Back from Dublin!

We packed a lot in the bit over a day we had there. It was a quick trip, but a successful one. We got lost walking around that city enough for me to get a fairly good feel of Dublin, and we saw a good handful of the sights. Here are the links to the photo albums I just put up. Hopefully the pictures and the captions will give you a fairly good idea of my trip.

A Day In Dublin Album
A Day In Dublin (cont.)

Dublin Ho!!!

Well I'm pooped and I'm packing. The last days of class have been crazy with all my teacher apologetically demanding work from us so that they could grade us for mid terms. Papers are written, projects completed and plays seen. I'm....

(at this point Julia comes in and very nicely reminds Allie that she is a bum and needs to help plan our Spring break given that it's days away. The next morning...)

Well then! I'm awake! Not that much sleep, but I can sleep when I'm dead, right? Har har har. But seriously folks, I'm going to Dublin... like... now-ish. I'm cramming the British version of oatmeal down my gulper and tugging on my socks. This is gonna be fun.

Last night I got to talk to Joey finally. He's all safe and sound in Ohio once more. Thank goodness. It's been awesome hearing about his adventures, but I've missed being able to talk to him on a regular basis. I get to hear about him chilling with all the people I love and it makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast here. I'm sure you can tell, but talking to him as he walked down the street in Shaker and hearing the Cleveland wind from so many many miles away... It won't be all that bad to go home after this.

Meanwhile, however, Dublin. Dublin then Cardiff, Wales, then two nights in Bath, then a couple on the Isle of Wight then Dover and then back home. Spring break never sounded this fancy.

Well I should get moving. Got a plane to catch! Love to everyone! Toodles!

I have no shame...

My most recent video project for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCrgnugv9tw

Enjoy!

Little sleep and river slime

Well, I got one midterm in the bag. My multiD project got done with a bit of craziness involved and very little sleep Sunday night into Monday morning, but overall, the experience was a great one.

The other two members of my group were in Paris over the weekend, which kinda put a damper on our getting things done in a timely fashion. Still, as soon as they got back, my fellow designers really kicked it into high gear until it was done... at about 8:10 the next morning... for a 9:00 class. We camped out at my dining room table with some snacks and our computers, tossing flash drives around like we were juggling. It was super fun to work with a team of designers from different backgrounds, though. I learned a ton, and I felt really good about teaching a couple things too.

Unfortunately, I only got 45 min of sleep. Then I had class, with a guest speaker that I really had to fight to keep myself awake for, and then I had a lovely time working on my video midterm project with Haley. Our assignment was to make a video with the prompt, "on my way to Faraday." Faraday being the name of our school building. However, we didn't necessarily have to have it take place on the way to Faraday, have it involve Faraday, or be anywhere near Faraday. This leaves the assignment pretty free to interpretation.

Now, as you know, I have no shame... and Haley likes to be behind the camera, so our video ended up involving the two of us wandering around the neighborhood between our school and the Themes river finding places for me to dance like an idiot. The rough cuts are looking promising. I look like an idiot, but a happy idiot.

After making a fool of myself and accientally getting Themes sludge (ewwwwww) all over me we decided to call it a day. I was able to go back home, throw my clothes in the wash and take a very long nap.

The rest is not too interesting. I did some research for my CMD project (get pumped people. this is gonna be fun!) and talked to my family and Joey's mom. Joey got stuck in an air port last night due to nasty weather. He should be home soon though! It'll be nice to hear about him chilling with a lot of my favorite people in Ohio!

Well that's the story. Gotta down my rice crispies and tea and skedaddle! Hope all is well with all of you! Cheers!

Unobserved

When you live in a city you can never be alone. Maybe indoors, but not really. There's always someone upstairs or downstairs, next door or across the way who is always close by. In my case, there are seven other girls, SEVEN! in my flat. Alone doesn't happen very often. Outside... you're out of luck. If you do manage to find yourself alone, you're probably somewhere no sane person would want to be.
Tonight I found myself "alone" for a few minutes in the Goldhawk Rd. tube station. I put the word in quotation marks because you are never alone in a tube station or anywhere else in London for that matter. With CCTV, their video surveillance system, there's always someone watching.
Anyways, the train going the opposite direction I was going had departed, taking with it all the other separate souls who were previously keeping me company from the other side of the tracks. It was 9:00 on a Thursday night in a not-particularly-hopping part of London, so the people in the station were just individuals. Unattached. Like me. Still, though they didn't speak a word, they were there, observing. Everyone is an observer in a city.
Now before I arrived at station I had been whistling to myself, I was in a whistling mood, but before climbing the stairs up to the train tracks I had stopped so as to not annoy any of the silent observers on the other side. I'm not that great at whistling.
But then that train came, and then the train left, taking with it every other soul in the station. I found myself left alone, alone! on the platform. Suddenly I felt something, a relief from a pressure that I didn't even realize that I was under. I felt the joy of solitude, a kind of solitude I hadn't felt for months. The kind you don' get in the city.
You see, in the suburbs, where I have always lived, it's easy to access this solitude, and I did. Often. Or at my university. I love experiencing a public space that, in the daytime, is always populated, but, in the night time is deserted. It belongs only to me. In the same way I love a place that the general public generally visits in fair weather, but they abandon in the rain and cold leaving it just for me.
This is the feeling that suddenly came over me in the Goldhaw Rd tube station. I let out a whistle. A loud one. I whistled a tune. And then... I started to sing. Not word. I kind of sang-whistled, going doo-doo-doo to the tune in my head. To tell you the truth, I felt like dancing, but that security camera, though deaf, still had eyes somewhere behind it. Instead I paced to the music.
I guess this might not sound like much, humming and pacing, but I can't describe... it felt like much. It felt good. It felt like freedom. It was straight from the soul without any observers to judge. I filled the station with me. I was the only person to be that moment in the long history of that platform. It was all me, and all by myself. I don't know how long I was alone, but it could only have been a couple minutes. Soon a man with a cane emerged from the stairwell. I stopped whistling and pulled myself in so that I only filled a couple feet around me instead of the entire station. The man with the cane sat down and another person ambled in. And there you have it. It was so quick, but I had found something that I didn't know I had missed. I didn't even know it existed.
Now I'm sitting in another tube station, the one near my flat with seven other girls, and I'm writing this all down before the moment leaves me. trains arrive and depart. People pass around me. It's not normal to see a girl sitting writing in a notebook with no intention to move in such a temporary space as a tube station, but there you have it. I haven't since been alone again, and I know I'm being observed. I have the same song in my head, but G-d save me if it gets any further than that. Besides, it's about time to go home.

(Typed up from my notebook. I thought you might like to read it.)

I'm Back Again!

Geez, I'm not doing so well at keeping you guys updated. So much is going on so fast, and midterms aren't helping. That's right, I'm already mid-term. Crazy, huh? Time flies when you're not being oppressed by one's major. Just kidding. But seriously, folks. This trip is flying by.

I think I'm gonna cop out like I did last time and give only a brief bullet point overview of things. I think the biggest event to take place over the last week was a visit to London from my brother. Rick came up to see me and a bunch of his buddies during a week vacation he had from work. It was really awesome to chill with Rick in London. I got to show him around a bit, and he brought me along to see a couple things I hadn't before. I had never been that close to Buckingham Palace, taken a boat down the Themes or visited Abbey road before he visited. It was also really cool to see his buddy from high school, Jussi. I got to see their little ikea infused flat, and meet his lovely fiance. Good times.

Other than that I've been out a couple times, gotten a pair of really attractive boots, and worked a lot on school work. Well, in chunks. To tell the truth, I haven't devoted as much time as I would usually think fit for my design work, but the academic expectations for us here in London are kinda skewed. They don't expect us to put as much time into things... it all spells out for a busy summer catching my CMD work up. I want to handle my next couple of projects a bit more gracefully though.

This week my first real multidisciplinary project is due. I have a lot of stuff to do for it this weekend. I also have a couple treats planned out for myself. I'm seeing a concert tomorrow night, and I'm going to a cool Byzantium exhibit on Sunday.

My next CMD project should be fun. We're asked to pick an issue in the community to focus on. Lots of people are doing drugs, or smoking or sexual health and the like. I decided to be a bit more upbeat. I took up boredom. I want to create a campaign to inspire people to exercise their brains and keep their minds spry. I have to do research and initial ideas and sketches this week. I'm excited.

Well. That's a bit about my recent past. I know I've been on and off at posting, but keep checking in on me. Also leave comments if you think of something to tell me. I hope you're doing great and that life is treating you well. Thanks for reading! Toodles!

Friday Wandering

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

This is my effort to not keep you waiting another week for a post. Lots of little posts sounds like a better plan. Also I apologize to all my grammatically, punctuation-ally and overall-decent-writing-ally sensitive followers. I obviously don't (and will continue not to) review and edit these posts before publishing them. I sometimes read them again later and feel sorry for you guys trying to figure out what I'm saying, but overall you get the gist and that's what's important.

My newest project in my multi-discipline class (from here on known as multi-d) involves trying to eliminate wasteful packaging from a band/store found in London. My group, consisting of an industrial designer, interior designer and me, have decided to try and re-think packaging for cosmetics. We're still picking the specific brand. To get a better feel for our subject, the ID kid and I did some field research. We went to a place in London called Seven Dials ( http://www.sevendials.co.uk/ ). It was wonderful. The shops were so much fun just to go in and look around. After we bothered the ladies in a ton of cosmetics store we did some more exploring. There was this awesome store where everything was crazy patterned, and another with amazing so smart toys and trinkets and beard hats and a mirror with a mustache built into it. OMG. It was my favorite ever. I have to go back. Too bad the beard hats were L60 (that's my lazy british pound symbol).

After that outing I went to meet Haley at Leicester Square tube station. I got there early and walked around the neighborhood checking out what the stores and street vendors were selling. I even sat in the square with the pidgins and sketched a bit in the watercolor book my mom bought me. There was only one problem with the whole situation. I wasn't supposed to be meeting Haley at the Leicester Station... it was the Liverpool one. Oops. As soon as I realized my mistake I scooted my way across London as fast as I could to meet up with poor Haley. Julie also scooted from another part of town. Finally, the whole expedition party was assembled. We hopped on a train to one of London's suburbs so that Haley could do some research for her CMD project.

The train ride was ridiculous. The entire cabin was packed with people who were not talking. Seriously. I was only whispering to Haley and I was being too loud. It was bizarre. When we got to our destination we happily skipped off the train and into the 'burbs (where we were allowed to talk).

Pretty much we proceeded to have such a suburban night. We window shopped and played in Primark (the British Target) and tired on ridiculous things without buying anything. Reminds me of the good ole days back home. After getting bored of being ridiculous we went to a local pub and got super cheap pub food and drink. I got a lamb mint burger and a pint of Guinness. Yum!

A bit less oppressive train ride later we ended up back at my apartment where we drank tea and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and other fun things on YouTube.



This morning Bri and I woke everyone else with lovely music and our even lovelier faces so that we could make them a fancy French toast breakfast for Valentines day. The rest of the day is still in the making. I'll keep you posted. Take care everyone! Love!

Another week flies by

I'm back again. The past week has been so jam packed. It's been hard to catch up in my own head, never mind my blog. Since the last time I wrote I've been to a club, the Borough Market again, seen a couple rock bands, two plays, wrote a paper, did some design and visited the London Ice Bar. I also went to a shabbat lunch and did some shopping. You can find photographic evidence of most of my forays on facebook. I put up three albums. As far as I'm aware everyone who keeps up with my blog (when I get to writing it) is on facebook. If you're not, I'd more than happy to post the links to the albums on my blog.

I've decided to focus this post on some things in between the cracks of all the crazy events I run back in forth to. I've been living in London for almost a month now. It's pretty amazing to think about it. I'm trying to stay aware of how the way I deal with this whole experience changes as I get more used to the place. I'm now reminding myself to pay attention to the architecture, appreciate the constant passing of double decker buses and really notice that I'm walking around London. My street here feels like my street. I can walk through the underground stations I frequent without looking at the signs. I don't constantly notice that the people around me are speaking in a British accent. I still am constantly aware that I'm speaking in an American one though.

My perception of myself as an American has changed too. London is so multicultural, everyone has an accent. Even English people have accents to each other. It's not unusual to hear French or German or Arabic when you're walking on the streets. Being American is just like being another foreigner. Also, British people tend to like (or at least be intrigued by) Americans. It's impossible to read most of the Brits anyways. Lewis's example one the of the first days we were here is the best way to explain it. If you forget to hold onto the bar in the tube when the train starts and you stumble, no one will laugh or change their expression, but you can tell that everyone saw and everyone's thinking "what an idiot." In fact, the entire transportation experience is full of unwritten laws. On escalators you stay on the right if you want to stand and leave the left open for those who want to walk. Sometimes a newbie will stand next to a friend and chill, unknowingly blocking the entire impatient horde behind from moving. No one will tell the unfortunate individual to move aside or keep walking, but EVERYONE glares. I'm not sure if this solution is really any better than tapping the guy on the shoulder and saying "move it buster!"

It rains a lot here. There are tons of parents with strollers walking along the street and all the strollers are fitted with a clear plastic cover, keeping the infant in a dry little bubble. These are employed even when it's not raining at the moment. Chances are that it will rain soon enough. Londoners don't know what to do with snow. They walk around with their umbrellas out while flakes fall. It's funny to watch.

Well, time for working on a group project. I'm gonna go do some research in a cosmetics store. I'll tell you more about that later.

Cheers!

In London, back to school isn't so bad.

No snow day on Tuesday. We were teased by a little e-mail telling us how unlikely it would be, but no. Back to school we went. Everyone in our CMD class managed to get there on time despite the need for creative transportation. 5 inches of snow sent the entire metropolis of London into freakout mode and all of the lovely public transportation had a bunch of trouble. We took the bus to school. You know, the red kind with two stories.

CMD was fun. We had a little exercise about expressive typography and discussed our branding assignment. Afterwards I took the tube back home with Kate, had a lovely conversation and passed out in bed as soon as I got home. I had a fantastic nap!

When I woke up I had just enough time to get ready to see Woman In Mind by Alan Ayckbourn at the Vaudeville theater on the strand. We were in for a treat because the man who wrote the play decades ago was also the man directing this production. All I knew going into the play was that it was about a woman going through a mental breakdown. I see enough of that in CMD already. Somehow, though, this play was an absolute delight. It was just the right amount of funny, awkward, and disconcerting. I highly recommend seeing it or at least reading it.

Wednesdays are my long haul days. Last Wednesday I became sick. The day lasted forever causing me to pass out in my bed by 8:30. Having almost conquered my cold I was hoping that this wednesday treated me better. It did. Very much so.

Instead of meeting our history class in the classroom we had been instructed to meet the professor on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral at 10:00 AM. My buddies and I all got there just as the huge bells were tolling the hour. The Cathedral is immense. The dome, the columns, the ornament and the sheer size of the thing is just breath taking. It was absolutely gorgeous in the newly risen sun. The entire city of London had a blinding sheen on it from all the melting snow and ice, and the cathedral rose up, massive in the light.

Steve Jebbeson is our art history professor, and though dwarfed by the cathedral, he is one of the most impressive figures I have ever met. He used to be an artist and a bouncer. He also knows everything. Absolutely everything, and he blows our minds on a weekly basis. Shortly after the bells tolled Steve Jebbeson appears on scene looking like a dapper version of Obadiah Stark from Iron Man. He has a hat and a cane and a long coat. He hands out a xerox of a 16th century map on London and tells us to follow along. The rest of the morning consisted of us trekking though ice and slush all over the City, down alley ways and ancient narrow streets as Steve Jebbeson tells us the most amazing and interesting facts and details about London's past. Everything has meaning. We journeyed around St, Paul's across the Themes, through markets and into the new financial district. I'm sure many people's favorite part of the morning was when Jebbeson led us into a 650 year old pub and invited us to sample their house ale. Despite it being about 11:30 in the morning, our gaggle of college students gleefully partook. It was wonderful. We had the cheeriest Art History class I've ever experienced to date.

After Jebbeson let us loose in the middle of downtown city most of us had to head back to Faraday for further afternoon classes. But first we needed food. I particularly craved a burger, and I talked about it in such mouthwatering detail that soon enough all my buddies were right there with me. We flocked to my favorite American idealizing sit-donw burger joint and celebrated the first weekly Burger Day. All rejoiced in the burger day, and a few had another sip of liquid protection to prepare them for our monumentally boring video class.

Let me just say, our video class was a lot more lively this time around. Our prof seemed delighted by the magically enthusiastic students.

My last class of the day was my drama class. We sat and discussed play reviews and even tried a hand at writing our own about the play we say last night. Overall it was a very chill class. Next week we get to see a play called Blood Bothers. We also get a tour of the national theater, but I have to ask my vid prof if I can leave a bit early to get there on time.

I come home o be greeted by our friends Haley and Janet as well as Brianna. We had a dinner part date. I put up pasta, Brianna got a baguette and Janet and Haley brought beverages and desert. Our party expanded to include a couple more CMD kids from my house. We laughed so hard I had to leave the room a couple times so that I could swallow the food in my mouth. We had so much fun that we vowed not only to do this again, but to do it again when we get back to 'Cuse. Hooray for dinner parties.

After all this I was completely exhausted. An early bed time for me so I could get enough rest for my adventures today. This morning I go shopping with Amanda, and this afternoon I return to the Borough market with a handful of lovely ladies. It sounds like a lovely day. I'll make sure to tell you all about it.

Snow Day!!!!

It snowed about 5 inches, throwing London into a tizzy and giving me an excuse to sit in bed, play gameboy, read my book and munch on cadbury eggs that Brianna tosses to me across the room. Life is wonderful.

The Weeks Fly By

So it's been a week... ish. That's amazing. They days are just packed, especially when one is so fond of naps. Sleeping is the packing peanuts of life. I'm gonna write as much as I can about the last week or so. You don't have to read this in one go. It's a lot.

The major element that has tied this past week together has been a cold. Yes, my friends, I have succumbed to the London Bug. Cough, sniffles, sore throat, you name it. I got it. My poor housemates, a few of whom were mere aquaintances before this adventure are now prone to my sniffly grossness. I feel kinda bad, but what can I do.

Despite my being sick, my week was still adventure packed. I left you last with my pending night at Avenue Q. It was wonderful. We had good seats. I ended up awkwardly sitting next to this guy named Charlie that my prof randomly decided to hypothetically pair me up with in class the other week. He's a very nice guy and handled the situation very well. I did make sure to drop a couple "my boyfriend" references along the way just to make things clear.

The play was great. It really was like seseme street plus 20 years. Relationships, rent and crushed hopes and dreams. My two favorite charachters where the "Bad Idea Bears." They were two ridiculously adorable bear puppets that would show up and tempt the characters to do stupid things. Hilarious. I want a pair of stuffed animal Bad Idea Bears. They must exist somewhere.

On Wednesday I had a lot of classes. I also got hit in the face with the cold. It was kinda mniserable. I stuck it through though. I had my history class, my video sketchbook class and my drama class. In drama we had a guest speaker. Lou Stien, a real live London director dude (and American Ex Pat) talked to us about the role a director has in a play and did a little example of directing with a few kids in our class. It was a lot of fun. Of course I was so pooped for the whole thing. When I got home I basically went straight to bed. Seriously. Bed at 8:30. I slept in too. I must be sick.

Thursday was spent mostly in the apartment. I was sick so I took care of myself. I also did some work and worked on getting us an internet connection. I remember at some point being at faraday house, but I can't put my finger on why I was there. Oh well. The internet finally works in our house. That's a blessing. That night a lot of people went out to the symphony. I stayed in and had a good time chatting with Julia. We attempted to watch My Fair Lady but we were both so pooped. We didn't get far.

Friday was a lot of fun. I woke up, made breakfast and tackled the kitchen. It was getting pretty bad. I washed, scrubbed and organized as much as I could. I got a bit carried a way and ended up sprinting to Faraday house to catch the field trip to the Borough Market. The Borough Market is what they call one of the best "foodie" markets. It had a ton of delicious food in it. Not too cheap, but worth it. Then again, you could go the way my friend Haley managed and fill up on free samples. I got a really beautiful ceramic tea thinger. It's a cup that has its own fitted filter thing-a-ma-jig and a little cover/saucer to put the filter in when you're ready to drink the tea. I've never really had a chance to enjoy loose leaf this much. I bought some Orange Pekoe (fair trade! score!) and have been downing it like it's my job ever since. I'm in love.

After returning from the markets I had a bit of a rest and then I was off again to see Loot, a farcical play by Joe Orton. It was being performed at the Trycicle Theater in Kilburn. It's this small theater that also shows independent-ish films. The atmosphere was wonderful. It was very community rooted. The audience was fantastic, laughing and reacting at all the right moments. Afterwards we had a curry dinner "with the cast" though I didn't see any of the cast members. I was too busy gobbling the all you could eat curry.

We had stayed at the theater pretty late, and were kind of unsure about out trip home. We knew that the tube closes at midnight. It would be a bit of a rush to be able to get home by then. Two girls from my flat and I were walking down the street toward the tube. There were bars all around and a bunch of people (kinda rowdy) on the street. We hear someone whistling at us and and calling someone by my name. I was about to remark how my name can be applied to both genders when the person calling "Allie" got even closer. I turn around and lo and behold it's Lewis! Our student guide buddy who I adore. Turns out not only are we wandering around in his neighborhood, but he was on his way to a place near ours. Since Lewis is magical, the four of us were very soon on a double decker bus that took us right to our neighborhood in 15 min. That solved our transportation problem, AND we got to see Lewis!

Saturday was a lopsided day. The morning was a bit lazy with some school work and loafing around. In the early afternoon I got to skype with not only with all other members of my immediate family, but with Rick's girlfriend... and her mom. There was a total of seven people on the chat at once, coming from four different places in the world. After the chat I though I shold fit in some exploring. I ended up exploring public transportation more than anything else, but I did get down to a very hip market in Camden Town. It got dark fast and pretty cold as well. I got back to the house, chilled a bit and then went out to a bar with a couple of my buddies. I got a mint mojito. Brianna got giggly. We got back to our apartment, ate a delicious late-night meal of grilled cheese and avocado, and slept.

Finally, Sunday. I traipsed around markets in the city trying not to freeze. I came very close, but managed to find a warmer place before becoming an Allie-cicle. The tubes were another adventure. The really convinient lines around the corner from m flat were under repair. I had to come up with very creative ways to get home. In the end I missed going to cirque de soleil, buu by that point I was too cold and tired to do much of anything except put a load in the laundry and nap. The rest of the day was spent with my house mates, chilling, eating, and working on homework.

Thanks for checking u and reading this whole thing. Lets see if I can become more frequent in my writing. Take care and keep warm. All the best!

Stonehenge Salisbury and Such

Hello again!

Sorry for that break. It’s been a busy few days. Stonehenge, Salisbury, clubbing, work, getting a cold and, finally, internet. I’ve got a bit of catching you up to do.

First Friday. Stonehenge was amazing. We couldn’t walk amongst the stones, but we walked pretty close around them. The stones are stunning not just because of their size, age and mystery, but also because of the “normalness” of the land around it. It’s all farms and little roads. Relatively flat, the mundane-ness is interrupted from time to time with a mound that at one point contained a dead person. I’m sure they’re all dust by now. Sheep graze and cars pass. It’s really windy and really cold. Luckily, though, the rain had stopped as soon as we get there. It was replaced by blue sunny skies and big fluffy clouds. We were very lucky.

Because it was so cold, we stayed long enough to slowly walk around it and take everything in, but not much longer. We scurried back onto the bus and headed to the nearby town of Salisbury. There my buddies and I ate at a pub called the Wig and Quill. I got a delicious pub food called steak and ale. There’s a picture of it on the facebook album I just put up with my other pictures from the trip. I’ll post a link soon for those who don’t have access to me via facebook. It was delicious and very filling.

After lunch we met back with our tour guide (who many ladies deemed exceedingly dreamy) and he showed us around the Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral is amazingly beautiful. It’s apparently a rarity because it was built in one go over a relatively short period of time. Most other cathedrals are built piece by piece over the years and therefore show a variety of different time periods’ styles. This one is purely gothic. Amazing.

There are a bunch of fantastic things about the chapel, but I think the one you all would be particularly impressed with is that it is the home of the Magna Carta. Yes, that ancient document that is the predecessor of our fair land’s bill of rights. I got to see it with my own two peepers.

The day had been packed, but I still had one more very exciting thing to look forward to after my trip, a video chat with Joey! In anticipation of this event I took my computer with me to the Faraday house and stored it in a locked room so I could return and use their internet after the trip. I did not anticipate, however, that the Faraday house closes at 5:00 on Fridays. I also did not anticipate that it wasn’t open on Saturdays either. Brianna was a super friend and let me take her computer to posh McDonalds to talk to the boy (YAY!) but this also meant that I didn’t have a computer to do work with on the day I had set out for my work day of the weekend (BOOO!). I had a huge project to get done too. I was very nervous. I spent Saturday trying to get work done without my computer. I did research and brain stormed and sketched, but it wasn’t the same. I would have to wait until 11:00 AM Sunday to get it back.

In the mean time, my flat mates were planning a night on the town. Everyone was going out to a club, and I decided to join them. That’s what study abroad is for, right? We took a wile trying to find an outfit for me, and everyone had a hand in doing me up for a night out. After everyone was fluffed and polished we set off, taking a double decker buss to the correct part of town. The club was packed and very very loud. We stayed there until it closed at 3:30 in the morning. It was the first time I had really been to a club. I really enjoyed taking everything in. It’s kind of bizarre being the age of happening cool people in the world. They’ve always been older than me. Now here I am in the heart of London dancing fo’ real with all these crazy people my age (and avoiding the creepy drunk ones who were much older). Though it was a fantastic experience I don’t know when I’ll repeat it. I was exhausted and achy when we got home. My ears still hurt from the loudness of it, and I have a feeling that these things are a lot more fun if one is single, accompanied by a significant other or has consumed a more alcoholic beverages than I did. I think I prefer a night in a pub with friends.

I did not get enough sleep, because I had an amazing amount of work ahead of me. To make a long story short, I worked straight all Sunday and into Monday. I got about 2.5hours of sleep before class. Everything turned out great. My project went over very well, and that afternoon I napped a lot.

After my nap I had a lovely talk with my housemate Julia and we also have a very fun trip to a grocery store nearby. They have portable price-readers (a.k.a. AWESOME LAZER THINGERS!) and very good sales if you go late in the day. I bit of home work last night and then more sleep. This morning’s CMD class was fine, and then another nap this afternoon. I have to try to keep my cold from getting the best of me. I feel naps might help with that. I also just love sleeping. I sounds lame, but that’s the way it is.

Tonight: Avenue Q for my drama class. Maybe even wireless internet. My life pretty much rocks.

(Here's a link to the facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2255001&l=cb8cd&id=5522913)

Obama's Inauguration

Tuesday afternoon was inauguration day! It was very exciting. At four o'clock all students were invited to pile into our lounge-type room, nash on some free refreshments and follow the inauguration on a projected screen. The room was packed! My buddies had secured a nook in the corner that had its own TV and couches.

The British who work here and the faculty were all present. So many people showed up that they had to spill over into another room. I stayed in the more rowdy student filled one. People are saying that Obama is my generation's president, might as well welcome him with my peers.

It was really loud before the real stuff started happening. Important people would show up and the English news anchors would comment. When people started giving speeches, however, the room hushed. Obama's speech was amazing. I really don't have words to accurately explain the feeling in the room. We were all very inspired and extremely proud of our president, even more so because we were in a foreign country. This whole week it's been amazing seeing Obama on the news and on the front page of papers here in London. When he spoke, though, the filter of English culture was non-existent. Despite us being in another country, he was speaking directly to us.

In America Obama spoke in the early afternoon, but by the time the whole thing was over for us in England it was pretty solidly evening. Therefore, my friends and I though that this would be a great time to take advantage of our London experience and raise a glass to our new commander in chief. We walked down the street to the pub we visited last week and all got a drink. I had a half-pint of a beer called Old Speckled Hen. I didn't want to drink too much because I had a class in a little while. I left my buddies early to go to class, got to class, realised that the teacher didn't plan to show up and sallied on forth home via tube. And that, my friends, was where I was when Obama became president.

Classes and Wanderings

Hello all!

I'm so happy that you all are keeping up on my travels. I miss all of you, so it's super awesome when I get comments here and messages on facebook. It makes me so happy.

So these last couple of days have been packed full. Classes started on Monday and I think all of my CMD comrades are suffering from culture shock. This isn't our professors' CMD. I mean, that's why we're here, to gain a new perspective on life and our work, but since our professors' way has been the only way for so long it's tough trying to reconcile the two. We're all completely enamored with our two teachers, and the assignments are really going to make us stretch our design minds and our leg muscles. I'll tell you more about the projects as soon as I understand them better.

I will tell you that the project for our Multidisciplinary Design class has us visiting the Tate Modern (Museum of Art. To do this my buddies and I ventured into the City for the first time. The City is the oldest part of London, originally settled by the Romans. Since then it has been burned, bombed and rebuilt. It's got some of the oldest and newest structures in all of London. Today it is the business section of London, like our Wall Street. We clamored out of the tube stop, turned a corner and there was one of the Structures I have been waiting to see up close, St. Paul's Cathedral! I couldn't get Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins out of my head the whole day after that.

After admiring that magnificent structure my buddies and I proceeded to get very lost. We walked all the way across the City, and then back a bunch of it. We crossed the Thames and waled past Shakespeare's Globe Theater until finally. exhausted, arriving at the Tate. I was really tired. Really. Kate (a CMD flatmate of mine) used the term "cranky" as well to describe my state of being. I was pooped. We observed all we needed to and then left. I couldn't handle galleries at that point. Some other day. The way back to the tube station was painfully direct. I went back to Faraday, did some research for our project, dragged myself home via tube and collapsed in my bed. I don't remember too much bout the rest of that night. I think I attempted to do more CMD... nothing exciting.

NEXT DAY! Our first CMD class! Sandra, our professor, is wonderful. She's very sweet. (A CMD prof? Really?) We got to know each other, and also the ad design kids in our class. Yep. We got ad design. It should be interesting to see how they react to CMD, or how the class changes to accommodate the two majors. Of course, this isn't the 'Cuse brand of CMD, so who knows. We learned about branding and did an exercises making mood boards. Yep.

After class I decided it was cheaper to eat out here than to pay for the tube home and back, so Janet and I decided to get lunch and dilly dally until the inauguration party started at 4:00. We went to a cheap sandwich shop around the corner (recommended by Halley, another CMDer). It was delicious food, and the Chinese guy who runs it had a conversation with me about Obama. I can see myself going back there a lot. Good food. Friendly dude.

After lunch Janet and I decided to go to the Thames. Sandra had told me that a lot of family records are kept in a beautiful building there called the Somerfield House. Turns out they haven't been there for years. the ladies there were very helpful in pointing me in other directions. Basically, I'm gonna have to go to where ti all began. Bath. I hear it's lovely.

We had some time to kill so I asked Janet if we could try and find an arch that I though was very petty in a street nearby. We succeeded in finding it. After admiring it we walked under the arch, turned the corner, and there was Covent Garden. I was in heaven. From the covered plaza we heard a woman singing. We walked toward the music, and as soon as we passed through the door she started singing I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady. It was perfect. Janet and I flitted from store to store. i couldn't get enough of it. I even found the columns that Eliza sits upon. Yep! I got a picture!

Well, class is gonna start soon. I have three classes today. I'll write all about hose and Obama's inauguration as soon as I can. Until then, take care and keep on writing me!

Cheers!

The Prime Meridian of the World!

Greenwich was absolutely lovely yesterday. Brianna, Janet, Hallie and I (all CMD buddies) hopped on the bus at 10:30 and zipped around the relatively uncrowded London learning a bit more about familiar and unfamiliar landmarks. We first circled around Westminster and learned about Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and a couple more. Then on through the strand along the Thames in the direction of the City. I had never been through this end of London before. I'll have to walk around some other time, but I did get a wonderful view of the tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Through the city into the East Side our tour guide told us of the history of London and the major events that helped make London what it is today.

Greenwich is about 6 miles downstream from where we started. We got off the buses on the north side of the Thames and took a Victorian era walking tunnel under the river. When you hear Victorian you think of a certain aesthetic. This bridge was certainly not of this aesthetic. It was literally a damp tile tube. I enjoyed it all the same!

Emerging from the tunnel I find myself in the middle of Greenwich. It was a sunny day and though the trees were bare the lawns were green. Soggy, but green. If you think about it, I had never yet been outside of the real dense metropolitan part of London, and though I'm pretty sure Greenwich is still technically London, is had a much quainter feel to it. My other room mates who went on the trip spent the day in museums. We spent it in markets!

When I go thrifting or to markets in the states I might enjoy ogling at objects that originate from the '70s, '60s or '50s. The objects being sold in this market easily and often dated back to the 1800's. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed the crafts that I saw. The Greenwich markets can offer some very good deals. I got a very nice blanket for my bed for £10. However, I also made an investment in a coat that I fell in love with. That was not such a deal, but still a good purchase. This coat is a knee length brown felt coat made by this Italian lady. It was such an experience trying it on and having her insist on buttoning it up for me and pull it here and there until I had put it on right. I turned around and all my buddies made a collective approval sound. Talk about peer pressure. Ha ha. Well, I wouldn't let this lady sell me anything. I tried on two nearly identical coats before I found the one that fit me perfectly. It's very soft, very warm and very London. I'm a bit in love with it. Ever since I bought it, however, I've been paying extra close attention to the money I've been spending on food and the like. I splurged in one place. Gonna be extra reasonable in another.

After the markets we met up with the guide again so she could take us to the Prime Meridian of the World. I learned about longitude and latitude and how they can be used to pinpoint a ship's location in the sea. We got to see different tries at making the perfect clock for ship captains. Most importantly, we got to straddle the meridian. I'll put up the pictures soon!

Today is my first day of classes. I have my Inter Disciplinary Design Studio this morning. The rest of the afternoon is free. I'll have to think of something to do. The BBC told me this morning that psychologist have determined that today is the most depressing day of the year. Good luck with that one everybody. More again soon!

Settling In

Today was a relatively calm day. I woke up earlier than most girls in my flat, got dressed and went out to the grocery store. We had no food in the house and I though making breakfast would be a nice surprise. The grocery store was a lot of fun. Nearly all the brand names are different. I had to make sure I was buying butter and not goose fat. They didn't have any pancake mix or syrup, but I found some nice bread and fixins for French toast. Yum! I also bought some flowers.

Back at the flat the girls slowly came out of their rooms and helped me cook up a breakfast of french toast and eggs. It was a lot of fun and super tasty.

After breakfast everyone went different ways. A bunch of girls went out shopping for home basics. I was pooped from shopping and cooking, so I took a nap and then went to McDonalds to get some internet. There I talked to Mom and Dad on Skype until my battery ran out on my laptop. As I was packing up the man sitting next to me initiated a conversation. Turns out he's a recently homeless guy who is studying astrology. He guessed my sign and told me a bunch of stuff about myself. It was a lot of fun talking to him about the English culture and all, but I made sure to walk around and into department stores and around the block before going to my nearby home afterwards just in case.

Back at the ranch the girls were all in various stages of unpacking and napping. Eventually Brianna, Amanda and I decided to go out for a walk We went to nearby Regent's Park and walked a bit through Queen Mary's Gardens until the sun was setting. We took the major roads back. I was leading the way the whole time and we didn't get lost. Yay!

Before dinner I had to go out and buy food. I got lots of good stuff for relatively cheap. For dinner I made a tasty lox and cream cheese (spreading cheese) sandwich and rice with curry sauce. Yum. I made too much rice so I shared with the girls in the flat who are all now promising to cook me delicious things. I like that.

Now I'm internet-ing and soon Bri and I will go and pick up some stuff from the store for a night in with the girls. We have 200 channels on our TV. Hopefully something fun will be on. Till then, cheers! I'll get pictures up soon, but out apartment is still upside down from moving in. Tomorrow: Greenwich!

Bidet Day!

Seize the bidet.
There's no day like bidet.
Here bidet gone tomorrow.
Eight Bidets a Week.
The bidet is mine!
It's the first bidet of the rest of your life.
I'm having a bad hair bidet.
Independence Bidet (starring Will Smith)
It's a beautiful bidet in the neighborhood.
Save it for a rainy bidet.
Bidet Tripper (by the Beatles)
Ferris Bueller's Bidet Off

My flat has a bidet. We're very amused.
Have a nice bidet.

Catching Up

I'm sitting in the poshest McDonalds EVER at 10:33 at night so i can get free wi-fi. The internet is on its way in my flat, so right now this McDonalds is the place! It's got these cool pleather swoopy chairs and fancy wall paper and everything. I'll take a picture later when I have my camera with me.

I just moved into the flat. We signed the lease yesterday and the landlord moved in the correct number of beds for us. The internet has been ordered up and everything is ready for occupation. They even gave us a bad of bed cloths. Nice of them. There was a bit of drama in the room selection process but hopefully everything is peachy. Yes, I'm living with seven other girls, but they are seven very lovely girls.

In the last couple of days I've been running around straightening a bunch out so I'm set to start classes on Monday. I have a pay-as-you-go phone that I bought for 4.50 pounds. Good deal. I also napped. I also visited a pub and got baby's first pint. I asked for a half pint (especially 'cause I already had a half pint with my dinner) but he misheard me. Brianna helped me out with it. It was a cider ale called Strongbow. It was delicious. Three CMD friends and I had gone to dinner together where I got a dish called the "Dirty Rat." It was a burger with blue cheese sauce. It was so delicious. Ask Bri, I talked about this burger for the rest of the night. I talked about it still today. I'm talking about it now, It was tasty. Then we went around the corner to a pub called the Queen's Lager. It was good times.

Today we registered our classes and got a couple official things figured out. We also signed up for some extra curriculars. I'm excited about two things in particular. One is a volunteering opportunity at a farm a bit a ways out. Another is a program called Host where I can sign up to be hosted a weekend at a time by people from all over the UK. I have to pay to get there and then they take care of me for a weekend. I'm really pumped. As soon as I know my schedule better I'm signing up for weekends.

So tomorrow I get settled in my flat and maybe do some exploring around my new 'hood and London in general. Sunday I go to the prime meridian (Greenwich) with a bunch of people. My favorite English guide individual is going on the trip and he said he'd be Bri and my's buddy. That's fun. More tomorrow and definitely more after my outing on Sunday.

Love to all! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Cheers!

Prawn

It's like Shrimp. No, it's not Kosher. Yes it is tasty! Just had a prawn sandwich on oatmeal bread with mayo for £1.60. Soooooo delicious.

Finding a Flat

We were up again at seven in the morning for the grand opening of flat hunting. It really is set up like a bizarre little real-life game. Over one hundred kids are gathered in a room, given very useful tips about traveling around London and finding a flat (packed into a span on 1.25 hours), split into smaller groups for a briefing about London geography and neighborhoods, given a top secret list of flats that fit our needs and roughly our budgets, and then let loose, all at once, to secure a place to live. Alliances are made, deals are broken and plans are formed all within the first half hour of mayhem.

Bri and I weren’t sure who else we were living with. For a bit, a place with a few other CMDers (that’s Communications Designers for future reference) looked probable, but right before we split into smaller groups I find that they had a group of four all set. After thinking it over, the two of us decided that we could find a group easily that needed two more people if we had to, but in the mean time we’d look at places with the group of four to get our bearings. Another CMDer and her friend had the same idea, and we all got together making a group of eight girls.

The list contained names and descriptions of flats that are furnished and that are available for rent for only four months (as opposed to the usual six) and names and phone numbers of the landlords. After discussing our game-plan the eight of us decided the best way to go was to grab one of the English helper people to guide us around the city. To my delight the young gentleman we were given was none other than Louis, the chap from yesterday that suggested a stroll down to the Thames. In no time we had made an appointment across town in a half an hour to see our first flat.

With Louis on our side we were able to find the tube stop, get tickets, catch a train and find the correct meeting point with time to spare. Louis knew everything. He could tell us the best routs, the pros and cons of the neighborhoods, the characters of the individual landlords, and so on. I am absolutely amazed how he politely whisked a group of eight flabbergasted and clueless American females across the town without us getting run over, lost, mugged, starved or even late.

We saw a total of six flats in roughly seven hours. Louis explained the workings of London transportation. We got to ride the tube, catch a double decker bus, and even ride in black taxis. Louis said he’d never suggest we catch a taxi given how much they cost, but the real estate agency was nice enough to pay for our rides.

Our little group ended looking at eight person and four person flats. When we started out no one had agreed on specific living arrangements, but once we saw the first eight person flat we realized that finding a place that could fit all of us was very do-able. We could find a bed for everyone.

Somehow every flat we saw was nicer than the first, culminating in what Bri and I thought was a little too nice with shiny floors, a flat screen TV and leather couches. It was between this one, and the one we ended up going with that the group had a lively debate over. We were split almost down the middle with who wanted which place. It was a tough conversation because people who had never met each other before this morning now had a say in where everyone was going to live for the next four months.

The flat we decided on is the one I had fallen in love with. It has a beautiful red brick exterior. The stairs (all five flights if you don’t take the elevator) are green carpeted with Frank Lloyd Wright-esque windows. Inside the flat the floors are wooden and the rooms are spacious. We have two full baths and a total of four bedrooms. Somehow magically the rooms split up elegantly into who was willing to share with whom with one three-bedder, two two-bedders, and one single. We have internet. We have furniture. We have a washer/dryer. We might even have a cleaning service. We are around the corner to grocery shops and a tube stop. All and all, we are about 15 min from the happening part of London and I’d estimate about 25 from our classes. Sounds good!

Ok. Now I have to get dressed and sign that lease. We have a list of things we need to get done today, but thankfully, find a place to live is all taken care of. A good thing too, my feet and legs are so sore. I hope everything is well with you all. Don’t feel shy leaving me a comment here, on facebook or via my e-mail. Much love! Cheers!

Day 1 (Continued)

So Bri and I set off on a little jet-lagged adventure. Just walking down an everyday street is wonderful. The double decker busses are everywhere as well as the black taxis.

TIDBIT: Taxi drivers in licensed taxis must study for (I think) four years learning every street, landmark and everything else about London before they can drive people around. They say it’s harder than getting a degree. Once they pass the test they are said to have “the knowledge.”

The architecture is a brilliant mix of modern, old, and really old (as it should be). I also love walking down the street and hearing snippets of conversations. I am fascinated by accents and the slang. I’ve picked the brain of every Brit I get into conversation with about pronunciation and word use.

TIDBIT: In England they say everything with more words than they need. They qualify everything with “quite” really” and “very.”
Give Way=Yield
Way Out=Exit
Even the cautions signs say things like this, “Fire Action: If you discover a fire…” It’s like, “Eureka! I’ve discovered a fire!” They even told us that if we need help we won’t get a good response if we ask directly. Instead we need to say something like, “Pardon me, sir, I happen to be drowning. Do you have a moment to toss me that life preserver?” That might be a bit extreme, but seriously.

OK. So. Back to my afternoon yesterday. Bri and I walked down a while until we got to a glorious building called the Somerset House. As far as we can tell it’s a huge gallery. It’s amazing from the back, the side and when we turn the corner suddenly there’s the Thames. It was amazing to see. Boats drift past. The water’s a kind of grey-brown-green with choppy little waves. We decide to get a better view while crossing the Waterloo bridge. As we step onto the bridge and look to our left our breath is taken away. There was the dome of St. Paul’s cathedral. They must be developing the area around there because there were also a bunch of cranes. It was all very picturesque, but nothing compared to the view when we turned to look over the other side of the bridge. Behind us the sun was starting on its downwards arc in the sky silhouetting Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London eye. I took a picture. It and all the other pictures I mention are up on my flickr account. Just follow this link to the album(and e-mail me if it doesn't work).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29126917@N04/sets/72157612552112646/

Our goal was only to see the Thames, but after being blown away by that skyline we decided to try to visit the actual sites up close and personal. We cross back over the Thames by way of the Hungerford bridge. Once back on the North side of the river we followed whatever path looked like it would take us in the right direction. (Of course we didn’t go down shady alleyways, always kept our bearings and had a map just in case, Mom.) Somehow we kept accidentally running into amazing things. This is how our rout went: (Now is a good time to have my picture page ready for visual aids.)

Across the Hungerford Bridge we accidentally wandered through Charing Cross Station.
Outside of Charing Cross station we accidentally wind up in Trafalgar Square. (pics!)
From Trafalgar Square we see Big Ben just down the road. (pics!)
On that road we see guards on horseback in front of the Guard Memorial. (pics!)
Walking through the Guard Memorial we end up outside St. James Park.
We follow St. James Park looking at the huge white pelicans and Buckingham Palace is right there peeking through the trees. (pics!)
We decide it’s time to start heading home, turn down a street that will lead back to the Thames and there’s Big Ben… like… right THERE.
We look through the buildings on the block we walked down see Westminster Abbey.
There’s Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. (pics!)
We walk down the shore of the Thames and pass Cleopatra’s Needle, an obelisk from 1500 BC.
We follow the Thames until we get back to where we started, admire the skyline once again but now in sunset and get back to our neighborhood just as it’s getting dark.

Needless to say, Bri and I were just speechless. Later I tell our English guide to apartment hunting about our walk (in fact, he’s the chap who suggested we visit the Thames in the first place) and he said that we unknowingly took probably the best possible walk around the big sites. I don’t know how we managed it. Also, Mom, Rick, let me point out that this entire time it was me choosing the directions and getting us from place to place and back without getting lost. Just sayin’.

The rest of the night included another orientation talk and dinner provided by SU Abroad. It also included me falling asleep on top of the covers facing the wrong way on the hotel bed out of sheer exhaustion. And thus was day, and thus was night and it was good. Next post, apartment hunting.

Day One

Today was quite the day. Actually, it was two days. My Monday and Tuesday ran into each other, despite the attempts of the lovely people on Virgin Atlantic to simulate a night time and a morning time. I jumping the gun, however. The day started in Shaker heights Ohio.

Dad and Emily wished me a good trip and gave me hugs goodbye before they left for school, leaving Mom and I to do crazy last minute things like doing laundry(me) and baking muffins(mom). I ran around the house trying to find things I forgot, and finally we were off. Mom brought me to the airport, helped me check in and hugged me before security.

I had a short flight from Cleveland to JFK and then a long one from JFK to Heathrow London. The shorter one was just fine except for the screaming boy in front of me. However, thanks to my 21 year old cat's constant yowling I find that I've been trained to drown our obnoxious noise. It also helped that the kid was yelling in Turkish. Though I didn't mine the screaming the man next to me did. He was pretty well self contained except for a few agitated jerks and at most a shushing aimed at the boy. The poor man was also obviously afraid of flying, so I'm sure a screaming child didn't help his nerves. The only other notable aspect of the flight was the complimentary drink I had. Apparently they were out of tomato juice except for "spicy tomato juice." I tried a cup and it was delicious, though I can see how many people would disagree. It tasted like if you made Frank's Red Hot Sauce a little bit milder and into a drink. Yum!

The second flight was just looooong. They airline did all it could to make it more enjoyable, and the design of everything even down to the silverware and the safety pamphlets was a treat! I always love bold geometric vibrant and simplistic designs. Virgin airlines had it. That extra effort on the design front is not something that airlines seem to devote too often, but it really made the trip a lot more fun. We also had a plethora of things to do through the TV screen imbedded in the seats in front of us. I watched half a movie and an episode of a TV show, but for most of the flight I attempted to get comfortable and sleep. I wasn't very successful in either endeavor.

The most frustrating part about the trip, other than the failed sleep attempts, were the waits. This group flight served probably about 200 Syracuse students in one go. It was ridiculous. Lines wrapped around themselves and lasted forever. I was lucky enough to find my friend Brianna and her two lovely parents who helped me lug my luggage around. I don't know what I would have done without them. We had to wait to get on the plane, wait to get off, wait to be admitted to the UK, wait for our luggage, wait for our buses, wait to sign in at the hotel and wait for our suitcases to arrive. Oh well.

Brianna and I were absolutely exhausted when we got to the hotel, but we were advised not to sleep. After sending enough hints on the internet that we were still alive and well we decided to pass time by checking out an open house at the Syracuse University hub in London called the Faraday house. Mom, Rick, you would not believe it. Before leaving I looked at the map, and then left it in the room to see if I could get there myself. Since we had all afternoon I figurted if we got too lost we'd retrace out steps back to the hotel and start again. Not neccesary. We did not make a single wrong turn. It was maazin stepping outside of the hotel and seeing LONDON! The buildings are more quaint, the taxis are black and the cars are definitely different. Apparently the gas prices here are roughly $8.00 a gallon, so the cars have to be different. That plus the congestion fee one has to pay to drive around London makes the drivers pretty grumpy. I don't think I'll be crossing streets without a buddy for a while. Even when being careful I've had Brianna pull me back off the street a couple times while a car races around the corner.

We got to the Faraday house to find doughnuts, coffee and English people waiting for us. For this first week, SU abroad actually employs young Brits to talk to us and to help us out with the transition. Unfortunately Bri was too tired to speak much and eventually even I ran out of conversation. We thought we had killed a bunch of time, but it was still only 1:30 in the afternoon. As a last effort I asked one of the young gentlemen to suggest something around here for us to walk to. His answer led to the most memorable first day in London we could ask for. Apparently the Thames was only a 15-20 min walk away.

More in the next post. I'm gonna make a picasa page first. We can't have the details of my walk around London without pictures. La'ers!

You Found It!

Huzzah! I have indeed created a blog. Of course, since I haven't actually left for London yet, I don't have much to say about my fabulous London experience... yet. So, right now, add this link to your favorites and make sure to check up on me from time to time. I'll also be creating a page for pictures so keep your eyes peeled for that. I leave for London this monday (the 12th), and I have a lot to do before that. I hope everybody is well and that you enjoyed your holidays. Cheerio!