Pages

29 August 2011

15 August 2011

I Miss It...


But doing silly stuff like this on instagram on my iphone keeps me distracted. Yeah, I crossed over to the dark side.

It's a BEAUTIFUL day in Michigan! I've got my Garmin charging up right now, then I'm going to head out for a run.  ((I sound kinda techy. Am I techy? When did I become techy? I'm not smart enough to be techy.))

One problem, if you could call it a problem, that I'm having so far is kind of like over-stimulation, I guess. There are so many things I want to do, want to watch, want to cook, etc...I'm having a hard time spacing things out! I guess this is a nice problem to have.

Oh, and then there's the jet lag. Good god, the jet lag. I've been going to bed at 10 p.m. or earlier, and waking up around 5 or 6. This is not me. Hopefully this just naturally sorts itself out.

Okay, Garmin is all charged -- off for a run!

14 August 2011

I'm Home.




My family is wonderful. The dogs are healthy. The lake is beautiful.

And that's all that matters!

(I'm going to be putting together some more meaningful posts about my last few weeks in London and what not in the near future. Stay tuned.)

10 August 2011

Thank God for Rolling

No, not what you're thinking. I'm not referring to anything that has to do with drug use. Unfortunately. (kidding, mom.)

I'm talking packing. You know...the rolling technique?



It works. I can definitely attest to that. I was skeptical of how much room it could save me, and the (prominent) lazy side of me didn't really feel like taking the time to roll every. single. top, pair of jeans, etc.

Definitely worth it though! The real test will be when I need to squeeze about five days' worth of clothing plus some other odds and ends into that already-almost-stuffed suitcase above. Wish me luck on that one.

Rolling: making packing easier since, well...I don't know when. At least since 7 p.m. Monday night.

07 August 2011

Afternoon Tea and Polka Dots

This afternoon, my two best girlfriends here in London and I ventured up to Highgate for an afternoon tea. For those who aren't familiar with the English tradition, afternoon tea is generally more than just, well...tea in the afternoon. It generally involves baked goods, and sometimes champagne. Ours ended up being quite casual, but super yummy and enjoyable!

We went to an adorable little tearoom called High Tea of Highgate, which is up in north London, not too far from where my friends both live. First of all, the place is obviously precious. Second, they hand bake all of their baked goods in-store each and every day...so when they're out, they're out. They have interesting things like lavender cake, as well as traditional options such as scones and cupcakes. They also had a vast assortment of different teas -- it was hard to make up my mind!

I ended up choosing the strawberry and orange tea (which was amazing), along with a mini vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting. Buttercream frosting truly is the food of the gods, isn't it? Kate went with the London afternoon blend with a slice of lavender cake, and Paloma had the strawberry and orange tea along with a piece of lemon drizzle spongecake.

Everyone loved their choices. The mini cupcake was perfect for me, because I wasn't very hungry at all, and those three bites were the perfect amount to feed my sweet tooth. I'm never one to turn a cupcake down -- they are my favorite! Not to mention, these were homemade and truly amazing. But I still managed to get the same amount of satisfaction out of it that I would have gotten from one that was three times the size. I mean, look at that face -- do I look upset in any way?? ;) And while I absolutely loved that cupcake, the real star of the show was the amazing tea. I'm a tea lover, and that strawberry/orange tea may be the best I've had. It was loose leaf, unsurprisingly...and sweet enough without being overbearing. And did you notice that it's pink?!?

We also really liked the cream pourer. Is that a word? Meh, if not then I just made it one. We liked it so much, we spotted some for sale in the shop and ran (okay, fast walked) to them. Err...£25. Adorable, but...well, we are poor graduate students. Couple that with the fact that I'm attempting to run my UK bank account dry before I leave (I think I'm at about £20 left right now), and I think you'll probably guess that I did not come home with a patterned porcelain cow.

It was such a nice afternoon with my girls that I'm going to miss so, so much. **tear** Prior to going out for our tea, we met at Kate's flat with another one of my lovely girlfriends, Emmy, and had a pink champagne toast while munching on some cheese and crackers and catching up. It's just so hard for me to understand and accept that I won't be seeing these girls anymore after a few days.../sigh.

Tomorrow should be interesting. In the morning, I'm going to head over to ULU to have my three copies of my dissertation bound, and then I'll make my way to SPP to turn. them. in. Whoa. It's weird to think that, in a way, this whole year had led up to this point...the turning in of the 'big one.'
After I get that taken care of, it's time to commence the packing! I think I have a lot of work to do. I need to get rid of the things I won't be taking home with me (like some books, my toiletries, my sheets/towels/pillows, etc.) and weed through my clothing to see what I do want to take home. I think three days should be enough time to sort through my life in my little room here!

Okay, time for some more LSAT studying. I haven't been as disciplined this weekend as I need to be. For that, I will now be up for the next 3-4 hours doing work. Party animal.

06 August 2011

Last Night

Last night was my last Friday night, and the beginning of my last weekend in London.

We had an IPAS get together up in Camden.

I saw lots of friends.

I cried.

The end.

01 August 2011

Holy August, Batman.

I can't believe it's already August...can you?!? August has apparently brought with it some warmer temperatures to London. Today's high is 83 -- I can't remember the last time it was in the 80s here! Wait...it was probably April.

I'm a little sad today, as today is also the start of the Robinson back home. What is the Robinson, you ask? Well, it's a week-long memorial tournament that takes place at my family's tennis club. Robinson Week has always been one of the biggest weeks of the year for my family. Back when I was younger, four of the five of us were usually playing in it. When I was a teenager, I often worked 80-hour weeks during it. Now that I'm even older, I just like to go and hang out, see people I haven't seen in a while, and watch my mom and brother play. It's not uncommon to have a few cocktails during the night sessions, or to take the dogs up there to wander around. They always love going to the Tennis House, but they especially love it during Robinson Week! Anyways, it's just weird to think that this is the second Robinson in three years that I've missed due to being in London. Prior to this, I think I only missed one when I was younger and went camping with my cousin. I even played in the Robinson before I was born, with my mommy! :P

But not to fear, rather than eating all kinds of homemade goodies and watching the kids play today, I'm doing something just as fun -- dissertation editing. Ew, I'm totally kidding. I can't even describe how over this paper I am. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- working on my MSc. has shown me that I have no desire to continue on for a Ph.D. I've really enjoyed this year, and the months of research has been fine...but I would not want to do this for years. Good god, no. This is invaluable experience, because in the past, I thought I would possibly go on for a Ph.D. No, no, no...after I turn in this paper in a week, I am done with academic research, at least in this capacity. This is clearly not to say that law school will be a walk in the park, but I think that's the kind of schoolwork that I gravitate towards. I won't miss the hours spent with SPSS and putting together data spreadsheets and coding and all this garbage.

Speaking of law school, today officially starts Day 1 of LSAT studying. I've already been spending some time going through my books, but I haven't been sticking to any kind of schedule. That changes today...and I need to keep my nose to the grindstone for the next two months so I'm hopefully able to achieve an acceptable score on the test in October!

Not a fun update from me, I know. Here are a few photos I took on my walk/run over to Regent's Park yesterday. Since moving over close to Russell Square, I haven't been up there...but yesterday was a beautiful day and it just seemed right.





10 more days! :)