so many miles and so long since I've left you

Things I can hardly believe; 

1. I will be in Minneapolis in seven days! 

2. It's December and I can comfortably spend significant amounts of time outside in a light jacket.

3. I'm moving into a great apartment with my best friend in less than a month.

I talked with a few friends at home this weekend and as we were signing off I was able to say 'see you next weekend!' I'm so excited about that. So excited. Also sad. Not about being back home, but about leaving. I feel like I've just started to really settle in and be totally comfortable and now I'm leaving. My sentiments are incredibly happy to be coming home, but really sad to leave London. Bittersweet, as it should be. I'll work through my feelings on the experience 'as a whole' later. For now let's talk about this lovely weekend.

Home feels so tangible now. This feeling is made even stronger by the fact that I have now been scheduled at Pizza Biga and Turtle Bread! The fact that I'm going back to work next week is really comforting for two reasons;

A. Because I love my job and the lovely people and experiences that come along with it.

B. I haven't had any sort of income for three months and it's nice to know that I'll be able to get right back into it when I get home.

Friday was Alex's birthday. We hung around his for awhile and then made our way to Soho to dance the night away. Apparently some Friday night's are 70s nights at the club we went to, which we were unaware of, but proved to be really fun nonetheless. There was a main dance floor and a bunch of offshoot groups. And when I say 'groups' generally I mean more than one person, but in some cases one person. There was one guy who was absolutely going to town the entire night by himself. Just truly dancing his heart out. I think that's great. The ability to be that free and have that much fun on your own is so wonderful. So props to that guys and anyone else dancing up a storm by themselves (or in a group). We danced silly and seriously and around 2 we decided it was time to call it a night.

But not before stopping at Subway to satisfy our late night sandwich needs! Because no night out is complete without that. As we ate and laughed about the evening we'd shared, a fight broke out. Which signaled the end of stay. We spent ages (or ten minutes) looking for the 25, the bus that would get us home until we just decided to get cabs. We turned onto the next road to wait for the cabs only to be passed by no less than four 25s. Now at least we know where the 25 runs. I got back around 3:30 and then couldn't fall asleep for ages. What's up with that?

On Saturday I woke up much earlier than I would've liked given the time I finally fell asleep but, that's just the way it is. It was a beautiful day, a bit chilly, but beautiful. Went to a lovely curry lunch with the LGBT society and then since we were in the area my pals and I decided to go to Brick Lane to get some Christmas shopping done. Just beyond Brick Lane is Spitalfields Market. Gold mine. I got four gifts there in the space of half an hour. So good. You know that incredibly satisfying feeling when you see something and you just know immediately that it's the right gift for whoever? Love that. And I wasn't the only one having great successes in the gift department. I have to mention, as well, that this weekend was great simply because it was underscored with a whole lot of laughter. Seriously, so many laughs. In large part stemming from this video.

We walked back from Brick Lane, saw the most incredible full moon, met up with Stevie & Jo, watched a ton more hilarious youtube videos and went to Wetherspoon's for dinner. After dinner Jess and I watched 'Being John Malkovich'. I really appreciate it's oddness and inclusion of John Malkovich. He is such an odd duck in the best possible way.

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of my entire stay. Jess, Emmett, Aniela, and I met Alex at St.Paul's and then we walked over the Millennium Bridge (one of my favorite spots in London). Our mission was to go ice skating. We knew of a market/free ice skating rink close to Tower Bridge. So, we walked from the Tate to Tower Bridge. A couple miles. The 'ice rink' was not real ice and it was the tiniest thing I've ever seen. We walked around the market for a little bit and then decided to try the rink under the London Eye. We walked a few more miles, had lunch, and found out that that rink is £14. No thanks. We walked through that market for a while and continued my 'Pensive Face Series'. This week my mom asked if I could get more pictures of myself in front of iconic London sites for our Christmas letter so I asked my friends to take a bunch of pictures of me while we were out and about yesterday. I never know what to do when it's just a picture of me. I always feel like my smile seems forced. So, I decided that I would do a more thoughtful, contemplative face, which seemed easier and turned into my 'Pensive Face Series'. 

Ice skating was a bust and as fun as it would have been it was really okay because we were having a great day just walking around, talking, and laughing. Since we were out already I asked if we could go to the Tate Britain or the Imperial War Museum because I thought they were both in the general Westminster area, which we'd come upon. The group concurred and after a decent while we found the Tate Britain. Really cool museum. If you're ever in London I would definitely recommend the Tates Modern and Britain. So much laughter in the museum. It was just an all around giggly day. As we were perusing the gift shop it became apparent that Bill Nighy was there!! It was tough to restrain myself from speaking to him, but he was clearly just out and about trying to enjoy a museum gift shop and no one else was bothering him, so I didn't. But, at one point I was 'looking through postcards' but, really just lingering in his general area and he walked past me said 'excuse me' and indicated with his slight, knowing smile, that he knew exactly what was going on. That's good enough for me. 

From the museum we walked to the tube and made it back to Mile End around 6:30. I had a skype session with Emma, always lovely. And then Stevie, Jo, and I had a quick dinner at the 'Lollipop Diner' and then went to see 'Another Earth' at the Genesis Cinema. I tried to see this movie in July and August when it was in Minneapolis and it just didn't happen. Then I found out that it was coming out here in December and was really jazzed about it. Last night I finally saw it and I don't know how to feel about it. Jury's still out. I feel like there was something missing, but I'm not sure what exactly that would be. I think another issue is that it was really built up for me and I've been looking forward to it for months. That can often lead to disappointment in a movie going experience. Like I said, jury's out.

When I got back to the flat I skyped with Jessica from our new apartment! It's great. I can not wait to move in in a few weeks! So exciting and just really nice to talk with Jessica for a good while.

Altogether, such a great weekend and such a great way to spend my last full weekend here. So much time with friends, walking all over the place, laughing constantly, dancing, celebrity sightings, just taking in so much of what London has to offer.

The rest of last week, from Monday to Friday was also lovely. Monday, Aysha and I spent a lot of time putting together the definitive list of cartoons from our childhood but, then we watched an episode of Rugrats and it was magical. I also decided that I'm going to be Chuckie Finster for Halloween next year. I'll probably change my mind like forty times, but I think that would be a fun costume. In the end our cartoon nostalgia fest was more list-making and music sharing than cartoon watching, but a great time was had by all. 

In addition to Being John Malkovich and Another Earth, I also watched Adaptation. and Fight Club this week. Such great films. I hadn't seen Adaptation. Nicolas Cage gives such a great performance. What happened to that guy? Bangkok Dangerous? Drive Angry? Seriously? I just don't understand. But, that's definitely a film worth seeing. Fight Club is also great. Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, based on a book by Chuck Palahniuk, how do you go wrong?

Aysha and I met up on Wednesday to 'get work done' but largely to hang out and watch more 90s cartoons. But, the day ended up being much more productive academically. We read the whole of 'Venus and Adonis' out loud. I really enjoyed it. I've always liked Shakespeare but, this class has really made me appreciate how intricately woven his works really are. And I had a ton of things to say in my Shakespeare seminar on Thursday because of how finely we went through each stanza. Way to go team. 

And with that I'm off to explore! 

even if you can not hear my voice, I'll be right beside you

It's December. What? How? In four weeks it will be a new year! I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, 2011 has really been a banner year for me. Absolutely one of the best years of my life. I really enjoyed my Spring semester classes, this Spring and Summer were incandescently beautiful both weather and otherwise, and this whole study abroad experience has been one of the most wonderful things I've ever done. The world has been good to me lately. And for that I am indescribably thankful. I suppose the changing of the year doesn't mean these wonderful times I've been having have to end. The transition from December 31st to January 1st is just a Saturday to a Sunday after all.

And I have so much to look forward to when I get home. Not least of all, the simple fact of being home. Throughout my stay in England I've been asked numerous times whether I would ever move here permanently. I don't think I could. I would love to and plan to come back for extended periods throughout my life, but I don't think I could leave Minneapolis forever. I love it too much. It's the only place that's ever felt like home. London has been so good to me and it will always have a special place in my heart, but I'm coming back to the city I love so well in two weeks and I can hardly wait to see it again. Diamond Lake, downtown, the stone arch bridge, Minnehaha Creek, Turtle Bread, The Mississippi, and all the places that I know and love. I'm still trying to accept the fact that they will probably be covered in snow. It doesn't help that I've been able to run like this;

Seriously. It's December 5th now! The sun is shining and when I finish this post I will be running in an outfit very similar to this and not be completely and utterly freezing. This is a large part of the reason that I almost can't believe that it's December. It's also simply the fact that I only have thirteen days left in London. I will never understand where the time goes. I remember looking at my flight itinerary on the day that I left and seeing 'next trip: 93 days' and feeling like that would be ages. But, it wasn't. Eleven weeks have gone by so quickly. I know that these last two weeks will speed by especially because they will be filled to the brim with schoolwork, movies, many hangouts, and my final frantic efforts at tourism.

Last time I checked in I had just had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with the crew. The rest of that weekend was mellow. On Saturday night Stevie and I saw Breaking Dawn. If you're not keeping score, that was my second time. Yikes.

I woke up on Sunday, looked in the mirror and realized just how much my hair has been annoying me lately. It was at such an awkward length. I was considering growing it out but, I really enjoy having short hair and I can grow it out any time. So, I went to Westfield, waited at 'Supercuts' for about 40 minutes (because you can't make an appointment for some reason) and got a really satisfactory £15 haircut! Later that evening Jess and I watched Stuart: A Life Backwards, a poignant film that I would highly recommend.

On Monday Stevie and Jess and I were having coffee in Ground and it hit me just how much I will miss them and the coffee shop and everything about this place (except the iffy toilets and the really late night party noises). I decided that I'm going to bring a cup home with me from Ground so that when I am skyped in for study sessions (which must happen) my coffee cup will fit right in.

A few days previous I'd been chatting with my mom and she enquired if I'd received a package recently. No, I hadn't. I checked my mailbox and there was a royal mail notice stating that they had attempted to deliver a package on Friday, but I wasn't in. Although oddly, this notice was in my mailbox on Sunday. Curious. It continued that my mail was waiting for me at Whitechapel Post Office. So, on Monday afternoon I walked over there to pick it up. The walk from my dorm to that Post Office is a very easy one. I walk out the door cross Mile End Road, take a right toward central London, and walk for about a mile. It was a lovely little walk. The sunset was producing the most beautiful colors, my ipod was shuffling to the best music, and I realized how much I will miss walking out my front door and being able to see The Gherkin and Canary Wharf. I was so content. The mood was improved for two reasons; 1. I saw a CORB 2. The package from my parents was a whole heck of a lot of Belgian chocolate. Epic win. It was so so so good and so so so appreciated.

After picking up the chocolate Aysha, Kelsey, and I watched 'Short Circuit'. Have you seen this movie? I'm so unsure what it should be rated. It seems like a children's movie because it's about an amicable robot, but there's a lot of swearing and innuendo. It was very sweet, kind of a like a more adult version of WALL-E.

It sounds like my Monday was going great, right? And it really was, yet I still managed to be in a bumming mood after the movie. I think it has a lot to do with the fact there is full darkness at about 4:20 and that makes me sad. I wouldn't go as far as to say that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, but sometimes the dark and the cold just bum me out. So I stayed up late with pals talking and laughing and eating way too much chocolate.

After Modernism, as always, I enjoyed Tuesday Chats with Kelsey, Aysha, and Jackson. That evening I had the most epic skype session with Addie, which really pushed away all remaining remnants of my bumming mood. And I hadn't received any sort of feedback on any assignments until this week (which was contributing, more than a little, to my stress). I've gotten two grades back now and I've done absolutely fine, which was very comforting. One of my seminar leaders even said that my paper was 'beautifully written' and that I should be proud of myself. That really meant a lot coming from him. He's so hard to read, I had absolutely no idea what kind of a grader he would be, so that was quite a relief.

On Wednesday I didn't have class because many of the lecturers were striking to preserve their pensions. A lot of people were stationed at the east gate which I have to go through if I want to leave or return to campus and my room. I had a lot of things to do that morning so I crossed the picket line like eight times...whoops. One of these crossings was to go to the tube to meet Aysha, Sumaya, and Jackson in South Kensington and go to the Victoria & Albert Museum. They had a postmodernism exhibit which was generally kind of ridiculous, but also a bit cool. The rest of the museum (that I managed to see) was really neat and I definitely plan on going back next time I'm here. We had dinner outside and walked around by the Royal Albert Hall and appreciated what a cool building it is and what an amazing city London truly is.

On Thursday night Alex, Jess, and I went to see Aniela in Queen Mary's production of 'Uncle Vanya'. Very good, but very depressing. Friday and most of the day Saturday there was a lot of actual school work being done. But, on Saturday evening Stevie, Jo, Jess, and I went to Jo's dad's gig in North London. Such good times. The music was great, the company was lovely, and the location was cozy. I can't really ask for much more than that. Following that we went to the 'Scout Hut' which generally is a place for the boy scouts to have meetings, but every first weekend of the month (I think) it turns into a rockin' dancetaria (mostly) for awesome middle aged hippies. So good. So so so good. By the time we were ready to leave the tube had stopped running so Jo's dad called and gave us money for a cab. So kind. The cab ride was equal parts cool and terrifying. On the cool side of things we drove through a lot of London to get back to campus, great to see. I had a moment of utter contentment; being with friends I love, appreciating a beautiful city at night. On the other hand, the driver was driving like 70 miles per hour...the whole time. Terrifying. But, we made it back safely.

Yesterday Aysha, Sumaya, Jackson, and I met up in Highgate, a really beautiful area. We found highgate cemetery, where people like Marx and Mark Twain are buried, but it cost money to get in which we found preposterous and would not pay on principal. It was so beautiful though. We had to walk through a gated community to get there which also irritated me a bit because really, you need to gate yourself in and other people out? It was worth my slight irritation, the views were incredible. We could practically see all of London laid out. From Highgate we walked to Hampstead Heath. So green, so full of cool gnarled trees, and so many great views. It was a truly beautiful, lovely day.

Last night Stevie, Jo, Jess, Alex and I watched 'Serenity'. I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed it, but I was falling asleep throughout the whole thing and that's no way to truly appreciate a film. This has been my life lately.

And now, my friends, I'm going to meet Aysha for a nineties nostalgia fest in which we watch cartoons and shows from our youth. So jazzed.