Football Hooligans

Today was an eventful day. I went to one lecture, then dashed back to King's Cross to pick up my family and guide them to Victoria to catch a train down to Carshalton to visit our relatives who happen to live just south of London (family of my Dad's 1st cousin, once removed--so my grandfather's cousin's family--long story short).

I stayed a few, but had to leave because I had tickets to the FA Cup game between Arsenal and Cardiff City. This wasn't a Premier League game per se, but it was still awesome. I was somehow able to find very nice club level seats for face value (£45) that included access to a sweet bar and free drinks at halftime. I think it had something to do with the fact that this was a replay game, since no one could score the first time around.

I guess having gone to a couple games now and starting to follow the team on their video podcast (vodcast?), I have become an aspiring "Gooner" [meaning Gunner, or Arsenal fan]. I bought my own scarf to twirl around at the game tonight. Also, funnily enough, I'm going to go see the Arsenal's fiercest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, play Middlesborough in a couple of weeks, but that is only because Tufts is subsidizing it. Think of it like a Yankees fan going Fenway to see the Red Sox play some team that isn't the Yankees. Into the house of the enemy. Here are some pictures care of my phone. Enjoy!

Called the Gunners for a Reason

Nearly Full Stadium

Free Drinks = Awesome

Tomorrow will be the London sightseeing day for the family--British Museum, Thameswalk, and then whatever else we decide to do.

Cheers.

My family is here!

Yes, they actually made it all the way from New York City to London.  I stayed up 24 hours so I could pick them up from the airport and have just woken up from the most glorious 4 hour nap ever.  We are now going out to eat and there are many more fun things planned for the rest of the week.  That's all I can be bothered to say in my current state of mind.

0_O

BIG SNOW

Sorry to barrage you with all the recent posts, but this is important in a big way.

I know, coming from the Northeastern US, you could hardly consider this a really big snowstorm, as it's the familiar sloppy mess we usually get just about every week in wintertime; however, for London, this type of thing hasn't happened for about 20 years. Usually it only snows less than an inch and then turns to rain and melts, but for the past 24 hours, it has been snowing pretty much nonstop, and if it had stayed below freezing there would have been buckets of it. At the high point, which was early this morning, there was about 4-5 inches of fluffy white powder. Now it has gone mostly to slush on the sidewalks and streets, but it's still fun to look at. It reminds me a bit of home.

King's Cross, looking quite mysterious

Tavistock Square, covered in white

Why hello there!

Piccadilly Circus

Until next time!

Birthdays and Broadway Shows

Last night, I finally got the chance to celebrate my 21st birthday in style. A group of 10 of us here in London, mostly American, departed our residence in a stretch limo (with included champagne!) and arrived at Cafe de Paris just outside Piccadilly Circus in the West End for a night out celebrating 4 people's birthdays: Mine, Fran P's, Edna's, and Lauren's. Other friends not willing to pay for the stylish transport met us there. Interestingly, the cost of the whole evening didn't exceed £25 per person--£15/head for limo, and somehow the girls got into the club for free >.<. The queue to get inside didn't last too long and we danced nonstop for about 3 hours, until people were tired and the selection of music started to get repetitive.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, and I have to shout a big thank-you to Fran P and Adam for their respective hands in organizing the whole thing. Good job guys!

We also saw Avenue Q again earlier in the week, and will be seeing Complicit, directed by Kevin Spacey and starring Richard Dreyfuss.

Just Look Around You

Sorry for the lack of updates, friends, but I doubt my life here is more interesting than what is going on in the states right now (GOBAMA!  WE DID IT WOOOO!!!11!1!!1).

My Tuesday 4-6PM Geology class was even stopped early so we could all go home and watch the swearing in as it was happening at 5PM GMT.  Too bad neither Chief Justice Roberts nor now-President Obama could get the words exactly right; hey, who can blame them?  It was both their first times after all :P

Here is a funny thing from the BBC that I found.  If you have a soft spot for trashy 1980's style educational films, this is for you.

Tally Ho!

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I am now back in the UK.  My flight arrived at approximately 8:00 this morning at London Heathrow; sort of almost on schedule except we had to circle the airport a few times because too many planes arrived at the same time.

I have already finished unpacking and everything and am going to bed early to be ready for school tomorrow.  More will come later.

It's my Birthday!

Today, January 6 at 3:20PM, I turned 21 whole years old.  

Some exposition for my international friends:

In the lame country of the United States of America, much to the delight of the grouchy moms of MADD, back in the mid 1980s the federal government blackmailed the states into raising the drinking age to 21, or else risk losing their federal highway tax dollars.  Because of this, I had to wait an additional 3 years beyond what most other countries of the world deem acceptable at age 18.  I went out for my first legal drink here at home with my parents at Rosie's Cafe, a cafe owned by friends of our family; a nice time was had by all.

Too bad I only get 4 more days of this before returning to the UK where I am just like every other college student (legal), and not special anymore.

Back to London on Saturday.  That's all folks!