Old Friends and New Toys

So, today I met up with Peter.  That's nice, you're thinking, who's Peter and why do I care? Well, ten years ago, Peter and I did our Confirmation together and our moms were friends. Later, he and his family moved to...one of the O-states...Oklahoma? My mom and his remained good friends, though, and so when it turned out he was swinging by London for a spell on business, our mothers put us in touch with each other so we could meet up.

He came by and met me at the house this morning. He brought a jar of JIFFY peanut butter. Do you want to know why the British Empire fell? Because they make the most wretched, bland tasting peanut butter imaginable. How, I ask you, can anyone expect to master the world when they can't even master peanut butter? I mean, honestly - it's embarrassing.

But I digress.

We caught the tube to Westminster (as in where Big Ben and the London Eye are) and then walked down along the Thames, past the Globe Theatre (Shakespeare's stage, people, does no one pay attention in English class anymore?) to a Nando's for lunch. I had the butterfly, of course. We talked about our work and families and television but, honestly, conversation was neither of our fortes and it got a little...strained. When we left, we walked up and around looking for a Mark & Spencer where Peter could exhange some slippers. The first we found was just a grocery store so we had to hope the Tube to Bond street. Mark and Spencer is...well, it's a lot like Wal Mart is trying to be, an all-in-one department store and grocery store, but higher end and, obviously, with some stores being just one or the other, if that makes sense. Anyways, so after Peter got his slippers changed to ones that were the right size, he went off to meet some friends to supper and I went to the Disney Store.

Why did I go to the Disney Store? Because my friend gave me a retro Minnie plushie for Christmas and I've been hunting EVERYWHERE (well, at every Disney Store I've come across and there are a surprising number of them in London) for her matching Mickey. And I finally had! Plus, as a bonus, when I related this tale of woe to the cashier serving me, she tossed in a free Simba plushie as compensation for my trials, LOL. I mean, okay, he was on sale, but still - it was awfully nice of her.

And now I'm off to Christa's to sleepover because tomorrow I have HUGE plans you couldn't wait to hear if you knew them! Ta, loveys.