Saturday I woke up to a bright, shining British sun smiling down on my shining face (the shine of the sun would stay all the weekend long; the shine on the face - not so much).
Why was my face so shiney? (we're talking smilie here, not Teletubby Baby-in-the-Sun Shiney)
I was to see my favorite English-American today: Rohan Hooda!
Rohan was born in the UK, at some point moved down to Florida, attended middle and parts of high school with me, and then shipped himself off to Boston. Suffice to say, he's picked up a little accent from everywhere he's been, so if I think I have it bad, at least I can come home and
not be annoyed by my friends about my accent. His American friends always wanted to hear his British accent and his British friends always want to hear his American accent! In the wise words of Charlies Brown: "Gooooooood Grief." Rohan and I started the day at the Museum of Natural History, where we saw the Dinosaur Exhibit. Unfortunately, because I was so consumed with the game of catch-up that Rohan and I were engaged in, I really do not remember much about the display of Dinosaur Artifacts other than a couple of skeletons, reading about something where Dinosaur head shapes could indicate the male and females of the species, and seeing a giant anamotronic T-Rex that tourists were taking pictures with. While most assuredly smaller than the one shown in "Jurassic Park", I couldn't help but think had the T-Rex
actually had the ability to open its mouth and roar, the children who were gaily smiling with it now would no doubt be running faster than a large group of people out of an airport after someone yells the words "Bomb!" (which I've always wanted to see real time at some point. Perhaps "Fire!" at a Movie Theater or something like that. I'd do it myself, but well, there's that whole fines, prosecution, and possible jail-time that keeps me at bay with that idea).After going through the next exhibit (one on rocks - yes, you read that correctly: rocks), we decided to leave and explore the world around us. We skiddattered over to Hyde Park, where we saw a few war memorials and discussed how 50 years ago, we would be in the war right now, and how scary that notion was to us. 100 years ago I would have been married with kids! I would go further into the ever-changing nature of our society and the role in which young people play, but I feel that I would lose a couple of you quickly with such dry subject matters (though with my A.D.D. writing-style, I'm sure I could find a way to talk about the Garbage of Antartica and keep you all semi-entertained for the first few minutes). We scampered more through Hyde Park, saw some people on skate-board shoes (not roller-blades; they were shoes with side-ways wheels - CRAZY! What will they think of next?!), went to Speakers Corner and found no crazy men preaching about the world's end (unfortunately - though this whole 2012 thing is getting kinda ridiculous and as I find out new facts, it's getting boarderline creepy. For a good laugh at the absurdity of the Apocalypic Movie Industry, watch the new trailer of 2012 if you haven't already: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAY16UM9Oac), and then went to the American Embassy
(where I wasn't allowed in because I didn't have my passport and Rohan wasn't allowed in because he's Middle Eastern looking... haha. I'm just kidding!... kinda...). We stood outside and chatted for a while by a rather large statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower and discussed the possibility that there might be a very similar statue one day here of one of our classmates, Charles Fiodor Scott Nadd. He's in the army. Remember that face: Look for him to become President of the Free World by the year 2040 or so (that's assuming the world doesn't end in 2012 and Obama hasn't liberated us to a socialist society that is). We then made the mistake of going to get Middle Eastern food. It was actually pretty good. However, that night I would reap the bounty of what I'd sown into my belly (now truly I can't blame this,
but it seems to coincide as the thing I ate right before all of this started to happen. Coincidence? Maybe. But I'll use it as my scapegoat for now, kinda like Steve Bartman with the Cubs chances at World Series history).After dinner, we saw the Invention of Lying (not worth seeing in my opinion, all of the good parts were spoiled for the most part in the trailers - yeah, i hate those movies, don't you?), and then I went home. I started to feel a little chilly - the open-the-refridgerator-but-it's-okay-because-you-have-clothes-on-and-its-not-that-terribly-cold kind of chilly. However, once I got to my room, it started to get worse. Well, one thing fell to the next and before you know it I had 3 layers on plus my winter jacket, along with my blankets and comforter over me and I was sweating profusely, yet still chilly in the it's-freezing-and-I'm-outside-with-no-clothes-on kind of chilly. So, sick all night Saturday and all day Sunday. But, thanks to some great hallmates, I was provided with home remidy treatments and food and drinks from the grocery store. Yeah - they're nice people. :)
Oh, and I would be nowhere if I didn't thank my mother for those lovely niquil tablets that helped knock me out for much of those 36 hours. Thanks mom!
Anyway, I woke up Monday morning, no more chills, feeling great, able to take a shower for the first time since Saturday Night (even a stronger showering of axe probably couldn't hide my scent),
got out, got dressed, perhaps even felt good enough to go to class, went to the bathroom, peed Kool-Aid... hold on... oh, boy, that's not good... (and in case you didn't get the analogy - watch this (I promise, it's not graphic or anything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fVDGu82FeQ).To make a long story short, I called up my program advisor, went to a private doctor, who transferred me to a hospital but told me in case I'll need to have tests run. At the hospital, I had an ultrasound, urinary tests, and blood drawn - of which I passed out for because my blood surgar was low because I hadn't eaten anything in the past 2 days... and then they missed so I got 4 different holes poked for blood... I hate needles...).
At best: it's a urinary tract infection.
At worst: it's cancer
(when they said that I jumped a little in my seat).
I got my results two days later: It turned out to just be a urinary tract infection.
Not fun, but hey - at least it's not life and death.
Other things of note this week:
1) I saw Les Mis for the second time while in London (first was with my family). We got late tickets. We had two options for the same price. Backrow in the 2nd balcony or Frontrow in front of the stage.
Was that seriously supposed to be an option?
Les Mis first row seats for approximately $30. Not bad, eh?
2) I still don't know whether I'm taking Global Financial Markets or Behavorial Psychology - it's the 3rd week and Wake still hasn't let me know which class I'm supposed to be dropping.3) I'm thinking about starting Kung Fu lessons. I'm envisioning someone just asking me a question when I get back home: "So what'd you learn in England Austi-" "Fung Fu."*strikes a pose*
Pick-pockets beware.
So that's what been going on in my life for the past week or so.
Hope your week was a little less eventful than mine.
Continue to pray for my grandfather as he continues to recover from his treatment.
Thanks!
- AustinLostinLondon
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