The Score So Far (Health & Fitness)

[_Jersey Girl]

[quote="Dr. Shades":3acref60][quote="Jersey Girl":3acref60]I wasn't trying to keep anyone in anything. My mood tanked to ____ after reading TFB.[/quote:3acref60]
"TFB" = ?[/quote:3acref60]

This damned board. Sorry, Shades. It has nothing to do with you personally. Some stuff around here was bringing me down and I didn't feel like posting about my trip on this thread.

[_Lemmie]

[quote="Dr. Shades":1oj7638p][quote="Jersey Girl":1oj7638p]I wasn't trying to keep anyone in anything. My mood tanked to ____ after reading TFB.[/quote:1oj7638p]
"TFB" = ?[/quote:1oj7638p]
[quote="Jersey Girl":1oj7638p]
This damned board. Sorry, Shades. It has nothing to do with you personally. Some stuff around here was bringing me down and I didn't feel like posting about my trip on this thread.[/quote:1oj7638p]
When you're ready, I'm sure TSS* of TFB will be eager to hear how your trip went.

*TSS = The Supportive Side

[_Dr. Shades]

"TFB" = ?

This ____ board.

Is that a commonly-accepted acronym, or did you make it up? If the latter, was I the only one who didn't know it?

[_Jersey Girl]

I made it up on the fly because I didn't want to spell it out and thought that Cam could read between the lines as it were since he's familiar with my language usage.

Can we stop dwelling on this now please?

[_Dr. Shades]

I made it up on the fly because I didn't want to spell it out and thought that Cam could read between the lines as it were since he's familiar with my language usage.

DoctorCamNC4Me, did you know what the acronym "TFB" meant when you saw it?

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Of course. Plain as day.

- Doc

[_Jersey Girl]

Of course. Plain as day.

- Doc

JHC!

[_Jersey Girl]

I made it up on the fly because I didn't want to spell it out and thought that Cam could read between the lines as it were since he's familiar with my language usage.

DoctorCamNC4Me, did you know what the acronym "TFB" meant when you saw it?

How is it that after all these years you cannot discern my meaning in a post where I used a short hand version of a phrase in context? The F alone was a tip off that one of the words was the F word or one of it's variants.

Are you trolling my precious little positive light producing thread? I hope not.

We'll have to stage an intervention. In keeping with the supportive tone and spirit of the thread, of course.

[_Jersey Girl]

As usual, a little back and forth with Shades has lifted my spirits. People might wonder why I mess with him.

He makes me happy. Simple as that.

I press on!

[_Jersey Girl]

The UK was a total BLAST! I'll start at the beginning and try not to bore the teeming masses too much with a report. I aim to tell you what we did and also supply practical information in case anyone is thinking of visiting the UK for the first time. I'll put the price tag at the end of however many posts I make.

I'll start stateside. I flew out a few days ahead to adjust to the 2 hour time change and basically hang out.

We departed Newark International Airport (Shades, that's Newark International Airport) the evening of Sept 25th on (god forbid) United. I haven't been through the United terminal there in perhaps 4 years, mainly because I despised it every single time I went through the meat grinder that was the United TSA. Always felt like I was going to be either verbally abused or shoved around physically--I've been both. This of course is somewhat understandable given 9/11 but there's no reason to act like mongrels to patrons of the airport. American and Southwest TSA staff manage to act welcoming towards guests, what the hell is wrong with the power grabbing customer and animal abusing monopoly that is United, right?

Everything has changed! TSA was unusually congenial and accommodating to the point where I questioned whether or not we were actually in the United terminal in actual Newark in actual Jersey. The terminal itself has been completely overhauled. It's fully updated with self serve check out food places. The whole place had a light and airy, relaxed feel to it, plenty of seating areas and charging stations. Game things--terminals?--on the tables for players I guess. Healthy food choices and fresh food everywhere with not a McDonald's in sight! (McDonald's used to be the food court focal point of the United terminal.)


We flew out on a red eye. My sis wanted to be able to sleep overnight and I met her request when I made all the arrangements. The only thing is that I have *never* been known to sleep on a red eye and this was no different. I might have slept a couple of hours if any at all. Also she was drugged, where I wasn't so there's that, too. The plane was equipped with a whole charging station, movies, audio thing, one part of which showed the flight progress including air speed (560 mph for the duration)--I'm fully fascinated by such things so I kept checking in with it from time to time. For those of you who like my sis want to fly over the pond but are afraid of flying over the pond itself, nope, they do it just like they always did. They head north and follow the coast of North America up over to Iceland or what have you, and so you're never far from land--so just go do it.

The approach into Heathrow at 9 a.m.-ish was AH-mazing! We flew south to north right over the Thames, I have video of the whole entire approach with all the well known landmarks visible on it including Buckingham Palace!

Heathrow. As I mentioned earlier, I had help from two posters here planning this trip and sorting through issues. I was warned that once at Heathrow there would be a lot of walking and holy hell they weren't over stating it! You get off the plane and follow corridor after corridor and all there really IS in the corridors are huge posters of folks (often dressed in Royal garb) welcoming you to the UK--also restrooms. It's almost as if it follows the course where otherwise a tram or airport train would be in our US airports. We were so extremely tired by then (sleep or no sleep, the travel day wipes you out) but like two good Jersey Girl's we trucked on when as if on cue, the heaven's opened wide and an angel from God driving one of those airport transport golf cart things came up behind us and offered us a lift with his other passengers and so of course we gratefully took it! He took us zooming through the corridor and into cargo type elevators to passport check in (they stamp your passport and scan it because now you're just a bar code) and zoomed us over to baggage.


Finally made our way to get two round trip (get round trip--it's good for a month) tickets for the Heathrow Express train which is 15 minutes non-stop into Paddington Station in London. On the platform the HE runs every 10-15 minutes I believe so you'll only wait a few minutes before the next one is already loading and oh yes, "mind the gap"! The gap is the gap between the platform the actual train, you have to lug your baggage over it but we did it, so can you. The train was pristeen and simply gorgeous. Free wifi, smooth ride. No sweat, it felt like luxury after the long flight!


Paddington Station. The station has all manner of food places in it. If you're somehow starving, you have a chance to pick up food. This is where we stopped at the ATM to get more pounds then made our way out to the street to get a cab to the hotel. Inside and outside on the street, we were approached by non-state cabbies basically whoring themselves out like appliance sales people in Sears. We told each one that we'd already arranged for a ride. Lied a little, but got them off our backs. I had my heart set on a London Black Cab and we got it. It was so fun waiting for the cab (I have simple tastes, it doesn't take much for me to think something is fun) watching folks being directed into the queue for a cab and when it was our turn the man said "The lady is next". :-)

The Black Cab was just like I thought it would be. Immaculately kept and comfortable. Driver dressed neatly and professional. I was so freaking tired by then but still felt like I was going in style. Just how I wanted it to be! I loved it! You pay with a CC (Credit card-Shades) and I do think there was a tip involved, but I can't exactly recall.

Once to the hotel in Covent Garden, we noticed the long exterior stair case and wondered how in the hell we were going to get our luggage up that thing (short girl problems--but we would have done it because Jersey) when the driver said, "You watch my cab and I'll take care of your bags" so that's what we did. We stayed with the car running while he hauled our crap up the stairs for us.

We stayed at the Travelodge in Covent Garden. I chose this for price and location. The choices in accomodations are a bit overwhelming. My advice is to familiarize yourself with the map of London, noting the neighborhoods and where the sights you want to see are clustered and go from there. There are plenty of independent and chain hotels you're familiar with. The Travelodge was okay. Basically a queen size bed (posted as king), a little desk thingy, coffee making station (very nice!) and a wet room. A wet room is the toilet, sink and shower. The shower splashes out onto the floor. You do your appliance things--hair dryer, etc. in the bedroom.

Covent Garden is bordered to the north by the theater district. Shaftsbury Ave. and such as that. To the south, once you get walking, you're headed towards Westminster which is basically central to all the sights we wanted to see, though we had other locations to see as we branched out from there.

If you're making this type of trip, be sure to plug in what I call a "die day". Don't kid yourself into thinking that if you've done a red eye out from the East Coast (or further inland interior state) that you're going to get up and go the first day. You. are. not. We got ourselves checked into the hotel, went down to the restaurant, ate some not-so-great hotel food and promptly fell asleep until the next morning--probably 12- 14 hours sleep. Give yourself the gift of a good die day, you won't regret it.

So that's "getting there".