10:07 PM London time:
I am here and have been for about 13 hours. I flew out of LaGuardia yesterday and had a lay-over in Detroit before catching the BIG plane for London. My flight from NYC was delayed, and we took off about an hour and a half after we were supposed to. The connection in Detroit was a bit rough - we entered the terminal at gate 19 and they wanted me to RUN to gate 54. All-the-while they kept announcing "Paging Passenger [insert my name here], to Gate 54, last call for NW flight 32 to London." I'm sure it was quite amusing for everyone watching me attempt to run the length of the terminal (35 gates, plus all of the other stores, restaurants, etc). Now, I haven't sprinted since high school gym class, and while I like to pretend that I can run everything is null-and-void when you have 25 lbs strapped to your shoulders. I could have never made it in boot camp. At one point, I stopped at gate 38, about to pass out! The conversation went something like this:
Me: *gasp*gasp* They *gasp* keep *gasp* calling *gasp* my name.
NW Attendant: What?
Announcement: Paging Passenger [insert my name here] ...
Me: (pointing at the ceiling) *gasp* that's me *gasp*
NW Attendant: You'd better run! That flight is about to take off!
Me: Please tell them to wait *gasp* I'm trying...

Long-story-short, I made the flight and arrived in London around 9:35 am (that's 4:35 EST). There wasn't much involved in "Customs," it was more like a huge line to show your passport, get a stamp and leave so you could fight the crowd in the next room for your luggage. Of course, I found out later that this is a big holiday weekend for people in the UK, so traffic (both highway and airport) would be bad.

Life, homes, etc. seem pretty familiar so far. The cars take a little getting used to. I kept waiting to get into the right-hand lane, and a tiny panic came over me when there were cars headed directly at us on the right! We went to the grocery store this afternoon - very familiar looking - except that the brand names are a little different. Oh! And, Coke bottles are taller and skinnier. The house here is great and the room that I'm in is cool. If you open one of the closet doors, it is a shower. I'll send pictures once I get a digital camera. The town reminds me of "Bend it Like Beckham." Again, pictures later.

I'll post again tomorrow! I plan to go exploring - the actual town is about a 10 to 15 minute walk form here, but there is a post office and a few shops (including a wine shop) much closer. Have a good night!