Well howdy. Sorry for the absence!
Job hunting may feel a little discouraging, but I still have faith. A list of publishers has been drawn up and form letters composed - their peace of mind will be interrupted by my cries for employment. Meanwhile I have an interview with the GRC tomorrow where, after my having impressed them via my CV and charming phone manner, they will poke and prod me to see what they can find (jobwise).
Friday night was a pretty fun time. It turned out that Leon and some friends were having what may be referred to in some circles as a "wingding", though it was enjoyable enough to warrant consideration of being upgraded to "hootenanny" status. Lots of good folk were there, a decent number from Canada, and later in the evening the party spilled out into Camden to find it's way to a Cuban-themed place that had good drinks and a name which I do not recall.
I'd love to be more detailed but it has occurred to me lately that if I keep giving anatomical detail of the goings-on between me and the people I meet in England, than mayhap I could make people feel like they really have to watch their behaviour in my company lest it find it's way to the most public of forums. So I'll simply say that I was pleased to chat with some recent Canadian ex-pats about our respective escapades and that I met a fellow film enthusiast as well as a fan of Hunter S. Thompson, leaving me well pleased. By the end of the evening I felt more relaxed and at peace with the city than I had since I arrived - I think the last traces of "Jesus Christ I'm in a somewhat unfamiliar country" finally fell off.
Surprise, surprise.....Saturday was spent alternately vegging out and writing. Sunday was a bit of that mixed with a trip to Hyde park to see what Speakers Corner was all about. The fellow on the soapbox when I arrived was taking a harried "Muslim veils divide the community, ergo they should be banned" position on the current ruckus. It got kind of awkward, rather quickly...but I still think I'll check it out sometime again in the future. Once again I nearly went to the south-east end of the park to see the Diana memorial. But even this many years later, I find remembering the hypocritcal public behavior which surrounded her so utterly repuslive that I couldn't bring myself to do it.
That may sound harsh. But it's surprisingly easy to forget that before Diana died and provoked people to remark"Oh no! Our fair lady has fallen!", those same people would look over their morning breakfast and think "Hey I hope those clever lads at The Daily Mirror manage to sneak another camera in Diana's toilet bowl again!".
But enough of that nonsense. I also found some incredibly good bookstores and stared at a few as I imagine a starving man in the desert looks upon the mirage of a turkey stuffed with lasagna. Particularly Ralph Steadman's book about Hunter S. Thompson with a forward by Kurt Vonnegut! Man oh man I already want to start building my library over here and I still need to bring my other books over from Canada. So much to read, then display as painfully obvious conversation pieces! "Oh why yes, I have studied the Kama Sutra, though I suppose it would be better to say that I've lived it".Today I head off to Reading, which should be relaxing and all - plus I'm sure I'll get to see the lads for a bit of fun now and then. I've also arranged to head up to Oxford (the city, not the circus) this coming weekend, which should lead to futher book-inspired salivations...but oh well!
Slowly but surely I'm gathering more and more information and useful experience with job hunting in the UK - things'll come around, I'm sure of it (he said prophetically, before falling into a bottomless pit).
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4 comments:
Oh, Oxford! Planning on going sculling on the River Thames? Or hoping for a make-out session with Richard Dawkings? Or will you settle for stalking Thom Yorke?
You moving out to Reading until you get a job? Its a wee bit out, isn't it? What's the train fare like these days? British Rail still piss poor at service and getting there on time?
Well the trains have been nothing but good to me so far, in regards to frequency and being on time.
Reading is a 25 minute train ride from Paddington tube station, which is itself right on the border between Central and Greater London. It's a bit out, but nowhere near as bad as (say) Kingston and Ottawa.
As for why, I suppose I didn't make this clear in the post - my cousin informed me upon my arrival that I had but one month before she would have to kick me out of her spare room, that she might use it as an office from which to run a home business. Believe me, if I had my choice I'd still be in London - if only to keep down the cost of transit.
For a 25 minute train ride that is used by many, many communters - I have to say that the Reading to Paddington (and vice versa) train feels a bit overpriced. The cheapest, same-day, off-time ticket you can get is still over £10 and you're likely to pay closer to £20 if you want to stay where you are going for more than a few hours.
But enough bitching!
Oxford is attractive because it holds two friends of my parents and their son, all of whom I greatly enjoyed visiting during my last trip to the UK. It was this family which introduced me to Dawkins and gave me a tour of the area which has left me convinced that if London doesn't seem plausible, then Oxford would also be somewhere very enjoyable to live in.
I plan to check out the book stores (including one where you can see 100+ year old editions of classics) and generally try to get another decent appraisal of the city.
Thanks for the clairfication. That's what I thought your situation was, but I wasn't entirely sure.
My British rails experience mostly consisted of massive delays, seeing attendents refuse to help a pregnant women with screaming children get her luggage on a train, and a train parking on the tracks for three hours. I suspect service gets worse the farther out from London you go, as I was out around Bath for these lovely incidents.
The train prices seem about par for the course, given that Britain generally seems to spend pounds like we do dollars (unfortunately). Most short distance train rides in Japan were about 1000-1500 yen, so that is about right for Britain, I guess.
You should enjoy Oxford. My dad loved it there when he was taking a one-week course at Christ Church College at Oxford University. He even got to dine at the Masters' Table! In retrospect, I often wonder why I never took up Dad's offer to go with him to Oxford, aside from the fact I feel guilty about being a wastrel! It's awesome you have contacts there who could potentially help get you set up in Oxford if you so choose. Also, I hate you and your rare book sexing up ways. YOU'RE RUINING ME!
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