And for your birthday, we bring you duck...which you don't eat...

Family,

And a GREAT morning to you from across the Pond on a warm and (hopefully soon to be) sunny Saturday in the Mother Country. IT'S THE WEEKEND!!! Now first off, I realize that I'm 2 days behind (and therefore falling even further back on the "Tom Price" metric, courtesy of the C-Web Tracking System), but both nights were late and, well,involved at least one bevvie. However, after 3 AFD's in a row Mon-Wed, something had to give, right?

So Thursday was a great day in the office. For starters, I logged 75 minutes on the bike and felt really strong. I also had a big presentation to the Baron, and I am happy to report that it went well. So, riding the high of finally getting back in shape and having a successful day in the office, I rolled up to Leicester Square for the Shannon Newcomb Birthday Extravaganza.

Now some of you might remember that I'd planned to go bowling on Thursday night. However, after further research and considering the 3 below factors, we canceled the expedition to Elephant & Castle:

1. We were certain to get stabbed.

2. The location was awkward for everyone's home journeys and wasn't close enough to a hospital after we got stabbed.

3. The bowling alley didn't serve beer, meaning we wouldn't even have dulled the pain after being stabbed.

Instead, Shan, Hitman, Lord, Muffin, and me opted for drinks at the Salisbury. I am happy to report fresh casks and lots of laughs. The "hot wing" selection, however, was LESS than stellar. I mean, check out this photo - what is this little chip of shit suppose to be? Sean thought perhaps they'd harvested the local pidgeon crop. But I guess I can't make too much fun of them, as I did consume 3 (which added together is still less than 1 wing at B-dubs or Taco-Mac).

For Shannon's birthday dinner, the original request had been Indian. However, given that Chinatown was just a scant 3 minute walk, the pull of the crispy duck was just too strong. Granted, there was a slight issue, as Shan doesn't EAT DUCK, but we glossed over those details with phrases like "there's tons of other good stuff there," "Tsing-Tao beer is the world's greatest lager," "Hitman will make the waiter write the bill in English (inside joke)," etc.

Being the good sport that she is, we were soon at Kam Tong, where JT and I basically consumed a crispy pork belly EACH. There was enough fat to have kept all of Shakleton's men warm during their 2 years at the pole, and we took it down in a single sitting. Yes, sir - I know what healthy is. Such a fun night!

Friday was another great day. I logged another hour on the bike and then 1.1 km's on the treadmill, still without pain. It's funny, because the day after I run there is a slight soreness for the first step or two out of bed. However, I am writing that off to the muscles being atrophied and hoping for the best. That's right, dad - I am "gut divorcing it."

I will say - whilst running I decided it was time to watch a little news. Since BBC was just 2 tv's down, I turned my gaze up from "The Lost Symbol" (very good 100 pages in) to see what was happening in the world. Within the space of 60 seconds, here's what I was told:

1. BA is going to go on strike again and will disrupt all air travel for 4 days.

2. The Railways are going to strike and wreak havoc on commuters over a (different than BA) 4 day period.

3. There is a new Catholic Abuse scandal in the US.

4. Pollution is at an all-time high on Britain's beaches.

Honestly, I think I'm done with the news now. Instead, I opted for something that only Chuck Powell could have taught me to appreciate - WWE wrestling, baby!!! I couldn't believe how many of those cats are still around. CP- you would have been so proud of me - I recognized Edge, John Cena, Batista, Captain Insano (Water Boy joke for you there), Triple H, and even Brett the Hitman Hart! Yes, I am VERY cultured and sophisticated...

Yesterday we hit up the music factory for a few (meaning 4) pints before having dinner at Srinam. Seriously - that curry and those Singapore Noodles will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

We passed out at 10 PM and were up around 9:30 or so today - that's insanity by our standards!

Well, it's my turn for the shower, and then we've got a day of activities (some known, some TBD) in front of us. Muffin Puffin is looking hot with her new haircut, and so I'm gonna go show here off walking down Oxford Street.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny