20 February 2010

Today, being Saturday, could be renamed 'paper day'. However, this Saturday, I was determined to make my day different. I usually don't go outside from the time I get back from plenary Friday around 12:30 until I go out to go to church Sunday morning. That is terrible! I did better by going to the Lipscomb's last night, but I needed more than the 15 minutes I spent outside! So, this afternoon at about 4 I went to the grocery store to get next week's supplies! That was another thing - here I get very little fruit and no fresh vegetables except for an occasional salad. My dairy is also limited to milk in my tea with an occasional glassful. I wondered if eating better and getting outside would help me. So, I tried it! I walked down to Tesco's, which is near the tube stop (only about 3/4 of a mile away). There, I bought foods such as spinach, wraps, unpasteurized cheese, organic yogurt, green and yellow peppers, peppermint tea, and a mango. Feeling like I had just had a very successful trip, I walked back to the Highbury Centre.

There was a football match (aka soccer game!) going on this afternoon, and even though the stadium is 20 minutes away (walking), I could hear the crowds screaming, music, and an announcer. That got me thinking about living in London. I began wondering how many people would really like to be there, while I am really not into sports and will probably never attend even though I could.

Then, I got to thinking about the fact that I am living in London. The British Empire was the one on which 'the sun never set' - it went all the way around the world. England was where it all started, and London was the capitol. I am living in what was the centre of the world! It made me really think about taking advantage of this amazing opportunity. I have been, of course - all my museum, gallery, architecture, music, and theatre requirements have seen to that, not even counting my walks around the city just for enjoyment. However, I need to make sure that I am not letting any days go by without truly appreciating all that is available to me. For the first time in my life I am living in a city - and what a city! This afternoon was a good reminder to not take it for granted - it won't last forever - and to absorb as much as I can while I'm here!

As far as the rest of my day: I worked on my paper, had lunch, worked on my paper, had dinner, and worked on my paper ... :) I drank about 4 liters of water over the course of the day, and will probably finish another one before night. I realized yesterday that I was becoming dehydrated, and so am attempting to fix that! It has been really good, and I'm glad that water is free here and tastes fine! I can't say that this paper is coming easily, I'm really fighting it out, but it's interesting at worst and makes me laugh. We are writing about the Late Middle Ages this week, and some of the sources are amusing! GStQ