Waga mia!

Chris and Beth introduced me to a popular UK restaurant chain, wagamama, which is essentially what Noodles and Co. would be if it were run by master chefs. Beth tells me that the Bloomsbury location is the original, but I see that there are now well over fifty locations in the United Kingdom alone. Service was casual and prompt, and the food was delicious. I had ginger chicken udon (44) with a side of grilled asparagus (106), and was too full for dessert, which is good when I consider how much the meal cost in US dollars.

Home sweet home

Beth, Chris, Mary, Casey, and I have a new address. It is:

Flat 3
Wendover Court
Chiltern Street
London
W1U 7NN
United Kingdom

Please address all packages of biscuits here.

Still homeless

We spent about twelve hours searching for a flat today, but nothing seemed quite right. We know our budget is suitable for what we seek, but the number of flats with the right location, configuration, and (primarily) lease duration are few. We'll pick up the hunt again tomorrow. For now, we're headed out to find a pub that's open past eleven.

H2O, miracle drug

This was on my bottle of Suio sparkling water:

BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES*

• Helps the function of the liver
• Microbiologically pure
• Stimulates digestion
• Purifies internal systems

*APPROVED BY THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH

I'm left wondering about all the other organs: Are they somehow less dependent on water than the liver?

We're off to find housing!

The program begins

The Syracuse program began officially for me today. The remaining students arrived this morning, and I was issued my orange binder of information. We had the weekend off, so Chris and I scouted out an apartment that I thought held promise. We did indeed like it, but there were two setbacks that, when added together, proved to be more trouble than the place was worth. Our quest will continue tomorrow.

We had dinner in a banquet room in the hotel, and afterwards took a field trip with all of Syracuse University London to the British Airways London Eye. Feeling like we were being herded around a little too much, we set off for a distant part of town to meet our old classmate Nico. He and some friends were lounging on some nice leather couches in a cool little bar called Jaguar Shoes (or perhaps Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes). I had a great time talking to Gustav, who is from Lund, Sweden, where I spent time visiting Marget in 2004.

One-sided

This evening I felt that I had to make an effort to experience Europe's funkiest hostel at its prime and take in a bit of the night life. The bar turned out to be pretty dull, everyone bunched up by dorm room and guys and girls separated as if it were a middle school dance. (I've come to realize that nearly all the girls opt for "female only" rooms, so all the "co-ed" rooms are filled with only guys.) Given that, I ended up running into my roommates, who in the capacity of good Samaritans helping girls with their baggage had managed to meet some new people who were of the opposite sex. Talking with the newfound acquaintances, I somehow managed to be challenged to name as many African countries in five minutes as I could and wagered a drink that I could name more than the girl who challenged me. As it turned out, she disappeared without going through with it, but I made a list anyway, if only to honor Mr. Beckman's seventh grade social studies class.

• Togo
• Benin
• Cameroon
• Ivory Coast
• West Sahara
• Morocco
• Lybia
• Liberia
• Mali
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• Nigeria
• Chad
• Kenya
• Republic of Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe
• Swaziland
• Somalia

I'm not sure if 20 out of 46 "honors" Mr. Beckman's class, but I'd wager I did better than most Americans (and certainly our president, who referred to Africa as a country itself).

Arrival

I made it to London in one piece and in a reasonably good state of mind, given the time difference. My flights were more or less on time, and the in-flight movies were familiar and likable (Mission: Impossible and Ferris Bueller's Day Off). I slept a couple of hours between Minneapolis and Reykjavik, and I've limited myself to 45 minutes since, so I'm hoping to beat the jetlag in a single night. Heathrow wasn't too bad; finding the right line for immigration was the only trick. Getting to the Underground wasn't too bad either, although finding the right kind of machine to sell me a ticket was a little more frustrating than it should have been. In the end, I managed to get my own ticket and get on the right train while helping a young lawyer from Philadelphia do the same and assuring three Russians that they were in the right place to take a train to Earl's Square.

The train ride was long and hot, both in part because of the overly crammed cars, the latter also in part due to the rather warm weather. I am very glad I kept my summer attire for the trip. I arrived at the Generator ("Europe's Funkiest Hostels!") after some wandering, some map reading, and some navigation by sun position. I ended up with a four-person room instead of the six- I thought I was getting, so that was a welcome surprise. I also snagged a top bunk, so I'm happy about that. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get the room mates that the website suggested I'd get ("hot blonde," "rather hungover 'hardman' winner," "hot blonde's mate"), but I've been pleased to make the acquaintances of Michael and John, recent college grads from Austen, Tejas, roaming the world before the settle into the nine-to-five routine. We think the forth sleeper, who has the bunk below mine is Czech, but we've yet to meet him.

I'm taking it easy this evening, forgoing travel on the Underground and probably even travel to anywhere but downstairs. I do plan on hitting the first floor bar soon though: I've got a free drink coming to me during my first happy hour, and I wouldn't want to miss that.

Summer 2007 recap

So, what was I doing all this time?

I kept to a reading list of only female authors:

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Rebecca by Daphene Daphne du Maurier
The Blind Assassin by Margeret Atwood
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Ms. du Maurier's and Ms. Rowling's books are the most recommendable. Other than the awkwardly extraneous epilogue, Deathly Hallows is a truly remarkable conclusion to the Harry Potter series. While much has been said about the book's look at mortality, I am increasingly impressed by it's politics. I can think of no other book that better illustrates the mechanisms that install tyrannical regimes to power. Parallels between the Death Eaters and the Nazi party are frighteningly elegant.

I also picked up a few new albums:

Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
Era Vulgaris by Queens of the Stone Age
Zeitgeist by [The] Smashing Pumpkins
Live at Radio City with Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds

Era Vulgaris is the probably the most interesting of the lot, and chasing down all the lovely B-Sides is worth it as well.

I saw a few movies in theater as well:

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Oceans Thirteen
Spider-Man 3
Paris, je t'aime
Ratatouille
Transformers
Rescue Dawn
The Simpsons Movie
Stardust
The Bourne Supremacy

World's End was the best surprise. Not only did I like it more than Dead Man's Chest, it made me like that installment better than I had. Ratatouille was easily the best of the lot.

The site I'm building for Professor Anne Munly is complete for most practical purposes. You can visit it at http://soa.syr.edu/dwelling.

And I got a tattoo! Oh, I guess it was just marker. I think Claire did an excellent job on it though, and I think behind the sniggers, the other lifeguards were secretly envious.

A dialogue

Journey with me, if you will, to a sunny beach, where I am climbing to the top of a lifeguard stand to replace a co-worker. Generic greetings are exchanged, and then a conversation unfolds:

Guard: So when do you leave for Syracuse?
James: I won't be going back to New York until January since I'm going to be in London this semester.
Guard: That's right. So do you speak French well?
James: Uh, no. I took Spanish in school.
Guard: I suppose lots of people speak English anyway.
[long pause]
James: Yeah.
[The guard begins to climb down from the chair]
James: Where exactly do you think London is?
[The guard freezes.]
Guard: Uhhhh, it's not in France?
James: London is the capital of England.
Guard: Oh. They speak English there. What was I thinking of?
James: Paris?
Guard: Paris!

Anyway, I'm going to London soon. I'll be posting more often, I hope.