The whirlwind London book tour for Don't Swallow Your Gum was truly lovely. It felt a little insane in the beginning when I went straight to the BBC studios from my overnight flight into Heathrow and had to do 15 interviews in a row in my sleepless, unshowered state. After crashing at my lovely hotel on Bloomsbury Street, I was up bright and early for my morning television appearances on GMTV. Things got truly surreal when I discovered that the PRIME MINISTER was also on the show that morning. Yes, I got to sit in the green room with Gordon Brown (and entourage).   I finally worked up my courage to speak to him, and thanked him for his statements on global poverty and the need for political will to overcome the diseases affecting people in the poorest places, explaining that I do medical research on HIV care for children in Kenya. THE PRIME MINISTER!!! Sadly, I don't have any pictures from the TV experience to document the craziness. Also, they didn't post my interviews online either (bumped by the Prime Minister). Other highlights of the visit were having lunch with our publicist and editor from Penguin UK and lots and lots of wonderful London wandering.

At Penguin UK (offices on the Strand, overlooking the Thames) with our editor and publicist:


I especially enjoyed my explorations through the National Gallery and the British Museum (especially in love with the amazing creations of the ancient Egyptians) and all around the squares and streets of Camden in the vicinity of my hotel.  A long early morning stroll along the Thames to see the Houses of Parliament and other delights. A final glimpse at the wonders of St. Paul's cathedral. It was a lovely few days, and then I was back on the plane to Nairobi. I guess I need to get to work now.

 

The weekend has been packed with friends, neighbors, fun, and food. I don't have time for a lot of words, but it's easy enough to post a few pictures of the festivities.

Lining up the kids for the annual Halloween picture:



I walked with the neighbor kids and parents to Fountain Square's "Scare in the Square".  Olie went as a Hot Dog, and he was a big hit, especially with the under-5 crowd.


The Pleasant Street kiddos in all of their cuteness
 

We rounded out the weekend with a packed house as we hosted the neighborhood dinner. Giant chicken and beef potpies, fresh bread, and berry crisps were perfect for an autumn evening.



Now, I just need to do a little scrambling before I leave on Wednesday for London (book publicity), then Kenya (usual research). Yikes. There may not be much sleep between now and then.

In honor of my younger brother's birthday, a little collection of photos of us together over the years...





I love you, Deebo!

1. One October bag


Whenever I carry my black suede hobo bag from One October, it gets complimented. Today was no exception when I had 3 separate strangers in different locations rave about it. I love telling people that it was created by One October, a company formed by my gorgeous, talented cousin (who happens to be a lawyer/business woman/new mother) and her equally gorgeous and talented friend/cousin (who happens to be an actress/designer). They actually design these lovely handbags using recycled salmon skins from Chile! The bags are so fabulous that they have been spotted in the hands of Jennifer Aniston, Shannon Doherty, and other famous ladies of Hollywood.

Mine makes me smile too... (although the photo indicates that I am not a fashion stylist or photographer)



2. The Heavens are Hung in Black



I got to spend the evening with my friend M, a rare date for just the two of us to enjoy dinner and a show. After our lovely seafood dinner (oh how we love mussels -- not appreciated by certain husbands), we walked over to the Indiana Repertory Theater for their production of "The Heavens are Hung in Black". The play represents 8 months in the life of Abraham Lincoln, the days leading up to the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation. I really liked the complexities of Lincoln imagined in this play. Two thumbs up on the Fluff Friday list.

3. Dr. Oz Radio



Today's hour-long Dr. Oz Radio show (which airs multiple times a day!) featured his discussion of Don't Swallow Your Gum with AC and me. This is actually the show we recorded in the studios in Chicago and New York. It was very nice to hear it on the airways today. I just wish Dr. Oz would listen to us about 8 glasses of water and Airbourne and vitamin C.

4. Spiky lantern plant



My neighbor is growing this amazing plant in his flower garden in our adjacent backyards. It's about 6 feet high, with these lovely round balls flowering from it that look like dozens of small, chartreuse lanterns, floating over the garden. I love this plant! I'm tempted to cut down branches of it during the night and put them in big vases in my house. Much to my horror, though, I discovered that someone officially bestowed a truly unfortunate name upon it. I can't bring myself to use it. (OK, the actual plant name is "hairy balls"! Isn't that hideous?!) So, I have dubbed it the "spiky lantern" plant. Much better.

5. Pretzel Slims (covered in dark chocolate, of course)



Trader Joe's makes a wonderful snack, these pretzel/cracker things called Pretzel Slims.  Then, they had to go and make an even more ridiculously wonderful version that is covered in dark chocolate. I just discovered that there's a bag in the cupboard, and so I had to add it to my smile-inducing fluff list. I have to admit, the Pretzel Slims even bumped off the list a funky, macramed belt that I uncovered for less than a dollar at our local thrift store and with which I am quite pleased. Perhaps just one pretzel before bed...

While my running mysteries are those things that I struggle to make sense of, running oddities are things that stick out for their novelty. 3 oddities presented themselves during this autumnal evening's run (all spotted in Fountain Square, of course):

1. Another woman running. In my months of regular running, I have never, ever crossed paths with another woman running for exercise in Fountain Square. Not only did I see one running down Laurel Street, she was not someone I knew! I was shocked with pleasant delight.
2. Today's best cat call came from a man on a porch, siting with a number of male counterparts. As I passed, he called out loudly, "I like your hair."  How random is that? First of all, I've heard a lot of lines while running, but that one is so specific and so - I don't know - non-offensive that it caught me off guard. Plus, I have to point out that my hair was just as it always is when I run: tied back in a ponytail, with a black headband to keep the wispy hairs out of my face and a nice amount of sweat around the crown. Was he trying to woo me with the improbability of finding my hair particularly attractive? So weird.
   
3. And then the oddity to which I would award a special place in the Fountain Square hall of strangeness: the double scooter. As I was almost home, a very overweight man went whizzing by me. He was riding on a very strange contraption -- what looked very much like 2 single-wheeled scooters (one red, one black) that had been strapped together, with perhaps some sort of welding job to meld the handlebars into a connected unit. His bulky seat straddled the two of them, and he seemed to be navigating the conveyance without difficulty. Very interesting. I suppose it's more stable that way.    
   

Ahh, life in the Fountain. Never a dull moment.