Hello all. Usually the main problem I have with this blog is not having anything to blog about. Last week, however, I had a few things: Jack Johnson concert, Conspiracy of Fools, and the relocation of a college friend to right here in London.

A friend from good ol’ Harding University, Stephanie Moss, also a social work major at the aforementioned institution, moved here last week through the same agency as Cheryl did. They work in different councils (the U.S. equivalent of counties), but it is still a borough of London. Sometimes their stories explain why the UK is importing social workers.

During the week there was not too much excitement, just the usual drudgery that is called employment. This weekend however, we went up to London to walk around and show Stephanie the city. Our first stop was Leceister Square, the cinema & theatre district to try and score some Phantom or Les Mis tickets for the eveing show. That proved highly unsuccessful even thought these shows are always available. After we conceded defeat (we will book in advance) we headed to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Cheryl & I had been up here previously with our friends Jeff & Andrea (w/ daughter Mia), but that was a Sunday afternoon and the market is really active on Saturdays.

We had a good time walking around looking at all the random items people sell (and buy) at Portobello Market from old turn-of-the-century cameras, to copious amounts of china, to gas masks. Yes, gas masks.

Best of all we were able to finally locate The Travel Bookshop as featured in the film Notting Hill. As I was waiting for my warm Starbucks beverage, I noticed a hand-drawn map on the corkboard detailing where The Travel Bookshop was in relation to the Starbucks I was standing in. Needless to say, we turned around and found it on a side street with ease.

The Travel Bookshop is as it looks in Notting Hill, perhaps a little more crowded with more shelves (and more customers). The main item of interest regarding The Travel Bookshop was the fact that we noticed a glaring contradiction to the movie: selling of books other than travel books. The 2 titles I remember seeing were The Constant Gardener and War & Peace. Now, these are not Winnie the Pooh or the new John Grisham thriller, but they are also not books you would purchase to guide you through a country during your holiday (complete with an amusing story involving a kebab as the title suggests).

We also managed to drop by our local (as in central London) Chili’s for dinner as Cheryl was craving skillet queso, among other things, including Quesadilla Explosion salad, which I was happy to oblige.

You can take the people out of America, but you can’t take the American taste buds out of the people.