Contrary to what Glenn Danzig sings about I do want to be in the London Dungeon. Its seems really interesting. But his circumstances and mine were probably incredibly different, not least of which; I'm not in a rockin' punk band.
Remember how there's a weekly test of the fire alarm? Yeah I didn't either. Yikes. That's certainly one way to get my blood pumping.
The last few days have been good, despite the rapid removal of sunshine and clouds rolling in. On Wednesday I had Architexts and realized how much I'm really going to like that class. The instructor is awesome. She's funny and just a no nonsense, real talk person, which I appreciate thoroughly.
After class I went to the Senate House Library (close to the British Museum) with my friends Jess, Alex, and Stevie to get library cards. Apparently Queen Mary's library leaves a little something to be desired. We got to the library and marveled at the beauty of the building. After getting our cards, and not having to take silly id photos (like we thought would be the case), sat down at the café and talked and laughed for a few hours. We decided that each Monday will be 'Movie Monday' and there will also be Tourist Thursdays where we go places that real British people would go whether touristy or not.
As we were leaving we saw a sign that said 'King's Cross Station 1/2 mile'. Everyone supported my touristy inclinations and love of Harry Potter need to go there. I stood close to platforms 9 and 10 and was not transported to a magical world, but it felt good and geeky to be there nonetheless. The station is partially under construction so everything looked roughly how I imagined it would plus scaffolding and large tarps.
After this Jess and I went on a Jack the Ripper walk led by Andrew O'Neill. He's a stand-up comic who apparently did a set about Winston Churchill being Jack the Ripper. In researching the show he realized how fascinating the whole caper of those murders is and eventually turned his interest into an informative & funny walk around east London. We went to each of the sites of the murders (about two thirds of the way through stopped to have a drink at the pub). When the tour was over Andrew, Jess, some other guy (? didn't really get his name), and I went to another pub and had a chat. I really didn't expect that that would happen. It was really enjoyable, although 'other guy' didn't seem to have any interest in speaking with Jess or I. But what can you do? There are a ton of Ripper walks and although this is the only one I've been on, I would heartily recommend it. It only cost £6.
Here's something that I love and then something that is incredibly irritating;
1. I love letters. They're wonderful. They're so personal. They take time and effort and thought to produce. They make me feel more connected to whoever it was that sent them than any facebook message or email could (not that these aren't very appreciated as well!). But, actually receiving the pieces of paper that the sender wrote on makes them seem closer somehow. And it's the same with sending them. I love it. I think I will continue it when I get home.
2. This is stupid and doesn't really need to be addressed, but I'm going to vent about it anyway; our fridge is not at all big enough. First of all, apparently it's the same size as other flats that have one less person than we do. Second, less than half of it is actually devoted to fridge space and the rest is a freezer. The freezer does not need to be that big! Ugh. I have hardly anything in the fridge right now because I've basically exhausted my food supplies but once I go shopping there will probably be nowhere to put the things I purchase. Our toilets also don't flush all the time. And we have a hook on our kitchen windowsill for no apparent reason. I'm feeling the love for flat 53.
Everything is really fine, just small annoyances. I also have the slightest sore throat, so let's hope that doesn't turn into anything. Everyone in the flat has been sick though...think positive.
Yesterday passed relatively uneventfully, but that's okay I was able to get some reading done. I am actually here for school. It doesn't feel like it. It feels like I'm on a vacation and since I only have class two hours day four days a week, school just feels like something I'm doing while I'm in London. Not quite the usual intense stressfest that midterms usually bring. Check back in a few weeks when my first papers are due and I'm sure I'll be closer to that and be feeling right at home here in my cozy English dormitory.
Here's hoping you're swell!
No comments:
Post a Comment