Ahhhhhh - things are coming together...

Ok- we accomplished A LOT this week! After what could only be described as Chinese water torture, we finally got our internet service set up. We are with a company called Tiscali - they were ever so helpful when I called to order. Then, a week later, when I thought the modem should certainly have been here, I called and they said that they had no record that it had even been sent.

I was phenomenonally PISSED and STRESSED - Here my company sent me to the UK to do a job, and I could barely do e-mail (ok, I have a BlackBerry - and a fresh case of carpel tunnel from typing with my thumbs!). After being transferred around and put on hold, I was ready to be poured into a bag... I begged the poor customer support guy to get a modem, he assured me one would be on the way within 2-3 business days. ACHK! So, The next day, I call again just to make sure something in on its way - again "I am so sorry Mrs. Collins, but we show no record that we have sent you a wireless modem" OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tore into that poor guy like he was one of my kids - "This is unacceptable, I have been waiting for nearly two weeks, I have called over and over and you people keep giving me the run-around... May I please talk to a supervisor?!" That guy was so happy to put me on hold... a few days later I had my modem... and the day after that, I had another modem :)

So Wednesday was my first day working from home for real - I have a nice little set up in a corner of the "lounge" (family room/den) It's pretty basic so far, but it will work out nicely...

Thursday we had our Sky TV (satellite) installed - I now know how a heroin addict feels when they get that fix - my Lord we have like 800 channels - and lots of American TV :) Have I mentioned at all that we had only 4 channels up til Thursday? I never realized what a glutton I was for television... Shameful...

Friday, I received my debit card and checkbook - actually it was my second debit card and checkbook - Let me explain... We had hell trying to set up bank accounts in this country. One place wanted us to write a check for ₤100 in order to open the account. Please explain to me how the F we were supposed to write a ₤100 check WITHOUT A CHECKING ACCOUNT???

Thankfully, we got a bunch of help from the relocation company we've been working with. We filled out 17 forms in triplicate and sent them to a mysterious division of a pretty common bank here in the UK (no one at thelocal branch had heard of the division we were sending everything to). Whatever, so then a week or so later I get a checkbook (looks more like a car payment coupon book than a check book - and you only get one, and there are no Snoopy checks or Font options) and a debit card - with "Mr. Lari Collins" printed on it. Nice. So I call to have it changed - no can do - have to go to the branch.... which is in town... and I have no car....AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH.

I now have the replacements, but the debit card is useless until I get a PIN, in order to get a PIN you have to send off for an activation code. Then you send the form that comes with the activation code with your signature back to the bank. then, Lord knows how much later you get a PIN.

We had our first fish n chips from the "Chip Shop" across the street - it was "lovely" :) The only thing green in that place is the sign! It is deep fried fish, deep fried chicken, deep fried chips, steak pies and kebobs - definitely not your everyday choice for dining out!

We had a decompress weekend - got caught up on shopping and rest - both girls have been sick for over a week, and I think everyone is really dealing with adjustment issues right now. I even had my own melt down - so much crazy stuff going on, a girl kinda starts to miss the familiar, you know?

I think we've all turned the corner this week. Audrey's seventh birthday is on Saturday and we are very excited to head down to London for the day. Pat is going to take Audrey to see Wicked and Zoe and I will do something a little less intense. We'll be sure to put lots of pix in our blogs from that trip! Then, the week of the 18th, Audrey is on "mid-term" break for the whole week! I need to visit HP in Grenoble, France that week, so we are all going to go and drive around the Alps in between meetings. Should be a nice week away!

More later!!!