Learning stuff and meeting people - part 2

It's time for me to bore you once more with what I was up to last week. God, I am the world's worst blogger! (And how pretentious is that? Calling oneself a blogger?)

Last thursday I had a lunch date with an architect friend of a friend. Go me! Doesn't it sound all serious and grown up meeting people for lunch dates? Especially people you have only met once before.

The lunch date went great. I have missed talking to fellow architects so much! And he proved to be a very cool and nice guy. He bought me lunch and told me to stop stressing so about having the perfect cv and not knowing enough to find work here. Did I mention it wasn't a romantic date, it was a work date? Yup, I harangued the poor guy to meet me to give me some advice and pointers.

And he's a Dane. The first actual Scandinavian I have properly met (I did sort of meet a weird Swede in 2001 but I don't count him). Are all Danes so warm laid back? All I know about Scandinavians I learnt from the cinema and this awesome webcomic.

Friday was a nice sunny day and my sister guilted me into taking her to the countryside. We went to Lee Valley and Waltham Abbey. It was a lovely huge walk over a network of paths through the countryside. There were streams and canals - complete with barges and boats - and lakes and lots of greenery. There were places to spot otters, watch for birds and chase dragon flies.

Because I am a disorganised idiot I took my camera but forgot both to charge the battery and to bring my spare battery. So I didn't take any photos. I feel so stupid! But I will trawl the net to steal other peoples photos instead...

Random thoughts on a Tuesday

I went down to central London today to see my sister one last time before she returns to Greece. I will miss her. We have become very close, especially as we were living together the last five years.

I have a couple of trivial observations to share:

1. Changing from the train to the tube at Highbury & Islington station was a brilliant idea! Changing tube lines at Green Park was a bad idea I should try to avoid repeating.

2. The V&A has lots of gorgeous, but far too expensive, stuff in it's gift shop. (I shall return when I have money.)

3. English girls have just as much - if not more - cellulite as Greek girls, and are not afraid to show it.

4. Le Pain Quotidien might have a nice atmosphere and fancy, tasty food but it still is horribly overpriced.

5. Prince Harry has the most ridiculous - and oddly mesmerising - hair colour. Is it real? (My grandmother insists it's proof that he's not actually Charles' son...)

Learning stuff and meeting people - part 1

Sorry for the little meltdown the other day. I have the tendency to be over-dramatic and easily embarrassed.

So what have I been up to? Lots. Too much for one post I think, so I'll just tell you in drips and drabs.

Do you really want to know? Proceed at your own risk.

You all know I'm unemployed - and homeless - right? The first thing I did as soon as I came to the UK was apply for an unemployment benefit. Which I got. Most British people are tremendously indignant when they find out that I have barely arrived in the country and yet am already getting benefits. Take it up with your MP, not me. If they are handing out money, it would be stupid not to apply for some. And anyway I am a British citizen, so there!

So the deal with this Jobseekers allowance - which is the official name of the dole - is that how have to regularly show up to your jobcenter to sign in and jump through all the hoops they ask you to with a smile. Well, ok, the smile isn't necessary, but it shows good attitude and makes you feel better. (By the way the allowance is actually quite small, much smaller than the Greek unemployment benefit and the cost of living in the UK is ridiculously high.)

Last time I went for my sign in, I also had a half an hour interview for them to check up on me and make sure I am actually trying to get a job. They give you a silly booklet to fill in with all the things you do to show them. I have been so busy that I have already filled one booklet and asked for a second. Which impressed them. Also I turned the charm on full force which meant we got to chatting with my councillor and ended up talking for over an hour instead of half an hour. Always get people to like you, it will be to your benefit. It's so strange how many people don't seem to realise that and act rude and belligerent seemingly just for the sake of it. Don't they realise that will just make people not want to help them? If you slip up, or make a mistake, who will they rather turn a blind eye for? The one who bothered to make friends with them, or the one who gave them a hard time?

I have a phd in dealing with the public sector. What do you think I spent most of my time doing in Greece with my job? I have perfected the smiling, wide-eyed, eager-to-please persona. I am also not above acting younger and dumber than I am. Never flaunt your intelligence or abilities. People don't like it. I slip up and do it quite often in private casual settings (I can be quite snobbish and arrogant), but never when dealing with civil servants.

Anyway, last time I went they signed me up for this two day course called 'Finding and getting a job' which was supposed to help with cv writing, interviews and stuff like that. It was seven hours each day and it was obligatory.

So I went. All the way to the miserable part of Edmonton Green where it was taking place. Even though I think the whole of Edmonton Green is most probably miserable. The building was unbelievably drab outside and not much better inside.

We were the craziest most mismatched group of twelve. There was a builder, a labourer, an office worker, a real estate agent, a singer from Jamaica, a Persian woman who could barely speak english, and a couple of people who patently refused to talk or take part in anything. And me. Who I am embarrassed to admit quickly became a bit of a teacher's pet by being one of the only ones prepared to give intelligent articulate answers. Me and two of the only three bona-fida white anglo-saxon english people there.

By the way, the 'teacher' was a hyper chinese guy about my age who used to be a head stylist for Toni & Guy. How hilarious is that?

Anyway, it was mostly a waste of time, but a strange and interesting experience never-the-less.

So that is how I passed my Monday and Tuesday... It made me feel strangely alien and alienated. Because the other people there were so obviously on a completely different wave-length. Would it be awfully racist of me to say that, besides the chinese teacher who was very personable and talkative, the ones I liked the most was the white british working class couple? They were the sort of people I would never have met otherwise, but seemed very pleasant and nice. And for you gleeks out there, I couldn't help thinking that the husband reminded me of a younger Burt Hummel. Which is a pretty good endorsement, isn't it?

Panic attack

Just posting to say that I'm still alive. I have been busy doing stuff and going places and meeting people. And I'm a bit overwhelmed frankly. I'm so used to being an anti-social hermit, that it's all a bit too much for me. I have drunk too much, laughed too loud, shared too much with strangers and awkwardly flirted too much.

OMG, I have flirted like an awkward teenager, and made bad jokes and generally possibly made a total fool out of myself in front of people I will be seeing and meeting again! I need to calm down, hide under my covers and get over how cringingly embarrassed I am currently feeling.

And no, I was not drunk. I just am an awkward shy socially inept geek that over-compensates in social situations and acts like a loud obnoxious flirty idiot. Oh god, I want to stay at home for a couple of days until I feel better. I have overdosed on socialising. And too many guys now have my phone-number...

Sorry about the random spazzing, but I needed to vent before collapsing into an uneasy stressed sleep.

Trashy tv shows are bad for your (mental) health

So I have been browsing british trash TV.

Does anyone know what exactly "Made in Chelsea" is? It's absolutely disgustingly bad. So bad I can't stop staring at it in a daze as I slowly feel my braincells melting out my ears. But I can't decide if it's an obviously scripted reality show, or a very badly written and acted soap opera. Any ideas?




Also methinks that this guy:


has taken acting and modelling tips from this guy:


He seems like the sort of person who might have mistaken Zoolanderfor a documentary.

Panic on the streets of London

So I guess you've all heard about things in London.

The first day if the riots, I was on the train home and it got held up just as we were passing over Tottenham. It never even occurred to me to think of riots, I just assumed it was over-exited sports fans after a football match. I was in the UK after all and it was Tottenham. When I got home I saw the news...



The second day of the riots, I was feeling under the weather and I was home alone - my grandmother has gone for a week to Devon with my aunt and cousin and assorted children and dogs. I invited my friend Dimitris over to hang out. When the sun set he left to go home, but ten minutes later I got a frantic call from him that he was coming back. Enfield Town had been cut off by rioters and my friend freaked out. He said they were arriving by car specifically to riot and loot.



Actually I think calling them rioters might be the wrong word. We have rioters in Greece, and their reasons and aims are political. They usually smash and burn banks, public buildings and Macdonalds (re: US imperialistic outposts). The ones here seemed set on looting shops and making a quick profit. Some were said to start selling the stuff off just a street down from where they looted it. So sorry if I'm not very sympathetic to their cause.

And yesterday I stayed at home and cocooned without looking at the news once.

Today I'm looking at the headlines and seeing that yesterday things really spread...

And as I write I can hear police sirens and helicopters. What the hell? It's one o'clock midday!

Short hello

I got a haircut today. Nothing special really. Now I have to get myself some hair dye to dye my roots. And then lose some weight. And I'm all set.

My sister sends me all the best stuff. Check out the french (or possibly Belgian) guy searching for his lost dog!





By the way, who can tell me about Pottermore and this registration mania that's going around. What happens if you register? Can you register whenever, or is there a deadline?