Monday!!

Now I am not one to "come down with a case of the Mondays" or dread going to work on Sunday nights, but after a day like today I just may start. I mean damn!!

First off lets talk about this weather. Record low temps were never the selling points we signed up for. I remember getting up last Sunday and thinking "nah cold weather will be gone in a couple of days". Ha boy was I wrong. Its been brutal for over a week and no end in sight. The 10 day forecast doesn't get above 41 and there is snow predicted 6 out of 10 days. And the weather is tricky too. You wake up and its super cloudy and you think its going to be freezing, but its not, its 38 and will stay that way all day. But if you wake up and its sunny, well just wipe that grin off your face. Oh no, its not going to warm up, oh no, its going to be 25 and get up to a blistering 33. Average temps are supposed to be 48 everyday, and we move into the coldest November in the history of record keeping. Again I can't understand how the Brits handle it. Kristen wore a stocking hat, the hood to her sweatshirt, and a scarf around her head like a turban. I mean yesterday we saw a guy driving around with the top down on his convertible, while I was wearing three pairs of pants.

Oh but it gets better.........stupid transport workers called another strike last night. 15 minutes at 27 waiting for my train just about froze my nose off. I didn't think their strikes were very effective in the past, but now I am on their side even if it is just to avoid frostbite.

Usually I don't mention anything about work because well its super boring, and nobody really knows what I am talking about anyway. I mean if I told you I spent half the day reviewing hedge documentation you would just stare at me glassy eyed. Unless you are one of the few who actually knows what I am talking about, and then you would feel even more sorry for me. Anyway I digress. Today though I feel that there were points worth discussing. Some good, some very very bad (I will save that for last).

So I had to attend a course called living and working in the UK. Sort of my cultural introduction. I can see how it would be super useful if I spoke a different language, but it turned out to be more of a comedy special than anything else. I am sure the Asian guy who said his goal for the day was to "make all you friend" actually learned some valuable info, but I didn't get much out of it. Our instructor was named Dougel, yeah not a spelling error, Dougel. Like bugle, or google, but with a D. I even did a double take and asked him twice to repeat his name. He didn't seem put off by it till I told him I was from the U.S. then he must have thought I was just stupid since I couldn't understand what he was saying. I swear to you, cross my heart, that this guy was who Mike Myers must have must have modeled Austin Powers off of. The bad teeth, the bad jokes, which he laughed at more than anyone else, and even the chest hair. Had is shirt unbuttoned easily two buttons too far. It was funny though to hear all of the other Europeans say how rude and unpleasant the British people were, while I find them all super nice. Maybe its the accent that makes everyone sound excited to talk to me or maybe I just have that effect on people. Either way I laughed about it.

Finally, just let me say that if you are considering buying or building an office building I have some very important design hints for you. DON'T CARPET THE STAIRS!! Seriously how puts carpet on stairs? Its a McDonalds coffee burn just waiting to happen. I know this because as I was retuning to my desk with my lunch (the highlight of my day mind you) I biffed right in the middle of aforementioned carpeted stairs. Not only was there the humiliation of the whole episode, but to top it off I spilled my grapes. So there I was hands and knees picking up runaway grapes, trying to help others avoid a similar slippery fate. I can only imagine that the smushed grape carpet stair combination would have been deadly if left unchecked.