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.

Extortion! - Day 14

Two weeks!?! Can you believe it?

First of all, as I wrote "Day 14" in the title, I just realized that today marks me being here for two weeks. I don't know if it feels longer than that or shorter. But it's hard to believe. You know what's funny? Sure, I miss my family and my friends, but I REALLY miss my dogs.
That's not say that I miss them more than

My babies!

the people in my life, but they can't email or talk on the phone. I wish they could, but they can't. That'll be the next trick I'll have to teach'em. I wonder if they're mad at me? I wonder if they are thinking about me? Haha. I'm kidding. They could care less. They like my mom more anyway! But I CARE! I see people walking about with their dogs and I think, Liam and Jackson would love it here. ::Sigh::
I mean, how could you not miss those faces!?

Ok, so about the 'extortion' mentioned in this entry's title. Hold on to your seats for this one: eight dollars to do laundry today! EIGHT DOLLARS for me to do one load of my own laundry! Holy hell, that's crazy! The conclusion I've been forced to make in light of this information is that I may have to be the smelly kid running around London. Either that or I'm going old school and I'm gonna grandma-style wash my laundry in our bathtub upstairs!

Literally Running Around Town - Day 13

      I just wanted to share with you some pictures from my morning run. Instead of heading to the gym today, I needed something in Kensington/High Street (and when I say needed, I mean I was feeding my MAC addiction, as they launched their new line today.) Don't judge me! At least it's not crack!

So I decided to run there and take the long route through Hyde Park, which is BEAUTIFUL! I ran past Kensington Palace and the Diana Memorial fountain and all of this gorgeous scenery that I almost forgot that I was running. (Almost, but not quite.) By the way, do you know how awkward it is to take pictures while you're running. I'm lucky I didn't trip over my own two feet and tumble down the road. I mean, that would be pretty characteristic of something I'd do.

    Now, I'm back in Starbucks working on my school work and drinking coffee like a champ. Yeah, in my Hogwarts t-shirt. Too much?

Maybe I'll have more fun things to report later.

Daily Doin's - Days 11 & 12

Not much to report really, just a few things I guess.

1. I signed up for a gym membership and have been running and swimming everyday, so that’s good.

I’m hoping that it will at least somewhat combat the four tons of bread and cheese that I consume on a daily basis. (It’s just so delicious!) I finished all of my critiques and have been moving full speed ahead on my manuscript. I’m still on the hunt for a wi-fi carrier and that’s annoying the shit out of me. In fact, I missed my last SHU chat and will now have to make it up on Saturday because the chat was at 9pm EST (which is 2am, and there is NO WHERE OPEN at 2am for me to use their wi-fi.) So that ship sailed. Thankfully the makeup chat is at 9am EST, which is a manageable 2pm for me. Much more reasonable. I’ve realized that without internet access (or very limited access), entertainment options dwindle rapidly. I read books on my kindle, have hardcore solo dance parties (no joke), I snack (a lot! – not good), and I write (it’s almost done, it’s almost done). Yeah, that’s about it. What else could I do? I’m just gonna start doing pushups when I have nothing to do and come back to the States super jacked! Like Arnold. Hmm… that’d be nuts.  

2. Speaking of reading, I just finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Total mind F*&K! Whoa. Seriously, it’s totally crazy. PUN INTENDED! Everyone should read it because I need to talk this shit out with someone who’s read it. All I’ll say is: you don’t know if he’s crazy, or she’s crazy, or you’re the one who’s crazy. It’s a little bananas.

3. Oh! Here’s some news. Apparently we have a peeping tom in our building. (See Note, literally.) A couple things about this. At first, it freaked me out. I pictured a guy outside the door of the bathroom (that I was currently using) looking all creepy while doing the “Peepin’ Dance” (that sadly, only my SHU roomies can imagine, but trust me, it’s a creepy peeping dance. I’m sure you can use your imagination.) But then when I pictured the dance, I kinda had to laugh a little bit. And then, I really had to laugh about the note. I mean, I love that this girl took the time to write it out and inform the rest of us what’s up, but you gotta admit, it’s pretty hilarious. Actually, I’m laughing right now as I re-read it. I want to find out who in my building wrote this and be her friend. She sounds like a New Yorker! 

       But when I showered today, I didn’t know whether I should cover the grate in the door with my towel OR put on some music, do a little dance, and put a change bucket outside the door. I mean, gimme a break, I don’t have a job here. A girl’s gotta live!

4. Tonight I met up my friend, Matt, who I went to high school with (over 10 years ago!) who also now lives in London. We were friendly in high school, but we didn’t particularly hang out much back then. But as soon as he heard that I was moving here, he graciously reached out to offer whatever help he could and suggested we get together when I got settled. We grabbed dinner and drinks tonight at Le Mitre, a brasserie not far from where we live. (He lives pretty close to where I live – How ‘bout that?? Small world, eh?) And we had such a great time, reminiscing and talking about London and all that good stuff. It just added another level of comfort to see a friendly familiar face in this city where I thought I’d know no one. I know we’ll be hanging out a bunch while I’m here, which is awesome! YAY!

5. I need a god-damned fan. Seriously. I’m melting to death in my apartment. This is not an exaggeration; I want to cry. I’ve been to like 30 stores and NONE of them carry fans any longer. “Out of season!” they say. BULLSHIT! It’s still friggin’ hot out, which I know is unseasonable for this time of year, but I’m dyin’ here. I've tried to pull a Bill Nye and rig some gadgets together to fashion some sort of cooling device, but who are we kidding, I was a French/English major. I'm not cut out for this Engineering/Science shit! So I just dumped cold water on my head instead. It, temporarily, did the trick, but it is in no way a permanent solution. 

Move In Day - Day 10

     

My new flat in Notting Hill. Squeee!

         
         Yesterday, after not sleeping a wink, I woke up to have breakfast with Pedro and Bhavya for the last time at Hughes-Parry Residence hall, called for a cab, and headed off to my new home in Notting Hill. The cab driver was a little comical. He kept commenting on how he liked that I wouldn't stop smiling, which then transitioned into a conversation about if I was in the market for a husband. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I was being proposed to by a very tiny Indian man who ended up giving me his number. (You know, in case of emergencies, he said.) And now he knows where I live, so you know, that’s not creepy at all. Awesome. No but seriously, he was very nice and I appreciated his flattery. It was another positive point in my already awesome morning.

       Anyway, so we pulled up to my flat and hauled my shit into the foyer and then I nearly had a heart attack dragging my three tons of luggage up the three floors (two flights of stairs per floor.) Oh yeah - I was a wheezing, puffing mess. But once I finally got it upstairs, I unpacked. Everything fit and was put away like it was made to be here. Btw, I realized that I have like 1/4 of ALL of my stuff (the rest is chilling at my parent’s house) and really, I have everything I need. Sometimes we get so consumed with stuff, but most of it’s really not necessary. I mean, it’s nice to have and sometimes makes things more convenient, but other times, the extra stuff is just cumbersome. Anyway, so I’m kinda digging this minimalist lifestyle. It’s more conducive to being nomadic!

       Aside from a ton of school work, I really didn’t do all that much. I went grocery shopping and stocked my cupboards, which is nice. I noticed I’ve been eating way more bread and cheese than I should be. Like, they are my primary sources of sustenance. Not good. But so tasty! I feel like I’m back in France again. That’s pretty much all I ate when I lived there too.

     The only downside of my apartment is that it doesn't have internet. Boo! And one would think it wouldn't be that difficult to procure an internet or wi-fi connection with all of the options out there. But that's where you (and I) would be wrong! It's friggin' expensive and damn near impossible without agreeing to a year contract. Without a contract, you "pay as you go" which offers very little internet for an exorbitant price. I found a deal that they were offering 6GB of data for 70 pounds. But what the hell is 6GB of data?!? I feel like I'll blow through that in a hot minute! So until I figure it all out and find the most economical option, I have been resorting to using the wi-fi at the Starbucks down the block, which isn't so bad because at least it's somewhat social and I'm not holed up in my apartment like a J.D. Salinger-style-recluse. Actually, while at Starbucks to do my school work, I met Pablo who was the barista and who comes from Spain. We apparently are now BFFs. Yeah, it happened fast. It's nice to have a neighborhood where I know the baristas and have "my" table and they know "my" order... it makes the big city a little more quaint. So I guess it's a nice alternative for now until I get my internet up and running, which I hope will be soon, because I NEED MY NETFLIX! I'M GOING BONKERS WITHOUT IT! 

The Sunday Assembly - Day 9

     A Catholic and a Jainist walk into an Atheist "church" meeting.

     You're waiting for the punchline, aren't you? 

     Yeah, well, crazily enough this isn't a joke,
      it was my Sunday morning.

 

The sign says: Welcome to Sunday Assembly London. We will be starting at 11am.
Please take a seat as close to the front as possible and start a conversation with the person next to you.
Yes. This is THAT kind of place. 

      My friend Bhavya, who is from Mumbi, practices Jainism, which "prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings and emphasises spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life". He was the first person I met here in London and he is a student at UCL, where I am currently residing. Yesterday at breakfast we had an incredibly in-depth conversation about religion and philosophy. It was so interesting to hear about his religion and the similarities and differences between the religions we were raised practicing. Now I was raised Catholic. I am no longer a "practicing Catholic" and haven't been for awhile. And though I would consider myself spiritual, I wouldn't say I'm particularly religious. I do believe in some sort of higher being, but I also prescribe to the idea that humans should invest their faith in one another and strive to build strong communities and do good for one another through positivity and charity. OK. So that's my philosophy on that. 

     Bhavya also believes in a variation of God, minus the idol worship. And though his family is incredibly religious and quite strict, he too has wandered a bit away from the way that he was raised and adapted the religion to fit his spiritual need. 

    That being said, neither of us are atheists. However, he invited me to attend The Sunday Assembly this morning, which is an organization that is sweeping the UK, and the world, which focuses on a godless community which comes together and advocates positivity, outreach, and embracing life! We took the tube up to Bethnal Green and made our way to a large assembly hall where we sang, listened to a poetry reading, and heard two speakers who focused the meeting on the importance of teamwork in society. They spoke about how as "animals" we need and crave social interaction and teamwork in order to thrive, but how our cultural conditioning combats this with the desire to "look out for #1." One of the speakers spoke about the psychology of fiances versus the psychology of social interaction. It was truly a fascinating talk and, regardless of your stance on God, the meeting was really worthwhile! And get this, there was a band and a choir and all 300 people were singing their lungs out to Chumbawamba's Tubthumping, Desiree's Gotta Be, and Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. Hilarious and totally awesome. 

     I'm pretty jazzed I went. It was definitely different than anything I've ever been to before and I actually really enjoy their philosophy about community. It was positive and upbeat and a really uplifting way to start my Sunday. 

    Cheers to trying new things!