My window is open in February

It's inexplicably warm and beautiful today. Don't anyone bring up The Day After Tomorrow and ruin it for me.

Official enough for the blog

Mindy and Pete in Chinatown
photo by Cynthia That-Cacopardo



Yes it's true, I'm in a relationship.
Meet my Pete ... age 32, English, committed Christian, works for a financial adviser doing senior admin, absolutely wonderful and funny and charming. We met just after Christmas and already this guy has stolen my heart.


I'm sure that's plenty for now, but here's a few pictures I snapped on Valentines Day. We were in Essex, where he's from, just east of London. Not far from him is some beautiful countryside which we drove through, and saw land and horses and sat looking at ducks and water. And I got to see his school and church and start to meet people in his life. A great day.



You don't see a lot of thatched roofs in New Haven.








It was SO cold outside yesterday but we didn't really mind. :)

Snow problem

Apparently it's international news that the UK got snow. I don't know what the US news is saying, but it should basically say "Snow in the UK Proves Britons are Babies". London at least is completely unequipped for the snow - admittedly we got more than they've had in 18 years, but still ... it's not all that much really.

Despite no buses or trains running, I made a valiant if misguided 2+ hour attempt to get to work yesterday before turning back for fear of losing my wet and frozen feet to gangrene. OK, I too am completely unequipped for the snow.

Anyway, it was very pretty.





This guy used the "Grandma Betty method" of plastic bags over his shoes. I'll bet HE got to work.

Am I posh now? (Joe says no)

My Auntie Sallie gave me a gift card to Harrods for Christmas and I bought this set of silverware there on Friday. What's funny about that to me is that the first set I bought here was an £8 setting for 8 from "Pound Stretcher". I don't suppose many people buy their first set of silverware at Pound Stretcher and their second set at Harrods.

Thanks Sallie. :)

My Londoner friend Joe says Americans can't be posh because "we don't speak proper".

Crossing the Streams

When different parts of your world overlap, comedian Russell Brand calls that "crossing the streams" from Ghostbusters, which was the thing they were never meant to do, until the end when that's the thing they have to do to save the day.

My brother and sister-in-law Joel and Cynthia were my first visitors from home and were here last week. Turns out I didn't take any scenery pictures at all, but here's a few of their visit anyway.

Joel and Cynthia in London

They spent a few nights with me and a few in a hotel and I took some time off work to hang out with them. We had a wonderful time!