i can't believe it's the same day

the time difference is really messing me up! i forgot how hard it is to get used to.

in general, some things are looking up from when i first got here -- the plug works! my arizona e-mail is working! i found a close supermarket and pharmacy! my debit card worked in the supermarket and to take out pounds!

wait let me tell you about this ridiculous flight i was on. the man sitting next to me was some important person who had a meeting on Monday and was pretty pushy -- he insisted that even if he was asleep i make sure he got the free meals and water -- but generally an interesting person who seemed harmless. unfortunately behind us, there was a family going back to London because the mother is English. they had with them a little boy who couldn't have been much older than 7 and prior to takeoff was screaming and fidgeting about, but once we were in the air he seemed okay. the flight itself was fine, i got to watch the dark knight and flight of the concords, tight!, but during the last hour the little boy just freaked out. he was making sounds that i didn't think a human could, and it was escalating quickly and the parents weren't able to shut him up. the man sitting next to me turned around and said "you gotta control your kid" to the mother, who so British-ly responded "up yours!". he then turned to me, of course, and discussed how rude she was blah blah blah i just kind of sat there with a blank expression, because it was awkward. he said what everyone was thinking, but it became confrontational quickly. we had to taxi for like another half hour and this little boy whose sounds resembled that of a mandrake's just kept on wailing. and he was in the seat directly behind the man. so when we finally were getting off the plane, the guy turned around to the woman again and said "you owe me an apology." and she was like "you're an asshole." so they bickered and i could see it was getting bad fast, so i got the F out of there. at the baggage claim, to students were talking about how ridiculous the whole situation was so i imagine it got pretty bad once i left. nothing like Newark, NJ for some entertainment.

okay so today i didn't really do much.. i came to my dorm via taxi and completely unpacked, which is nice to have done. UNFORTUNATELY i have no bedsheets and not even a comforter, thank god i saved the pillow from the flight, which is a bit awkward.. but i was so tired i took a nap for about four hours. oops. i missed out i think on meeting some of the people in my dorm as they kinda ate dinner during my sleep, but when i woke up mariel's housemate Aaron who is also studying in London invited me to watch the steelers/chargers game at the only pub in London that has NFL games.

i knew i would be late because i woke up right when he said they would be there, but i also knew the pub wasn't that far from me. i was only going to Picadilly Circus, which is absolute worst-case scenario not even a thirty minute walk from my room. this dorm is in SUCH a good location. but i don't have a phone yet and he had clearly already left, so it was taking a chance, but i was curious to use the tube and rather familiarize myself with the area. i checked online where to go and everything went swimmingly. i walked up to him and his brother at the bar and i am sure surprised them, but we had a good time. i am actually quite lucky, his brother studied in London all last year at the London School of Economics, so he really knew his way around. he goes/went? to Georgetown but is getting his Master's now in Dublin, and just staying with Aaron until his classes begin on the 19th.

they were SO helpful, because the tube stops running around midnight, every day of the week. don't you think that's strange? in NYC the subways go til at least 2, and even have service through the night it's just extremely limited. but to completely stop subway service in a city that requires it seems so weird to me. like they'd make so much more money on the thing even if they kept it running til 3am, after the bars close. at any rate, i was screwed but thank god for Aaron's brother -- he got me on the correct bus back to Victoria station and it only cost 2 pounds.

in retrospect i guess it was kind of dangerous for me to have ventured solo into the night like that, and my original plan was if i couldn't find them at the pub i'd just take the tube back to my room because again i figure any familiarity i have with it will serve me much better in the future. and they waited with me for the bus. and there are so many people out all the time. i felt strangely safe. BUT being the paranoid person i am, kept a hand on my valuables and purse etc, so don't worry MOM.

also--I CAN'T BELIEVE THE GIANTS LOST. and to philly? sad day indeed. at least the steelers kicked ass. that's about as much as i will ever know in terms of football.

okay i'm gonna get some sleep because tomorrow is a big day. i need to get up and shower, go to the orientation thing, then try to find bedding and somehow get to a doctor that's required by my dorm. hope all is well in NJ and AZ. i am with you all in spirit. so much love.