Just waking up. Slept like a log. Sven’s flat is very cozy; its best feature is the small gas-burning burning fireplace (which is very close to the bed), ensuring that you don’t freeze, and its worst feature is the shower, the two temperature settings being either scalding or freezing. When it comes to shaving, I’ll have to be creative (.e. no shaving in the shower). His flat is incredibly convenient to everything and less than a ten-minute walk from Kentish Town station. 

Might as well get the bad news out of the way. My flight to Manchester was late in arriving and I only just BARELY made the connecting flight to London. My suitcase was not so lucky. It didn’t make it. When I got to the baggage claim and it failed to turn up, I had to fill out a claim, was told the bag would be coming in on a later flight, and that they’d give me a ring on my cell phone when they found it and then deliver it to my flat. Jut peachy, except that my cell phone was completely out of juice despite having charged it just before I got to the airport. Long story short, I am borrowing an “old” cell phone of my friend Joe’s girlfriend, which works perfectly, and last night at 10 o’clock (I kid you not) the airline dropped off my suitcase at Joe’s flat. THIS is EXACTLY why it’s good to have friends when you visit here. Because these foul-ups are always likely to happen.

The good news. My jet lag was almost nonexistent. I did start getting a little sleepy in the afternoon but then I got a second wind. I stayed up till 10.30 and this morning feel great. Joe and his girlfriend Mary-Ann are absudly hospitable. I’d been at their flat for less than two hours when Mary-Ann popped into the kitchen “to make a spot of lunch.” It turned out to be roast lamb with herbs, sauteed mushrooms and celery, roasted potatoes, and carrots. They were both very enthusiastic about the Intellientsia coffee. They asked me to make it so they could watch (they have a French press) and Joe said, “Oh my, looks lke I’ve been aking weak coffee all this time.”

After hanging out all afternoon with Joe I met up with Colin, who’s a Scottish pen pal of mine who happened to be in London visiting friends. We met for a drink at Trader Vic’s in the Park Lane Hilton. Very elegant, wonderfully comfortable, A Mai Tai each, and I cannot convey how soothing it was. It was kind of embarassing me having to ask him to keep repeating himself; his Scottish burr is very thick. We took the tube to Covent Garden and wandered around. It was absolutely packed. We settled on having dinner at  nice-looking random Thai restaurant in Leicester Square called the Thai Pot. It was pricey (naturally) but pretty decent I have to say. Nice portion sizes too. Colin’s Diet Coke was woefully flat and cost $3.50 however.

I persuaded Joe to go to South London Pacific tonight and he’s asked a bunch of his friends to come too. None of them, including Joe, has any idea of what “tiki” is, so yesterday I put Martin Denny on my iPod and gave him a Tiki 101. They don’t go to south London much either so that will be just as exotic.