another rainy day

It is one of those stereotypical London mornings, certainly the kind of day for which the city is known. It’s perfect for me though because I don’t feel guilty about laying around with a cup of coffee and trying to update this blog of mine. I feel like I should start off by apologizing for never writing, but wasting writing time talking about how I never write seems a little counterproductive and so I will (except for this sentence) avoid it all together.
It seems to be approaching on a month since the last time I wrote and I honestly can’t believe how fast time passes when it really doesn’t seem like I have done that much at all. So much can happen in such a short time and lately I feel like more is happening in the States than is really happening to me over here. My friends are acquiring new cars, new houses, new relationships, and most importantly a new President (ps…the whole world is excited) and it seems to be that a world which appeared to change so little while I was home has some how been sent into overdrive in my absence. I am convinced, though, that even though I see all these changes, when I come home the small world I knew will still be exactly the same as the one I left…after all…how many of those changes I talked about really cause change? I am hoping at least one.
As for my life here, the week of Halloween has really been the most memorable. That week one of Thomas’ friends from Ireland came to stay in the city for an interview he had. We went out on Wednesday and I always find that the best part of going out is finding your way home at the end of the night. The tube stations close around midnight and so if you stay out late you have to either take a taxi which is expensive or find a bus that takes you where you want to go. I knew roughly where we needed to be to catch the bus (Piccadilly Circus) but didn’t know where the stop was because last time I caught that bus it was a little fuzzy (thank you Danniel). It was a little bit of a walk to get from where we were to where we could catch the 14 bus (we ended up catching the 22) and convincing drunk people you know where you are going at 3am can sometimes be rough…but its just like a night out in good old Peoria….except, of course, way cooler. We survived though and it was pretty fabulous! A night out until after 4 in the morning does quickly turn into morning, as you can imagine, and was followed by a day with some fellow Americans. My TGIF friend Sarah, who is studying in the Brighton area, came up with a few of her friends to spend a few days in London. The best part of their visit was Halloween, where Betsy and I dressed in 80s style jazzercise and certainly played the part. Jazzercise on tube platforms, stretching on railings on the street, dancing like ‘a maniac’ on the tube, and generally just being crazy and friendly with strangers…because it is hard not to be everyone’s friend when you are wearing neon pink tights. It was one of those nights where I didn’t drink anything and people still kept asking how much I had had. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not, but I love that side of my personality so I mark it in the ‘win’ column. So overall, the night, and week for that matter, were a huge success and I totally should have written about them sooner! (if you want pics and can’t seem my facebook page let me know!)
Since Halloween I have celebrated Guy Fawkes Day (look it up…it’s a nice history lesson) and watched a good amount of fireworks, which I love. I have also done some school things (is that what I am here for?) and generally had a pretty laid back time. I’ve been researching and planning cool cities to go to and places/things to do with any of my lovely visitors that happen to come along. Nothing too out of this world otherwise, but I will try to keep you updated when the world surprises me and brings me new and exciting adventures…Or on the off chance that I throw an adventure in the face of the world and grab it by both hands. It’s a big world out there…and it will keep spinning no matter where you are or who you are with, so capture it (with a camera, your eyes, your heart, with your words) and embrace it…even on rainy London days, the world is still bright and beautiful!

Cheers
WC