Rugby World Cup debauchery

It's a beautiful Sunday in London. The weather has begun to cool off, but the sky is clear and the sun is out. I woke up at almost 1PM today after a night at the pub watching the final game of the Rugby World Cup between England and South Africa. I planned on spending last night in reading and relaxing, but figured that I should make the most out of living in London and watch the game. We ended up at pub called Mortimer's up by Goodge St and UCL. It was a low-key pub and we got a cheap dinner with a pitcher of cheap pints.

We sat at a table of UCL old-timer's with PhDs: two guys in their late 50s or early 60s and two guys in their 30s. We schmoozed and laughed at jokes we pretended to understand. By the end of the game, I was somewhere in the midst of a 4th pint which JP and Jared generously offered to finish for me since I was dying. But then enters Paul, a chatty 30-something who buys us all another pint. As polite people, of course we are obliged to drink this free pint. But as they say in economics, there's no such thing as a free pint... er, lunch.

I ran into a flatmate and his friend on my way back from a coffee and was coerced into taking a walk on "this a'beautiful day!" (said with Italian accent). So we walked to Tower Bridge and across and got a sandwich at Subway and ate in a park. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday. I know I said my life is a sausage fest and it still is one, but the guys I know and have met are pretty cool. I like them a lot and it could be worse if I didn't know anyone at all.

I'm excited for the start of a new week. Hopefully, I'll be getting more sleep this time around. I am now the proud owner of my very own pair of rock climbing shoes and chalk bag. Now I look legit and the only thing I have to do is BE legit. Climbing as a registered member for the first time on Friday was a little weird. Without some LSE girl or guy pointing to routes and coaching me, I felt a little intimidated. But I just need to dive right in and continue on, lest I waste the 6-month membership I purchased. Ok, to the grindstone...

My Life is a Sausage Fest

I should be going out right now to check out some live music at LSE from student acts and bands. Only 50 pence. But I've been to and from LSE twice today already. Am I unwarranted in my laziness? The trip is like a half-hour ordeal each way. I should go, right? Also, I will have to be energetic and spirited, because I won't know a single person there. And then I'll need a pint or half-pint to loosen up or at least appear loosened up. I wonder if people go there knowing people or what. Hmm. I could go any time from now until 11. The question is... is it worth it to go, let it be a failure, and come back? THAT is the question. That sounds pessimistic, but we're talking worst case scenarios. On the plus side, there's music. Going to watch music alone is okay. I like music.

I feel a little off today. I should point out that I have been here now for 17 days now (I just counted), and I'm not sure what to think about my social progress. I think being here in itself is a challenging experience, good for me to toughen up. As I predicted, it's more alone time than I'd have at Georgetown. There's no one here to just call and be with. Just be with, just exist alongside. You know how you study with someone in a place just so once in a while, you can point out something interesting that you read? Or you can take a study break with that person? I miss that about Georgetown. It's me, myself, and I a lot of the time and being a pseudo-only child, it's not all that new, but still not entirely amazing.

I think I miss having girl-friends, my girl-friends. The Georgetown crew here is all guys and my one girl-friend was struck with a herpes zoster infection of her auditory nerve and is now returning home for the semester. Sigh. In fact, my cell phone is practically girl-less. I have a friend's number in Spain, Andrea's (who's returning to Hong Kong in a few days), and my aunt's. The small girly side of me is going extinct as I fail to actually make girl-friends. I'm trying to see where I fail here. Am I failing? I don't know. I don't see fellow Hoyas racking up friends. But I don't know.

I can't tell if this is sadness or loneliness or what. I see people. I do things. I go out. I explore. Not one tear has been shed since being here. What is it? I feel like I should be able to fix something and be pro-active about the situation. Alright. In the midst of writing this, I think I've decided to go to LSE. I can be mysterious and solitary in a corner if I must, and I can be social and fun if that's an option. Cool.

Edit: So this is me post LSE Live Music. The music scene at LSE is much more alive than that of Georgetown. People are just more willing to take risks or just have fun. I do, however, think there's a limit on how many crowd-pleasing covers one group can do. One male duo played only ones they knew the crowd would definitely know and respond to. I'm all for reeling them in with a witty or fun pick, but then I think you should go out on a limb. This group started off with "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias which segued nicely into "How To Save a Life" by The Fray. I suppose "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)" by Taking Back Sunday was their risk, but they continued with "Cannonball" by Damien Rice, and then a little bit of "I Want It That Way" by BSB and "Hit Me Baby (One More Time)" by Britney Spears. Ok, we get it. You're funny. Move on. There was another band that played "Hey-Oh" by RHCP, "Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse (fun to hear for the first time in a while), and strangely "Bullet in the Head" by RATM. The singer was a girl, a girly one, so when I first heard the beginning of "Bullet in the Head," I wasn't sure what to expect. But it was fun. There was another girl with a good voice and mediocre songs, BUT she had the guts to perform them and that was respectable; she ended with Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

I'm glad I went overall, but I didn't say a word to anyone except the bartender when I got my beer. Not the most social place, since it was loud and everyone knew everyone or was a friend of someone performing. But it wasn't that awkward NOT to know anyone.