Doug E. Fresh

And as many of you know, we lost our bulldog just before going. We have seen six (including two pups) over the weekend. Put a big smile on my face.

Not struggling mightily, just settling in on the end of day 4. The flat is on Wapping High Street, a bit east of Tower Bridge. The place has a huge balcony on each level overlooking the Thames. It’s been sunny and around 75 everyday and will be for a few more days. Then, the fall weather will set in around midweek. My wife was checked up on Friday afternoon to make sure we we’re quarantining. This week we will start the process of getting things setup such as phones, utilities, cable, internet, etc.

Thanks for all the positive comments. Of course we have our two week quarantine upon arrival, which is somewhat enforced by the local authorities. Even jail breaking to the pub poses some risk because you have to provide your contact tracing details upon entry. Should the police cross reference that it could be a problem. But honestly, after the shit we’ve been through the past year and especially recent months, just unwinding in a kick ass flat on the Thames (until our place in Marylebone is ready) with no obligations is sounding pretty good. I may sleep for a week.

Will give you the best advice I can as I just went through something similar. My English Bulldog, Lulu, had a tumor on her heart for at least 18 months and it was generally slow developing. In July, it began to grow and was pushing more fluid into her abdomen and chest. We put her on a heart med and diuretics, like you, and got an initial improvement for about 3 weeks - lots of energy, eating better and very alert. But then she slowed down, we had to hand feed her (and she always loved food more than life itself), and she drank so much water and peed all the time. We had to get her up at least twice during the night to take her out. And my wife and I were more than happy to do it if she still had a quality life. But as the days wore on, she just continued to get worse and showed some signs of pain. It was hard to tell how bad it was because she still wanted attention, love, playtime and was alert. In the end, we found she was just masking the pain until she couldn’t anymore. Her abdomen filled with fluid and an ultrasound also showed a new growth on her liver. So we put her down that day and put an end to her suffering. I can’t give you a magic answer here except to watch it all very closely. The seizures would really worry me and I’d hate to see that keep happening, both for Coco and the impact that has on you and your family. In the end, only you will know when the time is right. And just don’t let Coco suffer trying to hang on. I’m sure you know that and I’m sure you won’t.

Yep, heading over in a little over 12 hours. Lived there before (and in Scotland) from ‘05 to ‘11 so am a naturalized citizen with dual passports. It’s been a goal to get back for many years and that’s where the business opportunities are for me now. Am I excited? I guess I have mixed feelings right now. London is a city I love and a place that is familiar to me and where I still have several friends. I always feel at home there and am happy the minute I get off the plane at LHR. That being said, this has been a grueling process that has taken about a year to get done. And my wife and I are doing it all on our own without a company paying for the move and handling all the details. House was all but sold in March and I was ecstatic for the move. But the buyer cancelled during the option period due to Covid and everything was put on hold for months. Ended up getting back with the buyer and closing the deal in late August and not losing much on the original deal. But since then, we had to put our English Bulldog down and my father has gone downhill with some health issues. On top of that, I don’t know what London will look like in a Covid environment for the next 12 to 18 months. It’s made me question over the last month if this is the right move at age 46 - leaving behind family, friends, familiarity and most of my professional network. It’s emotionally exhausting but my wife and I keep putting one foot ahead of the next every day to get it done. As she says, we are limping across the finish line, beaten and battered. But, we have a great flat in Marylebone (Central London), I can walk to the office so no commuting via the Tube and life will push on. I have to remind myself though that it’s important to always chase your dreams. And if it doesn’t work out in a few years, fuck it. We will just do something else.

Flying IAH to Heathrow on Wednesday, connecting in O’hare because Houston no longer has a direct to London. Not terribly excited about it but it’s part of a move to London. Business is less than half full with decent spacing so may be alright.

Well, the day finally came when we had to put down sweet Lulu. She had a vet appointment this morning which was supposed to be her final health check and approval for the flight to London next week. She had been doing well but went downhill quickly overnight, and her abdomen started to fill with fluid. An ultrasound showed that the cancerous mass on her heart had grown significantly since July and she had developed another large mass on her liver. She was starting to suffer a bit and the pain was showing today. So it was the hardest and easiest decision to end it. Maybe it was just her way of saying a move to London at 10.5 years old was just too much for her. Maybe she was just ready to go. I’m absolutely gutted tonight and will be for weeks to come. But I’m happy for the run she had and that she’s in a better, pain free place tonight. Give your dogs a big hug tomorrow. You never know when you can get blindsided like I did today.

Done these many times - on their own, over toasted croissants, over toasted bread. Best scramble I've had.

Two things - 1) not going to be easy if I have to do a two week quarantine every time I return to London. 2) not going to risk flying back and forth multiple times a year until this stuff settles down. The UK quarantine is legit. You have to submit your address before you depart, and then there is a high likelihood the police will check on you once or twice, especially coming from the US. The fine is about $4k if you are not home when they come by. It's not like the "encouraged" quarantines that have been done in the US as it is taken much more seriously over there.

I get the stress of it all, Brisket. My wife and I are moving back to London in one month, and I don't know when I will get to come back to Houston again. My Dad is 80, in decent health, but I might not see him again. We spent this week together in Galveston, and it was awesome. But it's been hard as shit these last few months to get the move done. While going back to London is what we always wanted to do, it's so much more difficult in a Covid environment. We aren't getting the normal closure we would expect by seeing friends and family before we go and getting to hit all our favorite bars and restaurants.

Anyone know of a place in Houston that buys vintage watches? I have an old JLC (looks similar to that IWC above) that isn't working but want to unload it.

anyone ever use a Thermomix? Curious if there is any feedback out there. We are moving to a flat in London and will have much less space and have a friend over there that raves about this. It's pretty damn expensive though. https://www.thermomix.com

I've got one signed by some of the guys in the 500 HR club, including an authenticity certificate. Mantle, Mays, Matthews, Jackson, Robinson, Killebrew, Schmidt, Aaron, Banks, McCovey. I am getting ready to move in a few weeks so may be unloading some stuff.

I went through a phase back in 2017-2018 where I started buying baseball cards and memorabilia off of eBay. Mostly older cards like Mantles, Mays, Banks, Clemente, etc. One thing I picked up that I had always wanted was a Jordan rookie with a PSA 9 grade. Think I paid around $3500 for it. I pulled the cards out a few months ago just to see what they were going for and pricing. I was shocked that the Jordan had shot up to around $9k-$10k, coming off the broadcast of the Last Dance. I flipped that thing immediately.

The truth hurts, you cockknocker

I originally posted these back in April 2019 when Lulu had an emergency surgery to remove a cantaloupe size growth on her spleen that ended up being benign. She recovered like a champ and has been awesome. Fast forward to February this year and we found a small growth on her liver that we thought was cancer. We hesitantly decided to cut her open again and all went perfect. Also a benign growth. She has had a slow developing mass on her heart that we have been monitoring for a few years, and in her last surgery in February they opened a tiny pericardial window to help drain fluid. We took her in for her normal check up last week and bloodwork showed some mild anemia. She got worse over the course of a week with labored breathing, lack of energy, etc. We took her to Gulf Coast vet yesterday and they confirmed this evening that the heart mass is getting bigger, forcing fluid near her lungs and abdomen. Not much we can do anymore except just wait it out, keep her comfortable and spoil the shit out of her. Could be a matter of days a few months, but we will put her down if she shows any signs of suffering. I am absolutely gutted tonight. We got her in London back in 2010, and are literally less than 2 months from moving back. But I don't see her making the trip.

Yeah, they have a great direct flight out of there. The runway is a bit short for a big plane, but it's doable.

I'm moving to London in mid-September. House in Houston closes late August, movers pack up a few days later, then driving to Terlingua for one final hurrah before flying out. The move isn't Covid related as it's been in the plans with me and the wife for around 5 years. We have passports from our previous 6 years over there so getting in is easy. It's just taken that long with career, money, etc. to get it done. Wish I wasn't moving in the middle of a global pandemic but it's now or never for my work opportunities in London and E. Europe. And if it doesn't work out or we find it's not what we want (or remember), there is always a path back.

Most of what made the news was Soho, which I heard was an absolute shitshow. Other parts of Central London were pretty reasonable from comments I had from friends over there. Many pubs are also requiring bookings for up to 2.5 hours of drinking at spaced out tables. The bars tend to have shields to avoid contact with customers and bartenders. It certainly didn't look ideal over there but not as loose as we have been in the US.

You are right, the 14-day quarantine is based on where you are coming from, but that's not a big deal to me. My point is that I don't think I will run into a situation where a country like the UK prohibits its citizens from returning under any circumstance. I guess it's possible if they shut down all flights from the U.S. but I don't think is likely and could find other means to get over.

You think the UK is letting you in by September? That sounds wildly optimistic to me. I am certain they will. I have a UK passport in addition to a US passport. And they are letting US citizens in now, but you have to quarantine for 14 days. But it is different than a quarantine here. You have to provide your address upon arrival at LHR and are likely to get a visit or two from the police to ensure you are following the quarantine guidelines.

For me in the early 80s, it was the kickass BMX like a Diamondback, Mongoose, Haro, etc. I was always livin large on my Huffy or Schwinn.

Just booked United to London in mid-September with miles. I have always found it difficult to use miles for international business class travel on relatively short notice. Award travel has historically not been available or around 300k miles for a round trip flight. Picked this one up for 60k miles and the business cabin looks empty right now except for 2 other seats.

I was down on my luck and didn't have a buck? Nah, I will take London over Houston any day. Love that town.

Going to get my antibody test today. I was pretty sick in January and just assumed it was the flu. But I found out yesterday that one of my co-workers in London (I was spending around 2 weeks a month working there since August last year) just received a positive antibody test from when he was sick in mid-March. I was around him 10 hours a day for about a week during that timeframe, sitting and working side by side, and did not get sick despite his almost constant coughing. I flew home as soon as the Europe travel ban was put in place and was fine after as well. I guess it is possible that I didn't catch it or was asymptomatic but seems more likely that I may have already had it in January. Will know in a few days.