It's raining. Now you might think this is not such an abnormality in London, but it's really raining. I can hear the drops-steady and beating on the skylights in our foyer and kitchen. And that's the thing about the weather here-while the days certainly are gray and you may get a shower at points throughout, it is not often that you get a good long pouring rain. If you want wind and driving rain, you are much more likely to get that in New York City. When it rains in London, it's usually a drizzle and an umbrella is hardly necessary. It will wreak havoc on your hair though. Sometimes I think I would rather just get poured on and look a complete mess, mascara running, water seeping up my pant legs, than have had a light drizzle falling and look generally put together except for the knotty rat's nest that was my hair. I don't feel like I've had a good hair day since I got here. As I write, I am sitting, my head wrapped in Saran Wrap, with a mixture of avocado, egg and a bit of olive oil smeared in my hair. According to Pinterest, this will make my hair smooth and shiny-we shall see. I also have an acne mask on. Within two weeks of getting here, my face has decided to time warp back to 1993-an excellent year for me and my skin. I am convinced that it all has to do with the rain and humidity of this fine city. I look on the pro-side, I will literally age backwards here. Just call me Benjamin Button. My fine lines will disappear and my need for moisturizers will cease to exist. The con-side is random breakouts and hair that looks like I just stuck my finger in a socket. I honestly don't know that it's worth it. But the hope is that my hair and skin will gradually get used to this new climate and things will revert to normal. In the meantime I will simply try every home remedy that I can find on Pinterest. I am sure it will go "brilliantly"... as they say.
The one thing that I really wanted to share with you all regarding the weather here is well, the spirit of Londoners when it comes to it. When I say Londoner I refer to born and bred, transplant, ex-pat, anyone who is currently living and or working in the greater London area. The thing is, and this is a fairly logical way to approach it all but unexpected to me as a New Yorker, people go out no matter what. And I'm not just talking 24 year olds going to the club on a Saturday night. As long as it's not raining and it's not bitterly cold, Londoners sit outside at cafes and restaurants, stand outside of pubs, spend time in the parks, and generally enjoy time out of doors. Even if it is gray and 43 degrees out, you will find couples seated outside having coffee or a group of young men sharing hookah outside of a Middle Eastern restaurant. Walk by a pub around happy hour and there will be anywhere from 5-20 people standing outside enjoying a pint, and I am not just talking about smokers. If the majority of your days are gray and it never really gets super hot then you aren't going to sit inside and wait for those days, you are going to make do with what you have. I often felt that in NYC Spring, Fall, and most of Summer were so fabulous because the weather was great and everyone was outdoors. But Winter could be absolute misery mainly because everyone was cooped up inside, simply waiting for when the weather would be pleasant again. Knowing that you had the other side of the extreme, the sunny hot glorious beach weather just made you hate the winter even more. In a land of no extremes, you approach things differently. Granted, there will be very few days where I am walking around this summer in a tank top, shorts, and flip flops-but at least right now, I think I might be OK with that.
The one thing that does baffle me is the London runner. And when I say this I mainly refer to the men. They seem unaware that cold weather running gear exists. The number of, again mainly men, that I see wearing COMPLETELY inappropriate clothing for 35 degree weather (shorts and a t-shirt or shorts and a light long sleeved shirt) is just ridiculous. I want to stop these men and say, "Get thee to Under Armor, stat!" I don't care how fast you run-it just baffles me. The women seem to have it more together. The only explanation that I can think of is that the weather here since I have arrived has been some of the coldest in years. Last Monday was the coldest day in London since 1986, so maybe it's just a matter of the weather being inappropriately cold, and not the men being inappropriately attired. I'm not sure though... I believe this issue may require further research.
All in all I've been pleasantly surprised by the weather. Yes it is gray and it is dark and it is doing a bit of a number on my drive to get out and do things, but I find if I make a list of things to see or do in the morning, that gets me out and about.
Today, however, no amount of rain can dampen my mood as J proposed last night. Now, this may be a bit confusing as I have referred to J as my fiance in previous posts. From the moment that J and I decided to make this move to London the understanding was that we were making a life decision and proceeded as such. For the purposes of our relocation, and then subsequent issues with UK Border Patrol, J and I referred to each other as fiance. However. J had not formally proposed. We hadn't gone shopping for rings together, a practice J does not condone, and we had never really talked about a timeline for how things would roll out once I was in London. I truly had no idea when a proposal would occur or how. I thought I had an idea of how he might like to do it, but that involved a trip that I did not see happening any time soon. This said, it wasn't a matter of stress for me as I was simply happy to be with J. Last night, however, I was completely surprised and delighted when he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I very happily (and tearfully-I HAVE mentioned I am a crier) said yes. So today I write you feeling warm and "sunshine-y" despite the cold and the rain.
I may even go run outside in shorts and a t-shirt!
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