They Made It

After an unscheduled 24-hour layover in Atlanta, my mom and dad made it to London today. Weather problems and Delta policy are to blame. Get this--they missed their international connection by 10 minutes and were told it is Delta policy never to wait on passengers if it means the plane will be late departing. However, after standing in line for two hours to finally make it into a musty hotel room at 2 a.m., and then waiting around all day for their flight, the pilot announced that they would be just a little late on take off as they were waiting for a couple of passengers to arrive. I'm encouraging them to sent a nasty-gram veiled in polite tones to Delta and see what kind of vouchers they can get for their next trip. Maybe an upgrade to first class on their way home!

They not only brought themselves, but they brought my new computer. It's just like my old one--only it works! I backed up everything using the Mac time machine and absolutely everything reloaded exactly as it was on my old computer. All of my I-tunes stuff, pictures and even my internet settings. Really easy.

I made bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) tonight for dinner. I've never made them before, but I wanted the parents to have an authentic English meal on their first night here. I also bought scones for the first time, along with clotted cream and lemon curd. Our guests may end up having a more authentic "English" experience than we do.

Everybody in my house went to bed early tonight and I've been on the computer for about three hours now. Between catching up on the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, doing a little Facebooking, browsing through e-mails and even attempting a little bit of writing, I'm finally feeling normal again. It's clear I have a problem--much like an alcoholic, a smoker or a compulsive gambler. I need my computer much more than I should. Perhaps when I'm not living the ex-pat life, I'll attempt to address it, but now is not the time.

I applied for a part-time holiday job at a local stationery store today. I love it. The economy is tanking, but a store that sells fabulous things that no one actually needs is hiring extra help. How embarrassing will it be if they don't even call me? I would really like a job--even if just for a short time and even if it's just stocking shelves or putting price tags on things. I've learned that I don't really like being a volunteer (probably shouldn't put that in writing), and I'm certainly a lousy housewife. I am doint some writing, but it's nothing that's paying anything and it's a pretty solitary endeavor. And I'm tired of justifying expenses when the credit card bill comes. "Yes, that was the vacuum cleaner." "That was our tickets to the play." "I bought a sports bra there." I could really go for a little independent purchasing power--especially when my husband got the bill for his own birthday present. Uggg.

Tomorrow we plan to take Mom and Dad to the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. It was recommended by friend Nancy Hicks and when I checked it out on the web, it looks like a place that Maddie will enjoy as well. It's supposed to be a nice day, so if Mom and Dad can shake off the jet lag, it should be a good time.