This is the Countdown

Well, second to last week was completed… last week. Yeah, ok that was repetitive, but it gets the point across, I guess. I’ve decided that I’m going to put up a plethora of pictures in the last post, because right now I’m waiting on everyone who has a camera to put their pictures up… and they are being very slow about it. So, yes, an update with pictures will be coming to a blog near you in the near future. Hopefully near future...

So, the last week! Well, work was pretty good last week. I spent a lot of the early part of the week doing some of my own writing due to my efficiency at completing my work (hence the blog-writing while at work as well), did some typical writing of letters, filing, client look-up stuff, and then… hell. But really. So we’ve got thousands upon thousands of books in this place, and we have a massive library behind the reception desk, and then bookshelves everywhere else. So, while they were doing a remodel or something before I started here, they boxed all the books, which I unboxed a bunch of earlier in my internship. There were also lots of books on shelves scattered about, and no one thought it would be smart, when moving all of those books into the library area, to keep them in order. So, Michael (crazy boss-man), decided he wanted them in ABC order. No joke. So Monday and Tuesday were spent in that library, hauling books around and meticulously alphabetizing them. I swear, my fingers were black from the dust of those old books by the end of the day. I mean, it was mindless work and it gave me something to do, and after a while you kind of just zone out, but still, what an annoyingly inefficient way to do something. I couldn’t fathom why they wouldn’t keep the books in order when boxing them up or putting them on all of the other shelves.

Wednesday followed it’s typical patterns- got some of my own writing done, opened and read some fan mail to make sure it wasn’t too offensive before forwarding it on, sent out a few more letters, got 3 manuscripts from one of the assistants to read and take notes on while she’s gone, so hopefully that’ll last me some time. It was also Slush Wednesday, so again we stayed in, got free lunch while reading the unsolicited manuscripts. I always love those days. Such good food and absolutely no self control on my end because the sandwiches are so good. But seriously- they take care of us- sandwich, brownie, soda, and chips. All your typical health food groups…

Thursday I got a few more tasks- some massive binder full of stuff that needs to be put in nice folders and filed away, some research for upcoming anniversaries that might make good books for the company, more reading of the manuscripts (which I’ve completed 1.5 of the 3…too quickly! I need to make them last!). I’ve been doing a lot of running around outside, dropping stuff off at publishing houses, picking things up, including an agent’s lunch of crab rolls, which I actually don’t mind because I love getting outside and stretching my legs. Getting away from the desk can be a relief, especially with the decent weather. Granted, it was also extremely bipolar, so it would look nice and then get awful… but hey, that’s London.

No recent run-ins with Michael, although you can hear him across the office, going back between muttered “I love yous” and “darlings” and screeching invective. And off he goes again right now! Such a happy, happy man.

So yes, my work week was a typical one, mixed with writing of my own stuff, reading, writing for work, researching, intern-like jobs, running around for and away from Michael, and the like. I can’t believe that I’ve only got a week left at this place! Well, actually less than a week, because it’s already Tuesday… Geez! Insanity.

The weekend was nice- Friday I went to a pub with 2 of the girls in the house and we had a fairly calm night. Saturday was the disco boat party for not getting an alcohol violation, so it was fun going out with the whole group and dancing around on a boat with a bunch of drunk non-Pepperdine people, and laughing as Carolyn took a table by the bar to make sure we didn’t get more than our allowed juice and soda. Sunday was far too beautiful to be a lazy day, so instead I took a walk over to South Kensington station, got a delicious sandwich for lunch, then hung out in Hyde Park with Vivian and read my book, trying to soak up a few rays. My poor skin will probably have a seizure from the sun, considering the complete lack it has seen in 9 months. After Hyde Park, Viv and I ran over to Harrods and then back to the house for a little relaxing before dinner at our ever-favorite Oriental Canteen.  Cheap, delicious again food… makes me so happy. We ended up hanging with the guys that evening, who had been happily consuming certain drinks all day, and that made for a VERY entertaining evening. One of the guys isn’t actually in the program, but goes to Pepperdine and is working here for the summer, and he’s been secretly living on their floor for the past four nights, which I find rather amusing.

Monday at the office dawned bright and early. Definitely didn’t want to get up. Anyhow, I finally did, made it to work, and spent some of the day reading half of the last novel that I was given to look over. The second half was spent training the new intern (look at me moving up in the world) and playing assistant for one of the head agents (this made me feel like I was in Devil Wears Prada, the way the woman fires off commands). So, an exciting last Monday. That’s weird to say… After work I hit the pub and enjoyed a shared dinner of fish and chips and a plethora of cranberry-vodkas to kick off the week. Why not?

Tuesday, today, so hot and muggy when I woke up. Seriously… like, gross muggy. So, battling that nasty early morning experience, I made it to work, finally got my new debit card (although it isn’t working so I have to call BofA and figure that out when I get home… awesome), and spent most of today in a fairly relaxed mode. I did some filing for Nell (the assistant I covered for yesterday), put together some rejection letters and sent them off for Lucy, kept doing my reading for Laura (other assistant), organized my  research for the anniversaries and did the math on about 115 of them that Lucy had found earlier to figure out which anniversary they were celebrating and which year (2012-2015)  made the number workable (such as 50^th anniversary in 2013 as opposed to 49ths in 2012). Slightly tedious, but it passed an hour of the time. By lunch, the sky was almost black, huge thunder storm occurred and then stopped for a bit while I went out to grab my food (I was starving!), and then started up again when I got back. Perfect timing. Hopefully the mugginess will go away now that the skies have basically split open in the pouring rain that has overtaken us. Ah, this kind of weather makes me wanna be back at the house, curled up and reading or watching a movie… I’ve got a little less than 3 hours left here, and I’m assuming I’m finishing up my reading and notes and then going over the anniversaries with Lucy. We’ll see if that actually fills up 3 hours… doubtful. Tonight’s our final internship class- we’re all giving presentations on what we did/learned, etc. Definitely haven’t done anything for that, so I think I’ll just go up and BS with the best of them. Maybe get a notecard and write down points on which to speak just so I have some semblance of order to my speech. We’ll see. At this point… I don’t care. It’s a pass/fail class. Probably not the best mentality, but I’m definitely not in school mode.

So, I’m going home on Saturday! I can’t believe it’s in less than a week… I’ve been here for so long and it’s kind of inconceivable to me that it’s finally ending… I love this place, but I’m also so excited to come home. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to return next summer.

London's Calling, but we've only got 3 weeks

So, I survived Tuesday, even though I was ridiculously melodramatic in that last post I made. But yeah, definitely ticked off a few clients as I asked them to repeat their names multiple times, sometimes spell them, but seriously- there are some ridiculously strong accents out there, and when they speak fast or mumble or the phone gets scratch, it’s kind of impossible for me to catch on to what they are saying- especially when I have no idea who they are to begin with, considering my new status as intern with the company. However, I did survive the day, even had a run-in with Michael-the-Angry in which he swore profusely and then demanded to know why there was a television on the board room table blocking the vision of his beautiful flowers. However, when I proceeded to tell him there’d been a meeting the following day and was to be another one this afternoon, he merely cut me off with “I don’t give a f---”. Lovely man. Last time I answer his questions for him. So, I grabbed a small table, put it in the corner of the room, dusted it off and cleaned it up, and then migrated the television to the table so the flowers could once again be the spotlight of the boardroom. Who knows if Michael was happy, but I didn’t get yelled at again, so I guess I was efficient and productive enough with my course of action.

It is funny, though, because people kept coming up to me and asking questions, as if I actually knew what I was doing as I sat behind that desk. I guess I looked smart or something. But, regardless of my above complaining and whatnot, I did manage to figure out most things, including the decrepit computer’s passwords and basic functioning abilities, which I have to admit made me feel vey proud. Among answering the phone and menial tasks such as stacking books onto shelves, I had to answer a lot of emails that came through (so much potential for disaster), sorted the hard mail (really confusing cause I had to put assistants and agents together and it’s just so unknown to me), figured out fan mail, accounting, wrong mail, etc. So, I finished up the day with some other menial tasks while working at the reception desk (although I did get to do some reading and laugh at 2 clients as they smacked each other with cricket paddles), and then gratefully escaped into the beauty (well, overcast/rain) of Covent Garden, back to the Tube, and back home. It was internship class night, so we consumed some delicious food (definitely need to cut back on the food consumption on this end), went to class, and then I hit the gym as usual for my Tuesday evenings. 

Wednesday, I was relieved from my post at the front, as the normal receptionist returned. Yahoo! I did a bit of reading in the morning, and then set out on some errands to a Bindery to get a quote on some massive ledgers that were ridiculously heavy to tote around. However, I accomplished the task, returned in time for slush Lunch (in which we were given free lunch in return for staying in during lunch and reading through unsolicited manuscripts). After the lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon in a slightly more peaceful atmosphere than the previous two days with some reading and write-ups on what I read for one of the other girls in the agency. Fun fun. I finished the night up with Wicked with Vivian, which was just as good the third time! I love that show!

Thursday, equally gloomy as the rest of the week, was met with further reading (and being told that I was far too efficient) and a manuscript from Laura to spend some time on and devise a small synopsis as I read through it. I love those tasks- the reading is super fun, but it’s really nice being able to do write-ups, even letters to clients, on the side, just to keep my writing skills in tact. And, so far, I’ve received good feedback and compliments on my work, so I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, if not working a little too fast for them to continue giving me stuff to do. Oh well. It allows for me to spend some time like today, when I take a break from the reading and work on my blog or my own writing on the sly. I got a chapter and a half written Wednesday when I didn’t have much of anything to do in the morning. So, Thursday was full of reading, the evening was relaxing enough with a group dinner at a nice pub.

Friday- the day I was looking forward to- my half day! Well, not really a half-day, cause I had to work the entire day ,but everyone else in the office was leaving at 1 for their summer party, so there wasn’t the stress of Michael stomping around like a rabid dinosaur. I spent the morning doing a bit of reading, before Michael pulled me aside and we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: walking back to my desk with some magazines for the agents

Michael: (very rushed) Put those down! I have something for you to do!”

Me: “Okay.” (I look around to put the magazines down somewhere)

Michael: “Put those down! Put them down- down! Anywhere. Good. I love you. Okay, darling, darling, I need you to-”

He proceeds to give me 60 pounds in cash and then rattles off an address and a place for me to go and pick up a catalogue for him , then makes me repeat the address multiple times, as though I were an idiot.

Michael: “How many fingers do you have? Without thumbs?”

Me: “…8. Like the address. 8 King’s Road.”

Michael: “Good, good darling. I love you, I love you. Now go- go, go!”

Seriously… ridiculous man. I’m pretty sure he’s bipolar, but, regardless, I braved the rain, grabbed a cabbie who was very talkative, got the catalogue without having to pay for it (I just acted important- hopefully Michael appreciated that), and then returned in time to say goodbye to everyone and then devour my free lunch while I manned the phones at reception. Zoe, the other intern, manned the other main desk for the talent part of the agency, and it was a pretty quiet afternoon, in which I answered phones, watched tv shows, and then went out with Zoe for a few drinks and some pub-hopping to make for a very fun, relaxed evening. I can’t help but feel that I’ve been a bit antisocial, but hey, it’s nice hanging out with some other people outside of the house group from time to time. So, I made the midnight tube, got a great night’s sleep after a fun night, and then spent Saturday in Camden doing some souvenir shopping (I had a great fajita burrito thing), got some starbucks with Vivan and introduced her to the best drink in the world (Mango passion fruit), relaxed a bit that afternoon before hitting the gym (and realizing I have some sort of pseudo-shin splint that’s putting me in excruciating pain), and then got ready for the evening out. We all got dressed up (python dress, so fun!) and went to a dinner cabaret club called Circus. We had the surprise of of girl who palnned it forgetting to tell us it was ridiculous expensive and a set menu, but the food was good, the show was amusing, if not short, and it was nice being out with the house members again, so I can’t complain. Viv and I are looking into finding an actual cabaret/burlesque club for a fun evening before we leave, though.

Sunday was nice- I got to sleep in, felt well rested, and then proceeded to spend the day being lazy and watching shows running errands (well walking errands, because I could barely walk with my leg), grabbed dinner with a few girls in the house, where they messed up my meal so I got a free dessert for being accepting and eating what they mistakenly made for me, and then had a relaxing evening of reading before making it into bed before midnight. Perfect!

So, again I apologize for a complete lack of pictures. I'm going to input a bunch when I get back to the house and can steal them off facebook... just like I said last week. I need to hop to that.

Week One of Work (& other things)

Well, it’s been a decent amount of time since my last update, so my apologies on that front. Anyhow, wow, a crazy, packed week as passed and there’s quite a lot to be relayed.

So, I completed my first week of work at Peters Fraser & Dunlop Literary Agency and I can’t be happier with my internship placement. It’s an absolutely perfect place for me, especially considering my Creative Writing Major. Basically, as a bit of background on what a literary agency is, they represent authors and deal with the business side of publishing. They’re the ones you wrote to when you want to publish, and if they end up liking your submission (more often than not they reject you), then they’ll draw up contracts, figure out editing and publishing deals, foreign rights, film rights, etc. It’s actually a really complex business- I understood a basic amount of it all from my own research beforehand, but I feel far more knowledgeable about it all now, and the processes that go on, since I’ve started working here.

So, what do I do? Well, being the intern I definitely have my fair share of menial tasks, such as filing, looking up client information, transferring information, cleaning up their ridiculously messy envelope/stationary room, transporting books from packing boxes to their gloriously huge library (that’s been an ongoing task that’s carried on even into Week 2), running errands for some of the senior agents, and the likes. But then I get the fun stuff as well, like ordering books online for them, reading full manuscripts that agents have taken an interest in, and reading partial manuscripts in which they literally let me decide whether or not it’s worth giving to an agent. As in, if I reject it, that’s it. They don’t see it, they trust me, etc. And I had to do that on the first day, and I had to write three rejection letters. They definitely help you fit into your “heart breaking hat” right away here. I’ve been told I will become very cold and systematic about reading and rejecting. I’m not exactly sure if I want to become that, especially considering I know that’s what’s going to happen to my own submissions when I start trying to publish again. Oh well, like I said, it’s fantastic insight to the publishing process.

So, other little details of my working week. I’ve got a ridiculously scary “head agent” working here. Seriously, he’s like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal- yells a lot, swears a lot, basically just a terrifyingly bi-polar man that you just had to nod your head and agree with when he comes storming up towards you. My own supervisor, Lucy, is fantastic, easy to get along with, as are many of the other assistants that I’ve been working alongside of here at PFD. The atmosphere is great, especially when people aren’t too stressed and they’re being silly and fooling around. So much swearing- it’s so stereotypically British, and I love it. The other day the girl that I sit next to and I were looking at movie trailers, discussing how she cut her wedding cake with a sword because the reception took place in a Dublin Castle, and other such things like that. Gotta love it.

Wednesdays are “slush lunches” in which we receive free lunch for staying in at lunch and going through all of the unsolicited submissions- all of which are normally rejected. Again, lots of dream-killing, but last Wednesday was definitely an eye-opener for me in regards to what I should and shouldn’t do when submitting my own work, so I really can’t feel too bad. I mean, I can feel bad about rejecting people, but I can selfishly feel good about learning more and more about this subjective process. Fridays, apparently the scary boss buys everyone pizza- so that’s nice, considering I got 2 free lunches last week, and will continue to do so during my time here. Hey, every little bit counts, especially as I can’t be paid due to the fact that I’m receiving school credit for this.

Now, a little about the area I work in- I actually work on a street called

Drury Lane

(kind of awesome, even funnier because Shrek: The Musical is right down the street). This street is in Covent Garden, which is an absolutely beautiful area. Seriously- I’m in love with it. Not only are their hundreds of amazing places to eat food, but there’s an outdoor market with entertainment, lots of little stalls to browse around (especially when it’s sunny), but it’s also a quick walk from the Tube Stop through a beautiful, bustling area. I honestly couldn’t be happier about the placement, even though it is ridiculously crowded at rush hour.

Anyhow, first week down, and it was fantastic. I love the people I work with, I enjoy the work I get to do (even the typical intern tasks), I get a full hour at lunch to explore around the area, and it’s casual too, so I get to dress comfortably, and if anyone knows me- that makes me a very, very happy person.

So, week done, weekend on. Friday night was… interesting, to say in the least. Without going into too much detail, a bunch of kids from other Pepperdine programs came in, they wanted to go clubbing, so we did, and we had a great time, until half the group left early, and the rest spread out, and I was conveniently left at the club at 5:30 in the morning while rounding everyone up. Fantastic. Last time I do a good deed and try to take care of everyone… Not really though. Ugh. It was an awful experience, and needless to say, Vivian and I are going to be on high alert every time we go out now to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Definitely not one of the best evenings in London, but it was an eye-opening experience and I’m thanking God on a daily basis for getting me through it safe and sound, with only the loss of some plastic and a camera.  

Saturday? Well, considering I got in at 6am, I spent most of it sleeping, panicking over my lost items, and my roomie finally took my out to dinner to make me stop pacing. I got a little more sleep into Sunday, went to the gym to get out excess energy, and then hung out and socialized with people from the house in one of the local pubs in order to keep myself from thinking too much of the dramatics of the earlier part of the weekend. I also indulged in a decent amount of mindless television for further distraction. So You Think You Can Dance has never been better. But really, the dancing was actually awesome, and it did its job at distracting me, so, I call that a small win.

Anyhow, Sunday night the girls in the room next door contributed to my spontaneous insomnia with loud hick impersonations and obnoxious laughter, to a point where I literally got no sleep due to the paper-thin walls. Awesome. So, I went into work on Monday with the worst headache ever and feeling nauseous, because I think I’ve become slightly lactose intolerant, or at least milk-intolerant due to the lack of consuming it here… I’ve felt gross after eating cereal twice now. Ugh. But, I got over that quickly enough (I didn’t really have a choice), and got into work, before realizing that I was being “promoted” to working the front desk and answering the phones, due to the fact that the person who normally does it has a virus. And apparently I’m scheduled to do it all week. And if I screw up, the angry boss will probably consume my soul- not exaggerating. So, I was quickly taught the ropes, taught how to BS my way through it, and luckily one of the other girls who has been covering is at my beck and call when I start feeling particularly lost (thank goodness). I need to figure out her favourite candy or something and bring it to her at the end of the week, because I have no doubt that I will be utilizing her help shamelessly. So, I completed the day without too much failure, met up with Vivian to do some grocery shopping and then got savoury crepes for dinner (seriously, so good. I had a spicy Mexican one that made me go into a happy food coma). This was followed by a nice workout, some socializing, and then a decent bed… until the girls started screeching again. By 12:30, I decided to not care about being demanding and went over and told them to be quiet (in nicer terms, of course). And then I listened to them talk crap on me (about going to bed too early- really? Midnight is early? I can’t help it if they don’t have to get up at 7 am every morning) through the paper thin walls. Awesome. Whatever, I could care less. I wanted sleep. And I got some… I have a feeling I’m going to crash hard tonight.

So, there’s my extremely long-winded update, and it’s only 11am at work. At least I’m getting this phone thing down, and all the post has been delivered (I’m slowly starting to recognize and remember everyone in this office- and there are a lot of people!). So, we’ll see what else is in store today. I’m really contemplating bringing in my laptop, or maybe I can just write on this computer and email everything over. I’m not sure what else I CAN do when it’s this quiet… We’ll see what ingenious ideas I come up with today… Oh, and sorry about any typos. I didn’t feel like editing this. Oh, and the lack of pictures comes from a lack of camera. My bad. I’ll try and steal some from facebook later on- I’m not risking the wrath of the head boss by hopping on FB right now.

Zoo-Drinking and Boat-Burning

Okay, so, you have to say that it's an intriguing title. I mean, "zoo-drinking" is just a weird concept. And boat-burning? What kind of shenanigans can I be getting into over here? Well, although very exciting, no I'm not some felon of miscreant... yet. Just living like a college kid, enjoying life, those kinds of things. So, Friday- woke up, got my final out of the way, proceeded to hit the gym as I have been doing on a pretty regular basis (go me?), and then had a lovely outing with Vivian in which we gorged upon delicious asian food from my favorite (probably sketchy) asian food restaurant. Seriously. Those sketchy, on-the-corner ones are definitely the best. Following that, our house went on a tour of Parliament, which was really neat, considering that you normally have to be British to get in there. I mean, you can wait in a ridiculously long line of Saturdays, but it doesn't mean you'll get in. So, thanks to Jenny, we were able to make it in, have a lovely tour, see the House of Lords, House of Commons, and all sorts of other rooms in between. Parliament is ridiculous- it's like Versailles, all paintings and gilded and fancy, based off those earlier years. It amazes me that people work and go there on a daily basis.

Following our tour, Vivian and I broke off from the group and headed out to Camden Town, where we partook in the "Zoo Lates" phenomenon. Basically, they open the zoo after hours for adults to run around like crazy children, see animals, eat, drink, be merry, the likes. It was actually a pretty fun, albeit silly, experience. We enjoyed airplane-cheap wine, saw some animals, and rode a Carousel. Yes, we did. It really, really amused me how many adults were actually lining up to swing aboard some plastic animal and bounce around for a minute or two. I guess that's what intoxication does to you. Vivian and I thought it was fun enough sober, but maybe that's the college kids in us. After the Zoo, we made our way home and decided that we were exhausted from the final week of classes, and so instead of going out or hitting a pub, merely retired into our house. I decided to once again be a grandma and go to bed at a reasonable hour, which worked to my benefit considering my early morning for Saturday.

Saturday was.... an adventure. Let's just say that. It all began with my getting up fairly early (though not as early as class), getting ready, and heading out to the train station. But, of course the Circle line was down (when isn't the Tube having some sort of issues on the weekend?), so instead of taking a 15 minute trip to the station, I had to take a roundabout 40 minute one, missing the first train that i'd wanted to catch. But, no worry, there was another one! Except for the people in line before me had no idea how to work the ticket machines and... made me miss the second one. But, again, no worries, the trains were coming everything half hour. Oh, wait, except... there was vandalism on the line and the signals weren't working and the next train was cancelled. Right. Perfect. Exactly what I needed when I was trying to get into Oxford to meet some friends and have a full day of fun and adventuring. So, I decided to improvise, hopped a train to Reading, transferred there to another train that just so (luckily) happened to be going to a place that had Oxford as a stop on the way. So, instead of arriving at 10:30 as planned, I made it to the pub by 1:15. Great. Just a little delayed.

Anyhow, it was fantastic seeing Jenny Martin again- we hadn't really spoken since High School, so reconnecting made for a fun few hours, especially over a delicious pub lunch. After lunch (well, more of a late lunch- "Linner" kind of thing), we headed out through Oxford to meet up with James, a graduate student at Oriel college in Oxford. We hung out in his apartment complex with some of the other grad students while they made pitchers of Pimm's, and then we headed out to the river for the final day of the boat races between all the Oxford colleges. It was basically between Oriel (James' school), Pembroke, and Christ Church. They were all the forerunners, vying for the title of "Head of the River" for this year. Being that Jenny and I were with James, we were able to hang out on the Oriel boat house roof, cheering along with the rest of the students as their boys rowed into victory for the first time in about 19 years. I've gotta say- it was an absolutely surreal, and exciting, experience that we wouldn't have been able to be a part of without James' invitation, so I feel incredibly lucky to have witnessed such an event.

After the win, we headed back to the college, where Jenny and I were once again able to hang with everyone due to our "in" with James. We watched the team members bring in an old boat, throw it to the ground repeatedly as they broke it, and then stuffed it with newspaper for the later burning ritual. While the members went to their celebratory dinner, a few of us hit an Indian food place for an absolutely delicious dinner for ourselves. Around 9:15, we all congregated back in the main Quad for the actual boat-burning ritual- something that you definitely don't see everyday... or at all. I can't explain how awesome it was being able to be a part of that! It makes me wish my school had some sort of thing like that. So, we watched them light of the boat (which is like... 25 feet, by the way- it's massive), and the flames literally roared into the sky. It was insane! And made me want marshmallows... Just saying.

Following the burning, I headed back to the train station to make a train so that I might catch the tube on the other end before it closed. Luckily, there were any more transport issues and I made it home safe and sound, having had an absolutely brilliant day! After a shower, I made friends with my bed, which felt amazing after all my walking around. Seriously, I hadn't worn flip-flops in forever and my feet HURT. I'd forgotten how much it hurts to walk in those after not wearing them for many, many months. Oh well. The weather has been so nice and I'd wanted to feel like I was in some California sun, if only for a day. Looking out the window now, it's probably a good idea that I did that, because it is pouring. But that's also okay, because honestly, it's Sunday, and I enjoy relaxing and being lazy while it pours down rain. It rationalizes my current laziness as I sit in bed and write/read/watch a few episodes of shows.

But I guess I'm allowed to have a lazy day before my intense month of internship begins tomorrow. I can't explain how excited I am for this! It's going to be a full-time job, and probably a tiring one, but i'll be working in a literary agency, which can do SO much for me and any further career in writing. So, fingers crossed that it all goes well. I'd absolutely love to be able to return next summer! And, I mean, if this can help me publish a book, or at least get my foot in the door to the publishing industry/get me another internship when I return to Malibu/LA area, then that would be absolutely amazing, too. I feel like I should be nervous about all of this, since so much is riding on this intenrship in regards to my later "career" as a writer, but as of now, I'm just excited. I guess that's good, too. As for the rest of the day, well, I plan on being lazy since I already worked out, maybe being a bit social towards dinner time... and then going to bed at a decent hour so I can wake up, hit the gym, and then start my work tomorrow fresh and ready! Yahoo!

Just Another Week....

I don't normally update so frequently, but sitting here in the pub, I feel far more inspired to write on my blog than actually study. I mean, I guess if I'm going to study anywhere, with a pint and in my favorite pub (where the bartenders recognize me now) is probably the best place. And so, I will do my normal studying routine in which I procrastinate through some sort of internet involvement (this time blogging) until my food arrives, then I will consume said food (probably slowly to further the procrastination), and then I will reluctantly pull out my notes and begin studying for my final, which is tomorrow at 9am. Well, at least it isn't 8am. That's a plus.

So, this week thus far:

Monday was a ridiculously tiring day, as I mentioned in my previous post. Coming back from Paris was just... wow, we were all zombies, and so I tried to get as much sleep as possible that night, and barely succeeded. I'm pretty sure I need to sleep for a good 48 hours before I'll actually be "caught up" and capable of facing the world without massive black circles that give people around me the impression that I've been punched repeatedly in the face. But, it's okay. I've got a final tomorrow, so that means that I'll get decent sleep tonight... unless of course the girls next door decide to sing at unholy hours, as per usual. In that case, I will grumpily stumble over to their door, peek my face in, and through very squinty, sleep-desiring eyes, tell them politely to be quiet. At least, that's an ideal situation. Depends on how loud they are and how tired I am... Anyhow, Tuesday class was a bit harsh- once again I found myself impossibly tired and incapable of keeping my eyes focused, so everything kind of went blurry for half the lesson as I tried my best to at least keep my eyes open, even if I wasn't taking a single thing in. Oh well. I got some notes... although their legibility is questionable. After class I decided to take a quick nap in hopes of reviving my slowly dying body, before I moved into what I dubbed "Hell day". I went into convo, then straight into my internship class, then had a very small break before I had yet ANOTHER class which lasted almost up until my English class's play. I quickly consumed a cup of noodles (of the meals of a college kid) before viewing a rather... well... let's say interesting show. Hairy naked men, rape, swearing, crass conversations to a point where my ears were bleeding, and far too many plot twists. My english teacher was appalled, not by the blatant display of male parts, but more over the fact that the show itself was just so badly put together. Oh well. Again, win some, lose some. I think that's becoming a mantra.

After the show, two of the guys -- Chris and Nathan -- and I decided to clear our heads with a quick pint at the Hoop and Toy (the place I sit right now) and some chatting. The place is far too fun, and we ended up hanging out for about three hours and partaking in far more than a "quick pint". But you know what- regardless of being exhausted, it was an absolutely amazing evening, probably one of my favorites of both the year long program and the current summer program. There's just something so fantastic about being able to sit and talk with friends for as long as you want in a comfortable, fun environment. I'm looking forward to round 2 of that evening. It sure beats running around London like a maniac doing massive amounts of bar and club hopping (although those evenings have their charm when you aren't about to topple over from exhaustion). After returning home, I made the mistake of chatting with people online until about 2am, so, Wednesday morning class...? Well, let's just say that I was once again a zombie. You'd think I would learn by now.

Wednesday was a good day, regardless of my severe sleep deprivation. I got through class, and then decided to take a nice nap instead of going to the gym right away. After such, I met up with my good friend Amanda from high school (she's from London and therefore visits on a yearly basis). We hit up Soho and found a lovely pub in which we grabbed a delicious lunch (steak and ale pie, man!) and college stories from the past two years. 2 years! I can't believe it's been that long since I've spoken to some of the people that I practically grew up with- it's a wild thought. It makes me very excited to go back home and see people that have been absent from my life for such a long period of time. After lunch, I ran to the gym, got in my workout (since I missed out on Tuesday), and then decided to stay in from group dinner due to the sudden exhausted funk that took over me. So, instead of read a little, cleaned up, and enjoyed about an hour and a half of quiet solitude. It was perfectly lovely. You need to be a little antisocial from time to time.

Once people began returning, the talk of what shenanigans we were getting into that night commenced. Fortunately for my anti-social mood, no one really came up with anything, and we all just ended up having a quiet night at the nearby uni bar, which was perfectly fine for me as I sipped on my ice water and enjoyed the conversation of my housemates. Lots of laughs, jokes, and silliness, and then I was still able to make it into bed by midnight (it would've been earlier, but I read a view chapters while the girls next door got their shrieking and laughter out of their systems).

Today- Thursday. Well, class was decent cause I was able to stay awake, and we got out an hour early due to it being a review session for our final tomorrow. Following class... yeah, you guess it. I took a nap. A two hour one. And it was perfect. I woke up, felt far more awake and, well, healthy, than I have in a long while, and decided to gather up my stuff and head off to the H&T for this blogging session, following by whatever amount of studying I manage to get in before getting distracted again. The plan for the rest of the day? Well, I'll stay here for a bit, enjoy the atmosphere that I won't be able to indulge in anymore except for on weekends (since my internship starts Monday), head back to the house where I'll get a workout in, and then study for a bit more. Maybe I'll come back here... I'm already a regular. Might as well own it.

And, a brief update on the general other additions to my life. Well, tomorrow's the last day of class, complete with a final. It's going to be followed by a trip to Parliament and a tour, and then probably some pubbing with the group. I doubt I'll go out that evening, because I'm heading to Oxford on Saturday to see the boat races between the colleges and to see a few friends. Sunday I'm thinking about being good and actually going to church. And then, internship starts on Monday! I can't explain how ridiculously excited I am for this. I mean, excited-nervous, but also really, really excited. I don't know what doors this will open, if any, but it's going to be an amazing experience regardless! So, for now, the updates are complete. I'll try and put something up by Sunday or Monday, depending on how exciting my life is in the next few days.