Creepytown

My window is facing the courtyard.  There's usually quite a bit of nose, this is mostly due to drinking being an "any day" sort of activity- it's the British culture.   I've gotten used to it and for the most part, it doesn't bother me anymore.

On the flip side, I can hear conversations depending on how far away they are and how far my window is open.  I like to people watch- so naturally, I like to look out the window when I hear conversation.  However, I don't really care about looking out the window when people are being drunkly loud.  I'm always afraid that people will see me looking out the window and that they'll think I'm creepy, but I take the risk.  I get really giddy, jumpy and childlike when I think someone has seen me... although- no one ever sees that. 

I'm able to recognize voices now, I can successfully recognized about 12 of them.  There are some conversations that I am more interested in than others- obviously the ones were I know the people conversing.    My biggest problem is, is that I can't ease drop on conversations in other languages!  Sometimes I forget about language diversity and listen for a few seconds... until I realize- there's no use.

I'm hesitant about posting this, since I don't actually know who reads it- except a for a handful of people.  I should add though- it is uncommon to talk about interesting things below my window, so mostly I just enjoy birds-eye-eye-candy.  Got that? ;)

gbp to usd: $1.98

AHHH!!-lalala-hing-wing-hoom-ahh-la-bab-wahh

Do you think it would be bad to get a squirt gun?  So I could let people know in a unique way that I would appreciate better VOLUME CONTROL!  It'd be bad-ass-er if it was a super soaker... yeah.

Going down like the fog horns outside my window: not a lot, but it still counts

GBP to USD: $1.96

Tiny

I can't find Tiny.  Incase you're unaware, Tiny is my awesomely bad, extra petite in her physical appearance, but generous in memory, USB drive.  I've lost her between a print shop and my room.  I hope she wasn't lost during my walk to the park yesterday- that's my worst fear.  

60% chance she was left at the print shop.

30% I subconscious left her at the library.

10% She slipped out of my purse during photography class.

Attached to Tiny was Marta, my USB drive that is larger in size and smaller in memory.  (yeah, obviously, since both of them are lost!)  A brief story about Marta: I purchased her at Bazaar de L'Hotel de Ville two years ago in Paris.  She's really pretty with her stainless steal and leather casing, with a nifty cap. Marta, however, was quite a pretty penny.  69 euro- at the time I thought was a stellar deal for a 1 gig USB drive- it wasn't that great of a price- especially with the exchange rate.  However, she was really pretty and has held up well... until now.

Tiny, Marta- I hope you're safe, please come home.  I miss you.

___________

Toilets in England upset me.  They're not much different in their appearance than American potties, the only difference- you're damn lucky if you can get it to flush!

At first it wasn't too bad.  A few times here and there I had to jiggle the handle a little extra. Once or twice it wouldn't go down- I felt like a tool, but I'd just go back later and try again.

All of a sudden I can't get any of them to work!  We have two in our flat- I make a point to go to the one used less- it doesn't help.  It happened again at school today.  I was so irritated.  I vented to a few girls in my class who thought my accent was lovely.  I'm not sure what they thought of the conversation content, but they were sympathetic.  I asked how they get their toilets to flush, they said, "You push the handle down."  I said, "I know!"

It's like in the US, if you'd flush the toilet 2 or 3 times right in a row... you have to wait for the toilet bowl has to fill up again.  I think it's like that here, except  you have to wait 10 minutes (no exaggeration!) and sometimes, no one has used it in the 10 minutes pervious to my use.  I also am getting the sneaking suspicion that you can't have water running anywhere else in the flat or else Mr. Loo can't do his damn job!  We probably share pipes with other flats. MF.

I have left so many toilets unflushed in the past two days.  Not because I wanted to let anything "mellow", I don't have a dirty sense of humor, I don't use too much toilet paper and I never "just forget"- not even when I'm half asleep.  

This recurring issue is not a matter of "number two deposits".  It's a matter of their toilets being terrible toilets. 

________

On a less crabby-pants note, I had a very productive day drawing mens clothing and bonding with Mina and Taya.  I went out with Simon tonight, we informally met up with Matt and Meghan and had a great dinner that was cheap too!

And hey!  The exchange rate has gone down a bit!  w00t!  

GBP to USD: $1.97

 

Welcome to Complicatedtown

I got a phone.  Finally.

European cell phones frustrates me.  In Paris I would constantly hear, "I don't have any credit..." it was the universal excuse- some how not having any credit would exempt anyone from anything.  It bugged me, but what did I care?  It only really effected me a handful of times.

Before I came over here, I decided that I would have a cell phone, mobile, if you will.  From that decision I pre-excepted that I would probably be one of those people that were always out of credit.  

I postponed getting a mobile the first week-ish.  I didn't really have anyone to call.  The lonely night at the Adelphi was a sign that it was time.  Shortly after I walked back to Saint Georges Shopping Centre  and began my wild goose chase .  I'll spare the details and just highlight on a few things so one can grasp what it is like to obtain a decent deal on a short term mobile in Preston. 

4 trips to the shopping centre all specifically in attempt to purchase a phone

Different conditions applying, every time you speak to someone, even if you're at the same store... even if you're talking to the same sales men

New lingo: top-up, Ps per minute/text, sim card, tariff, locked/unlocked phones

Surprise price increases

Creepy sales men... smelly sales men... hard to understand sales men... cute, but kinda awkward sales men... sales men with funny hair

"Oh... you'll need another sim card for that."

"I'm sorry, you'll have to get that unlocked"

"Great, I'll take it!"  "Oh I'm sorry, we don't have that phone with that provider.. oh wait, we don't have any of them.  Come back on tomorrow."

"Come back tomorrow"

"Oh yeah, there's another Phones4U around the corner, it's much bigger, it probably has what you want."

"I'm sorry, you don't have a chip in your bank card... we can't take it."

Nokia 2610, 20 pounds credit, 5 text free with the first 5 text sent in a day, 3p text for Virgin mobile users, 10p regular text, 15p on calls in the UK.... 34.95 pound.  Not bad.

So maybe I'm just that whiny American girl that has trouble grasping this complex "pay as you go" system.  It shouldn't matter now.  I have a mobile and now the world can reach me.  My number is not exclusively for people within the UK, if you'd like, you can call or send me text message from Skype.  =)  

Ok, I'm done.  I have a phone, mission accomplished.  If you'd like my number- even just for novelty purposes, let me know and I'll gladly send it to you.  

GBP to USD: $1.99

New Blood

We have a new flat mate!  I use "new" loosely, because he was here last semester- so really, we are "new" and he's well... not.  Anyway, I woke up from a nap and heard someone unlocking a door.  The first week I would jump up to see if it was anyone new, but it would always be a current flat mate.  Soon I was able to distinguish at what part of the hall noise was coming from and soon after that- I just stopped looking.  

Today was a different day- I woke up from my nap, and the sound seemed to be more centrally located- I was curious again.  So I whipped open my door and stood, staring at room 2.  Room 2 no longer had a pile of papers under the door.  Room 2 was suddenly occupied.  I wanted to take a picture, I should have.  You know, when something is the same for so long- then suddenly different, the differences is picture-worthy. 

So.. I knocked and said hello.  We chatted for a bit- I showed him his new, and probably smaller, space in the kitchen.  Mystery flat mate is from Spain- he studies design.  He seems pretty cool.  I've heard from the grapevine that our flat was pretty hoppin' last semester.  We're gonna have new dynamics in the flat. =)

GBP to USD: $1.99

And something to mark on your calendar: the 2 year anniversary of arriving au Paris.