bedazzled

Well, now! What did the royal we do with the first half of our week? What’s that? Recover from food poisoning? Marvelous! Just how we wanted to spend it.

I leave for London in what I now call “a week and a half” because that unit of measurement is enticingly vague: seven days plus three to five, I think, because seven plus six that makes it “almost two weeks” and seven plus one or two makes it “just over a week”.

Yes, I think about this stuff. A lot. Someone has to.

But anyway: London! And yay! And reading my guide book and yay.

Last week, a coworker made a comment about an outfit I was wearing, and I tried not to read much into the comment but it was something along the lines of, “Are you wearing a summer dress over layers of other clothing?” And I wasn’t. I was wearing a cute black jumper thing over a pretty turtleneck with neat billowy pants, and I liked it, right up until he said that, and then I felt lame, and then I felt lame for feeling lame, because of all the people I shouldn’t be taking fashion advice from, someone in a sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers is pretty high on that list, right behind Paris Hilton and perhaps Liberace, who might be totally fine with my jumper once he took a Bedazzler to it. So pfeh.

Believe me, I am trying to put new and positive habits in place, like Practice More Empathy and all that, but really I just find myself annoyed that people don’t shut their big flappy faces before talking. In general, and specifically to me. There should be less talking, and no, not more listening, thanks very much, Mr. Inspirational Quote Guide. There should maybe be more eating, or whistling, or just sitting there. Yes, there should be more sitting there. And oops, I just broke one of my other new and positive habits, which is Reduce the Amount of “Should” Statements I Make.

At least I’ve gotten this far without exploding in rainbow shiny hearts and kitten-filled stars over the iPhone.

… … …

dammit!

About Halsted M. Bernard

Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, does stuff with words. Her favourite things to do with words are keeping this diary, writing stories, and organising information. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, two cats, a few gadgets, several fountain pens, and many books.

Posted on 10 Jan 2007 in Diary
  • http://pixiepurls.com pixie

    I hate when at work people say to me “you look tired” it makes me want to smack the f(&*k out of them. Seriously makes me MAD! It’s like yeah okay so your saying I look like s&*^t!!! THANKS!!!

  • zrt

    after months of long conversations with High Normative Levels (“you should”…”you should”…”you should”), kate and i agreed to replace “you should” with “i would like to suggest that you”.

    the reason it works is laziness: it’s much harder to say all that, so one keeps one’s pie hole, to much relief, shut.

  • http://fivecats.livejournal.com fivecats

    Having been away for the past several weeks — in Scotland and London, in fact — here are some unasked for suggestions about your time in London:

    * Buy and Oyster card. This is the pre-paid Underground & Bus card that will get you around most of London (Zones 1 & 2 on the Underground, everywhere on the buses) for around 22 Pounds. It’s well worth the investment.

    * The exchange rate for Dollars to Pounds sux. Seriously. $2 buys you just under £1. This means for every UK price you see you’ll have to double it in your head. Eating out gets expensive fast so consider taking bread, cheese and wine with you on your daily travels.

    * The subway system is incredibly efficient and relatively fast. Buses, however, give you a much better view of the city.

    * I think you’d like Camden Town market area. Well worth checking out.

    * Go to the Victoria and Albert Museum if only to see “Volume,” the exhibit outside in the courtyard. Dusk was my favorite time to see it.

    * Pass through the Glouchester tube station at least once to see the exhibit on the walls.

    * It’s not as cold there as you may have been told it is.

    * You can buy liquor even in convenience stores. Decent stuff, too.

    * If you’re travelling outside of London, consider the rail system. Prices increased on Jan 3, but it’s still a good way to see parts of the country and to travel. (The UK does public transport extremely well)

    * Talk to people. Lots of people. Our best adventures always involved talking with people and getting to know them, even if just a bit.

    * The similarities between London and Manhattan are, in my mind, staggering. I’m convinced that the “real” England exists in the smaller towns away from London.

    * Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

    …

  • http://badgertastic.vox.com/ Brock

    Also, go to Oxford. London sucks donkey. It’s too noisy (marvellous for history) but Oxford is laid back and pretty in a more accessible (and marginally cheaper) way.

    I second the Camden Market thing. Very much so. If you get time, and the chance, a nightime walk down the river (London, that is, so the Thames) from London Bridge (no not that one. The real one) west and back up the other side is great at night. I, when at Uni just north of the Smoke, regularly used to drive down to there at 2 in the morning just to wander up and down the river.

    Lovely, spooky shadows and it looks so lovely without all the damn people and cars and shit.

  • http://badgertastic.vox.com/ Brock

    Ok, I was lying. Go to London. Just go to Oxford too. And Newcastle upon Tyne. And Cambridge. And the Cotswolds (hire a car and just drive through it – awesome).

    Oh, and Cornwall. And pretty much everywhere.

  • http://miceland.com mice

    Please, When you do go, mind the gap.

    And We have a bedazzler we can give you as it was recieved as a white elephant gift years ago.

    Still in the packaging.

    Yah.