16 May 2008

Yeah, so, life in London at the moment is at a standstill as I am still studying for my final exams.  Last weekend, Dan went cable wakeboarding as I took in some sun.  It was really cool, the wakeboarding thing.  It's similar to riding on the back of a boat, except there is no wake and you're just going around in circles.  But there are tricks you can do and some of the guys were WAY up in the air!  Next time he goes, I may give kneeboarding a go.

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL lately! We have had temperatures in the 70's almost all week!  I read in the paper today that this May has been the hottest month in 254 years!  That's a long time!  Temperatures are cooling down a bit this week, but we're still getting highs in the 60's.  I love Spring!!!

This past week, we went to see Chicago.  It was really good and the set was very simple.  I had expected for it to be a little bit like the movie, but it wasn't at all.  There were no scene changes.  It was almost like going to a concert!

Ok, continuing on with what to expect when traveling to London series.

- No matter what, ALWAYS stay on the left, except on the escalators... stay on the right.  No matter what you're doing... whether you're driving (obviously), walking along the street, going up or down the stairs, you will always need to stay on the left.  The escalators... people will run you over if you're on the left.  That's the passing lane for those who are ambitious and climbing their way to the top.

- You will be in the land of the big brother.  There are CCTV's everywhere!!!  Dan was pushed off of his skateboarder by a bicyclist a few weeks ago.  He told me that he could call the police and tell them the time and place and they could find video footage of the jerk who did that to him and have him ticketed.  I didn't know that!  Of course, you'll see camera's at the tube stations, but I didn't think of the camera's being on random street corners!  There is no privacy in this country... except for behind closed doors, if you're lucky!

- Don't expect for people to cover their mouths when they cough.  Do expect to get sick.  Riding the tube is a dirty game... well, any public transport system for that matter.  But for some reason, people here were not trained by their mothers to cover their mouths!  It makes me so upset because you're confined in small places with these people and they don't even have the courtesy to not at least try to prevent their little viruses from spreading around to others.  Since I have been here, I have been sick for probably at least half of the time.  I'm thinking it's not any of my doing, but of people constantly passing different strands of viruses over my way.  And I had the flu shot before I left!  Same for sneezing.  I read that there are about 40,000 particles that come out of your nose and mouth when you sneeze... at the rate of anywhere from 90 - 650 mph.  All of those little particles contain a virus.  I can imagine it's the same for a cough, just not as many and not as fast.  No wonder why I have been sick so much!

That's it for the second installment of what to expect when traveling to London.  More installments are yet to come...