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I was going to be responsible and do my expenses but it turns out I don't yet have java installed on my computer and my internet connection cuts out about every minute and a half so downloading it right now is not an option. I guess I could try to watch some tv but out of my 20 channels about 10 of them are home shopping networks so that's usually a fruitless endeavor. I've realized that my blogs are all pages long and I don't think anyone but my mom wants to read it all so I'll try to shorten them somewhat. We'll see how that works....
I've been pretty busy since I got back from Paris. I had a couple deadlines at work towards the beginning of the week so I stayed later a couple of nights to get things done but the end of the week was a different story. Long story short, I think I've been out every night since Wednesday. That night after work I went out with a bunch of people that I work with at the client site and we went to a bar across the street and then to a restaurant where I had my first taste of Persian cuisine. As I said before it seems like most of the people I've met so far have been from outside the UK. One of them is Persian by heritage, grew up in Germany, went to school in the US, then worked in Amsterdam and now London and he recommended this place to us. I had no idea what I was ordering but it had lamb as a main ingredient so I knew it couldn't possibly be bad, and I wasn't disappointed. I like going out with them because we never really have a chance to talk or get to know each other at work.
My parents have a few friends in London from their days in the Peace Corps and whatnot and I went out with one of their daughters and her boyfriend for some drinks on Thursday night. She works right by my flat so we went to some bars just north of me. I guess one of them is one of the oldest bars in London and then the second one was more of a typically relaxed hang out place. We all somehow ended up having a discussion about American politics and how it relates to the British. Not your normal bar conversation but interesting nonetheless. Her boyfriend does film editing for a company that makes a lot of the documentaries for the History Channel so it was fun talking to him about that.
I woke up on Friday feeling like crap and after I thought about it for a while I realized it's probably because the beers here are all 20 ounces. I had four which would have been fine if they'd been 12 or 16 like in the US but I guess that extra amount makes a big difference. Steve's theory is that they never wash the taps here so that might be part of it. Anyway I had to do a training session for 25 people at Thomson that afternoon so I was a little worried in the morning but by the time the afternoon rolled around I was feeling fine. I was a little nervous anyway but after I thought about it for a little while I realized that I've already done so many training sessions that I really had nothing to worry about. I actually prefer doing them in person rather than over the phone because it's easier to guage the people and determine how fast or slow to go. Anyway it went well and I had some time after to meet with Romain and Steve and go over some of their questions.
Friday night I went out with Romain and Steve to some bars that Steve recommended. It was fun because they were a little more upscale from your regular old pub. The second one we went to was an old bank or something with huge ceilings and giant pillars and the like so that was pretty cool. Steve left with his girlfriend and Romain and I went to a little club/bar in Soho that had breakdancing and funk music and stuff. It was a nice change because it felt like the people there were actually there to have a good time and not just to pick up girls and look pretty. Afterwards I had the best burger/baguette ever from Burger King, believe it or not. It was weird because the bread actually was a baguette and the patties were next to each other instead of stacked like the normally are. Crazy foreigners.
I was going to take it easy on Saturday and I guess I did for the most part. I woke up around noon and meandered down to the Camden market which is apparently the place to see the entire goth population of London. However it was also the biggest market I've ever seen. I had read about it before and pictured it being in the middle of a big square but it literally filled every single street and alley in the neighborhood. Right when I thought I was getting to the end, it would turn a corner and keep going.
After about three hours of exploring I had to leave because Romain invited me to a dinner party that his cousin was putting on at his place. She was a little older, as were her friends, but we all had a good time. She actually works for Thomson also so most of her friends were from there too. It seemed like they were relatively high up and I figured it would be a relatively laid back party... until they broke out the hundreds of bottles of fine French wine. I stayed relatively sober and it was hilarious watching everyone else. Is this where I'll be in ten years? Partying in a nice ass flat on the balcony of a house overlooking the city of London with a bunch of my friends? I don't think I would object.
After Saturday I was really planning on taking it easy on Sunday by going to the Tate Modern museum, but as usual I got sidetracked. This time it was by a giant end-of-summer festival going on along the river. The thing must have stretched two miles along the south bank of the Thames and it was full of street performers, food vendors, stalls selling all sorts of artwork and random stuff, live music, and an assortment of pretty much every type of person you could think of. It was perfect weather so I really couldn't have asked for anything more. Later there was a crazy Mardi Gras style parade with just about every culture you could think of represented. One of the cool things was that they didn't really have floats, but everyone was wearing these giant peacock-like contraptions with sequins and lights and feathers and stuff all over them. There was tons of music and everyone was dancing and having a blast. Hopefully my pictures will give you at least an idea of the party! The parade was followed by fireworks, but I must say, after seeing Chicago's Fourth of July show this year, not many fireworks shows will impress me. That being said, they only lasted five minutes and they weren't even that big. The rest of the day made up for it though.
Today was work as usual but when I was done I went straight down to the National Theater to see one of the free concerts that they put on every night. It was an Argentinian duo playing tango music on some sort of accordion thing and guitar. I was expecting it to be on one of the stages but it turned out it was in one of the common areas by a bar and coffee shop, which was nice because it made it more informal. It was fun to go out and relax somewhere other than my flat after work.
I swear, every day I spend in this city I love it more and more! Everyone here keeps telling me that I probably know the city better than they do because I'm doing all of the tourist stuff, and I guess that makes sense. I know I'm only going to be here for a couple months so I'm trying to do everything at once whereas they all figure they'll have time to do it later. I need to remember this when I get back to Chicago so that I go out and do everything that I've been missing out on. Even so, I feel like this city feels way bigger (kind of like New York) and I would never run out of different things to do. Anyway, I have a mile-long list of things to do so for anyone that comes to visit.
This was definitely not any shorter than my other posts but hopefully I'll start writing a little every couple of days so it doesn't all pile up and I've already added some of the pictures from the parade.
