I did my laundry today; if I didn't, I'd have no clothes to wear! Got everything washed and hung up to dry by 1130 am. Before leaving for Bath, Stephanie reminded me that she'd be in London helping her daughter move house; she'll be back on Tuesday.
I went to the library to check my email; it cost 1.20 pounds for twenty minutes. I got Mom's message about Emigrant Direct's concern about suspected activity. Damn, I have to call Emigrant in New York from here?! No way! I left the library and went to the post office to send Dad's Christmas present (Diana-I sent it to your attention in Brooklyn-if you could wrap it for me, I'd appreciate it)-whew...I got that off my list.
From a call box, I dialed 155 for the international operator. He connected my collect call to Emigrant Direct, and they accepted the call. I got everything straightened out-that's off my list of things to do. I went to the Odeon to buy a ticke to "Kung Fu Panda". Got a regular seat and was fairly comfortable; there was no one around me in the right hand wing of seats. The Odeon allows patrons to bring food or beverages into the theater, unlike the US. I liked the theater well enough-hated the movie. I had to conciously tell myself to forget who was the lead voice (Jack Black); how in the world they got Dustin Hoffman to do this movie, I'll never know.
After I got home, I brought in my clothes. As I carried them in a basket up the circular staircase, I tripped on the last step. I actually tripped upstairs (I couldn't see the last step, the basket blocked my view)! I slammed my left patella (the healing knee) into the edge of the stair and my chest into the corner of the desk. I absolutely HOWLED in pain. I was hobbling in pain, and cursing the fuk*** stairs in the house; "I hate these fuc**** stairs!!! I just want to go home!!!" My chest was throbbing, but my focus was on the pain in my knee. My knee swelled up; it felt like fluid built up in between the skin and bone and felt liquidy and was soft and spongy. I definitely will not miss narrow stairs and staircases.
Did you realize I had the same injury twice in less than a week? i am not a klutz...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
6/27/08 Friday
I woke up late this morning, took a shower, and was off by 1045 am. I went into town to the post office to send some of my souvinors back home early. After conducting my business, I walked around the Abby areafor an hour.
Prince Caspian opened yesterday (5.5 weeks after opening in the US).I wanted to see a movie here, because it's a different experience than back home. In England, movie seats are reserved; kinda like reserving a seat for a baseball game. I had my choice between a regular seat and a "premire" seat. Not knowing the difference, I asked the seller what the differences were. The seats were slightly wider, upholstered in a nicer fabric, and in the center of the theater. That sounded good enough, so I bought the premire seat for an extra pound (but I got a student discount). I bought the ticket 1.5 hours early, but I didn't have to worry about getting a bad seat...or so I thought. I was assigned to row J, seat 7.
The seat was disappointing. It didn't feel like it was wider, actually, it made me feel scrunched. The seat was also in the middle of the seating area. I prefer to sit in the back row, in the corner, either the left or right side. The Odeon is not a free-for-all in seat selection; my seat was half way up and right on the aisle. My biggest complaint was there was no leg room; my kneecaps were less that one inch away from the back of the seat in front of me. With my left kneecap still healing, I couldn't extend my leg. The AMC in Vallco is much nicer; there is quite a lot leg room. Prince Caspian is such a great movie; I want it when it comes out.
I walked around town for another 45 minutes and after waiting another 30 minutes for the bus, I got home by 615 pm. A woman on the bus, unintentionally ran into my knee andit started to sting. I put my leg up for awhile when I got back.
Prince Caspian opened yesterday (5.5 weeks after opening in the US).I wanted to see a movie here, because it's a different experience than back home. In England, movie seats are reserved; kinda like reserving a seat for a baseball game. I had my choice between a regular seat and a "premire" seat. Not knowing the difference, I asked the seller what the differences were. The seats were slightly wider, upholstered in a nicer fabric, and in the center of the theater. That sounded good enough, so I bought the premire seat for an extra pound (but I got a student discount). I bought the ticket 1.5 hours early, but I didn't have to worry about getting a bad seat...or so I thought. I was assigned to row J, seat 7.
The seat was disappointing. It didn't feel like it was wider, actually, it made me feel scrunched. The seat was also in the middle of the seating area. I prefer to sit in the back row, in the corner, either the left or right side. The Odeon is not a free-for-all in seat selection; my seat was half way up and right on the aisle. My biggest complaint was there was no leg room; my kneecaps were less that one inch away from the back of the seat in front of me. With my left kneecap still healing, I couldn't extend my leg. The AMC in Vallco is much nicer; there is quite a lot leg room. Prince Caspian is such a great movie; I want it when it comes out.
I walked around town for another 45 minutes and after waiting another 30 minutes for the bus, I got home by 615 pm. A woman on the bus, unintentionally ran into my knee andit started to sting. I put my leg up for awhile when I got back.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
6/25/08 Wednesday
On short notice, Mari was able to assemble a trip to Oxford for us. She was able to pull it off. We got a group discount rate as long as we travelled in groups of four. That was the only restriction-travel in groups of four. It was a good thing there were 12 people in the class; all of us got on the train as a group, but when we came home four people had to go at a time. We had to take two trains to get there, but over all, I thought it was worth it.
From the train station, we walked down to where the main church hall was. The sign in front informed us that the hall wouldn't open until 230 pm and it was 1030 am. Dennis and Jill took us on a tour of the grounds around the hall; we walked around a huge, green field. It was probably used for some kind of sporting activity. We exited the grounds and walked around the surronding city and visited the other houses. Mari (she and Oscar joined us) told us how the school worked-colleges and so forth-it's very similar to Yale (well duh!). My other classmates weren't grasping the idea of the different colleges; they tried to parallel it to what SJSU is like but it really has to be parallelled to Yale and I've experienced what Yale is like (thanks Robbie).
Oscar's goal is to attend Oxford when he graduates high school. He was walking around with us, looking around, and getting use to the area. I let him take my camcorder and record whatever he wanted from his perspective. I hope to collect his clips and put them onto a disc for him. He collected information about the admission process for 2009 and bought a polo shirt. I really hope that he will be accepted into Oxford in six years or so.
Some of Harry Potter was filmed at Oxford. The church's main dining hall was the inspiration for the Hogwarts Great Hall. Walking inside, the actual hall has three long tables positioned vertically and one table ran horizontally at the opposite end of the hall. The seating appeared more comfortable because they were actually chairs; in Harry Potter, they're only benches. All the tables were set, ready for a meal. I don't remember seeing a fireplace in the actual hall, unlike the Great Hall in Hogwarts.
In order to access the church's dining hall, I had to climb a two level staircase. The staircase was wide and a golden-yellow color. I didn't realize it at first, but this was the staircase that was used in Harry Potter 1, when the first years approached the Great Hall for the first time. It's where Neville found Trevor (his lost toad). Oh my god, I walked on hallowed ground. I am so privliged to visit this place.
We visited the shops in town and the last one was the Alice in Wonderland shop. It was very whimisical and very crowded. By 330 pm, Dennis, Jill, Diane, and I headed off to the train station. Dennis and Jill needed to leave early so Diane and I joined them.
Tomorrow, we're off to Stonehenge and Lacock (more HP filiming sites!)
From the train station, we walked down to where the main church hall was. The sign in front informed us that the hall wouldn't open until 230 pm and it was 1030 am. Dennis and Jill took us on a tour of the grounds around the hall; we walked around a huge, green field. It was probably used for some kind of sporting activity. We exited the grounds and walked around the surronding city and visited the other houses. Mari (she and Oscar joined us) told us how the school worked-colleges and so forth-it's very similar to Yale (well duh!). My other classmates weren't grasping the idea of the different colleges; they tried to parallel it to what SJSU is like but it really has to be parallelled to Yale and I've experienced what Yale is like (thanks Robbie).
Oscar's goal is to attend Oxford when he graduates high school. He was walking around with us, looking around, and getting use to the area. I let him take my camcorder and record whatever he wanted from his perspective. I hope to collect his clips and put them onto a disc for him. He collected information about the admission process for 2009 and bought a polo shirt. I really hope that he will be accepted into Oxford in six years or so.
Some of Harry Potter was filmed at Oxford. The church's main dining hall was the inspiration for the Hogwarts Great Hall. Walking inside, the actual hall has three long tables positioned vertically and one table ran horizontally at the opposite end of the hall. The seating appeared more comfortable because they were actually chairs; in Harry Potter, they're only benches. All the tables were set, ready for a meal. I don't remember seeing a fireplace in the actual hall, unlike the Great Hall in Hogwarts.
In order to access the church's dining hall, I had to climb a two level staircase. The staircase was wide and a golden-yellow color. I didn't realize it at first, but this was the staircase that was used in Harry Potter 1, when the first years approached the Great Hall for the first time. It's where Neville found Trevor (his lost toad). Oh my god, I walked on hallowed ground. I am so privliged to visit this place.
We visited the shops in town and the last one was the Alice in Wonderland shop. It was very whimisical and very crowded. By 330 pm, Dennis, Jill, Diane, and I headed off to the train station. Dennis and Jill needed to leave early so Diane and I joined them.
Tomorrow, we're off to Stonehenge and Lacock (more HP filiming sites!)
6/24/08 Tuesday
We spent all of today "in class" at Dennis's flat. Ok...so I'm a klutz (although I don't believe I am). As I crossed the bridge, I tripped on the uneven walkway. The front of my right shoe caught the lip and I went flying foward. I landed hard on my left patella (knee) and chest. When I hit the ground, my only thought was are my glasses ok? They came down my nose somewhat, but they weren't damaged. 2 men helped me up and checked to see if I was ok. I had a few scrapes on both elbows, I didn't draw any blood, my chest was pulsating a little, and my knee was stinging and pulsating a lot. I could feel that my patella was feeling spongy when I gingerly pressed on it. And there was a purple bruise forming about the size of a fifty cent piece. I told the men I was fine and we went our separate ways. As I hobbled and limped my way to Dennis's flat, I was thinking "well Jill, misery loves company, so I've joined you-we can be misrable together [she earlier injured herself during the trip]). Matt, Diane, and another classmate were following me and Matt caught up to me and asked if I was ok. I told him my chest hurt and my knee was stinging and pulsating, but that I was really ok. I also mentioned that I was more embarassed than anything. He walked the rest of the way to the flat with me. I asked Jill if she had any ice. I told her about my fall and how misery loved company, and she gave me a frozen loaf of bread (it's all she had). I iced my knee for half an hour and that made the purple bruise go away.
Oscar came over with Mari to the flat to do his presentation about a 12 year old's perspective of growing up English. He was very well composed and did an excellent job. He even gave us a quiz; we all passed and each got a Dr Who sticker each. He talked about school, his interests, and hobbies. He's really into saving the enviroment and he's put together some fundraisers at his school to do just that; he's also intrigued by politics and acting. I see him eventually doing big things wether it be in protecting the enviroment, participating in politics (I see him as the Prime Minister), or a combination of both (a lawyer practicing enviromental law perhaps).
During his presentation I pointed out that JK Rowling's protrayal of Hogwarts, the houses, students, and tests accurately reflected everyday English (private) schools. Both Oscar and Mari agreed. I recorded 10 minutes of Oscar's presentation (till my battery died), and I passed his quiz and earned my sticker. I don't think I've ever been so proud about the results of a quiz more than Oscar's quiz. Oscar is involved in the community, passionate about improving and protecting the enviroment, into politics, and he seemed to enjoy using my camera. I gave him my email address; I really hope he writes to me. I'd like to have an email (pen) pal.
After Oscar and Mari left (he was late for school), the rest of the class was to catch up on things we fell behind on. Mostly chapter discussions; each one of us picked a chapter, had to read it, and lead the class in a discussion about the ideas in it and tie it into our practical experiences in society (it was assumed that we had already read the book in its entirety).
Tomorrow it's off to Oxford!
Oscar came over with Mari to the flat to do his presentation about a 12 year old's perspective of growing up English. He was very well composed and did an excellent job. He even gave us a quiz; we all passed and each got a Dr Who sticker each. He talked about school, his interests, and hobbies. He's really into saving the enviroment and he's put together some fundraisers at his school to do just that; he's also intrigued by politics and acting. I see him eventually doing big things wether it be in protecting the enviroment, participating in politics (I see him as the Prime Minister), or a combination of both (a lawyer practicing enviromental law perhaps).
During his presentation I pointed out that JK Rowling's protrayal of Hogwarts, the houses, students, and tests accurately reflected everyday English (private) schools. Both Oscar and Mari agreed. I recorded 10 minutes of Oscar's presentation (till my battery died), and I passed his quiz and earned my sticker. I don't think I've ever been so proud about the results of a quiz more than Oscar's quiz. Oscar is involved in the community, passionate about improving and protecting the enviroment, into politics, and he seemed to enjoy using my camera. I gave him my email address; I really hope he writes to me. I'd like to have an email (pen) pal.
After Oscar and Mari left (he was late for school), the rest of the class was to catch up on things we fell behind on. Mostly chapter discussions; each one of us picked a chapter, had to read it, and lead the class in a discussion about the ideas in it and tie it into our practical experiences in society (it was assumed that we had already read the book in its entirety).
Tomorrow it's off to Oxford!
6/23/08 Monday
Went to Glostenbury Abby today. It was a long and tedious bus ride...I'm getting so sick and tired of buses; especially sitting on bus seats-my butt is so flat, it hurts! We went into the grounds and the first thing that happened was Jill took us over to the "kitchen". The Father (I'm sure he was an actor judging from his speil) gave his presentation. Afterwords, we all broke up and explored the grounds at our own pace. it was mostly ruins; there was a throne and each one of us took turns sitting on it and getting pictures taken. I waved my hand the way Queen Elizabeth does. My name, my throne...
After being there 45 minutes, Shanti, Victoria, Suzi, Diane and I left to explore the surrounding town. Victoria noted how much the shops reminded her of the shops in Santa Cruz. They were artsy, crafty, and psyhcadelic. Lots of colors and crystals. There was nothing to do, but I did mail a couple of postcards from the post office.
Out of all the destinations we visited, this was not worth it. We were at the Abby for 45 minutes and explored the town for an hour, but we had to endure that bus ride. It just wasn't worth it.
After being there 45 minutes, Shanti, Victoria, Suzi, Diane and I left to explore the surrounding town. Victoria noted how much the shops reminded her of the shops in Santa Cruz. They were artsy, crafty, and psyhcadelic. Lots of colors and crystals. There was nothing to do, but I did mail a couple of postcards from the post office.
Out of all the destinations we visited, this was not worth it. We were at the Abby for 45 minutes and explored the town for an hour, but we had to endure that bus ride. It just wasn't worth it.
6/22/08 Sunday
My day to relax; I didn't do much. Read the textbook, read HP6, did laundry and mild house work. Stephanie repainted the bathroom.
6/21/08 Saturday
Day 2 of my London adventure. All night long the woman in my upper bunk kept tossing and turning, which caused the bed to groan, creak, and vibrate all night. I woke up each time she rolled over and this went on during the whole night! Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of good sleep. This problem was also coupled with the fact another traveller was preparing to leave at 5 am and his noise woke and kept me up. I must be a light sleeper. By 515 am, he had left, but it was useless for me to try to get back to sleep. I got up, got dressed, and packed as quietly as I could and then I laid down on my bunk and waited for Cynthia to wake up. By 730 am, we were up, dressed, packed, and out the door. The hostel stored or stuff for us until we were ready to leave later this afternoon.
We went to the Tower of London first because it was the farthest distance to travel. As I tried to navigate us to the correct platform, somehow each time I would get us on the platform, it would be the platform for the train going in the opposite direction that we needed to go. My navigation skills really suck...no, they don't exist! I don't know what it is about navigating in an underground subway system. It must be there are no visual clues for me to use to sense direction. I use sun position and time of day to figure out which direction I'm going. Also, being in a foreign country, I'm disoriented about which way is N, S, E, W (but that's not saying much...I get confused about N, S, E, W in Bellevue while standing in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house. What I think is N is really E). By 1230 pm, I was so frustrated with navigation that I just let Cynthia do it; she was better at it than I was and she also employeed the technique of asking people for directions if we were lost. We really did talk to a lot of the residents in London.
We got to the Tower of London about half an hour before it opened. So, to kill time, we walked around the facility taking pictures. The morning was gray and drizzely, and at times, rainy. I didn't bring a jacket or umbrella, so when it did rain, I had to borrow her umbrella. She was a little concerned about the style of it-very pink and very best friends forever and very girlie. I didn't care, it was an umbrella and it would keep me dry-I didn't care about design only its function (and it worked quite well)!
We wandered through the Tower of London for 3 hours. We learned about the reputation of the Tower, King Henry's excutions of his wives, and the public and private area for excutions. The Jewel House was the most impressive part. Cameras and recording devices were not allowed in the Jewel House. After walking in, visitors are greeted with a huge wall of video screens showing Queen Elizabeth's coronation. I would have liked to watch the whloe video (it was set on a loop), but Cynthia was antsy to keep moving, and not wanting to get separated, I kept going. In the next room were plaques on the walls and on each plaque was the name of all the kings or queens of England. Moving on, we walked into the jewel room. There were moving walkways that ran down the length of the room. The displays were in between the moving walkways. There were all sorts of crowns, the orb, sceptor, the spoon. Queen Victoria's miniature crown was probably no bigger than 2" in diameter-it was so tiny and covered in clear stone that it appeared white. Some of the crowns had regal reds and others had regal purples. If you visit London, I encourage you to see the Jewel House at the Tower.
The other part that I enjoyed was seeing the ravens. They wandered around the grass lawn and bumped into each other (2) from time to time. They must have had their wings clipped because they never tried to take off. Just watching them, I felt like I went back in time to my childhood. I remembered Mom reading Robbie and me Paddington Bear stories, and the story about Paddington losing his marmalade sandwiches and the ravens following him and eating them popped into my mind. It was peaceful standing there watching the ravens.
We walked inside different buildings, up and down battlements, and through the gift shop. We decided to get lunch and then headed back to the tube station on our way to Westminster station. Cynthia wanted to tour Westminster Abby but I didn't want to, so I suggested that we split up and she went to the Abby. I went to Downing St; I wanted to walk past #10. I walked up Parliment St (there are WWII monuments there of the soliders and political leaders), but when I got up to Trifalger Square, I realized I walked way beyond Downing St. So I crossed the street and walked down the opposite side. I noticed as I walked back, I was on Whitehall St. That was incorrect because Downing St comes off Parliment St. I eventually found Downing St; It was before the "Women in WWII" memorial. I realized I had seen Downing while walking up Parliment; the porblem was I couldn't see it was because the police had it blocked off by 2 sets of gates and some officers were patrolling the area. At the gates I looked down Downing and saw 2 or 3 official black cars about half way down; I assumed that where the cars were was where the front door was. I don't understand why the gates were closed; Prime Minister Brown had left the day before for the Middle East. Oh well, at least I can say I know where #10 Downing St is.
I met up with Cynthia by 230 pm. She told me she didn't go inside the Abby because it cost 9 pounds and she felt that cost too much (at least 18 USD). The Bath Abby is free, so she thought 9 quid was too much. As long as she wasn't disappointed...We left for Paddington station and got there at 430 pm. I bought myself a little Paddington Bear plush toy (I couln't resist), got on the train, and was back in Bath 8 pm. Navigating our way through Paddington station was easier than yesterday because we had already done it.
We went to the Tower of London first because it was the farthest distance to travel. As I tried to navigate us to the correct platform, somehow each time I would get us on the platform, it would be the platform for the train going in the opposite direction that we needed to go. My navigation skills really suck...no, they don't exist! I don't know what it is about navigating in an underground subway system. It must be there are no visual clues for me to use to sense direction. I use sun position and time of day to figure out which direction I'm going. Also, being in a foreign country, I'm disoriented about which way is N, S, E, W (but that's not saying much...I get confused about N, S, E, W in Bellevue while standing in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house. What I think is N is really E). By 1230 pm, I was so frustrated with navigation that I just let Cynthia do it; she was better at it than I was and she also employeed the technique of asking people for directions if we were lost. We really did talk to a lot of the residents in London.
We got to the Tower of London about half an hour before it opened. So, to kill time, we walked around the facility taking pictures. The morning was gray and drizzely, and at times, rainy. I didn't bring a jacket or umbrella, so when it did rain, I had to borrow her umbrella. She was a little concerned about the style of it-very pink and very best friends forever and very girlie. I didn't care, it was an umbrella and it would keep me dry-I didn't care about design only its function (and it worked quite well)!
We wandered through the Tower of London for 3 hours. We learned about the reputation of the Tower, King Henry's excutions of his wives, and the public and private area for excutions. The Jewel House was the most impressive part. Cameras and recording devices were not allowed in the Jewel House. After walking in, visitors are greeted with a huge wall of video screens showing Queen Elizabeth's coronation. I would have liked to watch the whloe video (it was set on a loop), but Cynthia was antsy to keep moving, and not wanting to get separated, I kept going. In the next room were plaques on the walls and on each plaque was the name of all the kings or queens of England. Moving on, we walked into the jewel room. There were moving walkways that ran down the length of the room. The displays were in between the moving walkways. There were all sorts of crowns, the orb, sceptor, the spoon. Queen Victoria's miniature crown was probably no bigger than 2" in diameter-it was so tiny and covered in clear stone that it appeared white. Some of the crowns had regal reds and others had regal purples. If you visit London, I encourage you to see the Jewel House at the Tower.
The other part that I enjoyed was seeing the ravens. They wandered around the grass lawn and bumped into each other (2) from time to time. They must have had their wings clipped because they never tried to take off. Just watching them, I felt like I went back in time to my childhood. I remembered Mom reading Robbie and me Paddington Bear stories, and the story about Paddington losing his marmalade sandwiches and the ravens following him and eating them popped into my mind. It was peaceful standing there watching the ravens.
We walked inside different buildings, up and down battlements, and through the gift shop. We decided to get lunch and then headed back to the tube station on our way to Westminster station. Cynthia wanted to tour Westminster Abby but I didn't want to, so I suggested that we split up and she went to the Abby. I went to Downing St; I wanted to walk past #10. I walked up Parliment St (there are WWII monuments there of the soliders and political leaders), but when I got up to Trifalger Square, I realized I walked way beyond Downing St. So I crossed the street and walked down the opposite side. I noticed as I walked back, I was on Whitehall St. That was incorrect because Downing St comes off Parliment St. I eventually found Downing St; It was before the "Women in WWII" memorial. I realized I had seen Downing while walking up Parliment; the porblem was I couldn't see it was because the police had it blocked off by 2 sets of gates and some officers were patrolling the area. At the gates I looked down Downing and saw 2 or 3 official black cars about half way down; I assumed that where the cars were was where the front door was. I don't understand why the gates were closed; Prime Minister Brown had left the day before for the Middle East. Oh well, at least I can say I know where #10 Downing St is.
I met up with Cynthia by 230 pm. She told me she didn't go inside the Abby because it cost 9 pounds and she felt that cost too much (at least 18 USD). The Bath Abby is free, so she thought 9 quid was too much. As long as she wasn't disappointed...We left for Paddington station and got there at 430 pm. I bought myself a little Paddington Bear plush toy (I couln't resist), got on the train, and was back in Bath 8 pm. Navigating our way through Paddington station was easier than yesterday because we had already done it.
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