11/2

I know, I know, I have been quite terrible with my blog of late. I am sorry about that. Here is a rundown of what I have been up to of late.

Wednesday 6/2

I had to leave work early to go to a Third Sector meeting, where they discussed some research that was compiled over the last two years. I didn't take away as much from this meeting but I did meet a guy who offered to show me around the city for a little bit. I actually just emailed him back as I am writing this, so I hope to hear from him soon. After, I went to work, and didn't do much, but I did get out right on time to make it to ULU for the game. However, the bus that I needed to take home drove past me, so I took a different bus and miscalculated where I got off, so I ended up walking about 25 minutes, and showing up to the game 20 minutes late (It is easy to tell how late you are in a soccer match because time goes up). But I did get there and it was a really good game between England and Brasil. That was pretty much it. Again, if you want to know more specifically what I am doing at my internship, read the internship notebook.

Thursday 7/2

Thursdays are terrible. First, I had to get up at 8:30 for class at 9:15. It is always so hard to get up for these classes. But I struggled through and made it there on time. We talked about television and how it differs from American television. The biggest difference is that there are fewer commercials, and after 9:00, there are no censors. Some shows I've watched used very coarse language and there was brief nudity, and that was on a channel that everyone gets. After that, Matt and I went to the market because why not. The food was amazing again, we got a pork sandwich with apple chutney and barbecue sauce.

After a brief nap, we went to the British Museum for religion class. We were learning Christianity this week and this coming week, so we looked at old artifacts. The first we saw was a mosaic that was broken and in a glass case. This mosaic is believe to have the oldest picture of Jesus Christ on it. After that, we looked at a bucket, which they are not sure what it truly was used for, but guessed that it was used for the washing of feet ritual. Basically, the Church 1000 years ago thought that Communion was reserved for Easter and the washing of the feet was done at mass. This is all speculation though too. Then we went on and saw some Communion materials. One of the materials was a strainer. What is funny about that was that it was considered a holy relic, but only out of necessity. What I mean is that they didn't have the most sophisticated wine making process back in the 800's, so they used the strainer to make the wine 'purer' (take out the seeds, stems, bugs, and anything else in the wine).

After that, I came home and a bunch of us went to Nando's for dinner. It was nice going out do dinner, and I got me some spicy chicken which was so tasty. We all hung out in the lounge afterwards, talking and having fun. That was about the end of my night.

Friday 8/2

We woke up early (10:00) to go up to Camden Market. We got on the bus, and it stopped literally 50 yards down the road to kick us all off because it was the end of the line. So I complained to TFL, and hopefully I will get my 1.40 back. I did have a doner kebab at the market once we finally got there, so that was completely worth it. I came back and took a quick nap because I didn't feel too well. Then I read a bit and went to the lounge. Around 11, we went and walked around a bit, stopped at ULU to say hi to Brian and grabbed some food. I think I went to bed around 2, so I consider that a successful night!

Saturday 9/2

Saturday was a day to write off. I didn't really do anything until about 2, when I went and walked over to Oxford Street, just for some fresh air. Then it started raining, so I came home. Around 5, we went to Callaghan's to watch Tottenham play. It was actually an exciting match, and someone broke their leg, so that was a little gross to see. Once we got back, a few of us went to the lounge and watched movies. So ends Saturday. Sorry for being disappointing.

Sunday 10/2

I woke up bright and early Sunday to look outside and see that it was completely miserable, so I rolled over and went to sleep. We went to Callaghan's to watch two football games in the afternoon, one of witch was Manchester United. They won. I have also made a friend at Callaghan's. He is an older gentleman who also supports Manchester. I talked to him briefly before leaving. After, Tayler and I went to Sainsbury's to get some groceries. I got a solid amount for the week... and it only cost me 10 pounds. I was very happy with that. We booked our trip to Paris, so that is all final. We will be taking a night bus there and staying two nights in a hostel. But we have the entire hostel room to ourselves. Should be a fantastic time. Then I talked to mom, and she is getting things ready for her visit. I bought tickets for us to go from London to Paris, so pretty much everything is in order except for the living arrangement. I'll deal with that later

Monday 11/2

To make up for being a lazy bum this weekend, I woke up extra early for a day full of exploring. Matt, Tayler and I left at 9:30 and headed towards the East End. We got off at Old Street and meandered through some neighborhoods around Shorditch. Eventually, we stumbled across a small cafe, so we went in to get a coffee. Then we wandered through Spittalfields Market, and realized that it is open Tuesday through Sunday. So we dropped the ball on that. Oh, did I tell you it was still miserable out? But it was snowing and cold instead of raining and cold. So they left to go home, but I was still on the move, so I headed towards the river. I finally went to Tower Bridge (the one that everyone knows), which was right next to the Tower of London. So I crossed that and proceeded up the South Bank, and realized that the South Bank is really cool and I must go back to explore it more in-depth.

Then I crossed over and wound up on Fleet Street. It's exciting because I am beginning to know my way around the streets of London pretty well. So I knew that Fleet Street runs semi-parallel to High Holburn, so I knew it was only about a 15 minute walk home. I was hungry so I wandered into this Irish pub to get some food. I got some Sausage and Mash, which was delicious. I ate it and then talked to the bartender and this other guy. They were both friendly blokes and they educated me a little on British ways (self-depreciating humour, government). The walk home there was quick because I was ready for a nap, which I promptly took when I got home. It was only for an hour, so when I woke, I decided to do homework. Hahaha no I am kidding. I made a quick sandwich and left. I ended up going to a show in the West End. It was called Let It Be and it was based on the music of The Beatles. Somehow, I got extremely lucky, because I only paid 20 Pounds for my ticket... but the ticket was for the fourth row. Like literally, I sat four rows back from the front. Those seats are usually around 75 to 90 Quid, and I paid 20. I was pumped. The show was good to. So now I am going to write up some homework and go to bed, because I must work again tomorrow. Goodnight!

Ps. I didn't bring my camera like at all the past few days. Mainly because I forget my disk in my computer instead of putting it in my camera. My mistake. I will put in pictures soon, once I explore more. Especailly after this weekend in Bath.