I had someone interview me for a magazine article in the US. They had a lot of questions that people love to ask me, so I figured I would share my responses with you...
1. How long have you been with Best Buy?
I have been with BBY for 10 years.
2. What positions have you held throughout your employment?
I began as a part time video sales person at Store 7 in Roseville. I became FT sales and Video Sr. before I left that store. I moved out to New York and held the role of supervisor in multiple departments, was a sales manager for several years, and then became a General Manager in multiple stores, most recently Store 599, Brooklyn NY.
3. How long have you been working internationally?
Coming up on a year now, about ten months.
4. What is your current title and what city/country are you located?
My official title is General Manager Global Asignee (otherwise known as Expat GM). I am based in London, England.
5. Are you working in a corporate or retail setting?
For the last eight months I have been working in a corporate setting. Though my job is absolutely retail based, we are in the business creation/development stage of our work right now. We are creating what the stores will look and feel like; once that work is done, out in the stores I will be!
6. Describe your language skills (Are you fluent? Or have you picked up some key phrases?)
I thought I was pretty fluent in English......but turns out Queen's English has some substantial differences! I guess you can say I have picked up some key phrases (football is not the football we know; the lew, not the bathroom; the carpark, not the parking lot; etc).
7. Give an example of a “cultural learning” that surprised or delighted you.
I guess the most suprising things culturally have been around employment practices. I had no idea how very different their work culture is than ours. All employees are on contract here. If I employee you as a part time employee on a 20 hour a week contract, you get paid for 20 hours, even if I only have you work eight. There are also a lot of other things that we have to manage differently, whether it is the amount of holiday (vacation) employees get, the machinery employees can use (Big Joe is not really a possibility), and even the store hours (six hours of sales on Sunday is all the government allows). That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how different the employment practices are here.
8. Name some key differences between U.S. customers and the customers in the country where you’re working.
I truly believe the customers here are very similar to our US customers. The expect the same thing (though it seems they are often underserved). They have different habits of how they shop and when they shop, but as we have seen in many countries, the customer just want to get the service they need to buy the right product and get all that they can out of it. That is where we can thrive!
9. How about differences in employees across various countries?
They have a different accent and they dress a little more proper. Besides that, they are as smart, unique, and passionate as my US colleagues I have spent so much time with. From an operators perspective, the level of pure talent and business savvy of the employees here is both inspiring and exciting!
10. How is Best Buy perceived in the country where you’re working?
Though many Brits do travel to the US, there is surpisingly little knowledge of Best Buy. Of course, there are people who do know of us, and thankfully, I have yet to hear a bad thing. Those people are all really excited about our entrance into the market. For the people who don't know us, they are in for a pleasant surprise!
11. Name some things that you think Best Buy must do to be successful as an international retailer.
First and foremost, we have to stick to our roots. Our culture and values can not sway. Those are things that have made us the retailer we are, and those are also the things that our competitors really struggle to replicate. On top of that, we need to take what we can from our US experience. 85% of what we do in every country is the same. We need to go into the store and execute the fundamentals. That other 15% is also really important. The other 15% is country specific, dependant on culture and customs. We have to keep it fresh you know! On top of all of that, we have our mantra......never settle on talent....ever.
12. What one piece of advice would you give to an employee who wanted to work in another country?
In order to accel in the international work, you have to be a good teacher. Focus on being a master in your role. When it comes to developing your values and how you deliver the customer and employee experience, focus your energy on growing from "living" to "teaching". Go onto EGO and print up the anchors for values and experience develompent. Focus on those behaviors that can make you the best teacher you can be. That is the majority of our role internationally.
13. What are a few things you miss the most when you are working internationally?
The hardest part is missing your family and friends. I miss my dog the most. Beyond that, there are little things - my Sunday Ticket on DirecTV - summer weather - the beach - my car - those kind of things. Technology has really impacted international travel positively though. Things like Skype and Slingbox help us through a lot of the tough parts!
14. When you are traveling, what are a couple things you absolutely need to have stashed in your travel bag? Explain why.
Good headphones - this is the key to happiness - whether you are watching a movie on the plane or listening to music on the IPOD, you have to have good headphones. Have you ever tried using the plane or Apple issued headphones for more than two hours? You might as well punch yourself in the ear.....it would feel the same. I alternate between Bose and Shure....depending on my mood!
Your boredom buster (mine is Word Search books) -Find something that you can lose yourself in for hours at a time. For some reason, I can do word searches for hours. Some people have crosswords, some people sudoku, some people read. Find whatever allows you to time travel.
Work permit/visa - Don't just assume because your passport has a whole page dedicated to a visa that their government gave you that you are all set. They still expect you to show more at immigration! When you are just arriving after a red-eye, somewhat incoherant, and don't have the particular paperwork they are looking for, they love to have a good time with you!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Golfed.....finally!
I write this blog in an attempt to take my focus away from the golf going on on TV right now. I don't watch a lot on TV, but I love to watch golf, so it is nice that I get all of the PGA tournaments live! For those of you who do not know, I am a die hard Tiger Woods fan. Tiger is leading right now and I needed something to do to take the edge off. So, why not write?
Last weekend, Liz and I got out and about. Our big event of the weekend was a beautiful Sunday at Hyde Park in central London. We woke up on Sunday and it was perfect outside.....
TIGER!!! Why do you do this to me? 16th hole? With the lead.....bogey?? Anyways...
It was about 80 degrees outside that day and we decided we better take advantage of the weather. We jumped on the tube and spent the entire afternoon walking around the park. It is a monster park, complete with a castle, a lake, a river, and a partridge in a pear tree. It was a really nice day.
On Friday of this last week, I took my first attempt at golfing in the UK. A group of us went up to Wales early Friday morning for a round at a course called St. Pierre.
St. Pierre has two courses, one of which is the Championship course. It held some big European events back in it's heyday. Guys like Seve and Norman have won there in the past. We played that course in the morning, all 7000 yards of it. It was a bit rough, but it was a great time! The signature hole is the 240 yard par 3 18th hole. Real nice to deal with that junk at the end of a round! I didn't win our little tournament, but I wasn't the worst either. I'll take it!
A few of us stayed the afternoon and played the other course. It was shorter, so I fared quite a bit better for me. Unfortunately, the Welsh weather took over and it started pouring. We gave up after waiting for a half an hour. Of course, an hour later the weather all changed, so we went back out and finished. I stayed overnight that night to play again in the morning. But, when I woke up, it was quite obvious the weather definitely wasn't having it. Back to London it was, not more golf for me.
The weather has been rough the rest of the weekend, so nothing else very important to report.
We did head out and see the Star Trek movie today. I am no Star Trek fan.....not even much of a sci-fi fan, but the movie was awesome!
Talk soon!
Last weekend, Liz and I got out and about. Our big event of the weekend was a beautiful Sunday at Hyde Park in central London. We woke up on Sunday and it was perfect outside.....
TIGER!!! Why do you do this to me? 16th hole? With the lead.....bogey?? Anyways...
It was about 80 degrees outside that day and we decided we better take advantage of the weather. We jumped on the tube and spent the entire afternoon walking around the park. It is a monster park, complete with a castle, a lake, a river, and a partridge in a pear tree. It was a really nice day.
On Friday of this last week, I took my first attempt at golfing in the UK. A group of us went up to Wales early Friday morning for a round at a course called St. Pierre.
St. Pierre has two courses, one of which is the Championship course. It held some big European events back in it's heyday. Guys like Seve and Norman have won there in the past. We played that course in the morning, all 7000 yards of it. It was a bit rough, but it was a great time! The signature hole is the 240 yard par 3 18th hole. Real nice to deal with that junk at the end of a round! I didn't win our little tournament, but I wasn't the worst either. I'll take it!
A few of us stayed the afternoon and played the other course. It was shorter, so I fared quite a bit better for me. Unfortunately, the Welsh weather took over and it started pouring. We gave up after waiting for a half an hour. Of course, an hour later the weather all changed, so we went back out and finished. I stayed overnight that night to play again in the morning. But, when I woke up, it was quite obvious the weather definitely wasn't having it. Back to London it was, not more golf for me.
The weather has been rough the rest of the weekend, so nothing else very important to report.
We did head out and see the Star Trek movie today. I am no Star Trek fan.....not even much of a sci-fi fan, but the movie was awesome!
Talk soon!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Hello.......again........
I have no excuses. It has been far too long since I updated this blog, I am well aware. The fact of the matter is: it is really hard to find motivation to write about stuff that already happened to you! I suppose if I was getting paid, it would be a bit easier. Even then, I struggle to understand how people do it!
Anyways, during my last trip home to the US (beginning of June), there were several people who made clear their dis-satisfaction with my blog writing frequency. I guess it is easy for me to forget that there are actually people who enjoy reading about my happenings. For that reason, I am back! I will not promise to write every day or every week, but I will promise that when we do something worth writing about, you will be the first to know.
So, what has happened in the last two months you ask?
I will not go into much about work. We have been deep in the business creation process and will continue to be for the next few months. We are still on schedule to open sometime early next year. When we do, I will tell you all about it.
Liz and I did go back to NY in the end of April. She went back a couple weeks before me to take care of some things. There were not really many points of the trip. The main reason for the trip originally was to bring Nigel to the UK. Add that to a little time to relax and a little time to play golf, sounds like a recipe for success!
We did have some time in NY to relax, which was great. It was Liz's birthday while we were there, so we got to go to one of our old favorite restaurants for that. For those of you who live in NY, Prime in Huntington is worth every penny every time!
The golf was a bit of a challenge. I have heard my entire life how bad the weather is in London. Everybody thinks that it rains all of the time. Frankly, I have been here for the last five months and the weather has been, at most times, great. Anyway, I fly to NY right at the beginning of May, usually one of the nicest times of year, to play golf. What happens when I get there? The weather is cold and rainy for the better part of my trip - of course. The last couple days I was there were nice, so of course I made the best of it. I also got a chance to make a trip up to Boston one night and see a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Being a lifelong fan of baseball, that was a real treat. It was as great as I expected it would be. The Red Sox lost - I was really sad about that.....oh yeah.
The Nigel situation also got a bit more complicated. Like I said before, our initial reason for going home was to bring Nigel back to the UK. So, got an apartment that is dog friendly, got a dog who has passed the six month UK pet process, and we have a flight. All sounds good until the vet puts the big ka-bash on the situation. Nigel is working through some medical issues and the doctor did not recommend the long, stressful flight. No major problems - have no fear, the Nigel Christmas card will be back with a fury for years to come! We just had to realize that he wasn't a young man anymore. That combined with the caution from the vet, we decided it would be best for him to stay in NY....at least for now. It is unfortunate, but it is for the best. Before we left, we hooked him up with a new fence at his Grandma's house. Now, at least he can be let out and roam around on his own. In the past, he has had to be on a leash outside every time. I have heard he has been having fun chasing rabbits, so he sounds happy with the situation.
That was about it for the trip back to the US. Well, it was all good until the day before I had to leave. I tried to check into my flight and soon realized that due to a misunderstanding on my part, my entire flight had been cancelled. I will spare you the story, but let's just say, it was a really expensive lesson!
We have been back for a couple of weeks. Last weekend was actually a government holiday weekend here, just like Memorial Day in the US. So, being that I am working in the office, I had a three day weekend. We decided we would make use out of the long weekend and we took off to explore one of the sites that the UK has to offer. We went to a place called Bath.
The trip to Bath was great. We took off early on Saturday morning on the train (about 1.5 hours away) and stayed through Monday afternoon. Bath is a gem in the middle of the country. It is touristy, but it is worth it. It is called Bath because there is a 2000 year old Roman Bathhouse there. There are hotsprings that the Roman's built the bath around and it is all still there. The whole complex was quite amazing.....real history. There is also a huge church there called Bath Abbey which was really cool too. Liz had fun taking pictures. I will update the slideshow soon. Along with the history, bath is a place full of great shops and restaurants. Bath also happened to be a short hour away from Stonehenge. We took an afternoon and saw that too. It was actually pretty amazing, especially since it was to basic. It was cool! It was really a great way to spend the weekend!
That is what has been happening here. I will be in Philadelphia at the end of June for a week for work, for those who are tracking my travels!
Look forward to keeping you all in the loop again!
Scott
Anyways, during my last trip home to the US (beginning of June), there were several people who made clear their dis-satisfaction with my blog writing frequency. I guess it is easy for me to forget that there are actually people who enjoy reading about my happenings. For that reason, I am back! I will not promise to write every day or every week, but I will promise that when we do something worth writing about, you will be the first to know.
So, what has happened in the last two months you ask?
I will not go into much about work. We have been deep in the business creation process and will continue to be for the next few months. We are still on schedule to open sometime early next year. When we do, I will tell you all about it.
Liz and I did go back to NY in the end of April. She went back a couple weeks before me to take care of some things. There were not really many points of the trip. The main reason for the trip originally was to bring Nigel to the UK. Add that to a little time to relax and a little time to play golf, sounds like a recipe for success!
We did have some time in NY to relax, which was great. It was Liz's birthday while we were there, so we got to go to one of our old favorite restaurants for that. For those of you who live in NY, Prime in Huntington is worth every penny every time!
The golf was a bit of a challenge. I have heard my entire life how bad the weather is in London. Everybody thinks that it rains all of the time. Frankly, I have been here for the last five months and the weather has been, at most times, great. Anyway, I fly to NY right at the beginning of May, usually one of the nicest times of year, to play golf. What happens when I get there? The weather is cold and rainy for the better part of my trip - of course. The last couple days I was there were nice, so of course I made the best of it. I also got a chance to make a trip up to Boston one night and see a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Being a lifelong fan of baseball, that was a real treat. It was as great as I expected it would be. The Red Sox lost - I was really sad about that.....oh yeah.
The Nigel situation also got a bit more complicated. Like I said before, our initial reason for going home was to bring Nigel back to the UK. So, got an apartment that is dog friendly, got a dog who has passed the six month UK pet process, and we have a flight. All sounds good until the vet puts the big ka-bash on the situation. Nigel is working through some medical issues and the doctor did not recommend the long, stressful flight. No major problems - have no fear, the Nigel Christmas card will be back with a fury for years to come! We just had to realize that he wasn't a young man anymore. That combined with the caution from the vet, we decided it would be best for him to stay in NY....at least for now. It is unfortunate, but it is for the best. Before we left, we hooked him up with a new fence at his Grandma's house. Now, at least he can be let out and roam around on his own. In the past, he has had to be on a leash outside every time. I have heard he has been having fun chasing rabbits, so he sounds happy with the situation.
That was about it for the trip back to the US. Well, it was all good until the day before I had to leave. I tried to check into my flight and soon realized that due to a misunderstanding on my part, my entire flight had been cancelled. I will spare you the story, but let's just say, it was a really expensive lesson!
We have been back for a couple of weeks. Last weekend was actually a government holiday weekend here, just like Memorial Day in the US. So, being that I am working in the office, I had a three day weekend. We decided we would make use out of the long weekend and we took off to explore one of the sites that the UK has to offer. We went to a place called Bath.
The trip to Bath was great. We took off early on Saturday morning on the train (about 1.5 hours away) and stayed through Monday afternoon. Bath is a gem in the middle of the country. It is touristy, but it is worth it. It is called Bath because there is a 2000 year old Roman Bathhouse there. There are hotsprings that the Roman's built the bath around and it is all still there. The whole complex was quite amazing.....real history. There is also a huge church there called Bath Abbey which was really cool too. Liz had fun taking pictures. I will update the slideshow soon. Along with the history, bath is a place full of great shops and restaurants. Bath also happened to be a short hour away from Stonehenge. We took an afternoon and saw that too. It was actually pretty amazing, especially since it was to basic. It was cool! It was really a great way to spend the weekend!
That is what has been happening here. I will be in Philadelphia at the end of June for a week for work, for those who are tracking my travels!
Look forward to keeping you all in the loop again!
Scott
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Has It Been Two Weeks??
I guess it has been a while again.
Not a lot has been going on over the last couple of weeks. Work has been really busy and time has been flying by. It is amazing that I have been here for over three months already! Before we know it, a year will have gone by at this rate.
The job has been going well. I am learning a whole new side of the business that will help me immensely in the future. I am still trying to cope with the Monday through Friday deal and waking up early every morning. It is quite interesting trying to be functional at eight in the morning. I know that sounds pretty bad, but remember, I have spent the last 1o years working late into the night! I have managed to get into it though. Soon enough I will be back on the road working the late nights!
As for home, Liz and I have been settling in really well! Her initial time here has passed now so there is a bit of normalcy setting in, which is good for the both of us.
We had a blast last Saturday when we went and saw Metallica live at the O2 Arena. For those who don't know, Liz and I are both huge and long standing Metallica fans (it's a classic rock band for those of you sadly out of touch!). Getting the opportunity to see them in Europe was definitely a memorable moment! The venue is awesome, truly world class! I look forward to seeing some more bands there in the future. Our next big scheduled concert to see is in August - U2 live at Wembley Stadium - yet another world class act at a world class venue! Should be great!
This weekend was another solid one.
We went out with some friends last night to a rock club. It was one of those cool clubs that are half bar, half live music; full of wanna-be rock bands. You just have to remember that this is where all bands start. So, when the first band you see has the youngest member clocking in at about 55, you have to move on swiftly. Then, when the second band comes in and they lead singer starts by reading lines off of a piece of paper, you hope for the best. Once you make it through those painful moments, there should be some quality music, which we ultimately did see last night.
Today we went to the final English shopping haven, Selfridges and Company. It is just like Herrods.....but less touristy.....where people actually shop for this expensive stuff. It was quite impressive! You can buy a bulletproof car there (if that's what your into). We also walked past a $15000 cell phone; excess is the best. It was all good though. It was a hell of a store!
That is about it for now. Easter weekend is coming next weekend. Government says we get four days off, so we shall see what that brings. Maybe we will go out about somewhere....then you will get some fresh reading!
Take care!
Oh yeah....
How could I forget....Tiger taking care of business last weekend was outstanding! He is the man, the myth, the legend! I am STOKED to watch the Masters this weekend! There would be nothing better than a Tiger victory!
What happened to UConn Lou?
Not a lot has been going on over the last couple of weeks. Work has been really busy and time has been flying by. It is amazing that I have been here for over three months already! Before we know it, a year will have gone by at this rate.
The job has been going well. I am learning a whole new side of the business that will help me immensely in the future. I am still trying to cope with the Monday through Friday deal and waking up early every morning. It is quite interesting trying to be functional at eight in the morning. I know that sounds pretty bad, but remember, I have spent the last 1o years working late into the night! I have managed to get into it though. Soon enough I will be back on the road working the late nights!
As for home, Liz and I have been settling in really well! Her initial time here has passed now so there is a bit of normalcy setting in, which is good for the both of us.
We had a blast last Saturday when we went and saw Metallica live at the O2 Arena. For those who don't know, Liz and I are both huge and long standing Metallica fans (it's a classic rock band for those of you sadly out of touch!). Getting the opportunity to see them in Europe was definitely a memorable moment! The venue is awesome, truly world class! I look forward to seeing some more bands there in the future. Our next big scheduled concert to see is in August - U2 live at Wembley Stadium - yet another world class act at a world class venue! Should be great!
This weekend was another solid one.
We went out with some friends last night to a rock club. It was one of those cool clubs that are half bar, half live music; full of wanna-be rock bands. You just have to remember that this is where all bands start. So, when the first band you see has the youngest member clocking in at about 55, you have to move on swiftly. Then, when the second band comes in and they lead singer starts by reading lines off of a piece of paper, you hope for the best. Once you make it through those painful moments, there should be some quality music, which we ultimately did see last night.
Today we went to the final English shopping haven, Selfridges and Company. It is just like Herrods.....but less touristy.....where people actually shop for this expensive stuff. It was quite impressive! You can buy a bulletproof car there (if that's what your into). We also walked past a $15000 cell phone; excess is the best. It was all good though. It was a hell of a store!
That is about it for now. Easter weekend is coming next weekend. Government says we get four days off, so we shall see what that brings. Maybe we will go out about somewhere....then you will get some fresh reading!
Take care!
Oh yeah....
How could I forget....Tiger taking care of business last weekend was outstanding! He is the man, the myth, the legend! I am STOKED to watch the Masters this weekend! There would be nothing better than a Tiger victory!
What happened to UConn Lou?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
I know that I said I would be writing in the blog more often! Blame Liz (for no particular reason, just don't blame me). Really, I was just quite busy at work this week. I had no motivation to come home and write; and, there was really not that much interesting going on!
Things are settling in here. Liz and I have managed to transition nicely into the London way of life. Convenience has really enabled us to live the way we want to. Three minutes walking from our front door is mostly everything we need, specifically a full grocery store and a full gym. Because of the convenience, Liz and I have been able to switch from our New Yorkish way of life (having to drive everywhere and eating out four nights a week) to a new chapter. We have both been going to the gym regularly and last week we ate at home every night! It is amazing what you can do when you have a nice new full kitchen and a grocery store around the corner! I know what you are all thinking: I didn't realize Liz was a master chef? Well, she is not, and never claimed to be! But, she did take it upon herself to cook alone one night which came out great. The other nights we are making it a team effort. It's a good way to spend some time!
Beyond that, life has been pretty normal here. I know, you all expect my London experience to be outrageous every day. Well, the fact of the matter is that I am here to work, and that takes up most of my time. The work and the people were all new and different a couple of months ago. Now, I have settled and am used to the work and the accents. Now it is about spending my time working hard, getting ready to open this beast of a company!
One big point of note should be that I have officially chosen my English Football team to support. After two months of understanding, researching, and lobbying from current team supporters, I have chosen to stick with the team that I have been loyal to for the last ten years. The winner, Arsenal. That is going to be all I say about that for now. There were many deciding factors that went into this decision that I will go into at length if requested, but not right now. If I do, I will get a bunch of crazy American ranters about how soccer is not a sport and this and that. I can fight that battle one on one! HAHA!
I also wanted to congratulate Ireland on winning the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament! Not that I care, I just find it my duty to inform all of my readers. It is a big deal here - and absolutely no deal in the US. If anything, I thought I would give my "Irish-American" readers something to celebrate (Irish celebration = getting excessively drunk and starting fist fights with their siblings and/or parents). So, enjoy.
That is about all for now. It is about 9:00 on Sunday AM and Liz and I are off to explore this old city. It is the seventh straight day of sun and mid 50's and we are going to take advantage of it! We are off to hit one on London's famous street markets and then we shall see. Maybe the Thames, maybe a museum. I am going to get all the culture I can handle! An maybe, just maybe, there may be some fresh pictures for all of you to peruse......
Take care!
Things are settling in here. Liz and I have managed to transition nicely into the London way of life. Convenience has really enabled us to live the way we want to. Three minutes walking from our front door is mostly everything we need, specifically a full grocery store and a full gym. Because of the convenience, Liz and I have been able to switch from our New Yorkish way of life (having to drive everywhere and eating out four nights a week) to a new chapter. We have both been going to the gym regularly and last week we ate at home every night! It is amazing what you can do when you have a nice new full kitchen and a grocery store around the corner! I know what you are all thinking: I didn't realize Liz was a master chef? Well, she is not, and never claimed to be! But, she did take it upon herself to cook alone one night which came out great. The other nights we are making it a team effort. It's a good way to spend some time!
Beyond that, life has been pretty normal here. I know, you all expect my London experience to be outrageous every day. Well, the fact of the matter is that I am here to work, and that takes up most of my time. The work and the people were all new and different a couple of months ago. Now, I have settled and am used to the work and the accents. Now it is about spending my time working hard, getting ready to open this beast of a company!
One big point of note should be that I have officially chosen my English Football team to support. After two months of understanding, researching, and lobbying from current team supporters, I have chosen to stick with the team that I have been loyal to for the last ten years. The winner, Arsenal. That is going to be all I say about that for now. There were many deciding factors that went into this decision that I will go into at length if requested, but not right now. If I do, I will get a bunch of crazy American ranters about how soccer is not a sport and this and that. I can fight that battle one on one! HAHA!
I also wanted to congratulate Ireland on winning the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament! Not that I care, I just find it my duty to inform all of my readers. It is a big deal here - and absolutely no deal in the US. If anything, I thought I would give my "Irish-American" readers something to celebrate (Irish celebration = getting excessively drunk and starting fist fights with their siblings and/or parents). So, enjoy.
That is about all for now. It is about 9:00 on Sunday AM and Liz and I are off to explore this old city. It is the seventh straight day of sun and mid 50's and we are going to take advantage of it! We are off to hit one on London's famous street markets and then we shall see. Maybe the Thames, maybe a museum. I am going to get all the culture I can handle! An maybe, just maybe, there may be some fresh pictures for all of you to peruse......
Take care!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Harrods is the Name
Today was the day.
Liz got her opportunity to go to shopping heaven, the one and only Harrods.
For those of you who have never had the pleasure, it is the world's most famous store in the heart of Central London. It is the biggest, most ridiculous store I have ever been to (it takes up an entire city block). Though it was a bit ridiculous, I must admit that it was quite impressive.
You can apparently buy anything at this place. Of course, the highest of high fashion is there. What I did not realize is that Harrods carries excessive amounts of everything from chandeliers to huge rugs to paintings. There is something to be said of walking past a little glass statue that has a price tag of 12,000 pounds; or a stack of massive rugs each of which has a 20,000 pound price tag. The final straw for me was the "pet kingdom". It is an entire section of the store dedicated to excessively priced pet goods and accessories. I did see the cutest miniature couch and chaise lounge though!
Being that I get paid like a normal human, we did not but anything on this trip. But, if you know anyone who is looking for a Swarovski Crystal Foosball table, I know a place.....just 20,000 pounds - including tax.
Beyond that, not much new going on here.
I did go bowling last week with some people from work. Remarkably, bowling is the same here as it is anywhere else! The thing that stood out for me most was the excessivness of the warnings pasted all over the bowling alley. For some reason, there was a sign above every other lane saying "caution, slippery floor". That was strange enough. Then I realized that there was a sticker next to the foul line of each lane offering more caution. Until bowling in the UK, I had no idea how dangerous bowling could be! Being from Wisconsin, where drunk people and bowling are two state past-times, I have never seen a bowling injury due to "slippage". I think that is why it is so unusual!
I know you are all wondering - did you represent the good old USA? Of course I did. I did bowl quite well while beating everyone else. I should note that British people don't bowl well!
That is all for now. Got some good stuff happening tomorrow. Not sure what yet but I will let you know.
In closing, it is important to give a shout-out to the Holecz/Luciani/Cerniglia tribe for adding a healthy set of twins! Welcome to Emma and Grace! Congrats all!
SG
Liz got her opportunity to go to shopping heaven, the one and only Harrods.
For those of you who have never had the pleasure, it is the world's most famous store in the heart of Central London. It is the biggest, most ridiculous store I have ever been to (it takes up an entire city block). Though it was a bit ridiculous, I must admit that it was quite impressive.
You can apparently buy anything at this place. Of course, the highest of high fashion is there. What I did not realize is that Harrods carries excessive amounts of everything from chandeliers to huge rugs to paintings. There is something to be said of walking past a little glass statue that has a price tag of 12,000 pounds; or a stack of massive rugs each of which has a 20,000 pound price tag. The final straw for me was the "pet kingdom". It is an entire section of the store dedicated to excessively priced pet goods and accessories. I did see the cutest miniature couch and chaise lounge though!
Being that I get paid like a normal human, we did not but anything on this trip. But, if you know anyone who is looking for a Swarovski Crystal Foosball table, I know a place.....just 20,000 pounds - including tax.
Beyond that, not much new going on here.
I did go bowling last week with some people from work. Remarkably, bowling is the same here as it is anywhere else! The thing that stood out for me most was the excessivness of the warnings pasted all over the bowling alley. For some reason, there was a sign above every other lane saying "caution, slippery floor". That was strange enough. Then I realized that there was a sticker next to the foul line of each lane offering more caution. Until bowling in the UK, I had no idea how dangerous bowling could be! Being from Wisconsin, where drunk people and bowling are two state past-times, I have never seen a bowling injury due to "slippage". I think that is why it is so unusual!
I know you are all wondering - did you represent the good old USA? Of course I did. I did bowl quite well while beating everyone else. I should note that British people don't bowl well!
That is all for now. Got some good stuff happening tomorrow. Not sure what yet but I will let you know.
In closing, it is important to give a shout-out to the Holecz/Luciani/Cerniglia tribe for adding a healthy set of twins! Welcome to Emma and Grace! Congrats all!
SG
Sunday, March 8, 2009
WELCOME TO THE UK LIZ!!!
Sorry I have not written for so long. Apparently time moves much faster in the UK because it feels like I just wrote last week! But, I must admit that my mind has been elsewhere. My mind has been focused on my lovely wife finally arriving in the UK....and now she has!
I picked Liz up at the airport on Thursday night. Her flight was all good, and even on time. She has an interesting story about a crazy man on her flight who was checking out all of the exit doors and being overly mysterious, but that is a story for her to tell!
Once we got home we celebrated her arrival (finally) with some champagne and a trip to the proper pub down the road. I mean, what would you expect? I am some kind of hopeless romantic.....hahahahahaha!~
We spent a the last couple of days settling in together.
Friday was all about showing Liz around Ealing (our town). I had to give her the lay of the land and show her what was what. I showed her around and we ended up at another local proper pub for lunch....a great place! I assure any of you who end up visiting, you will end up here. Great atmosphere, great beer, great food (excellent foie gras for all you liver enthusiasts)!
On Saturday, we had a combination tour of London. We started in Central London trying to find a particular store that carries all kinds of stuff for the house. We were unsuccessful, but of course I had a backup plan....
We ended up at the biggest, newest, nicest mall in London (which just happens to be five tube stops from our house). I think I satisfied all of Liz's mall demands....being that it as an absolute world class mall! Frankly, I don't think that I have ever been to a nicer mall. We stopped and enjoyed one of the mall's finer offerings, a champagne bar in the middle of the mall. It was a really unique offering that was packed. Based on the prices they charged, that business is doing just fine! Either way, it was a great stop - especially Liz who loves champagne. We ended the day off with some quality Greek food!
Today's plan was to hit Oxford Circus in the heart of Central London. For those of you who do not know, this is the absolute shopping and fashion capital of the UK. Not much my cup of tea, but there is someone in my family who likes it....
We made it but unfortunately half-way through our day, it started pouring. Hmmm. London, rain, what??? Yeah, it was supposed to be nice all day, but is stormed, and we were in the middle of it. We ended up getting soaked and ended up ending our day early. It was all good though because it gave me a chance to get home and cook a nice dinner.
Life is all good now. For the first time in five months, Liz and I are together in a somewhat usual situation! It might be unusual right now, but eventually, this will be normal. I am a very happy man!
I promise more regular updates going forward! If you don't get them, it is Liz's fault!
I picked Liz up at the airport on Thursday night. Her flight was all good, and even on time. She has an interesting story about a crazy man on her flight who was checking out all of the exit doors and being overly mysterious, but that is a story for her to tell!
Once we got home we celebrated her arrival (finally) with some champagne and a trip to the proper pub down the road. I mean, what would you expect? I am some kind of hopeless romantic.....hahahahahaha!~
We spent a the last couple of days settling in together.
Friday was all about showing Liz around Ealing (our town). I had to give her the lay of the land and show her what was what. I showed her around and we ended up at another local proper pub for lunch....a great place! I assure any of you who end up visiting, you will end up here. Great atmosphere, great beer, great food (excellent foie gras for all you liver enthusiasts)!
On Saturday, we had a combination tour of London. We started in Central London trying to find a particular store that carries all kinds of stuff for the house. We were unsuccessful, but of course I had a backup plan....
We ended up at the biggest, newest, nicest mall in London (which just happens to be five tube stops from our house). I think I satisfied all of Liz's mall demands....being that it as an absolute world class mall! Frankly, I don't think that I have ever been to a nicer mall. We stopped and enjoyed one of the mall's finer offerings, a champagne bar in the middle of the mall. It was a really unique offering that was packed. Based on the prices they charged, that business is doing just fine! Either way, it was a great stop - especially Liz who loves champagne. We ended the day off with some quality Greek food!
Today's plan was to hit Oxford Circus in the heart of Central London. For those of you who do not know, this is the absolute shopping and fashion capital of the UK. Not much my cup of tea, but there is someone in my family who likes it....
We made it but unfortunately half-way through our day, it started pouring. Hmmm. London, rain, what??? Yeah, it was supposed to be nice all day, but is stormed, and we were in the middle of it. We ended up getting soaked and ended up ending our day early. It was all good though because it gave me a chance to get home and cook a nice dinner.
Life is all good now. For the first time in five months, Liz and I are together in a somewhat usual situation! It might be unusual right now, but eventually, this will be normal. I am a very happy man!
I promise more regular updates going forward! If you don't get them, it is Liz's fault!
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