Perhaps that's true if you're British. But if you're American and you find yourself in London, using Scottish money is not really on your radar, especially as you brace yourself, pushing yourself deep into your seat as you are driven around the wrong side of tiny streets by a driver on the wrong side of the car.
They shift with their left hand, for goodness' sake! I can't tell if it's just me being all turned around or if the traffic patterns are actually that much more erratic and odd, weird windy bits in the middle as you cross from one area to another. But yes, today I was driven around twice by British people in their British cars on their British roads. It wasn't particularly scary, it was just...terribly odd. Like reaching for the door handle and missing it because someone has changed it to a knob and you're not quite sure how to get through the door--you understand the mechanics of both a door handle and a knob, and yet once you are forced to switch from one to the other, it just feels very strange. Like wearing underwear that is slightly too small, or something.
Anyway, this all ties in to the Great Flat Search, Day 1. I started off the morning with a letting agency right down the road, saw a smelly little flat, nothing special. I think I can do better. Then I walked down the length of Upper Street in Islington and stopped in, or at least looked at, every letting agency. I returned to one of the agencies for an appointment where I saw one flat, which was very nice...a bit too nice. Everything had been redone! Lovely..but...that means any scratch will be that much more obvious. And white carpets...yikes. No shoes or spilling or anything. Also no furniture, but that could be negotiated, as could the price. I'll call in the morning and see what I can get from the agent, but if it's not right, it's not right. There are cheaper places that look a bit tougher for the wear and tear of daily life, and don't have odd showers that aren't properly blocked off and share the same floor with the rest of the bathroom...
Perhaps, though, if I went salsa dancing with the agent, he'd get me a better price and some nice furniture? I had to tell him that I really was set on finding a place to live before worrying about having fun on the weekend, though. He agreed that that was a worthy first priority, as he turned right from the left-hand lane, perfectly legally.
I have since spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding (it was in the DVD player and I couldn't figure out how to get to the regular tv...) and trying to find places online. I've found some..well..thousands, actually. It's not the most manageable system, but I'll make some sort of progress!
One other little bit: a WOW moment. Watching tv (one of the girls left it on), a commercial for finding suppliers for whatever you want to manufacture came on. A white lady in a suit said she needed this product, then an Asian man said he made it. A white man said he needed a product, sweatshirts, I think. An Asian woman followed, saying in a thick accent whilst standing in front of rows of other women sewing "I produced it," or something. Yes, I nearly choked on my pretzel, too. It wasn't until the very end that the manufacturer was some sort of nondescript ethnic man--before that, they were all Asian. So many things that could be said about that, and I'm just so dumbfounded that I can't even think of wear to begin. In one 30 second segment, some company managed to promote cheap sweatshop labor, outsourcing, AND the inspiration of producing a product and being a successful business person.
At least they're being honest about their intentions...?
I'm glad to hear you are sticking to the plan, whatever it may be.....lysyb, mom
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