An American Ex-Pat in London

Just had to share a conversation had with Susan....I think it says a lot about our relationship....

So I've really severely fallen behind again and I apologize.  It's not even like I've been THAT busy....I mean...the last time I wrote was New Year's Eve (technically day, but I hadn't been to bed yet)....

I slept through the 1st (mostly), since I wasn't actually in bed properly until about 7 am....

The 2nd was also pretty relaxed cause I was feeling lazy still, but I did manage to go out and run some errands...

The 3rd I went to the Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill (yes...it's the one from the movie).  It was absolutely BRILLIANT!  I really can't express the fabulousness of this market.  There was just so much STUFF.  Although, truth be told, I definitely almost started crying a couple of times cause I was REALLY missing my Grandfather.  For anyone that doesn't know, my Grandfather (my mom's dad) was an antique dealer and auctioneer, etc. and this market was so full of antiques and interesting things that he would have just ADORED it.  I mean...there was everything from Wedgewood to WWII gas masks.  There was beautiful jewelery, antique books (of which I bought a few), furniture....everything.  There were also some REMARKABLE skrimshaw pieces that were stunning.  It was also interesting the noting the differences in the vendors.  Some people were clearly experts (there was one guy who dealt only in Wedgewood) and some people had no idea what they had. 

I managed to spend FIVE hours wandering through the market and I was basically just browsing and not doing any real serious shopping and hunting (except for through the books).  There were so many people there I couldn't believe it...a lot of them were tourists (not a lot of English being spoken) and I was DRAINED after five hours.  It was just so much to take in.  It was almost overwhelming.  There was absolutely anything you could be looking for and then there was the throng of people crushed together moving at varying paces past endless shops and stalls. 

It was well worth the trip, but I felt perfectly content to hibernate in my room the rest of the day.

Can't remember much about the 4th...although I am pretty sure I just went walking (the weather has just been lovely lately).

The 5th Stephanie and I went out to lunch....we went to a Mexican restaurant that she had heard good things about.  It was in Covent Garden and I have to say that we finally had success finding REAL mexican.  It wasn't BRILLIANT by any stretch of the imagination, but it was definitely the real deal, refried beans, rice, chips and salsa brought straight out.  The service was also pretty much abysmal, but that's sorta par for the course here.  After we were done (stuffed beyond reason cause it's been so long since we had good mexican) Stephanie was tired and we went back to the flat, but I wasn't ready to waste the beautiful weather, so I made my way to Finsbury Park for an extended walk around the area.  However, when it started to snow and I could see the ominous clouds closing in I decided to head for home and do nothing after that.

The 6th was Stephanie's last day in the flat.  We went to lunch and then I went off to BUNAC to pick up some things.  That took so little an amount of time that I decided to go walking instead of heading straight back home.  I went to Green Park and walked around there a few times before crossing past Buckingham Palace into St. James park where I wandered around for a long while.  The weather was bitingly cold, but the air felt so crisp and the sky was bright blue...I really couldn't have asked for better...There was also a guy who had nuts in his pockets that he was feeding to the squirrels...it was hysterical.  The birds were also in rare form...they were all being terribly noisy, including one which sounded disturbingly like a squeaky toy.  I really do think that St. James' Park is my favorite.....My favorite spot is on a bridge in the center where you can see Buckingham Palace and the buildings that house the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices, Churchill Museum, and Cabinet Warrooms.  It's a lovely view and there are birds everywhere (although currently part of the lake is frozen).  I was starting to get cold after wandering around the park for a while so I walked up to Trefalgar Square (where the fountains were amazingly frozen!) and then, deciding that I was actually really cold, I made my way toward home.  Once home I stayed in attempting to thaw out and then Stephanie moved out.

The 7th I had work at Warner Brothers (I really really like it here - that's where I am now).  It was a pretty basic day and I got to talk to the nice Irish security guy again.  Unfortunately, I got home intending to take a hot shower, wash my hair, cook dinner, straighten my hair, and generally do nothing, only to find that I had no hot water and no heat.  So I called Mrs. Laws....who proceeded to yell at me because there was a table missing from Stephanie's room and she wanted to know where she'd taken it.  Well....obviously I didn't have a clue and didn't even remember the table and when Mrs. Laws came over (to look at the boiler) she CONTINUED to tell me that she wanted that table back and told me to take care of it.  Needless to say I was more than a little stressed....I mean...am I my flatmate's keeper??? I think not....fortunately...I found the table (on top of a bookshelf in the living room, which resulted in more ranting from Mrs. Laws about it damaging either shelf or table) and so that was sorted, unfortunately, there was nothing that she could do to get the heat and hot water working so I was thoroughly screwed on that front. 

One frigid cold rinse down later I wasn't feeling even vaguely like cooking and I was freezing so I ordered in Indian and stayed put for the night.

Yesterday I was back here at Warner Brothers and starting to feel a little icky by the end of the day, only to be worsened when I got home to my cold, damp, drafty little flat to find that the heat and hot water were still not fixed (the engineer couldn't come....maybe tomorrow - Mrs. Laws says).  I was feeling even MORE disgusting, but managed to put on a dozen layers (three pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves, four shirts, and a scarf), take another frigid shower to clean of SOME grime (although my hair's still gross) and cook some dinner before curling up under my giant duvet (courtesy of Scout) for the rest of the night.

Today I woke up with a fever, hauled myself out of bed and have since been at Warner Brothers.  I am beginning to think that the world is conspiring to make me happy to go home.  Between the lack of warm ANYTHING and the MISERABLE calls today.....well....

Anywho...more later....not sure what this weekend will bring (hopefully I won't succumb to full on sickness....

Ta for now!

This is going to be an obscenely long entry and for that I apologize...I also apologize now for any grammatical or spelling errors and request that you let me know about any you find so that they may be corrected.  The reason there might be a large number of errors is because it is 5:34 am on New Year's Day....I just got home from a club - which we closed down - and am, for some unknown reason, not exhausted...well...at least...I don't want to sleep....so I figured I should make an entry instead and hope I get tired sometime while writing.

So...going back....

I covered Christmas, and the day after that was the arrival of Jon.  We got safely home from the airport and made it to the Wetherspoon's for lunch.  Then we hopped on a bus to Piccadilly Circus - an interesting ride, mostly due to the fact that Jon kept nodding off, which left me concerned with whether or not he was going to fall forward and give himself a concussion on the metal bar or fall to the side into the aisle way.

We walked through Piccadilly Circus to St. James Park and my favorite walk, which includes a stop on a bridge with a lovely view Buckingham Palace (and lots of birds).  Then, onward to the Parliament buildings, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.  From here it was a straight walk to Trefalgar Square and my first visit to this location WITHOUT rain.  - At this point I would like to comment on two things: (1) Jon brought the cold with him...it was downright BALMY on Christmas, but on Boxing Day when I left the flat it was FRIGID...He also, however, brought nice weather...it didn't rain once while he was here (2) A lot of the walking mentioned above was accidental...I spent a lot of time going "Oh! I didn't know this was that close" or "I think this is the right way...." - From Trefalgar Square we wandered the block and a half to Leicester Square, which, to my surprise, had a carnival right in the center of it.  It was really neat...there were rides and games with prizes and food stands.  It was fascinating and completely unexpected.  We couldn't go to Leicester Square and NOT swing through Chinatown, so we worked our way through there and found some really fascinating gift shops and other things.

The discovery of said little shops encouraged me to hall Jon to Camden so that he could look for gifts for people at the shops there...although, at this point it was rather late and a lot of things had already closed. 

So...home again home again to The World's End for a few pints and some bangers and mash.  Then home. Where Jon proceeded to die.

Day 2 of Jon's visit started with bagels (and coffee for Jon) before catching the tube to Green Park where we planned on switching to the Jubilee line to go to St. John's Wood and Abbey Road.........Of course...Jubilee line was closed.  So, we got out at Green Park and decided to walk toward Hyde Park Corner instead.  Part of this walk included walking through a bit of Green Park.

Apparently Green Park is home to one of the strangest squirrels ever.

I almost tripped on said squirrel because it did not, in general squirrel nature, get out of my way...instead...it seemed extremely interested in me....anyone that knows me knows that I stopped and talked to it instead of carrying on my way...including letting it approach my shoe to, I assumed, sniff it nor what not....Well...it turns out that the "what not" was climbing up my leg and back to my HAIR....Now, I like animals.  All of them.  Including squirrels, but I was a little bit concerned....so I turned to Jon for assistance and was greeted with "Camera." It wasn't even a question...it was an ORDER...the sad thing is that I only hesitated a second (the time it took to role my eyes) before digging through my purse - squirrel still purched on my shoulder and part of my head - to retrive Jon's camera so that he could take a picture of this odd occurence.

The oddities continue because the squirrel got off of me and proceeded to climb part way up Jon's leg before being frightened by another pedestrian passing by.  This, however, didn't scare the squirrel away entirely.  It actually let me crouch down on the ground and touch it.  It was less than not afraid...and didn't seem rabid....it was just an abnormally friendly squirrel.  I would also like to add that I am proud of myself for not taking it home.

After this little incident with the squirrel the trip to Hyde Park seems rather uneventful...although we did find a bunch of art stands and things along the route and a book seller and assorted other things.

Arrival at Hyde Park found the holiday festivities still in full swing.  The ice skating rink, rides, food stalls, and craft stalls were all still open and there were a lot of people taking advantage of all there was to offer.  We stayed there for a while, but then decided to move on to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge.  I actually got a different Beefeater guide this time around, although it didn't make much of a difference...he was very funny and entertaining and spent part of the first half of the tour harrassing me....

Once done at the Tower we decided to head in to Wagamama for dinner (and to warm up).  From here it was a quick trip home to drop thins off before journeying out to Angel for our own pseudo pub crawl.  We started at the Nag's Head (the location of the midday drunkeness Stephanie, Scout, Chris and I indulged in several months ago) and then started walking toward Highbury/Islington, stopping at every pub we came to.  We only made it to two more (maybe three....can't remember) before we succamb to the cold and grabbed a bus back to Finsbury Park where we settled in to the World's End as our last pub and stayed until they kicked us out.

Home once more and we watched PS I Love You (No...I wasn't forcing Jon to watch it)....although, Jon fell asleep part way through so.....

Day 3 we got a bit of a late start, but we did manage to hall ourselves out of bed and get ready for the day.  This time, I was prepared and knew where we needed to go (vaguely) in order to get to Abbey Road.  So we journeyed up to St. John's Wood and Abbey Road, where we got to laugh as people tried to cross and get their picture taken by family or friends while the cars waiting to cross over the famous zebra crossing got increasingly annoyed.  It was highly entertaining and we managed to snag a picture of Jon crossing without irritating any drivers.

From here we traveled down in the direction of the Globe...although....not really because we ended up walking along the Thames to get there.  This walk, although cold, was rather nice and we found yet ANOTHER random book seller (crate upon crate of assorted books).

We got to the Globe and did the whole tour and everything - I didn't get in a fight over what play I saw there with THIS guide - and then crossed the Millenium Bridge toward St. Paul's.  Here we caught a bus toward Leicester Square again so that Jon could explore the gift stores again in search of presents to bring back with him.  We also grabbed food in Chinatown.

Day 4 was Brighton.  We got up reasonably early, but not TOO early, and left with Stephanie for Victoria Station where we got round trip tickets - completely open - for 13 GBP each.  It was great and the train ride was less than an hour.

I LOVED Brighton.  Not really surprising consider it's December and I LOVE the beach in the winter....Brighton was no different.  Although, it was also nice because a lot of the shops and rides and games and everything were open despite it being the off-season (as opposed to Ocean City).  We even went one a ride, which was wonderful - I got to look out over the ocean and it was cold and lovely.  We walked and I enjoyed the scenery and then we grabbed food and did the whole shopping thing.  Stephanie left reasonably early and Jon and I stayed and carried on with more of the shopping.  There were some really interesting stores, including places that were just filled with stuff...very much like my Grandfather's old antique store (only less organized).  We did eventually decide to head back home....

Once back in London we decided to go to YoSushi in Victoria Station, which is a rotating sushi bar.  It was absurdly expensive, but I hadn't had sushi in ages and it's just fun....it was also really good.

Home again once more to pack Jon up (idiot had a stupidly early flight the next morning) and watch more movies...well...re-watch the end of PS I Love You - the parts that Jon missed - and then Pirates of the Carribbean 3 (god Orlando Bloom is pretty in that movie....)

Tuesday we were up absurdly early to hurry and catch the tube and get Jon to Heathrow on time for his flight...apparently we were almost too late...and very little was said, seeing as neither of us are particularly chatty in the morning.  I spent the rest of the day doing errands and things that needed to be done.

Wednesday I was up earlier than I wanted to be (couldn't go back to sleep despite still being tired)....I spent the day doing very little, although I did spend a great deal of time figuring out plans for the evening....

Which leads me to New Year's Eve.....

I got a message from Renee, my Australian co-worker at Warner Brothers who is absolutely fantastic.  She and another girl, Miranda - who I also like a lot -, and one of their friends were going to go out to a club in Leicester Square and she invited me to tag along. Apparently you were supposed to buy tickets ahead of time and it was 35 GBP.....I called and asked if they were sold out and then signed up online....apparently this didn't work, but I'll get to that in a bit.....By the time Renee and Co arrived I had been waiting for a while and was FREEZING and then we had to stand in the queue FOREVER....then when we got to the front apparently there was an issue with me getting in because I didn't PAY before hand....so it was going to cost me FIFTY QUID!.....Well....we sorta cheated...They let us in, with the intent that I would pay and get a ticket when we were inside, but the girl doing the stamps and the girl taking the tickets weren't really communicating, so I slipped over to the stam girl whithout ticket girl realizing and managed to get in for free.

The music wasn't bad, I didn't buy any of my drinks, Renee, Miranda and her friend Tanya were great......all in all pretty good.

Although, I must share that we spent a large part of the evening telling people that we were lesbians just to get them to go away.  It worked a couple of times, but Renee and I kept having to repeat that we were together before this one group of guys would get their hands off and leave us the hell alone.  The evening further confirmed that the only men who hit on me are either middle-aged (on the upper end of "middle"), creepy ethnic, or both.....I also discovered that the more alcohol in someone's system the less likely they are to take a hint....you would think that a girl grabbing you by the waste and pulling you AWAY from a guy and TOWARD her and then PUSHING him away would mean "back off" clearly after large quantities of alcohol this wasn't so clear and we started resorting to being REALLY rude....it was a mess, but we still had a good time.  (although the one guy PETTING me really creeped me out....I mean, I like having my hair touched, but *shudder* it was just CREEPY)

We managed to stay until the club closed (5 am) and, it being New Year's Eve/Day and all, the tube was still open so I managed to hop on and head home...which is where I am now and finally starting to get tired.....

I SHOULD be exhausted, but *shrug* oh well....

I am pretty sure that's all...I might have forgotten some things, but if I did I will put them in later.

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

21 Days before I come home (definitely mixed emotions now)

Ta for now!

Or rather....Happy Non-Denominational, Generic, Winter Festivities to Everyone!!!

Don't want to be not 'PC'.

So...it's Christmas day and I have, despite my best efforts to sleep in....awake since 7:30 this morning.  The worst part is, I don't even know WHY I was awake that early this morning...although...in fairness I did end up going to sleep relatively early last night thanks to a bottle of wine, courtesy of my mother, and the general lack of sleep I have been getting lately.  So I suppose going to sleep early meant waking up early (who knew). 

Anyway...I decided that, it being Christmas and all, I was going to do nothing today...and then I realized that I wasn't really DOING Christmas this year and it would be silly to waste I day...so instead I decided to get up to do my laundry and a bit of cleaning....Well...this process took about an hour cause instead I laid in bed for a while reading....But I DID finally get up and put my laundry and pick up my room a bit...then I figured, I was up, I might as well do that walking I said I was going to do....

So by about 10 am (a little after probably) I was out of the flat and walking back toward the neighborhood I had sorta explored during my vexing post office experience.  This seemed the best place to walk because I was certain of how to get there (I didn't need to follow any bus routes - the aren't buses running today - or use a map) and I hadn't really been paying a whole lot of attention the last time I was there AND it's right by Finsbury Park so I could walk through there too.

Well...this, apparently, was a good decision.  My walking today confirmed the fact that not everyone in London celebrates Christmas (despite how it might seem).  There were a lot of people around and I have to say that the area I was walking is the most ethnic neighborhood I have found yet.  There were tons of shops open....it was places like McDonald's and the Fish and Chip shop that were closed; not the odd jewelry stores lining one of the blocks or the kebab shops on every corner.  There were actually quite a few people out and about walking too...it was still quieter than usual...I actually walked back into the shopping center, where it had been terribly noisy before while I was hunting for the post office, but today....silence....I could stand there and I couldn't even here the cars on the street near by; all I could here were the crows and seagulls in the air, the litter being blown about by the wind....it was really kind of peaceful....and eerie.

Well....I walked a long way down that road looking at all the shops and deciding whether on not I wanted to spend some of my limited money on getting a bite to eat, and I, instead, decided to head back in the direction of Finsbury Park (both my neighborhood and the actual physical park). 

I have now walked through the entirety of Finsbury Park (the actual park) and I have to say...it's really quite nice.  I walked through and around and in the ENTIRE park and was, once again, amazed to see so many people out on Christmas Day.  There were people jogging and riding bikes, people walking dogs or just walking around (like me) in groups, couples, or alone.  It was really nice seeing that many people out and about.  It was also lovely walking through the park on a quiet, not completely gray and miserable, winter day.  It wasn't raining (or snowing) and it was only mostly overcast instead of being a completely cloud covered London day.  

Finsbury Park has an exit that's right by the tube station, so I let myself out there and made my way home, feeling pretty good about a long walk on Christmas Day and ready to get home and do some organizing, etc. (not to mention washing my hair and finishing my laundry.

So that is where I stand on this Christmas in which I am not really DOING Christmas...although...I do have to add....

Thank you mom for the large quantity of wine, Thank you to my grandma for sending me Bourbon Balls all the way to London (which made it REALLY seem like the holidays, Thank you Stephanie for the biscuit tin that will ALWAYS remind me of you and London, and Thank you to anyone who wished me a Happy (or Merry if you prefer) Christmas.

I think that's all for now....I am going to have a lazy Christmas night with lots of wine and relaxation.

Ta for now!

PS. Jon arrives tomorrow!!!

I am going to preface this entry by saying that I have been extremely irritable lately and if you have been a victim of my ire (or if I was just a bit...short with you) I apologize most sincerely and hope that you understand that it probably wasn't directed at you, it was just general grumpiness manifesting itself in irritation with almost everyone who spoke to me.

So...where did I last leave off...Last Thursday?  Right...well...

Thursday night, apparently my irritation with the world manifested in insomnia, which meant that I managed to get about an hour of sleep before I had to be up to head into Warner Brothers for work.  Now, this was not ideal for many reasons: (1) Sleep is good...I like sleep...I don't do well without sleep, (2) I was starting in a new department at Warner Brothers instead of just answering phones, (3) I was hoping to make a good impression on the people I would be working with and show that I was capable and competent - this is something that is hard to manage with dark circles under your eyes and an entrance involving said dark circles and a really BIG coffee from Starbucks (with extra espresso)....So, needless to say, I had to work harder than I would have liked at being amiable and effective while I was "training" to take the position of Assistant to Facilities Manager for a few days.  His usual assistant, Kathryn, who was training me, was going home to Ireland for the holidays and wouldn't be in for the 3 days before Christmas.

The day went well...apparently it was busier than Kathryn had expected and they seemed rather impressed that I was cool and calm and willing to do whatever was asked of me whenever.

Thankfully, it was also Friday...Friday means weekend...which meant that I could try and make up for my lack of sleep the night before.

Unfortunately, weekend doesn't mean sleep for everyone.

Apparently the boys upstairs had employed tap-dancing elephants for entertainment purposes on this particular evening....tap-dancing elephants and large quantities of alcohol.  But, it was a Friday, so I certainly wasn't going to complain...I settled in to bed to read until I was either so tired I could sleep despite the noise, or they finally quieted down, whichever came first.

Encounter #1
Banging on door
ME: Yes?
ANTONY: slurring slightly Well...you don't look like you just went over to complain (said upon noting my hair swept to the side, sweat pants, sweat shirt, and lack of shoes)
ME: No.....
A: Well....apparently someone complained about the noise...so we thought...well...do you want to come up for a drink and hang out and what-not...cause well....Did you complain?
ME: No.  It wasn't me and my flatmate's not....
Stephanie and Chris come walking down the stairs
ME: See...they just got home
General greeting and dialogue with Stephanie and Chris
A: Well...if you want to come up, we figured if people were awake to complain...the more the merrier you know....
ME: No, Thank you....I'm good....
A: Well...alright...okay...well...bye.
He Leaves

Encounter #2
Banging on Door
ME: Yes???
A: more pronounced slurring Hi!
ME: .......hello.......
A: I was just wondering...ummm.....well.....oh right...my friend Jonny...lives with me....do you have a light?
ME:.........what?
A: brandishing cigarette Do you have a light by any chance?
ME: Hold on......
I go to the kitchen and get a box of matches
ME: Here...
A: Thanks...OH! umm...I have a mate who's looking to move in...and....umm...we were thinking Sunday....
ME: Yes, Mrs. Laws told me...
A: Wow...she did? She's on top of it, isn't she.  Well...right....thanks for the light....see you Sunday I guess...
ME: uhhuh...good night....

Encounter #3 - I was SO close to falling asleep DESPITE the elephants upstairs
Banging on door
ME: open door and glare .....Yes?
A: slurring so as to be nigh incomprehensible HI!!!
ME: Still annoyed Hello...can I help you?
A: umm...I was wondering...umm.... incomprehensible drunken babble
VOICE: from above Where the.....WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!?!?!
Daniel's head appears from their steps
DANIEL: ANTONY!!! What do you think you're doing?!?
A: more drunken mumbling directed at both myself and Daniel
D: Leave her alone!  directed at me  I am SO sorry!
ME: It's fine.....
D: Antony...come upstairs RIGHT now and leave her alone!
A: drunken mumbling that may or may not have been inquiries about the location of more alcohol
D: directed at me I really am so sorry about this...he's wasted....
A: drunken mumbling that sounded vaguely like defense of his sobriety
D: Get up here and leave her be!
A: stumbling upstairs still talking to me in drunken mumbles - might have heard a 'good night' in there somewhere 
D: Sorry!  Good night!!
ME: tired good night........

Needless to say....didn't get a whole lot of sleep...when I finally DID sleep...I slept till FOREVER on Saturday and then....

I had received a package on Friday...unfortunately, no one was there to receive it, therefore it got sent to the main receiving place for the area....Now, normally the cards that they leave behind when a package couldn't be delivered have the address and phone number of this place on the card.  This one was no different, unfortunately for me, it would seem that the address AND phone number are no longer valid......

Also, apparently the Royal Mail Services aren't allowed to post this information online.  

I discovered this AFTER I looked up the address on Google maps to figure out how to get there...walked all the way there (interesting area...big shopping center typed thing, McDonald's, lots of little shops and things along the road).  I wandered for a while, trying to find the post office and NADA...so then I thought *Sigh* I better try calling them and ask....number didn't work....well that's not a good sign.....So I called Mrs. Laws, who, according to Stephanie, knew where the place was....no answer...well shit.

So...I got myself a double cheeseburger and, in an effort to fend off the mounting irritation that has been hovering under the surface for a few DAYS now, walked back home by way of Finsbury Park in an effort to calm down.  Unfortunately, the irritation that has been plaguing me for no reason, now HAD a reason and upon arriving home and reading on the Royal Mail Site "You cannot find the addresses and phone numbers for our receiving depots online, please refer to the card left in place of your package for this information" I kinda lost it.....I was already feeling agitated and learned that my father had sent me something to the BUNAC offices for Christmas - instead of sending it to me - and I wouldn't be able to get THAT until after Christmas, and NOW I wasn't going to be able to get THIS package until after Christmas probably EITHER.....I was a bit....peeved....

This, of course, made me determined to spend the rest of the evening having a nice sulk in my room in an effort to not inflict my miserable mood on any other living being.

I also found out that Papa Johns (one of the TWO that I have found in England) delivers to my flat....so I ordered what I frequently consider comfort food of sorts....pizza.

Sunday was a better day...I got up at a semi-reasonable hour and cleaned my room (Antony and friend were going to be looking at the apartment).  Once they got there Antony looked EXCESSIVELY sheepish when I opened the door....it was kinda cute....

His friend, who will be moving in when Stephanie moves out (Antony will take my room when I leave), seemed nice enough and his girlfriend was exceedingly pleasant.  All-in-all not bad....

Once they left I once again ventured out of the flat and went BACK to the area where the supposed post office was and wandered around there, this time with less irritation and more to try and ACTUALLY see what all was in the area.  It was actually pretty interesting and not that far from my flat (I love finding new things in the area)

Once I was content with having seen a lot of that general neighborhood I, again, wandered back through Finsbury Park, taking my time and enjoying the park (it's a nice par) and headed for home.

Monday was relatively uneventful, I love working at Warner Brothers, people are just FRIENDLY here...it's just a better environment. 

Today I am back again (and writing this from work)...It's quiet because it's right before Christmas so it's all parties and things going on, but I have managed to find a few things to do.  All-in-all not bad.

I still have a bit of grumpiness hanging just under the surface, but I think I'm getting it under control (or at least beating it into submission)....

Anywho, I will post again, probably on or around Christmas, but if it's not BEFORE Christmas....

Happy Christmas to everyone - or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate - or even just Happy "We have a few days off because of a holiday I don't celebrate"

Whatever it might be home everyone has a good one!

Ta for now

So...pretty much everyone knows this at this point, but I would feel remiss if I didn't put it in my blog....

I saw Nicole Kidman.....

On Friday, after my last entry, I was sitting and minding my own business answering phones and she walked by (I assume on her way to the toilets or something)...At first I was like..."Wait...was that...no....well..." and then she walked by again and it was definitely her.  So yah...saw Nicole Kidman...yay.

Also after that entry, while I was doing the last hour of my shift in the big office (the one with the tv, etc.) I got to have a talk with the nice Security guy again (I think I mentioned him some time right before Guy Fawkes day).  He's really nice...and interesting.  We talked about all sorts of things, but especially technology and how amazing and fantastic it is.  For instance, we were talking about changes in technology and I mentioned my mother remembering Kennedy being assassinated, mostly because all her programs on the 5 channells (or whatever) of tv were cancelled because they were ALL covering the assassination.  He actually commented that by the time the news got to England it was "President Kennedy was killed earlier today", whereas now if this happened they would know immediately here as well an would be getting the "Someone just shot the President" news.  It's interesting to think about.

Anyway....moving on.

Saturday went to hell because I woke up early to go to the Notting Hill Market and woke up...looked outside....raining....like...real honest to gods POURING rain....it was abysmal out.  So....I said...you know what...it can't rain like this for long...and I dozed for another hour or so....got up...STILL RAINING....it rained ALL day....and, I hate to say it, but the part of my brain still programmed for school, where you have to get up and go out and DO things no matter WHAT the weather....well...that part of my brain said screw it and I stayed in instead of going out to be cold AND wet.

Sunday I had also intended to make a day of doing SOMETHING...and I did manage to leave the flat at a reasonable hour, despite the weather being decidedly grim still, and I ventured up to Highgate again to do some more wandering...Then it started raining....again.  I didn't want to cave and head back just because of some rain, so I hid out in a book store for a while (I can lose myself in a bookstore for hours anyway), but the rain didn't let up...and it's really hard to motivate yourself to do ANYTHING when you know you're going to be cold and wet by the end of it....so I hopped on the bus back home, managed a walk to the Tesco...then came home rather than suffer through more miserable weather.

This was definitely the first weekend where I really FELT like people might have a point about London weather being grim.  It's just so hard to DO anything when it's cold AND wet...just one of the two I am generally fine...in fact, I really LIKE cold...but I don't like cold and DAMP.

Fortunately Monday's weather was a bit better, not actually raining although still overcast and cold.  Unfortunately I was at work the whole day (creepy place again)...I am really beginning to wonder what it is that they do, but I'm afraid to ask....they probably would just evade anyway....

Tuesday, no work, but Stephanie called me and asked if I wanted to do lunch so we met up at the Whetherspoon's for a bite to eat before I decided to go and REALLY wander about the Highbury, Islington, Angel area....I knew there was a bus that went up there so I grabbed the bus at Finsbury Park Station and took it to Highbury/Islington station.  There are A LOT of shops between Highbury/Islington and Angel....I wandered for a really long time just window shopping, occasionally going in and browsing....I also found a lot of really neat antique stores that I went in and explored.  It was nice....

I had planned from the start to walk up to Angel on one side of the street then back down to Highbury/Islington on the other side then catch the bus home from there....well....I made it to Highbury/Islington and realized that there were more shops further along the bus route...."Well," I said to myself "I can always walk a little ways further and then just catch the bus further down the route"....By the time I had started walking though I just kept saying well...let's just see what's along this part of the route...and then I decided "Well...I've made it this far. I might as well just walk the route until I get tired".  Then, when I was finally starting to get a little tired (feet hurting a bit, and my knee cause I tripped - of course - but not really TIRED) I said, "Well...I've made it this far.  I might as well just walk the rest of the way". 

So, needless to say, I walked from Highbury/Islington to Angel and then from Angel all the way back home....Apparently it's a 4 mile walk...and that's without the little side trips that I made....It was kinda nice...and I felt alright just hanging out in the flat for the rest of the night after that because I had a good day, did a lot of walking, didn't buy a lot, but I saw a lot.....It felt productive...and once again made me realize that no one walks enough back home and I am going to really miss being able to walk everywhere once I get home.

After my walk on Tuesday I got up early Wednesday morning to go get tickets to see Wicked and discovered that my trip and walk from the day before seemed to have pulled something in my knee, so once I got my tickets I just went back to the flat (slight detour to get some of Stephanie's packages sent....what a hassle...I really don't like the Post Office here....) and stayed put all day until I had to leave for the show....

Wicked

Seriously....I can't even express how much I love this show...it was fantastic.  It was also fascinating to hear everything done with British accents....

I also chatted with the American mom and daughter next to me who were from New York (the daughter is going to school here for a year). 

After the show my theatre high got me through the tube ride and walk to the flat where I hopped online for about an hour before crashing.

Now I am at the creepy place, but will be at Warner Brothers (a different department though) from Friday through Christmas Eve....YAY!

I believe that is all.

Ta!

So...On Wednesday Stephanie woke me up and decided that she wanted to get some billing done and then go and find Guy Ritchie's pub.

The pub in question is called "The Punch Bowl" and it's not technically HIS pub.  It's just a pub near where he and "Madge" (as the Brit's call Madonna) used to live.  So they bought a share in it (along with like...four other people).  It's supposed to be fairly posh (at least based on the prices) and it's located in Mayfair, which is pretty much THE place to see and be seen amongst the elite.  I don't really care that much about that, but I was prefectly on board with going and checking it out. 

So I looked up the directions, we wasted some time, then we made our way there.  Upon arrival we discovered that the pub was full of people (including a group of rather annoying skinny little females giggling and being ridiculous in the very front room).  It also wasn't really much to see.  It had bare wood floors, mostly bare walls, it was neither cozy nor seedy...just pretty plain actually...

Highly uninsprired and not feeling up for just standing around with a pint we decided to venture out into the rest of Mayfair in search of food (food which was sure to be extremely overpriced, but it IS Mayfair....

Well...we didn't find any food but we found a ton of VERY high end shops so we wandered along doing window shopping and just generally enjoying the area.  Somehow we found ourselves at Carnaby and Regeant Streets.....We found a little restaurant that had a decent menu and decided to settle in for some food (we were both starving).....

Here I must add one of the top things that I miss about home....service.  I MISS good service in restaurants.  EVERYWHERE here is bad...but this place was abysmal even by European standards.  You don't get drink refills (in fact they won't even ask if you want one), it took forever to get our order in...food was quick, but they never came back (and the food was mediocre at best).  We finished dinner and were planning on ordering dessert.  We told one of the waitresses when she came and cleared our plates:

WAITRESS Are you finished?
US Yes, but we were planning on ordering dessert.
WAITRESS Okay. *she clears the plates*

Twenty minutes later....still no one has taken our dessert order.....does the above conversation sound like we were planning on ordering dessert AT the restaurant sometime THAT evening??  I thought so, but there might have been some confusion....

We did finally order some ice cream (to share...clearly) and they brought us back ice cream and one spoon...we asked for another...Now...the thing here is that they have drawers with the silverware...and there was one just ONE table away.....FIVE MINUTES!  The guy left and went and served several other people first!  The silverware is RIGHT THERE!!! We needed ONE spoon....it's not like he had to go mine the silver and MAKE the spoon!! He didn't even have to go into the back to get it....it was RIGHT next to us...he walked PAST the drawer to go and deal with other people....

We were not pleased....so we finally got our check and everything sorted and STephanie left a tip in Polish money - we left a few p too....and there was a currency exchange place right next door....

Then we were deciding what to do next and Stephanie suggested heading back into Mayfair, which we did...and then we decided to head to Hyde Park because they have a huge Holiday shindig going on.  It was LOVELY...there were food stalls set up serving German food (of all things...) and mulled  wine and hot chocolate and all sorts of things.  There were little craft stalls and rides and lights and PEOPLE...there were tons of people there...groups of friends, families with children, couples....it was wonderful.  There's also an ice skating rink put in for the holidays so there were people skating and shopping and eating and laughing.

It really put me into the holiday spirit....between that and walking down the center of Oxford and then Regeant Streets....I am definitely FEELING the holidays here.  This hasn't changed my general disposition of distaste for Christmas, but the whole preperation process is always rather nice....I don't mind the decorations and the music...it's the guilt and commerce that's anathama to me.

Anywho...I will definitely probably be going back there for some mulled wine and people watching...

We were right near the Hyde Park Corner tube station, but neither Staphanie or I were feeling particularly inclined to get on the crowded tube....Instead...we managed to find a bus headed straight for Finsbury Park Station.....so....we got on the bus and started the journey home....

The LONG journey home......

The journey home that, conveniently, went right past Warner Brothers (where I am working right now)....

I enjoyed the bus ride (and it was great discovering that I don't have to struggle with the tube after working at Warner Brothers, I can just hop on a bus), but it WAS a long ride....

Once we got home we settled in for a movie and then bed.

Yesterday I did pretty close to nothing and I loved it, but I also knew that I was going to be coming in to work today and it was going to be a long day....

Now today....

Work...more work...still working...but I do like it here...although...I am starting to really stress about the whole coming home thing (it just occurred to me that I have less than 6 weeks!)...so if anyone has any leads on jobs available (or wants to give me a job :-D) PLEASE let me know....

That's all for now...another quiet night most likely because I am going to try and get up early and head to Portobello Market or maybe the Notting Hill Market....haven't decided yet.

Ta!

So....the last time I made an entry I got so distracted with my epiphany regarding not feeling bad about just being me (thank you for the comments by the way, but please don't start a fight via my blog.....although...that would certainly be interesting....)....Anywho....got so distracted I forgot to mention some stuff about my walk!

So...while I was walking...coolest thing EVER....there were Krishnas roaming the street too!!!  At first I didn't think that they were.  I was walking with Charity and Stephanie and there were a LOT of people around including different performers and people passing out flyers, etc.  So, when we saw these people in sari typed clothing dancing about Stephanie immediately said that they were Krishnas, but the hair wasn't right and they weren't singing any of the Krishna songs that I know (yes...I know Krishna songs).....so I wasn't certain, but later.....I saw another group...dressed the same, still with the wrong hair, but they were singing some variation on the traditional "Krishna Krishna Hare Hare" song....it was kinda awesome.  I saw ANOTHER group later on too.

I also heard a gospel acapela group singing carols and then some traditional carol singers a bit later.  It was brilliant...it was like....everything was really in the holiday spirit.  The lights, the decorations, the people...everyone was bustling about doing their holiday shopping, people were dressed in santa suits wandering around (I actually don't know WHAT two guys dressed as Santa were doing...but I am fairly certain that alcohol was involved...)...everything was kinda perfect. 

Even the tube ride was fun.  I mean...I love the tube, but it's not exactly FUN....and it was PACKED, but there was this guy with his "mate" and his girlfriend and they had a GIANT white teddy bear....and they were talking to people about it...and then...on the tube...he had an ENTIRE conversation with the bear...it was bizarre, but fun.  There were also white fuzzies everywhere and on everyone because of the bear...pretty entertaining in a city where a lot of the people are wearing black.

Anywho, I had forgotten to talk about those things and I really enjoyed them...so I felt the need to add it in.

As for everything since then....nothing much...work yesterday (creepy place is still creepy)...took a walk today...then went and got groceries, but have otherwise been lying low (I am poor so it's not like I am going out and doing a ton of stuff....)

Thanks again to the people who made comments on the blog...Kristen - I promise to go and get high tea there, Brian - glad you're enjoying it and I am NOT using Britishisms (I am happily in denial that I say anything differently than I used to)...I am also sad about the Susan thing, but I suffer in silence (:-D), Susan - you could have helped me to this enlightenment sooner you know?  PS. Don't judge people via my blog.,

I think that's all for now! 

Ta!!
 

It occurs to me that to some people it might seem as if I am wasting my time here in London.  I don't go out very often...I don't party or club or spend hour after hour drinking in a pub.  I am not meeting a million and one people and I'm not a social butterfly.  To me...this is just fine.  I am loving my time in London and nothing makes me happier than a simple walk where I am happily ensconced in my own head allowing myself to be totally immersed in the sights and sounds of the city of London.

This evening for instance.  I am perfectly content with the way this Saturday went.  I had a lie-in, much needed after the soaking that I got coming home from work yesterday, then Stephanie urged me out of bed because we were meeting Charity in Oxford Circus for "lunch" at 2 pm. 

We shuffled our way out of the Oxford Circus tube station (completely packed) to find the street similarly packed.  The entire area had been closed off to cars allowing holiday shoppers to roam free in the city streets going from shop to shop in an effort to get that perfect gift for the season.  I found the hustle and bustle energetic and pleasant, but when attempting to find a place to eat, the crowded streets of this tribute to consumerism wasn't ideal.  Charity, Stephanie and I broke away from the madness to explore the less populated side streets in search of a place to eat. 

We eventually found ourselves at a slightly less hectic portion of Oxford Street and a lovely little pub with a quiet dining area downstairs.  An ideal restaurant on a cold London day, they specialized in pies...including a lovely cottage pie that was quite satisfying.  We talked for a while, catching up since it has been so long since we have spent any time with Charity, and enjoyed the relatively quiet atmosphere of the restaurant.

When we once again entered the madness of Oxford Street we went our separate ways; Stephanie, headed for Hornchurch, Charity, back to her hostel and a night out with friends, and me....wherever....

My wherever happened to be a long walk back down Oxford Street then down Regent Street then into Piccadilly Circus, down to Leicester Square then back to Piccadilly again.  It was brilliant getting the opportunity to walk down the center of the street in London enjoying the sites and sound of a holiday-bedecked city with it's masses of people, both local and foreign. 

The entire area was done up with lights and holly and everything festive.  There was music playing on the streets, people everywhere you looked....I loved it. 

I walked and enjoyed my surroundings.  I don't need to be out spending money on alcohol every night in a pub.  I don't need to be WITH people all the time (although that would also be fun).  I am having a perfectly pleasant time walking and enjoying my surroundings.

Note: I did get lost in a book store for a few hours: "Where's Wally" - it is WALDO back home...right?? "Harry Potter and the PHILOSOPHER'S Stone" "Cooking for Blokes"....of course I would get myself caught up there....

After a few hours of walking and wandering and what-not I decided to head back home because my cough was getting bad again and I felt like it.  I also don't feel BAD for going home...and I shouldn't....I don't have the money to go out every night and I have different interests than that.  I would rather save my money and go see a show sometime this week rather than spend it all on cider and staying out.  It's just not ME to go clubbing and partying...I am much more of a "small get together" kind of person and that's hard to do when you don't have your friends around (I miss you all...by the way).

All in all...good day...and I am going to stop feeling bad about not being little miss social because it's just not ME.

That is all.

Ta for now.

I believe that I might ACTUALLY be recovered from illness...I am still coughing up the remains of my lungs, and I got really tired after taking a bit of a walk yesterday, but I think I'm better...that is a good thing.

I am also behind on blogging.....my last entry was made Monday...it is now Friday...sorry.

So...Tuesday Stephanie and I ACTUALLY went and got high tea...The interesting thing that I didn't comment on in my Monday entry; the place that we went to....15 minute bus ride and it was RIGHT near one of the cemeteries that Susan and I went and explored....it's a bit sad really that I never knew that we were THAT close to it.

Anywho, high tea.  High tea is BRILLIANT....Scones are ALMOST biscuits, tea is yummy and clotted cream and jam ON scones is downright decadent.  It was really just beautiful.  Oh...and we got a piece of Lavender cake that was also lovely.

Once done with our tea I wandered around the area a bit and then started walking home....I gave up about half way and grabbed the bus back home.  By the time I had done that I was pretty tired (kept coughing and what-not).  Pretty much did nothing the rest of the day after that.

Wednesday.....I can't remember Wednesday...I don't know if I did anything or not....I feel like I must have, but I can't really recall.

Thursday, yesterday, I went BACK up toward the place where we got tea relatively early and I wandered around the park there.  I ended up finding a bench and reading and COMPLETELY lost track of time for a while.  I walked some more, listened to music, and then started my way home (gave up again and caught the bus)....but then I felt bad about giving up so I decided to go and walk down past the tube and look at that area....by the time I got back home (Indian take-away in hand...) I was pretty damned tired and called it a night.  All-in-all..not too bad.

Today I am back at "work"...it's the creepy place again.  They have articles and things about "Global Intelligence" and one of the cover companies is "Global Equity Information"....I really have no IDEA what these people do.  It is bizarre.....

Not planning an eventful weekend.  Pretty much intending it to be quiet (I am still recovering from Stephen and Susan being here.....), thanks to lack of funds and general contentment having a quiet weekend. 

Work again Monday (back here) and hopefully more the rest of the week as well.

Oh.  I have to had...I have been reprimanded for a certain comment criticizing a certain person who may have given birth to me....I aplogize for this comment and didn't mean offense (although she is still a loser).

Thank you

Ta for now

This shall be the new title of my blog because apparently I am destined to make a million and one trips to the airport.....

Today was Scout's departure day and, of course, she was running late...for everything.  First she was late bringing her comforter over to my place (she gave hers to me)...then we were late meeting Stephanie for breakfast....then we went back to Scout's where she WASN'T finished packing...or cleaning or....anything....So I packed her carry on while she cleaned out the fridge, then I vacuumed while she called her landlord so he could come get her keys and she threw away trash.  We FINALLY got it all done and got her shit downstairs we were already late for the catching the tube and her landlord STILL wasn't around.....

We finally called a cab to take us to Paddington so that we could hop on the Heathrow Express and then her landlord came.  Waited a bit longer and the cab came and we finally got going to the airport....

We showed up at the airport with MAYBE an hour before her flight left....and the woman at the counter started off being REALLY bitchy and then Scout started crying and the woman was all pissed off and they yelled at each other and I had to make sure that everything kept going.....it was horrible, but we finally got her all checked in and on her way back home to Canada.

Then I had to get on the tube and make my way back home because Stephanie and I were planning on heading out to get high tea.  We ended up eating Thanksgiving leftovers and just hanging out for a bit, but we did finally leave the flat and catch the bus to get up to the place where she wanted to get high tea....a place that was closed.....so instead...we found this little French place where we got French onion soup and appetizer typed things (including a deep friend camembert that was lovely) it was nice and then we came home...where I fell asleep for quite a while before waking up and starting this.

Hopefully I will be getting more work this week (although I am already set for something on Friday).

That's all for now...I am sleepy again....

Ta

Today I had a real, genuine, WONDERFUL lie-in.....it was truly a beautiful thing.

Then I pretty much laid around napping and such all day....cause I was still feeling crummy (and I sound even worse), while I waited for Scout to get in touch about some stuff because she moves back home to Canadia tomorrow.

She did call and we decided that she would bring the stuff that she was going to drop at my flat over after we had dinner after she got more packing done.

We did go to dinner at an Italian place near us and I had some lovely Gnocchi and some strawberry sorbet that was quite nice actually.....Then off to Scout's to pick up the stuff she wanted to drop at my flat and let her sort some things out.  While there I got the chance to talk to her housemate Malcolm (very nice man...met him before) and his girlfriend Grace (who has always been very nice to me, but has apparently spoken less than 12 words to Scout in the past 4 months). 

Now I am home again...

Pretty boring day, but I do have some interesting things to say that I have forgotten in the past or have occurred to me or what-not:

1) The discovery of Jaffa cakes was a very very bad thing....they are these cakes with orange jelly on them and then covered in dark chocolate.  They're lovely....Stephanie introduced me to them and now I'm afraid that I'm rather addicted.

2) Best. Game. Ever.  This was actually from last night, but I completely forgot to mention it because I had been so distracted by my fascinating and invigorating religious discussion with Nick.  The game is "Reasons I wouldn't marry you..."  This started because apparently while waiting for me Scout was reciting to Nick the litany of reasons that she would never marry him.  I commented that these seemed rather mean unless he were to be given the opportunity to respond....He was too nice to actually do that, but Scout and I spent the rest of the evening saying after something "That's a reason I wouldn't marry you".  It was wonderful and I think that people should do this with their friends...it's just funny and it's kind of a way to get people's flaws out there and tell them what bugs them about you without it being because you have finally snapped and told them that they make you crazy.  *Important Note: Only play this game with people who (a) have a sense of humor and (b) aren't going to have a temper tantrum and take everything really personally.

3) I don't dream in the first person.  I don't really know if you're SUPPOSED to dream in the first person, but I don't.  My dreams are always more like movies where I am watching myself.  I wonder if that says something about me as a person or about my subconscious....I just realized this when I woke up this morning because in my dream I fell of a cliff and I didn't immediately wake up because it wasn't ME falling off the cliff...I mean...it was....but my consciousness was WATCHING...it wasn't there INSIDE the person that looked like me....does that even make sense?  Oh well.

4) I really don't like the 'c' word...you know the one that I mean...and if you don't, don't ask me because I won't use it in order to tell you.  I have just decided that every time someone uses it, no matter what for (or even if I agree with them) it's a terrible word.  I also think that there are generally more effective things that you could call someone that are far more descriptive and accurate and not nearly as vulgar.

5) Being sick sucks.  Getting better sucks worse.  For all that I hate being sick (it's just flat out miserable, isn't it) getting better is worse because you still look and SOUND sick even though you're FEELING better....I hate when I am finally starting to feel better but I sound bloody awful and then people are STILL looking at me like I have TB or something.  It's just annoying...and I want to be like "no...really, I'm not sick" but that statement is generally followed up with a huge coughing fit and then I just look like I'm a crazy liar to boot.  I wish you could be either sick or healthy and you didn't have to go through that two week "recovery" period where you still cough and have a raspy voice, but you aren't really feeling all that shitty.

6) JON IS COMING! He is coming to visit after Christmas and this makes me happy and therefore had to be mentioned under this list of important thoughts and things....YAY!  All of you who AREN'T coming to visit should feel lame for not making more of an effort :-P (Especially if your 'name' starts with an M and is a palindrome and you gave birth to me :-D)

I believe that is all for today....I may remember more later....

OH! One more thing....I hate being dizzy for no reason.  It's just stupid.  It also makes me paranoid.

That is all.

Tomorrow Scout leaves for Canadia and I shall be taking ANOTHER trip to Heathrow (bully for me).

Ta for now.

It's me again...you are all free of the Reign of Susan.  The Age of Angela has begun again.

First thing's first...to the anonymous stranger from Texas who commented on the blog...if you are still reading.  I am VERY glad that you found the blog entertaining...it is here for just such a purpose and I encourage people to comment when they enjoy/hate/are annoyed by/are offended by/etc. the blog.  So thank you for the comment and I hope to continue supplying some semblance of wit even in the absence of the ever HILARIOUS Susan ---Note: Aforementioned hilarity...not so great when comedic moments and laughter induce rib bruising coughing. ----

Now....On with the update.

Today was a rather interesting day....and it really shouldn't have been considering I spent most of it bundled up in bed coughing up what's left of my poor, tattered lungs (which must resemble something like fishing nets at this point).

First was the journey with Susan to the airport so that I could finally get her back on a plane home.  This was a fairly dull process involving the hour long tube ride in which we both pretty much just dozed.  Then we got her all checked in and baggage taken care of and grabbed some last minute airport food before sending her on her merry way.

The trip home was far more eventful for me.....There was a group of STUPID boys on the tube (first)...and then there were the creepy waif children.  And I'm not even really trying to be funny....the ACTUALLY creeped me out....seriously....There were these two little girls with blonde hair (not the bright shining angel kind, but the faded, but still white blonde kind).  They were both wearing tights, really plane skirts and shoes, and these longish ratty looking coats.  The older/taller one was carrying something and they had their arms linked.  They also had blue eyes with big dark circles under them and they looked really somber.

They were creepy...and it freaked me out in a very real way.

By the time the image of the creepy waif girls had left me I was curled up in bed under lots of blankets getting ready to get a much needed sleep because I am still looking/feeling/sounding of plague.

I was roused several times due to calls from Stephanie and Scout because I had intended to meet them at Westminster Abbey for Evensong (didn't happen)....

So...the interesting part of the day came when I agreed to go out with Scout and her friend Nick (visiting from home) for dinner.  We ended up at The Diner (not the one in camden...another one).  We got food...and then we talked.......a lot.......

But it was really interesting talk about people and communication and character flaws and all sorts of things.  There was very little fighting - some slightly more balmy debates - no temper losses and generally a good time was had by all.  Then we came back to my flat where I read their tarot cards................

This is the more interesting part of the evening.

Nick is a devout Christian.....but he let me read his cards...and this led into the "Tarot is the devil" discussion.....

and it was FINE!  Interesting.....even FUN!

Then we talked about the Bible and religious documents....

again....FINE! INTERESTING! FUN!!!!

Then........G A Y     M A R R I A G E ! ! ! ! ! ! !

STILL FINE!

HE was a GOOD Christian.....

I  mean...I sometimes WANTED to be angry...because part of me rebels against the "Christianity is the one true religion" thing, but that's his opinion...his faith...I can't be ANGRY at that unless HE attacks ME...which he didn't.

He was pleasant, genuine, honest, LOGICAL.....it was a very nice evening of intelligent debate.

Now I am feeling like death because I am hitting the down part that always comes after heated discourse.

So....ta for now....and hopefully I will be trying to blog more regularly again.

Welcome to the invalid show. I seem to have a caught a lesser form of Angela's Plague. We've been laying around watching dvds for the better part of the day.

It wasn't a completely wasted day. I got up and despite feeling crappy managed to accomplish the goal for the day - to show Scout's friend Nick around (Scout's goal for the day being to sleep in a bit). We went to Tower Hill to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, then headed over to see the Eye, Parliament/Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. After getting some pictures we headed over to Harrod's to see what that was all about. Angela stayed home for the day to get some sleep, and I didn't get us lost on the Tube at all...good times. Also, Nova Scotians talk funny.

We just got back from the little noodle bar we've been frequenting...they love us. And a bowl of noodles the size of our heads seemed a good choice to combat whatever British germs have invaded our bodies. We are now set to turn the heat on (that's not a metaphor) and watch dvds for the rest of the night, before falling into a cough- and snot-laden sleep. May you keep that mental image with you the rest of your days.

Another thing I've noticed during my stay...I'm pretty sure the British are just biding their time until they feel the moment is just right to reclaim the colonies. Seriously. I can see it in their eyes.

And now...repacking my stuff and getting back in bed. Back to the states tomorrow!

We awoke this morning to the sound of Stephanie, Angela's flatmate, knocking on the door telling us to open the curtains. We opened the curtains and were greeted by...a horse's ass. And, upon further inspection, a glass carriage. We ventured out and asked the two gentlemen what they were doing - they were preparing for a funeral. It was at that point that I felt a little bad for having taken pictures of the horses.

I told Angela this morning that even though she was sick, she should still feel very lucky. You see, the fact that she's not dead yet means that she does not, in fact, have cholera! Yay!

Moving on.

Angela: You have glitter on your forehead.
Susan: Eh, better than bird poop.
Angela: *fit of laughter which triggered a fit of disgusting coughing*

Yes, Angela is still plague-y. She now has a gross cough. You know the one...at least one person in each of your classes during finals had it? Yeah. So except for running out to brunch/lunch today at the new "pancake" place that just opened (they're not really pancakes, they're crepes), I have forced her to stay in the flat. Which was probably good and bad, since we still didn't have heat until about 5 minutes ago. And we've all been wondering why Americans don't seem to appreciate the wonder of the hot water bottle. We had one when I was a kid, but I hadn't used one in years. Angela said she's never used one... Even in the 21st century, the simple things can be wonderful.

Our major plan for today was to get ready for our Thanksgiving dinner. We slept in a bit, I lazed about, Angela coughed and blew her nose and made various plague-related noises...it was a magical scene. After some last minute grocery shopping and phone calls to plan with our compatriots and close-but-not-quite-compatriots (the Canadians), we came back to the flat ready to cook and we...watched an episode of Bones. Then we started cooking.

I made my usual - deviled eggs, Angela made sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole. Stephanie, Chris, Scout, and Scout's friend Nick made the turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, biscuits, and a pie.

We're getting ready to put everything together and eat now...updates when it's all over and done with!

Everything was splendid. Not quite the same as home, but I wasn't exactly expecting that, so no complaints from me. The turkey was a bit of a problem, seeing as neither Angela and Stephanie's flat nor Scout's flat have a decent oven. It was a bit raw when we started cutting into it...so we mostly just ate the other stuff. Everything was really delicious, especially given the conditions of having to cook some pretty distinctly American things in another country, sans correct ingredients, supplies, etc. We all did the "what we're thankful for" thing...Angela and I both said that we're thankful for heat! The guy came about 10 minutes before the others got here for dinner and he fixed the heat. So now it's nice and toasty and we don't have to sleep with three pairs of socks on!

Tomorrow is a catchall day, we're probably going to walk around with Scout and her friend Nick and maybe do some shopping. Then it's home on Saturday!

Hope everyone ate too much, drank too much, laughed too much, and generally just had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Seriously. We're standing in line at this little outdoor sandwich shop and Angela says "you have something on your forehead," so I wiped my forehead with my (luckily) gloved hand. Bird poop. Awesome. And some on my nose. And my jacket. Then 5 minutes later magically still some on my forehead. Let me back up and explain how we got to the bird poop sandwich shop.

So last night, I went to sleep wearing my American flag boxers, pajama pants, an undershirt, a long sleeve shirt, a t-shirt, another long sleeve shirt, my hoodie (with the hood up), and three pairs of socks, with my pants tucked into the tallest pair. We were watching Bridget Jones' Diary right before bed, and by the time the movie was over I couldn't tell if my feet were warm or if they were just numb (luckily they were warm). I started to fall asleep then had a strange thought. Please, enter into the mind of Susan:

"Jeez, my ass is really cold. But it's under the covers. And all other body parts are warm."

So first I checked 5 times to see if my butt was indeed under the covers (I was laying on my side). When I was convinced that it was under the covers and that there was therefore no reason for it to be cold, I did the only thing one can do when trying to judge the temperature of one's own ass - I stuck my hand down my pants. To my surprise, my butt was quite warm.

So. The average person would probably have been content to leave it at that and go to sleep. I am apparently not the average person. Because all I could think was "if my ass is warm, why is my brain telling me that it's cold? WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY BRAIN???"

Anycrap, I finally got to sleep despite being slightly convinced that I had some sort of brain disorder that caused specific parts of my body to feel cold when they were actually warm.

We awoke, neither with any frozen body parts, Angela still feeling plague-y. After much back-and-forth of "you don't have to come" "I'm fine, I can go" "really, I'll be ok by myself, you should stay home and sleep" "really, I'm feeling better" "Angela, I made my way around Rome by myself and the only Italian I know is 'toilette' and 'vino', I think I can handle London" "I'm going."

So off we went, grabbing some drugs for sicky along the way. First stop: Tower of London. It was pretty impressive...our Beefeater was very good, really funny as well, which always helps. We exited the Tower, and went to get a sandwich. Cue the bird poop and the creepy little bird that followed us about 20 feet to a bench and proceed to shout at us the entire time we ate. Then we went to the Globe and did the tour. The place is covered in scaffolding though while they do...something or other...I stopped paying attention to the lady after she argued with Angela about what play she saw there.

Lady: What play did you see?
Angela: A Winter's Tale.
Lady: Oh, like 3 or 4 years ago?
Angela: No...like...3 or 4 months ago.
Lady: No you didn't.
Angela: ...yes...yes, I did.
Lady: No you didn't. We didn't do it this year.
Angela:...yes, I saw it earlier with a big group of people.
Lady: No, I don't think you did.
Angela: Yes, I did.

Eventually the lady realized that their touring group or something-or-other had done a one-time performance before going on tour and that Angela had in fact seen it there.

Anyway, then we went grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving meal supplies and came home. Then we went back out to meet some students who are studying abroad for dinner. Then we came back to the flat and are now preparing to watch a movie and let Angela sleep off the plague.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving dinner! I'm making deviled eggs...and eating a whole pan of brioche so Angela can use the pan for the sweet potatoes (what? casserole dishes are hard to come by...).

That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed that the better part of this entry was about my ass.

First of all, I would never give Angela the plague. Intentionally, that is. Who knows, I was a strep throat carrier when I was younger, maybe I'm a plague carrier now...

Anycrap, FINALLY got to see some cemeteries today! It was a beautiful day. Cold as...something that's really cold, but otherwise beautiful. We grabbed breakfast at a small cafe then headed for the tube.

First stop: Highgate Cemetery. We got to the correct station, then had no idea where to go. I vaguely remembered the cemetery website saying to go up Highgate Hill, so we hopped on a bus and headed in that direction. We had to walk through Waterlow Park to get there, so that was a nice little detour. The cemetery was really awesome. It was one of the first garden-style cemeteries and it's quite expansive. Parts are also in pretty advanced stages of disrepair, but I think they have volunteers slowly beating back the encroaching ivy and vines. There are a few famous folks buried there, notably Douglas Adams (wrote "Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe) and Karl Marx (if you don't know who he is, we can't be friends any more and I need you to leave this live journal immediately). I took a gazillion pictures.

Angela-Susan cemetery exchange #1:
Angela: Look...a headless child statue...
Susan: Ooh cool...
Angela: ...we need to work on your responses to statements like "look, a headless child statue..."

Next stop: Kensal Green Cemetery. Took a bus back to the tube from Highgate, changed lines and headed to Kensal Green. Much more working class area of town...very interesting to see the different varieties of people on the tube to the outer parts of the city. Kensal Green was much different than Highgate...much more open, whereas Highgate was very wooded and, well, a garden cemetery. Still some really cool stuff though. It was getting colder by the minute as the sun went down, so we didn't stay as long there. We actually saw a fox in the cemetery though...and I know you won't believe us, so I took a picture with my creepy camera. Take that, suckers!

Angela-Susan cemetery exchange #2:
Angela: That is a huge crucifix...
Susan: Huh? Whe- Jesus Christ!!!
Angela: Exactly.

We left the cemetery and headed for St. Paul's for Evensong. It was different than Evensong at Westminster Abbey, where we were practically sitting in the choir. At St. Paul's, the choir was pretty far away, and with the organ and the size of the place, it was much more...echo-y. Still amazing though. Angela and I both totally zoned out during the prayer and during the guy saying grace...shh...

Then we went to the noodle place where they love us and we got giant bowls of chicken noodle soup and then some banana fritters for dessert. Now we are home. With no heat. But we still have hot water, which is a reasonable trade-off in our minds.

Tomorrow...will be a long day. Tower of London, the Globe Theatre, then dinner with some students studying abroad over here. And maybe some shopping in between to find some crappy souvenirs for family and friends.

Angela can't talk right because of her illness...and it's somewhat funny. She kinda sounds like Milton from Office Space.

Last but not least, we saw an old Asian man almost fall over on the tube. It was awkward.

I believe that Susan may have given me the plague....

I have been doing fine, but then as soon as she gets here I start sneezing and blowing my nose all the time...it's either the plague or I'm allergic to her....either way she's to blame.

I am also clearly not meant to have guests in my flat.  Again we are having hot water issues...I have managed to get it working each time, but it's not looking good.  (Something else that I can blame on Susan).

I have also begun to feel bad for Scout and Stephanie...Susan and I together are a bad combination and kinda hard to....deal with, understand, appreciate, tolerate....Stephanie came home last night and walked into my room and I don't even remember what Susan and I were talking about, but she looked at us like we were insane and then walked out.  Scout has spent even more time with us and I feel like we spend a lot of time saying things like, "Just leave it alone..." or "Yah...I don't know...just ignore us," it's probably a bad thing, but I don't really care.

Anywho...another day...filled with geeky Susan things (we're probably going to examine cemeteries today).

ta for now

PS. If I get cholera it really IS Susan's fault.

PPS. creepy work place has gotten creepier...does anyone know what "Interested in 'catching up'" is code for???

So today I woke up feeling a little bit like crap. I don't want to talk about it.

Angela abandoned me to serve her higher god, the almighty dollar/pound.

Scout was an excellent guide, despite being Canadian. We had a nice little brunch and then headed off to the British Museum.

I'm not really a fan of museums, so we zipped through and caught the highlights. I had a few geek moments...
Me, from across the room: *gasp* "oh my god...is that a pediment from the Parthenon?!"

I may have also used the phrase "cabinets of curiosity" ...don't judge me. But for the most part I kept my geek flag at half-mast.

After that we went shopping on Oxford and Regent streets. I bought a shirt that says "Merry Elfin Christmas." Love it. Then we grabbed some coffee and discovered that John Lennon is not dead. He is in fact undercover as a mangy-looking busker on a little street off of Regent.  Just letting you know.

Also, I just called Angela soulless and she didn't bat an eye...

Tomorrow...second try at the cemeteries, then hopefully Evensong at St. Paul's.

Sorry if this was a little lackluster, they don't have Pepto Bismol over here. I should be like new tomorrow and will try to be my usual witty and effervescent self.

I have escaped from/abandoned Susan for a day in order to acquire money (can you blame me??)

She should be grateful that I didn't just leave her to fend for herself.  I have provided a Scout for the day...Scout may be the diet version of me (just as handy in London, but with half the sarcasm) but she will do the job adequately. 

I am at work all day...so I am doing nothing interesting...this will make Susan's commandeering my blog a positive thing because her experiences of the day are bound to be far more interesting than mine.

I would also like to add that Susan does not just talk in her sleep...apparently she speaks tongues as well...I am concerned that she is summoning something to slaughter me in my sleep...maybe some part of  her doesn't want me dead and that inspired the creepy warning of the first night.

If she succeeds in her summoning and I am eaten by some demon or sucked into hell or something I have very few possessions to worry about....but I ask that anyone with any interest be kind to my shoes.

Ta for now