Because I’m worth it

I moved out today. I am now an official tourist in my own city.

I can’t believe that I didn’t came up with this idea myself. But sleeping in my nearly empty flat (there are only boxes left now) without any lights, well suddenly that was just too much after a weekend of stair descending with heavy boxes (living on the 3rd floor gives you an excellent view, but man does it suck when you have to move).

I was able to compact and compress my life into 7 boxes. Yes you can applaud now, as I am just as amazed as you are. And three bags of clothes. Rather impressive. It’s all safely stored, and I am safely stored too.

I moved in in Cabinn this evening. I didn’t feel like sleeping on the floor. I wanted a tv (after 2 weeks without one) and I wanted a lamp to read my book (I love that book!). So I will sleep in this hotel the next 2 nights.

During packing I found a whole collection of different 20 kr. coins. And since I can’t really use those in London, I decided to take it a step further and ate at Pizza hut. As I have been running on 2 bowls of fruityoghurt this whole day, and I was extremely hungry at 19.30 when finally everything was in place. I normally hate to eat alone, but I was too tired to think about that this time. I ordered their buffet (unlimited pizza and salatbar – yay !) and felt my batteries recharging right away. The very best was (I first found out after I ordered – and such a great way to end this day) :
free
unlimited
softice
eating !

(Where you can make your own softice directly from the machine – I love that)

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO.

I ate a lot of softice – because I’m worth it.

(The only bad thing about this hotel – no BBC1 – I can’t tell you how annoying that is, especially this evening !!)

May the force …

I deserve a short break. I have just delivered 4 monster bags full of clothes to the Danish Red Cross, and the most amazing thing is that all my clothes now fit in three (rather big but still!) bags. One of them goes with me to London, the other two have to wait a bit.

One other extraordinary thing is that I just have ironed three of my shirts. It was probably the very first time I ironed something in at least 1.5 years. But I was thinking that it maybe was a good idea to take some nice clothes with me, to wear on jobinterviews (need to score some soon!). I don’t know how the Brits are in that matter, but better not taking the risk of showing up in my sneakers and a Hitchhikers t-shirt. I will show up in those after I have signed the contract. So I found my ironer and ironed them, and now they are nice again.

While ironing (which is a very relaxing task by the way) I suddenly realized where George Lucas got his Darth Vader inspiration from. As my (steam) ironer sounds exactly like Darth Vader. I even for a moment thought it was talking to me. But despite a dark postcard yesterday (but with a bright message) I have no plans to move over to The Dark Side.

May the force be with you ! And me, if possible, I need it in this hectic period.

2 more nights in Denmark, it’s coming scaringly close.

What do you do …

Love+Rock Postcard

I am participating in this game. Every day someone comes knocking at my door to get something from my flat. So my tv has been picked up, and the most of my lamps. So I am using my christmas lights (I feel it in my fingers …) again for a while, until I have to get rid of those too, which is tomorrow. They don’t give an enormous amount of light, but it sure is cosy. I might even dig up my Love Actually DVD and watch it. (Ofcourse that one is part of my first-three-months-in-London-survival-kit).

Radio ? Gone. Dinner table ? Gone. Comfortable sitting chair ? Not here anymore. Sofa ? Will be picked up tomorrow, so after that I have to sit on the floor. Now that isn’t all too bad, I know what I am doing it for. But there is one slight problem. Everything that I haven’t saved in other places will be picked up monday afternoon, and be sold for charity. One of those things is my bed, but I have to spent one more night in my flat monday night. Let’s see how creative I can be with some cardboard boxes and some leftover bubble plastic. Luckily the heater still works.

So what do you do … when more or less the only fun thing left is your computer. Well, you draw a postcard.

A Snif for Steff

Steffen Brandt - tv-2
Steffen Brandt – check his cool TinTin rocket on his keyboard …

I have been thinking about what I am really going to miss about Denmark. That list is very short actually, which is only convincing me that this is the right thing to do.

Here is the list:
tv-2 concerts.

Now I know that I will never be able to see them as much as I have. But I talked to them yesterday, and they promised to play London (Shepherds Bush) about once a year. So that’s a very good thing, and it makes it a bit more bearable.

But I can tell you that it was very tough to say goodbye. Goodbye’s are always tough.

And oh yes, it was an awesome concert of course.

Here is one brilliant Steffen quote more, to give you something to think about in the weekend:

It doesn’t always go as you hoped.
Sometimes it goes better!

How does it make me feel …

to go to my very last tv-2 concert tonight ?

Well it’s heartbreaking. And tonight I am not going to sell t-shirts, I will stand before the stage for a last time, and sing along with the songs I know so well. And listen to the lyrics that have been a big part of my daily life in Denmark. I am going to miss them enormously.

Yes dear readers, this would definetely have been a kleenex moment, if this had been a film.

I will try to force them to come to London not too long from now.

A one way ticket to …


It has been ordered, the ticket. For the 28th of February, ?rhus – London at 10.20 am from ?rhus with Ryanair.

A one way ticket.
Which is a weird feeling.
As if there is no turning back.
Which is good, because I don’t want to turn back.

Which direction I have to go, I have no idea yet.

But as always, Steffen has the answer:

jeg ved udm?rket godt hvilken vej vi skal tage
det er fremad, babe, uden at se os tilbage

(I know exactly which way we have to take
It’s straight ahead babe, without looking back)

The Girl In The Cafe travels on again

The Girl In The CafeThe Girl In The Cafe has now arrived at Woordenaar

Anne has seen the movie, and she wrote the following review:

Okay, I have to admit I wasn’t completely objective about this movie. Being a fan of BBC productions, accents, movies like’ Lost in Translation’ and… Bill. Add the enthusiasm of Ingrid and what do you get? High expectations! And I wasn’t disappointed. Not in the least.
I liked the movie, I liked Bill, the only man who gets away with 356 ‘erm’s’ in about 90 minutes.
The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that I wasn’t allowed to copy it.
So I watched it twice : Thanks Ingrid!

Anne

Anne rated the film with a 9 (out of 10).

If you would like to participate in The Girl In The Cafe on tour project, you can read about it here, and join. (It doesn’t matter where you live).

All it will cost you is a stamp to send the film to the next person, 2 hours to watch this beautiful film, and 15 minutes to write a review about it.

If you want to know where The Girl is, has been or will be going – check here.

Love can’t change
what’s wrong in the world.
But it’s a start.

Bugger!

“Hello Ingrid, this job you applied for, when can you start ?”
“Uhm well I am in Denmark this week, but will be back in London next Tuesday. I can start on Wednesday”

“Oh, that’s a pity ! I need someone from this week. But call me when you are back in London.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr …
“I will !”

Bugger ! This was very close. It was just an admin job, but I take any job I can get for start. So the hunt continues …
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Life ? Don’t talk to me about life.

The Making Of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy bookI am the first one to admit that it has been a tough week. But on the other hand, one can’t expect to have everything in place in a week either. I am not looking forward to return to Denmark at all, but I have to (I am all packed and ready to leave Woodgreen in 15 minutes from now). I know the upcoming week will, if possible, be even more hectic than this one. And in about a week and a day or two I will be back in London again, this time for a longer period. For a second attempt.
But I am slightly worried and my state of mind has been going up and down like a roller coaster, from deep down Marvin to sky high Humma Kuvula.

And what do girls do when they feel bad ? Exactly – they go shopping.

Read More

How to be embarrassing in London – part I

London
Piccadilly Circus

I’ll show you, in 5 simple steps:

Take the wrong side of the stairs all the time, and be a ghostwalker, annoying as many people as possible.
(I’m sorry I really try to remember it, but there is so much to remember)

Accidently follow 2 (theatregroup)guys all the way into the mens room (!) while thinking we were going to have a drink in the pub.
(misunderstanding is my last name – and nothing happened, except a lot of laughing about me, but hey, there are worse things – and we did end in the pub and had the drink anyway)

Come late on at least 2 appointments because the tube is fast, but not as fast as you think, and even though the tubemap is small, in real the distances are long, and travelling takes time.
(London is a big city – remember that !)

Londoners don’t wait for green light, they just walk over whenever they can. I’ve tried to be a wannabe Londoner several times, resulting in cars beginning to drive while I am on the exact middle of the crossing, resulting in some angry car horns telling me that I am not ready for this yet.
(OK, I got that now) (And if there weren’t any “Look Left” – “Look Right” marks on most crossings, I don’t know what might have happened.)

When paying something in cash, annoy the cashier and the people behind you in the queue by having to look closely at every type of coin to see what they are worth.
(Need to do some serious coin study soon).

But I do love London, and I hope soon London will love me too.

Mission accomplished

Chinatown
Chinatown, obviously

Yesterday I went to join the theatre group for the first time. It was nice to meet some new people. And it is going to be exiting to see what will come out of it. There certainly are some talented people in the group, and it is a very creative and inspiring group to be in. I just hope we drop the improvisation sessions soon, because I can’t be creative on command, I am just too shy for that. But otherwise we had a lot of fun, and it is probably a good network to have. And I got my first kiss, on the cheek, and not from Bill the cat. Some Brits really are gentlemen. In London you only get 2 though, not 3 like we do in Holland. All those rules to remember.

I took the day off today from my fulltime jobhunting schedule, which was nice. I haven’t seen anything in the city yet, I haven’t had the time. But there will be time the rest of the year, and the years to come, hopefully. I am back in The Cafe when writing this, for some lunch. This time I am sitting at The Table. Maybe that will bring some luck on the job front. Being here is very inspiring, and if I could be sitting here for a week, I would probably have written a complete book. But I will enjoy my lunch and The Cafe now before I’m ready to go out in London weather again : sunshine one second and rain the next. Very similar to my state of mind at the moment.

But you know the sunlight always shines
Behind the clouds on London skies

Good one Jamie, and very appropriate in more than one way.

The Romcom aspect of the whole story

Well now, don’t think that there isn’t anything happening on the romantic front. There is.
There has been love flowering by the counter for people with under 5 items.
And I actually already found a very nice Londoner. And he loves me, unconditionally. I am a bit overwhelmed by his attention, I am not used to all this anymore. He looks at me all the time with his deep dark brown eyes while I try to concentrate on writing job applications. He doesn’t leave my side, and better he wants to sit on my lap all the time.

We haven’t talked much yet, but we understand each other completely. Sometimes words are not necessary, especially not when we are talking unconditional love.

I don’t even know his name yet, but until I do, I just call him Bill.

Oh there he is, he just entered the room. So if you’ll excuse me, I have some loving to do.

Fun With Dick And Jane

The Odeon West End cinema, Leicester square, London
The Odeon West End cinema, Leicester square, London – fanatical about film (and so am I)

Exactly how romantic is it to eat at Burger King on Valentine’s Day. Well at least BK had the best Valentine’s Day slogan I have read today:

On the menu of life, you are the today’s special. And tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. etc.

Read More

To London

They picked up my tv yesterday, and my internetconnection decided to leave too. Which made it a very weird and silent evening. But no further excuses to not start packing, both boxes and my suitcase. And to throw out even more stuff. The fact that I have to carry it down myself all together, is a very good motivation for throwing things out.

This post is written from Aarhus Airport, where I am waiting for the flight to London, which is leaving in about an hour and a half from now. Hopefully without delay, because I need to be in Central London at 15.00, (UK time) for a very important meeting (the first one). I am very nervous, I didn’t sleep that well, I bite my nails, and I am tired already. I wonder how it all will go.

If I have time enough, I will try to go to the real Cafe (The Cafe) just before the meeting. If that can’t get me motivated and focused, I don’t know what can.

If you should be boring yourself at 16.00 (dutch time), send some positive vibes over, I’ll need them desperately at exactly that time, for an hour or so.

Now I need some breakfast.

The Girl In The Cafe travels on again

The Girl In The CafeThe Girl In The Cafe is soon leaving Noviolog and will travel on to the next participant in TGITC on tour project, which is Anne.

Noviolog has written about the film (in english) , you can read his review on his website.

If you would like to participate in The Girl In The Cafe on tour project, you can read about here, and join. (It doesn’t matter where you live).

All it will cost you is a stamp to send the film to the next person, 2 hours to watch this beautiful film, and 15 minutes to write a review about it.

Love can’t change
what’s wrong in the world.
But it’s a start.