Ahhh, dreams....

So my subconcious must be doing a lot of work for me at the moment. Last night I had a dream that could more closely be characterized as a nightmare for all intensive purposes.

I arrived at my apartment building in London....same beautiful exterior as seen in the pictures on it's website, but upon entering, turned into something of a run down orphanage (I knew I should never have seen that movie....after more than a year, it's still embedded in my memory....even after all my efforts to simply concentrate on reading the subtitles rather than watching what was going on above them). The rooms in the apartment building turned orphanage were all inter-connected...there weren't any real walls, only partitions and clear shower curtain-looking room dividers, so that no real privacy could ever be established. The first "room" I walked into, which I believed to be mine, was huge, had 4 twin sized beds strewn about the room, and one other girl unpacking her belongings (note: i signed up for a studio with my own bathroom). We got to talking, and I told her that this must be a mistake, and proceeded to go downstairs to talk with any form of authority I might be able to find. I found a front desk/breakfast area (run down), much like one in an old hotel, where there was no real order to anything. The lady behind the counter was old and hard of hearing and had no interest in my distress in finding that I was given the wrong room. After much arguing, she gave me a new room key (which actually looked quite new, considering the decrepit condition of the place). I walked up a few flights of stairs (I thought I had walked down one....oh well, it's a dream), and found the proper room that corresponded to the number on the key. Well, as you recall earlier, there were no doors to turn a key into, so I simply pushed by the shower curtain, only to find a room that was quite possibly smaller than my current bathroom. It contained a failing bunk bed, with a small ladder full of cobwebs, and an old desk with a couple of drawers (storage space?). There was a single window (room with a view...very nice), which, if your eyes could focus past the dust and grime that covered the inside and out, looked out on a very lovely field, spotted by a few very modern looking homes. There was a single road leading from the apartment building into the field, disappearing over the horizon. After considering for a moment how I might actually find the tube station which was supposedly nearby, I walked out of my room, bumping into my former, extremely temporary, roommate. I asked her how I might get to the nearest tube station, and she responded by saying "that's quite a journey".

This whole dream sequence probably lasted around 20 seconds in real time, but as I woke up this morning, I vowed to myself to print off as many maps of the areas in London I might need help in finding my way around. So, on my list to do today: visit Kinkos. Aren't dreams wonderful?

(Please note: this is in no way what I expect to find when traveling to London....I have been twice before, and have found each accomodation has been more than nice. This dream, I feel, has been only to prepare me of my own short-comings on planning, not of anyone else's :) )

In the beginning.... :)

Start of blog...hmmm. Having just seen Julie and Julia.....or Julia and Julie....whichever it is....I feel a little weird posting a blog about my trip over to London to study for the year. I have no plan for this....I'm not going to try to cook 500 recipes in a year....I don't even know how often I'll write....just thought it would be a good way to stay connected with everyone. Read on or not....either way, I'm sure we will all talk at some point, but feel free to post comments! I'll do my best to keep up with this on my end as well. I definitely want to keep in touch, and I think this will allow one more way to make it easier to keep track of each other and our going-ons....along with Facebook and email and Skype...oh, and phone. I don't know much about blogging...maybe there's some way to start a bunch, and connect them all, so we can all read about what's going on in each other's lives....if this already exists, please tell me. That would be great.

Anyways, to update....I just gave my two weeks notice on both jobs. I still have about 4 weeks until I leave, but the way I feel, it might as well be tomorrow. I can't wait to get over there and start things. It has been great living with my dad the last couple of months....I've played a lot of golf....not well, but it's been fun to play again. Mostly, I've been working....finally saved up enough to buy a new computer! MUCH needed. My 's' key decided to go crazy about a year ago, and ever since, it's taken me twice as long to write anything (proofreading entails deleting all the 's's my keyboard interspersed throughout my writing). Along with a few other problems (and Apple offering to fix my computer for a "mere $500"...how kind), I decided to throw down the cash and walk out of Best Buy armed with a computer that can type properly...among other things. Also, I was offered a suggestion on reading before I go, so I looked it up and bought the book "The Anglo Files: A Guide to the British". Very interesting reading. It is from one perspective, but offered much insight into the history and culture of the English. (A couple notes from the book on proper etiquette: don't chew gum and wait to be introduced) I hope I don't make a complete fool of myself within the first week of living in London, but if I do (and if I'm aware of it), I'll be sure to write all about it. Anyways, I guess this will be it for now....just wanted to write a brief intro. Will write again once the date of departure nears....unless something happens and I don't end up going....then that will be the end of this blog....Hope everyone is doing well! Talk soon!!