“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
– Thomas Watson (1914 – 1993), president of IBM from 1952 to 1971 [said in 1943]

We’ve officially hit our first bump in moving to London. And it’s so miniscule compared to the heaps of ease and good fortune that it’s almost not worth getting ourselves worked up over. But it is an inconvenience. Our internet, which was supposed to be set up yesterday has been set back a week and a half because the wiring/cables/whatever in our flat are so out of date as to be unusable and have to be updated. The service man actually winced while testing them.

It’s not a welcome diagnosis for my freelancing and job hunting, but we’ve found a rather delightful solution. The British Museum has a charming new membership option that includes access to exhibitions, lectures, and other events for free, a private member’s room, excellent food options, and most critically free wifi. On weekdays I’ll now trot down to Russel Square (fantasizing about a smaller and more manageable laptop) and set myself up at a work table.  It’s not nearly on par with internet at home, but I have to admit it will do just fine in the mean time, thank you very much!

We’re also signing up for phone plans tomorrow and getting new phones. Apparently (like unto the cables in our flat) ours are so hilariously out of date that as to be unhelpful for a certain number of tasks and jobs. And the bossier of my mates (you know who you are!) are urging me to get an Instagram account to share London photos. Cast your votes, kittens, is another social media account worth it?

Here are your links, minions, though it’s just a short list this week. Thanks for sticking around while we’ve hopped continents. Now please excuse while I catch up on several weeks’ worth of emails and updates…

Tumblr find of the week.

Last week Buckingham Palace celebrated a pretty big birthday.

The Twitter and Facebook exaltation of my friends and acquaintances alerts me to the fact that the famed Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is apparently back. I don’t drink coffee, but I can appreciate the enthusiasm. With that in mind, here’s some related historical trivia on the coffee cup’s comrade in arms.

Ikea being the patron deity of cheap city dwellers (also the location of not a few trips last week), made me think this a fitting tribute.

I WANT TO GO TO THERE.

We’re not the only ones to jump an ocean recently, one of my good friends Caitlin has as well. She and her husband Terry (one of Jeff’s university flatmates) ended up in China about the same time we flew into London. She’s been blogging on culture shock and discoveries in her new city, as well as her work on her first major novel, and as always she’s riotously funny!

Second Tumblr find of the week, h/t to Scarlett! Having lived in Belgium, I would like to assure all and sundry that I found most of the houses charming in a quintessential Northern European fashion. However, there is a great deal of this sort of thing as well, it must be admitted. (Language warning for pearl clutchers.)

Hm. And now I’m pondering my desire for a new phone…I’m not at all convinced this is hyperbole.