Remembrance Sunday

Last Sunday was Remembrance Sunday in the UK, which honors those killed in combat since World War I.  As many of the know the Brits wear poppies to honor the holiday.  I was a proud poppy wearing American for several weeks!  Here are some photos I took at Westminister Cathedral (incidentally this location is the odds on favorite for the royal wedding).

Lord Mayor's Show

Sorry, I was having some technical difficulties (in addition to being a slacker) so there will be several posts today.

Last weekend I went to the Lord Mayor's Show.  This is where the ceremonial mayor of London arrives at the Courts of Justice to swear allegiance to the Queen.  This is an 800 year old trandition and basically results in a big parade that goes right past LSE.  It was fun!

Can You Fix This Lamppost?

This is perhaps my favorite sign I have seen in London thus far.  Apparently someone was so concerned about this lamppost not working that they called the Westminster Council.  The Westminster Council was so concerned that they had someone go out and put this lovely sign on the post.  Thus far nobody has been  concerned enough to fix the lamppost, however, becuase it still doesn't work.

Department for Education in London

This posting is for all of my friends who work in education policy.  I have started walking a new route to school and it takes me right by the offices of the Department for Education.  You will see from the pictures below that it looks a little bit different than than big, gray monstrosity that many of us worked at in DC.  And even though they are located in the heart of London, I would bet they still have a bigger parking garage than we did at the US Department of Education.

Amanda's version of hell!

So most of you know that Christmas is not my favorite holiday, but generally I try to be a good sport about it once December arrives.  Well, turns out when you live in a country without a major holiday between Halloween and Christmas (like, say, Thanksgiving) they start celebrating REALLY early!!!!  Last week some towns switched on their Christmas lights (on November 3!!!!) and most department stores are fully decked out for Christmas.  I thought I had moved to London, but turns out I now reside in Santaland.

Oh TV, How I Have Missed You!

It has been almost two months since I have had access to television, so I am happy to report that we finally got the TV installed yesterday.  I am confused to report, however, that the phone will take another few weeks and then, by law, we will need to wait at least an additional five days for Internet access.  I am not sure about the specific perils associatied with timely access to myriad forms of telecommunications but apparently the British have some concerns.  Hopefully the full package of services offered by Sky will be availible before I graduate.   You will also want to marvel at the size of my tiny, tiny new TV.

And Here Is My Street...