Euroventure and the Week that Wasn’t
2:07PM: Hyde Park Towers, London, England: My mind feels like it’s going a million miles an hour and because it’s neither transit food, concert food nor British pizza, the barbecued chicken fried rice I’m eating tastes like the most delicious thing ever. It is a good thing I’m by myself on this trip, because if anyone saw me eating this as ravenously as I am, I’d soon wind up that way anyhow. Not that it’s so delicious, it’s just delicious to scale. The little bit of bok choy at the top was so 
good I don’t have the words to explain it. I can’t remember the last time I ate a vegetable.
I called British Airways this morning and told them I’d made it back to London and would like very much please to go home as soon as possible. The first woman I talked to had me all set to go on a flight for Saturday — then my phone got disconnected. One of the few times I’ve actually shouted, “Nooooo!” and meant it. By the time I called back it was a Monday flight, so there you have it. I’m booked on the same exact flight as my original, same times and all, one week later. You can see my suggestion for their new logo above, and to answer your next question, yes, this is the kind of sad yuck-yuck humor that extreme boredom can elicit. I miss my wife, my dog and my memory foam.
A week is a lot of hotel rooms, which is a lot of money I don’t really have at this point. Chris West, drummer for the band Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight has graciously offered to put me up for a few days, and after talking to The Patient Mrs. and making sure she hadn’t already gotten a loan for another room or anything, I think I’m going to take him up on it. Rumor has it he lives in St. Albans, about a 20-minute train ride, so I’ll probably head that way tomorrow.
But given that I am going to be here longer term, and that I might actually have to interact with people in a more than across-the-counter-while-I-buy-something kind of way, I ventured into the world and picked up some essential provisions: non-Speed Stick deodorant, a real toothbrush, sunglasses. All of this for a paltry sum when compared to its worth in utility or conversion in dollars.
I like London though, at least in the same sense of liking New York. I know I’m not the first person to compare them, but as far as urban centers go, there’s an anonymity provided by these two that a lot of places just can’t offer because they’re not at the same scale. I’d imagine Beijing and Tokyo are the same way, but that’s pure conjecture.
But back to today in London. I have a motherload of work to catch up on — stuff that’s late for school, etc. — so I’m figuring a goodly portion of my afternoon is probably screwed. Beyond that, there’s Resurrection Records and some other stores I’d love to hit, and that whole London sightseeing thing, Big Ben, Parliament, not being able to get left, etc., that I could do were I so inclined. Record shopping sounds more up my alley, so I’ll probably stick to that. I’ve seen that other stuff anyway. Work first though. And now that I’ve finished that rice, stomachache second.
Tags: London, UK
That is so cool you and Chris have hooked up. I love his band. We’ve communicated a good deal through the interwebs and he seems like a really nice guy. I offered to put him and his bandmates up at my place if they’d just tour the states. Seems like a fair trade to me. Tell him I said hello and just remember who put you two in contact initially ;-)
(I think I recommended to him that he send you, Lowering the Tone)
Chris is a top chap, he also drums in Stubb alongside myself and Pete from Trippy. Would be great to say hello as this is a rather fantastic blog. You’ll be in safe hands