Photo Stream and Sundry...

I've started a Flickr account, which will house all of the photos I take while I'm here. You can use the above link, or you can click on the latest pictures using the menu on the right of this blog ("Photos From Morganlf").

I slept really well last night. I went to bed around 6pm and slept in two hour with a few episodes of Deadwood to loll me back to sleep.

I realized that I hadn't eaten in about 15 hours, so I practically ran down to breakfast (cold cuts and cheese?) and had cereal, toasts, and a few cold cuts. One thing of note: the sliced cheddar here is...real. It's not processed nast like the sliced sandwich cheese is in the States; for lack of a better phrase: It has a flavor!

Right now it's decided to rain outside and my back has decided to give out. It's not completely 'out' yet, but the damnable disk is trying to sneak out of place, and since I haven't done yoga in a month, it's worse than normal. So I'm staying inside on my bed until I feel a little better. Then it's off to get some groceries and to Boots (a drugstore) in search of Icy Hot patches (if they've indeed crossed the pond).

For My Family

I'm in London! I arrived Friday afternoon (London time). I'll post about my flight and dorm room soon, but for right now, there are more important things to talk about, especially since my family is reading this blog.

I hate for this to be my first post, but (as with the last time I arrived in London) things seem to have come almost unhinged here and I want everyone to know that I'm safe. Thankfully nobody was hurt this time. Many of you know where the cars were in relation to where I am, but some of you don't, so I'm posting Google maps so you get a better idea of all this.

Car #1 (click me)

Car #2 (click me)

So from the Google maps, you can see that I'm in North Central London, in an area called Bloomsbury, and not in the heart of Central London itself.

(image source)

Trains, Planes, and Elevators

Right now I'm trying to decide which is worse: an underground and under-ocean tunnel or an airplane. Personally (and I've told this to many of you) my ultimate nightmare is to be trapped on an elevator whilst on a plane. It gives me the shivers just to think about it. (Great glass elevators are -- of course -- a-okay.)

Seriously though, I can't believe how expensive Chunnel tickets are. It's cheaper and faster to fly British Airways from London to Paris. I save three hours and about ₤20 if I fly, and although I hate flying, the thought of being under the floor of the ocean is a little disquieting.

Thanks to the help of Rymenhild and others, I will be getting an Oyster Card as well as a Student Rail Pass for my longer excursions. Now, if I could just learn to look the correct direction when I cross the street!

Organization for Dumb People

The packing has commenced. I'm trying to take a single bag to London, but I think that I might have to pack a duffle as well. I've been saying far too many goodbyes lately, but it's only for three months. I already have three trips scheduled: one for Cambridge, one for Oxford, and one for Paris when K. visits in August. I'll be taking more trips to Oxford, and perhaps some up to the north of England as well, but I haven't scheduled them as yet.

Right now I need to:

1. Get my carry-on packed with goodies (such as junior mints, Trader Joe's licorice bites, and crosswords). My mom would always have a bag full of games and candy when we went on long road trips. I haven't matured that much. Candy is still the best way to make me do something boring. The following things will also make my trip less awful: Season 1 of Deadwood, Tawni O'Dell's Back Roads (a book about Western Pennsylvania). Any other book recommendations are encouraged.

2. I still need to pack toiletries as well. I'm buying most of my things there, but I am a creature of habit. I like my facial lotion and my face soap, so come hell or high water, they're coming with me. I'm also packing my Philosophy Amazing Grace lotion and my Origins Ginger lotion since they're part of my basic morning routine. I'm going to have to leave my third favorite scent, Stila's Creme Bouquet at home since I don't have a travel-ready bottle of it. No, these things aren't necessary, but smells are important to me. They can give me migraines, bring back intense memories, but they can also make me feel at home and happy.

3. I need to pack my scholarly material as well. A binder with primary sources and a binder with secondary sources should be fine. I also want to take my Moreland and Fleischer so I can review Latin grammar. (Exciting, no?)