Sun Dec 01 2002 18:49: Tonight I am geting serius about the apartment business. My jeans are at mango getting hemmed, and yesterday was productuve, too. Me, tom, and lauar went to the Imperial War museum and tried a new restuarant!

Tue Dec 03 2002 20:57: Yessss!!! After much perseverance I am now enrolled in all the classes I wanted for next quarter. Except for French, because apparantly I havn't completed the prerequists, but really I have, they just don't know it yet. I am enrolled in French 1 to hold the place in my schedule. I'm sure the French department will understand the silliness of that! I really need to start taking French again this quarter because it's already been 9 months and I'm getting a bit rusty, despite attempts to keep my French usable by holidays in France and other French speaking countries (another one coming up soon!).

Laura and I went to see Windsor Castle, which was very impressive. Windsor and Eton are pretty much the same town (but neither of us knew, which is kinda silly because Laura went to the Eton open day with her English family, and its kinda hard to miss a castle that big when it is on a hill right in front of you. still, I guess if you dont know what to look for...) so we went there, too. Laura gave me a mini tour and we climbed on The Wall. It was all very Hogwarts-esque, with houses and headmasters and prefects and young children running around, but I guess that's just the British public school system.We kept half expecting to run into her cousin, too, but we didn't. We also ate lots of yummy traditional English food (yes, it can be good!), saw Sir Christopher Wren's house from the outside, ran away from scary geese, and wandered around. Very cute and very pituresque.

"But Rachel, no one wants to take the classes you need."- Laura, on my registration problems. She's right, there's only 8 people in the French class I need. Apparantly the reason we get along so well is that I'm a Piecses (sp?).

Tue Dec 03 2002 21:07: At the request of certain family members, I have decided to publish a Christmas wish list of things I need. Here it (so far) is:

Socks.

I have about 5 socks that have no mate, and another 5 pairs that have holes in them which will be abondoned in London. Leaving me with... approx. none. Maybe I will go hunt in the laundry room to see if any of my socks have escaped to there. Ten points to the first person who tells me WHO ELSE wishes for socks for Christmas!

Wed Dec 04 2002 19:28: One last check in before leaving! France tomorrow, very exciting! Seems like we always have to leave at ungodly hours for these holidays, this once is, believe it or not, semidecent at 4:40 to catch a 5:02 train from Farringdon. I was hoping to be functional but it looks like I'll be up half the night making phone calls so maybe not. Can always sleep on the plane, hopefully I won't be sitting next to a screaming 2 year old this time! So, anyhow, don't worry (mom) and I'll be back on the 10th, maybe, depending on the airport strike situation.

Thu Dec 12 2002 17:16 The countdown begins: 9 days.... : Well, yes, I'm back and safe. The airport strike was called off, but future ones are still at stake (I may be swimming home). Laura and I had an awesome time in Nice, I'll tell more about it when I have the time and inclination (never... so if youre really interested, look for details in my book to be published sometime in the distant future).

Bits of good news: I am no longer homeless (except for that one day in London, but I'm working on that) and my roommates sounds like loads of fun (talked to them on the phone)and it feels great to look forward to an apartment instead of worrying because I don't have one! Also, my history professor says I have a 'sensitive intelligence' which is the nicest thing anyone's said about me in a while, and all I have is 1 more class, 1 essay and 2 finals and then I'm DONE with school until winter quarter! Yipeee!

I'm really looking forward to warm (comparativley- its the arctic chill here in London, when we landed in Luton it was one degree celsius. one. ONE!!) weather, wearing flip flops, driving to the grocery store, cheetos, catching up with old friends, gretel, new kitten, christmas, new apartment, new classes, new school, getting back to work, new friends, etc etc.

I'm really going to miss wearing scarves, going to Camden Market, hearing British accents, Sainsbury's, Boot's, walking in London, writing London in my return address, shopping on Oxford Street, being able to casually drop in to see famous works of art on my lunch break or plan a mini holiday to Europe with relative ease and little expense, the suprised look on people's faces when they realize they've asked an American for directions, the Harry Potter posters on the number 38 bus (although they took the billboard on Tottenham Court Road down, now its something Christmasy) and probably most of all my London friends, even though actually they're all from California so I'll be able to see them all the time!

Sat Dec 14 2002 17:38 7 days : Yipee! I'm in a very good mood...

"But Marisa, I don't see what Harry Potter has to do with it"- Tom, "I wouldn't mind if you guys want to go BOTH days"- Marisa, "Are you sure you don't want to get some more sleep before you go to Camden?"- Marisa, "I like names"- me (I said this and for some reason my roommies thought this was really funny).

Our blinkey-signal light that I philfered (SP?) burn out, so last night I got another one, but this morning Laura threw it from our third story window. It did not survive.

Sun Dec 15 2002 16:23 5 days!!!: Last night was our goodbye/Christmas party, which was really cute and fun. This morning I woke up early (we are all catching Laura's insomnia)and we cleaned up our flat then Laura made scones and we had roommate morning gossip. I'm really going to miss that. Afterwards I went to talk to our friends upstairs and then we all went to Camden (for the last time, I swear! I'm getting a little tired of the people who run the stalls teasing us for coming so often. it was a sad moment, though). Now I have a paper to write, but I really dont want to so I'm thinking maybe I'll just go back and study for EU, but then I don't think I'll really study. Atleast I resisted the temptation to go to Borders with Laura and read HP 4 while she did researh.

Wed Dec 18 2002 10:34 3 days!!!! : Just finishing up my history paper, taking a final at 2, then I'm done!!! and I'll be free to enjoy the 2 school-free days of London! I can't believe I am going home. I just can't believe it.

Wed Dec 18 2002 12:02 still 3 days...: I'm done with my paper, yippee! Just have to survive core final. bleah.

Sun Dec 22 2002 19:20 I'm back!!!!: Yeah, I'm back. Its nice to be home. I had Inn&Out last night!!!!!

Tue Dec 24 2002 01:09: My room is a mess of unpacking (and I only have half my stuff!!) and I have a paperwork pile stacked 10 feet on my desk. plus christmas presents. Plus one more suitcase arriving tonight. We're leaving for the movies soon! (Lord of the Rings, but we get to see Harry Potter later!)

Gretel just escaped the house, jogged around the block with me and Leonard franically chasing her, then ran back in the front door. I think she wanted attention.