First Week

Well this week has been a number of uncomfortable situations one after the next which I am the only person that seems to be affected by.  Started the morning Monday with 16 text messages from the US Department of Homeland Security warning me that the threat level for terrorist attacks had been elevated, and that I should avoid mass transit and tourist locations.  Fantastic news for me as I was taking the tube (subway for Americans) to work and I my office is exactly 1 block from Trafalgar square and Parliament.  Luckily for me the subway workers tried to help the situation by going on strike and cut the number of trains running by something like 50%.  That may have scared off the terrorists but not me so I headed off to try my luck catching a the tube. The trains were running but instead of the normal every 2 or 3 minutes they came more like every 5 to 7 minutes, each one more tightly packed than the next.  Every time one did arrive the doors would open and everyone on the platform would exhale in disappointment in unison and immediately start looking at each other as if to say “you go, my ass isn’t going to fit”.  Finally one brave sole would summon up enough courage to wedge himself in and the train would head off down the track.  After 30 minutes or so I found a gap that looked my size and I smashed into what was an already over filled train.  Funny enough we had to make 9 stops before my stop, and each time at least one brave sole took it upon themself to get on.  Needless to say it was way too cozy for me and my first day.  Fast-forward to Wednesday, and I have gotten settled in at work, tube rides are somewhat commonplace now, and I am beginning to notice the smaller things now.  For one, the chairs here are by far the most uncomfortable on the face of the planet.  I am pretty sure we are shaped the same whether from the States or not, but wow my back absolutely kills me after like an hour and a half.  I need smoke breaks just to stretch.  On top of that its come to my attention that there is no need for cold water here.  Not so much when it comes to drinking but specifically related to sinks.  The water that comes out of the tap is like a thousand degrees.  Its like trying to wash your hands in lava or on the face of the sun.  You don’t even need soap, no germ in the world could withstand the heat.