Heating up...

Please excuse my absence over the last couple of weeks. A rather unlikely occurrence happened that has forced me to abandon my desk and laptop for a bit of fresh air ….

This past week brought a record breaking heat to the city of Leeds. By record breaking I mean it was about 65 degrees (this is England after all). Its citizens emerged from their houses in flip flops, sunglasses and inappropriately revealing clothing ready to embrace the sudden change in weather. You would think that the heat would make me feel a little more at home, yet I actually found myself missing San Diego even more. Back home on days like this we threw on our bikinis and ran straight to the beach or nearest pool, sunscreen and daiquiris in hand. The only thing slightly resembling a body of water here is the murky canal running through the city centre, which I have no doubt is filled with nothing but garbage, diseases and dead bodies that have absorbed the radioactive sewage and morphed into flesh eating zombies that will one day emerge from the depths from which they came and overtake the city….hopefully I will be back in San Diego when this happens, but don’t say I didn’t warn you people of Leeds :) So what do we resort to on a balmy spring day to cool off here? Why the same thing we resort to any other day of the year, drinking! And drink we did, every bar and beer garden was packed to the max with people looking for a way to "cool down”.

The sunshine seemed to boost everyones spirits, and my social calendar quickly filled up, which wasn’t too hard since I have been working a full time schedule at the sky lounge leaving me little time to do anything else. So the spare time I did have was spent letting loose with my friends, who I have been having a blast with, but I am beginning to notice all have one thing in common…. their all guys. And while men can offer a drama free no bullshit relationship, I do miss female companionship. The closest thing I have right now to a bit of “girl chat” are my brief conversations with my fabulously gay manager at sky lounge, Jon. Nonetheless my male compadres provide for good entertainment and are there for me if I do need to vent (because believe me, whether they will admit it or not, after a night out drinking they will definitely open up the floodgates to their inner “girl”).

As much as I love city life and its endless array of entertainment, it can feel somewhat claustrophobic at times, so when Ed texted me earlier in the week asking if he could take me to York that weekend  it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Not only is York one of the most historic cities in England (a small step to reclaiming my travel queen status), but Ed and I had been dating for about a month at that point, and as much as I enjoyed our dinner and movie dates I was looking forward to spending a bit more time with him.

I must say that due to his mere nineteen years on this planet I did underestimate his ability to woo me, but as we walked hand in hand through the cobble stoned streets and 16^th century buildings, watching his adorable attempt at tour guide made me realize that age really is just a number because he completely swept me off my feet. The day could not have been more perfect (accept for our moody waiter at the Italian restaurant we had lunch at who was obviously suffering from lack of oxygen to the brain due to the intense heat). As we walked through a scenic park along the canal I felt like we were in a scene out of Pride and Prejudice… accept our relationship is far less melodramatic as that of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.  I started to realize that maybe this was more than just a fun fling… and he was more than just an extremely cute boy toy.

I am counting down the days until Shane arrives in London, thirty-four from today!  It will be so nice to see a familiar face and most importantly… I can’t wait to catch up on all the hometown gossip ;) I am also looking forward to our trip to Amsterdam, not only as a welcome break from my hectic work schedule, but also as a preview for a potential summer residency. Yes, you heard my right, I am considering moving to Amsterdam for the summer. I have been getting a little too comfortable with my day to day routine here in Leeds, and the new Mint hotel in Amsterdam is hiring, so I thought what better way to spend my summer than to immerse myself in one of the most culturally exciting cities in Europe. Right now it’s just a thought, but the moment it becomes a reality you will be the first to know! Until then…


Xoxo Danielle