london, london - part 1

i have come to school over an hour early so i can get some ramblings off my chest. hopefully i will have time to get this up...

so i feel an update is due. last thur, i spilled champagne on my computer after my yoga instructor was over. i immediately turned off the computer and flipped it upside down to let it dry out. upon the suggestion of my friend, bobby, i decided not to use it until i came back from london.

i had a flight friday night for london. friday, during the day, i was soooo incredibly bored that even walking around was boring me. my flight wasnt until 10pm, although at the time i thought it was at 9. i got up and packed, did some cleaning, ran errands, and went to school to use the computer. i was meant to meet my italian friend, luisa, but it turns out she didn't have any mobile phone credit and i didn't have internet access, so we weren't able to meet.

anyway, after i went shopping i went back to my apartment and bummed around. when i was younger, i used to have a list of "things to do when bored." i could've used that list on friday, but at the time, i didn't think to make one (which would have decreased my boredom, certainly).

anyway, not wanting to be late for my flight, and having nothing else to do, i left for the airport around 6pm. i had never been to this airport (shonefeld) and so i was worried i might go the wrong way on the train or something. i got to the airport before 7 and went to check in. i was flying the dreaded ryanair and there was this massive line in front of these screens for some city i had never heard of. since it was the only line, i join it. after about an hour waiting in line, i get to the front only to be told that 1) you can only check in for your flight at the counter with your destination on the screen and 2) check-in opens 2 hours before the flight leaves. its at this point when i look at my calendar and see that my flight is at 21:55 - stupid military time got me again! luckily, i had waited so long, london opened shortly after that.

anyway, my flight to london was delayed and i landed almost 45 min late (nearly midnight). my dear friend, elaine, had sent me the train ticket from london stanfield airport in to london. i jumped on the first train to liverpool street and walked into the tube station just as they were closing the gates. i go up to swipe my oyster card (which elaine had also so nicely sent me) and notice a sign that says the last train to wherever elaine told me to go to was at 12:20am. i looked at my watch and it was 12:24. i asked the guy standing there if i had missed it and he laughed at me like, "of course you have." i showed him my paper which had elaines directions and how to get to her place. he took my shoulders and said to me squarely in the eye, "if you run RIGHT NOW you can catch the hammersmith line to [insert station name here, i forgot] and then take a bus to everly. you have to go RIGHT NOW to platform 2." i took off like a banshee. I don't actually know what a banshee is, but i think they're fast. or crazy.

anywaz, got on the train just before it left and texted elaine to tell her where i was. she instructed me of a different stop to get off, so i met her there and walked to her place. whew. so much drama for really no reason...