Hipsterville

Despite crap health, I ventured out to Spitalfields with flatmate Tom today. I feel like I've been ignoring a treasure for the entire first term, because I've been eating on Brick Lane almost every week while missing the boutique-y and music shops that populate the surrounding streets. Spitalfields, apparently an abbreviation of "Hospital Fields," has hinted at being hipster paradise. I've seen many a young adult in overly tight jeans and baggy cardigans with unkempt, swept aside bangs lingering by the Ten Bells pub. But who knew it was literally an oasis for hipsters? Fair trade coffee, indie music, fixed gear bikes, and the like provide ample feeding ground.

I'm not kidding myself. I'm not super into fashion, but Spitalfields offers things I can enjoy looking at... like unique screen-printed t-shirts and cool sneakers. There's also a skate shop or two. Not only are the items interesting but it seems to be a haven for pleasant aesthetics. I've been following some graphic design blogs lately and I can definitely see a reflection of that in Spitalfields: artists that happen to use t-shirts and totes as canvases. I'll go back sometime when I'm in better health. Doctor tomorrow... again.

Diagnosis

My sinus infection has returned and I want to scream. Showers are no relief, because they're cold. I have 37 British pounds to my name. Friends that are normally fixtures of the internet have not signed on in days. I am extremely frustrated. So... should I ignore that I'm sick and do whatever I want? Walk around with snot blowing in the wind and my roll of toilet paper? Or should I stay in and try to get better, ignoring the disappointing results of round 1?

Holiday post

Happy Christmas, readers. I'm back from spending three days in London suburbia where I spent my Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day. It was a strange luxury to have food at my fingertips, hospitality, and a bathroom which exceeds the size of my little room at Sidney Webb. I played some pool, strummed a Gibson Les Paul, and fiddled around on the most complicated keyboard/synthesizer I've ever touched. The highlight was definitely playing the new Nintendo Wii that my cousins got from Santa. Now, I may be a girl. I may be 20-years-old. But I love playing with new Christmas toys. I think Tom (my flatmate) and I were more excited than my cousins to have the Wii. I know we were.

I'm miraculously still not better from my cold and I feel worse today than yesterday. A bad sign. I'm going to read and listen to Van Morrison in anticipation of the January concert. I'm very much looking forward to the end of the holidays when friends return to email and normal life. I think that's the hardest thing for me here, riding out the lull in communication. Until then...

cough cough

So... it is Tuesday the 18th. I am sick at home. I got sick on Sunday, the 9th. Let's just take a minute to recognize how long this is. [Here is a space for your contemplation.]

I was going to fight this on my own, but my dad reminded me that my body is a weak, weak thing. So I called up my local doctor and faith in social medicine is restored, because I have an appointment for today.

Total cost of illness from skipping work: 252 pounds (not including commission).

I'm bored.

Edit: In a span of 20 minutes, I've gone to the doctor, been seen by the doctor, gone to the pharmacy, AND returned with my prescription. Sweeet.

End of Michaelmas Term

The end of term time has come and it means nothing except friends going on holiday, as they say, and three weeks of no class. Since LSE is less stressful, the break doesn't feel as imperative for rest as it usually does so the transition isn't a hard one to make. This last week, I've caught up on London exploring. I took a sick day from work because of my sinus infection. And instead of staying in bed, I went on a museum adventure.

It's hard to get tickets to the Terra Cotta soldiers exhibit at the British Museum, so Jared and I showed up bright and early at 9:45AM to queue for it. We got in with no problem and I have to say... I have never wanted to desecrate a tomb more than now. Although the Terra Cotta soldiers have been and continue to be excavated, Emperor Qin's tombs remains untouched! It apparently is as big as an Egyptian pyramid (all underground), has rivers of flowing mercury to mimic China's real rivers, and is rigged with booby traps to prevent intruders. Rivers of flowing mercury? I'm sold. We saw the rest of the museum too and proceeded to the National Gallery afterwards. Friday I went to the Tate Modern with Stefan and although I only got to see a little bit, if the gift shop is any indication of what else it has to offer, I think I'll really like it.

On a more serious note, I learned tonight that my dog Zack has been put to sleep due to cancer. I'm fortunate to be unexperienced in the deaths of loved ones, but this is my first. At the risk of sounding overly emotional on a blog (and just about a dog, for non-dog owners), I won't go too much further besides for saying he was a friend and constant companion for a pseudo-only child.

My First London Cold

There's a first time for everything: smoking a cigar, trying absinthe, and catching a cold in London. It's about time, I suppose. Did I mention in the last post that Jared and I calculated our unit alcohol consumption in a week period and discovered I had consumed 19 units? Let's not mislead anyone here... they've been pretty spread out through the week. Just think 2-3 in a day rather than 10 in a night. I know that seems like a lot, but visitors and trips have created an irregular week. Regardless, my body and liver need a little bit of rest.

I called in sick for work today too and slept until 4PM. It was dark when I woke up, but it felt good to rest. Alright. Back to work for the last week of term.

Prague, Praha; tomato, tomahto.

I woke up this morning really resenting that I had to go to work at 8:45AM on a Saturday morning, but the day turned out well and I had a lot of fun with customers and coworkers. I'm pretty exhausted from Prague and having visitors, but I've had a pretty good 3-week stretch leading into this final week of Michaelmas term. I really can't complain.

You can see my Prague pictures here. Without the trip to Prague, I think I would've felt like I hadn't taken advantage of my London location. Dublin was good, but it was a very "safe" place to visit since it's virtually London, Jr.

A few short thoughts about Prague before I head to sleep. Walking around Prague, I couldn't believe I was in the Czech Republic. Before coming to London, I had only been to France and Switzerland (barely) and within the bubble of a high school trip. And now, I was in the Czech Republic?? A place once occupied by Nazis and then Communists? I was almost surprised that Prague could be normal after so much has happened in the past century. I also realized how fortunate I am to be an English-speaker in a world that caters to my language. Looking out the window of the taxi from the airport to our hostel, I started to doubt that getting around would be so easy. But a lot of people in Prague spoke or understand just enough English to communicate or give directions. If I only spoke Spanish, I doubt I would find it so easy to get around, order at restaurants, etc.

Things we saw. Old Town, New Town, Prague Castle, St. Vitus, the astronomical clock, the metronome, etc. I'm a bit too tired to recount everything, but the pictures tell a thousand words, right? The beer was great, dark and tasting like lager. There was also a delicious cinnamon-y drink they poured in shots. Mmm. Mulled wine was even better. In my version of heaven, there will be abundant mulled wine all the time. Also, I realized that I really like horseradish.

This is quite the unintelligent-sounding reflection on Prague but due to my limited knowledge of European history (besides basic WWI and WWII info), my observations will have to settle on simple. Jared, my travel buddy, was a great guy to visit Prague with because I could just turn to him and ask, "Hey Jared, what happened in CZ during WWII?" and he'll give me an abridged wikipedia entry. He also took the lead in navigating, which allowed me to sit back and relax.

Katy's Visit: Pictorial Recap

Katy visited London on the way back from India. It was a hectic time, but we took a trip to Harrod's (and saw everything we can't afford), saw Billy Elliot the Musical, and went ice skating at Somerset House for free! A lady skated right up to us and handed us the tickets! I'm headed to Prague (Praha to the people in the know) in the Czech Repbulic tomorrow morning, so I'll be back Friday. In the meantime... some pictures.

Also, someone in my residence hall has been diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis. I thought I'd throw that in for some flavor to the post. Don't worry. I've been vaccinated.


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