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!

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!