My Dads Fathers Day Present

JC,

I know you were concerned about me attending a get together with my new ExPat Americans In London group and demonstrating against the Commander in Thiefs visit to London but in the end there was nothing to worry about. Most of the people appeared to be professionals in their mid to late 40's and extremely kind. We met at this pub called The Lord Moon of the Mall very close to Trafalgar Square. What was great was that it wasn't just us Yanks there. I spoke to people from not only the US but also UK and Italy who shared similiar views. Once we left the pub we were a bit lost with whether to join the thousands of other protestors at Parliament Square or hang at the motorcade route so Bush can get a glimpse of our "LIAR LIAR! and "America Says You're Fired" posters. We ended up doing both and it felt pretty good being with so many people and making a statement like that. One gentlemen who is part of our group had 8 large cardboard letters that spelled out LIAR LIAR and I was holding one of the letters at any given time. We had professional photographers and tourists snapping up pics of me and my posse. A UK news agency called Sky News asked if we could stay together for a bit so her camera guy could film us. There were soooo many bobbys out there armed and unarmed. Usually the police don't carry guns around here, so you know it's a real special occasion when the armed ones come out. Anyways, here's a couple pictures from today. One where I'm in front of a humongous wanted poster where GW looks like Alfred E Newman. Just hours have gone by and it's already top news story on the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7455206.stm

I hope you get a kick out of this. Happy Father's Day Pops!

Love,
Mona

Hotspur or Arsenal?

Hay yai yai! I’m in a serious predicament. I’m trying to confirm my Premier League allegiance; however with the latest developments it’s going to be a tough call. Giovanni Dos Santos just signed on Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £4.7 million ($9.2 million). Arsenal recently announced that the work permit for Carlos Vela was granted and he should be in the starting line up next season. I live in Arsenal territory; however Tottenham is just 20 minutes north. I think if it was reversed, with Dos Santos going to Arsenal, it would be a no brainer but this is difficult to choose. Arsenal came in 3^rd last season, Tottenham came in 11^th. I’m certain that next season will be a different story for Tottenham which is very appealing. Hmmmm. Puma v Nike, Mansion.com v Emirates, Monterrey v Cancun. I may have to get two jerseys. This is going to be tough. Nonetheless, I’m glad that these talented young Mexican players will be groomed in the football’s finest league. I wish I could fast forward to World Cup 2010 already!! Who wants to join me in watching the next Hotspur v Arsenal match?

Vela congratulating Dos Santos above.

First Few Days In London

I finally got to my hotel Wednesday early evening just in time to watch the UEFA Championship match of Chelsea v Man United. I was excited about watching my first football (work with me folks) match in a legit English pub (R.I.P John Bull). Naturally, most Londoners were rooting for Chelsea. Here's some pics that shows the agony of defeat from a couple patrons and an incredible hottie enjoying the thrill of victory, even though he blew his shootout goal:

Here are my completed items thus far...

1. Opened Bank Account - One would imagine this would be rather easy as banks in the US drool at the mouth with the possibility of someone opening an account at their branch. My HR Manager had to set up an appointment with the local HSBC bank and write a reference letter vouching my employment. It's not a piece of cake opening an account here. Point - US.

2. Searched and found a flat - I easily sent a good 30-35 emails to set up appointments to arrange viewings for interested places. People simply don't respond back to you, or you get fishy responses back from people out of the country wanting to rent you "their" home. Don't get me started with trying to find a place that accepts dogs either. F'gettaboutit! I saw a few places, but gladly ended up paying an agency to find my new home away from home. Point - US

3. Established a Mobile #: I got a Pay As You Go plan since I don't have a local address with a debit card, nor cell phone history here. I get my Debit card sent to me next week and after I have some history here, I'll get on a monthly contract here where I may qualify for a free XBox, Wii, PlayStation or Laptop. I haven't heard of deals like that in the US. Point - UK

4. Realized I Need To Buy Oil Stocks: The cover story of the Independent today had an interesting article about how the world is running out of it's oil reserves. These two lines blew my mind, "In Britain, the price of petrol has risen to an average...£5.15 per gallon. In the US, where drivers pay much lower prices, gasoline is more than $4(£2) a gallon." Good grief! I knew gas was more expensive here, but didn't realize it was $10.21 a gallon!! No matter if you're in the US or UK, unless you get at least 35 miles to the gallon you'll eventually have to bite the bullet or find some transportation alternatives. I'm starting to like this Underground Tube more and more. Point - UK

US 2 - UK 2