HA HA! i am back. Escaped the hold of Dame Edna's House of Glory to inform you all that I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not entirely sure what I am going to be doing but who cares?! I start Monday at 9. £7.81 an hour for 35 hours a week. I got it through the temp agency that I went to a few days ago. I called and called and pestered them and they finally called me back. Thank God. Haven't got much money to last as Lib. paychecks are to pay rent. It's gonna be cream cheese sandwiches for the next couple of weeks. You know, those are really, really good. I don't know why we don't eat them in the states. They're much better, of course, with tomato and cucumber.

On the food front, meat now makes me largely sick to eat. I just keep thinking about all of the diseases. I can't help it. Every time I eat it (a blt, a sausage roll c/o lauren, and God help me a double bacon cheeseburger from burger king in the past week) it makes me ill. I will be so glad to get home and eat my weight in cornbread. keep thinking about the last meal at grandma's. Cucumber sandwiches and corn flakes it is, then. Gonna be svelte when I come back.

Funny thing...now that I sort of know my way around no one asks me for directions anymore! Fourteen people in the first week and none since. I guess my look of confusion was confused with some sort of demented kindness by passing strangers.

Not been able to do much sightseeing as am broke and have been LIVING QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST STRESSFUL WEEK OF MY ENTIRE NATURAL LIFE. Lauren and I had to drag all two hundred lbs. of our luggage four blocks to paddington station, down three flights of stairs and one escalator, onto the bakerloo line, off of the bakerloo line, up three flights of stairs and four blocks to our house (D.E.H.O.G.). Rinse and repeat. Took two hours. Move in. Find the toilet leaves much to be desired. British plumbing leaves much to be desired. Let's just say there's lots of flushing going on at 181 Bravington Rd.

British t.v. is good. Six feet under and Sex in the city come on regular bbc which we pick up with the antenna.

This is long but i must say that the fliers that people hand to you are a great way to get to know the city. Been to two "indie" dance nights (never thought i'd dance to blink 182) and one "metal" night. Lauren and I requested Slayer's "Angel of Death" at the metal night and the d.j. got all excited. And all for a pittance because of flier+student i.d. Met 9 guys from Croatia and Kosovo at one dance night. They were a bit strange but nice. They loved us because we were Americans. Because of what the American military's done over there. Never thought I'd hear that. They even walked us to our bus. One of them broke my heart. All he wants to do is get to Miami and see the ocean and the beaches. He wanted clean, open places. And Miami is that to him? I wish him the best of luck. He said he wants to see the sun. Anyway they were fun and paid for our every whim. Thanks to Zim and co.

gonna lay low this weekend and prepare for the job. lots of love to everyone. mom, if you want to call, you know the number but my cell phone time is quite precious these days so i can't call you for awhile.