A significant turning point in the production today: I discovered the local sushi and bento shop. Thus, lunch consisted of vegetable and mackerel nigiri, teriyaki chicken onigiri, and some odd red bean dumpling thing that I can only liken to sweet stewed fig wrapped in cold ground rice pudding, only that sounds disgusting and this thing wasn't. All this from a shop that's staffed by proper Japanese people who bow in a proper Japanese way when you walk in and return your change with both hands. Absolutely ruddy marvelous.
If you haven't gathered, I'm rather enjoying the whole 'being in London' thing. OK, so the public sauna that is the Tube is less than joyous, but I can't begin to say how exciting it is to have an antique toy shop three doors from the office, and five shops nearby selling only office chairs in the £500-to-don't-even-ask bracket (oooh! chairs!). Chuck in colleague James' trip today to a Covent Garden sweet shop, from which he returned with the most disgusting sweets ever (Swedish salt candy -- apparently a big hit over there). He also brought back a tin of peanut butter and ginger chews which I think basically everyone's getting for Christmas this year, since they're now officially my new Favourite Sweet. Oh, and James has just submitted a funding bid for an expedition he wants to do to Papua New Guinea with the intent of discovering a new species of shark. As one does.
Of course, the flip side of all my giddy excitement is that people in the office laugh at me for being a hick. But I don't, frankly, care. London rocks. The only downside is that I can't quite work out where all my cash is going.
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