My first pounds

Since past Thursday I have been fighting off and suffering through a cold. I still have it, but I think I am conquering it quite well considering I haven't taken any time off work and I had a houseguest Thursday through Monday.

Lorenzo and I had a great time exploring the restaurants of London (Bierodrome in Clapham, Punjab in Covent Garden, Wine Wharf at Borough, and Grumbles in Pimlico), seeing some sights such as the Tate Modern, and enjoying a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir, a 1999 Ici/La-Bas 'Les Reveles' . My favorite meal was probably the one we cooked together on Sunday night to go with the wine - a pork loin in a sage cheese sauce, roasted vegetables with rosemary, and a sweet potato mash.

I gratefully stayed in on Monday night because tonight I had a work event at the Walthamstow dog tracks in East London. We had a private box with food, bar, and betting, and overall it was a good night out. My biggest news of the day, and the incentive for me composing this entry at 12:30am, is because I have finally received my UK bank card and called to activate it. The moment of truth will be when I try to use it at the ATM tomorrow morning! Considering I have £5 cash left in my wallet, it's about time to start using my real GBP, and no longer paying for things in USD converted to GBP. For any of you following my saga, this is quite a milestone.