My First Day as a Free Woman - Day 36

      I have an announcement to make: I FINISHED MY BOOK! YIIIPPPEEE!!
      After five (meticulous and painstaking) revisions of my 75,000 word manuscript (approx. 300 pages) and after working harder on it than I have on anything else in my life, I am proud to have not only finished it, but to have completed a piece of work that I'm actually excited to share with others. (Which, I don't know if you know this, but is the scariest thing ever - to share your creative work with others is literally like handing over your baby to someone and asking them if it's cute or not. Many people that know you, in order to preserve your feelings, may lie and say they like it is, even it isn't. But post that baby's picture online anonymously and ask strangers their opinion - ruthless! Just look at comment logs on youtube. Truthfully, I'd rather people be honest in spite of the whether or not it might hurt my feelings. I need to know so that I can gauge my work realistically and assess if there are things about my writing or characters that I should change. Anyway, I digress. It's done. For now. I submitted it to my thesis readers and now I wait to see if it passes. Fingers crossed, y'all!

So today is my first day as a "free woman"! I'm ready to kick back and relax a bit and enjoy the city now without having this deadline and this manuscript hanging over my head. And best of all, I am ready to get started on my next book!

Before I get to what I did today, I'm gonna back up and just fill in what (little) I've done since my last post. I didn't get out much, I was under self-imposed house arrest.

Sunday - I went for Lebanese food at Westfield with Matt after his shift at work. Neither of us had ever had Lebanese food before, but the restaurant looked nice and we were both feeling rather adventurous. And it was worth the risk, it was delicious! Hummus, tabbouleh, and chilean sea bass with an awesome tahina sauce. YUM!

Wednesday - I went out to meet Bhavya in Bethnal Green at an event he had heard about called Jawdance. It was a "spoken word" open mic night and it was freakin' awesome. No seriously. I thought it was going to be amateur central, but each poem and speaker was better than the other. It was like 2 1/2 hours long but was thoroughly entertaining. Who knows, maybe I'll get up there next time I go and present a poem or two? Or maybe a short selection of my novel? Hmmm....

Very hipster part of Bethnal Green. The event was held across the street.

And today, Saturday - I was ready to sleep in, snuggling into my bed without the ominous cloud of my deadline hanging over me any longer. But THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, thank you very much construction crew outside my window that started with the buzz saws and hammers at 8:30am. I woke up and my first thought was "Someone's gonna die!" However, I wasn't gonna let them ruin my day! So I made myself a small breakfast, lounged about a bit, and then dressed to go exploring Borough Market, Southwark (pronounced Suthick, thank you Matt!), and Tower of London. It was a bit drizzly and cold, but the weather shifted and it ended up being a beautiful day for exploring. I took some fabulous pictures... I'll let them do the talking!

Borough Market on its busiest day! LOTS of food stalls and fresh market items - especially cheese, my favorite!

Never too early for a mimosa! It was either coffee or this - day drinking ALWAYS wins. 

And the fun continues... these were DELICIOUS!!

One mimosa and three of these drinks later, I was a bit tipsy in the market! 

Tower Bridge in all its glory!

Selfies are awkward! But this was me all day!
Except when I struck up the nerve to ask random strangers to take one for me!

Like here.

And here.
(Dad look, a LEGIT sign. Now THIS is what we're takin' about!!)

So ominous.

Tower of London

I love the contrast between the old and the new.
Tower of London vs the Shard.

Now, I'm just kicking back with a bottle of red wine, some cheese and bread I bought at the market, and some Great Expectations on Netflix. Resting up before my big day tomorrow. STEELERS AT WEMBLEY! I'll be sure to take tons of pictures and report back! Cheers!

Just Can't Enough - The Globe Take Two - Day 29

     Guess who went back to The Globe?!? IT'S MEEEE! Oh man, such a nerd. I actually didn't go with the intention of going to see another show, not yet at least. I wasn't even aware that there was a show today. Actually, it was such a beautiful day and, between my manuscript deadline and me being sick, I feel like I haven't been out of my apartment all that much and it was making me a little crazy.
     So I decided to go for a walk in Bankside/Southwark because I thought it was so cute when we went the other night. I saw St. Paul's Cathedral again as I got out of the tube. By day it's just as impressive as it is by night. I then walked back over the bridge and was able to take in all of the sights by the light of a very beautiful day under the bluest sky that I've seen in a while.

When I made my way back over to Southwark, I was strolling around and then I saw a queue begin to form around the Globe, which sparked my curiosity. Much to my delight, there was a matinee performance at 2:00 of Midsummer Night's Dream. And yippee, it was only 1:00! What luck! Well, it was lucky with the exception of it being pretty much "sold out". I went to the box office and they said they had a few "yard" tickets available, translation - standing room, which is the entire ground floor of the theater. It was kinda cool to be that close and watch it how the real "audience" did.

    Not only was it fantastic to be able to get to see the show (a show, for the record, I've never seen before), it turned out to be one of the very best performances that I've ever seen. Hands down the best traditional Shakespeare show, without a doubt. (I say "traditional" Shakespeare show, because there will never be a better performance than Alan Cumming in Macbeth. Ever. That was the craziest shit I've ever seen. In a good way.) Anyway, back to Midsummer, the show had me laughing out loud! It was a three hour performance that didn't feel that way at all. The acting was superb, one actor/actress better than the next. It really was incredibly impressive. I am looking forward to going to see it again because, not only do I just want to, but I also felt terrible that Aileen wasn't with me to see it! So we're going to go again soon ANNNND we're going to get tickets to see Macbeth. I have a feeling it won't be no 'Alan Cumming', but if it's half as good as Midsummer, I'll be stoked.
 

Super Nerd Moment and SO Excited About It- Day 26

    You know the feeling a mother gets when she holds her child for the first time? Or the feeling you got when you climbed behind the wheel of your first car? Or the elation you felt when you scored the winning touchdown at the big game? Yeah, well, I've had two moments, in particular, that have been on that level for me. The first was when I first moved to Paris. I desperately searched for the Eiffel Tower glittering in the skyline the second I stepped out of the Metro. I was flustered. I couldn't see it. "Can't you see it from everywhere in Paris?" my naive little mind thought (because that's how every film portrays it!) And then all of a sudden, I turned around and there it was. And then I proceeded to burst into tears because my dream of moving to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower had finally come true. I wished it and then I made it happen. I was excited and proud and just so happy.

Fast forward to today - my 26th day in London. 

    When my parents asked me why I wanted to move to London I simply said, "Well why not London?" But secretly its because I'm a huge nerd with two great loves in my life: Shakespeare and Harry Potter. (Shut up, I can hear you snickering!) But clearly, London was the place I needed to be. I wanted to be among the culture. I wanted to revel in the history. I wanted to drink it all in in a way I never could from afar. 

     Ever since really discovering my love of Shakespeare, which didn't happen until waaaaaaayy after high school, I dreamed of seeing a Shakespeare play at The Globe Theater. Now, I know that it is a reconstruction and that's okay by me. It's what that structure represents and it's more about the location and facade that encapsulates its authenticity more than the actual materials with which it was built. Tonight, (half) my (Shakespeare) dream came true. 

       Hurrying like a lunatic after the Circle tube lines were down, I ran this way and that to try to make it on time for dinner. I stopped to ask a cabbie for directions since I couldn't afford to waste anymore time after my detour and he led me to the Millennium Bridge that would take me over to Bankside. As I scurried over as quickly as I could, it came into view. There it was! The Globe Theater in all its majesty! (Actually, I thought it would be bigger.) But I was still so excited that I stopped to get a picture... or three. 

Yup, that kinda ugly, white and brown spec in the background.  That's her!

The view from the bridge looking into the sunset.

The view on the other side. Beautiful, right?!?

Anyway, afterward I met Aileen and her friend Stephanie at Zizzi's Ristorante, which was, lucky for me, right next to the theater, we went to see The Lightning Child, a re-imagination of the greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides. It was definitely different, but a very cool experience. The reason I say that "half" of my dream came true is because, though this show was a great artistic experience, I still need to see a Shakespeare work. And I know I will. Probably more than one. (I better hurry before it gets too cold.)

The view from the Globe.

     In spite of the seats being super uncomfortable and tiny with very little leg room, I got chills from sitting in that space (and it wasn't because it was an open air theater in 50 degree weather!) I was enamored by the whole experience. I could see, not only what was in front of me at that moment, but the space as it was when Shakespeare performed there. The rowdy crowds. The royalty in the seats. The dodgy stage effects (yeah, for those of you who didn't know, failed pyrotechnics was the reason that the Globe burned down originally 400 years ago - a cannon's spark ignited the thatched roof during a production of King Henry VIII, I think. Talk about a bummer.) 

     But seeing the theater brought me back to the moment that I was in Paris. I think I was so excited tonight for the same reasons I was then - I dreamed that'd I'd do it and then I did it! I brought my passion to life and I'm sad to say that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to experience that in their lives. I recognize that I am very blessed and that this is a very exceptional period of my life. I don't know if I'll ever have this kind of freedom again and I am lucky (and happy to say) that I have not been wasting it. 

   Speaking of Paris, I booked a four day trip to go in October. I haven't been there in almost 10 years. I hope I can still speak French! But I am very much looking forward to returning and spending just a few days in one of the most magical cities in the world. One of the cities that sparked my wanderlust. 

    Man, I am one lucky gal.

Just a little beauty (St. Paul's Cathedral) on my walk back to the tube from the theater. Is this city for real?!?

PS - You just wait until I start doing some Harry Potter shit around this city. You think I'm excited now?!? Oh man, all bets are off when Harry's involved. Yeah, it's gonna be a little crazy. Just a warning, I foresee a lot of CAPS LOCK and exclamation points in my blogging future! :)

T-minus Two Weeks and Counting... Days 20 - 24

      Two weeks until my manuscript is due. So you can guess what I've been doing! If you guessed pulling my hair out and laughing maniacally while rocking back and forth in a corner, you'd be right!!
Yeah, so stressed is putting it mildly.
       But on a brighter note, just this morning I got internet in my flat! I was going to wait until after the deadline just so I didn't have any further distractions, but my original phone plan expired and it made more sense to just top-up and get it now. Plus, I don't think I can down another friggin' cup of anything brewed by Starbucks. At least not for awhile.
     Just to catch you up though, aside from writing, I've been doing a few things here and there, despite the fact that I've just caught a wicked cold. Damn you rainy damp weather! So Wednesday was my day with Aileen at Harrods, Thursday I met up with friends for a charity pub quiz. I think my quote of the night might have been, "I sure hope they don't ask only British trivia things. I mean, I don't know a damn thing about Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Who!" "Uhhh, you mean, Dr. Who?" "Oh crap..." Yup. American moment comin'-atcha! But we actually fared pretty well, coming in 3rd place out of about twelve teams. I met a bunch of really great people, who I got a chance to see again on Saturday night when we celebrated my friend Jordan's 30th birthday! (We'll revisit that topic in a moment.)

My crazy friends lovin' pub quiz!! 

Our quiz team: Me, James, Eric, and Hillary!

      Friday night I had planned to work on my manuscript and take it easy, seeing as I was planning on some hardcore partyin' Saturday night. 8:00 at night on a Friday in my pjs I get a text from my friend Matt inviting me out for drinks. To be honest, it was raining like crazy, I was comfy in my bed, and I wasn't dressed at all so I had to really fight myself to get up and go out. But I hadn't seen Matt in over a week and I thought, "What am I a grandma!?!? Get the hell up and go!"And I'm so glad I did! We went to a pub up the block from where I live, and as usual, we had a great time!
     Unfortunately for me, however, when I woke up on Saturday, I was feeling a little crummy. Not hangover crummy, more like uh-oh-I-think-I'm-getting-a-cold kinda crummy. I tried to rest and mentally prep for going out for a night on the town for Jordan's birthday, but after a hellacious hour-long bus ride, I felt worse than ever. I stayed at his flat for a bit, but had to call it a night pretty early and never made it out to the club with them. Super bummer! By the time I got home, I thought I was dying. Not good.

Penny made delicious birthday cake! 

Me and the birthday boy!! 

       And yesterday, I was supposed to go to The Sunday Assembly again with Bhavya, and had to cancel. And then was supposed to meet up with Aileen and Jeremy to go and see About Time and grab some dinner. I managed to crawl out of bed after sleeping for like 14 hours, only to find out that the Circle and District tube lines (the two I'd need to get to Richmond) were out of service. I tried to take a bus to Earl's Court to pick the tube back up past the construction, but after being on this stifling bus for over 30 minutes, I was only like ten minutes from my flat. I had to call Aileen, cancel, get off the God-awful bus, and then walk home through Hyde Park over a mile in the pouring rain. Which I'm guessing was not so great for my cold. 

     Today? Cold medicine. Sleep. Laundry. Netflix (Squee!). Tea. Some more sleep. And I suppose some writing. If I can manage it. 

Writing and Laundry and Harrods, Oh My ... Days 17, 18 & 19

I was kindly reminded by my good friend, Ariel, that I haven't blogged in a few days. This comment totally made my day! It made my day because it means that not only did someone notice that I didn't blog, but more so that it was missed! Man, I have awesome friends! Thanks, Ariel -  hopefully you're not the only one who missed my ridiculous stories.

You know what it is?? Clown Shoes! Fo' Real!

The reason I haven't been posting is because, even though I go for walks here and there, for the most past I have been busting my ass to get this thesis completed. Right now, I hate my novel. I hate the characters. I hate the story. I think it's a mess and I want to throw it out the window! But thankfully, that's just a day in the life of a writer. One day we LOVE our work and think we're brilliant, the next? Complete rubbish! I think this is also exacerbated by the fact that it's due in two weeks and I'm freaking out. I know it'll get done. I'm actually in pretty good shape, better than I thought I'd be. But my days and my nights have been spent laboring over this story. I'm ready to submit it and not look at it for a very long while!

Hmmm, what else? Oh, on Sunday evening, I was contacted by my friend Aileen, who just arrived with her husband from a VERY long flight from LA. They moved here and will be here for a year for his work. And what's awesome is that Aileen is a writer too, so I'm looking forward to some writing sessions and some great dialogue that only writers can share with one another! Anyway, they called me up and invited me to grab some dinner with them out in Richmond, which is beautiful and very posh! (Right, Aileen?)  Yeah, she and I love this word and we love even more that British people actually use it in daily conversation! Anyway, we went to Cote Brasserie, a really delicious restaurant that actually has a few locations around the city (one actually only a few blocks from my flat - yippee!). We shared great conversation and it was so nice to finally meet her husband! We took a short stroll around the town and walked by the Thames. It was so picturesque that it almost looked fake! What a cute town and I really had so much fun with Aileen and Jeremy! YAY! (Why didn't we take a picture of us for your first night in London?!? Doh! - Oh well, next time...)

A little bit of Richmond! Isn't it so cute?!? 

And last night, much to my friend Samara's delight, I DID wash my clothes in the bathtub upstairs! Yup, just like the picture a few posts ago. However, I was too busy scrubbing away to take a photo of myself, nor would anyone want to see that. It wasn't pretty. But while I was scrubbing, my neighbor came over an invited me to join him and his girlfriend for a drink at their place. So once I wrung out all of my clothes and hung them about my flat, I went over and we had a remarkable time. They are both from Paris and we talked all about Paris and music and movies and everything! I am so happy to have such great neighbors and I foresee us hanging out a bunch in the future.

And today, I reconvened with Aileen and we went frolicking about Knightsbridge and Harrods. It's a shopping MECCA! She was my official tour guide inside Harrods, and trust me you need one, it's friggin' gigantic!

We ate gross donuts. (See below!) Trust us, they look magical but they taste like stale cardboard. So sad.

Look at the ones with glitter, but don't be fooled! Yuck!

We strolled about and walked through the reading room (duh!) and then went to the Toy Kingdom. Holy Harry Potter stuff! I was drooling like a fool! (Dad, I had flashbacks of me bouncing around on my moonshoes almost two decades ago! Feels like yesterday, right?) 

Then Aileen and I went next door to a restaurant called Zia Teresa. We ate yummy yummy pizza and had great conversation! 

What a wonderful day out and about, in spite of the fact that the weather is growing much colder! But that's what shopping is for!

Portobello and New Friend Shenanigans! - Day 15 & 16

Day 15:   

     This morning I began my day rummaging through the mayhem at the world famous "Portobello Market". It was way too freakin' crowded for my liking, but there was a lot of cool stuff. There's a section for antiques, a section for new things, a section for market produce, a section of food stalls. It's pretty expansive. And it's only about a 10 minute walk from my flat, so I have a feeling that I may be frequenting it often to get my produce and goods.

     

       Then I ran to Starbucks for my LAST SHU chat. The connection kept coming in and out, which was giving me heart palpitations and stressing me out to the max! Long story short, I need to get internet in my flat - STAT! No more dilly-daillying!
      Lastly, I was invited to a party this evening by a guy I met at Eric's BBQ last weekend named James. One of his flatmates is moving out and they were hosting a going away party for him and James was kind enough to invite me. In full swing, there were about 20 people and I had so much fun.

Everyone was REALLY wonderful! And let me just tell you that this flat was located on the top floor of a 16 story building and it had the most impressive view of any I've ever seen. The living room was completely windowed all the way around so we had a full panoramic view of London's skyline at night. I'm not kidding, it was breathtaking! And best of all, right by Big Ben there was a crazy display of fireworks that was just the cherry on top. I tried to take pictures of the view, but they came out like crap. Next time I'm there, I'll have to try something else to see if I can capture it.

Ugh, what a pathetic attempt. It does the real thing NO JUSTICE!

I ended up staying until about 1:45 when we all decided to go out dancing at a local club (I can't remember what it's called). Anyway, the bouncers were being total asshats and wouldn't let the guys in so, we were going to go elsewhere, but instead I decided to call it a night. I mean, it was already close to 2:15am. So the guys walked me to the bus stop and waited for me to board and then I think I gave my parents a heart attack when I called them on my walk home from the bus stop to my flat. It was safe-enough, I swear. Had I felt it wasn't I would've grabbed a cab. But the street was well lit and still somewhat populated for it being almost three in the morning. I don't think my parents were amused.

Day 16:


Ugh, I was hurtin' this morning. I didn't even drink that much, but that's what drinking white wine all night'll do to you. Not good. Between my baby hangover and the fact that it's drizzling outside, equalled me staying in bed with my AWESOME book, Lord of Scoundrels, recommended to me by my friend Tricia. It's like crack! I'm obsessed! I can't put it down! Even when I came in last night at 3:00am, I had to read a little before I fell asleep. Yeah, it's that good. The only thing on the docket today is to Face Time with my family for a bit at Starbucks, work on my manuscript and my school work for this week, and maybe find a bar that is playing the Steelers game (fingers crossed). Thankfully, it's a 1:00 game, which is 6:00 here, so maybe, just maybe I'll find it somewhere. Who knows.