Hello everybody,

I'm writing this a couple blocks from my flat at the Black Medicine Coffee Company - located in one of the buildings that boasts of being the Birthplace of Harry Potter (Rowling used to frequent a cafe that used to be located above this place - but now it's a Chinese buffet that's upstairs). The coffee here is good, the wifi is free, and they happen to be playing the first Tracy Chapman album. In case anyone doesn't know - she lives in San Francisco.

My last day in San Francisco was a little hectic. I closed down a bank account I opened in college and went home to try to force a ridiculous number of things into three suitcases. I melted down a couple of times. I shuffled a few things around and decided to check all three bags and carry on a backpack and laptop case. In the backpack, I put two pairs of shoes, a couple DVDs, a book, and my jewelry case. The jewelry case was going to be in the largest suitcase, but when I couldn't zip it closed I figured it was an easy thing to transfer. What I didn't remember (as I packed all of these things over a month ago) was that there was a knife in the jewelry case. I've never used this knife - Robert (Kiran's boyfriend Robert - not Toast Robert or Layla's ex Robert) randomly gave it to me at my last birthday party. It looks old and it's kind of a curious looking knife. I was never sure why he felt inspired to give me a knife, but I took it home and never thought about it again.

Unfortunately and ironically, the US has some of the worst airport security in the world, and the knife passed right through with no problem. I would much rather have had it confiscated and thrown away at SFO. I got to Heathrow, deboarded my plane, went through passport control and had my picture taken. Then when I went back through security they picked up something strange on the scanner and I was stopped to have my bag searched. Everyone was very polite. I was surprised to see the knife when they opened the jewelry case - I'd forgotten about it. I told them they could just throw it away and that I wasn't attached to it, but they insisted that they had to follow protocol. They took my passport and asked me to wait for the police to arrive. A half hour or so later, the police arrived - they were a couple of friendly traffic cops (one male, one female) who didn't usually manage these sorts of cases. They explained to me that (due to a recent flurry of knife fights in London), it is now an offense to even own or carry a knife with a blade that locks in the United Kingdom... much less carry one on an airplane. A three inch lockable blade is a deadly weapon, and they told me I'd need to be arrested and brought out of the airport to the police department to be questioned and the knife would be destroyed. They also said that it's lucky that I'm not a UK citizen, as I'd be getting out of there with a wrist slap and not a criminal record. They try to be lenient with visiting foreigners who might not know the rules. For the record, the same applies to pepper spray. Don't bring any pepper spray into the UK!

I missed my 12:55 flight as well as the 3PM flight, but managed to get on the flight at 4:10. They said that I got in and out of there in record time. They skipped putting me in a cell, and they managed to arrange it so that these two cops handled everything rather than going through the protocol of calling in some higher-ups to conduct the interview. I was tape-recorded, photographed, finger-printed, and had to sign a number of things. They'll hold onto these records for five years.

One of the cops kept telling me that it was lucky this worked out the way it did. My checked luggage was searched, and I probably would've been arrested in Edinburgh for having the knife if they'd found it. If they hadn't found it and it would've been found in my luggage or boxes exiting the country when I leave, they said it would've been worse. They were joking that they should take the photocopy image that they made of the knife and send it to SFO along with all of the other things they catch that the US airports miss.

I was picked up in Edinburgh by my landlords who are a very sweet couple. I didn't tell her why I missed the plane (I actually phoned her from the back of the police car) - I just told her I missed it and called her back when I had the new flight number and time. I didn't want her to think she had some sort of criminal living in her flat! Maybe once I know her a little better I'll tell her the whole story!

Two of my bags arrived, but the third didn't make it. They said they knew where it was and that it would arrive on the later flight and they'd get it to my flat around 11PM, but I never heard from them. Maybe it will come today.

The flat is cute. It's a garden level one-bedroom with a back door that opens into a walled-in memorial garden for the church next door. This garden (and the windows that open to it) are on the north side of the flat, and the south end of the flat is essentially in the side of a hill - so the flat gets no direct sunlight, which is slightly unfortunate. There is a WiFi in the flat that appears to be working, but I can't get a network address when I connect to it. Right now the service is in my landlords' name, so maybe we can call the helpline when they come back today to do some minor repairs to the flat.

The landlords left me a bottle of Hungarian pinot grigio, a bottle of orange juice, a loaf of bread, some organic peanut butter, and a packet of Oreos. They want me to go to their place for dinner later in the week.

I'm going to try to get a UK phone number today, as my T-Mobile service is going to end tomorrow. I have a really busy week ahead of me, but hopefully I'll get the wireless in the flat figured out and I'll be able to Skype with some of you!

Big hugs to you all...

Teri