothic style. Oh, Rochester is also on the old Roman road, from when the Roman Empire had outposts in Great Britain.
Anyway, this Charles Dickens Christmas Festival is wonderful. There are two parades during the day with everyone dressed in period costume, they even have people dressed as some of the characters from his books. And the town has all these charming little shops and places to eat as well. It was just a wonderful day. And on the train on the way home I sat with a lovely family from Seattle, or rather a mom and her son and a friend of theirs who is from Seattle, but whose family lives here in London now. Anyway, we were talking about all sorts of things, and the man who was sitting next to us was listening to us prattle away, and as we were getting of the train, he said to me, 'so you are all Americans?' and I said that yes we were and asked him where he was from. He said that he was from Norway and that he had been to the States a few times and that he loved our country. It just made me smile. In the news there is so much anti-Americanism. I was actually a little nervous about that, but I haven't experienced anything of the sort.
It has truly been wonderful so far, and I can't wait for today's adventures. I'm off to take the bus tour of the city, to really figure out where everything is, and plan the rest of the week.
I actually chatted with Lead Momma last night, and just wanted to say to her, remember that he may drive you nuts, but he does it all out of love (I know easier said than done, right?) And also remember that it won't be forever. And take advantage of the live in babysitters and go out with Dr Spaz for a lovely meal!!!
Much more later.

Some things I've learned while traveling

So, here I am in London! And it's amazing. I can't even get into it right now, but I did want to pass along a few things I learned during the last day and a half...

• Anything with the word 'turboprop' in it's title should be avoided at all costs. I was lucky enough to sit right next to the propeller, and was just about shaken out of my seat.
• Layers are the way to go when flying. The turboprop to JFK was colder than it was outside when we landed. I think the AC was on high; and the airports had the heat blasting. I was very glad I could take multiple layers on and off
• The food on BA flights rocks!
• Turbulence can shake you out of your seat, always wear your seat belt...
• The Delta terminal at JFK is a million miles from the BA terminal (okay, not really, but it sure seemed that way)
• JFK has very helpful TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) employees. There are few signs to direct you where to go once you finally get to a terminal, and so I had to ask many questions, and everyone was super helpful.
• The Airtrain at JFK is fun to ride
• They have Starbucks in London!!! What a life saver, can you say Venti Peppermint Mocha, please? Okay, the last time I really slept was Wednesday during the day. I napped for about 2 hours on the BA flight, but there was a lot of turbulence...

That's all for now! Much more later, I'm sure!!!