seguridad

It's weird to realise that I don't have that aching feeling of missing home right now. Maybe it's because I don't really know where home is anymore. Or maybe it's because my home is everywhere.

notes to self

1. Never go to the Tate Modern on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of the summer. It was so loud I couldn't even concentrate long enough to read the placards next to the pictures, much less appreciate the aesthetic cubism of Picasso.

2. If people did things the way they've always done them, nothing would change. I don't want to be one of those people. You may very well be worth much more than that.

3. Nothing will ever be the same as it is in this exact moment. Also known as 'soak up the London sun.' The past ten days have been the most gorgeous ten days of the year in so many ways. Live in the moment.

summer day

Spent the day laying out in the sun in Hyde Park with my team, strategizing and planning for the coming year. No other way I would have wanted to spend it...

Realized today how happy I am that i'm not in Doha anymore. It was the right time to move on. I still miss everyone incredibly, but I'm much happier in a place where people don't know everyone in their city and where I have the freedom and options to live my life as I want it.

work and play

First real day in the office (with the current team still here), using my computer, doing real work, changed the signature in the VPER e-mail.... I just keep being amazed at how cool this all is and how great this all feels.

Team bonding to mark being halfway through transition yesterday: PAINTBALL. Me, the three boys on the current team and the five boys on my team battled for a few hours on a few different fields. I have bruises all over, but the rush is unmatchable. (even by jetting from meeting to meeting on the back of a motorcycle... which does happen from time to time.)

In a way, I'm slightly in limbo until Monday. Hoping everything will be fine. Surprised by myself and how I've been affected recently in this arena.

Everything is good. Bank account is settled, getting a permanent cell phone today or tomorrow, getting paid today, house is still awesome. It seems like I actually have a life here, all of a sudden. :)

heaven

I was on cloud nine all weekend. I can say for sure that this is the happiest I've been in as long as I can remember. I am amazed at how fortunate I am to be exactly where I am exactly at this moment... I am trying to bask in the glow as much as I can so the memory of how things are right now lasts as long as it possibly can.

It started with a smashing blowout party at our house on Friday night with everyone I know and love in London. The party was American-themed, in honor of the Fourth of July, and everyone was someone or something American... we had special appearances from Barack Obama, John McCain, Miss America, Christian fundamentalists, American Indians and many, many more.

The party was still raging at 3 AM - despite a slight mishap - when Georgie and I left for the airport for our day trip to Milan. We landed, took a short bus ride to the center of town and took the metro to the Duomo, a gigantic gothic cathedral in the middle of Milan. After some typical touristy photo-taking, we made a beeline for italian coffees and gelato... a perfect breakfast for a perfect day. We spent the rest of our time walking around the city, laying in the shade, eating a lunch we made of olives, bread, cheese, artichoke hearts and cherries from a gourmet deli and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Arrived back to London late on Satuday night, had a hell of a time getting home, but got back with enough time to get a good six-hour sleep in before an incredibly intense Sunday. My team heard from many of the recent UK MC members (going back to about 2000), learning about their decisions, mistakes and what they see as the next frontiers for @UK. Before that ended, I had to take off to meet Jan, my predecessor, at the train station to go to Wales for the next few nights.

We arrived at the five-star hotel that was hosting the Assocation of Graduate Recruiters' annual conference, an event so steeped in cash that unlimited free wine was provided for all of the 600 delegates far into the night. The event was an incredible experience for me on many levels... I had the opportunity to see both my predecessor and his predecessor in action, selling their companies and themselves with awesome skill; I met a bunch of people and learned a ton about the UK University system and I did my best to make a good impression on the many current and potential @UK partners that were in attendance. Curiously, I feel like I've changed over this weekend alone... I felt like I was in my element and I now feel much more competent and savvy about my work and I feel even more confident about my role on my team.

Speaking of my team, one of the most unexpected elements of the past weekend was how much I missed everyone when I wasn't around. My team feels like a second family already and when I'm not around them, it feels like something is missing. It's amazing that I've come to love them all so much already... I only see good things for us in the coming months... :D

(And just a note to my @US friends on all levels... I love you and it takes incredible courage to stand up and make your opinions heard. Just keep doing the right thing and all will end well.)

Time to stop blogging and join in to the awesome party that's happening in the office right now... yay for trainee night!!

getting settled

Transition started yesterday, and I couldn't be more optimistic about the next month.

Our house is AWESOME, especially after hours spent cleaning the dirty hippie dirt out of everything. Before and after photos soon.

Flying to Milan on Saturday. For 12 hours. (I had to leave the UK and come in on my work visa anyway... and flying to Milan from London was one of the cheapest options.) :D

I can't believe how different things are now than they were exactly one year ago.