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.

My Comments on a Commentary Show... And Other Stuff

I’ve been watching “Most Annoying TV… We Hate To Love” for almost an hour now. Very educational, actually. It’s quite a lot like the VH1 list shows I’ve watched a million times, except this time I have no idea who the commentators are and more than half of the shows listed I’ve never seen before. Which is a good thing… It’s an education in British pop culture. Makes me wonder at their sense of censorship, though, when the word “fuck” gets repeated again and again, but out of nowhere some other word gets bleeped – at least by American standards, the “F Bomb” is the worst possible thing you could say on television. Apparently it’s not “twat” that got censored… I just saw that word said a moment ago. Not that I approve of censorship or anything; I’m just really curious about where they draw the line!

…11: 50 P.M. The show just ended (what an odd time for anything to end…). Number 1 “most annoying…” was “Hollyoaks”. I was curious about that show, incidentally. I’ve heard of it before, and I’ve seen it listed in the regular programming on the TV’s guide feature, but I’ve never been interested enough to watch any of it. This is probably better, though, because now I’ve got a taste of how it’s generally received here. By the way, there was absolutely no advertising during the program.

Shanghai Knights just came on. Kim & my mom were watching it on the night before I left. As novel as it would be to watch all the parts set in London while here, I’m going to get to bed very soon.

Twenty minutes later… Well, maybe until they arrive in England.

…12:12 A.M. Hooray, they’re in England!… Boo, it’s the villain!… OMG, it’s Victorian Charing Cross!… Yay, another fight scene!… LOL, a gag about bad teeth!… Umbrella-fighting! God, Jackie Chan’s awesome… Ha, Owen Wilson’s being an Old West-style “ugly American” with the palace guard…. A Beatles reference (“Vera, Chuck and Dave”)…

12:40 A.M. Perhaps it’s time for some pyjamas… Maybe after the next fight scene…

12:55 A.M. Okay, so it’s finally off now.

By the way, regarding the rest of the day, I’ve nothing new to report. I called almost a couple dozen places to enquire about flats, but didn’t make much headway. I was hoping to arrange some viewings this weekend, but it doesn’t look like any will be done quite so soon. After the internet connection became annoyingly slow, there wasn’t much else I could do, so I spent a lot of time watching cartoons and playing games with Poppy in the afternoon and early evening. I feel pretty good about the influence I’ve had… I introduced her to “Tiny Toon Adventures” and The Nightmare Before Christmas.* I think I’ve got her hooked to both! Her childhood is therefore significantly more enriched now, thanks to me. It doesn’t even stop there – I got her a birthday present already (it’s next month): The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales. I must admit, I’m some kind of brilliant influence. Ha.

*On a really sour note… my best friend and my mother (!) saw DANNY !@$%#% ELFMAN at the Nightmare Before Christmas showing at the El Capitan last night!! I was going to go, if I hadn’t made plans to be here, as I have ALWAYS done, for the last several years. And OF COURSE, this ONE time, the one person who I would be most excited to see there (way more than Tim Burton, really) shows up and talks at length! AND is followed up by a live performance by Evanescence doing “Sally’s Song”!!!! I will NEVER get over that!!!! GAAAAH!!! (And now that I’ve just reminded myself of that annoying fact, I will go to bed frustrated. Lovely.)