The Darkness

ooOOOooOooOOooooOOOOoo

Check it. It is 4:16pm and it's dark outside. Not that it was "bright" out today. The sky basically now looks like a melted grey crayon instead of a non-melted one.

Wow, I just stopped writing here, huh?

I promise that one day I will wish I kept this blog more up to date with tales of our travels and life in England. Here's a tidbit from today, and from every day:
When the 29 bus is the first one to arrive at my bus stop in the morning, I will always let it pass and wait for the 253 unless I'm running extremely late. Why is it always filled with crazy tramps??? I'm assuming it's because you can basically get on the bus without paying as it's a bendy bus with entrances towards the back, but TFL is doing away with that system at the end of 2011! Happy new year, indeed! I hope this means I get more upper deck window seats.

Speaking of buses, today I will attempt to make John carry a pumpkin home from Sainsburys after many pints of beer. Pumpkin on the bus! I don't know why this is so amusing, but it is.

Last night, a friend invited us to a somewhat interactive comedy show called Office Party and it was fantastic.

Ye Olde

The night my godson was born, we went to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese to drink Sam Smiths and toast to the new baby. We then hopped on one of London's romantic-looking double decker red buses to head home sometime around midnight. In a last minute decision, I jumped off the bus four stops earlier than we had planned. I'm an adult now, so I waited until the bus pulled away to lean over the nearby ledge and vomit.

EAT MY 20 PENCE!! DOOO IT!!

Oh, Sainsbury's self check-out. We've had some great times so far and you have always been there me during my short stint as an expat. Why, oh why, do you not accept my freaking 20 pence coins?

This is just an example shot from the internet. But do you see the date on those coins? 1982. WHY DOES YOUR MACHINE NOT RECOGNIZE THEM AS BRITISH CURRENCY?! You made me look like a fool when all I wanted to do was buy my yoghurt and honey probiotic "thickie" (it was good. First time trying it.) and some fruit and salad for lunch. I had to get my bag all spread eagle on the scale/scanner part of your machine, which caused it to keep telling me to wait for assistance because I was putting unrecognized items on the scanner. I refused to use my debit card for the remaining 49 pence. You get your life straightened out, immediately, Sainsbury's. I only want to love you.

And just like that... the next day was better.

Today was much better. I had a fine day at work. It was sunny outside. I got to wear corduroys. Dinner was delicious. An amazing book. And John.

Feeling better.

Sunday night bleeehs.

I have a list of good topics to write about, but I don't feel like writing any of them at the moment. I'm feeling very blah this evening. Earlier today, I went for a great walk in the sunshine through Finsbury Park, found a shopping center with some great shops in it on the other side of the park, and than meandered around the park perimeter on my walk back home. I got an amazing new reusable shopping bag (strangely, one of the things I miss the most are my well-worn and stained Trader Joe's bags that I used for everything) with a peacock on it that says "I am naturally handsome." I'm not really sure why it says that, but who can argue? 


Most days, I feel generally good. I've been having anxiety when I sleep. I wake up with an anxious stir most mornings, and it is not pleasant. I know it just takes time. I know this. But today is just really making me wish I were in Philly in pajamas on a familiar couch. Though, I often got blah on Sunday nights in Philly, too, so maybe I should just shut up and get over it already. I will feel better tomorrow? I will feel better tomorrow. 


In the meantime, LET'S GO PHILLIES! LET'S GO EAGLES! 


Roots. 

Packed!

I'm all packed, and our visas are both approved. Just waiting for John's to arrive, hopefully tomorrow. At this point, we plan to fly out on Tuesday night. Then we have three days and the weekend to extensively flat-hunt, and then I start work on Monday! Insane. I hope I don't suck at my new job. 


We're currently watching our last bits of Sunday Night Football. From now on, the night games will start around 1am our time. McNabb looks weird in a Redskins uniform. 


I'm nervous about finding a place, but have resigned myself to heading to my first day of work directly from the hostel. That will be...subversive? Disgusting? Will report back from the other side. 


It has been amazing spending time with the people we love over the past couple of weeks. It has totally affirmed that we are surrounded by so much love and support and, really, that we have amazing taste in good people and have been fortunate enough to trick them into spending time with us. I'm really starting to get sentimental about missing everyone. I don't think it will fully hit me until I arrive in the UK. The internet makes things easier, no doubt. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in denial until everything that needs to be done is done. "No tears 'til London" is the new "no sleep 'til Brooklyn."


My debit card and cheque book arrived. My PIN and account info is following it in the mail. That's annoying. I hope the account will be good enough for my company to pay me, because the fake money mentality we're employing to make it through the next month cannot go on indefinitely. 


Dallas just lost to the Redskins! That feels great.