Step counter: 70,134
(7 days, from May 28 through Jun 3)
As I’m writing this, it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and I have done exactly nothing today but make my hair bluer and sit on my ass watching Boston Legal with a sheet mask on my face. What I realized about myself isn’t so much that I’m lazy by nature or have an addictive personality, even though I tend to exhibit both traits. Rather, I’m prone to inertia. If I’m in motion, I tend to stay in motion until something stops me, like utter physical exhaustion of being go-go-go-go-go. And once I have stopped, it’s hard to start me up again. Case in point: today. I planned to do my bus/walking tours, followed by a comedy show. But boy is it hard to rally the energy to put on clothes and leave the house today.
But maybe it’s not that terrible that I’m spending this beautiful sunny Sunday in London in my Airbnb bedroom, ordering Indian food via Uber Eats. (Side note: the choices of Indian food in London has been amazing.) Where I left off on my previous post, I was grabbing life by its testicles and milking the ever living life out of them. If you’re reading this, EMJ or PV, I hope you know what I’m referencing LOL 😬 But now, I’m tired. My allergies are killing me, I long for a steaming shower with good water pressure, and I miss my cats 😔 At least I have earned my exhaustion. So, here is a recap of the last few days for you voyeurs reading this.
I mentioned that I met and spent an awesome day with Fentje, Claudia, and Nikayla last week, so let’s pick up there. It’s hard to choose any one highlight of my day with them; it was the excitement of a whole week squeezed into a single day. First off, have you ever seen those signs in the middle of a road island? Looks something like this. Well, apparently, these signs are spring-loaded, so that when they are hit by, say, a bus, it will spring back up as if nothing happened. How do I know this? Because the girls and I stood in the peanut gallery watching it happen.
You may have heard of backseat driving, but have you heard of sidewalk driving? None of us have driven a bus in our lives, but apparently, all of us had an opinion on how to get the bus unstuck. For a minute, I let myself believe that I’m a good person and will not film the incident. But who am I kidding?
I think the other highlight of my day with them was watching The Comedy of Errors from the standing gallery of the Shakespear Globe Theater. It was hilarious. The number of times Nikayla and I gave each other the look in anticipation of something hilarious happening 🤣 The only thing that would’ve made that show better was if someone really got into recreating authenticity by peeing in the corner of the theater, like the good ole Shakespearean days.
I mentioned in an image caption above that selling books on the water in a boat is cute but flawed. Here’s why:
- Paper is not water resistant!
- The boat moves with the current, and the books are not bolted down.
- I almost died from a bunch of books falling off the shelf above my head. See point 2 above.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
The next day was my last day of freedom before having to go back to work. That was the day I started missing the comfort of home, knowing where everything is, the soft blanket on my couch, and walking around in my underwear after a shower. Yet, the fact that I was already in motion spurred me to go on a solo trip to the British Museum and a comedy show. The comedy show was at the Top Secret Comedy Club, by the way. It was a “Work In Progress” show, which was free admission, and featured a comedian (Liam Withnail) who was still working on his set for the Edinburgh festival. Maybe I’ll see him again in August. This guy wrote a whole hour-long set about his bowel issues. It’s hard to not like him for that.
My main interest in the British Museum was the ancient Egypt exhibit. I’m a basic bitch, I know. However, was not prepared for this exhibit to have ruined the idea of Egyptians and cats for me. Did you know??? Cats were not actually considered gods in Egyptian culture? Instead, they were bred specifically to kill and mummify to offer as sacrificial tributes to their god, Bastet, who just happens to have a cat head. Even kittens!!! I’m crying.
But on the bright side, prior to going to the museum, I randomly walked into Cafe Verona and had some delicious curry and coffee. The best part of the experience was how passive it was. I walked in, a man who I presumed was the owner yelled at me to sit in the corner table, then told me I will get the chicken curry on rice. I also ended up getting a black Americano as well. Gotta assert my American dominance somehow. I kid. Anyways, it was delicious, and I’m not sure I will ever figure out what happened in the whirlwind that brought me in and out of that cafe. Ten out of ten, would recommend.
Oh, and I bought a £300 original print from a gallery I walked by on a whim. This trip has been expensive 😬
I have a few more things to recount, including the best food I’ve had in the city so far, before I wrap up London. But I’m calling it a day. The emotional energy needed to prepare for yet another week of work is excessive. Next time I write, I think I will be in a cute little Amsterdam cafe.
Ta ta for now 🇬🇧