List of London

Watch these lists throughout the year. Hopefully the first list will shrink and the second will grow.

Things to see and do:
. Borough Market by London Bridge.
. London Eye.
. St. Paul's Cathedral.
. Inside the Tower of London.
. National Gallery.
. Greenwich Park.
. British Museum.
. A play at the Globe Theatre.
. Covent Garden.

Things seen and done:
. Tower Bridge.
. Houses of Parliament.
. Big Ben.
. Buckingham Palace.
. Trafalgar Square.
. Tate Modern Museum.
. Natural History Museum.
. River Thames.
. Westminster Cathedral.
. Hyde Park.
. Piccadilly Circus.

what I miss.

It's only been two weeks, so this list may change. But currently, this is my miss-list of America.

1. The prices. Things really are cheaper in the States, especially with the exchange rate. Most of anything I deem I need is getting recorded in my "diary" to get when I am in the States for Christmas.

2. Grocery shopping. Seriously, that is one of my errands in my other life. We're eating really well, but it's still not the same as getting things and making preparing yourself. I'll be cooking for our team at least once a fortnight, so that at least will be a fun challenge.

3. My clothes. Deciding what to bring was tough, and I think I did pretty well with my selections, but there have been more than one morning when I've gotten up, planning what to wear and then realized that that particular whatever was left behind.

4. Familiarity. It's a lot harder to do anything when you don't know where anything is.

5. Driving. I don't miss my car per se, because of all the issues I had with it before I left, but I do miss barreling down the highway and the thrill of quickly accelerating.

feeling it

I may be the only one here, and if I am, that's okay. So I may be the only one, but when I am extracted from my normal spheres of people and situations, my self-perception gets a bit of jolt. I don't really have an identity crisis, but rather a crisis of how to explain myself to people.

Can I say truthfully that I am "into music". Can I be into music even if I have a small list of people I like?

Do I need more time to myself or do I not?

How much time do I need to feel comfortable amongst completely new surroundings?

Am I am the only one that feels this way?

In a way, I think humans are always morphing, and I think that it is best. I find the most intolerable people are the ones who are unyielding to change and adaptation. The times can just be trying. Two weeks ago, I only knew one person in the whole of Britain.

Sometimes, it'd be so awesome if I could just write a screenplay that is my life and then just live it. Because sometimes I just want to know how it will all turn out.

Mythopoetic goes to London

Me in front of the Tower Bridge.

If I were a tree

If I were a tree, I imagine myself seeking damp soil. Earlier, I had begun prying up my roots, one at a time, now many of my key veins are above ground. The deepest and the most important ones remained intact.

But I have swiveled around, and have started replanting myself in a different direction. I feel a little faint because of the loss of the nutrients in the ground and a little shaky from being transplanted.

My new view is lovely. I can see exciting new horizons, and I am sure that this is a better position for my roots. At least for a year. But sometimes I wonder how I will do in this strange new place.

A la London.

straight from the UK

It seems a bit surreal, but geography, accents, and landmarks tell me I'm in the UK.

My program began today, kicked off a week long orientation, really. But I'm excited. My team seems like it will be excellent, and I am so excited to be here.

orwell on trees

"I am not suggesting that one can discharge all one's obligations towards society by means of a private re-afforestation scheme. Still, it might not be a bad idea, every time you commit an anti-social act, to make a note of it in your diary, and then, at the appropriate season, push an acorn into the ground."

- George Orwell in Shooting an Elephant



{my brother, Andrew}