Sorry I forgot to update yesterday.
7 Oct -- In any case, I'm updating now. So, yesterday I went shopping along Lower Marsh with the goal to check out the Book Warehouse at the corner and buy a bunch of groceries. I walked into Iceland first to see what it was like and I fell in love because things were really, really cheap. I debating buying some things right then and there, but then I decided that I'll overload myself and I still have to check out the book store. So I put everything away and left. Book Warehouse displays the latest books for cheaper prices than they actually sell for. There were several books I wanted to get, however, they happened to be in the middle or end of a series. Which is unfortunate, so I'll have to look for the rest of the series that goes along with Green Mars. I did manage to find one book that's the first in the series. The book is entitled Wingless Boy by Jay Amory and it's really the first two novels in the series wrapped into one giant book. Heaven!!
Then I returned to Iceland for some real grocery shopping. And I gave my arms a workout coming home. Note to self: be the like the guy ahead of me and bring the giant backpack for which to carry half the stuff. I think I rearranged a few things coming home so I could have more evenly distributed weight. I'll learn to do this first one of these days.
I got home and I read from my new book during lunch, which was a sandwich, some Pringles, and an apple. Then I think I went over the slides for my Linguistics lecture later. When that was over, I decided to take the bus to class instead of the tube. I like the buses more because people are more friendly and you get to look at the scenery. Seriously, all the buses I take go straight through the tourist zones. I should bring my camera next time.
Class was less boring last week because I didn't print out the lecture slides so I wrote them all in my notebook. I felt it was more productive than just glancing at the slides already printed out and taking extra notes, which I also do when writing them down. During the first break, the girl next to me started handing out candy to everyone in her immediate area. It was good candy too -- some hazelnut thing covered in chocolate. She said it came from a German shop, so I assume it's a German candy.
Bus back home where I met up with Oscar to make dinner together. He had the pesto sauce, I had the pasta. We also had salad and the grapes I bought earlier. There's still some left for my own snackage. Will have to buy more soon. Alice and Vanessa were making stir fry at the same time, so the four of us at together in the kitchen. It was really nice have that sort of commeroderie in the seventh floor kitchen. I usually see it on other floors (like the first floor which is really the only floor I visit if I have to visit a floor). Followed Oscar back to his room after cleaning up. Marianne on the first floor had some friends over so she prepared a salmon dinner with cheesecake for dessert. I commented that it sounded really fancy. I like Marianne. If I had previously said she was from Denmark, I was mistaken. She's really from Norway.
She returned Oscar's key to him because one of her friends took his key instead of her key in the kitchen. I had my computer open, she asked what I was doing, I said I was writing a story. So now I might just write her a story based on a Norwegian fairy tale. That sounds like fun, actually.
Hung out with Oscar's room doing miscellanae activities. Researched prices for theater shows, surfed around Facebook, added Alice as a friend, hunted down the soundtrack to Love Never Dies. Etc etc. Went to bed around midnight.
Woke up and it's really foggy outside. Sounds like a cool bus trip!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
You know, it wasn't very Exciting, but I still feel accomplished
Last night, after I blogged, I got a package from my mother. I opened it in the common room where people were socializing before going to the club called The Ministry of Sound. (Tuesday is student night and you get in with only 5 quid. But I had to work and do some other stuff so I didn't go this time. Next time, though. I'm willing to go next time.) People were confused at Bucky Badger because the concept of a school mascot alludes them. They don't have school mascots in Europe. I also got some candy corn and chocolate covered, peanut butter eyeballs (for Halloween). There was also a small jack-o-lantern candle, Dramamine, and Fruit Breezers. Also a card.
So we sat in the common room and drank. A couple girls got fairly wasted even though they had earlier stated that they didn't feel like going out. One of these was Swedish but she must have learned English in the States because her accent is more American. So people thought she was American, but I knew she was European because she didn't act American. And Kieron and I were in the same boat because we weren't really active in any conversation that lasted more than fifteen minutes, and there were breaks between conversations for us. We had a few on our own, and then other peopled joined in, but for the most part, we would sit in silence and listen. My kind of person. (Kieron is from Ireland, by the way. The midlands, in case you were wondering.)
Went to bed, woke up, went to work. Arrived at work fifteen minutes early, then started calculating how long it took to get to work so that I don't have to sit and wait in the rain again. Didn't really finish because Tom came on his bike and opened shop. So then I worked. Once again, I was researching material for a book. In the afternoon, Marianne and I went over the paperwork for the University and some paperwork for the company. Then I made my research all pretty because I was at a stand-still over what I could possibly research next on the subject. One of Duncan's assistants came over and introduced herself and wanted me to copy some text from a book. So I started that but didn't finish before I had to leave. I did get to a stopping point before I left, though.
Took the bus home. A random guy had a tee shirt with a piece of cheese on it that had the captaion "I'm too mature for you". It made me giggle. Because cheese matures and, really, it was a really dorky shirt. Also on the bus ride, our bus was stopped beside another bus by Waterloo station. I had a pretty clear view of the fuel tank which prominently displayed instructions on how to release the fuel cap, but there was also a button. And the only significance of this button is the fact that it had a giant arrow pointing straight at it with the words "PUSH" in big letters.
I so wanted to push it.
For dinner, I finished off one box of burger patties and the bread. I went to see if Oscar was in his room, but he wasn't. He hasn't texted me back yet, but I'm sure that when he does, he's going to say how he's a horrible person. To which I will say "Yes, you are; let's do something tomorrow night." And maybe say "you owe me" because he didn't text me back right away. Mwahaha.
Tomorrow, I shall go grocery shopping, finish my Linguistics homework, and then go to class. If there's time, I'll get a second opinion on my watch because when the battery starts to die, I figured the time would just slowly stop working. But we'll see what this second person says.
Other things that happened today:
- Talked with Marianne about maybe splitting up a couple Fridays throughout my stay so that I can get out and travel. She said it wasn't her department, but she'll talk with Duncan about it. I hear back on Friday.
- Talked with Devon about possible dates of going to Edinburgh. I told her my situation and asked when she would like to go, she said she'd rather wait for me to hear back. I said she was more rational about it and thank your for being so.
- Talked with both Dan and Teagan from home. Both commented about the prominent new member at Working Title who has quite a big ego, is a pretty good writer, but is still a bit narrow-minded about the subject. On one of the first meetings, his piece was being critiqued and even though he was in the Cone of Silence, which requires the author to be Silent, he still kept defending his piece. And Dan and Jessica were quite annoyed at him. The other two members of their group were new, so I couldn't tell you what they thought. Skip to later, Teagan admitted to photocopying with him and he asked why she wrote fantasy in a sort of condescending tone. This worries me. We have a narrow-minded twat in WT. Having someone who dominates the critique circle in a negative attitude discourages new members to submit stories. The point of Working Title is for those new members to improve their writing by submitting stories. He's fairly counter-productive to the cause, but as far as I know, he's unaware of it. Meanwhile, David the Working Title Coordinator will have a chat with this kid before the next meeting. I hope it goes well.
And that's my day. See you all tomorrow!
So we sat in the common room and drank. A couple girls got fairly wasted even though they had earlier stated that they didn't feel like going out. One of these was Swedish but she must have learned English in the States because her accent is more American. So people thought she was American, but I knew she was European because she didn't act American. And Kieron and I were in the same boat because we weren't really active in any conversation that lasted more than fifteen minutes, and there were breaks between conversations for us. We had a few on our own, and then other peopled joined in, but for the most part, we would sit in silence and listen. My kind of person. (Kieron is from Ireland, by the way. The midlands, in case you were wondering.)
Went to bed, woke up, went to work. Arrived at work fifteen minutes early, then started calculating how long it took to get to work so that I don't have to sit and wait in the rain again. Didn't really finish because Tom came on his bike and opened shop. So then I worked. Once again, I was researching material for a book. In the afternoon, Marianne and I went over the paperwork for the University and some paperwork for the company. Then I made my research all pretty because I was at a stand-still over what I could possibly research next on the subject. One of Duncan's assistants came over and introduced herself and wanted me to copy some text from a book. So I started that but didn't finish before I had to leave. I did get to a stopping point before I left, though.
Took the bus home. A random guy had a tee shirt with a piece of cheese on it that had the captaion "I'm too mature for you". It made me giggle. Because cheese matures and, really, it was a really dorky shirt. Also on the bus ride, our bus was stopped beside another bus by Waterloo station. I had a pretty clear view of the fuel tank which prominently displayed instructions on how to release the fuel cap, but there was also a button. And the only significance of this button is the fact that it had a giant arrow pointing straight at it with the words "PUSH" in big letters.
I so wanted to push it.
For dinner, I finished off one box of burger patties and the bread. I went to see if Oscar was in his room, but he wasn't. He hasn't texted me back yet, but I'm sure that when he does, he's going to say how he's a horrible person. To which I will say "Yes, you are; let's do something tomorrow night." And maybe say "you owe me" because he didn't text me back right away. Mwahaha.
Tomorrow, I shall go grocery shopping, finish my Linguistics homework, and then go to class. If there's time, I'll get a second opinion on my watch because when the battery starts to die, I figured the time would just slowly stop working. But we'll see what this second person says.
Other things that happened today:
- Talked with Marianne about maybe splitting up a couple Fridays throughout my stay so that I can get out and travel. She said it wasn't her department, but she'll talk with Duncan about it. I hear back on Friday.
- Talked with Devon about possible dates of going to Edinburgh. I told her my situation and asked when she would like to go, she said she'd rather wait for me to hear back. I said she was more rational about it and thank your for being so.
- Talked with both Dan and Teagan from home. Both commented about the prominent new member at Working Title who has quite a big ego, is a pretty good writer, but is still a bit narrow-minded about the subject. On one of the first meetings, his piece was being critiqued and even though he was in the Cone of Silence, which requires the author to be Silent, he still kept defending his piece. And Dan and Jessica were quite annoyed at him. The other two members of their group were new, so I couldn't tell you what they thought. Skip to later, Teagan admitted to photocopying with him and he asked why she wrote fantasy in a sort of condescending tone. This worries me. We have a narrow-minded twat in WT. Having someone who dominates the critique circle in a negative attitude discourages new members to submit stories. The point of Working Title is for those new members to improve their writing by submitting stories. He's fairly counter-productive to the cause, but as far as I know, he's unaware of it. Meanwhile, David the Working Title Coordinator will have a chat with this kid before the next meeting. I hope it goes well.
And that's my day. See you all tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
One Freak-Out After Another
Last night, I went to bed late. This morning, at the ridiculous hour of 4am, a couple of girls LOUDLY knocked on Chris's door and shouted stuff to him through the door. I stirred enough to check the time on my mobile before mentally yelling at them and falling back asleep. Five minutes later, the fire alarm went off. I sprung upright and waited to see what would happen. The alarm discontinued after maybe a minute or two, and I still waited to see if other people were moving. Since I heard no movement, I decided to go back to bed.
Also this morning, I made it to Creative Writing on time but didn't realize that I had to actually do the assignments for the class. This lack of actual homework thing got to my head and I had slacked off all last week. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who did so, and that was all right for now.
Then I went to the Polytechnik, which is the Regent campus library, and asked if they had any books for people who wanted to read for fun. The librarian said that they don't have any of those books -- they only stock books for literature courses, but they're located in the basement in the 800 section if I wanted to have a look. So I did and got a book I needed for a class, which is only a week loan but I can read what I need by then. I'll just get it again next week. It's cheaper that way.
Stopped for lunch at a fun little sandwich place in the corner. The guy making my sandwich kept asking me if I wanted mayonnaise to which I always replied "No." One of his workers made fun of him for it. Sandwich and apple in tow, I went to the library (events are switched around) and then I went to a small shop to get my watch battery replaced.
To which the guy working said that it's not the battery, it's the mechanism, because if it were the battery, it wouldn't be ticking. Ugh. I have half a mind to just give up and buy a new, cheap watch. But I so love this watch. I guess I'll get a new one. Grr.
Took the bus to my next class, which was fine a boring. This class was the Internship Toolkit class. The professor is pretty cool, I like her spark, but the material isn't interesting at all. The class is designed to help the students with their employability, to which the majority of the class already knows how to do that because we learned by ourselves in the States to get former internships, jobs, etc. So close to the end of the class, one girl raises her hand and asks the point of the class. Xanthy tried to defend the class and what it's about, and there were a few students that pointed out the cultural differences between the UK and the USA about the education system and how it helps you with your job opportunities. But it was mostly an attack on the class in general to which Xanthy was powerless but the rest of the class -- the group that wouldn't speak up against it because it's just something we've accepted -- was interested and considerably less sleepy.
That group came to the conclusion that if you don't like the class, you don't have to go. Xanthy laid out no guidelines as to whether you can miss a class or not. The only thing we're graded on is the final assessment that's due in January. For all we know, you totally can miss all the classes leading up to it. You'll miss out on what Xanthy has to say and all that, but to the group fighting the class, it just might be beneficial.
Personally, I'm surprised so many people are willing to judge the class. Since I had no expectations on it, I was just going to sit in until I do finally formulate an opinion and see if the information is actually relevant and useful to my life and employment prospects.
Took the bus home. It's nice taking the bus because then I get a sense of where everything is. For instance, I now know exactly where The Phantom of the Opera is playing.
Getting home, I went to deal with something that's been bugging me since Monday. You see, I attempted to top up my Oyster card via my debit card through the top-up machines in the station. However, the machine said the transaction didn't go through. I try again for the same amount, and still nothing. When I went to check my back account, the bank recognized the transaction. So now I have about 80 pounds floating in limbo and I want it back, but I don't know who to talk to so I can get it back. First stop is the bank, and if that doesn't work, I'll be calling the London Underground services. Wish me luck!
That's my current freak out of the day.
[EDIT]
Just got off the line with Customer Care for my bank. Since the transaction didn't go through on the Transport for London end, then the transactions won't go through and the funds will return to my account. They're held for two business days, which means that the money should return to my account later this evening.
One freak-out diverted. Now all I gotta do is buy a watch.
Also this morning, I made it to Creative Writing on time but didn't realize that I had to actually do the assignments for the class. This lack of actual homework thing got to my head and I had slacked off all last week. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who did so, and that was all right for now.
Then I went to the Polytechnik, which is the Regent campus library, and asked if they had any books for people who wanted to read for fun. The librarian said that they don't have any of those books -- they only stock books for literature courses, but they're located in the basement in the 800 section if I wanted to have a look. So I did and got a book I needed for a class, which is only a week loan but I can read what I need by then. I'll just get it again next week. It's cheaper that way.
Stopped for lunch at a fun little sandwich place in the corner. The guy making my sandwich kept asking me if I wanted mayonnaise to which I always replied "No." One of his workers made fun of him for it. Sandwich and apple in tow, I went to the library (events are switched around) and then I went to a small shop to get my watch battery replaced.
To which the guy working said that it's not the battery, it's the mechanism, because if it were the battery, it wouldn't be ticking. Ugh. I have half a mind to just give up and buy a new, cheap watch. But I so love this watch. I guess I'll get a new one. Grr.
Took the bus to my next class, which was fine a boring. This class was the Internship Toolkit class. The professor is pretty cool, I like her spark, but the material isn't interesting at all. The class is designed to help the students with their employability, to which the majority of the class already knows how to do that because we learned by ourselves in the States to get former internships, jobs, etc. So close to the end of the class, one girl raises her hand and asks the point of the class. Xanthy tried to defend the class and what it's about, and there were a few students that pointed out the cultural differences between the UK and the USA about the education system and how it helps you with your job opportunities. But it was mostly an attack on the class in general to which Xanthy was powerless but the rest of the class -- the group that wouldn't speak up against it because it's just something we've accepted -- was interested and considerably less sleepy.
That group came to the conclusion that if you don't like the class, you don't have to go. Xanthy laid out no guidelines as to whether you can miss a class or not. The only thing we're graded on is the final assessment that's due in January. For all we know, you totally can miss all the classes leading up to it. You'll miss out on what Xanthy has to say and all that, but to the group fighting the class, it just might be beneficial.
Personally, I'm surprised so many people are willing to judge the class. Since I had no expectations on it, I was just going to sit in until I do finally formulate an opinion and see if the information is actually relevant and useful to my life and employment prospects.
Took the bus home. It's nice taking the bus because then I get a sense of where everything is. For instance, I now know exactly where The Phantom of the Opera is playing.
Getting home, I went to deal with something that's been bugging me since Monday. You see, I attempted to top up my Oyster card via my debit card through the top-up machines in the station. However, the machine said the transaction didn't go through. I try again for the same amount, and still nothing. When I went to check my back account, the bank recognized the transaction. So now I have about 80 pounds floating in limbo and I want it back, but I don't know who to talk to so I can get it back. First stop is the bank, and if that doesn't work, I'll be calling the London Underground services. Wish me luck!
That's my current freak out of the day.
[EDIT]
Just got off the line with Customer Care for my bank. Since the transaction didn't go through on the Transport for London end, then the transactions won't go through and the funds will return to my account. They're held for two business days, which means that the money should return to my account later this evening.
One freak-out diverted. Now all I gotta do is buy a watch.
Monday, October 4, 2010
LONDON! Seriously!
This morning, as my toast was toasting, I looked out the window to the people on the street and the short buildings across the way. Then I had a silent freak-out moment that I was in London, what was I doing here? Oh yeah, I'm here to study and see the world and experience new stuff and make friends for a lifetime and come back a better person than I was. But even so, I have to be in LONDON to do that! It's crazy! Then my toast finished and life was normal again.
Today, the Underground was on strike. Boo. I initially thought that meant the ENTIRE Underground wasn't working so the buses would be packed. But on the bus to Euston station, I saw quite a few stations that actually WERE open. This made me wonder. . . .
At Euston, I looked at the Overground trains and wondered if I had enough money on my Oyster card to take one. (The stupid Oyster top-up machines won't accept my card because it's American. I have to resolve the fact that I have to withdraw 50 quid just to stick it on my card. Such an inconvenience.) Then I noticed a few people with flyers that said "how to get around London during a Tube strike". Those were my people. I asked a woman if some of the Tube was still running, she asked where I needed to go, and I said I needed to get to Northwick Park station. The Baker Street Station was apparently still open and the Metropolitan line still running past zone 1, so that's what I took.
Good thing too. I've had enough of unfamiliar transport. Lucky for me, I left three hours before class to give me enough time to get to class. Managed to get there at three so that was nice.
In the courtyard, Devon saw me and we started talking. I told her that I needed a travel partner for Edinburgh and she said she would go with me. We'll be adding each other on Facebook and making plans very shortly. I'll be sending her the link to the hostel I want to stay at. It's a cheap hostel and it got good ratings on Hostelworld.com, so I trust it. I don't know how much or how long it'll take to get there by train, but I'll figure that out later.
We talked about characters in movies in class today. It took two hours before we got a break, and we relished in it. We really did. I bought a Mars bar. They're good, Mars bars. Got my chocolate fix because of that. The second part of the class, we talked about Classical Hollywood Narrative. It was interesting, but I still filled a notebook page of doodles.
Oh, I'm still here to study? That's too bad.
Vicky was meeting a bunch of friends after class and neither Devon or Chloe could come out. So I kind of felt bad and went with her. It was a good time. Sam was suuuper excited I was from Wisconsin, from America, like, the States! No joke. He was also fairly drunk. I still laughed at him. Probably the first time I had someone give me that "You're an international student? No way! That's amazing!" look. I know I've given that look before. I had no idea what to say to that, so I just laughed and didn't say anything. What was I supposed to say?
I left about nine (to Vicky's dismay, but I was tired and I had stuff to do before I went to bed. Besides, I have to get up early tomorrow). The tube ride back wasn't bad, but the WALK back was horrible. Since Lambeth North station was closed, I got off at Waterloo since it's closer than the other option, which was Elephant and Castle. Maybe I would have been better off at Elephant and Castle because, yet again, I got turned around walking out of Waterloo station.
There was another silent freak-out moment walking in Waterloo. There were the platforms with all the trains and the sight was so NOT American that I went "I'm in London. Not just any part of London, but Waterloo station! It's so famous, I'm actually familiar with the name Waterloo! I'm in Waterloo station! And it's big and wide and would feel like Heathrow except there aren't any planes. There are TRAINS here!" And then I had to find the exit because I was hungry and wanted to get home.
Mini-pizza and chicken tenders for dinner. The Brits need to be introduced to ranch sauce. How could they live without it?
Called Smoky. Called Mom and Dad (get on Skype more! I prefer video chat). IM'd with Ali. Finished watching Full Metal Alchemist. And now I'm going to bed. Good night.
Today, the Underground was on strike. Boo. I initially thought that meant the ENTIRE Underground wasn't working so the buses would be packed. But on the bus to Euston station, I saw quite a few stations that actually WERE open. This made me wonder. . . .
At Euston, I looked at the Overground trains and wondered if I had enough money on my Oyster card to take one. (The stupid Oyster top-up machines won't accept my card because it's American. I have to resolve the fact that I have to withdraw 50 quid just to stick it on my card. Such an inconvenience.) Then I noticed a few people with flyers that said "how to get around London during a Tube strike". Those were my people. I asked a woman if some of the Tube was still running, she asked where I needed to go, and I said I needed to get to Northwick Park station. The Baker Street Station was apparently still open and the Metropolitan line still running past zone 1, so that's what I took.
Good thing too. I've had enough of unfamiliar transport. Lucky for me, I left three hours before class to give me enough time to get to class. Managed to get there at three so that was nice.
In the courtyard, Devon saw me and we started talking. I told her that I needed a travel partner for Edinburgh and she said she would go with me. We'll be adding each other on Facebook and making plans very shortly. I'll be sending her the link to the hostel I want to stay at. It's a cheap hostel and it got good ratings on Hostelworld.com, so I trust it. I don't know how much or how long it'll take to get there by train, but I'll figure that out later.
We talked about characters in movies in class today. It took two hours before we got a break, and we relished in it. We really did. I bought a Mars bar. They're good, Mars bars. Got my chocolate fix because of that. The second part of the class, we talked about Classical Hollywood Narrative. It was interesting, but I still filled a notebook page of doodles.
Oh, I'm still here to study? That's too bad.
Vicky was meeting a bunch of friends after class and neither Devon or Chloe could come out. So I kind of felt bad and went with her. It was a good time. Sam was suuuper excited I was from Wisconsin, from America, like, the States! No joke. He was also fairly drunk. I still laughed at him. Probably the first time I had someone give me that "You're an international student? No way! That's amazing!" look. I know I've given that look before. I had no idea what to say to that, so I just laughed and didn't say anything. What was I supposed to say?
I left about nine (to Vicky's dismay, but I was tired and I had stuff to do before I went to bed. Besides, I have to get up early tomorrow). The tube ride back wasn't bad, but the WALK back was horrible. Since Lambeth North station was closed, I got off at Waterloo since it's closer than the other option, which was Elephant and Castle. Maybe I would have been better off at Elephant and Castle because, yet again, I got turned around walking out of Waterloo station.
There was another silent freak-out moment walking in Waterloo. There were the platforms with all the trains and the sight was so NOT American that I went "I'm in London. Not just any part of London, but Waterloo station! It's so famous, I'm actually familiar with the name Waterloo! I'm in Waterloo station! And it's big and wide and would feel like Heathrow except there aren't any planes. There are TRAINS here!" And then I had to find the exit because I was hungry and wanted to get home.
Mini-pizza and chicken tenders for dinner. The Brits need to be introduced to ranch sauce. How could they live without it?
Called Smoky. Called Mom and Dad (get on Skype more! I prefer video chat). IM'd with Ali. Finished watching Full Metal Alchemist. And now I'm going to bed. Good night.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
I Walked so Much my Feet Hurt.
Today, I woke up Oscar and we both went to the British Museum. We had lunch when we got there because we were both hungry. It was a grand sandwich that I bought. Delicious, crunchy bread with Swiss cheese and ham and cucumbers and cream cheese. You wouldn't think the cream cheese would taste good, but it does my friends. It does. (Sandwich daydreams) Anyway, our general consensus was that we split up and see the exhibits that we wanted to see and if we wanted to meet up with the other, we'll give them a call or text or whatever. So I spent about three hours of my afternoon wandering around. I saw exhibits about ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, ancient China, Japan (pre-feudal to present), Korea, Africa, a Lifestyles of the World room (which was quite amazing to read about, actually). There's even exhibits all about clocks and money. I thought that was something else. Oh yeah, there was even exhibits about ancient South America and North American Native Americans. So much to see!!
At the shop, I bought a feng shui cat figure to decorate my room and discounted postcards. Ten postcards for one pound at a tourist trap = STEAL! (Except it'll take 7 pounds just to send them all. Ugh)
On the tube ride, there was a tourist with a camera who took a picture of the train as it was coming in. The driver saw the flash of the camera so when everyone was boarded, before the train departed, the driver went on the PA system and said "This is just a note that there is no flash photography in the Underground." It amused me so much I wrote it in my journal right there so I wouldn't forget it.
When Oscar and I met up again in the museum, we went for some food in another cafe place. I reached for a brownie and Oscar whispered "Don't do it; you'll regret it!" To which I gave him permission to say "I told you so" if I ever verbally speak the words "I regret having that brownie." Truth to be told, the brownie didn't taste like American brownies, and I was somewhat disappointed. It was so RICH and DENSE. More like a cake than a brownie. No, 'disappointed' is the wrong word. More like off-putting. I wasn't expecting a cake.
Returning home, I spent some time in Oscar's room while he napped (again). Went out because dinner was going to happen soon and I caught Lynn and Denise waiting for Francie at her door. No one had money to buy Mexican food so everyone was on their own. We ate in the sixth floor instead of the first because Francie wasn't in her room. I fried sausages, mixed them into canned spaghetti sauce, and poured it over noodles. Everyone was somewhat amazed by the end result and I was like "It's just noodles with meat." I didn't really say anything but I did question why they thought it was amazing.
Ryan mentioned wanting to go for a walk later to which I told him to come get me when he wanted to go. I wasn't sure when to expect him and I wasn't sure if he knew where to find me when he left, but I trusted he knew how to figure it out. Oscar has my number.
Talked with Smoky in the common room before I had the urge to do laundry. But I only had a twenty pound note and no one could break it, so I dragged Oscar with me to the little convenience shop around the corner. Why did I drag Oscar? Because it was dark, I was in my PJs, and I didn't feel all that secure walking around town like that. I felt better with a buddy.
Called Sarah then, but she was working, so we chatted on Facebook instead. Then Ryan and Oscar came to get me for a walk, and we left. We saw Parliament from across the Thames and listened to Big Ben chime and talked about human transcendence and how it could be a bad thing and how it could not be a bad thing. I did most of the listening. Walked across Westminster Bridge and I stopped at the foot of Big Ben to see if it'll dawn on me that I'm in London and maybe I should start freaking out about now. That's when we encountered a drunk Swedish guy looking for his camera. He was friendly. Spent three weeks in Italy visiting his aunt and then a week in London and then he lost his camera and now all those pictures are gone because the memory card was in the camera too. Poor bloke. His hostel was all the way by King's Cross. I hope he found his way home safely even if it is camera-less.
On the other side of Parliament, there's a block covered with tents and signs protesting the war in Afghanistan. Ryan stopped and started talking with the security guard at the Parliament gate. There's apparently a guy who was living in a protesting tent for nine years. NINE YEARS. Another one was there for about four or five. The guard didn't mind the protesting, but he doesn't think they should live there. There's an entire block of grass now closed off because the tents were originally on the grass, but now it's all contaminated with human waste. So some unlucky workers have to go in there and remove two feet of dirt and grass to replace it with something new and fresh and clean. Ew. He was a friendly enough guard.
Moving on, we came full circle in conversation and walk. When we got back, I switched out my laundry and took a peak at my camera battery charger. The voltage reading on the charger matched that on my computer, which means I can totally charge it without a giant wattage adapter. *face palm* I could have gotten such pretty pictures of Parliament and Big Ben at night!! No!!
Today was such a good day, I'd almost say it makes up for not doing anything yesterday. I don't feel guilty anymore.
While on the walk, I gave myself a good slap in the face. My thoughts afterward were "Did that hurt? Yep. Still stings. I'm in London. Sweet." Conclusion: I'm not freaking out I'm in London.
I think I should be! I eat dinner with a girl from Luxembourg. There's a guy on the first floor from the Irish midlands (love love LOVE his accent!). Emmanuele on my floor is from MILAN. Vitta on the ninth floor is from Lithuania. I'm suddenly considered an international student, and I'm very very chill about all this.
I think I grew up a little.
By the way, last night I was talking with Elysia on the sixth floor. I told her I'm from Wisconsin in the States and she said that she wouldn't have pegged me for American. So what makes an American different from any other country? Are we supposed to be obnoxious? Because I think that's the stereotype.
Furthermore, I finally got the present my friends on Emerald Street sent me:
I love it! A big thank you to Sarah, Sienko, and Cory for getting this for me. And another thank you to Lynn, whoever you are, because you made the pillow and sent me birthday wishes too.
Expect another long post tomorrow because the Underground is on strike and it's going to be a hell of an adventure getting to Harrow on a bus. Until then, [insert corny catchphrase here].
At the shop, I bought a feng shui cat figure to decorate my room and discounted postcards. Ten postcards for one pound at a tourist trap = STEAL! (Except it'll take 7 pounds just to send them all. Ugh)
On the tube ride, there was a tourist with a camera who took a picture of the train as it was coming in. The driver saw the flash of the camera so when everyone was boarded, before the train departed, the driver went on the PA system and said "This is just a note that there is no flash photography in the Underground." It amused me so much I wrote it in my journal right there so I wouldn't forget it.
When Oscar and I met up again in the museum, we went for some food in another cafe place. I reached for a brownie and Oscar whispered "Don't do it; you'll regret it!" To which I gave him permission to say "I told you so" if I ever verbally speak the words "I regret having that brownie." Truth to be told, the brownie didn't taste like American brownies, and I was somewhat disappointed. It was so RICH and DENSE. More like a cake than a brownie. No, 'disappointed' is the wrong word. More like off-putting. I wasn't expecting a cake.
Returning home, I spent some time in Oscar's room while he napped (again). Went out because dinner was going to happen soon and I caught Lynn and Denise waiting for Francie at her door. No one had money to buy Mexican food so everyone was on their own. We ate in the sixth floor instead of the first because Francie wasn't in her room. I fried sausages, mixed them into canned spaghetti sauce, and poured it over noodles. Everyone was somewhat amazed by the end result and I was like "It's just noodles with meat." I didn't really say anything but I did question why they thought it was amazing.
Ryan mentioned wanting to go for a walk later to which I told him to come get me when he wanted to go. I wasn't sure when to expect him and I wasn't sure if he knew where to find me when he left, but I trusted he knew how to figure it out. Oscar has my number.
Talked with Smoky in the common room before I had the urge to do laundry. But I only had a twenty pound note and no one could break it, so I dragged Oscar with me to the little convenience shop around the corner. Why did I drag Oscar? Because it was dark, I was in my PJs, and I didn't feel all that secure walking around town like that. I felt better with a buddy.
Called Sarah then, but she was working, so we chatted on Facebook instead. Then Ryan and Oscar came to get me for a walk, and we left. We saw Parliament from across the Thames and listened to Big Ben chime and talked about human transcendence and how it could be a bad thing and how it could not be a bad thing. I did most of the listening. Walked across Westminster Bridge and I stopped at the foot of Big Ben to see if it'll dawn on me that I'm in London and maybe I should start freaking out about now. That's when we encountered a drunk Swedish guy looking for his camera. He was friendly. Spent three weeks in Italy visiting his aunt and then a week in London and then he lost his camera and now all those pictures are gone because the memory card was in the camera too. Poor bloke. His hostel was all the way by King's Cross. I hope he found his way home safely even if it is camera-less.
On the other side of Parliament, there's a block covered with tents and signs protesting the war in Afghanistan. Ryan stopped and started talking with the security guard at the Parliament gate. There's apparently a guy who was living in a protesting tent for nine years. NINE YEARS. Another one was there for about four or five. The guard didn't mind the protesting, but he doesn't think they should live there. There's an entire block of grass now closed off because the tents were originally on the grass, but now it's all contaminated with human waste. So some unlucky workers have to go in there and remove two feet of dirt and grass to replace it with something new and fresh and clean. Ew. He was a friendly enough guard.
Moving on, we came full circle in conversation and walk. When we got back, I switched out my laundry and took a peak at my camera battery charger. The voltage reading on the charger matched that on my computer, which means I can totally charge it without a giant wattage adapter. *face palm* I could have gotten such pretty pictures of Parliament and Big Ben at night!! No!!
Today was such a good day, I'd almost say it makes up for not doing anything yesterday. I don't feel guilty anymore.
While on the walk, I gave myself a good slap in the face. My thoughts afterward were "Did that hurt? Yep. Still stings. I'm in London. Sweet." Conclusion: I'm not freaking out I'm in London.
I think I should be! I eat dinner with a girl from Luxembourg. There's a guy on the first floor from the Irish midlands (love love LOVE his accent!). Emmanuele on my floor is from MILAN. Vitta on the ninth floor is from Lithuania. I'm suddenly considered an international student, and I'm very very chill about all this.
I think I grew up a little.
By the way, last night I was talking with Elysia on the sixth floor. I told her I'm from Wisconsin in the States and she said that she wouldn't have pegged me for American. So what makes an American different from any other country? Are we supposed to be obnoxious? Because I think that's the stereotype.
Furthermore, I finally got the present my friends on Emerald Street sent me:
Expect another long post tomorrow because the Underground is on strike and it's going to be a hell of an adventure getting to Harrow on a bus. Until then, [insert corny catchphrase here].
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Lazy Saturday
Today, I watched thirty episodes of Full Metal Alchemist. Seriously.
Oh yeah, I also visited Oscar, but he did nothing but nap, hence the Full Metal Alchemist. But watching it with someone was better than watching it without someone, so I watched it even though Oscar was sleeping. He was out like a light though.
There was a time where I went to get chocolate covered biscuits and I tried to give one to him as he was falling asleep. He didn't react to it, so I put it on his cheek thinking he'll notice something is on his face. Nope. Fifteen minutes later, he stirs and brushes his hair aside and finds a giant mess of chocolate that got all over his cheek and hair. I thought it was funny, but he complained about getting chocolate in his hair.
Around 21:00, we saw some people. Joe and another person I didn't know stepped in, saw I was watching anime, and decided to watch a scene or two. We laughed at the ridiculousness of the scene before they left. Then we met with some other people in the common room and just sat around for an hour and a half or more. Most of the people were going out to a dance club, but a few of us weren't. We were just there to socialize. And socialize we did until they left for the club. It was fun.
So yeah. A little bit of socializing and a whole lot of Full Metal Alchemist. Just another lazy Saturday where I didn't get lost and I actually saw people I knew. It's a nice change.
Oh yeah, I also visited Oscar, but he did nothing but nap, hence the Full Metal Alchemist. But watching it with someone was better than watching it without someone, so I watched it even though Oscar was sleeping. He was out like a light though.
There was a time where I went to get chocolate covered biscuits and I tried to give one to him as he was falling asleep. He didn't react to it, so I put it on his cheek thinking he'll notice something is on his face. Nope. Fifteen minutes later, he stirs and brushes his hair aside and finds a giant mess of chocolate that got all over his cheek and hair. I thought it was funny, but he complained about getting chocolate in his hair.
Around 21:00, we saw some people. Joe and another person I didn't know stepped in, saw I was watching anime, and decided to watch a scene or two. We laughed at the ridiculousness of the scene before they left. Then we met with some other people in the common room and just sat around for an hour and a half or more. Most of the people were going out to a dance club, but a few of us weren't. We were just there to socialize. And socialize we did until they left for the club. It was fun.
So yeah. A little bit of socializing and a whole lot of Full Metal Alchemist. Just another lazy Saturday where I didn't get lost and I actually saw people I knew. It's a nice change.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Delicious foods: Kababs and Curry
First day at Blackdog Publishing today. It seems that getting lost before everything First is a trend this week. Got lost on my way to class in Harrow. Got REALLY lost to Creative Writing. Didn't really get lost to Internship Toolkit or Linguistics, but while your luck is looking up, we're going to put you on the wrong tube train. Hell, why not? So instead of going EAST on the Metropolitan line, I ended up going WEST. Thus, I was twenty minutes late to my internship.
But when I say that no one seemed to mind, they really didn't seem to mind. No one approached me about why I was late or bothered to do anything about it. Marianne greeted me at the door and said, "You're supposed to sign in before your shift, sign out and back in for lunch, and then sign out at the end of the day. Here, let me show you to your computer. This is the tea room, you get your hot drinks here." And so forth. She introduced me to the editorial department which consists of two people. No joke. Molly was already there and working. They had me working on the same thing as she was: researching flags.
Which is such a general thing to say, but I managed to fill about six notebooks pages of research notes and websites by the end of the day. Or was it eight pages? I can't rightfully remember. There was a lot of Google involved.
Also, I can access Facebook and my personal email account at work. I think they'll be using my personal email to email me. Tom of the editorial team sent me a tester email which I replied to just to say "This is my address. Add me to your contacts." And I admit I was on Facebook for a little bit, but I got off because I was busy researching flag designs. Also, my mother was on at the same time.
Molly and I went to lunch at a kebab place. I tried a kabab and decided that I didn't like chili sauce as much because the spices burned my mouth. I'll stick with the garlic sauce instead. Anyway, finishing a meal must be a thing over here because I only managed to eat half of it (it was pretty big, by the way). So when I went to pay the man asked if there was something wrong with it, and I said "No. No, it was really good. I'm just full." This wasn't the first time someone questioned why I didn't finish a meal either. I was having a bagel sandwich with Vanessa during my first week when my appetite was MIA and she asked why I only ate half my sandwich. Does the sandwich not taste good? And I said, "No, the sandwich is fine. I'm just full because I don't have an appetite." So I guess you're supposed to eat everything on your plate over here.
Afternoon sort of dragged, which it's wont to do in an office setting. But around five Libby pulled out a birthday cake because it was a graphic designer's birthday today. It was good cake too. Really moist and chocolately. But the company was going to the pub afterwards and Molly and I were also invited. Both declined. It was raining really hard all day and both of us just wanted to get home, which is somewhat of a lame excuse for a new person at work. But honestly, I feel like I didn't get to know anybody else besides Marianne during the day. No one made the effort to talk to either Molly or me. At least not yet. Wednesday might probably be different.
Throughout the day, Molly and I kept glancing at each other just to see what the other was up to. It's one of those security things you do, you know? Where you're not entirely sure you should be doing what you're doing so you check to see if the other person in your same boat is doing the same thing. And whatever they're doing, whether it's wrong or right or neither, is the thing you'll feel more comfortable doing. Even if you get in trouble, you'll get in trouble together, and that's better than getting in trouble alone.
When I did get home, I immediately changed into sweats. Then I wandered downstairs to see what Oscar was doing and I apparently woke him up from sleeping all day. Fridays are his day off so he stayed up all night Tuesday. While I was waiting for him to dress, Lynn came down with some food and I followed her into Francie's room. Francie's friend Ryan is visiting for a few days from Syria so he's sleeping on an air mattress in her room. We hung out for a bit before heading into the kitchen to make dinner.
And it was some of the best curry I've ever had. Denise learned how to make curry from scratch while staying in a hostel in a place I can't remember the name of, so she oversaw the making of that. I chopped vegetables and helped clean up. Between that, I enjoyed delicious, delicious curry. So gooood!.
And I hung around the first floor kitchen until eleven/midnight-ish. That's when I retreated into my room, called Jessica and talked with her until two in the morning over here. Left a message on home's answering machine just to say I'm alright and that's the end of my day.
But when I say that no one seemed to mind, they really didn't seem to mind. No one approached me about why I was late or bothered to do anything about it. Marianne greeted me at the door and said, "You're supposed to sign in before your shift, sign out and back in for lunch, and then sign out at the end of the day. Here, let me show you to your computer. This is the tea room, you get your hot drinks here." And so forth. She introduced me to the editorial department which consists of two people. No joke. Molly was already there and working. They had me working on the same thing as she was: researching flags.
Which is such a general thing to say, but I managed to fill about six notebooks pages of research notes and websites by the end of the day. Or was it eight pages? I can't rightfully remember. There was a lot of Google involved.
Also, I can access Facebook and my personal email account at work. I think they'll be using my personal email to email me. Tom of the editorial team sent me a tester email which I replied to just to say "This is my address. Add me to your contacts." And I admit I was on Facebook for a little bit, but I got off because I was busy researching flag designs. Also, my mother was on at the same time.
Molly and I went to lunch at a kebab place. I tried a kabab and decided that I didn't like chili sauce as much because the spices burned my mouth. I'll stick with the garlic sauce instead. Anyway, finishing a meal must be a thing over here because I only managed to eat half of it (it was pretty big, by the way). So when I went to pay the man asked if there was something wrong with it, and I said "No. No, it was really good. I'm just full." This wasn't the first time someone questioned why I didn't finish a meal either. I was having a bagel sandwich with Vanessa during my first week when my appetite was MIA and she asked why I only ate half my sandwich. Does the sandwich not taste good? And I said, "No, the sandwich is fine. I'm just full because I don't have an appetite." So I guess you're supposed to eat everything on your plate over here.
Afternoon sort of dragged, which it's wont to do in an office setting. But around five Libby pulled out a birthday cake because it was a graphic designer's birthday today. It was good cake too. Really moist and chocolately. But the company was going to the pub afterwards and Molly and I were also invited. Both declined. It was raining really hard all day and both of us just wanted to get home, which is somewhat of a lame excuse for a new person at work. But honestly, I feel like I didn't get to know anybody else besides Marianne during the day. No one made the effort to talk to either Molly or me. At least not yet. Wednesday might probably be different.
Throughout the day, Molly and I kept glancing at each other just to see what the other was up to. It's one of those security things you do, you know? Where you're not entirely sure you should be doing what you're doing so you check to see if the other person in your same boat is doing the same thing. And whatever they're doing, whether it's wrong or right or neither, is the thing you'll feel more comfortable doing. Even if you get in trouble, you'll get in trouble together, and that's better than getting in trouble alone.
When I did get home, I immediately changed into sweats. Then I wandered downstairs to see what Oscar was doing and I apparently woke him up from sleeping all day. Fridays are his day off so he stayed up all night Tuesday. While I was waiting for him to dress, Lynn came down with some food and I followed her into Francie's room. Francie's friend Ryan is visiting for a few days from Syria so he's sleeping on an air mattress in her room. We hung out for a bit before heading into the kitchen to make dinner.
And it was some of the best curry I've ever had. Denise learned how to make curry from scratch while staying in a hostel in a place I can't remember the name of, so she oversaw the making of that. I chopped vegetables and helped clean up. Between that, I enjoyed delicious, delicious curry. So gooood!.
And I hung around the first floor kitchen until eleven/midnight-ish. That's when I retreated into my room, called Jessica and talked with her until two in the morning over here. Left a message on home's answering machine just to say I'm alright and that's the end of my day.
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