A Tribute to Michael Jackson

Scene: Mom returns home after a long day at the office. Thing One and Thing Two are gathered around Thing Two's Acer (now the hottest computer on the globe), watching YouTube.

Mom: Hi! How was your day? What are you watching?

Thing One: Michael Jackson, of course.  (The sounds of Thriller rise from the computer.)

Thing Two: What's happening? 

Mom: Well, he's turning into a zombie.

Thing One: No, he's not, he's dancing.

Mom: Yes he is. Look at his eyes. He's become a zombie.

Thing Two: Look at that dancing! He's really good.

(The video has now progressed to the part where the zombies are trying to get to Michael Jackson's "girlfriend" in the abandoned house.)

Thing Two: What are they doing?

Mom: Well, they're trying to eat the girlfriend because zombies eat humans!

Thing One: But they're not eating Michael Jackson.

Thing Two: (with a great deal of confidence) They're not eating him because they like Michael Jackson's music.

Maybe that's true. R.I.P. Michael Jackson.

Happy 6th Birthday Thing Two!

Happy 6th Birthday, Thing Two!

Thing Two turned SIX on Friday, so we had a weekend filled with celebrations, Star Wars and, most importantly, chocolate cake. Those in the know will note his new Arsenal kit ("uniform"), which he proudly wore for his football party in Greenwich Park on Saturday. 

Here are some of the things I love about Thing Two as he reaches milestone No. 6:

1. His outlook on life in which his glass is always half-full.

2. His sunny nature, disposition and laughter.

3. His extra-large personality.

4. How he still needs a cuddle to start his day.

5. His continued love of movies, for which we still call him Mr. Movie.

6. When asked if he did something wrong (when clearly he did), his "I don't know" (along with funny intonation) response.

7. His willingness to help in the kitchen, whether it is to help pack lunches or make cookies.

8. His love of reading.

9. His continued inability to simply walk down the stairs, but instead, leap from step to step, which makes it sound as if a dinosaur were approaching.

Happy Birthday Thing Two. May you have many more.

One for the Grandmothers: The Annual Daffodil Picture

Every year since 2003, when I was heavily pregnant with Thing Two, I have taken the boys over to the Queen's House to get their picture taken in front of annual blanket of daffodils. This is this year's offering, taken about 10 days ago when we had an unseasonably warm weekend (thus the shorts). 

To see past pictures, go to last year's post. 

Happy Spring!

Villanova Wins! The Road to the Final Four Continues!

This is What I Miss: Villanova students mob Lancaster Avenue (in the middle of the campus) to celebrate Villanova's last-second victory over Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament. The win meant that Villanova will be in the Final Four, the first time since its championship year in 1985. (Photo courtesy of the Inquirer, because obviously I couldn't get to Philly from London in time).

Villanova did it! In the last second of a pretty exciting second half, Villanova conquered Pittsburgh to win the East Regional and move on to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. (Editor's note: I know many of my British friends have no idea what I'm talking about here. I apologize). At some points during the game, I worried that I might wake up the rest of my family, given that it was 1 a.m. here in London.

As I watched the game's conclusion thousands of miles away, wearing my Villanova sweatshirt purchased in my freshman year in 1987, my first thought was, "Man, I wish I was in the Quad right now." Because this sweatshirt witnessed the last great victory of Villanova in the tournament, when it unexpectedly qualified for the Great Eight in 1988. When the game was over that year, we all rushed to the Quad and celebrated our unlikely victory.

But I also think, like many things in life, I didn't appreciate the experience in 1988. With all the bravado that immaturity brings, I thought it would be like that every year at Villanova during March Madness. It wasn't. Only in retrospect did I appreciate what a magical night of triumph and happiness that was. But now I do, and I'm sure many of my fellow 'Nova alums from that year know what I'm talking about.

This is why I suspect the Alumni Office knows it can charge more than $1,500 per ticket (after they have made a $500 obligatory donation to the Villanova Athletic Department) for Final Four tickets to its alums. Students won't pay that, because they'll think there will be other opportunities. But the alumni know how long 24 years feels, since that's how long it's been since 'Nova has been to the Final Four.

Go Nova!

'Nova Wins! We're off to the Great Eight, Baby!

March Madness continues, with Villanova University (my alma mater) rolling through Duke University last night to reach the Great Eight* of the NCAA Tournament. We now face Pittsburgh, one of our Big East rivals, and also the alma mater of my father-in-law.

* I know they call it the "Elite Eight" now, but when I went to school in the late 80s-early 90s, we called it the Great Eight. So Great Eight it will be.

Thanks to the combined glories of the Internet, broadband and Wi-Fi, we all got to watch Villanova beat UCLA (or Uck-La, as Thing One kept saying) on Saturday night in our dining room in London. Thanks CBS-March Madness on Demand! The exercise was an interesting one, not least because Thing One kept using English sports terminology to query or comment on the game. Some examples: 

• "I bet their manager is really proud of them." (Said near the end, when Villanova was winning decisively. I pointed out that the manager in basketball is called a coach.)

• "When is the match over?" (Matches are football contests, games are for basketball and other sports.)

• "How many free kicks do they get?" (No free kicks in basketball, my friend.) 

While I do love my Villanova Wildcats, my love has limits. This was evidenced last night at 1:57 a.m. when my mobile phone alarm rang to wake me up for the game. I thought to myself, "Just one more minute, then I'll get up," and then I rolled over and went back to sleep. But again, thanks to the combined glories of the Internet, broadband and Wi-Fi, the first thing I did this morning, from the comfort of my bed, was fire up my iPhone to see the results of the game. 

This is a far cry from my first NCAA Tournament as an expat in 1999, when I had to spend an ungodly amount of money to buy a day-old USA Today in the Rome airport, just so I could see the brackets. Even just three years ago, I could "watch" a text play-by-play of the games, but couldn't see the actual action. Last year was the first time in nine years that I was able to actually SEE a college basketball game, and I was euphoric. This year the games are broadcast in HD, so it's EVEN BETTER. 

I will be glued to my laptop on Saturday night at 11:05 p.m. GMT (literally Greenwich Meridian Time, since I live in Greenwich) to watch the Widlcats play the Panthers. Lucky for me, it does not conflict with Earth Hour, which we will be celebrating earlier in the night, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Unfortunately for me, I did not fill out a bracket this year. If I had, I would have had Villanova in the Final Four. Unfortunately for President Barack Obama, he had Villanova losing to Duke last night in his bracket. At least I'm not saddled with the quandary of having to sell a budget and yet another bank rescue plan.

Let the March Madness continue.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: A Play About Nationality

Who: A mother and two sons

What: Walking home from weekly swim lesson

Where: Walking past a pub in London fully decorated with shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day

When: St. Patrick's Day Eve

Thing Two (age 5): Why is the pub decorated?

Mom: Because tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. We have to wear green.

Thing One (age 9): Why do we have to wear green?

Mom: Because we're Irish.

Thing One: But we're not Irish, we're American.

Mom: Yes, I see what you mean. We are American. But your great-grandpa was from Ireland, so that makes us part Irish.

Thing Two (quite confused): But we're American, not Irish.

Mom: Yes, it is a little confusing. We're American. But in America, it's also about where you're from before as well as where you live now. So we're American, but your great-great-grandparents were from Ireland, Germany and Poland. So for tomorrow, we're Irish. Your great-grandpa LOVED St. Patrick's Day. He even had a special calendar for it.

Thing One and Thing Two say nothing, mulling over the explanation.

Thing One: I think I'm mostly English, with a little bit of American.

Mom: Well, actually, I know this is confusing. But you're not English at all. Except you were born here. And you live here. And you have an English accent. (She pauses, thinking about what she's saying, as it doesn't seem to make sense. Is he actually English? No, not possible. No English passport. Yet.). You are American (she says with less certainty).

Thing Two: I'm American!

-END-

We're Doing it for the Polar Bears: WWF Earth Hour

We're doing it for the polar bears, but you can do it for any endangered species you like. The World Wildlife Federation is sponsoring an "Earth Hour" on Saturday, 28 March from 8:30 p.m. in whatever time zone you live in. As this seems a somewhat flexible time, I say that parents can use whatever time zone the whole family can participate in, so for us, we'll be using European time (one hour earlier than London, making our Earth Hour from 7:30 p.m.

The idea is that we all switch off our lights for one hour to show that you care about people, wildlife and the planet.

Some 1180 cities from 80 countries across the globe have already signed up. In addition, a great number of iconic landmarks will be plunged into darkness, including Nelson’s Column, the Forth Bridge, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Table Mountain in Cape Town and Sydney Opera House. The London Eye, too, will be dimmed for the hour.

For more information about Earth Hour, go here.

Say Hello to Our Paper Airplane Champion!

Happy Science Week, everyone. At our school, that means it's time for the annual Family Science Night Competition, which is always hotly contested.

The first year, the Spaghetti Challenge, I nearly had a nervous breakdown because Thing Two just wanted to eat all the marshmallows and I couldn't figure out how to do it. (Important Note: the point of the evening is that CHILDREN learn about science, not that adults do it for them. However, sometimes it's hard to not jump in.) Needless to say, we lost.

The second year, the Egg Challenge, went much better for us. When I say "much better" I mean we won it, which was awesome. The challenge was to create a container that would protect an egg when it was dropped from different heights. We did a parachute/double-cup with shock insulation contraption, which helped the egg survive the first drop, from 10 feet, the second drop, from 15 feet, and the third drop, from the school's first-story window. The competition ended there because the school doesn't have another floor. The winner was chosen by lottery from all of those that survived the third drop. So you might say that our victory was not a pure one, but a victory is a victory, I say. 

Last year, the Car Challenge, was a disaster for us. You had to make a car out of the materials provided. For a family whose favourite show is Top Gear the fact that we couldn't construct a car that would win, let alone get across the start line, is a cruel irony. The less said about the competition, the better.

Finally, this year, we had the Paper Airplane Challenge. Again, you had to use the materials provided to make a paper airplane that flew the farthest. But Thing One knows the value of preparation, and he had spent the previous day reading our book about paper airplanes to figure out which design would be the best. We tested several models, and then he reached his decision. "The Professional" is the one that works best. Thing Two then memorized the instructions, so he could do it for the challenge. We were ready, but I kept telling the boys we had already won once, so we didn't have to win again. 

We got to school, gave our team the name, "The Empire Strikes Back," Thing Two's contribution, and Thing One got to work. We had 20 minutes to get the plane done, but he had it all folded and ready to go in under five. (Here's a tip for future Paper Airplane Contestants: Good Folding means Good Flying). There were several heats and our little Professional kept on winning.

At last, it was time for the final three: Our Little Professional, a huge Concorde-resembling plane, and another that resembled a 747. The whistle blew, and off they flew. But the Professional and the Concorde seemed to flown an equal distance, so we replayed the final. I could barely take the suspense. Again, the whistle blew and off they flew, and when all the dust had settled, the winner was US! Whoo-hoo!

But I have to say the thing I loved most about this victory was the fact that the work and the victory was completely down to Thing One. He did the research, he memorized the design, and he flew the plane. He is very proud of himself, and I am even more proud of him.

Is the Third Time the Charm? (In our annual 2K race, anyway)

It was one of our favourite events of the year: the Greenwich Park 2K Fun Run. This marked our third year of doing it, and I'm thrilled to report some vast improvement on our performances.

In 2007, our first year, Thing One burst off the starting line, but later realized he couldn't sustain the pace. Given that we were in Greenwich Park, were there are numerous benches to be found, he decided to stop and have a quick rest. Thing Two, who was then 3 1/2, put in a valiant effort after doing a face scrape across the pavement at the start, but finished after a promise of a trip to McDonald's. (Yes, I know. It's counterintuitive to promise fast food to finish a healthy activity, but that was the only way he was going to finish.) I was very proud of him, as it was a pretty bad fall. Thing One finished in 12:40 (118th) and Thing Two finished in 18:15 (159th and not last!).

In 2008, our second attempt, it was a beautiful Mothering Sunday and we accomplished much: Thing One didn't stop and rest at any benches, and Thing Two managed to get through the race without tripping and falling. No times are available for that year, but I know they improved.

Finally, this year, it was that time of year again. I emphasized to Thing One the family motto of, "No Sitting on Benches". Thing Two, now nearly six, was pumped and ready to go. He kept wanting to sprint ahead, but I told him to conserve his energy. That was probably good advice, particularly since he was clutching his chest and had a very red face about half-way around. At that point, we stopped for a bit. But then he wanted to race ahead again. Since we were holding hands, and obviously I was holding him back, he kept saying, "Mom, if you hold my hand really tightly, we can go faster!" Sadly, I think this will probably be the last year that Thing Two and I run it together, because I'm quite certain he will sprint ahead with his friends next year, like Thing One.

Both put in superlative performances. Thing One finished in the top 100 (99th, but it still counts) with a time of 10:22 (an improvement of 2:28 from two years ago), and Thing Two finished 206th in 14:14, a vast improvement of 4:01 from his time in 2007. Well done, boys.

Now I Can Feel Guilty About My Coffee

Did you know that it takes 1,120 litres of water to produce 1 litre of coffee? Taken further, that also means it takes a staggering 280 litres of water to make your morning cup of coffee. The water is needed for growing the beans, packaging them and getting them to your kitchen cupboard.

Now I have something else to add to my Things To Feel Guilty About In My Life list. It's quite long.

The Economist  published the graph above to show you how much water is needed for other everyday things you use. Read it and weep, and be sure to collect your tears to offset these thirsty products.

For the full article, go to this page on the Economist.

Oscar Night! (One Day Late)

For the first time in many years, I didn't pull an all-nighter and watch the Oscars last night. I know all five of you are disappointed. It's just that I couldn't face a day at the office after spending a whole night trying to stay awake. Let's be honest: the best thing about the Oscars is the frocks, and the occasional funny moment during the ceremony, for which you have endure four full hours of other stuff.

I did stay up and watch the red carpet, and I nearly relented and bought the special cable channel I needed at 1 a.m. so I could watch the ceremony, but I resisted. So now it is 24 hours later, I've studiously avoided all news outlets all day, and I'm watching the highlights show on Sky One, where they compress the entire ceremony into 90 minutes.

Here are my random thoughts, of both last night's red carpet, and tonight's results:

-How could you not love Slumdog Millionaire after seeing the six children who played the young Jamal, Latika and Salim? Though really I wanted to reach into my TV and smack Ryan Seacrest upside the head when he turned to youngest Latika and said, "I love your dress. Who's it from?" I'm just so sad for him.

-I just watched the "Those who've gone this year" clip job (a linchpin of every Oscar telecast) and it made me sad again when I was reminded that Paul Newman died this year. He got the honored "last one mentioned" slot, which went to Heath Ledger last year.

-I found myself intensely studying the body language of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick to see if their marriage really is on the rocks, like the magazines say. I couldn't figure it out, but I did notice that she didn't let him say who made his tux on either E! or Sky One. What, is he not allowed to talk about fashion?

-Who is Jessica Biel and why is she famous? Isn't she the one who's dating Justin Timberlake? That's all I know her for; I couldn't name one movie she's been in. By the way, I hated her dress and also want to know why it was too much trouble for her to wash her hair before the Oscars.

-Why do they treat Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie like royalty? I couldn't believe how excited the announcers where when they stepped out of their limo. What I REALLY wanted to see, but what wasn't in the highlights show (don't know if it made the full show) was a reaction shot from Brad AND Angie when Jennifer Aniston strode on stage to present the best animated feature.

-Mr. Movie (and the rest of us) all predicted that Wall-E would win, and it did. Justice has been served.

-I like how they got former winners up on stage to present the big awards. It really worked. But I don't know if this telecast was much shorter, as they hoped it would be.

-I'm with Camilla: what in the world is hanging from Angelina Jolie's ears? And I don't like her dress either. For that matter, I don't like Nicole Kidman's (her presenter) dress either. Though kudos to Angelina, but she seems genuinely pleased that Kate Winslet won. Then again, she is an actress.

-I'm starting to think this Highlights Show is the way forward. I would be on my fifth cup of coffee by now, when they present the Best Actor award.

-Michael Douglas has won an Oscar?? (A quick check of IMDB shows that he's won TWO, for "Wall Street" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.") Who knew.

-I'm glad Kate Winslet won. I wasn't sure about her dress at first, but it grew on me. Best of all, I loved her acceptance speech, especially when she asked her dad to whistle so she could find him in the crowd.

-I see that Brad and Angie got the "Jack Nicholson" seat: the one in the front row that the cameras always pan to. I guess Jack was busy.

-Why do they keep saying that "The Wrestler" is Mickey Rourke's big comeback role? Haven't they seen "Stormbreaker," released in 2006, when he played the baddie? (If you have any children under the age of 14, you should see it. It's James Bond for kids, and London looks GREAT in it.)

-I know Sophia Loren is beautiful and a legend, but she just looks really odd tonight. I don't know if she's been in the tanning booth too long or what, but she doesn't look good.

-I only saw two of the Best Picture nominees (but all of the Best Animated Features), but I loved, loved, loved "Slumdog Millionaire." I hope it gets everything, and the way it's looking now (with only two awards to go), it looks like it's going to be a romp for it.

-Gotta love that Danny Boyle channelled the "Spirit of Tigger" when accepting the Best Director Oscar. (That will make Mr. Movie especially happy, given that he is also a Tigger fan). Danny Boyle also swore on TV! He said Bloody! That's a bad word, Americans!!

-Why is Phillip Seymour Hoffman wearing a wool hat to the Oscars? Is it cold in Los Angeles?

-It's making me cry that they let all the "Slumdog" kids up on the stage when it wins Best Picture. Utterly fantastic. If you haven't yet seen it, go. It was so good (sad and horrorific and gut-wrenching, yet good at the same time), I was sad to see it end.

Until next year, when perhaps I will Live Blog the Red Carpet, but not the ceremony. Not when I can get it over and done with in 90 minutes.

Go see Slumdog.

Snow! Snow! Snow!

Surveying the slope.

A wayward kite gets caught in a tree.

This was on a gate this morning, but there's much, much more now.

Last night, when I didn't think it would last, we went on a snowy walk through Greenwich rather than doing our homework. It was a good choice, but only the beginning of the snow.

Superlative Snow Day

Our day started at midnight, with Mr. MarathonMum and me, sitting on the sofa cheering on the Steelers in the Super Bowl on the other side of the Atlantic. We were positive, cocky even, that the game would result in a W at that point. Three hours later, we weren't so sure. But after some fantastic work by Big Ben (the quarterback, not the clock) and the sure footedness of Santonio Holmes, the Steelers won. Before heading off to bed at 3:45 a.m. (that's some dedidation for Steeler Nation), we admired the snow outside, and it looked beautiful.

When we woke up, there was even more snow on the ground. We sang "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." I don't know who was more excited that school was closed for a snow day: me or the boys. We headed to the park and had a blast flirting with a trip to the A&E as we sledded down the steepest hill in Greenwich Park. Snow has continued throughout the day, so it's likely school will be cancelled again tomorrow.

In the movie "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray has to relive Feb. 2 over and over and over again. Can I relive this Feb. 2? It's been fantastic.


I don't know how long this fun will last, but for now, we're having a blast!

Go Steelers!

Inauguration Day 2008

Inauguration Day 2008 has come and gone. The United States has a new president, and the world waits to see what will happen.

But first, we must celebrate, and celebrate we did. As ardent Barack Obama supporters, this was a great day, albeit one that was thousands of miles away with an ocean between us from the center of the action.  Thing One and Thing Two both dressed for the occasion, with Thing One wearing his red-and-blue rugby and Thing Two wearing his red jumper with an American flag on the front. Thing Two planned to explain what it was all about to his Year 1 class, and I will forever remember him running to school, clutching a copy of the New York Times supplement with a picture of Barack Obama on the cover.

The pressure to have something to do was immense, given that nearly everyone I knew asked me what my plans for the day were. Lots of (British) friends also congratulated me, much like they did after Election Day, saying how great it was that the U.S. finally had an inspirational leader.

This was one of the rare times where the time difference actually was in our favour, since most events such as the Super Bowl and the Oscars test our allegiance and interest by making us get up in the middle of the night to watch. The BBC actually had full coverage on BBC One, but we ended up showing our national pride by watching CNN instead. With the swearing in scheduled for 5 p.m. GMT/ noon EST, that meant we'd be able to get home from school, watch the pre-game festivities, and then watch the main event. Since I usually work until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, that meant that I had to rearrange my schedule to do it, but I thought there was no way I wasn't going to watch this with them.

"This is history," I kept telling them. "You will remember this for the rest of your life." 

I thought the best way to imbed the memory would be to make them things that they loved, so I made inauguration cupcakes (with blue icing and red-and-white sprinkles) and we ate ice cream sundaes to celebrate once Obama finished his speech. 

The boys weren't impressed with the lead-up to the main event. "Why is that lady talking so long?" they asked when Dianne Feinstein made her short introduction. "Why is that big man talking?" they asked when Rick Warren gave his invocation. Finally it was time for a nervous Obama to take the oath ( Chief Justice John Roberts gave him the wrong line, making him retake the oath later) and give his speech. By this time the time the speech was over, the boys had well and truly lost interest, with Thing One figuring out how far he could jump, and Thing Two making a spaceship out of the sofa. But I loved every minute of it.

Will they remember this day for the rest of their life? I hope so, but I know I will.

Old friends

In doing some research this morning, I found this great quote from Grant Fairley:

"One of the greatest titles we can have is 'old friend.' We never appreciate how important old friends are until we are older. The problem is we need to start our old friendships when we are young. We then have to nurture and grow those friendships over our middle age when a busy life and changing geographies can cause us to neglect those friends.

Today is the day to invest in those people we hope will call us 'old friend' in the years to come."

Working Moms: What do you do all day?

A version of the "What do you do all day?" for the Working Moms (like MarathonMum) out there.

A man arrived home from work late one night after joining his colleagues for an after-work leaving drink. As he unlocked the door at 10 p.m., he found his children still awake running around the house. The husband didn't even have time to put down his suitcase before he was barraged with questions:

Child No. 1: Dad! We're hungry! What's for dinner?

Child No. 2: Dad! I have to hand in my poster collage on the ancient Olympics tomorrow. I haven't started it. Can you help me?

Child No. 3: Dad! I have P.E. tomorrow. Did you wash my shorts and t-shirt?

The father is perplexed. Why haven't the children been fed? Where is his wife?

Just then, the phone rings. It is his wife's boss. He has questions of his own. "Is she home? Why isn't the presentation done? I gave her a full two hours of notice. I know it takes an average person at least a week to get it done, but your wife is incredibly efficient. Also, has she organized the office gift yet for the co-worker who's leaving tomorrow?"

Having no answers for either his children or his wife's boss, the husband hangs up the phone and goes in search of his wife. He trips over school bags in the hallway, lunch boxes by the stairs, piles of dirty laundry in the kitchen. The kitchen still has dirty dishes from dinner the night before, as well as the breakfast dishes and coffee cups from the morning.

As he continues to stumble around the house, Child No. 3 approches him with a school lettter. "Dad? My class is in charge of the cake stall tomorrow and I need to bring in 40 fairy cakes. Can you help me make them? We need them first thing, and if I don't bring them, our class will lose the cake competition and it will be my fault."

With still no sign of his wife, he heads upstairs. The house is in total chaos. He reaches the bedroom, worried that his wife is gravely ill or unconscious due to a serious blow to the head. He opens the door, but there's still no sign of her. Eventually, he smells the faint wiff of a Jo Malone candle coming from the bathroom.

He opens the door only to find his wife blissfully relaxed in the bathtub reading Grazia magazine.

"What IN THE WORLD are you doing?" the husband thunders.

"I took the day off," the working mother replied.

What do you do all day?

For all the Moms out there. You can see from the post above this one that I've also updated this tale for all of the working Moms out there, too.

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess.

A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife.

He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door.

As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor.

Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

10 Years in London

As of 6:30 a.m. GMT Christmas Eve, I have been a London resident for 10 years. 10 years! It's hard to believe. It's trite but true-- time really does fly by when you're not paying attention. What was originally going to be a three-year assignment has become our home.

I've been mulling over this post for the last week or so (in between wrapping dozens of presents, cooking Christmas dinner, and doing dozens of other Christmas jobs, including having my annual nervous breakdown). I wanted to write something profound about what we've learned and how we've changed, but that's such a huge subject that I'm just not going to do it. 

Instead, in no particular order, here are some ways we've changed in 10 years:

• When we arrived, it was just the two of us. Now there are four. (Thing One, in 1999, at Greenwich Hospital (RIP); Thing Two, in 2003, at St. Thomas Hospital).

• I have a much better grasp of British geography, which isn't saying much given the very first time we visited London I had to look on a map to see where in England it was located. Ditto time differences (had to look it up) and celsius temperatures (which I now prefer. Here's a tip: to roughly convert C into F: double it and add 30).

• I can now use the words "brilliant" and "bugger" correctly and in context, but still can't say "blimely" with a straight face. The best use of blimey I've heard: When I was nine months pregnant with Thing One, my next-door neighbour took one look at me and said, "Blimey, you're big!"

• I can no longer face the array of choices in a typical American supermarket. (My friend Anne, who's been here nine years, agrees.) Too much choice really is a bad thing. Give me two choices, like in a standard British supermarket. That I can handle.

• I've completely grown to love the way a British pharmacy works, which I didn't at first. I liked the American way of stumbling through the aisles trying to find the best cold medicine out of the 50 on offer (see above). But now, I like being able to tell the pharmacist my symptoms and she will pick out my cold medicine from behind the shelf. I call that service.

• I'm completely out of touch with American reality television "stars". I can't name one winner of "American Idol" or "America's Next Top Model." And for that I am thankful.

• I now have a handle on how the British school system works. The same goes for the NHS. I learned about both the hard way: by using them.

• The Internet has completely changed the expat experience. When we first got here, I went two months (!) without a computer. Now it'll be a miracle if I go eight hours without checking my e-mail on some device, either on my lap or in my hand.

I know there are dozens of other things I could list here, but that's a good sampling. It's been a good 10 years here. We have made a good life here: friends who are as close a family, a lovely community and even (dare I say it?) Anglophile tendencies. 

Here's to our 10 years here, and may we have many more.

My Favourite Advent Windows

Last year, our favourite stop at Greenwich's Live Advent calendar was the "Let it Snow" house (see picture below). This year, it's another good one, called "A Star Leads the Way."

Here it is in the day:



Here it is at night:


For more information, or a map of the participating houses, go to: www.adventwindows.com.

Greenwich Advent Windows

For the first time last year, Greenwich had a "Live Advent Calendar" whereby every day a different house would decorate a window. So instead of opening a cardboard door to see a new image, like in a traditional Advent Calendar, you would need to walk to the next house to see that day's offering. It was brilliant.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve walking around to see all of the windows, and we plan to do so again this year. I wanted to post a picture of my favourite windows from last year. The theme for these window was "Let it snow!"

Today is this family's turn again, so I can't wait to see what they do. According to the website, which you can find here, their theme this year is, "Let a star lead the way."

Know Your Friends

Time for the annual update of "Know your friends."

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:45 am
2. Diamonds or pearls: Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? A matinee of the new James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace" on my birthday.
4. What is your favorite TV show? At the moment, it'd be "Spooks" or "Lead Balloon" (since my friend Pete writes it)
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee, a banana and usually an apple too.
6. What is your middle name? Why do you need to know? And if you're my friend, shouldn't you know that already?
7. What food do you dislike? I really, really, really hate stew and the stringy beef that goes with it.
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? The Party Mix my friend Caroline made specially for my birthday party.
9. What kind of car do you drive? We don't own a car, but when we need a car, we use a Streetcar Volkswagen Golf.
10. Favorite sandwich? Reuben (just like Kathy, who sent me this survey)
11. What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty and thinking that rules don't apply to you.
12. Favorite item of clothing? My stripy cashmere jumper [sweater for my American friends].
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Tuscany, Italy.
14. Favorite brand of clothing: I can't say I actually think about it.
15. Where would you retire to? Hard to say, but maybe France or Italy (see above).
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Last week's, when I turned 40. I had a great day with awesome presents and people calling and stopping by all day (I felt like a queen) followed by a blow-out on Saturday with 80 people at the house that didn't end until 3:45 a.m.
17. Favorite sport to watch? U.S. college basketball. Go Nova!
18. Furthest place you are sending this: The World Wide Web.
19. Person you expect to send it back first? I don't actually care.
20. When is your birthday? Again, if you're my friend, shouldn't you know that?
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I used to be a night person, but now that I'm old, I can see the value in getting up really early and getting things done. I might be at my most productive between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.
22. What is your shoe size? 10 US/42 European. Though I learned again yesterday that my calves are too fat for new boots. Bummer.
23. Pets? I have two sons. I think that counts.
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
Our company just got a big contract, which means I'll be working flat-out between now and mid-December. Oh, and I just got named chair-elect for the Board of Governors of our school. I suppose it's like being president of the school board (NOT the PTA).
25. What did you want to be when you were little? A doctor.
26. How are you today? Fine, but stressed (see No. 24).
27. What is your favorite candy? Reeses Peanut Butter cups.
28. What is your favorite flower? Roses
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Our Thanksgiving feast, celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving so we can spend the entire day eating and drinking, as the Pilgrims intended.
30. What's your full name? Again, you should know this if you're my friend.
31. What are you listening to right now? Traffic outside of my front window.
32. What was the last thing you ate: Some leftover Indian curry. Yummy.
33. Do you wish on stars? Absolutely.
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red
35. How is the weather right now:Dark at 7:02 a.m. Winter-- and its six-hours of sunlight-- has arrived in London.
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Are you kidding me? There's no one to talk to on the phone at this hour.
37. Favorite soft drink? I actually stopped drinking Diet Coke when we moved to London 10 years ago, but I did fall off the wagon on Election Night at the Embassy because I had to figure out a way to stay up until 4 a.m.
38. Favorite restaurant? Any place where I'm not doing the cooking.
39. Real hair color? It's probably getting closer to full gray all the time, but I wouldn't know because I haven't seen my real hair colour since I was 25.
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Probably my doll, which I called, "Baby." I was a very literal child.
41. Summer or winter? Neither. I'm an autumn girl.
42. Hugs or kisses: Both
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
44. Coffee or tea? Coffee
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? I'm sort of hoping they'll have better things to do, but I do learn something interesting about my friends when they do send it back.
46. When was the last time you cried? I honestly can't remember.
47. What is under your bed? Boxes of photos and loads of shoes. Oh, and some Christmas presents since I already started shopping.
48. What did you do last night? Went to Covent Garden to return birthday boots to find out that my legs are too fat for any boot style. Bummer. Had to bribe to boys for above errand, so took them to TGIFridays as their reward, which I also liked because there's nothing like some wholesome American fried food. We got home and all collapsed on the sofa, watching the SImpsons together. By the time I got them off to bed, I was exhausted, so I watched my friend's show, "Lead Balloon" on BBC iPlayer since I missed last week's episode.
49. What are you afraid of ? Anything bad happening to my kids (ditto to Kathy)
50. Salty or sweet? Depends on my mood.
51. How many keys on your key ring? 3 (home) 5 (office)
52. How many years at your current job? Five months.
53. Favorite day of the week? Saturday: Pizza night!
54. How many towns have you lived in? I have lived in 13 towns in five states and two countries.
55. Do you make friends easily? I hope so (see No. 54).
56. How many people will you send this to? How many people read MarathonMum? Maybe two, if I'm lucky.
57. How many will respond? I really don't care, because this survey took way more time than it really had a right to do.

ESPN Does College Stereotypes: Painfully funny

Now that college hoops season is underway, and Villanova (my alma mater) is again projected to do well, my thoughts naturally are turning to my favourite spectator sport. Here's an article from USA Today about an ESPN advertising campaign that was cancelled. Find your alma mater, and nod in agreement or thump your desk in outrage. Frankly, I consider being called a "poor man's Duke [University]" a compliment.

I've edited the team list just to include Big East and other notable teams [Sorry Tommy, Dayton didn't make the cut]. To see the full story, go to here at USA Today.

ESPN drops ad campaign that was to portray college stereotypes
By Michael Hiestand, USA Today

ESPN canceled plans Thursday for a TV ad campaign touting its college basketball coverage after learning that the actors were to depict sometimes crude stereotypes of students at specific colleges.

A leaked memo from Anomaly, a New York agency that has produced past ESPN ads, described a casting call for actors in which it sought someone to portray a Tennessee student as "a slutty girl who would hang out at the cowgirl hall of fame" and a Notre Dame student who is "an Asian kid ... who's always fighting."

The concept of the ad was to have students working at an ESPN call center, representing their schools as they phoned people to try to get them to watch ESPN college basketball coverage.

The campaign was killed as soon as the memo leaked. "Our marketing department just learned of this casting call today," said ESPN's Mike Soltys. "The language and approach reflected in that document were not approved by us and in no way represent ESPN or the respect we have for the college community."

In the memo, which first appeared on awfulannouncing.com, the "defining characteristic" of the Marquette student is that "you don't really remember her." The Kansas student "takes great pains to point out that Kansas is very cosmopolitan." Syracuse would need a "Jewish kid" who loves college — "all you can eat buffets in the cafeteria, who knew?"

The Purdue student needed to look 14 and the Oklahoma student needed to be "wide-eyed, as naive as they come."

The content of the memo is reproduced below.

***

ESPN
Promo
SAG
PAY RATE: SAG PROMO RATE

Director: Matt Aselton
Casting Director: ERICA PALGON
Interview: Thurs 11/13 and Fri 11/14, Mon 11/17
Fitting: 11/21
Shoot: 11/24, 25
Location: New York

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY LIZ LEWIS CASTING PARTNERS

EVERYONE MUST BE STRONG WITH COMEDY/IMPROV. PLEASE WRITE ANY ADDITIONAL NOTES, IN THE NOTES PAGE, ABOUT ACTOR'S COMEDIC/IMPROV EXPERIENCE/TRAINING, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IN LOOKING THROUGH SUBMISSIONS

All roles are ages 18-22 yrs old. WITH THE EXCEPTION of PERDUE.

The concept: The spots take place in the ESPN College Basketball Call Center (CBBCC). All of these guys are there representing their schools, calling people on the phone to get them to watch more College Basketball. Basically they are selling college basketball.

SEEKING:

[ DUKE UNIVERSITY ]

MALE. Our guy for Duke UNIVERSITY is a smart, with it, young WHITE male. He's handsome. He's from money. He is, in short, the kind of guy, everyone can't stand. He is the kind of guy everyone wants to be.

[ NORTH CAROLINA ]

FEMALE. She's a Southern bell. She is the counterpoint to Duke. Being young and pretty everyone wants to be around her. She's charming. Not a dingbat, she's sharp.

[ TEXAS ]

MALE. Straight out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, Texas is a young man's man. He is the kind of guy that could field dress a deer and then take you to the debutante ball in 20. Polite, farm boy. He's good at everything. Except call centering.

[ KANSAS ]

MALE. Kansas is straight off the farm. However, he takes great pains to point out that Kansas is very cosmopolitan, as witnessed by their record, their burgeoning tech industry, and their hybrid corns (bonus: modified by fish genes!)

[ CONNECTICUT ]

MALE. Connecticut is all things Connecticut. He's a little bit older. He's a little bit thicker around the waist. He's WHITE. He's also competitive. Very. Waspy, blue blood.

[ VILLANOVA ]

MALE. Villanova is the poor man's Duke — he's not quite as handsome, he's not quite as rich, he's not quite as dapper. After 2 or 3 beers though, who cares? As he's friendly enough.

[ NOTRE DAME ]

MALE He's an ASIAN kid who is in to all things Notre Dame, ridiculously so. Oh, and he's always fighting. Every time we encounter him he always has some words or another, be it the faint traces of a black eye, or a scab or whatever. He epitomizes the fightin' Irish.

[ PITTSBURGH ]

FEMALE. Pittsburgh is a tomboy. She obviously grew up in the neighborhood and isn't going to take any guff from anyone and she'll wallop you in the eye with a crowbar if you suggest different. So don't. Think Tina Fey type.

[ SYRACUSE ]

MALE. Jewish kid from Long Island that is loving the college experience. It has opened up a world he never knew existed. All you can eat buffets in the cafeteria — who knew? To Syracuse, everything is a party.

[ GEORGETOWN ]

FEMALE. Georgetown, a 4.36 GPA who's lived in 9 world-class cities, but all the time in her sister's shadow (her GPA is 4.37). She's sort of the female Duke, except most people like her. Think Reese Witherspoon.

[ GONZAGA ]

MALE. No one knows what Gonzaga looks like because no one knows where to find him. He is still stuck in the grunge look, reckless, in from the wild. Flannel look. Chews tobacco. Guy that would go to school in the Pacific Northwest.

[ MARQUETTE ]

FEMALE. Marquette, on a scale of 1-10, she's a six. A B-, C in every category you can define a person by. Her defining characteristic is you don't really remember her. You're not breaking your arm to get to her, but you're not chewing it off to get away. She does have a winning personality though. Midwest, sweet girl.

[ OHIO STATE ]

MALE. He looks like Jim Tressle (head coach of Ohio State football) in the dress code. Red sweater vest. Always. Doesn't care for swearing either — of course we never really test this out as they are commercial advertisements and no one swears in them, but it's true nevertheless. A Republican.

U.S. Election Night: The Hottest Ticket in Town

For probably the only time in our life, we had tickets for what the British newspapers were calling "The Hottest Ticket in Town": the Election Night party at the U.S. Embassy in London.

Given the time differences between the U.K. and the U.S. this party was not for the faint hearted. First of all, it didn't start until 10 p.m., which is usually only about half an hour before I usually go to bed on a weeknight. Second, you had to be committed to staying pretty late, given that the first results-- for Kentucky and Vermont-- were posted at midnight (GMT), but the results from many of the states wouldn't be known for hours later.

But in the end, staying up all night and still going to work the next day was totally worth it, not only because the party was fantastic, but also because our man won and made history.

As you can see from above, CNN's hologram technology was deployed so that partygoers like me and my friend Anne could get their picture taken with Barack Obama. OK. It wasn't actually a CNN hologram, but a more old-fashioned cardboard cutout, but I think the results are pretty impressive. They had cardboard cutouts of all the candidates so that partygoers could get their picture taken with them. As you can see from above, John McCain is peeking over Obama's shoulder (really he should have his Sad Grandpa face on), as is Sarah Palin. From what I saw-- since we spent most of the night stationed next to the cutouts since it was in the room with the large electoral map-- Obama was the most popular cutout with whom to have your picture taken, with Palin lagging slightly behind him. I don't know if this portents the 2012 election, I'm just reporting on what I saw. A few people, out of sympathy or perhaps irony, got a picture with McCain. But Joe Biden was like the ugly sister going to the school dance: nobody paid any attention to him, and by the end of the night, he had been pushed all the way into the corner: ignored and unloved.

Before the party, they said that many "celebrities" would be there, but I was pretty dubious. I said I'd only be impressed if I bumped into Gwenyth Paltrow. As it happens Gwenyth was at a film premiere in Paris, so I didn't see her, but I did see dozens and dozens of well known people. I spent most of the night staring at a person thinking, "I know this person. Where do I know him/her from?" and then mentally circulate through all the possibilities only to come to the realization that the person I was staring at was a member of cabinet or a television reporter, including former Cabinet minister Ruth Kelly, former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, Nick Robinson, the chief political correspondent of the BBC and Janet Street-Porter.

At one point, when Anne had gone wandering through the party, I sent her this text: "I've just spent the better part of an hour standing next to an Oscar winner." Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, who won an Oscar for "The Color of Money," whose last movie was "The Perfect Storm" with George Clooney but is now a London resident, was there with her husband, the Irish director Pat O'Connor. I couldn't remember her last movie, so handily Mr. MarathonMum had his iPhone, so we could IMDB her. I can't quite decide if doing an Internet search on someone who's standing right behind you is rude or resourceful, but we did it anyway. I never did get a chance to chat with her to talk about being from the Chicago suburbs, but let me tell you with authority: she looks absolutely amazing for 50.

Josh Hartnett, currently appearing in London in the play "Rain Man" was apparently there, but I didn't see him-- though I did see a picture of him the next day and he had been in the room where we spent most of the time. Perhaps I had been downstairs listening to a live set of Squeeze greatest hits sung by a member of Squeeze.

You read that right. Squeeze songwriter and frontman Glenn Tilbrook was there, singing all of my favourite Squeeze songs. Our friend Chris, who was a rock star in a former life, even got to go up on stage and SING WITH HIM. Later in the evening, as we were getting ready to go (at about 3:15 a.m.) I had a chat with Glenn and I told him that I really loved all of those songs, and they took me back to high school and university. He was lovely.

They did have some party food to nosh on, but the real culinary winners were the temporary franchises of Burger King, Subway and Starbucks set up just for the party and serving all guests for free. Burger King really did work its magic at about 2 a.m. when my energy levels were flagging-- nothing like a free Whopper to perk you up. The presence of Starbucks also insured that I DID get my free cup of coffee after all, so that was something.

The real highlight of the evening was watching result after result go Obama's way. We hung in there for as long as we could, but left after they called Ohio to Obama, figuring that it was now in the bag. When we got home at 3:45 a.m., we put CNN back on, hoping that more results had rolled in, but none had. We finally capitulated to the siren song of our pillow just after 4 a.m. (I now know that if I had hung in there for probably just another 10 minutes, I would have seen them declare Barack Obama the next president of the United States.)

An hour and a half later, it was time for Mr. MarathonMum to head to work. Not surprisingly, he had slept through his alarm, so he asked me to go downstairs to tell the driver he was running late. I got to the car, filled with joy because of the result, and told the driver-- who happened to be black-- that Mr. MarathonMum would be right there.

"No problem. That's OK," he said. "When I got to the house this morning, I knew you were a nice family because you have the Obama signs in your window. He won! He won! He won!" For the next minute or so, this stranger and I jointly celebrated the fact that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.

Election Day 2008

I'm aware that we live in London-- I only need to see the big red double-deckers, black cabs or red post boxes if I'm ever in doubt-- so I also know that putting up posters for our candidate will have little influence for voters in the U.S. But when Thing One enthusiastically put these posters up a few weeks ago, we also thought that there might be some random undecided American tourists passing by who would see our posters and think, "If Obama has supporters in London, he must be a good man. I will vote for him!" You never know. (Thing One certainly hopes that will be the case).

It's been a fascinating year-- or two-- to be an American expat with a passion for politics, both foreign and domestic. It was thrilling to have a choice in the Democratic primary, when I actually had to devote some time to picking the candidate I wanted to support, rather than picking the lesser-of-two-evils or figuring out who had the best chance to win. In the end, I decided to back Barack Obama in the primary, only because I wanted a different name on the ballot. In every presidential election I've voted in since 1988, there had been either a Clinton or a Bush (or both, in 1992) on the ballot. It was time for a change.

In late February, I sat down with Thing One, Thing Two and a newspaper and summarized the position of all of the Democratic candidates. Thing One was most impressed with Obama's environmental policy, so in the end he decided to back him. Thing Two pretty much does what Thing One does, so he backed Obama too.

Ever since then, they've been asking, "Has Barack Obama won yet?", which forced an explanation of the primary season and general election season. While listening to Radio 4 (England's NPR, but more impartial) yesterday, they thought that once and for all it had been decided. They were crushed when they learned we still had one more day to go.

So this is it. Oddly enough I've now voted in as many elections as an expat ('00, '04, '08) as I did as a U.S. resident ('88, '92, '96). Now I'm off to the U.S. Embassy in London (thanks to our awesome friends Anne and Chris who scored the tickets for us) for their big party with 1,500 people including some "celebrities" (I'll only be impressed if I meet Gwenyth Paltrow.) It'll be a long night, but I hope to have a full account of the party on MarathonMum tomorrow.

Happy Election Day, everyone.

Free Coffee at Starbucks!

If you are in the U.S. and are reading this, you can go to your local Starbucks and get a free coffee for voting today. Sadly for us, this offer does not apply to expats voting absentee. I even asked! ("No," said the barista. "We're not doing that here. But I would like to know who you voted for.")

Apparently, there's some other offers you can exploit in the U.S. if you voted. For a list, go to my friend Kavita's blog at www.bellevueblogette.com.

Here's a picture of me (voted absentee in Illinois) and fellow expat Tanya (voted absentee in Nebraska) enjoying our NOT-FREE coffee from Starbucks. We should look sad-- sincer we had to pay for ours-- but we're not. We hoping/thinking/wishing that our candidate will be the new president-elect tomorrow. And that put a smile on our face.

Happy Halloween (London Style)

Yes. This is an actual sign we saw last night while hitting the mean London streets for some Treat or Treating.

As I've said before, Halloween is not a British holiday, it's an American one. It's getting bigger, to be sure, every year. Our first Halloween here in 1999, when Thing One was just one month old, I couldn't even find a pumpkin in our local market to carve.

Things have changed, but it still doesn't feel quite right. Earlier today, our friend knocked on the door and asked, "So how do you do this whole trick or treating thing?" I answered the question by saying we would all go together. You can see from above that not everyone has embraced the spirit of the holiday. (Thinking about it, though, it's also possible that there's some mean people in the U.S. who also had "No Trick or Treating" signs. Did anyone in the U.S. see something similar?)

We kicked off our festivities by going on a Ghost Walk at the Old Royal Naval College, followed by the fanciest hot dog dinner I've had, or will ever have, in the Painted Hall. We wandered the undercrofts, stood in the old prison and heard tales of ghostly wanderings. Once we had polished off the hot dogs and took our annual Halloween picture (see below) behind the door of the Painted Hall, we were off for our trick or treating adventure.

To see the rest of the annual Halloween pictures, from 2002 to 2007, go here.

Joining us for the trick or treating portion of the evening was our friend Dave, for his first trick or treating experience. He's in his 40s, so that sums up the history of British Halloween nicely.

In the past, I tended to direct the children to go to the houses of friends. But this year, in a bold move, we decided to go to a particular street and see how we did (though we did stop at friend's houses along the way). It was a perfect Halloween night-- cold and crisp. We kept bumping into other friends trying to secure some Halloween treats. One family-- they're Russian, but they certainly got into the spirit of things-- gave out "poo" which I hope was chocolate, though I haven't investigated further yet.

A big group of kids and adults finished the night back at the house playing the Wii Fit and admiring our pumpkins. All in all, it was a wonderful day: distinctly British with a dash of American thrown in.

Walking the Red Carpet

Living in London gives you many, many opportunities to do and see amazing things on a regular basis. So much so that the extraordinary becomes the ordinary.

Take for instance, going to a film premiere. For most people, that would be something really, really special (unless of course you're an actor, in which case, it's just work). But Thing One and Thing Two now have been to two film premieres in the last year, both as part of the London Film Festival.

Last year, we got to see the U.K. premiere of "Bee Movie". It was exciting-- walking the red carpet, getting free water and chocolate at our seats, seeing the special Jerry Sienfeld introduction. After that, every time I told the boys we were going to see a particular movie, they would say, "Is it the premiere?" followed by disappointment that it wasn't.

On Sunday, it was time to walk the red carpet again to see "The Secret of Moonacre." Unlike last year, some of the actors, the director and the producers of the movie were there, which was pretty cool, but unfortunately none of them were Ioan Gruffudd or even anyone I remotely recognised (other than the guy who runs the quizzes at the monthly family funday at the British Film Institute, but that doesn't really count).

So again we got the free chocolate and the Icelandic water. We got to hear the director, the producer and the actors talk a little about the movie. And we got to walk the red carpet. Again.

I now will prepare myself for yet another year of the inevitable question, "Is it the premiere?" when we go to see a movie.

There's No One As Irish as Barack Obama

Maybe this will change the vote of the Dad of MarathonMum!

It's also a nice catchy tune.

Sea Monsters in the Thames!

I know. This doesn't look like much. In fact, it looks like this photo could belong in the "This is the Loch Ness Monster" collection or the "Look! It's Big Foot!" photo anthology. But maybe that's the point.

Today (Sunday) Thing One, Thing Two and I found ourselves on London Bridge at sunset (5:45 p.m.) and looked into the abyss below. The only thing we could see was the swirling brown water of the Thames, along with some of the associated flotsam that comes with city living. We patiently waited for a few minutes, hoping that the light would get low enough so we could see something, but alas, nothing. We had been promised sea creatures, and by God, we would see them, even if it meant hanging around the Thames all night. 

But we were hungry. So we walked over to the nearest Wagamama, which is probably one of our favourite London restaurants, to pass the time before we could see the creatures. After some edamame, green tea and some noodles we headed back to the northwest corner.

The sea creatures were shy, though. There was a small plaque explaining their presence, but you had to be patient. They didn't just show up. When they did finally appear, I started to yell, "Look! Look! There it is!" Luckily, there were only about six other people on that part of London Bridge, so I didn't look TOO foolish. The boys had fun looking, pointing, yelling, and then waiting some more.

I know the picture above doesn't do them justice. This was really something you had to see in person. If you don't live in London, sorry about that. If you do live in London, you've missed your chance because tonight was the last night. 

The sea creatures were magical. Sometimes you only saw a big head. Sometimes only a tail. Sometimes there would be long pauses between appearnces. But they were something to behold on a cold night in London. And in a city full of amazing sights, that's saying something.