On the Verge of Traveling and Fighting This @#$?% Flu

I’ve come down with the flu, and though I felt completely disgusting yesterday, I went to Greenwich with Kate. It probably didn’t do me any good health-wise, but it was worth seeing, especially as I’d put off going for so long. When I got home, it became much worse (and I’ll spare you the icky details).

The weather has been particularly wild these past few days. I’d gotten the impression that spring was on its way judging on the sunshine that persisted for a while previously, but I think winter just had one last statement to make before it becomes spring properly. About an hour ago, the sky was bright blue; and now, judging by the storm howling and beating against my window, you’d never guess it to have been true.

I stayed up nearly until dawn again, watching some insane post-midnight television programs with Agneta while I took care of some my travel bookings. Usually, we’d be watching some movies or old TV shows through the connection to my laptop, but as I needed my laptop, we just let the TV run its course. I’ve discovered some new films that way in the past; more often than not, they’ve been quite different from the films I’m used to seeing on TV back home. Anyway, this time it seemed to get stranger as time went on. Examples: I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay (a Korean film about a mental hospital patient who believes she’s a cyborg and fantasizes about killing everyone, but is cared for by another patient who believes he can shrink); Hello Friend (about a killer computer part); and some stop-motion children’s show with magic poo that transforms into a triangle that teleports people and animals into another dimension. Sometimes we just watched sports (OMG, sports!) to escape from the madness for just a little while. I think Adult Swim will seem quite tame after this.

Anyway, during all this weird TV-watching, I finished booking my flight back to LA (round trip was HALF the price of a single ticket!) and my flight and accommodations in Paris. I still have to book for Barcelona. I don’t think I could have possibly done any more comparing. I’m trying to stick to a very strict budget, as well as I can.

For now, I’ve got plenty to do, but my first priority is to get rid of this flu. I have a bath waiting for me now, and it’s been getting cold. I’ve already had some meds, but I need some tea, too. And possibly soup.

Loath to Make Plans

I keep clicking on the calendar in the bottom-right corner of the screen… considering my tentative travel plans. One week in Paris, and another in Barcelona. Or maybe splitting the second week into Barcelona and some other place. Exciting, isn’t it? It is, but the one thing holding me back from making all my reservations is a lack of communication… Wouldn’t it be so much better if I could share the experience with friends? I have three friends in Paris who I would like to see. I’ve sent them notes through email and Facebook – days ago – but I haven’t received a reply. Janice and I have been talking for ages about going to Barcelona together. I’ve been trying to meet up with her to discuss it, and that’s been a problem; finally, I asked her if she’s even still interested – via email – and she told me that she’s got some plans coming up that conflict with the dates I need to travel on. I’d put it off to accommodate her plans… really, I would… but I’m spending a lot of money and wasting a lot of time as it is. My parents gave me a very nice sum of money at the start of this adventure, and most of it’s gone. London’s an expensive city, and the economy is pretty unforgiving, especially to someone who intends to stay only temporarily. But let’s not go into that. It’s too depressing a thought, and I’ve already been there, many times.

I’m still holding on to the notion of sharing my travels… So clicking the “Send/Receive” button on Outlook and refreshing Facebook is becoming a semi-obsessive habit. I’m anxious, and I’m beginning to get a little paranoid. Am I being ignored? Is there something wrong with me? Is something wrong with the website/my email/their computers/etc.? I’ve thought about a few people that I’ve lost contact with over time, and have begun to ask the same questions all over again. It’s unsettling. And if in fact there is something technical at fault, or my messages have simply gone unnoticed, what if it all comes together after it’s too late? I *hate* making decisions like these…

I’ve also got to book my return flight to LA. And even in that case I’m having doubts. Just one little click decides how much time I’ve got before I close another chapter in my life. As much as I love my family and friends back home, I am truly reluctant to return. I felt so stuck there. Especially after graduation. Sitting in my bedroom, I was in the one place where my world felt unchangeable, in a very negative way. It’s a place for clinging to childhood and feeling guilty for not suddenly transforming into a productive adult. And god, in that place, I really hate that phrase.

And so, my browser remains on a dozen or so travel websites, reservations just a click away… and it’s been that way for two or three days, exactly the same. I’m considering clicking a fairly distant date – a week or two after my supposed return from the continent. Agneta assures me that she’ll have a flat by then, and I can stay with her. I just don’t know how many days will be an excess, especially on my finances. And by the way, just why have round-trip flights come up on these websites at incredibly low prices than the single trip ones? I mean, really… it’s ridiculous! I may have to buy a round-trip ticket and then feel a bit guilty for burning the second trip.

Oh, and also: I haven’t done ANY packing, nor any shipping yet! I’m sure I’ll be rushing it all at the very last minute.

TOMORROW’S PLAN: Greenwich Observatory, with Kate (11:30 AM). One of a few places I’ve long intended to visit.

A Farewell Dinner

Christmas is almost upon us, and I can hardly believe it. It’s been present in the lights and window displays on the high streets, and I’ve done my small part to get a few decorations up here in the flat, but being a very untraditional year, the actual date has thus far seemed always just out of reach. Two days?? Seriously?! And now it’s a matter of hours before it’s truly just three of us left in this flat.

We all had dinner together at the Thai Terrace in Kensington (Agneta’s suggestion) tonight. It was a really nice place – it felt like it was in a house, and the waitresses were all dressed traditionally. The food was delicious and plentiful – we all ordered set dinners which came in a number of courses, with the entrées arriving all at once in a colorful assortment covering the table like a Christmas dinner. It felt a little like Christmas, in general, come to that. The mood was so warm and light. There was even a big lit-up tree next to the table. We had a nice walk home, too; we took the private road behind Kensington Palace.

I’ll be sad to see Oscar & Chloe leave. I’ll visit them in Paris sometime, and they’ll be visiting London for Valentine’s Day weekend, but it won’t be the same. Agneta was saying that she probably won’t want to like whoever moves in after them… and I’ll probably have the same tendency.

Regarding our plans for Christmas… Ryan and I have discussed cooking at home. He’s offered to cook the bird (either turkey or chicken), and I’ve offered to do desserts. We’ll probably both do side dishes. The three of us will be exchanging gifts (shopping tomorrow), and maybe we’ll get some others to join us for the evening, too.

Preparations

Step One: Application -- check!
Step Two: $$ -- check!
Step Three: Airline Ticket -- check!
Step Four: BUNAC Blue Card in the mail -- just got it today!

COUNTDOWN TO LONDON: 12 days!

I am at once terrified and excited. London -- my dream, "jolly ol' ", "there's no place like London" -- it's all grime and accents at its grittiest, grandeur and glamor at its shiniest. I'm ready to become a part of it. I'm giddy as old-time immigrant setting sail for New York.

So at the moment, I'm sitting on my sofa in Reseda, still in my jammies. It's after 4 o'clock... I haven't done much today except delight in the ordinary tasks of laziness. I played a little World of Warcraft, answered a few emails, watched an episode of Psych... The dogs are sharing in my laziness, too. Angel's napping in my bedroom and Major's snoozing in the kitchen. I'm thinking I may get dressed and play a little Kingdom Hearts. Maybe I'll have a cup of tea. My parents are out for the day (work), so I'm pretty much left to my own devices until 5-ish.

Tomorrow I'll be going to Disneyland with my mom. It's been a long while since I went with her, though that used to be always the case. It was always my mom, Kim, myself and -- very rarely -- my dad, too. Ever since Megan and I started getting the Costco tickets (four each), we'd go together and save one for a trip with our sisters. I didn't use my extra with Kim this time; anyway, I look forward to tomorrow -- it's one more thing I can share with my mom before I go away for half a year. And we'll be as silly as possible.

It's hard to say how quickly the time will go. When I went away to Florida for 5 months, time passed gradually. Though I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything, homesickness often creeped up on me. This time, it'll be longer. And I don't even know where I'll live or work -- not yet. I've waited years for this. I'm up for the adventure.