snow snow snow!

since i've returned to london it has snowed a total of twice. the first time everyone was talking about it the day before - it's going to snow a lot they said. this actually made me very excited. i imagined trudging to work in the snow up to my knees and secretly was really happy about what everyone else seemed to be dreading. i woke up the next day like a kid on christmas, opened my curtains and saw, well, what looked like a slightly denser rain had happened. i didn't even need my boots and by the time i got to work what was left was melted. however, what i did learn is that when the snow barely kisses the ground in central london, it likely means it snowed like i imagined in my head originally in all the outlying cities. it took one of my coworkers 5 hours to get to work (normally takes 30 minutes) because all of the trains were being stopped and sent away. london really can't handle the snow. this is what i learned. that and while snow may seem fresh and exciting on day 1, on day 2, it turns into an icy death trap. because central london is so warm, all the snow melted quickly, but then overnight when it got really cold again - it all froze. i had to wear my boots the next day not because i had to trudge through the snow, but rather because they were the safest shoes to take my treacherous walk to the bus stop in.

then, the following week, with no warning, no one talking about it or preparing i awoke to sound of slushing in the streets. i walked to my window thinking it must have begun raining overnight only to find an almost real amount of snow for what i can expect in the middle of the city that is too warm for snow to sit on the ground.

snow piled on cars nearly a few inches high.

snow tracks in the ground.

pub across the street from my flat covered in snow.


all in all it was a pretty exciting thing to have happened first because i didn't expect it and second because well, it actually snowed a significant enough amount to photograph. by the time i left work that day day the snow had melted completely, but at least i have the pictures to prove it.

in other news, i saw up in the air last night - i think i liked it, but overall i'm not sure i knew what to make of it. i'll leave it at that so as not to give anything away, but i just didn't leave feeling like it was complete. worth a shot overall though.

and then today i walked probably about 15k all over london. down to hyde park from my flat. my first time exploring the park. it's no central park, but pretty and big and i'm excited to see it in spring when it has leaves and stuff. then down to green park which takes you to buckingham palace and st. james park. st. james was my favorite - relatively small but really pretty. then back up the through the shopping area and home again. i downloaded this great app - cardio something on my android - that tracks how fast you're walking and how far you've gone using gps. really good stuff. and i found a pandora like app here in the uk that plays me music the whole time. woot.

lastly, i shall leave you with my current song of the moment. it's the song they are using for the preview for the new amy adam's movie leap year which played before up in the air last night and now i can't get it out of my head. enjoy.

sorry dad - i promise i'll blog more.

first, let me start my saying sorry to my dad. he's been asking for blogs and i haven't been doing them. in my defense, i have not had home internet access since i left courtland on december 29th. but all is right with the world again and i am up running on home internet. woot.

i've now "lived" in london for almost a month - that's since my first day at google london (november 30) and coming back after the new year (arrived in the uk after a red eye on new year's day).

my few weeks here before christmas went by all too quickly and consisted mostly of flat hunting and bank account opening and making sure i could actually live here like i a normal person when i got back. happy to say i found a great share in a neighborhood called marylebone right in the dead center of london. it's like the union square of san francisco or the herald square of new york - tons of shopping minutes away, super close to the biggest parks in london, and an easy 15 minute bus ride to work and hopefully love 30-45 minute walk in summer. but not right now. because it snows here.

i did get out to enjoy some of the holiday sights before heading back to california for the holidays. london really does love christmas. watch love actually. it's all true. here are some pictures to prove it:


this is somerset house. famous for ice skating in the wintertime in london. the ice skating rink was sponsored by tiffany's this year. what delightful product placement.

i also got to do some shopping in covent garden which was all decorated for christmas (and enjoyed some delicious paella cooked right in the middle of the open air market)

and enjoyed a delightful cupcake from a cute little cupcake shop for dessert.

i also got a chance to get out and see some of the sites. i was staying about 10 minutes walking from big ben in my fabulous two bedroom corporate apartment - the likes of which i will probably never see again in london. but it did make it nice and easy to talk a walk and realize even more, that this is really where i live now.


the journey back to california was uneventful. there was a british airways strike announced just days before i was set to fly back. through me for a loop my didn't affect my flights and in the end they ended up not striking. i did have a bit of an issue with them though. back when i booked my flight in october i had thought i would still be in zurich, but since my visa came through, i was already in london. since i was flying british airways, i was set to connect through london from zurich on my way to sfo. i called ba to make this simple change, just eliminating a leg of the flight and in essence making the whole thing cheaper for them since i was flying less, however they told me it would be a whopping $350 to change my ticket. i had already looked into flights back to zurich which were only $60 and i told them this on the phone - that it was ridiculous that i could fly back to zurich for cheaper than to just stay in london and fly from there. and the lady said "sorry - that's how much it costs." customer service all the way. anyhow, i woke at 4:00am to catch a flight to zurich only to grab my bags, walk out of the exit, and back right into the entrance to check into my flight. safe to say the guys at the passport checkin in zurich thought i was a little nuts.

in the end, it wasn't all a total loss - british airways actually upgraded me on my flight from london to san francisco and i don't know how i'll ever go back to coach. oh wait - i can't afford it. my business class seat included access to the frequent flyers lounge filled with food and drink and good magazines, a seat that laid all the way down, and lobster for dinner. i could definitely get used to that. but sadly think it might not be a regular occurrence.