Independence (from England) Day

So today is Independence (from England) Day. And I am in England. No one really celebrates this holiday here, oddly enough. It is strange to know that my friends will be blowing up fireworks and my family will be attending barbeques tonight. I think I have gained a greater appreciation for America since I moved to England. The little things that I used to take for granted are beginning to seem like more and more of a necessity now that I can't have/do them.

On the other hand, they do have "tea people" who walk around all the offices and make sure you have hot tea all the time. We don't have that in America. This makes it a pretty tough call as to which country is better.

We went to see the musical Chicago last night in Covent Garden. I have seen the movie about 16 dozen times but it was so fun to see them trying to use American accents (since the production is set in Chicago...). I think the person teaching them how to talk with an American accent was the descendent of half New Yorkers and half people with a deep southern drawl. All the same, the production was fabulous.

One other thing I have noted is that babies are sort of like an accessory here. While in America teen pregnancy or one woman with a herd of children is moderately frowned upon, the British seem to encourage the population boost merely so that they can dress them up and get the latest stroller model. EVERYONE has a baby. I've seen strollers with umbrellas to keep the sun out of little jr.'s eyes and strollers with built in fans to keep jr. cool and ones in seriously every color. I am not sure what to make of this but if I were to give out stock market adivce I would say buy some stock in British strollers today.

So that will be one bowl of cheese with your chesty cough?

A baker's dozen (that's 13) of people told me throughout the day that today is the hottest day of the year in London.  It is currently 79 degrees. To my coworkers, 79 degrees is cause for tank-tops and industrial sized floor fans and lots of frozen lemonaide. To me, 79 degrees makes me antsy because usually it means it will be followed by an additional 20 degrees two weeks later. I welcome the sun, clouds, and even the rain because this city never stops -- unless baguettes go on sale because, next to the Queen, baguettes are the most important thing in any Brit's life. 

I've been playing hostess for the past week. While I loved the company and being able to show off my amazing city, I selfishly admit that it is nice to finally have my tiny room back to myself. London cooperated with

nice weather and fun events - making me the Martha Stuart of 

London student dorm-hood. I sent them home to the states with loads of pictures and a deep chesty cough which I picked up on the subway one day and won't go away. 

Work continues to be busy and I am thankful that I can blame any mistakes on my internship-ness. I have taken on a huge project and I work on it all day every day (with the exception of my one hour lunch break which I spend people-watching in the park) as if it were a life or death matter. But to me it is. If my bosses are impressed perhaps there is a job in it for me when I graduate. It would be tough to have to relocate back to this big, beautiful city but I think I would manage. I still get star-struck when I have to call Hugh Grant's publicist or mail some props to the set of Harry Potter but I try to hide it. Especially now with my raspy, chesty, cough voice AND my American accent no one can really understand me any way. Case in point: yesterday for dinner I ordered soup, a slice of baguette with cheese and a glass of white wine. I was brought a bowl of soup, a bowl of cheese, an entire baguette, and a glass of room-temperature water. Cool. 

Tower Bridge...

at 9 am....

in the pouring rain

Stonehenge 

The Roman Baths

My new best friend: Jack Black

Tonight we sat in Hyde Park and listened to JACK JOHNSON do what he does best: sing sing sing. With some sushi in one hand and some British magazines in the other, it was a perfect evening. Scalpers kept asking me if I wanted to buy a ticket to go into the concert but I liked my rendition of a Jack Johnson concert much better.