Apparently they had wired my phone line to someone else's home. I am glad it wasn't something simple I wasn't doing from here. So i am up and running. The Internet beats the dorms in OK but isn't top of the line. I also have a phone line and am in the process of hooking up my vonage. I will send an email with the numbers to contact me. I started to post them but realized that could end badly.
So, I headed down to London to see one of my favorite ska bands on Saturday. Ska is like reggae, punk, and big band for those who aren't familiar. I pick up a buddy from base and drive to Cambridge to meet another copilot from the SQ. If it wasn't for the 30-40 minute commute to work i would definitely consider getting a nice place in Cambridge when Mary gets here. We park the car and take a train to London. It is 17 pounds for the round trip train and unlimited Underground (subway). With the exchange rate is $25ish and isn't too bad. There are 2 trains from Cambridge to kings Cross (London), one is express and one stops along the way. Only about 15-20 min difference, but we caught the longer train just because he next one wasn't for 35 minutes. It takes about 50 minutes to get there. We have no plans until the concert so we just hop on the tube and head to Leicester square. on the hunt for food we end up finding a pub near Trafalgar square. The monument at the square is for Lord Nelson the admiral that kicked napoleon's butt just north of Africa at the battle of Trafalgar, hence the name of the square. Around the monument are big bronze lions that were actually molded from the melted napoleon cannons. I get a pint of some beer called Brains from a pub along with fish and chips. I hadn't had the chance to experience fish and chips yet. I always seemed to just eat at Indian or Thai places.
From the pub we just continue our walk towards the river Thames that brings us to big ben, parliament and Westminster abbey. This is the same route that Mary had taken our first day here. While i was sad she wasn't here, the weather was nice enough to get a tan and i hadn't been up for 36 hours so i still had fun. Did you know Big Ben is actually named for the bell, not the clock. we continued through the parks to Buckingham palace and on to Hyde park. It is very similar to New York's central park. people were in the grass laying int he sun, roller bladers were jumping the cones, and dogs were running around. It is a pretty good sized park and we just headed to the nearest underground station to try and find the venue of the concert.
I shamefully hadn't done my research, or any research on where this place could be. I told myself it is the University of London Union, everyone will know where that is. It took a couple circles and a tube back track but we found it. 2 of us had tickets but the other was just gonna buy it at the door. I really hoped they didn't sell out. They were hungry and the door opened later than expected so we headed to find a nearby restaurant. We settled on Lebanese cuisine. it is a mixture of Indian and Greek i thought. Very good lamb and pitas. They had yogurt garlic cucumber sauce that was amazing and the rice was good as well. It wasn't too pricey. i found that if you just think that you are paying dollars, everything is really cheap and you can live happier.
We headed back the concert. There were 3 opening bands and they were all pretty good. in between bands we could go to the room next door and drink beer. It wasn't a bad deal. Finally, Streetlight Manifesto took the stage and gave a great performance. Their horns were so talented and the singer really kept the pace up. I will only say one more thing about the concert. I have been to dozens of concerts. Mary and i have been in the mosh pit of the warped tour in 100 degree weather, but i must say that it was probably the smelliest group that i have been around. i am sure i didn't help it since i was walking around all day, but i am just throwing that out there. Oh yeah, i caught a drum stick. I had found a guitar pick once when a band threw 20 into the audience, but this was my first drum stick. It fell right to my feet, and being so close to the ground i had first dibs. It was a good trophy for my day. From the concert we hit up the train back home and i was asleep before i hit the pillow, (I showered first of course).
I know this post is getting long, but i am so excited to have Internet and have nothing else to do tonight.
I went running down my usual 20 minute path that brings me by the church and the peacocks. While in the past i kinda felt like i wasn't allowed to travel on some roads, i was caught today by a 10 year old on a bike that informed me i was on a private road and if i was looking for the foot path is was a bit farther down the road. he was friendly and i went on my way. Already 12 minutes into the run, i headed into the unknown. He said the footpath took me to Tudenham, which is a town farther east of me. I didn't want to have to run all the way there and then back home so i kinda created my own shortcut. I knew i was south and a little east, but not sure how far south. I left the footpath to run on the outskirts of a farm. These are usually beaten paths by tractors. I headed in the direction that i thought was home. I made it about another mile and the ground turned to very soft soil. Not quite mud, but very moist and hard to run on. I was surrounded by a creek that was too far for me to jump. I considered climbing a tree to give me a little more range, but it wasn't worth the jump. I dodged some stubborn ducks on a nest, 2 bee hives in the ground, and after discovering England's variation of Sting weed, i came across and small bridge. Still in the middle of nowhere i ran the direction where i saw cars. I finally made it out of the swamps and on to the street. I was worried for a bit that i would get stranded and i would be found in a thousand years by national geographic fully preserved as the bog man of 2000. I poked through the hedges at an intersection where i saw as sign to the Manor which is right next to where i live. Thinking knew which road that was, i chose not to take it and headed the way i knew was quicker. it turns out that i had run about 2 miles north of where i thought i was. I took my dad's army advice and headed to high ground. I booked it up a hill and saw a farmer working on his tractor. Anxiously sprinting to ask him for directions, he evaded me in his tractor and i headed on the farm path. I finally recognized a little concrete bunker that you can see from the main road and from there had my bearings. It ended up being over an hour ordeal. I posted a picture that i took from the concrete bunker when i first got here.
If you are reading this, then you toughed out my rambling and i congratulate you on making it to the end.
I have my first flight on Wed. i am really excited. I get to fly to Lajes airfield on the Azores. They are the small islands just south west of Portugal. i get to practice the new plane system of texting air traffic control rather than talking on the radio. i hope it works out.
pictures:
Trafalgar square
Eye of London
London Aquarium/Salvadore Dali museum
Battle of britain Memorial with churchill quote "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
A St. George statue outside of westminister abbey
one of the buckingham guards
the marble arch
a cavalry monument from WWI in hyde park
Streetlight manifesto
I miss you all. And Mary, I if i was the drummer in a band i would throw my drumstick to you.
