I'll admit it. I stayed in bed until 1pm today. Not because of some wild party last night. Not because I was exhausted. Mainly just because I felt like it and no one could tell me to get up. When I finally did wake up, I realized that my hayfever had gotten the best of me and it was time for a showdown.
My mission, as I chose to accept it was, to head to Victoria Station, find a chemist (who sells over-the-counter drugs), find a bank (which doesn't charge it's own atm fee), and find a proper afternoon tea. I made it to Victoria Station, bought an Oyster Card for my trip and headed to the underground. Only to learn that the Circle Line I planned to take was closed. Drat!
I hopped on th district line and came up with a couple of alternative plans of attack. I could circle around to Queensway and wander to Kensington Palace to take high tea at the Orangery. Or, I could cut my losses and head over to Covent Garden. Obviously being in a lazy mood, heading to Covent Garden was a much easier win of the two choices. I even told myself I might head to the London Museum of Transport, or to the local catholic church I had attended while there. (Who was I fooling?)
Arriving at Covent Garden, I was pleased to be able to handle two issues side-by-side. A chemist and a sketchers store were located side-by-side. I could get something for my hayfever and contribute to the US Gross National Product without having to take more than a few steps. Add to that not needing to figure out the show size conversion between the US and UK, and I was in business!
[Add Photos of Covent Garden here]
After the shopping, I met a nice man (architect by trade) from Malaysia who had that "everything is right in the world"-kind of soft spoken voice. All I needed to do to get over the materialistic, rat race chasing me in this world is to donate 5 pounds for a hare krishna book with all of the answers. My response to him, "cool. one stop shopping all for 5 pounds." (Yes, I get the irony of the statement). Of course, not having any cash I told him as much, and this friendly guide showed me the way to Lloyd's for a fee-less atm. He hadn't forgetten all of the important stuff in the material world. When I handed him the 20 pounds and waited for change, he asked if I'd like to donate a little something to help feed the hungry around London. Like all good salespeople, I knew there had to be a "wait, but there's more" somewhere around the corner. Fortunately, I was able to wish the soft-spoken man a fare-ado and wandered in Wagamana for lunch.
[Add photo of Wagamana food]
After seafood miso ramen, green tea, and edamame for lunch, I headed out to the Lush store, which first introduced me to my expensive bathroom luxury. This damn store easily breaks me of a twenty-dollar bill when I found it in the states, you've got no idea how much I'd like to drop while I'm here at the original. To my surprise, a delightful 21-year-old woman named Danielle introduced herself to me while at the store. We talked a bit about American men and UK men, the differences between growing up in a small town (Manchester) and being in a proper city (London), and other general tidbits about the world around us. Danielle enjoys writing, is going to pursue her MA in the fall, and besides working at Lush, teaches creative writing in the evenings. Being a writer, I asked her of some of the things she most recently enjoyed reading. Venus as a Boy was the first book that she recommended, I believe God of Small Things was another book (but, I could only recall it being the winner of a Booker Prize), and for the life of me I cannot remember the title of the other book. I believe it had the word "Orange" in it, and was the story of Africans enslaving Europeans. But, I could have mixed up some of what she was saying since I didn't take a single note while she spoke. I've added these to my list of works to consider on my next shopping trip through amazon.com.
[More photos of Covent Garden]
After lunch, I wandered the stalls of the piazza to find gifts to bring back to the states. I don't know why it is that finding knick-knacks for friends while traveling brings me such joy. But it does, and frankly, who am I to question these things. Plus, I picked up a nice gray patterned scarf for myself, so it's not all bad. Having a taste for dessert I grabbed a warm waffle, with chocolate syrup and whipped topping and a hot chocolate and listened to a singer at the local wine bar belt out various italian-opera sounding songs. The scene gave me the giggles, but the other tourists there seemed to be loving it.
[Add photos of Leicester Square]
Of course I was bummed that I didn't get a nice cucumber sandwich and watch people in funny hats walk by. And yes, I'm a bit disappointed that in my walk through Leicester Square I didn't find the tkts booth to purchase some show tickets for this week. Nonetheless, I'm back at the corporate apartment full and with a smile on my face.
This evening, my task is to really work out some ideas I have about life after TAP. The most pressing of which is whether I'd like to pursue the role of TAP manager. I truly believe I could bring a different perspective to the role, that I would be a good person to help new TAP associates adjust to the working world, and start with some of the change management aspects of the role. The downside is that I'd really want to put my heart and soul into this sort of project; and while I'm perfectly willing to do so, I just fear that I would push myself too hard, and too fast in hopes of not adversing affecting anyone's life. Nonetheless, I think I could really make a difference, and ultimately helping others is what I most enjoy doing. So, it's something I must consider.
Wish me luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment