I went to London for the day yesterday – I had an informal networking lunch, an informational interview, and drinks with my only ex-boyfriend, whom I hadn’t seen since 2004.  All three went well – the informational interview was very informational, and while the guy I spoke with wasn’t optimistic, he did give me a list of people to contact and offered me an unpaid internship at his firm – so hardly a bad outcome.  And the drinks went swimmingly, especially since I had steeled myself for an awkward hour of stilted conversation and overly long pauses.  It went so well that I got a later train than I had planned.

While there, I was also able to walk around Carnaby St, one of my new favorite places, and to visit The Building Center, which had exhibits of all the major new development going on across the city.  And I got to eat at Ben’s Cookies, which was my favorite place in Oxford (I was equal parts thrilled and disappointed to learn that they have half a dozen outlets in London).  Seriously, just look at these things (this is chocolate-orange, my perennial favorite):

Bonus: I love the packaging:

On the train ride home, I listened to the most recent episode of “The American Life.”  It was, fittingly, titled “Adventure!”  And the adventures chronicled therein make it clear that living in a sweet little Victorian terrace house in a sweet little university town, even if it happens to be in  a foreign country, doesn’t totally qualify as an adventure.  However, Ian and I head back to the states tomorrow (I feel like I’m playing an epic game of transatlantic ping-pong), and I will hopefully return with lots of stories in ten days’ time.  I’ll also be posting a bit in the interim, so check back.  And, for now, here is a picture from down the street: