GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
Professor Steve Steve has a large appetite, especially for such a small bear! If he keeps eating like this, I am going to have to force him to give me a paying job! [larger view].
I have slept, finally and am ready to go to the Nature offices today for our scheduled day of frivolity (and photography).
I have LOTS more images to come (as soon as I can find wifi with an outlet so I can charge up my laptop while writing my blog), including images of one of my readers, Bob O'Hara (I know you all are dying to see what he looks like) and my other science blog colleagues here in London.
My breakfast -- the coffee was awful, tasted like instant Sanka (which is beyond disgusting), so I had to go out and get coffee at McDonald's, where they sell decent coffee for an affordable price (I know, this is shocking).
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Actually, when I was in London at this time last year (where I wish I were again right now), there were Starbucks all over the place--almost as many in New York, it seemed. At least, this was true in the area around The Strand and Trafalgar Square.
Posted by: Orac | August 29, 2008 8:06 AM
It's weird to have people being so excited by London. Perhaps it just proves that familiarity really does breed contempt. :)
Posted by: SimonG | August 29, 2008 8:27 AM
Whatever you are doing - take the chance to drop into Borough Market, go straight to L'Artisan du Chocolat, purchase a cup of their hot chocolate. Also, a bag of their mis-shapes (apparently, it is possible to share these - meh).
On the way there, you may pass Brindisa - stop there for a chorizo sandwich or choose from any other stall that takes your fancy. The coffee-roaster stall is excellent and you will not regret the time taken to queue for their coffee.
Posted by: HolfordWatch | August 29, 2008 10:22 AM
I'm glad that you are ok and having a good time. Looks like someone lent you a usb device so that you could plug the card from your camera into your computer.
I'm looking forward to more London updates. How's the avian population out there?
Posted by: Tziporah | August 29, 2008 10:28 AM
The yellow blob in the styrofoam cup in the last picture - that isn't "coffee"...is it?
Posted by: Tziporah | August 29, 2008 10:29 AM
I say, old fruit, we like to call the smoke "London", not "London, England" in our local lingo, which sounds so terribly ignorant. I know it's a bit tricky for you colonial types, but give it a bash, old bean!
Toodle-pip!
(American: "goddammit, you English are so pay-tronising!", Brit: "I think you'll find that's pronounced pah-tronising")
Posted by: Sam C | August 29, 2008 11:47 AM
I say, that's not a picture of an English breakfast. Where are the baked beans?
Posted by: killinchy | August 29, 2008 12:37 PM
Coffee? Not really our sort of drink, just ask for a nice cuppa tea next time.
And that breakfast doesn't quite look as appealing as it might (it certainly looks incomplete), is there not a Wetherspoon's pub anywhere near where you are? I know there's one at Victoria station but I don't know most of London very well. Anyway I'm fairly sure I recall they do breakfasts.
Posted by: Horwood Beer-Master | August 29, 2008 6:01 PM
As a brit, I would like to point out there is something you have to do. This is a manditory ceremony for all visitors to the country.
Eat a cream tea. That's tea with scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. It's near-impossible to get clotted cream in the US, so enjoy while you can. Delicious.
Posted by: Suricou Raven | August 29, 2008 7:23 PM
We'll sort out the cream teas later. Grrlscientist is having a whale of a time - we might have to sedate her soon. The only problem is keeping Prof. Steve Steve in check.
Posted by: Bob O'H | August 30, 2008 4:03 AM
the yellow blob is actually INSTANT coffee -- i wish they'd told me they would charge me the same for a disgusting cup of instant coffee as for a cup of real tea (yes, I do love tea, but i really need the extra caffeine in coffee right now). anyway, today, i had two hot scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and i thought i'd gone to heaven. even though i was ravenous anyway, this meal was beyond good -- i am now a devout follower of the culinary wonders of clotted cream -- WOW!! why don't they have clotted cream in The States???
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | August 31, 2008 5:50 PM
I don't understand the big deal about clotted cream. I bought some cream recently that was three weeks past the expiration date. It was clotted. I thought it tasted terrible.....
Posted by: EyeNoU | September 4, 2008 9:06 PM
@Borough Market
You people have no taste. You go to Borough Market and all you see is chorizos? What about the Monmouth Coffee? What about Applebee's Fish (not the restaurant, mind you -- the stall next to it), what about the balaklavas, and the cheese shop near the market?
Posted by: Roman Werpachowski | September 7, 2008 3:14 PM