London: Day Two

Unfortunately, they don't call it a "business trip" for nothing. A lot of work got done today, leaving little time for play. Nevertheless, in my determination to see something I ventured out yet again.

This time it was Wellington Square (isn't Wellington the dude that has beef named after him? Who wouldn't want to have beef named after you?). I also made it to Kingsbridge, home of Harrod's department store, and back to Piccadilly for some Fish and Chips.

London: Day One

I've arrived. Having gotten in during the evening, I didn't have much time (or energy) to do much, so I went for a walk to grab some dinner. I ended up at Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria's Memorial:





From there, I made my way through Piccadilly Circus, London's equivalent to New York's Broadway:



That's probably more than enough for only a couple hour's time and short walk. More tomorrow...

Live Blogging from London

Recently, I was assigned to a project at work that involves traveling to several of our domestic and international offices. This week I'm in London, and plan to use my spare time to take advantage of the opportunity to explore one of the most interesting and historic cities in the World.

Over the next couple of days, I'll check-in with updates.

Use Your $38K Imagination

The other day I stumbled upon a web site for a company specializing in luxury children's furniture called Posh Tots. Some of their signature items include elaborate handcrafted playhouses starting at about $5,000.00.

Out of all of them, my personal favorite has to be Sophie's Magical Windmill Playhouse. At only $38,000.00, this little number features:

"...a reading loft, charming windmill blades and an outdoor deck with hand rails. Interior flooring is maple wood vinyl and interior walls have wallpapered graphic panels. Exterior walls are a Douglas fir structural frame with bead board siding. The roof is made of Douglas fir structural trusses with exterior plywood sheeting and cedar shingles. Interior features include a loft with decorative hand railing, ladder, wood trims, operable windows, storage hideaways, concealed ventilation, bay window with reading bench, LED decorative lighting and upholstered cushions and pillows. Exterior features powder-coated metal planters, powder-coated metal flower motif and a second level deck with exterior hand railing."

The inevitable entitlement complex and lifetime of unfulfilled expectations are free.

I remember when outdoor playhouses were just that -- they were outdoors (meaning they didn't have central air), and they were for play (meaning they didn't require a mortgage).

Granted, I did have a playhouse growing up -- two, actually. The first was a treehouse built by my father. He spent the whole summer "handcrafting" it. Unfortunately, the result was three walls and a questionable floor that quickly forced it's condemnation before it could claim the life of one of my brothers.

The second was a Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Scout Walker Command Tower with Speeder Bike Ride. It wasn't much to look at, but I loved it. It didn't have LED decorative lighting or upholstered cushions and pillows, but if you thought real hard, you could chase Storm Troopers across the Moon of Endor to deactivate the shield generator.

Oh, and I'm sure it cost a little less than $38K.

Movie Night

Tonight I hosted a movie night for the Beehive girls I teach in our ward. We played a couple games, had some root beer floats and watched Enchanted. 

I love Enchanted! It's brilliant. There was plenty of laughing out loud and singing along. I find myself singing the "Happy Working Song" while I do chores around my own house. Now, if I could only get some help from the nearby vermin, and figure out how to sew a dress out of my curtains.