Grocery Shopping

Since a lot of Londoners, including me, don't have cars and rely on public transportation, the challenge of grocery shopping popped in my head before I left Atlanta. How do you carry groceries home? Of course, you can get groceries on the way home, and just carry them in your hand. But when you have to buy milk, mineral water, dog food, there's no way I can carry them home by myself. Forget Costco! One of the girls, Laura, that I met on Saturday, told me about Ocado, online grocery shopping. In fact, Ocado only has online grocery service. Other stores also offer the same thing, Waitrose is one of them. How convenient! Ocado's prices are pretty competitive and they offer coupons, and you can collect points. I'm in.... So this morning, my last day off, before I start working tomorrow, I went to the website and started grocery shopping online. Some items are easy like produce. An onion is an onion. Bananas are all the same. No brainer. But when it comes to bread, jam, yogurt and so on, I'm a little stuck, don't know what to choose, not familiar with the brands, can't read the label easily, at the end I was impatient and just picked based on size and price. 

I, then, chose my delivery time, which is tomorrow night between 7 and 8PM, Entered my address and credit card information. £55 pounds later, I'm done. The delivery charge is 99 pence. Actually the grocery price here is the same as in US, just change the dollar to pound sign. 

Since I had more free time this afternoon, I walked to Waitrose on Marylebone High Street, which turned out to be super close to my new flat. Marylebone High Street is full of expensive clothing stores, nice cafés, specialty food stores, and other things that look expensive. So posh! Ok I won't say that word agin, starting to get annoying. The Waitrose that I went to is small, Anne Sofie told me that yesterday but it's good enough to pick up something quick. It looks like Wholefoods, nice interior. They have butchers, good selection of wine, ready made food, fresh produce and toiletries. 

Marylebone High Street

My new flat, Building D, Flat 4. The bottom level is called ground. The second level is called first level. I'm on the first level on the right. You can see the two windows. I timed myself walking back from the store to Baker Street station, it's 10 minutes, not a bad walk. 

Borough Market

In London, open markets are pretty popular. It's a combination of specially food stalls (hand made chocolate, cheese, dried meat, olives), ready to eat food similar to food trucks, fresh produce, clothing, hats, jewelry etc. Borough market is just food. I went there Saturday morning, the day before Windsor trip. I went to their website before I came and it seemed pretty easy to get there. I got out at London Bridge station. The direction says cross the street and you can't miss it. Well, I crossed the street and I didn't see the market. I actually saw the London Bridge. Not a bad way to be lost. I pulled out my blackberry and retrace the way to get back to the station and this time crossed the right street and found the market. 

It's almost noon and my stomach was just growling from all the good smell from the food stalls. I picked Fallafel sandwich for lunch. Before I went, Beth told me that she bought giant meringue in the market. I don't like meringue because it's just too sweet, but I was going to take a picture and send it to her. There's no meringue, maybe they moved. Anyway, I saw Liquorice stall, yuck... Who eats that? British and Aussies, I guess.

Then, olives stall.

I'm not a big fan of olives but it's interesting to see so many varieties of olives. I'm sure I will came back soon. At the end, I found the place that sells paellas, cooked in a giant pan. I'll be back for more good food.

Windsor Castle

I stayed up quite late on Saturday night. I'm too old for this. I went to bed almost 1AM. The only reason I managed to keep my eyes open was I'm still a bit jet lagged. Atlanta is 5 hours behind. Amy, whom I knew from Team in Training several years ago, also lives in London. She's an accountant that is on a 2 year assignment. She went to Oklahoma (OU), who played against Notredame this weekend. She found a bar/ pub that played the game at 8PM. I met her at Great Portland tube station that is only one station away from Baker St. I met some new friends, one of them is a foodie and we talked about going to London pop-up restaurants, that is quite a trend. I'm sure I will blog about it if we ever go. I had Asahi beer, didn't even finish the whole glass, some onion rings and fries (shared plates), left before midnight and took the tube home.

The next morning I met up with Lauren and two of her neighbors at Marylebone station. One girl is Spanish and the other one is French. Nice girls. We were going to Windsor Castle. We took a tube to Paddington, then a train to Winsor. The train ride wasn't long and we switched one time at Slough. We had to sprint in Paddington because we had 3 minutes left and we just got our tickets. That's the most running I've done lately. My legs were a little sore from walking so much in the past few days. It's different from running soreness. The pain is around the foot and calf area, not gluteus, not hamstring or quads.

I'm not a great blogger. I'm not going to write the history of Windsor. You can google it. That's what Wikipedia is for. All I know is the Queen still uses it as a summer vacation house (or castle). Part of last year's Jubilee ceremony was at Windsor. We got the ticket around 11AM. I should have brought snacks with me because I started to get hungry. We took some pictures from the outside.

The inside was fine. We saw the Queen's doll house, different rooms used for living and work, artwork from painting to sculpture. One area was burned down in the 90's but rebuilt. I was more distracted by sore feet and hunger. Luckily Lauren was hungry too. We left the castle earlier than Anne Sofie and Ane. We walked around the town and a decided on a Greek restaurant. We had the appetizer plate and a bottle of white wine to share. It's Greek wine. The waiter said it's spicy and dry but it actually tastes light and crisp, very good. I had mixed kebab for the main dish which is marinated lamb and chicken. It came with a small salad, rice and fries. Lauren had the same thing. Ane ordered moussaka. Anne Sofie had salad, spanakopita and rice wrapped in grape leaves. 

The food was really good. I inhaled everything. At the end, we all paid £17 each, not bad at all for a feast like that. I got home around 5PM. Tired but still walked Chloe to the park. She loves that park. 

Flat viewing

Last night I couldn't sleep, so I ended up working close to midnight. I got up around 7AM, did Insanity, showered and ready to be picked up by my agent at 10AM. His name is Alex. He told me that we only had 7 flats to view because there were not a lot of pet friendly flats, plus HR didn't tell him what the budget was. I told him how much my monthly budget was, and after other expenses, we found out I could have up to £600 per week max. It's doable but I can't spend too much on eating out. I also told him that an agent emailed me two flats that are pet friendly in Marylebone. He made an appointment for one of the flats, and we were off to see the first one. When we were driving there, he gently schooled me on the flat market in London. Basically if I see something that I like, make a quick decision for an offer and don't be too picky. I'm in. My goal was to pick one by Friday, which was the next day.

The first one was very tiny, unfurnished, carpeted which I'm not too crazy about but it was clean, recently painted and it's right besides a park. Very convenient for Chloe. £410 per week. The location is 5 stars. Close to Marylebone High Street, Baker St. And Marylebone Stations. The other downside is a little dark, it has windows but it's on ground level. If there's nothing today, I will make an offer on this one. 

The next one is not too bad also, it's quite spacious, two bedrooms and furnished. The location is fine, by Oxford Circus station, this became my second option. £510 per week. The area is called Fitzoria, not so posh compared to Marylebone. By the way, the word 'posh' is so British. 

The next one was the one I found. It's actually 3 buildings away from the first one, so it's by Paddington Park, again, very posh area. The rent is £575, unfurnished. It's definitely bigger than the first one, recently refurbished, new appliances, wood floor, has more built in storage than the other one. I know it's expensive, but I will eat ramen noodles every lunch for this place. There it is. I made an offer for £525, hoping they will accept it at £550. Before the end of the day, I found out it was accepted. Woohoo! Now it's just the contract negation. The landlord wants 8 weeks deposit because of the dog. We'll see what UPS says. After the offer was accepted, now I'm nervous, can I afford it? I still have to rent furniture. That night I did my budget, I estimated the costs for food, utilities, transport, rent, wifi, etc. I'm happy to say I can afford the place. No ramen noodles every day. 

The red dot is the flat, 0.3 mile from Baker St. Tube station, which has two lines run from and to Waterloo station.

Talking about tubes and train, since I got the housing issue situated, I asked Rebecca if she wanted to meet for coffee on Friday. I suggested we meet at Woking, where my office is. It's a good practice before Tuesday, my first day of work. I was a bit nervous, this would be the first time I took a tube ride. Of course, I rode Metro in DC, subway in NYC and Marta in Atlanta but this is London, and I have to switch to a different platform for the train. I jumped on Bakerloo line from Marylebone station and got off at Waterloo. I went up and came up to a train terminal. Behind me was a giant board, like at the airport, that listed destination, time of departure and the platform number. 

I queued at the ticket counter to buy a seasoned ticket. According to the website, it would be £278 for one month seasoned ticket. It's much cheaper than 18 quibs per round trip if I buy a one time ticket. After I got the ticket, I went to the platform for Woking. The train to Woking leaves every 5 minutes. I'm sure it's less in the evening. The trip to Woking was around than 20 minutes. We only made one stop. Rebecca told me that she would be on the town side waiting for me. I looked for her but didn't see anybody. I called her and turned out I was not on the town side. Soon she showed up. Funny, she was not how I pictured her. We walked to the office, a 5 minute walk. I met everybody at the office and they were all nice. Quiet office. They had Bloomberg in the room that I will be in. I will miss watching CNBC. I also saw Aaron and Pat. Aaron just moved with his family. Pat is going to move soon. Both will live in Woking area. I had a good visit and a good practice taking the public transport. 

Regents Park

The serviced apartment is closed to Regents Park. This morning I took Chloe foe a walk around 6.30AM. I know it's so early. I'm still a little jet lag, went to the bed late and couldn't sleep in. The temperature was around 60F degrees. The air was cool and crisp. We walked around a little bit but after she did her business, we walked back, my toes were cold, I wore flip flops. 

We went back the park in the afternoon, this time it was busier. Chloe met some new friends.

What are those? 

She's meeting pigeons, ducks and geese for the first time.

After we got back, she was pooped and took a nap.

We went back the day after. This time had a longer walk. Circled around the pond.

Beautiful flower beds.

Queen Mary's Garden

At the end of the walk, tired.

The D day

,The day before I flew here was a bit emotional for me. Driving to work for the last time was strange. Working out at the office gym for the last was odd. Saying goodbye to people and giving them hugs were unusual. Later in the day, we went to the going away happy hour at Eclipse Di Luna. It was really of them. Oh my the way, several hours before, I found out that new job is what we all thought. I thought it was going to be more about trading but it's more Cash Management. My boss found out about this after her visit the previous week. I'm fine with it since I need to have cash management experience if I want o move up. I just know nothing about it but I will learn on the job. I got home from the going away and packed more. This is again the time that I wish my mom and sister are with o they can help me pack.

The next day is the D day! I got up early at 4.30AM, not to do Insanity but to do some work before I left. I took Chloe to the vet to get the tape worm treatment, she was excited as usual to see other dogs.  I took her later to Elishia's house. She would stay there until she was picked up the next day by Air Animal. I decided to get pedicure to prep my feet callous free ready to do a lot of walking in London.

Karen came and took me to the airport around 5.30PM. It was quite early since traffic could be a bear during rush hours. I just checked in at the kiosk and paid for my third baggage. I took them to the counter and was hoping Delta didn't ask me if it was a bike....fortunately, he never asked. I saved $150.

How do you pack for 16 months

Right after I dropped off my bike at the oversize counter, Beth and Regina came. We had dinner at the cafe but the security check. I flew from the new international terminal.  Nice open open. I had a good time. We laughed so hard on silly stuff. A lot of inside jokes. It was fun. Around 8.30PM, I felt I had to get going. Boarding was in 20 minutes. It was sad to finally say goodbye.

The security line moved fast. Within 10 minutes, I was at my gate. The boarding was onetime. As a Sky Priority passenger (eh hem), I boarded right after passengers with special needs. International Business class seats are like a dentist chair but more awesome. You can literally turned it to a bed. Fluffy standard size pillow and comfy blanket, yeah not one of those blue or red thin blankets that sheds like a cat. 

Plenty of space

   

I looked around, looked like a lot of people on a business trips. Not long after we took off, dinner menu was passed on. The appetizer was 3 kinds. You didn't pick one but you got all 3. Grilled shrimps with roasted corn, spinach arugula feta salad and potato leek soup.

Just Appetizers

I just ate my shrimps, the soup was a bit bitter and I wasn't hungry for salad.  Actually, I wasn't hungry at all. I just ate because it was in front of me. The main course was served later. You could choose between vegetarian pasta dish, chicken with polenta, and beef. I think Michelle Bernstein was the chef for Delta. I tried the chicken but it was just okay. Everything was served on top os a wooden tray, layered with a think napkin, and the food was served in little ceramic dishes with real silver ware. Dramamine really kicked in right after main course. I told the attendant that I would pass on dessert, which was ice cream and fruit. I was out. 

I woke up around 5AM Atlanta time, so I had 6 hours of sleep, not bad. The smell of coffee and pastries was in the air. I had Egg Quiche, chicken sausage, fruit and two cups of coffee. Good breakfast to start the day. We landed an hour later. Right before then, the attendant was passing some goodies. One of them is the Fast Track card. Fast Track is for a special line at the immigration. There were 100 plus people at the regular line and 20 or so at the Fast Track. Another perk.

Immigration was quick. I headed to the baggage claim area. My bags came out quick but I was still standing around for my bike bag. Finally I thought it had to be taken to a special pickup area or something. I asked an officer and he showed me where to pick up an oversized baggage. I started heading to that direction and he asked me if I was picking up a bike. It turned out they put the bike by the conveyor belt. Luckily he spotted the bike.

The custom, ehhhh practically no custom, because there was no officer standing around and no form to fill out. I passed the declare area for people that have anything to declare, no one was there. Weird. Unlike US customs, they had dogs, opened suspicious boxes and bags etc.

As soon as I passed the main door, I saw a man in suit holding a piece of paper with my name on it. Trevor is the car service chauffeur that is used quite often by the office. He was a middle aged man, nice, friendly and short, no wonder Jen called him the little guy. After he put my stuff in the back of the van. He asked me if he could take off his jacket. I was like what? Of course you can. This is not Secret service. We chatted a bit on the way to London. Traffic was flowing since it was not during rush hours. I called the front office. They said I had to pick up my keys first. The office was super tiny. I was expecting an office with a lobby. 

We found the address of the flat. I used my key to open the main door. I saw stairs going up and a door to a unit on my left. My reservation is for a garden level but there's no stais going down. I tried my key to open the unit on my left. It worked. It must be it then. After Trevor left and all my baggage put inside, I looked around. From one of the windows, I looked down and saw a small patio on the lower level. What? I'm in the wrong flat. I got out from the building, and this is what I saw.

 

Another door below the main door

 

This is my flat

I dragged all my belongings, two 70 lbs bags and a bike down the stairwell. The unit was quite spacious for London. 

Kitchen and living area

Master bedroom 

Patio

I think the flat is 650 sq ft, which is really spacious. When I was looking for a flat, many of them were 400 sq ft. Tomorrow will be another adventure, flat viewing day.

Less than one week

Everyone I see people in the hallway, elevator, gym, and anywhere else, people who knew I'm going to London would ask if I was excited. I have the same boring answer. Yes I'm excited but there are still a lot to do, a lot of moving parts before the actual D-day. From work, dog, packing, flat, bills, mail, credit card, finances.... Since I would be considered a UK resident, I have to file UK taxes. Technically not me, but PwC will. Since I have to separate my US income prior to coming to UK, I have to open a new bank account and investment account. I was busy training the new managers in US. I haven't thought about I would do in UK yet. My boss is back from her UK trip on Monday, so I'm sure I have a long to-do list when I get there after our catch-up meeting.

Packing! (Sigh). I'm not good with packing. When I went home to visit my parents, my mom would pack my suitcase for the trip back to the US. I could do it myself but why would you do it when somebody else willingly wants to do it for you? My sister is OCD when it comes to packing. Every piece of clothing is folded so neat, perfect squares. Anything other than clothes is packed in tiny mesh bags and pouches. I can't compete with that.

I forwarded my mail to Sarah. All my bills are sent to my email, so hopefully she doesn't get too many junk mail. I signed up for this service to stop pre approved credits. I had to apply for a new credit card because Europe requires chip and pin credit cards to prevent fraud from stolen credit cards. US doesn't have that technology yet but a few banks issue chip and signature cards. I heard that they are acceptable. The front of the card has a a little gold square that contains the smart chip. Plus the one that I have doesn't have annual fees or foreign transaction fees, which is huge.

Once I get to London, I can open a UK account with HSBC with some help from work. They just need to see my US bank statements that show direct payroll deposit and a letter from HR to confirm my employment. This is a big deal since a lot of foreigners have a hard time to open a bank account.
Once you have a bank account, it's much easier to sign up for services, such as Internet. I may not have a TV when I move to a permanent apartment, so I need Internet to keep me sane.

Chloe's paperwork is moving a long fine. She's supposed to fly out on the same day with me but there's no space at British Airlines. Delta doesn't transport live animals anymore. She has to fly out the next day. I'm relieved when Elishia offered to keep her until Air Animal picks her up on Wednesday morning.

Finally last Friday the relo company confirmed that I will be picked up by my agent on Thursday morning to look for a flat. I would like to start earlier than 10AM because I have to be back at the apartment around 1PM when the pet company drops Chloe off. A while back ago I went to a website for Marylebone real estate. The listing agents emailed me about two flats in the area that are pet friendly. One is really close to a small park and also to Baker Street station. It's 2,500 pounds per month before utilities, county taxes and furniture rental. Let's say it's 2,750 all in. Tube/train tickets are around 400 per month. That leaves 550 for food. I'm not sure if it's enough. I think I should get a cheaper flat or negotiate a few hundred pound off.

Ok enough about this stuff. Last week was not just all work, I had some fun time too. Beth, Karen, Regina, Katie and I went to Canoe. Really nice restaurant. The weather was nice and we sat outside. Some pics from the dinner. Karen was stuck in the traffic. I forgot to take more pics after she arrived.
Good food with good friends. They gave gifts. Funny... Before I reached inside the bag, I was hoping for an umbrella. Sure enough it was in the bag. A Union Jack umbrella. It screams 'look at me, I'm a tourist'. Haha.

2 Weeks Away

Around mid June, my boss peaked her head in the trading room and said to me "Hey do you have a second? Let's take a walk". As I got up and followed her, I thought what did I do? Did I mess up on a trade? I had worked for her for 3 years. This is the fist time we "took a walk". She said the manager in Woking, UK, was going to be on a maternity leave for a year and she asked me if I would take an assignment there. Think about it and get back to me. I didn't have much information at the time besides I could live in London, which was great because Woking was so quiet. The commute was around 50 minutes.

I never expected an assignment there, because it was never brought up before, and we just had a new Trading Room manager to replace the other manager, who came to TR almost a year before. So, it was me, the senior trader, and a newbie that just started full time a few weeks before the London assignment came up. That means they need to bring somebody new in. Anyway, long story short, I accepted the assignment. I'm excited because this is a great opportunity, my bosses believe in me, that's really huge because it took a while to get comfortable in Trading Room. The first year was confusing, the second year was much better and the third year my confidence grew. I love my job. In every job, people say "you have to wash the dishes" sometimes, that's true with mine, but I spent very little time doing the dishes. I enjoy the interaction with the traders, learn a lot from them, build relationships, happy for them when they win my trades, happy for myself when I get good pricing. None of the money goes into my bank account obviously, but you get the satisfaction from executing something great. In summary, let's just say the light bulbs came on gradually during 3 years stint in TR.

There are a lot of progress since the last post. Chloe, my Lakeland terrier who's coming with me to London, is going to be transported by Air Animal. I was relieved because the other pet transport company that my co-worker used when he moved to London, had a bad review. I dealt with the owner of the company. I don't know if he handles all clients or since I'm a corporate client, so he has all UPS accounts. Anyway, I'm happy because he's organized, knows his stuff, answers my questions, quick in getting back and we keep in touch every few days. This coming Monday, he will overnight the UK paperwork to Chloe's vet. On Tuesday, I will take Chloe to the vet, so she can be approved for health certificate. I will then ship the signed paperwork to USDA in Florida. Also, on Tuesday, Air Animal will ship Chloe's crate to my house.

The past week I was pretty stressed out. A friend's friend was looking for a place to live. We met last Monday and decided that she should come over to my townhouse to take a look at the place to see if this suited her. I scrambled to clean and store my stuff away, just in case she decided to move in, she would have an empty bedroom closet, pantry, kitchen cupboards and clean fridge. I also scrambled to get my car priced by a couple of dealers. If she moved in, it would be fair to take up half of the garage for my car. The day she was supposed to come and see my place, she was no show, didn't reply my text and email. I thought this was a bad sign anyway. I can't deal with somebody is not reliable. I know she was busy but blowing me off like that is not acceptable. The next morning I already decided that this wasn't going to work out anyway. A couple of hours later, she texted me and said she had busy looking for a place and changed her mind about my place because her dogs were chewers. That's great. I changed my mind also.

Now, back to the car situation, since I'm going to keep the townhouse to myself, I can leave the car in the garage and ask Mike, my old coworker and neighbor, to start the car every couple of weeks or something. But in the meantime, another UPSer that I know from the gym, is looking for a car for her daughter. Her budget is a thousand dollars less than I want to sell my car for, but she would discuss it with her daughter and schedule a test drive on Sunday if she's interested. Last night, I started doing the math. Yes, I would save $750 in car insurance and registration if I sell the car. I would cost me $200 if I rent a car with insurance every time I'm back in the US, I may be back 2-3 times in 16 months. Plus, when I'm back in Jan 2015, I would need to buy a new car. A used Honda with low mileage that a year or two old is at least $12,000 more than what I get from my car now. Yes, it's a new car and my Honda is a 10 years old but it's Honda and the machine is still very smooth. I want to drive it until it breaks. Now I changed my mind. I want to keep the car, drop my umbrella policy and reduce the insurance coverage a little bit to save some cash. The car situation is solved. Wheww! I had been thinking about to sell or not to sell for a couple of months.

The housing situation in London is making progress also. I booked a service apartment in Marylebone for a month. I booked a Business class ticket to London. Yeah, you read it right, business class. I would be a kid in a candy store when I get to my seat. I have had more than twenty 20 hour flights from the US to Indonesia in Economy class in the past 18 years. This is the first time I'm in Business Class. Oh back to housing, my plan is to spend two days with an agent to look for a flat and pick a place. Hopefully I can move in to the new place before one month serviced apartment is up. I got a prelim list of potential flats on Friday. They were good price and location. My monthly budget is 3,700 pounds. Housing is probably around 2,300 including utilities and taxes. I would find out more about this next week.

4 Weeks Away

This weekend is the Labor Day weekend. I'm determined to make this extra time off from work to start preparing for the move. Task number one is to clean out the closets and make a donation pile. I'm far from a hoarder but I'm still amazed that I managed to donate 4 bags clothes. I'm donating them to American Kidney Society. You leave the donated items on the driveway and schedule a pickup day. Easy enough. I separated the clothes so it was easier to count and enter into ItsDeductible. With the piles of books that are already boxed in the garage, I get around $200 deduction. Not bad.

Half of the pile

Next task is to start packing. I'm planning to bring 2 suitcases and a bike. Yes that's three pieces of luggage and the limit is two. The third piece will be an extra charge. Last Friday my boss asked me what I was going to do this weekend and I said packing because dedicing what stuff to bring in one suitcase is challenging. I mentioned I sacrificed the second luggage for the bike. I loved it when she said, just bring a third one and charge it to your AmEx. 

I still don't know where I'm going to live. It's annoying because I'm a planner and I plan everything. Long story short, after one write-up, calls and emails, HR told me last Thursday that Lynne from Spencer, I assumed that's the name of the company in London, is going to contact me. She'll give me a list of places to choose from. I really hope the list has pet friendly Marylebone apartments. I still don't know if they are flats or serviced apartments. I guess I will find out soon.

The dog transport process is supposed to start soon also. Global Mobility is going to contact me. I talked to Aaron a couple of weeks ago and he said he used Pet Relocation. Aaron is moving with his family to London next week for a permanent assignment. After reading some reviews, I'm nervous. This company is not really good (to put it kindly). They actually are terrible if what the reviews in Yelp are true. The rest of the reviews are good but not sure if they are real. 

If Global Mobility gives me the same pet relo company, I will definitely drill them on Pet Relocation's quality of service. This moving thing is stressful. A lot to think about. I'm trying not to get stressed out. Last week I had to deal with the water leak problem and a sick dog, not fun, but I'm glad that was over. I'm glad in a way, that Chloe was sick while we were still here. I'm now an expert in canine Pancreatitis. I changed her diet to grain free low fat diet. She likes her new food, Blue Wilderness Senior. I give her digestive enzymes to help her pancreas not to work too hard. I'm going to start making her home made meals. Blue is a premium quality food but nothing can beat home made meals. I read what ingredients are the best for dogs that had a bout of Pancreatitis. I would stick with chicken, ground turkey, carrots, celeries, peas, green beans and sweet potatoes. After reading different articles on dog food, I felt guilty feeding Chloe IAMS. It's a good brand but like most kibbles, they are full of fillers made from grain, because they are cheap. Carnivores are not made to digest grains. It makes their body work extra hard to digest.