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!

My funny friend Kate

My friend Kate from Southampton was (kind of) in my area this weekend and she came to visit. We had a super nice day in Blackheath and hanging out at my flat for awhile. Check out the Christmas present she made me - she's a riot! And her boyfriend gave me the stuffed monkey you can see a little bit in the picture of us.

For dad

When I got back to London at 6.30 in the morning, the first thing I saw outside the airport window were these trees with blue lights. My dad loves blue lights at Christmas for some reason.

Snow day

They've gotten tons of snow in New England this year but London is historically snowless. The day I left Connecticut to come back to London it snowed, which was great. I got to clean off my mom's snowy car and drive in it and everything. Just like old times!

My parents' house looked really pretty.


I had no camera and all I had to take this picture with was my laptop. That's why it's wonky ... I was trying be quick because the laptop was getting wet in the snow, and I was standing in the street in my pajamas.

Italian-Americans being British

My Scottish friend Sarah was appalled to learn that we don't have Christmas crackers in the United States, and sent me home with a package of 12 for my family. We had a great time with the quirky British tradition on Christmas morning.
(Click link for more info on Christmas crackers)







I brought home an additional 24 crackers for Christmas day with the extended family. It warmed my London heart to see all my relatives participating in the crackers tradition! My sister-in-law has some pictures of that which I'll post one of these days.

Oh yeah, my blog

Sorry - I've all but forgotten about the blog since before Christmas. I'm going to post a few separate entries from the past couple weeks.

Incidentally I hate when people apologize for not updating their blog, as if the masses are so distraught over not having it to read.