Day 10

I swear I am going to try and make an effort to keep this at least relatively updated with stories, random happenings and thoughts. Trying to use this what blogs were originally defined as - online web logs.

So I think I'm on Day 10 here in London and definitely enjoying myself. It's amazing how you can feel at home so quickly in new places, even though you only have some semblance of space, scale and scope of a city.

Today is a perfect example of my typical Sunday here... slept in, showered and then had a scone, tea with milk and a fried egg with two friends here at the hall. I then put my pajamas BACK ON (this is where I love being a student), laid on my bed as the sunlight poured in my room, read a bit about the "reddening of America" in the 1970s and then went to a meet a friend of a friend for drinks.

I showed up at the South Kensington tube stop to meet a friend, realizing on my way over there that I hadn't the faintest clue what he would look like, and wondered if there would be something distinctly American about me. I thought if nothing else, he knew I was from California and I was wearing flip-flops, so I thought that be a clue. And at last resort, Anna and I have dated the same boys before, so I thought I might recognize her type (he would have to be tall, attractive and well-dressed). I found the first of my suspects and proved to be correct.

We walked around the posh areas of South Kensington and he gave me an overview of the Chelsea and South Ken areas (as it is properly referred to). We popped into a few cafes for cafe au laits and pints - and spoke of the relative weather, cultural differences and politics between the different places we've lived.

I wondered back and - probably influenced by the pints - had an enormous craving for fish and chips. They give you the choice of "open" or "closed" - but luckily I had been tipped off by a friend and knew the difference. These pearls of wisdom can be one of the most rewarding things... I never knew asking for something essentially unwrapped (ie: "open") so that you can eat it immediately could feel so gratifying.

And now I'm back - in my room with my favorite British pop band playing on my ITunes, back in my pajamas, blogging and trying to prep myself for a night of reading about the Republican take-over of America...