It’s the end of my first week of work. Prior to starting, I had heard stories that things don’t get done very quickly in London. I had thought this an urban myth perhaps, much like the alligators that supposedly live in the New York subways, or people who give up their seats to others on the London Underground. But a week later and I’m still waiting for a phone extension, access to the systems I need to work on, and a security card. My accomplishments this past week include locating the staff cafeteria and sandwich bar, figuring out how to work the water and coffee vending machines, and taking a walk over the Millennium Bridge.

So I’ve had a bit of time to browse Wikipedia and you’d be amazed at how much time you can kill on there. I read about cryptoarchaeology, out of place artifacts, megaliths, lost cities, and other interesting things not related to finance. It’s amazing how much the people back then accomplished without the convieniences of today. In a way, we’ve become a society of conviniences I think. Contraception instead of NFP, euthanasia, screening for signs of down syndrome (how reliable is this anyway) and so forth. It seems like we’re just becoming lazier and trying to eliminate life’s hardships whilst letting our standards slip at the same time. I’m sure we have good reasons for the things we do. Well I do most of the time.

Anyway, I’m off to have a microwaved instant meal.