Pictured here:
- Anne Marie in front of Notre Dame
- Central London at its best
- Dad and I trying to recreate Ben's Starbucks zombie pose
- Dad on Waterloo Bridge
- Anne Marie discovers pie in Greenwich
- Midshipmen Kessler preparing for their Lieutenants' exams at Somerset House
- Blackfriars Bridge (note the railings under water in the foreground)
I'm back, and I brought pictures. After two and a half months of extremes, I'm anticipating a welcome return to the pedestrian. In the last two and a half months I've embarked on a whirlwind of romance and ... er ... work. I know it doesn't sound a likely blog topic. Oh well, too bad.
The truth of the matter is that I have just completed a deal which kept me up all night three times in the last week, and had me in all day Saturday and all day (and night) on Sunday. Although this was at the extreme end of my experience since New Year's, work has dominated. I'm getting fat from sitting at my desk all day. And it's been socially disruptive. 
And yet I've had spells of bliss. Dad and Anne Marie came to visit a week or so ago, and I did everything I could to spend some time with them, despite an unlucky host of obstacles: I had to fly to Columbus at the last minute for Grandma Donnelly's funeral, and so when I returned I was exhausted and my 4-day weekend with Dad and Anne was suddenly a jetlagged day and half; and then it was all I could do to leave work before midnight to see them. On Anne Marie's last night in London, my client told me to go see Anne (she loved your card, Anne, btw) and so I snuck out from 9pm - midnight, before returning to the office.
The trip to Columbus, though somber, was a wonderful chance to catch up with family.And then there's been my budding romance. But I won't go into that here. And I'm not including a picture, because she'd kill me. But I have a very nice photo of us in Paris, if anyone would like to see it....
I took the last picture last night on my way home from work at 4 am. London (in fact, all of England) was wracked by storms yesterday. Filthy weather. The Thames was at flood - the highest I've ever seen it. If you click the last photo, you'll see how the staircase down to the river is completely submersed.
