Bedding and a home

Becky, no, they won't be marrying any guys any time soon. Sara, there will be no shadenfreude here. The two girls were lesbians (though not partnered with each other).

And no, John, they weren't hot.

I'm tempted to make some comment about how them being lesbians negates their opinion on marriage and babies, but of course homosexual people can be committed, monogamous lovers and doting parents just like heterosexual people can. Anyway, I'm in no hurry whatsoever to tie myself down and start poppin' 'em out, which is good, I suppose, seeing as how there are no worthy candidates.

Although, there are quite a few hotties in this here city. I should have left Seattle years ago!

Today at school, we got our ID cards. Yay! These are necessary to get into the school building. Oh yes, this be a srios biznis school. School IDs are also necessary for the plethora of student discounts available pretty much everywhere in the city. No more full-price fares for me at the Houses of Parliament! I also got my school email address today. I know, totally boring, right?

After an hour-long library session, in which we learned how to search for things in the library (surprisingly much harder than it sounds, because this particular library is ABSURD!), my classmate, Tanya, and I went to shop around for bank accounts. We hit most of the so-called "high street" banks looking for the best deal. A UK bank account is necessary for depositing loan money left over after tuition is paid, and also for paying rent with direct debit. Once I have money in pounds, my U.S. bank can stop charging me foreign transaction fees, those bastards.

After the banks closed at 5pm, I headed out solo to find the Primark on Oxford Street. I needed to find a duvet, pillows, and sheet/pillowcases/duvet cover (that's right: no 85 GBP Zara blanket for me). Without these things, I would be spending tonight on a bare mattress with only my dirty laundry to cushion my little head. I was going to buy all this at Argos, a cheap store not far from my school, but they were completely sold out of duvets.

Primark is another very cheap store. I bought my extra large towel there for 5 GBP (pretend that's $5). But I bought it at a different Primark, and I didn't know the exact location of the one on Oxford Street. The stores on Oxford Street go all the up to Hyde Park, which is probably more than a mile from where I started. Surely, Primark would be long before Hyde Park, right? No, not in this cruel universe. Primark was almost all the way to Hyde Park. Meaning I walked really far with my wonky ankle and heavy backpack. Did I mention I have a wonky ankle? It appears to be caused by my tennis shoes, because when I wear flip-flops, there's no pain. Anyway, it was far, but I finally found it and bought myself all the necessary bedding. The store was a mad-house, though. It felt like the day after Thanksgiving. I don't even know why. I don't think there was a sale on. Anyway, I took the Tube back to Russell Square, and moved into my LOVELY NEW HOME!!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!! I have a home! Of my own! With internet! Life is good.

Look at pictures of my place here. Yay! Have I mentioned that I love Russell Square? Like, seriously. When Jody and I came to London, we stayed at a hostel near Russell Square, so it feels familiar and homely. I remember walking past this one apartment complex, and wondering if I could ever afford to live there because it looked cool. Now I live kitty-corner to those apartments. I love it! This is the place I dreamed about when I dreamed about living in London. It's not hip like Capitol Hill or Camden Town, but it's still lively and it's nice. I'm very pleased. I'll take pictures of the neighborhood soon.

It's midnight now, so I'll skedaddle. Tomorrow, I must remember to blog about my youth hostel experience. Here's a teaster: late-night fire alarm and co-ed bathrooms. Fun timez!