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Synergy It is absolutely glorious outside right now. I got back from lunch about a half hour ago and was actually hot walking around wearing my coat. I�m sure that since the weekend is just around the corner this weather won�t last, but for now it�s brilliant. It�s almost amusing to think that I�ve been going on about how I need to buy a warm hat and gloves this weekend. In the end, it�s probably just Mother Nature being a big cocktease, so I won�t jinx it by raving too much. So far, there are a lot things I like about living in London. I like being in a real urban environment again. I love city life and all the dirt and grit that goes along with it. I like the rythym of cities and find comfort in the knowledge that something exciting is probably happening nearby. I like being in a place where a seedy neighborhood boarders a flash one and where people of all backgrounds, social brackets, and ethnicities live amongst one another. Somewhat surprisingly, despite my fear of tunnels and terrorist attacks, I even like the subway. I like commuting into work so much that I really don�t miss having a car and if I didn�t have to get up so damn early, I probably wouldn�t mind the extra long commute. Sometimes I read while on the tube and other times I nod off while listening to my MiniDisc player. Mostly though, I just people watch and eavesdrop. The other day I sat across from a man wearing a business suit. There were many other similarly attired men and women on board, so this in itself was not unusual. What was unusual,l was that this man had no teeth. Not only did he not have teeth, he also had exceedingly long fingernails and wore a baseball cap from beneath which little wings of wiry salt and peppered hair sprung. He sat opposite me for most of my ride and I could not help but stare and wonder who he was, where he�d come from, and where he was going. Things move pretty quickly around here. Everyone is off and running to either a meeting, a date, a train, or just rushing to get home. Things are bustling; it�s easy to get swept along in a wave of bodies slowly rolling down the street. Cell phones ring incessantly and music seeps muted from headphones in every direction. And here I am in the middle of it all. Whether I�m just walking to get lunch, making my way home, or travelling to meet up with Lee, I�m part of this constant energy. Finally my surroundings are in sync with the speed of the thoughts in my head. So far there are very few things I dislike about the UK. One of them is the fact that the banking industry seems hell bent on making it as difficult as possible for me to store and access money in one of their fine facilities. I�ve finally scored an account but was told at lunch time that I can�t withdraw funds for at least another few days. I was paid today and was really looking forward to that money. We need that money. Apparently HSBC does not want me to have that money and aren�t going to budge on the issue. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! Another thing I strongly dislike about London is it�s apparent inability to fix the fucking trains in a timely fashion. Although, as I said above, I�m a fan of public transportation, I�m a bigger fan of sleep and I�m sure I would enjoy people watching just as much on a forty minute ride as I do on a two hour ride. I mean seriously, I�m all for making sure the trains are once again safe for travel but this is getting a wee bit ridiculous. It would be nice to leave work at 5:30 and arrive at home within the hour rather than closer to eight. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! On any other Friday I�d probably use this space to write about my plans for the weekend. Unfortunately since I have no money, I�m not sure what those plans will be. Furthermore, while writing this entry I�ve consumed an awful lot of water and must now use the bathroom. I�m also going to run upstairs and sneak a break in the smoke room. It has views of the Thames, the London Eye, and part of the Houses of Parliament. You�d better believe I�m taking my camera.
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