1st entry

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to drop a quick line apologizing for and explaining the paucity of emails and phone calls.

Unfortunately we're not going to be able to do a whole lot of emailing or calling over the next 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. We don't have the internet at home yet. In order to get a phone in the UK you have to call British Telecom (BT), the national government service phone provider and set up a time for them to come out and turn the line on. They take anywhere from 1 -3 weeks to do that. Once you've done that, you can call them or any private provider and make an appointment to set up the internet or TV but no one will even speak to you until you've actually turned your line on with BT. We've applied for a phone line to be installed by BT but they couldn't come install it until May 1st. On May 1st, once the BT technician has been out to the house and given us a phone connection (on which we can make and receive free calls to the States!) we can call BT back and make an appointment for them to come out again and set up broadband for us. I know what you're thinking... yes... we have to make 2 seperate appointments and they have to come out twice... ahhhh beurocracy! It's enough to make me re-think my socialist tendencies!

This means that our only internet connection is at Mat's work. Now, there are some critical differences between work here and work in the States. Many things are exactly the same, but a one difference I've noticed already is that everyone works from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They have a 37.5 hour work week here and no one comes in early, and no one stays late (except for a VERY few hardy committed work-a-holics, maybe 1 in 100 people)... (Actually, when I think about this, strike what I said earlier about socialism, Viva La Revolucion!) This presents a problem becuase the front door at work has a security alarm and it gets set around 5:00. I don't know it and if I'm here after 5:00, chances are I'm going to set it off when I leave the building and cause a lot of trouble. That means I'm only around an internet connection from about 8:15 to 5:00 (I may not be able to stay late, but someone gets here around 8:00 who knows the security code so I can come in a little early).

I just don't feel comfortable doing much personal emailing on company time and until we have an internet connection in May, there aren't too many other options.

However, I've created this blog to try and make it easier to send updates out. Go ahead and book mark the blog and check back for updates. I'll add pictures and post updates for newly added photo galleries. Taylor may actually get a mobile phone today as well. She won't be able to make calls to the States on the phone but she will be able to receive them. We'll definitely have that mobile phone by this weekend though so anyone who wants to call and wish Lily a happy birthday this Sunday will be able to do so.

We're really sorry about this and we miss you all terribly!

Mat, Taylor, and Lily