Just Thinking of Disneyland...

I’ve been listening to nothing but Disneyland music today… Listening to Main Street marching band music in Charing Cross Station, the submarine ride soundtrack in the British Library, Main Street Electrical Parade on Farringdon Road in Islington, the Country Bears show on the train to Harpenden… ironically enough, the Haunted Mansion soundtrack came on when I was walking by the St. Pancras church on Euston St. and I spotted a HUGE banner advertising that the crypts are open to the public (and from what I saw, it was a very creepy church indeed… large, grey and with enormous gothic-looking women sort of holding up the building as columns; I’m actually quite anxious to check it out, now!).

It was sort of like living in a twin reality; having been to Disneyland so many times, merely hearing the sounds can make me feel like I’m almost there. Though the weather was cold and grey, I was transported into the warm, morning sunshine of Main Street Disneyland with nothing on my mind but how many times I would be going on Space Mountain* that day and what ride I’d be going on once I’d collected my first fast pass… (Probably Pirates of the Caribbean.) And yet it’s equally strange to take in all the iconic features of London and realize I’m really there. I had a strange feeling today, when walking through Soho, that it was much too much like a Universal Studios back lot set that never ends. (I suppose that means they’re doing their jobs well at Universal.) Possibly because the multitudes of tourists, or because of the sheer force of character the place possesses… Maybe both. It was sort of funny (to me, at least) to know that I could keep walking on for a very, very long time and still not run into the next themed area. I’d have to go for a swim in the Channel before it starts to look like a French back lot.

*Try listening to the Space Mountain soundtrack while going down one of the longer escalators in the tube stations… it’s sort of farcical when you replace the beginning incline of the ride, with all the flashy lights and anticipation, with a long (and sometimes shiny – but the only flashy lights you’ll get come from the dozens of video advertisements along the escalator at Charing Cross) corridor of people waiting to get on an underground train. But you do get the effect of riding inside a very large, fast worm once you’ve arrived, and that can be exciting, too. You just couldn’t tell based on the miasma cast over every tube traveler’s face.

[Sorry for not having much to say today… I went to a job interview at Foyle’s bookshop today, and I met with Katie to discuss sharing a flat. That’s about it.]

Some Progress... Not Much

Because I’m too tired to write normally, I’ll keep it simple once again.

Today I went to London, met up with Nicole at BUNAC, both made & received some phone calls, went with Nicole to the bank (we got our new cards), Carphone Warehouse (there was a problem with her phone; I got a new micro-SD card & reader for mine), and to a sandwich shop by Trafalgar Square for lunch (I had a bacon and sausage sandwich… too fatty, unfortunately). Then she went back to the hostel to shower & dress for an interview and I killed some time in the National Portrait Gallery before going to the very fringe of Zone 2 to view a flat (first one, too). Pros: it was very cheap and came with wireless internet. Cons: it’s out of the way and not very clean; plus, it’s a room share.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get plenty of other viewings done. Nicole’s moving out of her hostel and into another one, but we’ll probably meet after that’s done.

By the way: I’ve been listening to a ton of recordings on FreeSound.org, and now a handful of them are on my iPod.

Now the zombie’s going to bed… good night. Braaains…

Preparations: Part II

Six days left until I'll be in England, dragging my heavy bags through the turnstiles of the London Underground to some hostel -- or rented room, if I can get one by then.

Today has been a day of bank-shopping and flat-hunting. With my mom, I made some calls and went to several banks to inquire about UK accounts, wire transfers and exchanging currency for some travel cash. So far, it seems the best deal is to arrange my UK account upon arrival, wiring funds to myself from Washington Mutual (the only one to make transfers fee-free, as I've found). Once there, I'll possibly use Citibank, HSBC, or another bank with local origins. I'll be getting my British Pounds in a Wells Fargo bank in Westlake tomorrow morning. It would have been nice if a closer bank could have taken care of that part today, but as it was, closer Wells Fargo branches could only offer overnight FedEx shipping; Bank of America was worse -- it would be shipped to the bank by next Monday. Too close for comfort!

So I suppose tomorrow I'll also be at a salon, bright & early - ready for some unpleasant business involving hot wax and a cloth. Then Westlake, then more flat-searching... hopefully I can find something cheap & central, if possible no more than £100/week. I'd be so relieved if I can arrange something before arrival... and even more so if I can line up a job interview or two for the first week.

Is there anybody out there reading this looking for a journalist/copy editor/researcher/photographer/etc.???