Hello, all you faithful readers! Yes, all five of you . . . My plane ride was accomplished with a decided lack of hijackers, and I got to London and more importantly, through customs, in one piece. WOOHOO! My landlady is quite nice, even if my room is about big enough for me and two very close friends to stand up in. You might be able to shoehorn one more person in there, but then it gets kinky. However, I don't care, because one, I am in LONDON!! and two, even better, my landlady has cable internet which I am allowed to use when the computer is free! Yahoo! I'd pay £75 a week just for that, and sleep in the cupboard under the stairs like Harry.
Speaking of that, I was quite bad yesterday and spent £23 on books--already! I may have to watch my spending. This could get extravagant. And heavy. I had to cart those books around all through the rest of orientation, which was no picnic I assure you.
Nothing particularly special on the agenda today, except to go back to Kingston town center (centre) and walk around, investigating all the neat little shops that they hurried us past yesterday, intent on getting us orientated by hook or by crook. I also have to buy groceries and other necessaries, since I only brought travel sizes with me.
I have pictures, but I don't have my own computer up and running yet (still have to get a plug adapter, and I'm going into withdrawal). Anyway, as soon as that happens, I'll get y'all a picture of my room. I lucked out doubly--they have all their books in there. Bwaha.
Book for today: Princess in Love by Meg Cabot. This is one of the ones I picked up yesterday. In Britain, the title is Third Time Lucky. I've read the first two, which are a real hoot, and this one was just as much fun. After finally getting a boyfriend, Mia realizes in about a nanosecond that it's not the right one. Most people would just dump him and move on, but Mia is . . . well . . . Mia, which means that her life is more complicated and angstified and a hell of a lot funnier than that of the entire cast of "Days of Our Lives".
Thursday, January 30, 2003
Saturday, January 25, 2003
Just a quick note to let y'all know that I'm not dead, just insanely busy. Would you believe that I have not packed one blessed thing in a suitcase? It's all piled on a card table in the family room or on the windowseat in my bedroom. And I leave in three days! I'd better do something 'bout that . . .
Maybe it's this cold snap, but it seems like all I want to do right now is shuffle around in pj's and slippers, forlornly blowing my nose. Alternatively, I want to curl up under mounds and mounds of covers and read good books. That's probably the reason why I don't have anything packed . . . :-p I'm clearing out my room so my parents can redo it while I'm overseas, and when I come back, I'll be home for about two weeks to a month before I move out for good. So I'm actually packing everything as if I'm moving out now. That's probably the reason for the vague depression that's nagging me. I never realized I had so much stuff, and most of it's flaming useless junk. I'm using my brother's room as a depository for all the things I'm getting rid of (don't worry, he's away at college) and the pile is bigger than the stuff I'll be taking with me when I move out. Sigh.
I'm trying hard to think of it as a character exercise (what do I really need in life? I mean really) but it's kind of tough.
Enough meloncholy.
Book for today: For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. This is a tough book to get into--the heroine is not always sympathetic. But when you do understand her, it's like a light coming on in your head: ding! Another interesting thing about it is that all the dialogue in English is rendered in fairly accurate Middle English. Not totally accurate--some of it had to be altered for the sake of clarity--but enough to make it pretty neat. And the Middle Ages mindset is also done very well, too. Try it out on a rainy Saturday.
Maybe it's this cold snap, but it seems like all I want to do right now is shuffle around in pj's and slippers, forlornly blowing my nose. Alternatively, I want to curl up under mounds and mounds of covers and read good books. That's probably the reason why I don't have anything packed . . . :-p I'm clearing out my room so my parents can redo it while I'm overseas, and when I come back, I'll be home for about two weeks to a month before I move out for good. So I'm actually packing everything as if I'm moving out now. That's probably the reason for the vague depression that's nagging me. I never realized I had so much stuff, and most of it's flaming useless junk. I'm using my brother's room as a depository for all the things I'm getting rid of (don't worry, he's away at college) and the pile is bigger than the stuff I'll be taking with me when I move out. Sigh.
I'm trying hard to think of it as a character exercise (what do I really need in life? I mean really) but it's kind of tough.
Enough meloncholy.
Book for today: For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. This is a tough book to get into--the heroine is not always sympathetic. But when you do understand her, it's like a light coming on in your head: ding! Another interesting thing about it is that all the dialogue in English is rendered in fairly accurate Middle English. Not totally accurate--some of it had to be altered for the sake of clarity--but enough to make it pretty neat. And the Middle Ages mindset is also done very well, too. Try it out on a rainy Saturday.
Sunday, January 05, 2003
*happy Snoopy dance* It did, it did!
Thanks for the use of the camera, Andi! That picture down there, btw, was NOT taken by me. I've never even been there . . . yet. But it's a delightful success in the experiment of posting pictures. Golf claps all around.
In other news, I have 22 days until my plane leaves, and things are starting to kick into gear. Have emailed landlady about accomodations, and also have mailed out the paper so they'll meet me at the airport. Phew! On the other hand, I still must buy BritRail pass! Also must convert money . . . and get together all the paperwork that I have to present to customs . . . and back up the entire contents of my computer just in case it gets zapped . . . and visit friends one last time . . . and I suppose I could eke out some time to pack clothing in all of that.
Eating may be possible. Probably not sleeping.
Book for today: Catherine, Called Birdy Karen Cushman. A Newbery Honor book from a few years ago, this is the diary of a fourteen-year-old British girl in 1290 and 1291. This is nobody's fantasy Middle Ages--Catherine writes about hangings, farting, and saint's days in the same entries. She's also absolutely determined not to be sold off to the highest bidder, and she makes sure that the highest bidders won't want her. She is a delight!
Thanks for the use of the camera, Andi! That picture down there, btw, was NOT taken by me. I've never even been there . . . yet. But it's a delightful success in the experiment of posting pictures. Golf claps all around.
In other news, I have 22 days until my plane leaves, and things are starting to kick into gear. Have emailed landlady about accomodations, and also have mailed out the paper so they'll meet me at the airport. Phew! On the other hand, I still must buy BritRail pass! Also must convert money . . . and get together all the paperwork that I have to present to customs . . . and back up the entire contents of my computer just in case it gets zapped . . . and visit friends one last time . . . and I suppose I could eke out some time to pack clothing in all of that.
Eating may be possible. Probably not sleeping.
Book for today: Catherine, Called Birdy Karen Cushman. A Newbery Honor book from a few years ago, this is the diary of a fourteen-year-old British girl in 1290 and 1291. This is nobody's fantasy Middle Ages--Catherine writes about hangings, farting, and saint's days in the same entries. She's also absolutely determined not to be sold off to the highest bidder, and she makes sure that the highest bidders won't want her. She is a delight!
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