And she's back.

(gasping for breath)
I'm back! I've survived the most consecutive days I've ever worked (25 to be exact) and have resumed a normal life. Hurrah!

They were nice enough to give me a bonus day off last Friday, so I had a little mini spa day at Büty Salon, near my house. The treatments were wonderful but the facility itself could use a little updating. Nothing was un-hygenic but the floors looked kind of dingy and the walls were all marked up. Still, the massage and facial were fantastic and I fell asleep almost as soon as they dimmed the lights. In my new Zen-like state, I braved Oxford Circus and finally got a chance to enter Liberty's doors. I feel like an angelic chorus should sing when you walk in there. It's this gorgeous gothic castle-like building and inside, it's on the level of Barneys...at least. Yes, a lot of things are just ridiculously expensive, but I was able to find a reasonably priced gift or two and perhaps a very reasonably priced pair of shoes for myself. (hee hee)
Here are the shoes:

I would feel guilty about the shoe purchase, but seriously, it turns out that when you actually walk in your shoes everyday - as opposed to just driving and sitting in them like in LA - shoes actually wear out pretty quickly. Anyway, after Liberty, I roamed nearby Carnaby Street until it was time for my dinner date with the lovely h.lord. I got to see her new fab place of her very own, in north London near the Archway stop. She cooked me a delicious vegetarian dinner, which was especially generous since she was leaving for LA the next morning. Crazy girl. But it was so yummy and sooo good to see her and her new home.

Saturday I roamed around, got a haircut at Bloww from my stylist Sophie, who is French, straightforward and completely hilarious. She does a lot of work for photoshoots and some celebrity hair as well and while she won't name drop or disclose much, she always has great stories. And I think she's warming to me a bit (this was our second appointment). Then, lucky me, I got to see my cousin Monica who was in town for just a few days for business and was willing to brave the trip from Heathrow to downtown on a Saturday night. Of course for the meeting spot, I managed to pick the ONE STORE in Piccadilly Circus that has changed names since I've been here. I met Helen in front of Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly the first month I was here, but of course it's the one place that's changed (now a Zavvi) and that's where I'd told Monica to meet me. Luckily, she didn't give up and was extremely forgiving and it just proved to me how little I still know around London. When we did finally find each other, we had a great dinner at an Italian place just off Regent Street. It was wonderful to see her and catch up on her exciting family.

Sunday was a cleaning and taxes day, but I did meet up with a co-worker for lunch and a stop at a pub afterwards in a neighborhood in northwest London, West Hampstead/Finchley Road, which I hadn't been to before. The cafe was really cute and healthy-like and I can't remember the name for the life of me. I really liked the pub too, called The Gallery - it had a little balcony with sofas and then a lower level where they have bands and comedy. Sunday also started the most brutal weather we've had since I've been here. Monday morning was really the worst with high winds and sheets of rain...I was sopping wet just getting to the bus stop. But I guess I feel lucky that it's only been one day like that, instead of every day.

Now, the big news is that Mom and Dad arrived yesterday and I couldn't be more thrilled to have them here. We already scored big time with a fabulous dinner last night at Lucio in Chelsea. Unfortunately they don't have much of a website yet, so you'll just have to trust me when I say it was amazing and delicious. It was also a very "nice" meal, if you get my drift, so I won't be going there on a regular basis. But it was a fantastic dining experience all around and very nice to have something to celebrate (my parents) as an excuse for trying it out.

Tonight they're going to come to work and then we'll go down to Fulham together so they can see my flat and have dinner down there. I think during the day they're doing the Original London Bus Tour where you can hop on and hop off as many times as you like. I did it my first couple of weeks here, if you'll recall. =)

I'll try to come up with some pictures for my next post. I know how some of you hate all this reading business.