Pumped About the Upcoming Weeks!

Sorry for not blogging until now. My mom scolded me for my lack of posts so I decided to write one. A lot has happened since Wednesday in some regard, but my life hasn’t been all too exciting. (hence the slacking on the blog). All of the days are running together in my boring life. I read, read, and then do some more reading. I do have a detailed outline made and hopefully this coming weekend Ill start writing. Tuesday will have to be a library day. Woo.

Ok the more exciting stuff… I remember what day it was (Wed night maybe?) I received email from a company that is in charge of foot traffic in the Olympics. I basically got a job offer. To make a long, boring short I am going to go to Wembley on Wednesday for recruitment day and see what it is all about. Perhaps I will work at the Olympics after all!! I looked at the interview questions and one of them is “describe an experience with a difficult customer and how you dealt with it.” Hahaha which experience should I pick??? Chautauqua gave me so many of those experiences! Ill have to blog about everything Wednesday afternoon!

This week’s blog should be semi interesting because tomorrow Im off on an adventure! I am going to Stoke-On-Trent to go to the Wedgwood factory/museum. Al was too lame to go so Im flying solo. It should be a blast. Im so excited! Im hoping for a rejected Urn that has something tiny wrong with it that no one will notice!! My sister is so smart to remember that they may ship to the US of A!!! :) Way to think sis!

Friday night I panicked when I saw how much free time I have before my flight home to the middle of nowhere. So I bought train tickets to Windsor! I have always wanted to see the castle and right now they have a special available! For 5 extra pounds Im touring the royal kitchens!!! Im excited!! After I booked my tour, tickets and train I went searching for another adventure and I found one! For EIGHT pounds roundtrip Im going to go to the Seven Sisters Park and walk around for the day and see the famous chalk cliffs. I couldn’t believe how cheap the train tickets were. America needs to get herself some trains!!!! To end the adventures I bought one more ticket last night. I have a lot of time to kill before my game in Manchester on the 31st, so I bought a ticket to see the Lego factory and Miniland!! Im going to learn how Legos are made! And Miniland is a what it sounds like… a crazy Lego creation! I wanted to go to the Old Trafford Museum and tour but both were closed because of the Olympic game. Sigh.

So I have an exciting month coming up! I love being in London and not having class. The thesis is a bit of a damper, but if I work hard most days I can take a day here and there for adventures!

I do not want to go home, but I do need to get out of this country soon. I am having trouble talking. The British English is starting to wear off on me. Some words that I can no long say properly…. (the American is first, the British is the second)

Uninal: Ur-in-al= ur-I-nal (the stress is on the i)
Britannia: Bri-tan-nia= Bri-ton-nia (the ton is like the ton in baton)
Inventory: InvenTORY= INVENT-tory
Convert: con-vert = CON-vert
A freight train is a Fright train
There were more that I thought of… Ill think!

Phrases that I now use:
Something is on special, not on sale
You go to the till, not the checkout
You order for take away, not take out
Football is Soccer, the NFL is American football
Athletes where kits, not uniforms
Football players wear boots, not cleats
A reading pass is a library card
You wear trousers, not pants
I take the tube, not the subway. A subway is a underpass, not a train
“how can I help” instead of “how can I help you”
A sweater is a jumper
Cheers, not bye
It is a pram, not a stroller (I haven’t gotten that one yet though. I still call them strollers!)
Chips are fries. (I don’t say that chips are crisps though)
I live in a flat, not an apartment
I am letting the flat, not renting it
Things cost pounds (or quid) and pence instead of dollars and cents.
A pound is a coin, not a dollar bill. (its not weird to have 9 pounds in change!)
A timetable is a calendar.
I have tutors, not professors
Terms are semesters
You alight not get off
You mind things, not watch out (mind the gap, mind that car, etc…)
And people queue, not stand in line!

I am also drinking tea by the gallon, eat biscuits, take my umbrella everywhere, and I am used to (and beginning to like) the rain. I just wish it was a little warmer over here!! The rain though doesn’t bother me. It feels good! I am used to my 2 ring binder, and my four ring one. A4 paper is becoming the normal instead of the weird 8x11 stuff we have at home!! And Im used to the traffic and the steering wheel on the right side of the car. I may die when I go home and look to the left first instead of the right. Good think I don’t walk across many roads in Ashville! I am more used to riding in trains and coaches then a car. I haven’t been in a car since Woburn (may) and before that it was in January!

Im just being corrupt left and right! If I see you in August and say a word funny its just my British corruption! One thing I wont miss is the Brits saying Schedule. I cant type how they say it, but I cringe everytime. (watch Mary Poppins…. The father says it when he comes home. Its not as strong as it is, but its there.

The other night I read that first month of my Rome blog. What a young and ignorant thing I was back then!!! I laughed reading it, and was embarrassed that I was so worried about missing American Idol while I was in Italy. Really?? That was my main concern?? It has been fun to read and remember all the things that I had forgotten! I hope that I can have fun reading this blog sometime too. The first posts are funny now that I haven’t seen the Dragon Lady for 9 months. I still got a knot in my stomach though…. What I rough month. I look back and wonder how I made it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger though right??? :)

Ok I need to go do work instead of rambling on about stuff to avoid the thesis! You are all probably asleep by this point anyways!!!! Ill blog tomorrow to tell you about the best pottery ever in existence. (Sevre may tied though…. Hmmm. And Meissen. Ok maybe ONE of the best!)

P.S I forgot.... the picture is of the famous Abbey Road crosswalk that the Beatles walked across for their album cover. It was so lame. That crosswalk was the only thing there. Oh besides the studio that you couldnt even go in the driveway of. It was lame.