I MADE IT TO OXFORD IN ONE PIECE... BUT JUST BARELY.

I'm in Oxford!

It's exciting, but I have not made it to the heart of the city, though. Maybe later today.

Traveling here made me really tired. With four huge bags, I ended up taking two taxis to places that would have taken me five minutes to walk.. but oh well.

Everyone was so friendly, always offering to help me with my bags.. but a few people got mad at me when I said that I did not need help, haha. Not really mad, but just upset that I was reluctant to be helped.

Oh well, that's my mom's fault.

I only have a minute left online, so I will hopefully write more later!

RANDOM PHOTO

I know it's a bit blurry, and that stupid sign is in the way, but I love that little bus! It looks like it's rushing into my photo...

TWO RANDOM CONVERSATIONS I HAD TODAY

I was eating a shortbread cookie and drinking a mango and passion fruit fruit blend (yum!) in the Starbucks inside Borders at Oxford Circus today, minding my own business, reading NME, a music magazine, when people decided to talk to me.

I know. Weird, right?

After I was done with my snack, I cleaned my table off, put the chair up like the Starbucks worker was doing around me, threw away my trash and returned my plate to the barista person.

This grandpa guy came up to me and said: "I just wanted to say.. you're a good girl. Very good girl. Everyone should be like you. People just don't care about others the way you do. Very good girl."

And then, as I was going down the escalator to leave Borders, I did the thing where I pause before getting on because, I mean, it's MOVING STAIRS for goshsakes.. and this group of guys got stuck behind me.. and this was the conversation we had:

One guy: "Uh.. excuse me, do you know what time the store closes?"

Me: "11."

Me (internally): "You're leaving the store, anyway. Why does it matter?!"

That one guy: "Thanks! Hey.. you like music?"

Me: "I'm sorry?"

Guy: "You were reading NME."

Me (internally): "Oh, yeah, you STALKER."

Me: "Oh, yeah. I like music."

Guy: "Well, I'm Alex, nice to meet you. And it's so funny because my friend DAVE here *points to Dave* likes music, 

too."

Me: "Oh, wow, interesting, yeah..."

Alex: "Are you from America?"

Dave: "I love your accent!"

Me (seriously confused): "You love my accent?"

All four guys: "Yeah, OMG, *bunch of chatter that I can't hear because they're all talking at once*"

Me: "Uh.. thanks."

Alex: "So, do you play any instruments?"

Me: "Yeah, piano.. and I just started playing guitar."

Alex: "That's so funny because my friend DAVE here *points to Dave again* plays guitar. He plays at a grade 5 

(whatever that means)." 

Me: "Cool."

Alex: "What kind of music do you like?"

Me: "All kinds."

Dave: "OMG! NO WAY! ME TOO! Like jazz.. I really want to go to New Orleans just to hear jazz live in the streets... 

blahblahblah." 

Me: "Yeah. It's really sad because there's another hurricane down there now. I have to.. go get.. a magazine now.. Bye!"

and then I ran away. 

The guys were not my type, but I still don't believe that even if they were, I would have stayed to talk.. haha..

This is going to make it awfully hard to make friends here :(

IT'S FINALLY SET IN.

I'm in England! For three months and fifteen days.. (mom--we have some things to discuss, like me staying here an extra few days to kidnap Robert Pattinson from the Twilight premiere that they decided to plan for THREE days after I planned to leave).

I finally realized this when I came out of the Westminster tube stop and saw this:

Ah, definitely my favorite place in London. 

(I know I said this about Tower Bridge, too, but I take that back. That's my second favorite)

I've had this fascination with Big Ben since I had to make a little pamphlet about it in elementary school. I was so happy that I got to use the word "atop." Haha. I thought I was smart.

Anyway, today I started the day by going to the British Library for the first time. I did not want to leave.

The British Library:

(sorry for the horrible pictures.. I'm so afraid to take pictures because I am paranoid about looking like a complete tourist.. I already have enough trouble with all the stupid escalators they have around.)

Here's what I saw there:

--The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India's Great Epic (a special exhibit, very interesting)

--SO MANY sacred texts, like the Gutenberg Bible and various sacred texts from religions around the world

--one out of four copies of the original Magna Carta

--Jane Austen's "History of England"

--Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures Under Ground" 

--Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre"

--One of the first "Complete Works of Shakespeare" printed after his death

--Shakespeare's "First Folio"

--Mozart's Thematic Catalogue

--Handel's Messiah, autograph composition draft
--Beethoven's sketches for the 'Pastoral' Symphony (no. 6 in F Major, op.68)
--Bach's "The Well-tempered Clavier," Book II, Fugue in A Flat major
--Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" from A Midsummer Night's Dream

and then there was this little corner dedicated to The Beatles.. and it was amazing.

I saw:

--"Ticket to Ride" lyrics.. when they were first written down!!

--"The Fool on the Hill" lyrics.. handwritten (same..)

--"Yesterday" lyrics.. handwritten (same..)
--"Help!" lyrics.. handwritten (same..)
--A birthday card to Julian Lennon that John used to write down the lyrics for "A Hard Day's Night"!!!
--"Strawberry Fields Forever" lyrics.. when they were first written :)
--"I wanna hold your hand" lyrics.. handwritten
--"Michelle" lyrics.. handwritten
--A Beatles book from 1963
--45 single of A Hard Day's Night
--Beatles' 1963 Christmas record (and I got to hear it.. IT'S SO CUTE!!)
--Fan club membership card

Unfortunately, I could not take pictures of all of this stuff, and I know that it sounds so silly of me to be excited about seeing all of this, but .. it was just so crazy to see the journal that Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson, really) used to write down Alice's adventures in first.. and to see Beethoven's crazy crazy handwriting and music.. and then to see all of those Beatles' lyrics as they were when the boys were first putting their thoughts to paper.. it was just all SO amazing.

Then I went to the British Museum:

But at that time, I only had an hour left and I decided that I did not want to be disappointed when I had to leave in the middle of an exhibit, so I saw the Rosetta Stone and left.. 

Well, that's not really true, because I just realized today (that I have a power) that no matter where I am, including a museum, a shop/store--somewhere I can spend my money--will find me, so I spent some time in the museum's three little shops.

Then I went to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the Thames, etc., from Westminster Pier. 

Every time I see Big Ben, I am amazed at how enormous it really is.. EVERY TIME!!

Then I went to Oxford Circus to do some shopping! 

I did not buy anything.. this time.

Oxford Circus is definitely my favorite place to shop :) There are so many amazing shops.. and I love that bows here are sold everywhere. Oh, and colorful tights, too. I don't feel like such a freak anymore, haha.

Now I'm just all packed up and ready to go to Oxford tomorrow and stay in a hostel for the first time in my life. 

This should be fun! :)

Oxford, here I come! You better watch out! 

FINALLY!

I had to get up from 'sleeping' because I heard James on the radio/TV for the first time since I've been here! 

Yay!!

James Morrison -- You Make It Real

Edit: OHMYFREAKINGGOSH.

AND NOW IT'S KID ROCK -- 'ALL SUMMER LONG.'

I wish I was kidding about this crap:

I hope you see how it says 02:44 for James and then 02:51 for Kid Rock. This is not a joke.

THIS IS PRETTY.. COOL :D

Not only will Kevin Spacey be a guest lecturer at Oxford, but he will be teaching in MY COLLEGE!!

He'll be there for an entire year, giving lectures workshops and seminars for Contemporary Theater.

I'm so tempted to attend a seminar or something, but I know I'll embarrass myself somehow. 

THEATER?! Man..

We'll see.

I KNOW THIS IS A POINTLESS POST,

BUT:

OMG. They are playing Nickelback on this music TV station RIGHT NOW.

This morning when I turned on the TV, it was Kid Rock and that stupid song where he steals Lynyrd Skynyrd's song about ALABAMA while he in turn sings about MICHIGAN. 

I don't see the appeal it has on Brits! So I turned the TV off.

When I turned it on, this station called SMASH HITS was playing an oldoldold Nickelback video.

And now the radio is playing Nickelback. 

I literally cannot turn on the TV/radio without hearing two of my least favorite musical acts.

What's next? Avril Lavigne asking to eat with me for dinner?

EDIT: After muting the TV when Nickelback came on, I unmuted the TV about twenty minutes later because I forgot about it, and it is LITERALLY playing 'All Summer Long' by Kid Rock. I AM NOT JOKING. My jaw hit the ground. I cannot believe this is happening.

I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD BE SO UPSET IN LONDON.

Last night, while I was walking through Covent Garden, I kept saying, "Man, what's all that noise?"

Normally, my inner journalist would kick it, and I'd go find the source of the noise. But not last night.

Why?

Well, because it was the GQ Men of the Year Awards at the Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens.

Yep.

Who was there?

Well, just Lily Allen, Elton John, James McAvoy, Orlando Bloom, Tony Bennett, Led Zeppelin, Keane, Mark Ronson, Miranda Kerr, etc.

I can't believe I've only been here for two days and I've already missed a huge event.

I MADE IT TO LONDON IN ONE PIECE... BUT JUST BARELY.

After ruining my make-up by crying at Uncle Jimmy's house and then again at the airport when my mom waved goodbye to me for the last time--it would be so much easier to say bye if I didn't like these people--I had a nice flight to Philadelphia. I had two seats to myself and it seemed like it only took us 15 minutes to actually get there.

When I arrived at Philadelphia, I knew I had quite a ways to walk with two ridiculously heavy bags, so I spent some time looking at all the art work that decorated the pathways.. while walking still a little too fast on a moving sidewalk. Normally I do not even use the moving sidewalks because they scare me the way escalators scare me, but I was extremely tired, so I risked it.

Everything was fine until I did not realize that it was the end of the moving sidewalk. 

I ended up falling at the end, cutting my hands up a bit on the metal part after the end of the sidewalk. All these people were having to jump/step on me because I was there with two huge bags and then all these airport people came over to help me and make sure that I was OK. They kept yelling stuff about a First Aid kit, but I did not need anymore attention drawn to me.

After that, I went to use the restroom and ended up slipping on a huge puddle of water into the marble sink. My printed copy of Midnight Sun ended up falling into the sink, which happened to be automatic. I ended up with a drenched copy of Midnight Sun and bruised palms.

Oh well.

My flight to London was not bad. Everyone kept complaining about how small the seats were on the plane, which is true. I have never had such small seats in my life. And as we exited the plane, they made sure we went through business class seats on our way out. How clever. 

Meanies.

After making it to the hotel, I just hopped on the underground and went to Tower Bridge first. That's my favorite place :) Then I walked around the St. Katharine Docks, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and Leicester Square.

Just a few random notes from today:

--When I come to England, I DO NOT expect to be followed by Kid Rock.

Why, oh why, is his stupid song on the top of the charts here?!

--I was also followed by my favorite song in the world, 'Rock Star,' which is of course by my favorite band, Nickelback. It was in a commercial for furniture. Do you guys not have your own horrible music that you have to steal ours, making it haunt my life just when I thought I got away from it all?

--Oh, and mom will think this is funny.. There is this commercial for cat food that has the song 'Fever' playing in the background. Yep.

--And finally, before I crash--hopefully I'll go to the Zoo and Wimbledon tomorrow!--why do they have shows here like CSI and Cold Case that have different casts than the US casts, but the actors are still American?! It's so bizarre..

St. Katharine Docks

St. Katharine Docks again :) with cute rowing boys..

A cute Starbucks!

A bad picture, but it's the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge! *eeee*

Bad picture again, but it's Piccadilly Circus!

P.S. My favorite Virgin Megastore--the one in Piccadilly Circus--is gone. I'm heartbroken.. but at least I have more money than I would have had if it were there..