Sweet Home Chicago

Well. I'm home. I'm doing laundry and missing London. If anyone is in the Chicagoland area and wants to hang out, please call me. The cell's back on.

Last Day in London

It's my last day in London. Wow. This is really weird.

Another four months of my life have sped past me and today I can't help but feeling like digging my heels in.

I would definitely say that I am ready to come home. I never thought I would miss my family and some very loyal friends so much. But the last few weeks here have been really great and there are a lot of people that I am afraid I met too late.

There is so much to say, and at the same time, nothing to say at all because I feel as though the ways in which I have changed speak for themselves. You'll all see, some in just a few short hours.

Alright, time to embrace the last day on this side of the pond (at least for a while). Cheers.

Last day at Drapers

Today is the last day of my internship and I have already finished all the work I am supposed to do today.

I just checked the weather in Western Springs also :)

Another one bites the dust

Sarah has just informed me that she killed another mouse last night. In her words:

i did. yeah, it was sad. i had just gotten into bed when i heard shannon scream. i walked out of the room and could hear the little mouse crying! his leg and the side of his body was stuck to the paper. he kept trying to pull his head up but he just made himself bleed. i felt so bad for him. i didn't know what to do, and i couldn't smash his head with anything, so i stuck in him the toilet and flushed it a couple times. he's in the happy mouse hunting ground now.

How traumatic. I have never been so thankful to be such a sound sleeper.

And, unfortunately, it was not the fatty that ran over my foot the other night, it was a little baby- probably the fatty's baby. Gross.

After drowning it, the girls placed him in a plastic bag and threw him out the window. Our neighbors are going to think it is raining mice- hell, maybe it is.

For those keeping track- the death toll in flat 5 has now reached 4.

Kristin

Not only is my name now synonymous with high class hooker (thanks to the woman at the center of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal who used Kristen, spelled incorrectly of course, as her call girl name) but it is virtually impossible to pronounce correctly if you are British. While in London I have been called everything from Kirsten, Kiersten, Kristie, Kirstie, Kristina, and Christine- and that's after I pronounce it for people.

Fortunately, another American intern at Drapers whose name is Cara feels my pain. She continually gets called CAR-a.

Oh well, only 5 more days of this nonsense...

Last week at Drapers

Today is my last Monday at Drapers. I am losing my voice and that, coupled with my American accent, is making if very difficult for people to understand me. No one seems to know what I am saying when I ask if they are selling any flip flops. Oh well, only two more days of morning rush hour on the tube- now that is something to smile about.

Obama's my momma

I just applied for an internship with Barack Obama. I am getting pretty desperate here folks.

Weekend Update

As I embark on my last week in London...

Friday afternoon was spent at the Imperial War Museum with Jon. Although the museum itself was pretty cool, my favorite part was definitely all the little boys who ran around dodging invisible bullets and making the accompanying sounds. They had an extensive Holocaust exhibit also, which I appreciated considering I missed the opportunity to see the museum in DC on my eighth grade class trip when a boy feel asleep in a Borders while we sat on a bus waiting for him for hours. Thank you, James Bailey.

Saturday Sarah and I headed to Portobello Road and made some great purchases at the markets (perhaps a few gifts for family and friends...) We then returned a cello she rented (because, yes, Sarah is also an accomplished cellist) and I met Kiernan and Jon at the Nordic Bakery, which is known for minimalistic environment and delicious cinnamon buns.

Saturday night a mouse ran over my foot. My bare foot. I was turned off the bathroom light and apparently that's where he was headed. I felt his fat, warm body whiz over my foot and then heard his little paws continue across the bathroom floor. I will not be entering the bathroom without shoes, unless to suffer through a shower.

This morning, Sarah and I headed to Euston to the Wellcome Collection (I don't really know how to explain it, so I'll let their website do it for me: Wellcome Collection is a unique mix of galleries, events, and meeting, reading and eating places where you can consider what it means to be human.

It brings to life Sir Henry Wellcome's vision of a place where people could learn more about the development of medicine through the ages and across cultures.

to see a photographic exhibit: "Life before death". A journalist and photographer captured the final months of fatally ill hospice members (including a portrait of them after they had passed). The exhibit provoked some really interesting questions on what we can learn from death and those who are dying. I assure you, it wasn't all as morbid as it sounds, but I did tear up at the story of a mother with breast cancer.

Frisbee

Yesterday was one of my favorite days in London. I woke up to sunshine and headed to the highly-anticipated Tower of London (of course my camera battery ran out when I got there, but don't worry, Sarah got a picture of me with the ravens).

The Tower was actually really cool (thanks to the weather I'm sure). Our first stop was to the infamous ravens that Grandma Barb told me to see. They were huge! Their wings are clipped to keep them from flying away, so they kind of bounce around their green lawn. Their attempts to fly looked more like a deranged chicken dance, or some dance I have yet to even discover, but I loved it.

We checked out the Jewel House too (complete with moving conveyor belts like at the airport) and saw an incredible amount of wealth. Strange to think that a some points during history people actually carried around jewel-studded swords...

The rest of our time was spent viewing the grounds from above via raised walkways (oh and we saw the underwhelming 'Torture at the Tower' exhibit). The weather was amazing (finally) and made the trip really excited. I just wish I had my camera.

Afterwards, I grabbed lunch with some of my favorite people on the trip. I am very thankful for these fun conversationalists who have the ability to make me forget my 9 day countdown.

The afternoon was spent in Hyde Park frisbeeing (definitely not a word). Of course my team won, but this was honestly some of the most fun I have had in weeks, and I think everyone else enjoyed themselves too. It's nice to know I can still run continuously for 20 minutes :)

Tuesday

Well, it is finally sunny in London. But of course, I was at work. Lame.

At least there is no BLC tonight. And no work tomorrow. Finally I will see the Tower of London.

Oh, anyone want to employ me this summer? The job hunt isn't going so well...

Oh, and a dead mouse count

I thought everyone should know, that the entire building has captured and killed 6 total mice in the past two weeks. There was a dramatic event with one in a shoe last night that was audible through two floors and my headphones. No one is safe.

No worried though, last night I opened up my suitcase that is stored behind the bed expecting to find a mouse family living there, but I'm safe (or rather they are because if I found them in there, there is no telling what I'd do).

Someday in my life I will inevitably write a book about all this... Its title will most likely be "London Tails" or something with an equally clever pun.

No love in london

For those of you that were afraid that I would come to London, fall in love and never want to come home, rest assured that there is no way that will happen. I am 100% certain that in my remaining twelve days I will remain loveless and alone.

On that note, I did see my tube boyfriend this morning. His hair was darker... guys who dye their hair freak me out, especially when it is like just a shade or two darker. High maintenence men are certainly not for me.

Call the coroner

In talking to my mom today, I realized there was a Marvin update to share. After making a death defying leap out our fifth floor window and landing on our neighbor's back porch, he inevitably died because we have learned that once a mouse is attached to the tape thing, there is no way for them to come loose.

Another mouse was caught this way and while trying to be set free outside of the flat a passerby informed the group that there is no way to get a mouse off a trap like that, that you will only end up ripping off its feet or fur to which it would die from the bleeding anyway... gross.

So Marvin is officially dead, and at least he wasn't drowned in the toilet like the other guy.

Check out Laura...

... she's on the Missouri homepage: www.missouri.edu. How can you not be proud?

Showering is hell

I never thought I could hate showering. Then I came to London.

I think I actually took better showers when I was a camp counselor and it was smelly well water that was getting me "clean." I mean, the low water pressure didn't exactly get all the soap out of my hair, but at least it wasn't singeing my skin like the water in the shower at 40 Hogarth.

The temperature of the water is either scalding or frigid. And although I thought I mastered the trick of switching back and forth to get a somewhat comfortable temp, I haven't.

Since the recent death of my flatmate Marvin, I don't even have a bathroom buddy anymore. Marvin had recently taken up residence behind the toilet, which not only limited my time in the bathroom, but also forced me to wear boots every time I stepped foot in the room (I don't want any furry bodies breezing past my ankles).

I may have to join a gym just for the shower. Nah. I'll just tough it out. I could never cheat on Lifetime like that.

Ding dong the witch is dead

We did it. We killed Marvin.

Or so we thought.

I saw him struggling under the sink and we realized he was attached to a sticky board thing. Shannon bravely put a small plastic box over him and scooted him out from under the sink. Then she flipped the box over and closed the lid, with his tail in. When we heard him start squeeking, Shannon threw him out the window with such force, we were sure we finally killed him.

But no.

The flat downstairs has a balcony that we went out on to see where Marvin landed. To our shock and horror, he is on the porch of our neighbors, out of the box, still stuck to the tape, and struggling to live. If he gets away, he will surely come back angry. Hopefully he will die from the sheer exhaustion of the entire situation. I know I'm ready for bed after all that excitement.

2 down...

We caught another mouse. A baby. Which leads me to believe that Marvin has definitely given birth in our apartment. Gross. But it makes me sad that we can only catch his naive offspring instead of the reproduction machine himself.

A girl on the tube was listening to "Pieces of Me" by Ashley Simpson. It was absurdly loud. How can anyone be expected to enjoy a ride on the tube with such inconsiderate people polluting their ears so early.

At least class was cancelled tonight.

Sunday Sunday Sunday

After an absolutely beautiful 60 degree Friday, I woke up to snow covered rooftops this morning. I truly cannot escape the winter that Chicago is having at home.
I headed to the Tate Modern to try and beat the winter blues, and finally saw the giant crack in the floor.
The rest of the afternoon was devoted to some stupid semester long project for my International Issues in Reporting class. Good thing it is due next Monday.

Walk MS

Our family friend who was recently diagnosed with MS is raising money and participating in the Walk MS in Lawrence, Kansas (I know Mizzou fans) on April 12. To date, she has raised the most money of any participant in the walk.

To read more check out the article in The Daily Kansan and ignore the fact that it came from the Kansas J-School.

For those of you who, like the Noe family, know how difficult it is to raise money and want to donate to Walk MS (and Kelly) go to her website.

New Return Date

All your wildest dreams have come true because I am coming home a few days earlier than expected. So, get out your diaries (planners) and keep Sunday, April 27th free for the general celebration of my homecoming.

And yes, it has been confirmed that we did have a death in the flat. Junior, the smallest of the mouse family inhabiting our flat, has been trapped (and disposed of).

1 down, countless more to go.

Mouse Trap

We have caught a mouse. It's dead in a trap. I think. I saw a turned over trap and what I thought was a small gray bodied mouse half underneath and half coming out. Needless to say whether it was or wasn't, I will probably never eat again (as I saw the trap when I went to make a small piece of peanut butter toast).

Tube Hatred

My hatred for the tube grows everyday, and my hatred for the tube during rush hour grows even greater. This morning I rode at least five stops with what I think was a hand on my rear because we are packed in so tightly that no one can be appropriate. I also watched a mother ignore her child and guy pick his teeth and then hold on to the railing. It's hot and smells sometimes and there are never enough seats.

The only positive thing about my mornig tube ride are the days that I see this cute boy that resembles Prince Harry. He must be about my age and has a very English look about him. He is nicely dressed and reads The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara (so I know he's smart). With my limited days, I should figure out something to say to him...