Lincoln's blog got the axe!  Apparently it violates some code of conduct.  I have no idea what has caused this, but the baby's blog is on lockdown.  It is a BABY BLOG.  How could a blog about a 10 month old possibly violate code of conduct?  After an inquiry and a polite response from Windows Live Support, I've gotten no more information than the following message from some support person named Paul:

 

"I understand that you are having an issue accessing your "kurtzkid" space, as you were prompted that your access is denied or restricted.  I can imagine how inconvenient this can be that is why I would like to take this opportunity to assist you.

We have found your Space, to be in violation of the Windows Live Spaces Code of Conduct for containing inappropriate content. We have given you ample time to remove the inappropriate materials but this was not met within the duration given.

Since the violation is serious, we were forced to close down your space. Also, please note that there is no Adult rating for Windows Live Spaces. Posting of illegal materials (ex. profane messages; pornographic, sexually suggestive, or provocative images) is not allowed in our service, even if your Space settings is set to Private or Messenger."

This blog may have had profane messages or provocative images, but I can't fathom how the kid's blog could have such nasty, nasty content.  The way I feel after two days of trying to resolve this is that it isn't worth it.  I'm done.  I've had a lot of grievances about Spaces in the past, but this takes the cake.  I'm leaving this tirade for a week and then I am wiping the entire blog clean.  And no more baby blog. F-that. 

Family and friends will just have to visit more often to see what the kid looks like.  Or perhaps I'll just use other site like Flickr or Facebook.  I hate you Windows Live Spaces.  

 

I'm in love with the London Underground. Linc and I have been walking as far as he can stand it and then riding the tube back to the hotel. Today we went out to Notting Hill and wandered Portabello Road and surroundings. We took one line out, and a different line back. We make connections, we are efficient, we mind the gap, we haven't gotten lost once.  We are old hands at the public transit here. We have a pass and so we go whevever we want, when we want.  It is quite liberating. Tonight we took the tube and met Roger after work and then walked to our friend Lars' place for take away dinner at his place. Within 15 minutes I had left the hotel, walked to the station, caught a train, met Roger, and then we were on our way to Lars' place.  How amazing is that?  FAST.  A cab would have taken longer and the concierge estimated it would cost 20 pounds. WTF?  I keep thinking about how awesome Seattle would be if we had such an amazing transit system. We'd never have to drive, ever.  We could get downtown in minutes.  We wouldn't have to plan the City around parking lots or parking structures.  I'm covetous and jealous and sad all at the same time.  Damn, transit in America sucks wanger (ok, I"m excluding NY but only b/c I've never been there).  Let me rephrase--transit on the west coast sucks.  Even SF is a pale comparison and the transit there is pretty decent. If only...

With not much computing time (nights after Rog gets home from work and after we've put the kid to sleep), I haven't been able to do daily updates of our trip.  (In short, the days are filled with awesome walking tours with kid--markets, landmarks, parks/squares, and city planning/architecture focused detours).   But I can spare a few minutes before bed  to expand upon my disgust for the traditional English breakfast.  God, they are awful.  I should have known, given that I had exposure to this in Australia.  There is nothing really appealing about it. I knew this, but still went for it today.  I felt like I needed a hearty start to a day of walking.  I also stupidly thought I could feed the kid some of the eggs.  Traditional English breakfast consists of all the things I find truly abhorrent in a breakfast--runny eggs, gummy bacon, boiled tomatoes, barely toasted bread, and some flavorless button mushrooms.  Even Lincoln rejected the eggs by promptly spitting them out whenever I offered them to him.  He happily ate the crusty bread.  The one interesting thing about the breakfast is the type of bacon provided.  There are two kinds--back bacon (ham) and streaky bacon (the kind we Yanks normally eat).  Today I had a cut that included both kinds. The back bacon was edible if not a little too salty, but the streaky bacon parts were atrocious.  For the rest of the trip I am going to have to eat pancakes (crepes) or breakfast pastries for breakfast.  It isn't protein, but at least it doesn't make me gag to swallow it down.

Hello little blog. It's been a while. I was pretty sure I was going to leave you in neglect for good.  But then I decided I needed a way to document my trip to London.  Huzzah. Resurected from the dust!

 

Why have I never traveled to London before? My god. This place rocks.  The energy, vitality, multiculturalism, alone will keep me chattering for days. I'm only here for a week and I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed by all the things I want to do.  We got in yesterday afternoon and are already immersed in the city life.  Our hotel is in a prime location, walking distance to most things I will want to see in a week's time.  Of course, traveling with a small child is different than past international trips.  We are really on Lincoln time, and plan our excursions around his schedule, but this kid is one international champ.  He slept about 90% of the flight over.  You know the flight was sucessful when the people sitting around us were cooing at him as we waited to de-plane.  Our boy is a conversation starter.  Between the flirting, waving, and high fiving (two newly acquired skills) we make friends wherever we go.

 

After getting settled in the hotel yesterday evening, we chatted up the concierge and asked for a recommendation for Chinese food (when in doubt, I always want Chinese food).  He recommended a place in SoHo called Cha Cha Moon. It was a noodle bar kind of place where you sit at long tables next to random people. We wander over there (amidst people spilling out of every bar and pub-it was happy hour afterall) and we see an enormous line outside the door and we both are thinking why the fuck did the concierge recommend this place with us and a baby? From the exterior it looked hip and trendy and certainly not the kind of place you take a 10 month old.  We got a pint from the place across the street and after hemming and hawing just decided to go for it. We were hungry, the kid was asleep in the ergo carrier, and we really didn't have any other place in mind to eat.  In the end, it was an excellent recommendation. The food was tasty, it was appropriately noisy in there so that once the kid did wake up his squeals and noises didn't make a dent in the hum of the restaurant noise.  Loved it.  Tasty and relatively cheap.  Who would have thought that we would arrive in London and take our kid to a bustling SoHo restaurant on our first day?  Our kid is so cosmopolitan :)

 

We all slept like logs last night.  Over 11 hours straight.  Rested and ready to go we mostly did the tourist thing today.  We saw a wing of the National Gallery, watched Olympics in Trafalgar Square (both in the morning and at the end of the day), walked past Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, crossed the Thames, wandered around some more, and then met up with an old Terran, Lars, for pints and dinner.  I have to say I love that about being a Terran. No matter where you go, if you know a Terran is nearby you gotta try and hook up.  Lars was accomodating with the kid and even came back to Trafalgar Square with us to watch more Olympics at the end of the night.  The kid could crawl around in the grass and expend energy before going to bed while we socialized and watched GB win golds in rowing and cycling.  It is pretty awesome that they are showing the Olympics in the square.  Hundreds of people lounge around watching the games.  It is really amazing.

 

I think what I love most about traveling internationally is experiencing the differences in everyday life.  Things like traffic signs, posted signs, how people dress, grocery items, etc. Stuff you take for granted every day but are slightly different than the norm.   It helps that I can read the signs and packaging and don't have to sit there trying to decipher what I am about to purchase or experience.  We have another day together and then Roger is off to work while I explore with the kid.  We've had so much fun so far and we've barely been here 30 hours.  I think I'll be able to pack a lot in over the course of one week. Any recommendations on what to do?  Lemme know!