Six and a bit...

Well, I was expecting some sort of write-up in the paper, but the occasion passed without fanfare. Saturday was my sixth year here in London - longer than I spent in New York, and nearly as long as I spent in Minnesota. Who'd a thunk? There were, however, fireworks on Saturday night, just near the crapass student housing we lived in on the Thames. I like to think it was to commemorate my arrival. More likely it had something to do with the Thames Festival, which was ending that night.

Today is cold, wet and rainy - nearly dark as well. I think that summer may have well and truly died for the year. The trees are beginning to think about turning their fabulous shades of brown and slightly less brown - fall splendour, London-style. Another month or so and I'm going to have to take out my happy-lamp from its summer hiding place under my desk. It annoys my colleagues, but it makes me happy, so they can pretty much shove it. I'm very community spirit oriented.

This morning, there was some big bus accident just north of here - head-on, apparently. A bendy bus plowed into a double-decker, which did quite a number to both of them. Traffic was a complete nightmare, to the point where I had to jump up on the sidewalk to get around. Terrible. On the plus side, that's one less bendy bus on the road. I got a late start today, about 7 minutes late, which meant that the dickheads and numbnuts were out in force. I don't know what it is, but all it takes is a few minutes late, and the roads are complete mayhem. Maybe the buses were late today as well? Who knows... Giant fatass had gotten to the shower before me, and got it even wetter than usual - water was flowing across the floor about 10 feet from the shower. I'd love to electrify the floor when he does that - would serve him right for making a complete mess every morning.

But six years - that's kind of amazing. Amazing in particular because the original reason I came here went so spectacularly down in flames. I still think if I had been able to study on my original topic - reforestation in Scotland, I would have done well, and would have made it through the degree. But to even think that I could have written on an aspect of local government and redevelopment in London - a city with a system of government so convoluted and archaic that I still barely understand it (and I work in it!) is just amazing. I should have stood up more for myself and my topic, but I suppose you don't know these things until after. I suppose it's something that I'm doing GIS - that's at least mapping, at least geography, and at least might lead somewhere, but what a lot of effort (and money!) was spent on nothing. Sigh.

Oh, David's mother got back to America with only minor diplomatic incidents - definitely nothing worth calling the embassy about. Her flight back though was delayed by over 5 hours, and they weren't let off the plane - happened to me once as well on British Airways, which is why I won't fly them again - but I guess all the airlines are pretty shit when it comes right down to that.

And that's all the non-news my little tired brain can come up with at the moment. Pretty heady stuff...