I'M NOT HOMELESS! YIPPEEEE! - Days 7 & 8

       Thank God, today my prayers were answered. I found a super great flat in a super great neighborhood and thus, I'm not homeless. Which is awesome! And to add to this awesomeness, this fantastic flat was actually referred to me by Agency X, the one I thought screwed me out of my money. So it turns out that they didn't. It ended up working out and now I am officially a resident of London, with a mailing address of my own and all. Best of all, the flat is in a really posh neighborhood between Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater tube stations. It's a short walk to Portobello Market and there are a ton of shops, cafes, and modes of transportation literally a half a block from me. I can't wait to show you all pictures! It's so beautiful and I feel so lucky that I found a place to live, within my budget, that I absolutely LOVE!
      So good news is I have a home away from home.
      Bad news is, I may have to rescind all of those invites I doled out before I left the States... I only have a single bed! I mean, I like to snuggle but I wanted to at least offer you a fair warning!

My glass was A CRAP TON bigger than this one...
and I kept thinking they were calling it "Ass-Balls"
which kinda grossed me out, but then thought was hilarious. 

      On top of that, I've made a few friends too! My friend, Shannon, from PITT contacted me when I had first mentioned the idea of my moving to London and informed me that her cousin, Eric, had recently moved to London as well. She recommended that I get in touch with him and say hello. So I did and we made plans to meet up after his work day on Friday, where he normally goes out with some buddies for happy hour. I met up with them (this was last night) and we had so much fun! The weather is seriously beyond perfect and we hung out at an outdoor bar in the center of the city that full of young people who were celebrating the fact that it was Friday! I drank Aspall's Cider, which is DELICIOUS - and waaaaay more alcoholic than it tastes. Whew. Not so sure I remember the bus ride home.
But it was truly fantastic. Through him I met Jordan (from Winnipeg, Canada) and Stevie (from Glasgow, Scotland). We shared a lot of beers and a lot of laughs!
      They were generous enough to invite me to a BBQ the next day (that was tonight) and we all met over at Eric's where we brought some drinks and he made a FEAST of burgers, grilled chicken (with the most perfect grill marks I've ever seen!), fruit salad, and potatoes au gratin. YUM! My first home cooked meal abroad. I know it doesn't sound like much to have a home cooked meal while away from home, but sometimes, it's JUST what you need. I met a few more friends this evening: James, Lina, and Josh, who were also really great! Turns out Josh and Lina live close by where my new flat is and offered to take me to some of their favorite pubs!
      I don't mean to speak too soon, but things are really working out well. I am truly loving it here and, as I said, I don't know what initially made me want to move to London, it was just a feeling that this was something I needed to do. And I can't tell you how grateful I am that I listened to the hunch.

A perfect end to a perfect day!

Panic Attack in the Middle of Kensington? Doesn't Sound Like Me at All... - Day 6

Part I:

Desperation makes people illogical. There's no other way to reason it.
       Ok, let me back up. One of my ALL TIME BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone takes advantage of someone who is in need. And that's intentionally ambiguous because it is applicable to many situations. For instance, my mom always gets upset at retail vendors who take advantage of teenagers. Or car dealers/mechanics who up-charge women because they think we don't know any better. That sort of thing. It sucks and it makes me angry.
       And as you can imagine, I hate even more being on the losing end of that situation - as I was (or was made to feel like I was) today. Worst of all in these situation is admitting that you just got taken advantage of because well, quite frankly, it makes you look like an idiot. And in true "new girl" fashion, I feel like I was duped into a stupid agency contract. It's hard to explain but pretty much I put out money on the front end in order for the agency (we'll call them Agency X) to find me flats. Apparently, that's not how things are done here. I mean, it didn't really make much sense to me but how the hell was I supposed to know? So I spoke to another agent (from a different agency) who then BERATED me for having handed over a lump of money and having gotten nothing in return. (I mean I did get something, kinda. Agency X set me up a flat viewing for this evening.) But what if nothing comes of it? What if I hate it? Agency X argues that they will continue to look until they find me something. So I should just have faith, but in the moment, I felt like a complete moron. I mean who just hands over 100 pounds? DUM-DUMS! That's who. So then after the phone call with the other agent who was pretty much yelling (not at me, but about Agency X because that's not how things are supposed to be done!) I had a legit panic attack. Like tears-in-the-street-panic-attack. Like the kind where a police officer came up to me to see if I was ok. Not because I was a sobbing fool, but just because I was having trouble breathing and he was afraid I was gonna pass out.
       But in the midst of this shitty and slightly embarrassing situation, THIS, my friend, WAS THE SILVER LINING I NEEDED! This policeman and his kindness was my beacon of light. It showed me that it's just money. And though it sucks that I might have been screwed out of some dough, that nice police officer helped to calm me down and showed me that even though there are dishonest people, there are good ones too. (As I said, I'm not even certain that I have been screwed just yet. If this apartment turns out to be a crack house, there's gonna be HELL TO PAY!)
       This, clearly, was not one of my finest moments. But the stress of a ticking clock, the financial burden of city living, me being here by myself with no one to give me a second opinion on things, AND THE 45 ounces of espresso that I consume daily in lieu of food probably caused my temporary lapse in sanity.
      It'll be ok. I mean, it can't all be rainbows and sunshine, right? I just need to breathe and have a little faith.

Part II:

      I went to see the apartment and thankfully, it wasn't totally crazy, which made me feel a little better. But it was the size of a postage stamp. No joke. Like half the size of the room I'm in now, which is really sayin' something. I was getting claustrophobic just being in there five minutes. There was no way I could live there. Annnd the area walking from the Central Line (tube) was a little sketchy, but the house's neighborhood and actual street, it was quite pleasant. I told him I needed to think about it to look around the neighborhood and such, even though I knew I didn't want it. But he did point me in the direction of a shopping complex not far from his residence called Westfield and it is the CRAZIEST MALL I'VE EVER SEEN! It's like King of Prussia on CRACK. There are so many restaurants and like 500 shops or something crazy like that. It was seriously a sight to behold!

       I ended up eating at Jamie Oliver's restaurant and it was seriously one of the most delicious meals I've eaten in a VERY long time. I had the wild rabbit tagliolini and it was RI-FREAKIN-DICULOUS! The only weird thing is that I asked for a box to take half of it home and the waitress informed me that they don't have takeaway boxes. Not that they ran out, they just don't have them. So she wrapped my pasta (which was kinda like linguini) up in a ball of foil. So strange and a little hilarious when I went to eat it later.
     

    The trip to Westfield really did make me feel a bit better, but the reality has set in that I really am running out of time on this flat hunting business. Yup, by this time tomorrow, I'm gonna be a little homeless. (Well, not really, I could always go to a hotel or hostel or whatever.) But I wanted this all taken care of. I have been running around this city like a chicken without a head for like five straight days looking for apartments and scoping out neighborhoods, I'm freakin' exhausted. I just want to get settled in somewhere so I can start enjoying LIVING in the city. Anyway, to say it was a trying day is putting it mildly. And tomorrow the fun continues because I am going to yet ANOTHER agent to see if they have anything else to show me. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, shit will be sorted out! I'll keep you posted. For now, I have laundry to attend to. I mean, if I'm gonna be homeless, I better at least have clean clothes!

Flat Hunting Is Heinous - Day 5

      Today was the kind of day that makes you want to shed your clothes the second you walk in the door, throw'em into a heap on the floor, curl up in your bed, and forget that the world exists. Not that it was a bad day, per se, just SOOOO stressful! I'm going to reiterate... flat hunting SUCKS. Like fo' real.

I haven't eaten all day. 

I've walked all over this damn city and now I'm drinking. 

Heavily. 

     If I like the apartment, I don't like the area. If I like the area, the apartment is condemnable. All the while I feel like I have a ticking time bomb in my back pocket yelling "YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY! YOU BETTER MAKE AN EFFIN DECISION!" Gah! Between this and my writing deadline, I'm kinda surprised I haven't flipped out yet. I mean, I still might, but I don't think any of your will be close enough to have to worry about being in the line of fire.  I just want a properly dressed messenger complete with the red coat and funny hat to come from Buckingham Palace to extend an invitation to stay there. "The Queen Mum would fahncy you to be hah royal guest and wohn't accept no for an ansah. Your invigh miss." ::Extends white gloved hand holding a crisp, gilded envelope:: "Yohr cahh awaits." 

     C'mon now, is that too much to ask? 

     On more positive note, I met a lovely woman today, who I happened to stop randomly in the street to get her opinion of the area we were, since I was supposed to have an apartment viewing appointment about an hour from then. She gave me her honest opinion and... I canceled the appointment. So that's how this has been going. I went to see another apartment today that was so filthy and was emitting an odor so foul that it made me gag a little and then I had to hold my breath until we got out of there. The next one was pretty good, but the area was so residential that it was pretty far from, you know, city life! Plus, when I walked around the area, these young guys started cat calling at me and I thought to myself, "If they approach me, who's gonna help me? That mom over there with the six kids pushing the baby buggy? I don't think so." So that was apartment number 2. As I said, I canceled on apartment #3 after scoping out the area which according to my stranger friend was all government assisted living. And mind you, all of these apartments were not close to one another. So on the bright side, I got some great exercise today! But... I am still homeless. 

    Tomorrow I'll be meeting with another agency.  Hopefully I'll have better luck with them.

    Ugh... forget today. I'm just going to put on my jammies, eat Nutella out of the jar, and watch Modern Family until I pee my pants.
     Problem solved.

A Few Random Thoughts: Volume I - Day 4

Today's entry will be comprised of random thoughts that I had throughout the day:

1. Made it to breakfast again today (yay, go me). Conclusion: A bone in your fish is the equivalent of a hair (or an eggshell, right Dana?) in your food. Automatically inedible.

2. I love that I'm never really "lost" in this city - I'm just on an adventure that I hadn't really planned!

3. Flat hunting is stressful as hell. Somebody tell me how I am supposed to feel comfortable as a young female scoping out apartments and roommates BY MYSELF!?! I mean, I am armed with pepper spray, but c'mon, I feel like it is just a sketchy situation no matter how you slice it. Or I'm just wildly cautious.

4. If I don't find an apartment soon, I may be living in a cardboard box. Don't worry, I'll decorate it and make it all fancy. It'll be portable. I won't have to worry about roommates or utility bills. (Mom & Dad - I'm joking! haha! Everyone else - I might not be joking. SOS!)

5. I know I've said it before but I am so grateful for the constant support of my friends and family. So many people have reached out to say hello, have read my blog, and have offered me names of people they know who live in London so that I'll have a resource if I need a hand while I'm here. It really means the world!

6. As much as I beg and pray, apparently this manuscript ain't gonna write or revise itself. So that sucks.

7. Breezy, sunny 72 degree weather is what it should be all the time, everywhere. It makes me a more active human being. (Mind you I said active, not so much productive. Stupid manuscript - like a frickin' monkey on my back!)

*Not ACTUALLY my room, but not far off.

8. My room looks like a bomb went off. But that's what you get when you're living out of suitcases in a room the size of a closet. It is a summer/fall/winter clothing bonanza in here!

9. Nutella is magic. I know we all know it, but I love how enthusiastic Europeans are about it. There's no shame.

10. Both ethernet cabled internet and slow broadband speed make me feel like I'm back in the 90s with my dial-up connection. I mean, c'mon people, we are living in the 21st century. And I'm fairly certain hitting the reload button four thousand times a minute doesn't help. Man, I'm impatient. I should work on that.

11. Netflix is the shit. Seriously. Especially since they updated their content. Modern Family? Supernatural? Grey's? It is my mindless zen.

12. Who decided that this country should drive on the opposite side of the road, on the opposite side of the car, mind you? Don't they know that they are gonna kill someone!?! It's unnatural. It's not right. And it needs to be stopped! I feel like I'm back in Pittsburgh with the buses that go the wrong way down the one way streets. It's like an evil trick. A darwinian game. It's just wrong and I have a strong feeling that if anything God forbid happens to me, it's probably going to be that I get hit by a bus.

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

13. I just looked up the Globe's lineup for this season and get this - Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth (SQUEE!), annnnd King Lear!??! And Taming of the Shrew on tour? Who is kidding me? If they would've had Othello too I might have just died. I haven't even checked out RSC's lineup yet. Oh man, I'm such a nerd. So flippin' excited.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair."

"Nothing will come of nothing. Speak again."

"I see a woman may be made a fool,
if she had not the spirit to resist."

14. And I saved the best thought of all for last. Today I realized that by moving to London, I pretty much bought myself 5 bonus hours for my manuscript deadline. Boom baby! Beating the system one loophole at a time. (On the other hand, 5 hours sounds more like a bonus nap to me.) I guess we'll see!

Another Action Packed Day - Day 3

      This morning I made it to breakfast, which is progress, but holy cow was I exhausted. I still haven't recovered from the jet-lag and am awake at like 2-5am and then I want to sleep until 11am. But no. I forced myself to wake up with my alarm that was harassing me at 8:15. I ate some 'porridge' and some other oddities like fish and cheese melted on a english muffin type-a-thingy. I met two guys who sat with me at breakfast. Both are students here at the University of London (which is where I am staying until I secure a flat). One is a Masters student in Art Curatorial Studies from Mumbai and the other is a PhD student in Economics from Brazil (who struck an uncanny resemblance to Robert Patinson. He was such a doppleganger that it was almost distracting!) Anyway, they were nice guys and it was a nice way to start the day - even though all of us were clearly exhausted and needed like 6 cups of coffee before we got going!
      I went back to my room, did my school work, as today was my first day of my LAST SEMESTER OF CLASSES FOR MY MFA PROGRAM... SQUEEEE! Therefore, I did all of the work I needed to do for today and then headed out for another day of walking around in the beautiful weather. It was 71 degrees today and beautifully breezy. Just perfect. 
       So I started by returning to The British Museum, but decided to go in and check it out. It is SO expansive that I figure I may need a few visits to cover it all. But I was lucky enough to catch a lecture/tour on Medieval Europe, which happens to be the time period and setting of my novel. I learned so much and can't wait to infuse in some of the details that I learned about the period. Caution: #NERDMOMENT.

This pic was from the day before, the day I didn't go in - but it had the sign so I wanted to put it in.

         Then after milling around the museum a little while longer, I walked to Buckingham Palace. Just for reference, when I had asked two of the security guards at the museum the best way to walk to the Palace they both looked at each other and then at me and said, "You're gonna walk?!? Do you know how far it is? It's best to take a bus. It's gonna take you over an hour to walk it." I told them I didn't mind. I think they thought I was nuts.
       I made my verrrry long way through the theater district and Piccadilly Square, Chinatown and Trafalgar Square, then walked up and down the Mall several times and through St. James Park. 

   

     Then as I was ready to walk home I was hit on (ironically) by a French guy. He asked if he could take me out and I was almost going to say "Eh, why not?" But as he was walking me through the park, he explained that he had been married twice, blah blah blah and then he got a little handsy and I was like "Whoa dude, I have a boyfriend." (Lie.) His response? "Don't you know that what happens in London stays in London?" Ugh, now we know why you're collecting divorcees. Are we serious? And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't go back to Paris. Not that other guys of other nationalities wouldn't say something ridiculous like that, but c'mon. So typical. Anyway so I was like "Peace out dude." And went on my merry way (only after I made sure he went the other way!)

    I then took a bus back to my neighborhood and went for sushi at a place called Yo!Sushi where the food comes out on a conveyor belt and you take it dim-sum style. It was a cool experience. 

         But the best was that I sat next to a man with his little boy who must have been about 5 or 6 years old. And the kid (and the dad of course) had this incredibly fabulous British accent, which made everything the kid said friggin' hilarious. No seriously, I was laughing out loud. 

Here's an example: (Say it outloud in an English accent and it's funnier, trust me.)

     Kid: I want the green one. 

     Dad: No, we had it the last time and it wasn't nice.

     Kid: But dad, I liiiiiiike it. 

Here's another:  

     Dad: Have you had enough to eat?

     Kid: Yes, I'm quite full, thank you. 

(Quite full? Huh? I don't even speak that properly and I'm an English teacher. Mind you, this kid was like 5 YEARS OLD!)

Ok, as I'm typing it back out, I have a feeling it's gonna be one of those "you had to be there" kinda things. But trust me. Super funny. 

     So I guess that's it for today. I'll probably do some more work on my manuscript since that shit's due in 4 days. Oh crap. I'm never gonna get it done. ::CUE PANIC ATTACK:: Maybe it'll be rainy tomorrow so I can get some work done, because if it's sunny and beautiful, I'm screwed!

Movin' and A-Shakin' - Day 2

     Today already started off better because the sun is shinning. However, this jet-lag is killing me. I didn't sleep a wink and thus, I slept through breakfast. Once I realized the time, I leapt out of bed to take advantage of the beautiful weather - and that I did. I walked all over the city, from the British Museum (though I decided against going inside quite yet) down Tottingham Court

to Oxford Circus (lots and lots of shopping there - somehow I resisted and just kept walking. But I definitely noted the stores to which I will be returning! The only thing I did purchase was an International Sim Card for my phone so now I have an official UK telephone number. How cool is that?!? ::sigh:: It's the little things.
     Anyway, I sat an had lunch at a very swanky cafe called Ozer that specializes in Mediterranean cusine and had the best humus and olives ever!

I enjoyed my lunch leisurely as I pulled out my laptop and worked on my manuscript while relishing in the breeze of the open window. And the view was magnificent! The next picture was my view from lunch.

       I don't even know what building that is, but I feel like all of the architecture is outrageous. I'm like 'WOW, what's that building? Oh a shoe store? Fabulous." After lunch, I caught a bus to Westminster and took it one extra stop, over the Thames. I then went to see the London Eye (but only from afar for now), Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. See Below!

Then I walked all the way back home, through Victoria and around. Whew! My little pinky toes are killing me!
    I grabbed dinner at a pub on my block where I experienced my very first warm beer and some fish and chips. #EpicCulturalFail on the warm beer. Ugh. No bueno. How did forget that very important detail? Well, now I know. And I will be ordering ANYTHING ELSE but the beer from now on.

A Long and Hard Day of Travel - Day 1

(NOTE: I couldn't figure out the internet situation yesterday so I just typed up my post in Word and I'd put it up when I had the internet under control. So this is yesterday's post. - Today's will be up later!)

August 24, 2013:

Let me begin by saying that I cried when I had to leave my dogs. Yup, I’m that girl.

       Ok, that being said, I figured that leaving on a red-eye was going to make this trip a piece of cake. I would just drink a glass of wine, take a Lunesta, and ‘goodnight Irene’, see you in London. But no. The plane was, not only the biggest plane I’ve ever seen, but gave its passengers the smallest amount of room in the history of aviation. Seriously, ridiculous. I finally dozed off and the guy next to me woke me up because he had to pee. Typical. Now I couldn’t fall back asleep. So I’m minding my own business playing Jeopardy on my iPad and all of a sudden a man collapses in the aisle on his way to the bathroom and lands right in front of me (well, to the side of me.) Like no joke. One woman starts calling for help mind you it’s like 3:00am and everyone is sleeping), while I leap out of my chair to do what I can to help. I try to assess if he has a pulse to see if I have to flip him over and start CPR. I thought he had a heart attack or something. AND WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FOR GOD’S SAKES! Finally, the flight attendant comes and is at his feet while I’m at his head and tells me to help her flip him. Now you have to understand that I am working with about a square foot of space. I couldn’t even wing out my elbows too far because I was knocking them into the seats and people and whatnot.  Needless to say, he came to before we had to start CPR or anything and I was just holding his head in my lap and he was probably like “What is going on? Who the hell are you?!?” Long story short, he was okay. But who could sleep after that?!? Certainly not me. We were lucky we didn’t have to resuscitate me after a scare like that!

      Hence, I didn’t get any sleep. Once in Heathrow I had to reconfigure all of my suitcases so that one fits inside another so that I only had to lug two huge suitcases around as opposed to two big ones and a small one. And my backpack. (Yeah, this girl didn’t pack light.) I was able to get onto the Tube without too much trouble, but navigating the world once out of the Tube as I tried to get to my hotel was HELL ON EARTH. Seriously. It’s only a few blocks away from the station, but that’s if you know where you’re going! What the hell did we do before cell phones and GPS systems? Oh, and did I mention that it was pouring out. Yeah, you should have seen the looks I was getting pushing these two monstrous suitcases through the streets of London while looking like a wet rat. I was sweating, grunting, huffing and puffing. So sexy.

       Well, thank goodness, I finally found my hotel and it’s cute. Nothing to write home about, but it’s sufficient. Just what I need for right now. But better than the room itself is its location. Primo! Once I settled in, I went for a walk and discovered that I already love this city. It’s just so darn cute. And the people are cute. And their accents are cute. And their galoshes are cute.  Everything – CUTE.

      Later on, I brought back some Indian food to my room and chilled out for a bit while watching Harry Potter on my computer. Because what else do you do on your first day living in London but watch Harry Potter?!?! And the finally, I had to talk myself into going to the bar to grab a pint (because I admit, it’s weird going to the bar alone) but I felt like I needed to celebrate my epic day of travel, my arriving safely in the UK, and my upcoming adventures in this awesome city.

       Plus, the bar had free wi-fi.

I see another novel in my future...

     I think I am going to write a novel based on my upcoming excursion to the UK and call it In Search of Mr. Darcy.
     I'm hoping for it to be more creative non-fiction more so than fiction. haha. Either way, I'm digging the title.
     Just a thought.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I'm Leaving, Tomorrow!

Don't lie. You just sang along with the title of this blog, didn't you?? Haha, don't feel bad, so did I.    
    Okay, so it's finally here. I leave tomorrow night on a red-eye flight to London, England, my new home for the next four months. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go. (Oh man, I'm really on a roll. Teehee.) I'm getting a little nervous but overall, I think I'm ready. Especially since I'm armed with some valium just in case I have a panic attack. (I'm only a little kidding.)
    To be honest, I'm not really nervous per se, just anxious. I just want to be there already. All of this preparation and waiting and running around is exhausting - both physically and mentally. I am just ready to be settled in and start my adventure. But then again, I guess this is all part of the 'adventure' so I really need to embrace it.
    Hmm... what else? Oh! I just want to say how incredibly blessed I feel to have such awesome friends and family who rally behind me no matter how far off the deep end I dive. I can't get over the outpouring of love and support that has been non-stop since I concocted this crazy idea (and have been there through all of my crazy ideas - and trust me, I've had a few!). I truly am so lucky. And I believe that it is because of this love and support that I feel like I can do these kinds of things and take these kinds of leaps because I know that no matter what happens, I'll be welcomed home with open arms and a strong drink. And there's no better comfort than that!

Two Weeks?!? Where Did My Summer Go?!?

   
      Ok, so I leave for London two weeks from tomorrow. HO. LY. COW. How is it here already? Not that I'm not excited, but dude, I thought that I had ALL SUMMER to prepare for this endeavor and POOF, summer's almost over and being a procrastinator has once again kicked me in the ass.
I haven't packed a thing.
I just booked my accommodation today for my first week of stay.
I still need to figure out my health insurance situation.
What the hell is 'power of attorney'?!?
Call my banks to inform them of my trip?
I renewed my passport, right?
How am I getting all of my makeup in my suitcase??
Ahhhhh!!!!
     I thought all I had to do was get on a plane and then run around England like an idiot! (This is still not far from the reality of what I envision is actually going to happen, FYI.) Responsibility? Logistics? Dammit all. Not that I'm complaining, because I promise, I'm not. I'm super excited. Really. I'm just having the perfunctory pre-huge-life-altering-experience meltdown. No biggie. Anyway, so now that I've secured that I have a place to go to once I get off the plane, I think I'm in better shape and can thus, relax a little bit. The rest is just gravy, right?
    It's already midnight?? Oh sweet Jesus...