Harry Potter Premiere

Well now that I've done something with my life other than work.. I'm posting.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Premiere. Wow. I'm still cold after two cups of tea and pizza. If I get sick from today I'm shooting someone.

Anyway, let's start at the beginning. For some reason I thought it would be cool to go stand in Leicester Square for like 7 hours. I had nothing better to do today. So stand I did.. in the rain and wind. It rained so hard that it went through my L.L Bean coat. The first time it really rained was around 1pm so for the next 6 hours I was very cold. But I met this very nice woman who goes to a few premieres a year and told me that she stood in the same spot, well a few to the left and met Johnny Depp. That was all the convincing I needed that we were in a great spot. We were about 10 feet away from a group of people who go to every premiere and they always stand where they were tonight. So golden, right? Um not so much. There was a line of barriers in front of Capital Radio, which is usually not there, and they got most of the attention. It was sad.

So Rupert Grint and Emma Watson showed up first. They went to the barriers in front of Capital Radio and I never saw Rupert again. Emma went to the group of people by the ticket booth and I started a chant of "Emma." I got the annoying and very loud group of girls to join me and Emma came over to us and signed their books and pictures. I was very proud of myself. Then Daniel Radcliffe came and he signed a few autographs, but he disappeared. Tom Felton signed autographs for everyone, but my little section. I'm not kidding. We had a chant of "Tom", but this time it didn't work. Then the twins came and they signed everything. They were awesome. Their agent or whoever they were with kept telling them they had to get going and they kept signing. I got a picture with Oliver. YEAH! Love the twins.




Who next? Ginny came next but she didn't come near where I was standing. The guy playing Mr. Lovegood aka Rhys Ifans had a disguise on (I swear to God. It was a hat and sunglasses) and he practically ran to the red carpet. From behind, Umbridge aka Imelda Staunton was mistaken for Susan Boyle, but I said two of Imelda Staunton could be Susan Boyle. SHE'S TINY! I'm not kidding. Jason Issacs was deaf to our screams of Jason or Malfoy as was the guy who plays Kingsley. Julia Waters was there, but she went left when we were all screaming, "No, this way. Right!" So no autograph from her either. Mr. Weasley got out of his car and I was surprised that I recognized him at once that I yelled, "Mr. Weasley!" and he (Mark Williams) came right over to where we were. That was cool. He was so nice. As was Neville, I yelled for him as did the people around me and he came over almost immediately. Not the same luck with Seamus and that broke my heart. I like Mr. No-Eyebrows. Well from the first movie.







The surprise of the evening was when Damien Lewis got out of a car. I nearly died. I loved him in the NBC's show Life and he was also in Band of Brothers. I might have scared him because I yelled Damien Lewis. He turned and waved, but no one really knew who he was. That was sad. He's married to Helen McCrory who plays Malfoy's mother. She signed autographs, but I didn't get a picture of her. My camera died right before I got a shot of Damien Lewis. I was crying by that point. The other surprise of the evening was the arrival of Caesar. Ciaran Hinds is playing Dumbledore's brother in the 7th movie, but I was still surprised to see him. I almost yelled out Caesar and if I could have moved my arms maybe I would have saluted him... maybe a good thing I couldn't move. I was right up against the barrier getting my ribs broken by the people behind me.





So the bad news is no Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and maybe no Remus. A guy looked like Remus, but no one cheered soooo not sure. No Maggie Smith or Michael Gambon. I did see the screenwriter David Heyman and someone asked who it was and I said, "Someone who had a hand in destroying Harry Potter."

J.K. Rowling was the biggest disappointment of the night. She was there, of course, but barely any autographs. Like two. Everyone was chanting, "JK! JK!" and she went right to the red carpet.

Warwick Davis (Flitwick) and his family was there. SO freaking cute. I have no idea how old his children are since they are small, but his son looks like the kid from Stuart Little.

Right before I left, a car pulled up and some random guy got out with his family. Everyone around me was saying, "Who's that? Who's that?" and then someone yelled, "It's Dobby!" For a split second I thought, "What's Coco doing here?" But the guy is the voice of Dobby. I'm not sure how whoever yelled that knew it was Dobby but why not believe him? Ummm am I forgetting anyone else? John Hurt was there and the Burtons. I saw Tim Burton in the car so I yelled that he was here and then Bellatrix got out of the car with her family. Hair was all over the place as usual. She spent some time signing autographs but didn't come our way. Tim Burton disappeared but their children stayed with Helena Bonham Carter. She spent a lot of time signing autographs.

Before everything started, we were talking to one of the cops and as soon as I opened my mouth he knew I wasn't English. I said I was from Boston and he asked if I came here just for the premiere. Anyone want to guess what I said??? Wait for it... I said, "Yeah I got one a plane last night, got here about 5:30am and came right here." He believed me for a few seconds but then I laughed. I realized how crazy it sounded but didn't I go to Manchester, England for wait 3 days last year for the Boosh??? So yeah it's actually believable that I would do that. I blamed the rain on him because he mentioned that the clouds looked like it was going to rain again. I said you have to have faith. But no, it rained. Sarah, the woman next to me was at the last premiere where it was even worse and she said at least there's not wind. All a sudden the wind picked up. LOL.

Some people had great signs like, "Death Eaters are Hot!, "J.K Rowling is my Queen" and my favorite, "Over 'ear George! And you too Fred!" The scariest sign was "Marry me Dan" and a photoshopped wedding picture. That girl needs help.

So I think that's enough. It was fun to go to even though I'm still cold. And now I've been to midnight showings of HP, midnight book parties and a premiere. Yep I'm a geek. Not that I needed this day to prove that one.

It's been a month??

Opps.

Well it's been another exciting month in the world of Courtney. Work, moving, work, friends leaving...work. I'm sitting at Starbucks right now on the Internet because I moved into a flat without Internet. How? I'm not really sure how. I did start shaking when I found out there wasn't Internet.

First of all, I moved into a flat on Berrylands Road which is ohhh down the street from work in one direction and Surbiton train station in the other. Score. I'm still moving in and boy is my room a mess, but soon I will clean. One day. Maybe when I get Internet and can stay in my room for more than 5 minutes without wanting/needing to google something. I have four other room mates (2 English, 1 Polish and one Greek girls) It's like the International House. I like the girls though...well of what I have seen of them. Everyone does their own thing and haven't had more than a 3 minute conversation with really anyone. I've been there less than a week so it's all good. The landlord is a member of the club which is how I found it. Kat, one of my co-workers, send me a text with his number and said that he had a room available. I jumped on it since I was getting sick of looking for a room and finding nothing good. I actually found this one place I liked but it had a live in landlord who was about a week from giving birth. Me in a house with a new born?? HAHAH! I would kill someone since I've become the world's lightest sleeper.

Work has been good. I broke the coffee machine (so proud of myself) and worked three parties in one week. Can you say exhausting?


Really though nothing has been going on in August. Just work and dissertation fun. Basically done with the dissertation which is good since it's due on the 20th. I have a feeling I will be turning it in before then though.

Well maybe September will be more exciting. Who knows?

The rest of July

Wow July is almost gone. And what I have been doing.... working. I've seen everyone a few times, but mostly just working.

About a week ago, I had some fun at work. We had a BBQ for the kids who take tennis lessons every day. They got little medals and stuff and since there's like 100 kids in this program... it was rather busy. The kids were adorable and not the usual ones who I want to kill. The squash kids are the worst. Anyway, so we were cleaning up and I needed more pound coins for the Till. I went to find Paul and I found him outside with Nick bringing in a table from the hard courts. They were being followed by a few kids and everyone was joking with each other. There was tennis balls on the table that Paul and Nick were carrying and a few fell off. Of course, I picked them up as did one or two of the kids... I yelled, "1..2...3," and then threw one at Paul's back. Heheh. The kids followed suit and yes we had a fun throw the ball fight. Some of the kids threw them at me, but hey I used to be a goalie and I played baseball. I caught every ball. Paul got hit a lot as did Nick. A lot of the parents had front row seats of this and when it was over, we just laughed about corrupting their kids.

We then got the kids to throw balls at Mark and Tom, two of the coaches, who were leaving. I got blamed for that one, but it wasn't a big deal. Not long after that, I got to leave and I headed for Sammi's. It was a fun, fun day.

Really though, I've just been working. I saw Nicky not too long ago. She was my tutor in the first semester seminar. She and Chris had a dissertation meeting and he invited her to the pub. He didn't tell her that it was the Mill but we had a good chat. I nearly died when Nicky walked into the Mill. That was a fun day. Chris and I hung out until like 9pm.

Yeah it's been a really quiet month for me. I've been watching baseball, working on my dissertation, and working. FUN, FUN, FUN.

Times in gardens and pubs

So a few pictures from the last few days...




Let me explain this day. World Cup Final. Yesterday (Sunday) we, being me, Sammi, Victoria, Jenny, Ivann, his friend, Rebecca, Tim (Ivan's brother), Sammi's friend, Amanda and Nick all went to the Victoria to watch the game. Ever since Sammi moved to Subriton I think I've been there every day! It's really weird, but I like Surbiton and seeing Sammi is a plus. We hung out in her back garden for a few hours and then went to the pub. I didn't care which team won since I don't bandwagon, but it was 50/50 on Holland and Spain. By the end of the game, most everyone wanted Spain to win since Holland were playing slightly dirty. It must have been the whole Dutch player kicking the Spanish player in the chest. When the Spanish player fell, I laughed and yelled that he should just get up, but then I saw the replay. He probably got a bruise on his chest in the form of a shoe. Poor guy. For football though, it was an okay game, though I still don't understand how the score doesn't get high. It took until like 20 minutes in OT for someone to score...really now? Anyway, Sammi, Rebecca, and I stayed until almost close and then we went home. And so ends the World Cup. It's been a fun month of complaining about how stupid of a sport football is and that the players should submit some of their antics to the Oscars. We have a month before the English football league starts up... how does this country survive???




The back garden. On Friday, Sammi, Victoria, Amanda, Jenny, and I watched movies all day. Since I'm around smokers, we were out on the fire escape for large portions of the day while they destroyed their lungs. The neighbors were not amused and they yelled at us to keep it down. It was 3pm on Friday afternoon. Get a job people. So we decided that on Sunday, we should have a picnic in the back garden. No, we aren't evil at all. So that's part of the group. A lot of pictures were taken. Ivan stole Jenny's camera for good part of the day and I took Sammi's. She couldn't get it to work, but I did. I actually went to the pub with it still in my pocket. Opps. In the back garden is where I met Rebecca, one of Sammi's friends who work at Starbucks. Yes, I'm friendly more Starbucks people. Yes, I feel like I'm cheating on Shorty. I like Rebecca though. We got on well and she's joining us on Thursday when we see the Mystery Jets at New Slang!!!




Just a picture of Jenny and myself at the Victoria.




Me, Sammi, and Rebecca.

Other than the last few days, I spend most of the week either working or writing. I got my story up from 8,000 words to 11,615. WOOHOO! Yes, I am very proud of myself. I meet with Nick on Wednesday to discuss my story.

And I got my results back. I got a 63 in one class and a 67 in the other. YEAH!

P.S.
One more picture of me.



As Sammi would say, "I'm lovely." Lol.

The 4th of July

So the 4th of July. One of my favorite holidays. Watching 1776 (which I watched twice), BBQs and parties. What more can I ever want in life?? I did have a bit of trouble with the 4th... I was supposed to work all weekend. When Paul and I were talking about the schedule for that week I said, "Does the American get the 4th of July since it is my holiday?" And I think he thought I was kidding. He scheduled me to work both days. I got off Sunday, but I had to work Saturday night. Work wasn't bad. I got to watch one of the World Cup games and some of the Cubbies game.

Sunday. BBQ Day. I made potato salad and BOY was it good. I'm eating the rest of it tonight for dinner. It's about 95% perfect. I walked around with the big bowl and eating it. Good times. The BBQ itself was small just me, Amanda, Julie, Sean, Chris, Sammi, Jenny, and for a little bit Audrey. We made so much food and ATE ALL OF IT. Sammi even brought hamburgers so we ate those too. Most everyone stayed until like 1am and we just sat around talking. Chris stayed with Julie and Amanda that night so the next day we went to the Mill and sat around for a little bit. I had to work that night.



It was a good day though. The whole weekend was good.

Other than that, the weekend before the 4th I went to Ely. We watched the England vs Germany game. Oh England. Sooo not a good game. Arthur joked about putting on winter coats they have that have the flag of Germany and then going down to the pub. LOL. It was too hot though. Sophie is sooo freaking cute. I introduced her to ketchup which she LOVED. She licked the ketchup off the piece of chicken and then tried to give me back the chicken for more ketchup. I said no double dipping. She understood me. I did promise to teach her the wonders of double dipping for shrimp. You know, something I don't eat.

So that's the catch up on my life. Have to go to work soon. Germany game on tonight!

The last few days

Hey

So I wrote last a week or two ago, but since then life has been well seasons of NCIS. I use TV shows to think, but I have not done any thinking. My mind is blank. I used NCIS to write my Honor's Thesis last year and yet it is not giving me the inspiration it did last time. Er. I just started the 7th season today. Yes, I know seek help. I'm on it.

The last few days have been the most interesting. Uncle Jim and Oma were in London. I spent Wednesday with them. Of course, Wednesday was the big day... England and US were both playing. We ended up watching most of the England game and then saw the highlights of the US game. I am such a sports addict that I have gone out of my way to watch the World Cup and right now I'm watching Wimbledon. Federer is playing Clement. Working at the tennis club and being friends with Elyse has been me more tolerate about tennis and I can actually sit and watch a game. At the club, Murray is the big deal so his games are never missed.

Speaking of the Club, I am not very popular there right now. I worked the American vs England game and then the England vs Algeria game. I laughed at England. They deserved it though. The club members were so cocky during the England vs US game, but afterwards they said that they were trying to be nice by letting us have a point. THANK YOU SO MUCH. The game against Algeria was soo bad. England couldn't buy a goal nor did they deserve one. Other than that, the club has been good. I helped entertain 40 Americans last weekend and that was just too much fun. Hearing the accents, learning where everyone was fun, insulting NY... the fun just went on. One moof the first Americans I met was born in NY and though lives in Cali I think still likes the Yankees. We had a nice fight about that.

Anyway, to Uncle Jim's visit. It was fun. We went down to a pub near Covent Garden. Why is it that when I'm with someone visiting I can't find a normal pub? The one we went into is owned by Fuller's, but seriously. We didn't order at the bar and service took forever. When I go to the Mill or Wetherspoons my food takes 10 minutes and I pay at the bar. But anyway, we got the watch the game there. After we ate, we went back to the hotel and sat in the bar to watch the second half. I introduced Oma to Pimms. She liked it. It's hard with Pimms because no one can explain what Pimms is. It's lemonade and Pimms. That's all I got and that's all the British know. An American asked Alex what Pimms was and he just said, "Pimms is... Pimms." I like it. It's a nice summer drink.

I ended up though near Trafalgar Square after I left Uncle Jim and Oma. I got some dinner, sat on the steps and ate it and then went to a pub to watch Germany play Ghana. I met some interesting people including an American couple who had been on a tour and ventured out to find dinner. They are from Atlanta I believe and we sat and chatted long after the game ended. I sat with people originally from Germany and talked to two guys, one is a lawyer. From all my time at the club, I can hold my own when talking about the World Cup so that was good. Didn't sound like an idiot. There was an old guy there, he was about 78 and he is now hiking in Scotland. He reminded me so much of Auntie Helen. It was a good time though. Meeting people in pubs is so much fun.



There's a new statue thing in Trafalgar Square as well. It's more Nelson themed than what was there.

And I think that's about it for me. Oh a picture for everyone. Me in a skirt. I went to The Cribs show last night at the Hippodrome and wore a skirt. Yes, it was weird.

Portobello Market

Monday... oh Monday. What a good day. Well other than the fact that I was up at 8:30am after coughing half the night and not being able to sleep because of the hockey game going on. I hoped to fall asleep to the game (which I did) but my brain needed to know the score. I didn't really fall asleep until about 4am.

I was up early because I was meeting Nick in West London for my dissertation meeting. i got there early, got a cup of tea, and was writing when he showed up. Nothing really exiting happened during the meeting, I told him how much I have done, we talked about the self reflective essay, the deadline, summer plans, and that's about it. I'm sending him what I have in a few weeks and by that time I hope to have 10,000 words. I only need 1,400 to get there.

After that though was AWESOME. I walked to Portobello Market which was two seconds away. I walked the market, almost bought a watermelon but decided it would be too messy to eat and I can get one in Kingston, had lunch at a pub, and then the real fun began. I got two cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery... YUMMY. They actually aren't as good as they were last time and much more expensive. But still, they are good. Of course, I had to get a coke after I ate the cupcake so I wouldn't fall asleep. I decided though to go to Kensington Gardens and eat my cupcake there. Good idea. I stopped at a used bookstore first and walked out with four books. Two of them about Rome. Yeah I know, go figure. I got a travel writing book that compares London to the Monopoly board (yeah I couldn't help myself) and a book by Kate Moss (the author not the model). I went to a Masterclass that she gave. The only one I went to. The Rome books I got were two narrative autobiographies (?? is that a term) one about Augustus and the other about Tiberius. I'm 40 pages into the Augustus one and it's Augustus telling the story about his rise to power to his grandchildren. I think. It mentions Lucius and Gaius who were two of his relatives. I did go in looking for used travel books. I swear.

Kensington Gardens was so nice. I sat by the fountain by Lancaster Gate and ate my cupcake. I then went down to the Peter Pan statue and read a little bit. I can't go to that area without stopping to see Peter. It was a little cloudy at this time but still so nice. I was listening to Disney songs, eating a cupcake, reading, and in London. Can you get any better than that???

After that, I did have to go to work, but that was fine. It started down pouring during the Social Tennis so all a sudden I was invaded by the tennis group. The only bad thing that happened at work was I got Subway before heading to the club. I ate a good part of it, but then I had to go and serve someone. When I got back, I picked up my sandwich but there was a spider really close to it. I ended up throwing away the sandwich. Boo.

It was still a good day though and now I'm going to eat that second cupcake.

Eurovision

All right so Eurovision. Oh boy. The Americans introduced our British friends to Thanksgiving so they returned the favor... Eurovision.

Jenny, Sammi, Chris, Matt, Arsenyo, Lindsay, Hudson, and I went to Philippa's flat for Eurovision. She did a very stupid (but fun) thing... we got noise makers. LOL. When we liked a performance, we made it known. It was a fun little party, we started with Pimms and then went on to whatever we brought. Sammi brought home made ice cream, but I didn't have any. No one really did since it was so hard.

Anyway, Eurovision. It's not as much of a talent show as it is a political fun time. You vote for your neighbors and for those who have the most outlandish performance. UK's performance was boring, just a group singing. No fireworks, no colorful costumes... yeah they came in last.

Germany had a bad performance as well and yet they won. The woman's song has sold about a million copies in Germany, but no one in the room liked it. We were yelling at the TV. Iceland's performance was sooo good, but again it's not about talent. Serbia had a man/woman as a singer. Matt and I thought it was a woman, but nooo it wasn't. Sammi was right. Philippa had a great comment, Serbia doesn't know the 80's ended! LOL!. Croatia had a Welch singer so the UK was in it twice. Neither did well.

It such a good night though. Eurovision was a blast and just sooo funny. We stayed at Philippa's a little bit after the show ended just sitting around talking. Good night.

On Sunday, we had a belated birthday party at Amanda's. It was her birthday. We had a Pimm's party. Again, the same crowd was there, just with Tony, Nick and a few of his friends. The weather was nice though it was a little windy so we complained every time the sun went behind the clouds. Happy, happy day.

It was a pretty good and chill weekend. It was good to see Matt and Chris both days since they do live a little far away so they only usually come in for school events. I guess Eurovision was enough of a reason for them to come!

Update

Hey

Yeah so it's been a few days aka weeks since I wrote, but really I've been working on my exams. I did see Robin Hood and Iron Man 2 and had a really fun Lord of the Rings day that well lasted until very late, but mostly I've been working.

Work has been interesting. Though I would like to hurt the club director. He's always around and always feels the need to repeat what I say in a bad Southern accent. It gets rather annoying especially when I'm not in a good mood which has been most of May. It's actually kind of funny because my temper has been on the rise and some people at work think I've lost my temper and yet no I haven't. Things get broken when I completely lose it and it only happens on the ice.

I think exams went well though. A few days before my portfolio was due, I didn't really get to work on it because I was trying to get Zune to work on my new laptop. Yes, I have a new laptop. The old one was bugging me with it's dying USB ports, no DVD player and it's slowness. I fall asleep to TV shows which are on one of my External Hard Drives and with the dying USB ports I would just about be asleep when the Hard Drive would disconnect itself. Very annoying. My new one is pretty. Windows 7, 320 GB, 4GB Ram... me likey. But Zune doesn't work so I don't have an MP3 Player at the moment. AHHHHHH. Which also means I haven't been to the gym. Er. The gym has been my lifesaver this past month. Nothing helps like 20 minutes of the rowing machine.

So yeah, I'm now free of school. I'll be working on the club all summer since I think I'm only allowed to work 20 hours while I finish my story and come fall I'll start looking for full time employment. A lot will change in the fall and I'm looking forward to it.

Alright back to Law and Order CI while I decide if I want to go to my friend's Eurovision party tonight.

The Most Epic Day

Hey

So first of all, 'epic' should be erased from my dictionary. I overused it in ONE day. But the day was really cool! Iron Man 2 and QI. Can you get any better than that? Um. Actually, yeah, but it was a cool day.

Jenny and I saw Iron Man 2 at the IMAX. Britain's largest screen. I think I've seen larger at Disney, but it was still big. A few words about Iron Man 2. I just saw Iron Man, so I'm a recent fan of Tony Stark. Who can't love him? He's sarcastic! Anyone who is sarcastic has me at HELLO. Good movie. The special effects were good and it was one of the best sequels I've seen recently. Jenny was in complete heaven. I recognized the look in her eye, I'm pretty sure I had the same one when I saw Return of the King at midnight.

So after the IMAX, we walked across the bridge to go and find a scarf for Jenny. Miss Malta was cold. Surprise. We ended up in Covent Garden which was fine. We both got scarfs (I got a blue one) and then we headed back across the Thames. London Studios where they film QI is right next to the IMAX so we went to go check it out. It was like 4pm so we figured we could get a quick drink before lining up at 4:30-4:45 which was the recommended time to show up. At 4:09pm, there was already 15 people waiting. We didn't go for that drink. I took a walk back to Waterloo and got a bagel and snacks for both of us. It was slightly cold out, but I read a book and Jenny listened to music so time passed quickly. They kept moving the line every 15 minutes which got slightly annoying since I was comfortable. But hey. So we are waiting in this line and QI gives out too many tickets for each show. That way, the audience is filled and whoever doesn't get in gets premium seats for the next show. It was insane. All these people kept walking by our line and got to go in. I wanted the secret password! Our line had about 40 people in it, probably more since I'm not sure how far it went back.


At 6:45pm though, we started moving and thankfully got in. Jenny was getting worried and plotting how we could convince people we got in even if we didn't. We would just go to the pub for a few hours and make up our dream list of celebrities. No one would remember by the time they show the episode. But no worries, we got in. I had a girly moment as we walked in and saw the set. We both giggled. We were probably 4 rows back in the balcony so a good view of the set. In QI style, they had monitors hanging from the ceiling and they kept giving QI facts.

Now to set something straight, I've been watching QI since I was here last. I had a lot of free time on my hands and I believe I watched it while waiting for Lost to return. So I've been a fan, and of course I adore Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. I know my British comedy shows. So this was quite exciting.

The show began at 7:30pm and first Stephen Fry came out and then he introduced the panelists. Now he gave me a heart attack. He introduced Danny Baker and then started going on about how this next person hasn't been on since the first episode, he's a good friend, and they are so excited to have him back. Being a fan of Blackadder, I started not breathing. I thought he was going to say Hugh Laurie. He said Eddie Izzard. For some reason, I always want to put a L before his last name. I don't know why. Anyway, still exciting. And then the next panelist. BILL BAILEY! I almost fainted. I love Bill... from Nevermind the Buzzcocks to oh wait BLACK BOOKS! AHHH! I'm just jealous that he knows Dylan Moran. Bill Bailey always makes the show even more funny. Of course, Alan Davies was the last panelist. So after introducing everyone, they had a few minutes where they just talked and then Stephen Fry got attacked by one of the make up artists. Hehe. They moved everyone's chair slightly and then started filming.

It went on until 10pm. I'm curious to see the show because they will have to cut so much. Some of the questions were really interesting like how can you cut down the damage done to the environment. Like your carbon footing (how do you decrease that) and the answer is to get rid of your dog. A dog is worth more than a large car. So Bill Bailey thought, well I have four dogs, three cats, a bird, and other animals... what do I have to get rid of to get a speedboat??? He kept going on about it. Alan Davies said that the best way was just to kill everyone. He was reminded that in the question was the word LEGAL. Lol. There was another question about what straw houses and if they are durable, who has the smallest houses in Europe (I'm living in one), which hotel has a star rating of 7 (one in Dubai, but they gave it to themselves), and some other questions which I can't remember. It was so funny though. At the end, they did a few sound checks and they had to repeat a few things, but then it was over.

It was such a great time and I cannot believe Jenny thought to get tickets for it. I didn't really think they would be filming already since one season just ended. The show probably won't be shown until like October though.

So that was my epic day. Now back to papers.

The rest of April...

Hey

So I'm trying to be better about writing, so here we go. After Malta, well I went back to work. The night I got back I got to see Chris, Matt, Amanda, Nick, Sammi, and Victoria. We went out. I didn't even go back to my place first, I just went to Sammi's and we went from there. They were impressed. Kathleen texted me asking if I was ever coming home. I did go home eventfully. It was good to see the though. I feel like my core group of friends is Jenny, Victoria, Chris, and Sammi. Amanda and Matt are basically there too.

The biggest thing that happened was Mike Denton came to visit. Yes, I'm not seeing him, but he lives so far away. Hopefully, he'll move closer. Victoria and Amanda liked him though (SCORE) all is good. We facebook constantly and when I start twitching I'll text him. I need therapy.

Jenny's back too!!! She got stuck in Malta because of the volcano ash. Hahah. Kathleen and MT got stuck in Greece so I had the place to myself for another two days. It was golden. I got to stay up late and watch the Avalanche games, go to bed about 6am and wake up around noon.

I went out with Jenny, Victoria, Amanda, and Nick last night as a welcome home Jenny get together. Victoria and I ended up at Lloyds until they closed just talking about our stories. I have to send her parts of mine.

But basically, nothing really has been going on. I work all the time, but somehow it only adds up to 20 hours a week. I'm heading to work in about an hour even though today is my day off. Er.

Oh there was one thing. We did a quiz night at the club on Saturday and I worked it. I got way too excited during two of the questions. The first one was, "Who hosts the show QI?" I was basically jumping and mouthing, "I'm seeing on May 4! I'm seeing it on May 4!" And the other question was, "What is the national emblem of the United States." Steve let me say the answer. I was very excited. Helen and John brought Archie (their cute little dog. I usually don't like small dogs, but he's cute) so in one of the breaks John came to the bar to get his Stella and I gave him a bowl of water for Archie. I was over at their table and trying to get one of the answer sheets, but Mike was holding onto it. I said, "Second call, sheet please." But I was ignored so Archie barked and that got his attention. Good Archie!

Well quick post, but I should go to start getting ready for work. Need to shower.

Malta- Last two days

So let me continue Malta. Friday was cool. Max drove Jenny and I around since somebody doesn't have a license. I got an offer to drive, but I declined because of the other side of the road thing and I don't know my way around Malta. I'm not sure I could do the whole move to the side of the road to let someone by thing either... I am the most important person when I'm on the road. Everyone should be getting out of my way. Anyway.

A few generalizations about Malta. Do not be insulted Jenny. Everywhere there are small roads barely big enough for a car to drive down, the buildings are tan and made of stone except where it was bombed and replaced with white. The bus system is third world, the bus stops just say BUS STOP and not what buses stop there or when. The buildings, to the average American, need a little cleaning and new Coke signs if sponspored by the company. But I loved it. It was very Meditterean and different from what I'm used to. Like England, it's full of roundabouts, but unlike England has arches in the middle of the road that cars can drive through. When we were on the bus, it went around the arch. Most of the roads are okay though the car did hate us when we were going to the Limestone Place and the road was well worse than the roads leading to the cottage, just not sand.

The Limestone buildings were cool, and said to be older than Stonehedge. They put big dome tents over them and unlike Stonehedge you can get really close to them. They are roped off too, but have walkways built so you can go through them. Jenny said you used to be able to touch them, but no longer. I saw an island/rock off the coast, it reminded me of the island/Azkaban fort thing in Casco Bay. We had lunch in a very pretty town in Malta, but it was soooo windy that I was actually cold.



(Picture of the stones)



(Second building right by the water)

Friday was also the geekiest day I've had in awhile. Max said something, Jenny had a nice retort but was a little crude, so Max replied, "Oh Potter you rotter." But stopped, so in the back, I continued, "Oh what have you done? You're killing off students, you think it's great fun." Heheh. And then later, Max started singing the Hobbit drinking song from Fellowship of the Ring and Jenny and I started singing with her. Yep, three geeks together is a dangerous thing.

That night, we went to a house party. It was a low keyed event, but it was so much fun. I met a kid who was born in Malta, but lived in St. Louis for 10-15 years. We heard some great 80's music, they had VH1 on so good music and weird videos. One of her friends makes jewerely so I ended up buying a pair of earrings that I thought were cute.

After spending an hour or two by the pool on Saturday morning, I went to the airport. Jenny's mom drove me. We had a nice lunch at the airport pub and then went upstairs. Now I'm always worried about getting places on time, but because it was Malta and Jenny flies back to London all the time, I believed them when they said it would take 5 minutes to get to my gate. We get upstairs... wow, it looked more like Heathrow or Boston than Malta. I'm still not sure why. I did online check-in, so all I had to do was give them my bag, but that took 40 minutes and I ended up getting on the plane like 10 minutes before we took off. So when my bag wasn't in London, I can't say I was shocked. But I didn't expect it to take two days to get to me. Poor bag. I also got detained at Heathrow...again. The guy I talked to said he was going to try and have my visa problems removed from my record or I will get stopped every time I fly. YEAH! Doesn't that sound like fun.

So that was Malta. Good times. I'm so glad I went.

Malta

Alright it's Malta time. I wrote a few entries while there, so here's the first one. Written the first night I was there.

Should be sleeping, but thoughts of what I have seen so far are keeping me awake. My first thoughts of Malta: Small. Mix of Greece and Italy. An exotic place full of history.

Jenny's house is quite nice. Looks more like a museum than a house. Outside her window you can see the University and hospital along with the street below that has a wire fence holding in a horse and a deer. Random? A little. The ocean is visible, but you can't smell it. The roads are even smaller than in England as are the cars.

Malta is a cool place in some aspects. Cool from a history point of view that it is still being rebuilt after the Second World War. The Opera House is still in ruins as are a few buildings in Three Cities. Malta is fixing some of the roads though because the Pope is coming next week. Their are signs all over the place announcing his visit.

The first night, we went down to Three Cities. It's by the harbor and a cool part of Malta. Very beautiful. There are churches EVERYWHERE! I heard one for every day of the year, which I actually believe. The old ones have at least two clocks with different times... why you ask? To confuse the devil. Apparently saints have Rolex's. The harbor is full of boats, most of them privately owned and it costs a lot of money to keep your boat there. We went by one beach that was full of foreign students who come to Malta to improve their English. Jenny said that they are all annoying and drinking and partying is code for improving their English. I met Jenny's best friend Max who was IN GLADIATOR!!!!!! She was one of the children sitting on the steps when Lucilla and Commodus ride back into Rome. So have to rewatch that scene and figure out which one is Max.


(Down in Three Cities)

We got dinner and I had pizza (shocker, I know) and then we went to the movies to see Kick Ass. We are a sick culture to laugh at that movie, and yet I did. An 11 year old is killing EVERYONE and it was funny. And for some reason Nicholas Cage was trying to be William Shatner which was hilarious. I met more of Jenny's friends though and I found them pretty cool.

On Thursday, we went to Valletta, which is the capital city. I got to ride on a Malta bus!!! Haha, well I've never ridden one, but it reminded me of an old Southern bus and I thought I'd be seeing Rosa Parks. It was so hot on the bus!!


(Malta bus)

We walked around a little bit, I got postcards to send to Auntie Helen and Grammy and wrote them while sitting in front of the President's House. We went down to the water around St. Elmo's and saw the bell that the British gave to Malta for their help during the War. After that and failing at trying to tan, we went to The Pub. Ollie's Last Pub. Where Oliver Reed died. I sat in his chair! AHHHHHHH! He had a heart attack after multiple bottles of liquid (rum or vodka) and arm wrestling Royal Navy sailors. Hehehe. I signed the book and yes ended it with, "What we do in life echoes in eternity". I had to. Someone else put Strength and Honor.

The pub itself is so cool. It gives a new meaning to the phrase, "Hole in the Wall", because it looked like someone had dug into the stone and set up a bar. The ceiling was jagged and stone like. It was very small maybe six tables and few bar stools. I got served Bulmers from a can. A CAN! I buy cans at Costcutter, but put it in a pint glass and it tastes the same. I was so amused though. On the walls, one side had Oliver Reed pictures and articles from his death and the other side was for the Royal Navy. It is a traditional British pub. There are a lot of regulars and we got to talk to a few.

One guy was from Scotland, from Fife, I believe and he was on the last ship out of Malta when the British left. He's come back and might settle in the area. I have to read up on my Scottish history because we were talking about William Wallace and the other figures from that time and what I learned in Scotland was different from what they were talking about. Ugh. So must do my own research. There was another guy, this one from England, who lived in Canada for awhile and was on the Antarctica Survey Team. That was cool. He was a big guy and he stood up to show me his jacket and nearly fell over. Haha. It was like 4pm. I tried to talk hockey with him, but he just complained about TV timeouts in American sports and how it disrupts the game.

I really enjoyed my time in the pub. Graham was closing early because he's the only one working behind the bar. His wife does help out, but she had an operation so she's recovering. I'm so glad though that Jenny texted him or we would have missed out on the pub. I would have cried.




The weather was okay, warmish but very windy. I had a coat with me at all times.

I'll finish my Malta post tomorrow, I still have Friday and the chaos of going home.

While waiting for the Avs...

Hey, it's about 12:15am and I'm waiting for the Avalanche game to begin. I remember saying in my last post, that 'that was it', but then I remembered that I never talked about Brighton or skating. So here we go.

Brighton was a big deal. Kathleen and I went from Friday late afternoon to Saturday afternoon. We went down to see Jen Montague who was our study abroad advisor when we were last here. She and Amaya were close and since it's been a year since Amaya died, we decided it was time to go see Jen. First of all, she has the cutest flat. Rumor on the streets says that Paul McCartney has a place right by hers, you know just beyond the big gate. But her place is adorable. Her kitchen is between the bedroom and living room and in the hall/kitchen is a picture that Jenna drew Jen before we left. It's a great picture. She has a little garden in the back. It's also right by the water. On the first floor of an apartment building (well of course, since it has a garden) but it's very Jenn. Kathleen and I would move in in a second. We got dinner at some Japanese place and then hit a few pubs. We went to a Finnish pub where I got to talk hockey with one of the guys. Always fun. Of course, we also hung out with this guy who sounds just like Borat. I am not kidding. He had Kathleen in stitches just by saying Hello and it's nice. It was a fun evening out with Jen and a different part of Brighton that I hadn't seen yet.



Saturday was about shopping (of course) and going to the Pier. We went to H&M and I got two shirts. Kathleen and I actually got the same shirt, but in different colors of course. We had breakfast at this little place, I got eggs on toast. Of course, I got the eggs off the toast at once (why would you put eggs on toast???), and Jen made fun of me when I got tea. She said I was becoming too English, but then I added three sugars into it and she decided that no, I was still American. We walked around Brighton, went on a ride on the Pier and tried to go to this Chocolate Cafe, but it was closed for a private party. I was in tears. We did go to a cafe, and I got a piece of cake which put me to sleep about an hour later as soon as I got on the bus. It was a really chill but fun time with Jen. I forgot to mention that when we were waiting for her to pick us up at the bus station, we had been waiting for about 10 minutes when a bus started pulling into the spot next to where our bus was still parked. I told Kathleen that when the bus turned the corner, Jen would be standing there waiting for us. WHO WAS THERE WHEN THE BUS TURNED THE CORNER??? JEN! I acted like I won a car on the Price is Right. It was so funny.



I'm not really going to mention Jager, who died last week, because you know, I'm not completely okay with it. I was at work when it happened and thankfully I was going skating on Sunday so that helped me take my mind off it. On Sunday, Victoria and Jenny went out with me and we did a Jagerbomb. Okay, well Victoria downed her shot before I could put together my Jagerbomb, but still. It was nice. We talked, nursed a pint and enjoyed each other's company.

But to skating was good, I wore my Peter Forsberg jersey and I was the only one wearing a jersey. It was weird. CJ came with me. It felt so good to be on the ice and with my own skates. The rental skates have no support are old and just look uncomfortable. So I was happy to have my skates. I jumped a few times before I got yelled at. CJ tried to moon walk on the ice and jump, but he too got yelled at. Not for the moon walk. At the end of the session, we lingered at the opposite end of the ice from where the doors were and we sprinted. It was a very close race. CJ can skate, he has much longer legs, but I had confidence in my skates and my ability to stop. I sprayed the boards really well. I actually scared a couple earlier in the day when CJ asked if I could stop quickly when I was going at a fast pace. So I skated blue line to blue line and stopped and this couple next to me were slowly skating and apparently I made one of them jump. Hehe. At the end though, a woman asked me if I played hockey and would I be interested in playing in the area. I said yes and we exchanged numbers that she is going to pass on to someone named Alice, but I haven't heard anything back yet. I hope to be able to play, it would be a lot of fun. I really do miss hockey.

Work is going well. I'm really stepping up my work out incase I do start playing hockey. I was HURTING on Tuesday. I did a full workout on Monday and yeah, I couldn't move on Tuesday. I'm better now and I walked to the gym ON MY DAY OFF. I know, be proud.

I'm on break right now from school. Going to Malta soon and hopefully will be meeting up with a friend in a few weeks. Fingers are crossed.

Part 2 of my parent's visit

So onto Tuesday. We started a little bit later because today was the day of the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. We spent the morning at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I wasn't too big of a fan of that museum. It was a little boring and the only good thing was the most haunted bed in England. The biggest thing about Tuesday was Mom finally met Kathleen. Mom's been wanting to meet her since I did. We all meet at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen right by the Tower. I invited Jenny, Montana, and Kathleen to come to the Ceremony. Mom liked Kathleen though which I knew she would. They both like to creep on unsuspecting people in their houses...it's a bond that I will never understand. I hear though that Kathleen and Montana couldn't really understand Dad. I don't understand that since to me he doesn't have an accent, well a Boston one, and hasn't had one for years. Though I still hear it when he says Horse, but that's about it. Sorry Dad.

The Ceremony itself was pretty cool. There was a special party there so it was more crowded than usual, but we still got to see. It lasted about 7 minutes with lots of marching and the yelling of Halt. Apparently, they've been doing this ceremony for 700 years, if I heard correctly. We also got a short tour of the Tower of London, which I've been in before, but I never get tired of the history of the place. It's amazing that's it's still standing and in good shape after 1000 years and the Blitz.

Wednesday was another calm day. I got a new SIM card for my phone since I hate T-Mobile. It would have been easier to rent a car than get Internet on my phone, I swear to God. So now I have O2, and the girls are happy since when we start paying for Internet, it will be cheaper than it was going to be. We have O2 Internet... Anyway, the parents came out to Kingston. They didn't get here until 1pm, and we really didn't do much. We went back to Kings Road since they had the stuff they brought for me, like my skates, and then we walked around Kingston a little bit. Mom cooked dinner for us and Jenny. Yummy. I picked pork. We were on High Street when we saw Judi Dench.

Thursday was Westminster Abbey and the biggest epic fail of my life. But first the Abbey. Again, been there, but still it was nice. So much history in one place. I lost Mom and Dad very early on in the tour, I was doing the audio guide as they were, but Jeremy Irons just talked faster in my guide. Haha. After the Abbey, we got lunch and then MK had to go to Abbey Road. Yipee. It started raining as we got to St. John's Wood and was down pouring by the time we got to Abbey Road. Jenny and I had plans to meet in Leicester Square because of the Alice in Wonderland premiere. Epic fail. We saw nothing. I thought we had a good spot right against the barriers, but all I got for my troubles was the barrier against my rib cage. I heard girls screaming, "It's Johnny! It's Johnny!" and that's it. I didn't see him. Sigh. Jenny had her sister with her, and her sister was tall enough to see Anne Hathaway. I saw nothing. To make up for this, a little bit, I got to see a play. We saw Oliver. It was pretty good. I had Mom next to me singing some of the songs. It wasn't the first time she saw it.





Friday was their last day. Kinda sad, but we spent it in the coolest place. The Tower of London. It was just Mom, Dad, and me. MK went off on her own. We took the tour and then explored on our own. Last time I was there, I didn't go into the Bloody Tower or any tower but the White Tower. So this was cool. The Bloody Tower was cool and I believe it was in there that I met two of the coolest people ever. They were pretending to be from like the 16th century or 17th... I'm not completely sure. They asked where I was from and without realizing who they were, I said Boston, MA. They asked where that was and if it was near Spain. I was a little confused, but when the guy asked if it was near Winchester, I got it. I said yes. We got talking about Arthur and of course I took the position that Arthur was descended from the last Caesar. Yes, I like The Last Legion a little too much. Dad came in at that point and I told him we lived near Winchester. He didn't completely get it either, but we ended up having a cool conversation with them. He thought about them later and realized he could have been really witty with them by saying, he lived in Boston and summered in Plymouth. Which is true and both those are English towns. Haha. If only he thought of it before.




After exhausting the Tower, we went to the Museum of London. I thought Mom would like to see the Lord Mayor's carriage that is brought out in the Coronation of a new King or Queen. So we went to the Museum of London and yeah not there. They are keeping it under wraps while they set up a new exhibition and that is going to be the big head line of it. Thanks Museum of London. But we did explore the Roman stuff, saw one of the shirts Charles I was wearing when his head was detached from his body, one of the death masks of Cromwell, and a small room with stuff about the Great Fire of London. Museum of London is smaller than the British Museum and less crowded. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe after the Museum of London and then I went with them to Camden and back to their hotel.

It was sad to leave them. I enjoyed their visit, though I did like being able to sleep in again and not be in London all day and then go to work. I felt like I was juggling way too much and when I finally got home I just collapsed. Thank God, I didn't even consider going to classes that week. I missed everyone at the pub, but a chance of pace was good for a week. I think they had fun too, though I know Dad was ready to go home. The pace of London was a little too much for him.

Since they have left, I've gotten back in the routine of class and work. I went out with Liz and her friends that following Wednesday and now have been facebooking one of her friends. He's on a mission to research the Avalanche and get me ranting about different topics concerning them. He tried the rivalry between the Dead Wings and Avs, but that really died when Patrick retired. Good try though. I threw a party for Victoria, well I organized a trip to the Mill and then Lloyds. It was fun, especially trying to get Chris to dance. He's so funny.

I'm going to Malta in April! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!! April 7-10!!! Woohoo. And hopefully Thorpe Park around the 17th with Liz and her friends.

And I think that's it. Lol. My life, now up to date.

I know, I know

I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but the amount of time I spend in my house is rather insane. I'm usually not here in the evening since I usually work or have class. Everything is good.

After Superbowl, I was in a really good mood for like two weeks afterwards. Just the thought of Superbowl brought a smile to my life. Not a lot really happened in the time before my parents arrived. I did break it off with Adrian since well (Jenny insert your rant here since I know now you read this) my pros and cons list told me to. I did one at work and it wasn't good. It was fun and now it's over.

To my parents since that is a little more exciting. They arrived on Friday and I met them at Gatwick. That week was the last one where I went to bed every night at 3am and slept until noon. Boo. But I was at Gatwick before them which I was proud of myself for. I'm usually so late when I meet someone at the airport. I held up a little sign that said FEENEY... I know, I'm a fast thinker. So they arrived and we made our way up to their hotel in Camden. I know, Camden. I love Camden with the markets and the food (those donuts are amazing), but I couldn't see my parents in Camden. But then I don't think they ventured into the markets and the chaos that is Camden. We had breakfast in The Elephant Head which Noel an Julian used for Sweet. I was in heaven.

The first day was rather low key mostly because of jet lag. We took the Big Original Bus Tour around London. Good tour but the thing moves so quickly that one second you are by The Eye and the next Tower of London. But that's London traffic for you...it stops for no one. I saw some parts of London that I haven't seen before. It was sweet. It was nice to see le parents. Mom and MK were pretty comfortable here, but Dad was out of his comfort zone. Haha. He said that London was faster than NY or Boston. Not sure about NY, he has never been in NY with Monica. She runs around that city.

On Saturday, we went to Greenwich. I told this to Chris at the pub on Thursday and he started talking about it like I would if I was going to Plymouth Plantation. He didn't mention that he was forced to go there as a child every year, but he said it was a horrible place and dirty. It wasn't much to write home about basically. I did warn Dad about this, but upon getting there I took back my words. Greenwich is so beautiful. I texted Chris and asked why he was so against this beautiful place and he admitted being forced to go there every year when he was in school. Dad wanted to go here because, of course, it's where Zulu time begins. I stood in both the East and the West. Of course, to get up to Royal Observatory we had to climb up a hill that resembled the hill going up to William Wallace memorial. It was worth going up there though. I need to go back and explore more. Our time there was cut short because I had to go to work. They went to the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms and I left London.




Sunday we went to Ely. That was a pain in the butt. They were doing work on the rails from Kings Cross to Cambridge so we had to go Liverpool Street and take the commuter rail to Cambridge (it stopped like 15 times) and then a train to Ely. It took about a half an hour-45 minutes longer than it usually would have. It was good to see Jenn, her Mom, Jager, and Sophie though. Sophie was so cute; she was having lunch when we came in and she just stared at us wondering what was going on and who was in her kitchen. She smiled at me but stared at everyone else. Haha. Jager was so excited to have new friends to play with. We went into the living room and again I had to divide my attention between Sophie and Jager. Jager, of course, had to stay in the hall, but I still threw him his cat and Sophie would come over, demand to be picked up and we would play with Jager together. She also got a few cookies out of me...um. She just gives that look... the, 'you're eating that cookie in front of me and not giving me a single piece of it???' and I caved. We also went out to lunch while Sophie had her nap and then got a tour of Ely. Ely was more of Dad's pace since it was a Sunday and no one was out. We toured the Cathedral as well. It was a nice relaxing day. As a side note, it was the last time I saw Mr. Jager who just died. Poor little guy. He was the best. Sophie has been carrying around her Jager doll since he got sick. Cute but sad.

Monday we went to the Imperial War Museum. I understand where I get my love of death and destruction from. Dad was all over it. I've been to the Imperial War Museum before but just to the Holocaust Exhibition. We spent the morning there and then got lunch nearby. We went to St. Pauls which was awesome. We saw Nelson's tomb, Wellington's tomb, and of course the Cathedral was so beautiful. Time for me was cut short since (again) I had to go to work.

I'm going to end this post on my job. I got one at the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club. I basically serve beer to people who just worked out or played squash/tennis. it's fun. I've met some cool people and I like my co-workers. I always get so distracted when Ed is there because he's a Capitals fan. I guess he was on a cruise like a year ago and met some kids who were from D.C. They talked hockey with him and a hockey fan is born. So he likes the Capitals and we talk hockey all the time. He's silly, he thinks the East is better than the West. Sorry, it's not. In the West, right now the Avs are second in their conference and might not make the playoffs. They are three points from the 8th spot. That's how tight the West is. The East is much easier. My favorite co-worker is Liz who I've been out partying with. Oh she's fun! I've been watching a lot more rugby and football since I started working there and it's cool. I like the time I spend at work.

Part 2 will be coming soon.

So much fun it should be illegal...

Yes, I'm talking about the Superbowl. What a good time. WOW.

So, we have had this problem for a little bit wondering where we were going to watch the Superbowl. There is the American Sports Cafe in London, but after you go there I hear you should just burn your clothes. So Alex, Ben's roommate suggested that we go to King's College where his brother goes to school. His brother, Cal is a wide receiver on the American Football team at King's and their team and the American Society were hosting a Superbowl party. Game on! Hudson, Ben, Arsenyo, and I went into London where we met Alex and then made our way to King's College. Their student union is SWEET! It's in a building right on the Thames, basically opposite the OXO Tower, and on the second floor so you have a nice view. There are leather couches all around, a good bar, and three TVs. We met a few members of the football team, got drinks, and well signed up for a round of Beruit. I ended up playing Hudson... and wait for it... I beat Hudson. Some guy next to me was trying to tell me the rules of Beruit. LIKE I DON'T KNOW! Yeah, Hudson and I didn't completely play by the rules because the first time I got the ball in one of the cups, he shot right away, and that should have been my shot... but we observed all the other rules. It was a good game, I think I missed like 5 times and had two cups remaining when I defeated him.

Not long after Beruit, the game began. Now, I hate the Colts with a passion. Like as much as I hate the Yankees. I was cheering for the Saints which was good since Hudson is from New Orleans. Ben went along with the Saints since he's English and doesn't know anything about the game, and Arsenyo cheers for the Cowboys. Nothing really happened in the first two quarters except that I realized that instead of the commercials three British guys were talking about the game. No commercials. I was very upset.

It was somewhere in the second half that the cheers began. Not sure who started it... but the whole second half we sang, "When the Saints come marching in..." over, and over, and over again. We were singing and the Colts scored...we stopped for about five seconds. As soon as the Colts punted it we were back cheering. Cal and Alex were two of the loudest ones and usually started the next round. I'm not sure how much of the game, I ended up seeing because we were singing so much. And I'm short, so I was half sitting and standing on a stool. If I was standing, I braced myself with my hands on Hudson and Arsenyo's shoulders. I usually had to stand since someone was standing in front of the TV. My yelling, "Down in front," did not work.
When the Saints intercepted Manning... WOW. I think someone got up on the table. The whole place went insane. There were more Saint fans there, or we were being THAT loud. When the game ended, Arsenyo and I dumped beer and cider on Hudson. As payback, or in celebration, he picked me up and twirled. I got beer all over me because his pint was still in his hand. The other guys decided that Hudson had a great idea and did the same thing. I felt so special. Ben ended up on the table as well, and I have many videos of rounds of the Saints song. We ended up taking the night bus home and sang for most of the trip. We were sitting on the top level and were probably hated by everyone.

It was an amazing night. I was talking to Ben and Hudson about it at Spring Grove yesterday and it just brought a smile to all our faces. Ben hasn't been converted to a football fan, but he does like the Superbowl.

So amazing night, good game, and I did watch the commercials later. Commercials were okay...the E*Trade one was the best (of course). I did like the Betty White one as well.

Lazyness at its finest

It's 46 degrees outside and I'm trying to dry my sheets outside...
Yes, I am way too lazy to walk up to the laundromat and go dry my sheets. I'm going to give it another half an hour and then take it to the laundromat. I hope I don't need to, but I feel it might have to happen. Booo.

So Seminar 2 has started. I actually have to do work. Wow. I have Winsome for Lecture and Alexander Masters for Seminar. Winsome's class though is more like a seminar so woohoo two seminars. Alexander Master's is okay, he's a little weird. He took pictures of us with each of us holding a number so he could remember our names and numbers. I thought he was kidding until he pulled out the digital camera. There's about 16 of us in the class and I only know Matt. This should be fun. Winsome's class has seven people in it including Colin Farrell. Yes, that is our name for him (Kathleen, MT, Jenny and myself). He does look a little like Mr. Farrell. Anyway, Chris and Stewart are in that class too. We had to introduce ourselves to the people to the left of us and I had to say hello to Chris. We didn't actually do the introduction exercise, but instead wondered who would be going to the pub later. Then we realized Winsome actually wanted us to tell what we learned so we improvised. Her class was good. We did the character game and I came up with a 45 year old woman from Cork. She's homeless too. I'm still pondering what was going through my head.

Other than class, I got a job. I'm working at the Surbiton Racket and Fitness Club. Yes, people work out and then get a beer. It's great. So I'm a bartender. I work the closing hours mostly. Next week I work Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Thankfully, not this Monday, because it's SUPERBOWL! I believe I will be going to the King's College Student Union with Ben, Hudson, Lindsay, and Alex...maybe others. The party is going on until 5am. WOOHOO. Not that I care about either team (well other than I want Peyton Manning to get sacked on every drive), but it's the Superbowl. I have to watch it.

I really can't think what else has been going on. I woke up this morning to Jenny, Julie, MT, and Kathleen coming back from a 7 mile walk around Richmond Park. I, myself, have been taking some walks through Richmond Park, but not 7 miles. That's insane.

James's birthday party is tonight, so I'm looking forward to that. It's at the Big Guy Palace.

And that note, I should go. I should see what my laundry is doing.

January

I seriously haven't posted since before New Year's Eve? Um. My apologies.

Not that much has been going on. Toby and Holly visited. Holly is Shorty's sister, who is one of my best friends from Maine. Shorty's in California and Holly lives in Germany with Toby, her boyfriend. They had a fun time here, though they complained about the cold 24/7. Holly wore my jacket while we were in the house. I went into London with them on New Year's Eve, but spent most of the day in the Slug and Lettuce with Adrian and his friends. It was like a meeting of the United Nations. Good times all around. Kathleen and Montana were supposed to meet up with us, but they got to the pub too late to get in.

It was so awesome being by the Eye again for the fireworks. Hearing Big Ben chime as the fireworks exploded around the Eye...awwww it was just as cool as last time.

Saturday, I went to Oxford with Toby and Holly. Adrian drove us because he wanted to see his cousins. That was cool. We walked around, didn't go into any of the colleges, but we went into a few used bookstores and into the courtyard of Christ Church College. Holly and Toby enjoyed the cows. They didn't seem that interested in The Eagle and Child pub, which I consider a haven. I love being there, but it didn't seem to matter much to them. We did a little shopping too, which annoyed me a little bit, since I can do that in Kingston. Who goes to Oxford to shop? It's always nice to be in Oxford. I did, however, have to take the bus back, because someone decided that they were going to stay the night at his cousins. He wanted me to meet his cousins and stay too so that the next day we could walk around Oxford. I was a little insulted that he thought I would just leave Toby and Holly at the bus station and say, "HAVE FUN GETTING BACK!" I could never do that to them. Adrian's view was that they speak English so they could find their way back, but I argued that he wanted me to ditch my friends. So yeah, we went back on the Oxford Tube with no entertainment at all. I fell asleep, thankfully, because I don't do well without a MP3 Player or a laptop. He apologized a few times, but I was mad for at least a day.

Um what else is going on? I started working on my finals. I passed one in today and now working on the last three. They all more than halfway done. I turn them in next Wednesday. I don't get up before 11am, so I'll be passing them in on Wednesday afternoon.

Kathleen's friend Bacon is here right now visiting and Sarah arrives on Friday. Gotta love visitors. We went out last night just to a pub for a drink. Good times all around.

so that's basically it. And now, I have to go because I came to my blog to read something from last year.