Some more news, still in London

I've been in Europe now for almost three months and will admit I am beginning to get tired and miss home. I miss the Mpls lakes. I miss family. Friends. I wouldn't mind some green curry at chiang mai thai (I know I can get amazing food here, but it's the familiarness that I'm missing). I suppose the honeymoon period of my travels is ending? Or perhaps it's just the msg-induced haze I've been experiencing today (went out for Vietnamese last night with friends from home). I plan to do this for a full year, travel, pet-sit, house-sit, or until I run out of resources. I am recalibrating myself, clearing the slate, so that I am better able to listen to my inner voice rather than be cluttered by all the background noise telling me what I should be doing with my life. Uprooting myself and leaving my creature comforts behind allows me to do this more easily--when I am too comfortable I get clogged up with rootedness and feel like I stop growing. I am currently reading one of the professor's books, What Should I DO With My life?, by Po Bronson. It's a good read so far and I recommend it for anyone feeling like they need a change or are unfullfilled but might be too afraid to take the steps necessary. It's not like I want to just blow around in the wind forever and ever, I'm just searching for something more fulfilling, wherever that might take me.

After a short visit home the end of September, I head to Argentina. I have not found any house-sits for the winter (and although there were many listed for England (I was asked if I wanted to stay here again over the holidays for a month), France, and Ireland, I do not want to have a dreary winter in Europe, as spoiled as that may sound) and plan to travel around the country and spend time in Buenos Aires. Hopefully my cousin, who will be off from firefighting season, can join me for part of it.

Things are good here all in all, I am getting to know the animals better and enjoying them more, we are bonding. I really do like animals, but only after I get to know them. Does this sound cruel? I feel the same way about children and people in general--doesn't everybody? I don't know. The thing with animals and children though is that you get to know them so quickly, they are so honest with their personalities, so trusting, while there are adults that you can know for years and years and not really know the first thing about them.

Riley and I went over to Hampstead Heath the other day and had a really nice walk; Riley was able to get in the water a little bit (I guess he is very fond of swimming), but we had to steer clear of the swans--the professor told me that they will try to drown Riley by sitting on him and pulling him under the water. This sounds awful! Who knew swans could be so vicious.

The situation next door has gotten unbelieveably bad. There was not yelling, but screaming like I've never heard before coming through the walls and windows. The flat was rattling. I could hear the child (I've figured there is only one child) screaming and then laughing and then crying and then screaming along to his parents' all out brawl. I was beginning to wonder if I should call the police, do something??

Then around the corner the other day, a disoriented old man stood on the sidewalk exposing himself as a group of mothers with children walked in his direction. The mothers began hollering, Oh! Put it away old man! Put it away!! This was something I really wish I hadn't seen. Also, I saw two people make an exchange, some brightly colored candy for a chunk of change. It's feeling a little seedy around here. I guess you can't really choose just exactly what kind of day you're going to have as I naively said in a previous post. I'm glad the parks are nearby. I do love the energy and the mix of everything, but I'm beginning to crave fresh air, sunshine, perhaps some space from people. I haven't even been here that long. But it seems like you have the whole world right in your face, which is great when you are in the mood for it, but when you aren't, well, it can be a little exhausting. This is not a good city to be tired in.

The Vanessa Regrave play, The Year of Magical Thinking, was phenomenal. I had goosebumps throughout the whole thing. It was a very sad story, a true story of Joan Didion's tragic loss of her husband and then daughter in the same year. Vanessa Redgrave delivered it like she was having an intense conversation with an intimate friend.

Hope all is well with everyone, I've attempted to watch Obama's speech on the web but have had trouble downloading it--sounds like it was pretty inspiring!



(I promise I'll have brighter, cheerier things to say next time. I swear, it's the msg.)