Saturday

I was supposed to go see City of Lost CHildren. Instead I *gasp* studied (in the library no less) for 2 hours. Then I met up with Julie and Courtney. WE had drinks, we found food, we exchanged gossip. It was a good time and best of all they are going to go see Gangs of New York with me next week. After all that I came home, talked with mom, had some food and then put an order in over at amazon.co.uk. I love it when it's cheaper to buy another book and get free shipping than it is to pay the shipping. :)

My order looks like this:

- "Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers: Magical Tales of Love and Seduction" edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
- "Culture: the Anthropologists' Account" by Adam Kuper
- "What Was Socialism, and What Comes Next?" by Katherine Verdery
- "Cerulean Sins" (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) by Laurell K. Hamilton

It's a nicely balanced order, 2 academic books and 2 fun and smut books. Since I spent far less on the later than the former, I don't even feel guilty.
Most significant of all yesterday I passed a milestone: I got my topics picked to revise for exams. There are 6 for each of my full-term courses and 4 each for my half-term. Each of the half-terms have at least 2 units that overlap with one of the full terms, so I feel pretty good about the list. Over the next few days (in between reading Levi-Strauss and writing yet another paper for Parry) I'm going to get resources and timing squared away, then I think I will feel much better about this whole exam thing. Plans are good :)

Hyde Park, skating and the London Marthon

A breakdown of my day the eh, the bad, and the fun.

Woke up – late with barely enough time to eat and get ready to go skate. But I did it ‘cause I’m cool that way. I had forgotten that the London Marathon was today though and it goes through my neighbourhood.

Bus – suckage. The London Marathon meant that my regular bus was diverted completely around my neighbourhood. Ended up taking two different buses just to get to Elephant and Castle and catch my bus to Hyde Park.

Hyde Park – though I was late, so was everyone else (Etienne, Alastiar, Silke and Brian), so I didn’t miss skating. It was a really great skate (I’ve never done Hyde Park in daylight). The weather was perfect, sunny but cool with a bit of a headwind to maek sure that we had to work. Did a few lengths from The Beach all the way up (about 1 km each way), then went along the Serpentine a few times (about 3 or 4 km with an okay hill), after that we went down to Constitution Hill (honestly not much of a hill). We couldn’t do the Mall (closed for the marathon), but we were there when Paula Radcliffe broke her own world record, which was cool. We worked the hill a few times, then headed back and did some cool down. By then it was almost noon and getting crowded so we headed back to the pub. I seem to both have become the official “sprinter” of e2xn, as well as the one to watch for form. It’s both embarrassing and funny, since back home my form is nothing special.

Pub – good fun. I forgot how cool the Vic is. Like the Anchor Tap, but bigger and filled with skaters whenever I’m there. I had a few lime and sodas and chatted with the others. We got quite the conversation on healthcare and the state of the world going with a Frenchman, a Brit, a German, and an American. Good fun

Going Home – looong. Even though I didn’t leave until around 1:30ish buses were still diverted, so I had a hard time getting from Elephant and Castle home. I made at about 3ish and made a huge lunch. . Ate while updating LJ about yesterday and doing email and what not. I also go my paper bought, so I’m doing pretty good. Now if this sun headache would go away. I wore sunglasses all afternoon but since I didn’t eat until 3:30, my body is now objecting it’s harsh treatment.
Time to lie down methinks.