Thursday, December 14, 2006

Departure

I cannot believe I'm leaving London in three days. I'll have to come back someday; I didn't get to do half of the things I wanted to. Stupid uni ... I've grown pretty fond of the area, though, and I know there are things that I'll miss. Here's some of them:

*English accents. So this one's obvious. I've just gotten used to them, and now I notice American accents as much as or more than I do English. Hearing all the different dialects of English is fun, too. I never did figure out which accent comes from where, but they're all lovely.

*Sainsbury's. The grocery store I've done almost all of my shopping at. It is a true grocery store, along the lines of Richards' Brothers at home in MG, but bigger. It's a national chain, and uses Jamie Oliver for their commercials. (Okay, that might have something to do with why I like it ...) They have a pretty sizable organic section, and a lovely bakery and deli. They also sell 25p bars of dark chocolate. Mmmm.

*Strictly Come Dancing and QI. British TV. Who'd have thought I'd get so attached? I certainly didn't. But I've gotten completely addicted to Strictly, and am absolutely crushed that I don't get to watch the finals. As for QI, well, Stephen Fry's the host. How much more do I need to say? The questions that come up are often odd, and the panel just seems to have so much fun.

*The tube. Convenience in a tunnel. Sure, there are problems, and you can't use your mobile while you're on it, but overall it's so much easier than driving. I can just hop on and be in central London in 20 minutes or so. It's marvelous.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Because you know you love the Beatles ...






The coolest thing about Abbey Road Studios is that they've given permission for fans to write graffitti on the walls around the building. Unfortunately, they had just painted before I visited, so I didn't get to shoot any really interesting comments.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Global warming strikes again!

I never thought I'd hear anyone say this, but here it is: A tornado came through London yesterday. It wasn't near the area I live in, but my area did get torrential rain when it happened. Ironically enough, when I saw the rain out of the classroom window, I said, "It's like being at home." (When it rains it Missouri, it usually pours.) I didn't expect the weather to be similar enough for a tornado, though. Crazy.

A few pictures ...




... from my brand new digital camera! It was the best early Christmas present I could have imagined. I'm excited about learning to use it properly. These pictures are just a few test shots, but I thought you might like to see a little bit of my surroundings.

adopt your own virtual pet!