"I just gotta live while I'm alive!"

I love Chinatown :)

...sings Juliet & Romeo and my heart explodes into pink/purple/aqua/silver glitter. If you ever get the chance, YOU MUST SEE & JULIET.

FRIDAY, JAN 28
Today I have plans in the morning with Kim, one of my first film friends, and maybe-evening plans with an old boss so I use the opportunity to get a ticket for a matinee show of & Juliet and suddenly I’m looking at my first full day out of the house.
I’m not sure if I can pull this off. My energy has been low since around March 16, 2020 and I’ve been feeling especially fragile lately. Will I need a nap? Can I have a conversation with someone who isn’t Stella or Chris?  Do I have the capacity to be out of the house all day around people AND be social WITHOUT having an emotional breakdown? I’m hopeful, but I don't know.

930a I meet Kim for tea before our 10a appointment at the Sir John Soane's Museum. (I can carry a conversation! And, it feels good! Talking is fun?!?) It’s Kim’s favorite place and I’m so happy it is, bc I never would have considered going if she hadn’t suggested it. 

Sir John Soane

Sir John Soane was a prolific, brilliant and eccentric architect in the late 1700s, early 1800s. The Bank of England is his most famous design. He was knighted in 1831. His home, which is actually a few homes next to each other, is floor to ceiling, wall to wall, filled with art: paintings, sculpture, his own designs, antiquities, mirrors, Greek & Roman bronzes, glass, Chinese ceramics, pottery, urns and a sarcophagus. I am enchanted.
It’s impossible to capture the splendor and spectacle of being in his home but I sure try and I take tons of terrible pictures. Each room has a volunteer who can tell you everything about everything about Sir John Sloane and each room. The top floor features winners of a modern architecture contest that effectively links past to present and it makes me marvel, once again, at design, imagination and ingenuity.
1130a Kim recommends I go to The British Museum because I was drooling over Sir John’s sarcophagus and his other death-related pieces. We make plans for dinner before I go and I check my calendar for a good day over the next two weeks before I leave… except I see on my calendar that I’m leaving next weekend. How the fuck? What the shit? Did I slide into a time warp?
I did. It’s called my mind. Spending the last week stuck in Blogsville focusing on my first two days of travel locked my mind into January 20/21. I was still there. I’d somehow lived a full week without allowing any time to pass. I compartmentalize the 'I’ve wasted a full week!’ panic and get busy living. So off to the British Museum I go to look for mummies. 

Mummy! (Cleopatra's Mummy, actually.)

12p I’ve been to the British Museum before but I can’t remember when or any details so I’m brand new here! Maybe a perk to my swiss cheese memory? I travel through time and take pictures for Chris of the things I find most interesting and things I think he’d be interested in. It’s all interesting! I take a ton of pictures. Then I find the mummies and reeeeeally take a lot of pictures. It occurs to me that I’m making a spectacle of these old bodies and remember nobody cares. I find the coffins especially beautiful, painted inside and out with meaningful pictures and I guess instructions on how to master the after life? I’m taking pictures of the info placards instead of reading them, imagining that I’ll use them for context later. Do I? No!
My favorite guy is the body of a man they found buried in a shallow grave in the sand and mummified by the elements and temperature. He’s called the Gebelein Man and lived around 3500 BC. (Huzzah! I used one of my photos for reference. Good Idea, Bianca!) My second favorite is the skeleton of a man buried around 2050-1750 BC. Both men are buried in the fetal position which touches me. It’s such a natural way for the body to rest. I wonder if the tradition of laying a body prone came from beliefs about being ready to sit up and party when you enter the afterlife or if it was a capitalist decision along the lines of womb shaped coffins don’t make spacial or financial sense. Hmm...
I’m in a time crunch because I want to be at my show early to get through vaccine card check and sit down before the bulk of the crowd arrive, annnnd... My lower back hurts! Because I'm out of practice at being upright for over 4 hours apparently??! I HATE THIS... However. I’ve only gotten through one floor of the museum. I skip the Americas and Mexico floor (seen it) and try to tuck my pelvis and other posture things as I buzz through Africa downstairs. I’m struck by how the museum acknowledges that colonialism is responsible for some of their acquisitions. Similar to how the V&A Museum acknowledged gender inequality and racism in their Design 1900-Now exhibit, I appreciate the words. I know the words aren’t enough, but coming from a country where some "patriots" are fighting to deny history and facts and the humanity of so many people, the honesty feels like a salve. 

& Juliet at the Shaftsbury Theater! Early bird gets the panorama ;)

230p I see & Juliet. It’s the story of “What if Juliet didn’t die?” and the life she sets out to reclaim after the death of her husband, as told through pop anthems from Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, the Backstreet Boys and any other top 40 artist you have ever danced to. (All from the catalogue of songwriter Max Martin, I found out in my research.) Obviously, I LOVE IT!!!!!! I admit I occasionally feel myself tiring of the gimmick and within moments the show surprises me and I’m engaged and captivated all over again. It’s the only show I’m seeing where I don’t know at least the broad strokes of the story. IT'S SO FUN! And it cures my back pain! Yay! I hope it comes to the states someday, y'all would love it! (I research more: The show I see features Grace Mouat as the Juliet understudy for Miriam-Teak Lee, so when I listen to the soundtrack and hear Lee's voice its a whole new experience and I fall in love with the story in a brand new way. ALSO, I can't stop thinking about the performances and grinning. Jordan Luke Gage (hilarious! And possibly my favorite performer of all 6 West End shows I saw? I'll have to do a grand West End review...), Cassidy Janson, Melanie La Barrie, and David Bedella are so so GREAT. And the show's featuring a range of body types in the dance company is so refreshing and makes me feel GOOD.)

Ol' Mary Poppins in Leicester Square

5ish I haven’t had WiFi all day so I don’t know if I’m meeting my old boss Peyton or not. Some theaters have free WiFi, some don’t. The Shaftsbury doesn’t, so I look for the closest Starbucks because in a world of uncertainty, Starbucks is a safe constant. I spend the next 90 minutes ping ponging around the theater district, Leichester Square, Chinatown, and Soho looking for wifi and something to eat. Even though it’s looking like dinner with Peyton is a go, I’ve only had two halves of two pastries all day and if I don’t eat soon I’m going to freak out. Both Dishoom (my fav Indian food) locations I try have lines down the street. Every place I see has either a line or a huge crowd of unmasked people both inside and outside. It feels like New Years Eve because there are so many people just OUT. (It wasn't my imagination. Boris Johnson ended mandatory masking and Covid passports the previous day, and it resulted in the huge gobs of people out in the world. My mask stayed, and is staying, on.) I see a fist sized samosa at a newspaper stand and I’m not sorry I buy it. It’s excellent. I find a healthy WiFi signal at Whole Foods and arrange to meet Peyton in Chinatown bc it’s the only place I’ve been in the last 90 minutes that looks like it could have a table for us. PS Happy Chinese New Year! It's a beautiful surprise to stumble into.
7p Peyton and I settle in for dinner at the first place we see in Chinatown that has beer. Stella joins us after about an hour and it’s such a fun time! The food is okay but the company can’t be beat.
10p Stella’s friends are at an outdoor pub and I’m energized by a fun day so we convince our Uber driver to change our route from home to a pub a couple of neighborhoods over. The only reason he agrees is because it’s on his way home. We meet Stella’s friends at the Black Lion Pub. It’s freezing and we’re sitting outside to avoid the crowded, fun, boisterous pub scene circa 2019. We wish we felt safe enough to be inside singing along to the 80s cover band but we don’t. We still have fun shivering outside but still- stupid Covid.
12p We get home. I’m so happy. I feel like ME, not the half inflated balloon which has been my usual for the last couple years. Covid anxiety + relocating anxiety + the exponential anxieties that resulted from relocating *multiplied by* all my coping mechanisms = not the vibrant, confident, capable, fun ME that I like. Today was a huge relief.

Sir John Soane's home

Terrible picture of a stunning collection

 

 

 

Sir John's kickass sarcophagus

Last one, I promise

Lady Di, William & Henry in Covent Garden

Julius Cesar. Also how I want a sculpture of my own head

Gebelein Man in my favorite sleep position, 3500 BC

Another homie at rest in the fetal position, 2050-1750 BC

Tree of Life, created by Adelino Serafim Mate, Fiel dos Santos, Hilario Nhatugueja & Christavao Canhavato out of weapons turned in to the Transforming Arms into Tools project in Mozambique.

 

& Juliet superfan! I also HIGHLY recommend the soundtrack!

"The 'Guh' is silent"...

...says Glinda. I will love this show forever. 

I have been changed for good

SUNDAY, JAN 30
Once upon a time this was going to be my departure date. But what is time? A manmade construct to measure the immeasurable and give value to the invaluable? Pffffffffffffffft, life is but a dream, the whole world is a stage, and we’re living in a simulation. I think I’ve covered all the religions in that last sentence; back to me and my adventures!

Flashback to Weds, Jan… I don’t know the number…
The thing with declaring this trip as an Artists’ Retreat is that I planned the structure I wanted my days to have. Mornings were for writing, afternoons were for exploring, absorbing, expanding, nourishing.

So far, I had ignored my plan and was only writing. Which is *AMAZING* but I wasn’t replenishing myself. So I pick the Victoria & Albert Museum, because it’s relatively close and I’ve never been. (All this replenishment stuff is what I realize in retrospect. In the moment, I was writing, yay!, writing, fun!, oh, jeez, the walls around me are suddenly closing in and I need to leave the house before I disappear.)

Not a real person.

Some words about Wifi. I have it at Stella’s so I can operate like a modern human who’s addicted to their phone, but once I leave the house, I have to use my brain. It’s totally fun! I always forget until I’m forced to remember, that I like using my brain. Having instant gratification, directions, distraction, and communication from my phone is a luxury I enjoy and take for granted, and it creates a nice comfy buzz. But when my brain goes into travel mode and I get to problem solve, design, adjust, fail, take leaps of faith, spin my wheels, mess up, and adjust more, I feel alive. Life takes longer and I’m forced to Not Know sometimes, which I hate (Hello, I’m a 3 on the enneagram! And a Scorpio, ‘sup?), but that makes my outings into adventures. I LIVE FOR ADVENTURE!
…What was I talking about? No Wifi… oh yeah, so I used a paper map for the first time in like a decade.
Anyway, the V&A museum is a Design museum. It brought to mind dresses and textiles, art and sculpture. I like these things so I figured I’d like the museum. Cut to: I LOVE THIS MUSEUM.  
Design isn’t just the beauty of form, rather its the function of it, whether the intention of the piece is to invoke an experience or problem solve one. I think?? Thats what I got from the museum anyway. Design isn’t just art— or maybe design is what makes everything a piece of art? I’m getting in the weeds here with my words which means I SUPER DUPER LIKED IT. It touched me and inspired me. Highlights:

Build a Crystal Palace?! AWESOME!

SCULPTURE: After story and moving pictures, sculpture is the art I find most captivating. How stone can swirl and smile, how so much life and depth of emotion can come from a single pose frozen in time and earth. The juxtaposition of hard and soft, movement and stillness, momentary and eternal breaks me into pieces. I loved the different collections there.
DISCOVERY ROOMS: Throughout the museum, there were these interactive opportunities for people to experience the exhibits. Like when you go to a kids museum and kids can put their foot inside a dinosaur’s footprint. Here, you could do stuff like put on a hoop skirt and try to sit down in it or build a crystal palace or use a silver press. HOW FUN to put the design to work and experience it.  
JEWELRY: Its the largest collection of jewelry in the world, but I only fell in love with one crown and butterfly ring of Beyonce's. It was overwhelming to have that many pieces of jewelry in one space so I went brain-numb. Then I realized the jewelry was organized on a time line and things started to come back into focus. I like order.
DESIGN 1900 - NOW: This is the first exhibit I’ve ever been to where I read all the info placards. Its collection of everyday items that demonstrate how people design things to meet the moment out of necessity and opportunity. It wasn’t the collection so much as how the exhibit contextualized them in terms of politics, manufacturing, technology, society and home. I was so fired up and inspired by human beings’ ingenuity and also fascinated by our drive to progress and succeed, no matter the cost. Another cool thing about the exhibit was its Rapid Response Collecting. To keep up with the frenetic pace of change in our world, the museum is able to gather objects in direct response to current events so as you can appreciate the past, you can also appreciate and integrate whats happening in the world right now. This extends not just to Covid, but to the racist terrorism and forced refugee displacement around the world. I can’t recommend this exhibit enough.  

1993 Social justice poster designed by Lex Drewinski in Germany

  

Flashback to Thursday, Jan whatever
Show day! I spend the day writing, blogging and self soothing and this evening I FINALLY make it to my first show. 

I grew up indifferent to musicals. Theater was something rich people did, and we were not rich. In college, I saw Cats and Phantom when they toured through Austin, but I didn't feel a connection. I couldn’t shake my impression that shows were things made for fussy old White people.

Then I saw Wicked in Chicago in 2005 and it blew my mind. But it really wasn’t until I saw the Hamilton performance at the Tonys in 2016 and listened to the soundtrack and nothing else for the next 6 months (Not a hyperbole. Those 6 months were some of the worst of my life and Hamilton was my refuge.) that I got the musical theater bug.
To say the last couple of years have been a challenge is an understatement. I miss theater. I miss shows. I miss the energy of being held captive with an audience where you can feel the longing or the loss or the celebration together. So I took this trip as an opportunity to geek all the way out and am seeing as many shows as I can.
Tonight: WICKED… WICKKKEEEEED….WICCKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEED!!!
BAHHHHHHHH! I LOVE WICKED. I saw it again last time I was here and it was at the top of my list to see again. To be honest, as I started exploring more shows, I was like, buhhhhhhggghh I love Wicked, buhhhhhhht did I just waste 25 pounds to see a show I’ve seen twice?
No. It’s so great to be back in that world. I’m enjoying the show start from my very high perch in basically France, but I’m still dealing the miser in the back of my head. Then Lucie Jones as Elphaba hits the crescendo of her first song and I burst into tears. Her voice is so powerful and clear, commanding and emotional that I am hers for the rest of the night. Glinda - and I’m not sure who played her bc I was so far away it’s hard to determine if it was Helen Woolf as listed in the cast online or an understudy - is superb. She’s hilarious and her voice is stunning. As per usual, the last 15 minutes of the play I am an emotional wreck, my body shaking as I sob. My mask is so big it that my eyes just peek out above it, so I’m free to silently wail underneath it which felt necessary. 

The smize is real!

Truth & Falsehood, Alfred Stevens. Truth RIPS OUT Falsehoods double-TONGUE. YES!!

Isinova, a 3D printing company in Italy, created this snorkle mask converted into a CPAP mask to answer the shortage of respiratory equipment due to Covid. They made the design available for free online and its been downloaded over 2 million times to use in countries all over the world.

Somersault cup. Designed with a bottom that makes the cup impossible to set down unless it's empty. It was used in 16th century drinking games.

I thought Jesus was high-fiving this baby when i first looked at this.

Pretty rings! And most importantly, *ORDER*

Lot's Wife, Hamo Thornycroft. One of my favorite favorites.

I told you the water is hot here.

"I may feel like death, I don't have to look like it."

 ...I say because I’m wearing a full face of make-up for the first time in at least 6 months. Except

A rare glimpse of my inner monologue

lipstick! Of course! We’re in a global pandemic and thus have to mask! lolololol life is beautiful anyway. 

THURSDAY, JAN 27
Oh, wow, y’all. If you’re going to move your travel blog to a whole different platform, learn the platform before you travel or you’ll spend large blocks of hours learning your blog instead of doing the things you want to write about later. Or just give up. I’ve done both. Life is short and its also painful so why make it worse by not YOLOing.
Yeah. I’m on the YOLO train! I’m a decade late, but it’s helping me stay in denial about the things I’m trying to escape from real life so YYYYOOOOOOLLLLLOOOOOOO!
Let’s get back on track to highlights since I’m so far behind in my own life, ain’t nobody got the time or the attention span for full stories, hahahahahahawhyamIcodeswitching?

Flashback to Saturday and Sunday…
JETLAG: Holy shit. I got about three hours sleep. I’ve survived on less, but not often (I love sleeping.) and rarely when my body clock is six hours behind. (I love sleeping.) I’m a zombie but force myself up, throw myself across my bedroom to open my blinds to activate my ocular nerve blah, blah to stimulate my circadian rhythm or something I googled while I wished I was sleeping a few hours prior (I love sleeping.), and drag myself into the shower. It feels great. I feel terrible. I take a 15 minute walk to keep from sleeping standing up (I love sleeping.) and when I get home Stella suggests walking through Hyde Park to meet our friend.
Walking in the brisk air invigorates me and makes me feel alive! (Mostly. I love sleeping.) I’m energized around my friends (to like 80%. I love sleeping.) but when I’m not walking or talking I slip into a thick haze and my body gets heavy. (I love sleeping.) Later that night, when it’s midday in the states, Stella and I are binging Yellowjackets and she asks, “Another one?” To which I reply, “YES! I’m wide awake!” and pass out 15 minutes later. (I love sleep.)
That night, all of my brutal circadian rhythm training pays off and I actually, mostly, sleep. It’s not great sleep, but I love sleeping and I’ll take what I can get.

Diane Sabbatini and I ordered the same mocktail!

FRIENDS: One of the coolest things about being in London is all the friends who are also here working! One of whom is our friend Diane Sabbatini, a legend with one of my favorite names on the whole planet. We meet for pho at Pho Soho, one of Diane Sabbatini’s fav spots here, and now one of mine. The food is amazing because Diane Sabbatini has awesome taste. And? Diane Sabbatini’s hotel (The Ham Yard Hotel) has a bowling alley in the basement! Cuz thats how Diane Sabbatini rolls. Its booked for the night (I can’t believe they would play Diane Sabbatini and her friends like that.) but we have maybe plans to try it this coming weekend. Diane Sabbatini also has jet lag and tickets to Cabaret, the most coveted show in London right now (because she is Diane fucking Sabbatini. Obviously.) so Stella and I leave Diane Sabbatini alone until next weekend. (I didn't mention her stunning hat, purse, and outfit but picture what you think a Diane Sabbatini would wear and it’s better. And the leather is softer.)

And the truth is Yellowjackets is slop.

YELLOWJACKETS: Can we talk about this show? Stella and I hate it. HATE. ITTTTT. HAAAATE IT. Why are all of you freaking out about it? What genius is doing the PR for this show bc they deserve a raise. I love Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci as much as the rest of you nerds, and I love a 90’s soundtrack like it’s my teddy bear, but those two perks don’t equal a good show. I can feel the writers’ hands. The dialogue is embarrassing. It’s shot poorly. And the whole mess is just sloppy. WHY ARE THEIR WHITES SO WHITE AND THEIR SHORTS SO PRESSED AFTER BEING STRANDED FOR WEEKS IN THE MOUNTAINS? I know these people watched Lost. Take notes! We gave up after watching 5 episodes because life is too short and Juliette and Christina shouldn't have to drag this carcass show for us.
CAMDEN MARKET: Sunday, Stella and I meet two of her friends and spend the day at the Camden Market, or Shopping Heaven. I hate shopping, but I love it with Stella. Stella’s friends are boys so they walk in and out of clothing stalls we could have spent 30 minutes in. We buzz through all the market has to offer in record time, and when the boys take off Stella and I retrace our footsteps to the best of the bunch. The clothing vibe is vintage, boutique, and a healthy dose of steam-punk. Lots of oooos and ahs! from us.
The food stalls at the Camden Market are no joke. It’s every kind of food you can think of, and also the best and hottest version of it. I don’t know how the UK gets their food so hot, but it’s the most comforting feeling. Every time I come here, eating their version of hot food makes me feel so much better about my life choices. Stella and I eat salted brisket on a soft bagel and share some loaded, dirty cheese fries. 

Cheezin' for salted beef

A short about “Why this food choice?” when I could have chosen from a literal food version of It’s a Small World After All: in Feb 2004 Stella and I were in London with some movie besties. On Valentine’s Day we went bar hopping and at 4am our local guide took us to have salted brisket on a bagel with spicy mustard. He insisted we all order it whether we wanted to or not. It was the best sandwich any of us ever had. So good that almost 18 years later it won the Camden Market, It’s a Small World Food Stall Sweepstakes. The idea was there, but mustard wasn’t hot enough and I wanted the beef to be wetter. Stay tuned to see if we can find any more versions of this legendary sandwich that match the perfection of the original version 6 drunk women inhaled near Tower (or maybe London) Bridge on a Valentine’s bar hop.
Other food highlights: the cheese fries far outshine the bagel. WOW. I double fist a mango lassi and a chai tea and another WOW. Stella’s friend Dixon has a slice of cheese cake. MMM traditional, yum.  

Pre-historic Twitter

CAMDEN: Amy Winehouse is from Camden so there are tributes to her all over the place. The area is a grungy, hipster hangout with a healthy dose of touristy junk. I'm not making it sound great somehow, bc we absolutely love the vibe. There are "British characters" - punky punks, redcoats - that will take pictures with you for a pound. I love the Redcoat, in particular. At one point a gentleman with a bullhorn starts yelling anti- ...sex? ...children? ...population growth? I can't really tell, but he starts endorsing people demanding reparations from their parents because "YOU DIDN'T ASK TO BE BORN!!" ...Have I been listening too long, or is this man actually starting to make sense...? The Redcoat mocks the Anti-Birth man, the public snickers, and we witness what Twitter would look like in the flesh.

Cashmere makes outside pints possible

 

CASHMERE: I’ve been teased in the past for being fancy because I like cashmere. I hate the word fancy. Liking cashmere doesn’t make me fancy, it makes me smart. To this point: the weather hasn’t been over 48 degrees since I arrived in London. I spent the better part of the weekend outside and never once felt cold. Or bulky. Or hot and sweaty from too many layers. Because I layer my cashmere sweaters and cashmere socks in with my cottons, and cover the whole thing with my down coat, I’m warm and my body and clothing can breathe. All this to say, I’m verrrrry proud of myself for packing and dressing so well. I’m fucking stunned when I do anything right, so this is a HUGE win for me.

Highlights from Monday & Tuesday…
Stella works all day so I get to write all day in our perfect flat, minus a couple quick trips to the library for a change of scenery and the grocery store for something that wasn’t lentils. I ate from my pot of lentils for 5 days in a row. I’m over lentils.
Did I mention I was using this trip as an artist retreat to write and nourish my soul? It feels so good to have nothing else to do but write and explore. And spend 3-4 hours a night trying and failing to upload my first blog. If you’re reading this, I succeeded. ***No, I didn't. I gave up and came back to Blogger because, who cares?***

I'm so used to seeing American flags everywhere in the US, that I was momentarily confused at this sight

Cryptocurrency bros brought their boring white flags to represent at an anti-vaccine-mandate march

Pho Soho KILLING their rice bowl game too!

We DO love Camden!!

Love these ponies! They're all throughout the market

 

 

 

Camden is a bizzy bitsch

Word.

I DO have a talent!!

Scream 4-ever

Amy Winehouse memorial

Safely riding the tube

Only most of the time

"2021, 2022, whatever it is..."

...said my friend Hayley, and isn't that just the vibe of the world right now?

Call Me Daffy

Thursday, Jan 20

Y'all. It's been a while since I've traveled, so it's been a while since I blogged. I'm vaxxed, boosted, N-95'd, and ready to party... !!!!!!! ...Did that sound okay? I haven't been around people-- oh God. I think the Austin Airport is having a fire drill? Or a bombscare? Or an active shooter? What does it mean when an ear-splitting alarm and flashing lights go off at the Taco Deli but no one seems to notice but you…?

In an effort to upgrade my blog (EEE!EEE!EEE!…EEE!EEE!EEE!...I'm going deaf, I wish I could record this, but then you'd go deaf too- OH! Relative silence! THANK GOD, THE ALARM STOPPED.) I sucked the whole DemonSauce shebang onto Wordpress because I did 4 minutes of research and learned it was easy to use. It's not, actually. Reading or watching tutorials isn't as much fun as clicking random things and getting nowhere, so I'm still nowhere but I wanna blog my trip so Welcome! to my dry and incoherent blog-ish, web?site? I'm happy you're here! ***I couldn't figure WordPress out so here I am back at Blogger. As shitty as you are, Blogger, I don't have time to break in a new program and teach it the way I like things, so welcome back, baby.***

I'm happy I'm here! It means I'm traveling! This time its to London to stay with Stella. "Is this a rerun?," longtime readers may wonder. It's not! That was in 2017 when we were all naive and healthy little Sarah Conners. Now its 2022 and we've been weathered by Hell, our flowing manes haven’t had a regular shampoo in a couple years, and we've got hair-trigger anxiety attacks. We are now SARAH FUCKING CONNER. Weary, ready, eyez on the prize. My prize? Seeing Heathers: The Musical off The West End in London.

 

It's a new dawn. It's a new day.

Monday, Jan 24
How cute that I was so bloggy excited! Jet lag deflated that balloon for the last few days, but I’m (crossing fingers) feeling (knocking wood) pretty (wishing on a star) okay (sign of the cross) now. (Praying.)

Flashback to Thursday’s flying highlights:
FLIGHT: As vulnerable as you will feel, I HIGHLY recommend flying during a pandemic. On every flight I’ve taken since March 2020, if I haven’t had an empty seat next to me, I’ve had the whole row to myself. These flights were no exception. The flights were 1/4 - 1/3 full which left row upon row of seats for me to stretch out on like the masked and sweaty queen I am.
MASK: The N95 mask my partner got me was medical grade with plastic around the edges to fully encase my nose and mouth. It made me look like Howard the Duck and I loved it. Sure I was sweating under the plastic, but I wasn’t breathing in anything bad other than my breath. And even that wasn’t terrible. You know how the smell of your own farts can be pleasing in a very specific way? My minestrone soup and garlic bread breath was like that.
BATHROOM: The first time I went to the bathroom on my flight fm JFK to London, I was pleased to find the bathroom was bigger than I was used to and the water was scorching hot because these are the tiny miracle gifts you get when you fly economy on an international flight. Suddenly, finally, it sank in: I’m flying to one of my favorite cities in the world so spend a few weeks with my best of best best friends! I had to dance! It was so fun, I bathroom-dance-partied every time I saw a toilet for the next day or so. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
SMARTYPANTS: My flight from JFK to London was a red-eye. Normally I’m a SUPERFAN of airplane food. Instead of staying awake long enough to eat the meal I’d spent full precious minutes of my life researching online (Should order an Asian Vegetarian Meal or one of the religious diet meals…? Or no, bc what if its just rice?) I smugly stretched out across an aisle I wasn’t assigned to and made 53 adjustments before I counted sheep over and over… I woke up after a couple hours of bad sleep to see it was 8am London time. I’d done it! I started my jet lag transition early because I’m A Smart Traveler ;)

Friday highlights:
JOHN: I found Stella’s driver waiting for me outside of baggage with a sign and everything. I love an airport sign. It makes me feel real special. John was so awesome! We chatted the 45 minute ride into London. He showed me Robbie Williams’ house and Robert Plant’s house. (They’re neighbors! It’s cute.)
THE FLAT: Stella and I have been lucky enough to travel and stay in flats in many countries and her current home is my absolute favorite. Its decorated in the perfect mix of both our personalities. Irreverence, beauty, clean lines, boho textiles, the female form in all different shapes and sizes, bold colors and books for days, all about art and politics. I’m in home love.
STELLA!!!!!!: OH, its so good to be with my friend. I’ve missed her so much!

See ya later, America.

JET LAG: Determined to not have a repeat of my last London experience where jet lag just killed me, I took walks, went grocery shopping, got a Covid test, and made a huge pot of lentils to stay awake. It worked! I was incoherent, but awake. Then I hallucinated that Today Tix had cancelled the tickets I got us for Pride & Prejudice the following weekend. I bought another set of tickets. I figured out that TodayTix cancelled another show (& Juliet for which I also bought another ticket). I realized I now own 2 sets of P&P tickets for the same night and I was time to go to sleep.
I dropped dead in my bed at 10:45.
I woke up at midnight.
I watched an episode of Maid. (Anyone else watching this? It is excruciating. I like it, but JESUS.) I turned off everything, determined to lay in the dark until I fell asleep because blue light and all that. I googled tips for jet lag. (Tip #4, stay off your phone before bed.) Lights out. I had a short talk with the potential ghost that was making my bed shift at random intervals, and respectfully notified it that I was staying for almost 3 weeks so… let’s be good roommates. I DM’d a friend I want to see on this trip. Lights out. For real this time. I thought about my life. I started to cry. My decisions. My career. The two extra tickets to Pride & Prejudice that I need to sell. I cried harder. I couldn't stop. This went on for a while. I went to the bathroom and started my period at that exact moment. I think I said out loud, “Oh, hello.” I stopped trying to fall asleep and instead turned to the one thing that always makes me feel better: my partner. I FaceTimed Chris and I don’t remember what we talked about, but after a while he let me go bc I was drifting off. I looked at the time: 415a. Wide awake again…