Huzzah! We are saved! February 8, 2009

So, yesterday was quite an experience, let me tell you. First of all, since this was my second weekend in London, I fully intended to enjoy myself. Therefore, my plan was to get up at a decent hour, quickly get ready for the day, and then find my way to a coffee shop for a lovely coffee and a leisurely sit. Grand scheme…but no. First of all, my roommates have a habit of staying up late and sleeping in really late, which, for a person who enjoys the morning, is rather irritating. I feel bad about getting up and making noise while they’re all catching some z’s. So, my alarm goes off, I decide to hit the snooze since no one else is up, and accidentally turned off my alarm. I remained in a state of half-conscious limbo, waiting for my alarm to go off again until almost 10 o’clock. Sad.

You see, we had already purchased tickets to visit the Tower of London, so I had squandered my time being lazy in bed when I could have been enjoying some caffeine. By the time I actually arose, I only had time to get ready and go.

Getting to the Tower was interesting, too. It was the weekend, so maintenance was being done on the Underground lines that we needed to take. We had to come up with an alternate route on the fly and pray that we didn’t get lost. Thankfully, we made it. Thank God we can read maps.

The Tower was enjoyable. I was kind of irritated with how much parts of the place had been renovated to look like a modern museum. It was difficult at times to really feel like we were in a truly historical place, but, overall, it was worth it. If nothing else, I can now say that I’ve been there. I’ve seen Traitor’s Gate and walked through the Bloody Tower. I gazed upon the Crown Jewels and walked through the chapel where Anne Boleyn and many others are buried. I talked to a staff person who had been to Oshkosh…yep, I’m in London and a Brit knew pretty much where I go to school.

Moi, eagerly waiting to enter the Bloody Tower.

 Oh man, then there was the part of the day that took the cake. We got back home and walked into a very dark flat. OUR ELECTRICITY WAS OUT!!! And magically, it was only the ground floor, only my floor. All of the other floors in the building had perfect electricity. Yeah, it was great. For a while, our Internet connection still worked, but then that died, too. It was sad. So, this morning, since the English use electricity to heat water and to pump water into the shower, I was forced to wash my hair in the sink and to scrub up as best I could with a wash cloth and a bar of soap. The water was FREEZING!! I’m pretty sure my scalp went numb for a bit. We were informed that no one was coming to fix our power problem until Monday. I was a little upset. 

We decided to go on an excursion to stalk famous people at the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) this evening. It’s pretty much the British equivalent to the Academy Awards. Cady Cummings discovered that they were taking place tonight at the Royal Opera House, which is only a few Tube stops down the line from us. Sadly, it was rainy and very crowded. I didn’t get to see much of anything. Because of the poor weather, the red carpet was shortened up. From our viewpoint, all that could be seen were cars that one could assume held famous people. My favorite part was a woman standing next to me who said, “We pay their salaries. I don’t think it’s right that they black out their windows!” I laughed. It was pretty much a bust, but I can say that I was there.

My view at the BAFTAs...Gwen on George's shoulders.

We did, however, have a happy surprise upon our arrival home. The electricity and Internet fairy had magically swooped down and ended our sad plight. Our electricity and Internet connection had been repaired. YAY!!! I can communicate with the world and take a hot shower!

So, yes, the day is almost complete for me and life is back to normal.

On a completely random tangent, I feel the need to brag. I have the best boyfriend in the whole world!! He sent me flowers. Awww…I feel so special and loved!

Yay! A dozen roses for me! Chad is a sweetheart!

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