Time for a real blog update! Last week was the first week of classes, although, because this is still the "shopping period" for classes (registration closes on 17 Oct) the reading assignments remain light and class discussions remain somewhat free-form. Although I did a little bit of class shopping, my schedule is finally fixed and I am really really happy with my choices (so far). I love the teachers, I find the topics fascinating, and the class discussion is enriched by the multitude of perspectives on offer from the students as LSE who hail from around the world.
But overall, this past week was a stressful and frustrating one, as I mentioned in my last post. Despite being in the UK for more than three weeks, I still didn't have a working bank account, I still didn't have a cell phone, my computer chose now to develop a hardware problem - visual hiccups, where the screen just flashed and flickered in a most infuriating and epileptic-seizure-causing way - and of course I got sick. Despite being sick when I arrived in London, I managed to come down with yet another cold Sunday evening. Probably the result of the dorm/communal living situation. I admit, I looked on a bit smugly as one by one my friends here fell victim to colds and coughs but I felt safe and secure having already suffered just a few weeks before. I was wrong. I'm definitely getting better now, but the physical toll was pretty high. Finally, I know I've mentioned this before, but all the walking, as much as I enjoy it, has destroyed my feet. I limp a lot now, and of course it's nothing major, but I've managed to mangle my pinky toe which has the unfortunate tendancy to stiffen up and pain me if I sit still for too long and then try to walk. LA you made me soft! As usual, my response has been to ignore it and hope it just toughens up. This tactic has not worked yet, but no one can say I'm a quitter!
Other big news, Fall has arrived.
Picture caption, my street, I live, not in the building to the left in the picture, but I think one more building past it. Last week I was playing football in 80 degree sunshine, this week the temperature has dropped. But here in London, that just means that at times it is still sunny and warm, other times the wind picks up and drops the temps a good 10 degrees, and other times the clouds hide the sun and it mists, rains, or cools depending (as far as I can tell) on chance. This all happens in one day. I've heard it described time and time again, but the weather in London is not just unpredictable, but varies wildly each day. It's certainly bearable, and at times fun, hats! scarfs! hoodies! But I imagine I will find it getting old quite soon. Finally, as the temperature outside drops, the temps inside heat up. Literally. The shops, the tube, the buses are really really warm. This has the unfortunately effect of exacerbating the feeling of cold once you step back outside. I'm sure once it starts to get "really cold" I'll stop complaining about it though.
Picking up from where I ended last week, I finished my blogging and played football while fasting. I made it through an hour playing 7 on 7. We played shirts and skins. You can guess which team I was on :). You can also guess that I'm still the only girl. This was also the first time we played games straight through instead of 7 minutes and then rotating teams. We finally had enough people and the pitch was free so we had four teams rotating about every 20 minutes instead. This made it a lot more clear that I need to get into better running shape. I did not end up watching NFL that afternoon, although I did put on the website that updated the Saints' score every few seconds while I pondered which classes exactly I was planning to take, when and where they were, and what my schedule for the next day and week would be and whether or not I had any reading. This took hours. I finally settled on the three classes I had always planned to take, full units of International Business I, International Business II and Mergers and Acquisitions, Takeovers and Restructurings in Europe and the US. I also chose a half-unit e-commerce class for Lent Term, because it will fill my writing requirement, which left me with a choice of one half-unit open for this semester. I decided to shop around for this course. I spent some time chatting with my family and Kent and then walked down to Barclays to take out money. This is when I noticed all the cash machines outside Barclays were OUT OF CASH. How is that even possible?! Desperate, I noticed that although the bank was clearly closed, the doors were open for the construction crew that although not in evidence, was surely working on the bank. There were ATMs in the lobby. They appeared to have money. I walzed in and started my transaction. Mid-way through I was interrupted by a "Hey! The bank is closed!" I played the dumb American girl card. "Oh! I didn't realize! I just thought the door was open because all the cash machines outside are out of cash! Can I just finish my transaction and leave?" Permission granted I took my money and hurried out. I finished the evening watching Inception in the new downstairs common room. New, because apparently our building was bought by a Qatari group and they insisted the bar which formally occupied the common room space had to go. So now we have a shiny new room with a foosball table (!) a pool table, and a big screen TV. Unfortunately a few things were a little too new and shiny (or just not well thought through). For example, the lights won't turn off. Except by a motion activated/timer/sensor thing. There apparently is NOT a lightswitch. I can even see the designer selling this feature to the decision-maker. No light switches necessary! Motion sensor on a timer! You don't even have to lift a finger! Blinded by the prospect of such advanced technology the decision-maker leaves us with a theater that can only be viewed under flourescents. Problem 2 was the DVD player/TV connection which made the lighting in the movie all purple. So now you have an artificially darkened movie in an artificially brightened room. Not a good combination. I stayed anyways. I really wanted to watch a movie.
Monday, woke up with a fully realized hacking cough (it had started to develop Sunday night). It was going to be a warm day so I dressed in my Target sleeveless top, the one that zips up the side (this becomes important later) and a skirt. Valerie and I walked to the Natwest on Tottenham Court road for our bank accounts. With everything in order it still took about an hour for us to have the accounts opened. But opened they were! I have a bank account! It has money in it! I have no way to actually access this money though, because it is 7 to 10 business days before the card arrives. I understand the need for "security" but what could be more secure than handing me my bank card, in person, once you just spent an hour verifying my identity? With a couple of hours yet before class started I popped into an O2 shop to discuss phones and phone plans (for which I needed a debit card) and I spent some time in the sun in the park across the street from the New Building on campus where my first class was located. During the class, which I ultimately decided not to take, though the professor seemed interesting, I realized that my zipper had started to upzip itself from the bottom up. After class I made my fatal mistake. I went into the bathroom to fix this annoying zipper issue. I knew I wasn't going to be able to actually fix it. I knew messing with it was only going to end in tragedy. But once I started I literally couldn't stop myself. By the time I was done the zipper was completely destroyed and my shirt was open from armpit to waist. Complete wardrobe malfunction. Luckily I don't know that many people on campus yet. I hung my shoulder bag across my body, akwardly cradled it under my left arm to partially hide the gaping hole in the side of my shirt and walked across campus to the bookstore to buy an LSE hoodie. So that I could wear it in 80 degree heat. Not my finest moment. I retuned to the New Academic Building to see if I could find the room number for my next class, which was being held down the road at King's College of London. I rode up the elevator with an acquaintence who also had a question for the law department. The reception desk was unmanned. But there was a sign pointing us to two different offices if we had questions. I knocked on the first office door. "Come in" we entered. There were two women in the room of four cubicles. The first was to directly to my right. The second was directly in front of us, but at the back of the room with a cubicle wall between us. Neither looked up. No one said anything. We stood there. Silence. Finally I asked my question to the room at large "Oh, hi, um I need the room number for a class at King's College, it's not on the time sheet" No response. No one said anything. "Hello?" Finally, after a few excruciating minutes the woman at the end of the room looked up and was like "Oh, I was reading, to answer that question go talk to so-and-so down the hall" It was the oddest thing. She had told us to come in, then thoroughly ignored us, heard my question but decided not to answer it until she finished what she was reading! Luckily the next office was more responsive and I had a print out of exactly where to go for my next class. I walked home after class ended, glad for the hoodie now that the sun was setting and then once I got home devoted myself to catching up on US TV for the night.I also spent a few minutes on the phone with my mom, coordinating the "security code" Bank of America sent to her cell phone so that I could transfer a large amount of money at once to my Lloyd's account. Mission accomplished, I slept. Kind of. The cough made this more difficult.
Worth it. Also worth the stares on the Tube, and the weird man who ran over to me while I was waiting for the bus yelling "IS THAT A SURFBOARD" and insisted on shaking my hand the entire time we were talking, while he made the "surfing on the Thames" joke and I called him out on being unoriginal. The rest of Wednesday night itself, after such an exhausting and exciting day, was spent quietly.
Thursday I don't have any classes this term, so I spent the day getting things done. What things? So many things. First of all I had to drop off my computer for repair. The LSE IT helpdesk had recommended a place on Tottenham Court road. I decided to walk since the days are still nice and, thinking of you, I decided to take pictures along the way. This is my walk to school (Tottenham Court Road is just a ten minute walk past it). The first super cool thing I see when walking to school is a full size replica of the Golden Hind
Sir Francis Drake's boat. This replica has been sailed around the world but is otherwise permanently docked here, alongside the Thames. Turn left and continue west along the Thames and you pass by
Which is all that is left of
Continuing along the same narrow cobblestoned streets you reach The Clink museum
super spooky music plays out of this doorway at all times. Even when it's not almost Halloween. Then you move out along the river bank and under the Southwark (pronounce Suh-thick) bridge, with this delightful art
with a poem celebrating the Thames in olde english. Back out along the river and you can't help but notice
the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. If you're me, you stop here to do Tashlisch and cast your sins like bread into the water. Where they are immediately eaten by a screaming pack of gulls. I think so long as there is fish in the water it counts though. Then you take a picture of this, the Millennium walking bridge
which I just found out was called the "wobbly bridge" when it first opened in early 2000 and they faced so much criticism over its stability they had to close the bridge for another two years and reinforce it. Frankly, with the wind blowing hard I can still feel it move under my feet, so I shudder to think what it felt like before reinforcements were brought in. The Bridge lands right at the base of the TATE modern on one end
and St. Paul's cathedral on the other
Once you turn and walk up Fleet street, right before LSE, you get to the Royal Courts of Justice. They are HUGE. Like can't even a little bit fit the building into one picture huge.
And that's it! LSE itself. Well part of it anyway.
Normally there isn't a car parked in the middle of the pedestrian parkway.
Anyways, that's how I spent my Thursday, I went walking took lot's of pictures, dropped of my laptop, and walked down Oxford Street, past Selfridges,
the single, largest department store I've ever seen (from the outside, not sure you could pay me to go in there) to Primark. The greatest store I've ever visited in my entire life. It's a crazy, insane SUPER cheap department store. Filled with people and cheap everything. I got pants, leggings, four pairs of flats, one really cute shirt in three different colors and a medium sized purse with a long across-the-body strap for half of my intended shopping budget. It was GLORIOUS. I have nowhere to put the shoes. I don't care. This was the line for the ladies' changing room though
on a Thursday around 2pm. The rest of the day is a blur. Of pure happiness. I believe I bought myself a book for class and spent time at the school library not finding the other books I needed for class, then met up with Valerie and we bought train tickets to Brussels! We are taking the Eurostar to Brussels on Nov. 11 (I think) for a weekend with the European Jewish something something organization for Young Jewish professionals and students in Europe. The group came highly recommended and I really wanted to see Belgium. And I love the train. So this is going to be great. Thursday night, I went out for a walk in the cold with two of my flatmates, Marissa and Sayd, we found a fantastic Moroccan restaurant with a split personality, we spent some quality time in the bakery portion with giant slices of cake and then full of sugar, retired.
My Friday was a big day of not accomplishing things. I tried to go train, but the dojo was closed (apparently had I waited longer I would have made it for the class), my laptop was not repaired, it was that sort of a day. But it was also Erev Yom Kippur. So I made myself a big afternoon meal, waved money over my head to dedicate it to charity and then spent a couple of good soul searching hours in shul. Saturday was the same. I woke up, made my way to shul, davened, repented, chatted with the Chabad Rabbi, listened to a Q&A with the Chief Rabbi Lord Saks of the Marble Arch synagogue and broke my fast on a delicious spread of salads, fruit and desserts. Saturday night was an adventure around town, first with my flatmates, Marissa had found an "alefest" at a bar in west london. We bussed and tubed our way there
Drank some ales, and then met up with some girls from the LLM program and bussed to another bar.
This bar, I have no idea what the name of it was, but it was amazing. Like lots of random 90s rap songs amazing. I was in love. I was also in four inch heels. I walked home on the wet pavement barefoot.
Sunday was magical. It was first of all, my hebrew birthday, and second of all, the day Marissa had booked the two of us for the Muggle tour. That's right, a Harry Potter themed walking tour around London. It was fantastic. The girl leading the tour knew tons of information about the books, the author, the filming, the locations, etc. We also stopped by occasional points of general interest as well. Such as the Monument to the London Fire
And the house used as "12 Grimmauld place" in the movies!
Yes, I'm modeling HP glasses and yes, Marissa is wearing the sorting hat. We also passed by Trafalgar Square
Led by our fearless leader
afterward we got delicious authentic Italian pizza, authentic Italian waiters as well, which is to say, not super service minded. I decided on skipping football for the first time that afternoon, simply to allow my feet to heal a bit more before I go running around on them, instead I napped and blogged briefly, and then went and saw Harry Potter 7 in IMAX 3D on Britain's largest screen, which happens to be about one neighborhood over from where I live! It was as good as everyone said it would be, yes the IMAX did make a huge difference. Also, they plan to start showing the Lion King movie in 3D there this month. I will be there.
Now then, it's late, and I'm tired and if you've read this far, you're tired as well. Until I learn a method of self-editing/censoring these blog posts are just going to be extremely long. Read as much or as little as you like!
Much love,
But overall, this past week was a stressful and frustrating one, as I mentioned in my last post. Despite being in the UK for more than three weeks, I still didn't have a working bank account, I still didn't have a cell phone, my computer chose now to develop a hardware problem - visual hiccups, where the screen just flashed and flickered in a most infuriating and epileptic-seizure-causing way - and of course I got sick. Despite being sick when I arrived in London, I managed to come down with yet another cold Sunday evening. Probably the result of the dorm/communal living situation. I admit, I looked on a bit smugly as one by one my friends here fell victim to colds and coughs but I felt safe and secure having already suffered just a few weeks before. I was wrong. I'm definitely getting better now, but the physical toll was pretty high. Finally, I know I've mentioned this before, but all the walking, as much as I enjoy it, has destroyed my feet. I limp a lot now, and of course it's nothing major, but I've managed to mangle my pinky toe which has the unfortunate tendancy to stiffen up and pain me if I sit still for too long and then try to walk. LA you made me soft! As usual, my response has been to ignore it and hope it just toughens up. This tactic has not worked yet, but no one can say I'm a quitter!
Other big news, Fall has arrived.
Picture caption, my street, I live, not in the building to the left in the picture, but I think one more building past it. Last week I was playing football in 80 degree sunshine, this week the temperature has dropped. But here in London, that just means that at times it is still sunny and warm, other times the wind picks up and drops the temps a good 10 degrees, and other times the clouds hide the sun and it mists, rains, or cools depending (as far as I can tell) on chance. This all happens in one day. I've heard it described time and time again, but the weather in London is not just unpredictable, but varies wildly each day. It's certainly bearable, and at times fun, hats! scarfs! hoodies! But I imagine I will find it getting old quite soon. Finally, as the temperature outside drops, the temps inside heat up. Literally. The shops, the tube, the buses are really really warm. This has the unfortunately effect of exacerbating the feeling of cold once you step back outside. I'm sure once it starts to get "really cold" I'll stop complaining about it though.
Picking up from where I ended last week, I finished my blogging and played football while fasting. I made it through an hour playing 7 on 7. We played shirts and skins. You can guess which team I was on :). You can also guess that I'm still the only girl. This was also the first time we played games straight through instead of 7 minutes and then rotating teams. We finally had enough people and the pitch was free so we had four teams rotating about every 20 minutes instead. This made it a lot more clear that I need to get into better running shape. I did not end up watching NFL that afternoon, although I did put on the website that updated the Saints' score every few seconds while I pondered which classes exactly I was planning to take, when and where they were, and what my schedule for the next day and week would be and whether or not I had any reading. This took hours. I finally settled on the three classes I had always planned to take, full units of International Business I, International Business II and Mergers and Acquisitions, Takeovers and Restructurings in Europe and the US. I also chose a half-unit e-commerce class for Lent Term, because it will fill my writing requirement, which left me with a choice of one half-unit open for this semester. I decided to shop around for this course. I spent some time chatting with my family and Kent and then walked down to Barclays to take out money. This is when I noticed all the cash machines outside Barclays were OUT OF CASH. How is that even possible?! Desperate, I noticed that although the bank was clearly closed, the doors were open for the construction crew that although not in evidence, was surely working on the bank. There were ATMs in the lobby. They appeared to have money. I walzed in and started my transaction. Mid-way through I was interrupted by a "Hey! The bank is closed!" I played the dumb American girl card. "Oh! I didn't realize! I just thought the door was open because all the cash machines outside are out of cash! Can I just finish my transaction and leave?" Permission granted I took my money and hurried out. I finished the evening watching Inception in the new downstairs common room. New, because apparently our building was bought by a Qatari group and they insisted the bar which formally occupied the common room space had to go. So now we have a shiny new room with a foosball table (!) a pool table, and a big screen TV. Unfortunately a few things were a little too new and shiny (or just not well thought through). For example, the lights won't turn off. Except by a motion activated/timer/sensor thing. There apparently is NOT a lightswitch. I can even see the designer selling this feature to the decision-maker. No light switches necessary! Motion sensor on a timer! You don't even have to lift a finger! Blinded by the prospect of such advanced technology the decision-maker leaves us with a theater that can only be viewed under flourescents. Problem 2 was the DVD player/TV connection which made the lighting in the movie all purple. So now you have an artificially darkened movie in an artificially brightened room. Not a good combination. I stayed anyways. I really wanted to watch a movie.
Monday, woke up with a fully realized hacking cough (it had started to develop Sunday night). It was going to be a warm day so I dressed in my Target sleeveless top, the one that zips up the side (this becomes important later) and a skirt. Valerie and I walked to the Natwest on Tottenham Court road for our bank accounts. With everything in order it still took about an hour for us to have the accounts opened. But opened they were! I have a bank account! It has money in it! I have no way to actually access this money though, because it is 7 to 10 business days before the card arrives. I understand the need for "security" but what could be more secure than handing me my bank card, in person, once you just spent an hour verifying my identity? With a couple of hours yet before class started I popped into an O2 shop to discuss phones and phone plans (for which I needed a debit card) and I spent some time in the sun in the park across the street from the New Building on campus where my first class was located. During the class, which I ultimately decided not to take, though the professor seemed interesting, I realized that my zipper had started to upzip itself from the bottom up. After class I made my fatal mistake. I went into the bathroom to fix this annoying zipper issue. I knew I wasn't going to be able to actually fix it. I knew messing with it was only going to end in tragedy. But once I started I literally couldn't stop myself. By the time I was done the zipper was completely destroyed and my shirt was open from armpit to waist. Complete wardrobe malfunction. Luckily I don't know that many people on campus yet. I hung my shoulder bag across my body, akwardly cradled it under my left arm to partially hide the gaping hole in the side of my shirt and walked across campus to the bookstore to buy an LSE hoodie. So that I could wear it in 80 degree heat. Not my finest moment. I retuned to the New Academic Building to see if I could find the room number for my next class, which was being held down the road at King's College of London. I rode up the elevator with an acquaintence who also had a question for the law department. The reception desk was unmanned. But there was a sign pointing us to two different offices if we had questions. I knocked on the first office door. "Come in" we entered. There were two women in the room of four cubicles. The first was to directly to my right. The second was directly in front of us, but at the back of the room with a cubicle wall between us. Neither looked up. No one said anything. We stood there. Silence. Finally I asked my question to the room at large "Oh, hi, um I need the room number for a class at King's College, it's not on the time sheet" No response. No one said anything. "Hello?" Finally, after a few excruciating minutes the woman at the end of the room looked up and was like "Oh, I was reading, to answer that question go talk to so-and-so down the hall" It was the oddest thing. She had told us to come in, then thoroughly ignored us, heard my question but decided not to answer it until she finished what she was reading! Luckily the next office was more responsive and I had a print out of exactly where to go for my next class. I walked home after class ended, glad for the hoodie now that the sun was setting and then once I got home devoted myself to catching up on US TV for the night.I also spent a few minutes on the phone with my mom, coordinating the "security code" Bank of America sent to her cell phone so that I could transfer a large amount of money at once to my Lloyd's account. Mission accomplished, I slept. Kind of. The cough made this more difficult.
Tuesday – woke up on the early side, marched to school, but was still just a few minutes late for my first class. Not as late as the like 6 other people who all not only showed up late, but tried to get into the classroom via the locked door, instead of the one that I had used across the room. I had two hours between classes, so I walked to the Lloyd’s branch down the street to see if they had ever received my debit cards. I was due to receive 3 cards, one for each currency account, but they handed me only the sterling card, and assured me that the information I had was outdated, I should only expect to receive one card, not three like I had been promised. Obviously they were wrong but I didn’t figure that out till much later in the day. No instead I strode off slightly satisfied that my mission had been at least a partial success. I still couldn’t use my card, since the PIN is sent separately and they were not sure which address it had gone to, but I had one. I had a card. I made it to my second class of the day with enough time to spare to use the restroom. The class was on the second floor. Which means third floor in England. Here, it goes, ground, first, second. Once I reached my classroom I noticed the sign that said there was no bathroom in that building due to construction I would have to go back down three flights of stairs and over to the next building to find a restroom. I trudged back down the stairs, over to the next building, took the elevator back up one floor, and followed the signs to the women’s bathroom. Which led me a dead end. I retraced my steps and seeing no women’s room, and running out of time and patience, I ran into the men’s room. Luckily it was empty, for just long enough for me to enter the stall. Then I had company. I waited until the coast was clear before darting back out of the men’s room. Whereupon I noticed the women’s room cleverly hidden in a corner behind a door. I made it to class on time, barely, and then met Valerie afterwards to fix our ability to log-on to LSE's Student Union website, which allows students to join "societies." I've already joined the Jewish and the Israel societies, but wouldn't mind seeking out a few more (there's a wine-tasting one!). My day at school was extended by a group meeting with my faculty advisor. Allegedly this was a group meeting because we "all have similar questions." Wrong. My questions don't sound anything like "If I'm taking x specific class, and y specific class, and z specific class should I take class A or B in addition?" But each person in the group had an opportunity to ask questions just like that while I tried not to roll my eyes too loudly. The night was spent relaxing and vegging out, watching British TV in the common room - the Body Farm to be exact - I may have mentioned this to some people before but I think forensic science is super cool and would totally recommend the book "Deaths Acres" to anyone. Maybe not kids. Everyone else though. Then, as usual, I spent an hour of my night yelling at Lloyd's and Bank of America, who had managed to lose track of $10,000. One claimed the transfer was complete the other that they had never seen any money. It was, if you've been reading my blog lately, the way I've spent many of my nights here.
Wednesday was more of the same. I woke up just late enough that I was going to be late for a class I was shopping for, so I decided I must not really want to take that subject and spent the morning yelling at Lloyd's on the phone again. This went on for an hour, because of course, all the information that I was given when I picked up my one bank card was wrong. I did in fact, need two more bank cards to access my accounts. And although I have the pin numbers for the bank accounts for which I have not received my cards, the pin for the sterling account had not yet reached the Isle of Man though it had been ordered 10 days prior. And so on and so forth. The call ended on a happier note when she lied and told me that my card, pinless though it was, could be swiped and signed for like any credit card. This has yet to work. I keep trying though! The one piece of information she got right bless her heart, is that it would be enough for me to get a cell phone. So after my 2pm class on campus that's just what I did. It took near to an hour, they had to make copies of my school registration statement and passport, write down my bank account details, fingerprint me (just kidding) but I got a cell phone! This was thrilling. Having also recently received my student oyster (like a smarttrip) card in the mail I was able to purchase a deeply discounted monthly travel pass and hop the tube for Southfields. I was on my way to meet Ben from Gumtree.com for my surfboard! I got there early though, so I stopped by the local pub for a couple of quick drinks while the bartender made "surfing on the Thames" jokes. Finally, the time had come to pick up my surfboard. I went to the address. 44 xxxx Lane. It didn't really look like anyone was home, so I knocked quite authoritatively. After a moment I heard a few locks being undone and the door opened "Hi, is Ben home?" "No, I'm sorry, there isn't any Ben here, maybe he lives next door in 44A?" I apologized and let myself out of the tiny front yard. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, and having in my possession a CELL PHONE, I called Ben, "Hi, Ben, do you live in 44A? Yes? Cause I think I'm outside." He was perfectly nice and normal, but when I mentioned that I had first gone to the wrong house he and his girlfriend both were like "yea that happens all the time, our friend came over to watch rugby and just walked right into their living room carrying a six-pack!" Haha. Maybe it's because you GIVE EVERYONE THE WRONG ADDRESS!? It would explain the extraordinary number of locks on her door. But look, look what I have now!
Thursday I don't have any classes this term, so I spent the day getting things done. What things? So many things. First of all I had to drop off my computer for repair. The LSE IT helpdesk had recommended a place on Tottenham Court road. I decided to walk since the days are still nice and, thinking of you, I decided to take pictures along the way. This is my walk to school (Tottenham Court Road is just a ten minute walk past it). The first super cool thing I see when walking to school is a full size replica of the Golden Hind
Continuing along the same narrow cobblestoned streets you reach The Clink museum
with a poem celebrating the Thames in olde english. Back out along the river and you can't help but notice
which I just found out was called the "wobbly bridge" when it first opened in early 2000 and they faced so much criticism over its stability they had to close the bridge for another two years and reinforce it. Frankly, with the wind blowing hard I can still feel it move under my feet, so I shudder to think what it felt like before reinforcements were brought in. The Bridge lands right at the base of the TATE modern on one end
and St. Paul's cathedral on the other
Once you turn and walk up Fleet street, right before LSE, you get to the Royal Courts of Justice. They are HUGE. Like can't even a little bit fit the building into one picture huge.
Anyways, that's how I spent my Thursday, I went walking took lot's of pictures, dropped of my laptop, and walked down Oxford Street, past Selfridges,
My Friday was a big day of not accomplishing things. I tried to go train, but the dojo was closed (apparently had I waited longer I would have made it for the class), my laptop was not repaired, it was that sort of a day. But it was also Erev Yom Kippur. So I made myself a big afternoon meal, waved money over my head to dedicate it to charity and then spent a couple of good soul searching hours in shul. Saturday was the same. I woke up, made my way to shul, davened, repented, chatted with the Chabad Rabbi, listened to a Q&A with the Chief Rabbi Lord Saks of the Marble Arch synagogue and broke my fast on a delicious spread of salads, fruit and desserts. Saturday night was an adventure around town, first with my flatmates, Marissa had found an "alefest" at a bar in west london. We bussed and tubed our way there
And the house used as "12 Grimmauld place" in the movies!
Yes, I'm modeling HP glasses and yes, Marissa is wearing the sorting hat. We also passed by Trafalgar Square
Led by our fearless leader
Now then, it's late, and I'm tired and if you've read this far, you're tired as well. Until I learn a method of self-editing/censoring these blog posts are just going to be extremely long. Read as much or as little as you like!
Much love,
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