even fotter
14/July/2005 10:26 PM

I think the title speaks for itself. While it was actually about the same temperature today, it somehow felt even hotter than yesterday. I don't know if it's the lack of AC around here, or the fact that I'm walking about 10 miles a day, but I really can't take much more of this heat. I hate to say it, but I miss the cloudy, cool days we had about a week ago.

Well, today was my last day of class for the week. I spent the morning running around Bloomsbury trying to find a place to print out my ENG 431A paper. The place I usually go to was late opening up, but I still ended up going there. Our discussion in class today felt a little more fruitful than the one we had on Tuesday. If anything, I felt a lot better about the fact that I'm feeling really confused and overwhelmed by this class, because everyone else pretty much spilled their guts in front of Nieland about what a tough time we're having. He was really understanding though, and did a nice job of holding our hands and going through some of the terms we've been studying in our readings. The nice part too was that he let us out a half our early. Hooray!

I used the extra time in my afternoon to make a run out to Whitechapel Art Gallery (finally!) to see the Back to Black exhibit for my 431A class. On my way to the nearest bus stop headed to Whitechapel, I walked along Tottenham Court Road for a little while at around noon. I had completely forgotten, but that's when the city decided to have it's moment of silence to remember the victim's of last week's attacks. I didn't really know why so many people were out standing on the sidewalks at first, but it sunk in pretty quickly when I saw the busses and cabs stop right before noon to get out and pay their respects. It was very bizarre to watch and listen to a bustling city like London get as quiet as it did today, but I was really glad that I was outside to experience it.

Anyway, the exhibit at Whitechapel was actually really interesting this afternoon. They had paintings, sculptures, and a room where you could see short films that were all from black artists. I sat through a short 20 min documentary while I was there that I think will be good to use for my last paper. It was a little disturbing to watch, but I think it fits in pretty well with our readings for the week. After the film was over I pretty much high-tailed it out of there so I could get back to Bloomsbury in time to meet up with Stefy like we planned.

There was some confusion on my part when I went to find Miss Spiro this afternoon. Our original plan was that I would meet her outside of her classroom building at 2:40, but since I went to Whitechapel, I tried calling her cell phone a couple times telling her that I might be late. Of course, since they lost Stefy's top-up card she got a new number today, which meant that I had the wrong number. So, after about 20-30 minutes of wandering thru our neighborhood, I finally tracked her down -- she was just getting out of her class at 3:00, since her prof went a little over for their session. There was a lot of unnecessary running around on my part, but I was just glad that Stefy and I were finally able to meet up.

We stopped by Russell Square on our way to International Hall so Stef could get some lunch. There was a really cool breeze coming through the park while she ate, so we stayed and talked for a while afterwards. Before leaving for the dorm, we took a peak at the floral offerings that people have left for the victims of last week's bombings inside the park. It was really sad, but very sweet at the same time. Some family members had left photos of the missing and deceased with personal messages from the relatives. I had a hard time even reading some of them. I don't know -- it was just a lot to take in.

The rest of the evening was pretty low key. I hung out with Stef at the dorm for a while, but she eventually had to leave for a Shakespeare play with her English Lit groupies. I decided to hang back at her room though and mooch off the internet for a while, so I didn't actually leave until around 7:00. On my way back to Campbell I stopped and got some groceries, and then headed back for a gourmet dinner: Heinz ravioli. Mmmm. It was all downhill from there. I spent the night reading my ENG 431A essays for next week, hoping that I might get a jump on things. It was a lot to slog through, but I think that I got some good notes taken down, so hopefully I'll be able to crank out my third-to-last paper by the end of the weekend.

Stef and I are going to try and get tickets to see a matinee of Chicago tomorrow afternoon. I don't know if we'll see Brooke Shields poppin' pills after the show, but I'll be sure to alert Tom Cruise if we do. Saturday is looking like our touristy day in central London, and we're also hoping to get tickets to see Guys and Dolls, which I heard is just fantastic. I think this will be a really fun weekend.

Okay, so this was a pretty long post. I'm getting pretty pooped now, so I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

fot
13/July/2005 11:55 PM

This is the new term I coined to describe the temperature in London. You can probably figure it out.
Well, after my whiney post from this morning, things are already looking up. I spoke with Justus before class about everything, and there's nothing but good news really. First, I only have two papers left to write for ENG 431A, not three. Second, it's okay that I can't use anything from Paheli last night for one of those papers, since Nieland said I could use one of the movies we were watching in ENG 332 today. Third, I found out that we'll be getting our final paper assignment for ENG 332 tomorrow. So, that opens up my weekend a bit, and it looks like it should be relatively smooth sailing into next week.

After class this afternoon I went up just up a ways on Tottenham Court Road to meet Stefy at the Virgin Megastore. We were finally able to get cell phones. Not only that, but it looks like it'll be even cheaper than I expected. The phones we picked out were £30, but they included £15 of free airtime (about 70 minutes, give or take). What's cool is that the rate to call home is only 20p/min (about 40 cents), which is still about a third as much as it would cost to use a calling card. Calls between Stefy and I are 15p a minute, but only 5p after the first three minutes. Even better YET is that all of our incoming calls are FREE. So, that means that you can call me anytime you want, and I'd be more than willing to talk with you. Here's the number you need to dial (if I have the international code correct): [int'l # 01144] 79141-89787.

After Stef and I had the mobile phone situation squared away, we grabbed quick bite of lunch at a coffee joint (well, I did anyway). Stef also needed to get some books for her English Lit classes, so we made a few pit stops at nearby bookstores. My girl had been shopping up at a local market this morning though, and had a nice little surprise for me: a really cool zip-up jacket that has "ENGLAND" on the front. I really wanted something like that from this trip, and it fits me perfectly. Now I just wish it would cool down enough for me to wear it!

Well, it was still pretty early in the afternoon by the time Stef and I got back to her dorm. I wanted to get going on my ENG 431A paper that's due tomorrow though, so I sat down at Stef's desk and got crackin' while she took a little siesta. The paper ended up taking me about 3-4 hours, and while I'm not exactly thrilled with the way it turned out, I think it's at least as good as the last one I did. We'll see how it goes though.

Anyway, that was pretty much it for the night. Stef and I just kinda hung around her dorm and were pretty lazy. I know that sounds terrible considering that we're in London, but it was just ridiculously hot and humid today. We were both pretty wiped out by it. Have a good day though. Again, don't hesitate to call me on my new number: [int'l # 01144] 79141-89787

stress city
13/July/2005 08:15 AM

This is going to sound like a whiney post, so I apologize in advance.

Stefy and I went to go see this film that Nieland recommended for class last night, Paheli. It was a Bollywood movie, and we both really enjoyed it. I took some good notes during the film, but in hindsight I think the whole venture might've been for naught.

Basically we have to write three more papers for my ENG 431A class by next Thursday, and two more for my ENG 332 class. I was going to use this film to write a paper for ENG 431A, but after getting back to the dorm and looking at this week's readings, I can find no remote connection between Paheli and what we're talking about in class. So, basically I've wasted two days and accomplished nothing. What really pisses me off is that Nieland told me I could make it to Whitechapel on the tube, which turned out not to be true. He also is the one who said that this Bollywood movie was supposed to somehow match up with our discussions, and it doesn't. So now I'm REALLY under the gun. Five papers in eight days? Even if that's physically possible, how are they supposed to be of any respectable quality? God, I could barely sleep last night because I was so worried about everything. I know it sounds like I'm just being lazy and complaining, but I feel like I'm making a concerted effort to get ahead of the game, but just keep falling behind. Anyway, I think I'm going to talk to Justus about all of this crap before or after class today. It's just a royal P.I.T.A. right now.

So, it looks like my day today is going to be practically identical to the last two: go to class, try to meet up with Stefy to get cell phones (which we still haven't done yet), try to go see a film for 431A, and try to write a paper about it. I pretty much HAVE to write something tonight, since I have to at lest turn one paper in for class tomorrow. At this point I'm just praying that this class stuff doesn't totally ruin my weekend. I mean, part of the whole idea of studying in England was to give students time to get out and see the country. So far, the farthest I've travelled is Soho. It's just not what I expected so far.

Okay, I'm going to try to perk up now. I really need to get some OJ. And some tunes.

Damn! I left my iPod at Stef's dorm. Well it just keeps gettin' better and better doesn't it?

and i'm back to par
11/July/2005 07:31 PM

First, Sunday. Stefy finally got here and it was wonderful. I saw her walking up to International Hall from her walking tour at noon. She was looking so cute in her pink blazer. I missed my girl. We hugged and kissed for about the first twenty minutes we were together. It was nice. Miss Spiro gave me a quick tour of her room, and we dropped some things off on our way to lunch. Both of us were really hungry, so we went around the block to a little Italian restaurant, Ciao Bella. Both of us has wonderful food, and it was really nice to have my first meal at a real bona fide restaurant on the trip.

We came back to the room and hung out for a while afterwards. I managed to figure out that Stef had an internet connection right in her room, so I got her all set up for that (although, in hind sight we've learned that the gestapo hall staff charges for access... those tight wads). Basically Stefy set some things up and we tried to talk with her cousin Olivia for a bit about when we'll get together with her (she's in London for an internship this summer) this weekend.

By the time we worked up an appetite again and set out for food, it was already after 8:00, and finding an place to eat that was still open that late on a Sunday was practically impossible. We knew we were desperate when we gave up and decided to go eat at a Subway. But even THEY were closed! So, hungry, tired, achy, we started heading back to Stef's dorm. That's when we finally found a place that was still open... Ciao Bella! Yep, we ate at the SAME restaurant, two meals in a row. It's a little childish and stupid, but then again, so's high school. Anyway, our food was fantastic... again. And it was great to sit and talk with Stef... AGAIN. I dunno. I guess any meal is nice when you have such great company.

Now, onto today. Things started off great for me. I was in a wonderful mood on my way to class because I found a cute little shop on my way to the BFI, and got a fresh banana and some freshly squeezed OJ for £1.50. It was the first fruit I've had on the whole trip, and man it hit the spot. Things were great in class too. The movie we watched was totally whacked out and wonderful. We saw "Performance", which featured Mick Jagger of all people. I mean, it's VERY 60s, with all sorts of crazy drug sequences, ultra violence, sex, rock and roll... you name it. Of course, half the time my head was spinning, not knowing what I was watching, but it was still cool!

After class everyone headed over to the Pizza Express for our first group meal of the trip. I was a little leery about it because about half of the kids in our group seem really cool, and the other half... I guess I just don't know from atom yet. Okay, some of them annoy me. But it was actually a lot of fun. The pizza was great, and I feel like we had some good conversations going. It was really cool. Afterwards we all went over to the pub, and Nieland bought everyone a round of drinks. Of course, being the big boozer that I am, I didn't get anything, but it was still a lot of fun.

That said, I was also pretty anxious to get going because I was supposed to meet up with Stefy at 3:30 so we could go and get cell phones while we're here. She'd had a much less enjoyable morning. It turns out that her ATM card doesn't work here like her bank said it would, so she had to exchange what little American money she brought. That also put her in a pickle with having to re-pay the man at a cafe who wouldn't accept US currency. Poor girl. I felt so bad for her. I think she definitely got off on the wrong foot with Jolly Old London.

Since Stefy was so hungry at that point, and since she had been out walking with her classmates all morning, she was much too pooped to go out cell phone hunting. So, her and I went to the Russell Square cafe, and I sat with her while she ate. It was actually probably good that I didn't have to go back up to the Virgin store, because it meant that I could get going to my afternoon screening for ENG 431A. Once I parted ways with Stefy for the day (she has something going on with her English group), things went down hill for the rest of the evening.

I tried going to the 'Back to Black' exhibit at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, but there were problems from the start. First, I went to Euston station and the man at the ticketing counter barely spoke English. From talking to him though, he made it sound like I would have no problem getting to a station near the gallery by transferring to a different tube route. When I tried to go through the ticketing gate though, the £83 card I bought last week wouldn't work. Instead of just letting me through, they made me pay for a ticket, and said that I could apply for a refund once they investigated my card error. So, that managed to kill some time. Anyway, I got on a train, but it only took me as far as Moorgate. It was already a close to 5:00 after all the screwing around at Euston, so I knew I was cutting it close for the show since the place closes at 6:00. I talked to one of the tube people when I got off the train, and he said it was a 10 minute walk to Whitechapel from there, and gave me "simple" instructions. Of course, they were wrong (or I screwed up), and it was pushing 6:00 when I decided I was lost and gave up.

So now, after being ahead of the game after Saturday, I'm now back to par. Tonight's basically been a waste, and I have to write two papers in the next three days, one over the weekend, and two more before next Thursday. You can roll your eyes all you want, but it's a LOT of work! I know that the grading standards aren't going to be as tough as they usually would be back at MSU, but it's still getting me a little stressed. I don't know. I was just in a really terrible mood after wasting two hours or more for nothing.

Well, this has been an obscenely long update. I should probably get back to the dorm and at least try to get ahead on my reading for the week. Blah. Anyway, have a nice rest of the day.