A Long Hiatus

So it turns out living in a new city and starting a new job at the same time tends to make a person very busy. Also very stressed. But either way, I've pretty much been shit at this whole blogging thing. But hey, better late than never.

Another handy excuse for my complete abandonment of Streaky Bacon Struggles? It's actually been a gorgeous summer here. I've learned very quickly that English people love talking about the weather, so I've had tons of conversations about the lovely sunshine. I've also learned that English people have no idea what a real heat wave is. I mean, they issued actual heat warnings when the temperatures teetered around 85 degrees -- a perfect summer's day, if you ask me.

But enough about the weather. (God, I'm British already.) It feels very strange that we've been here nearly 3 months already. I do feel much more settled: We've moved into our new flat. I have a pretty strong grasp on public transportation. (I've even gotten over my New York-bred hatred of buses.) Things are (sort of) working out with my job. And I'm really enjoying exploring our new neighborhood on the weekends.

But in some ways, I still feel very unsettled. There are plenty of things left on our admin To-Do list: register for a doctor (apparently that's a thing here), finish hanging our pictures, find a house cleaner, etc. And I'm yet to master the time difference when it comes to keeping in touch with my family. But the hardest adjustment has definitely been on a social level. In New York, I had a ton of close friends, which meant there was always someone around to get lunch with or meet for happy hour. Here, not so much.

Don't get me wrong: The few people we know here are being so wonderful and introducing us to their friends and setting me up on girl dates, but it's almost like going on job interviews. I just want to be with people I already know, and sit on the couch and watch trashy TV while we each drink our own bottle of wine. Is that too much to ask?

But overall, I feel like I'm in a pretty good place for the 3-month mark. I knew coming into this that it wasn't going to be a super easy transition and that it be several months before I felt at home. And as my friend's English husband told me, 'London is not a city that's just going to open her legs for you right away. It takes time.'