Thursday 5 April 2007

Hi everyone,
I apologize for how long it's taken me to do another post... but honestly, I haven't had that much to say. Life goes on, you know? I've been doing a bit of traveling within England, I'm continuing to deal with the staffing mess at work (yes, it got worse), I'm dealing with bitchy promoters from LiveNation (yes, I hate them just as much here as I did in the States)... so things have been just rolling along for the past few weeks. But yesterday or the day before when I had a moment to think, I realized I was homesick, finally. Not for family, but more for friends, and the life I had before (as miserable as parts of it were). I've been having a great time here, and it was absolutely the right thing for me to do, but... all of a sudden, I missed the familiarity of what I had before. I missed how I talked to some of my friends (and for how long at a stretch I got to do it)- other than last weekend in London, I don't think I've actually talked to any of them 'real-time'- it's been piddly little emails. I think maybe part of it has to do with moving into my flat this weekend. While I'm hugely excited, I see it as a sense of finality, as much as it is the opening of doors. I'm not 'temporary' anymore. Another part of it has to do with my need to share. I'm happy, finally (and yes, I think i've finally reached that status that's higher than contentment), and I want all the people who saw me at my unhappiest to see me in this environment. Knowing that it will be months or even years before that happens... Makes me wish I could do something about the impossible...

Went to Birmingham the other weekend, which was nice. It was really easy for me to get around, and there was lots of shopping, and a few nice museums- one had a real mummy in it, along with a cat and an ibis! Plus, it was a free museum, like most museums in this country. And this weekend just past, I went to London. If I had to choose which city it was more like, I'd choose Boston over New York. Yes, there were new, modern buildings, but the feel was 'old,' if that makes any sense. I went to the Tower of London, which was a lot of fun, even if it was bloody expensive (nearly $35usd). Took a lot of pictures of the Bridge, and got to see the Crown Jewels. Couldn't take pictures of them, though. But they looked fake!- all of these crowns and scepters had so many gems on them that it was nearly incomprehensible. They could've been paste jewels for all I knew. My favorite piece in the exhibit was the Punchbowl. I'm walking through a room with all of these plates and goblets (all behind glass, of course), when I see a bowl that's probably big enough for someone to sit in, and I say "is that a bathtub?" It was immense. And pure gold. The rest of London that I saw that day was lovely, and I know I'll be going back someday soon, because I didn't get to go to the British Museum or the Tate, or the Portrait Gallery... lots of fun things to think about.

And now I'm off to go look for the best place to buy all the stuff one needs to set up in an unfurnished apartment (hooray for shopping, not hooray for all the money I'll have to spend) :-)