Cultural Anomalies in London, Take 1

Oddities (to me, at least) abound in London, and I love it. I feel like a six-year-old kid on Christmas day, tearing into a present. Staring out the windows of the train with giant saucer eyes, wandering down the street almost bumping into people because I'm not at all paying attention to where I'm going... etc.

The most intriguing thing about last night was our experience going to get Indian food. There's a street (Brookline, I think Rachel, my new London friend, said) that has Indian restaurants lining both sides. As you walk down the street, gentlemen stand outside the doors enticing you to come dine with them, attempting to lure you in with promises of a free round of drinks, or a discount, perhaps. Not so weird in and of itself, but you can actually barter- and barter they did. Morgan, Rachel's flatmate, and his girlfriend Lucy, took the lead, and after several offers they turned down, snagged us 30% off our meal, a bottle of wine, and a beer for Morgan. So, after some amazing Chicken Korma and Garlic Naan (don't worry, I didn't find any cute London boys.. /tear), we strolled around a bit more and took the Tube back to their flat, where I promptly passed out on a mattress.

Oddly, not once did someone say "Oh, you have such a strange accent, are you American???", which made me secretly happy. I took my camera out twice in London- I think I'm at the point where I don't want to be a tourist anymore. I'd rather just wander around and people-watch....

the best laid plans...

I'm sitting in Stansted airport in London using the the Internet cafe setup they've got here.. £3 for 30 minutes. It's actually cheaper than paying for it on the laptop, and then I don't kill the battery... also, my apologies for the lack of an accent aigu on the "e". If you know me, you know how much that bothers me.

To sum up my travel experience so far- mostly miserable. After boarding in Albany, we sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half waiting for "Them" to open flights to Philadelphia again. The crew at Albany finally gave up and we deplaned, only to walk to the other end of the airport and back.. /sigh. After getting to Philly, I found my 10:40PM flight to London Heathrow delayed until 11:15.. no biggie, right?

Then they announced they were performing "maintenance" on the plane with no estimated completion time. Eventually we left Philly around 12:45... and landed at Heathrow at 1:15 PM London time. Or something. I slept through the ENTIRE transatlantic flight. I didn't even wait for the "here's your safety masks, let's hope we don't all die" speech- out like a light the second I got on the plane.

After successfully going through customs, I had to make my way across London to Stansted airport to catch my Ryanair flight to Dinard, France. There are three options: a coach transfer between airports, taking the Tube/Underground/trains, or a taxi. Normally, my choice would have been the coach, but the first person I asked said to take the Tube, so I did- bad idea. The train line I needed to take to the airport had had overhead line damage earlier in the day, so I had to take the other parallel line with a trillion stops. No train personnel had any clue what was happening.. very confusing. At any rate, I walked into the terminal at 4:02 for a 4:05 flight. /cryyyyyyyy

After FREAKING OUT EMOTIONALLY (AUGHHHHHH PANIC ATTACKS AUGHHHHH) I somehow calmed myself down and got in the GINORMOUS line of people repurchasing tickets and whatnot. At this point, the girl in front of me turns to me and tells me about how she was supposed to be headed to Spain for the weekend.. with a delicious English accent that still sounds not quite.. English. So we commiserate, and she waits for me at the counter while I pay another £100 for a second ticket to Dinard ($164.73, to be exact... /broke) and then tells me I can come hang out with her and her 14 flatmates if I don't want to sit in the airport for 23 hours till my flight the following day... after spending about 15 seconds debating the foolishness of this, I decide she is a good person when she also offers to let me use her cell phone to call Julia's grandmother's house (the only phone number I have of use in Europe... haha) and in broken French I ask to speak to the three people I know that will be there.. and fortunately Julia's mom answered the phone, and actually complimented my French (!)..

So, I drag my bags back into (I think) the northwest area of London.. War-something-stow. Or something. I need a map. After a delightful shower (who cares if it was freezing because I couldn't figure the hot water out.. haha) Rachel and I and one of her flatmates, Morgan, decide to go get some awesome Indian food- the concept surrounding which I will discuss in another post. Rachel's accent, by the way, is New Zealand-British. Morgan is from South Africa, but Indian. Another flatmate is Polish, another I met this morning on my way to the bathroom (awkward) was super cute but nationality remains unknown. A few others were away and some just hide in their rooms, apparently. Morgan's girlfriend, Lucy, who lives a bit north of London, met us near the restaurants.

I'm sure a few (if not most) of you think that was a terrible, rash, impetuous, unsafe, etc. decision- but it just reinforces my theory that there are actually still good people left in this world, and complete strangers CAN be nice, and unscary. Which is a terribly good lesson for me to learn, since I tend to run as far away from unfamiliar people in unfamiliar settings and get very skittish.

At any rate, I'm hoping the flight to France goes smoothly. No more travel issues, please. I just want to enjoy this week and see another dear friend get married.

My first post (ever!) is, unfortunately, WoW-related, and mainly a placeholder so that I can show a fairly amusing conversation I had with a Game Master last night with some WoW friends that are not members of my current guild, and therefore cannot access it via the forums...

So, without further ado...

[07/16/2009]
02:03 [Mehmjei]: *Smoke, lasers, pandas, and rock music erupt as Game Master Mehmjei appears* Why hello there Vendredi. If you have a moment, I would like to talk about your ticket ^^
02:03 [Vendredi]: ZOMG!!!!!!!! It's a GM!
02:04 [Mehmjei]: Hello Vendredi, it is I, a GM =)
02:04 [Vendredi]: Complete with pandas, no less.
02:04 [Mehmjei]: And lasers =P
02:04 [Vendredi]: Pandas > lasers!
02:04 [Mehmjei]: Pandas with lasers?
02:05 [Vendredi]: Can they have cowboy hats?
02:05 [Mehmjei]: Why not, they have lasers already =)
02:05 [Vendredi]: /happy
02:06 [Mehmjei]: Hurray! =) Alrighty, about your ticket though.
02:06 [Vendredi]: Pandas != Owlchickens, though, and they have lasers... but yeah, ticket.
02:06 [Mehmjei]: You said you learned a pet by accident?
02:06 [Vendredi]: Yes, on this character... those sneaky accidental right-clicks!
02:06 [Mehmjei]: Argh, darn them >.<
02:07 [Mehmjei]: I'm afraid I don't have good news though =(
02:07 [Vendredi]: NOOOOOOOOOO.
02:07 [Vendredi]: /facepalm
02:07 [Mehmjei]: I'm sorry ;; We are just unable to unlearn a pet once it has already been learned =(
02:08 [Vendredi]: Awww... that's terribly terribly upsetting...
02:08 [Vendredi]: One step further away from my fawn on my lock :'(
02:08 [Vendredi]: I don't wanna farm it againnn.
02:09 [Mehmjei]: I'm sure you will get it again. I'm rooting for you! ^^
02:09 [Vendredi]: Will it help if I make puppy dog eyes?? And cry giant girl tears?
02:09 [Vendredi]: /sniffle
02:10 [Mehmjei]: But then I will end up making sand puppy eyes and crying little girl sadness =(
02:10 [Vendredi]: What is a sand puppy? JK
02:11 [Vendredi]: Well, we could have a pet pity party together
02:11 [Mehmjei]: That will be the saddest party I will ever go to ;;
02:11 [Vendredi]: Too bad you can't make it drop for me on my warlock... >.>
02:12 [Mehmjei]: We can pretend that I can. So when you do get it, you can thank me =P
02:12 [Vendredi]: That sounds like a terrible plan, but I find myself powerless to resist..
02:12 [Vendredi]: I'm going to go cry in the corner now, quite literally.
02:13 [Mehmjei]: Contrary to popular beliefs, crying in the corner doesn't help. Weeping in public is a much better solution, and can be more enjoyable.
02:13 [Mehmjei]: I say that with experience! >.>
02:13 [Vendredi]: I play WoW. What is this "public" you speak of?
02:14 [Mehmjei]: Lan center? =P
02:14 [Vendredi]: Pwnd.
02:14 [Vendredi]: :]
02:14 [Mehmjei]: Your robot smiles make me happy =]
02:15 [Vendredi]: Robots > Pandas, even those with lasers and cowboy hats...
02:15 [Mehmjei]: Robot pandas with laser cowboy hats?
02:16 [Vendredi]: *explodes*
02:16 [Mehmjei]: Hehe =P
02:17 [Vendredi]: I know! Make Razorgore drop it... >.>
02:18 [Mehmjei]: Just drop it in his pocket for you? =P
02:18 [Vendredi]: Yes!
02:19 [Vendredi]: He's a dragon, it's a whelpling... /satisfied
02:19 [Mehmjei]: Be careful not to damage it while you are killing him =P
02:19 [Vendredi]: I'll protect it!
02:19 [Vendredi]: PW:S!!!
02:20 [Mehmjei]: Panda Word: Shield it is!
02:20 [Vendredi]: EEEEE!
02:20 [Vendredi]: You should come to BWL and dance with me then and I will be sufficiently mollified.
02:21 [Mehmjei]: I would, but I'm not fully clothe for the occasion, and I don't need to embarrass myself further =O
02:22 [Mehmjei]: Can I just dance here?
02:22 [Mehmjei]: 7(^.^)L Doing the Egyptian!
02:23 [Vendredi]: I won't look!
02:24 [Vendredi]: Throw on a Festive Purple Dress or the Winter Clothes!
02:25 [Vendredi]: Er, Lovely Purple Dress.
02:25 [Mehmjei]: I don't think I have any of those =O
02:26 [Vendredi]: You're a GM.. the World (of Warcraft) is at your fingertips.
02:27 [Mehmjei]: I'm afraid I am a GM that lost his fingertips a long time ago O.O
02:28 [Vendredi]: Sharp objects!
02:28 [Mehmjei]: I've replaced them with candy!
02:28 [Mehmjei]: Mehmjei Candy-hands =)
02:28 [Vendredi]: That soundsh like a stellar plan!
02:28 [Vendredi]: New title, IMO.
02:29 [Mehmjei]: Vendredi Candy-hands!
02:29 [Vendredi]: Look, you've driven me to drink over this Whelpling... :[
02:29 [Mehmjei]: Well you need to stay hydrated, or you will die.
02:30 [Mehmjei]: So I guess I am saving your life =)
02:30 [Vendredi]: Infallible logic.
02:30 [Vendredi]: ...but not.
02:31 [Mehmjei]: It's okay, you will appreciate it later on down the line b(^.^)d
02:31 [Vendredi]: O.o at that face!
02:31 [Mehmjei]: Thumbs up, carrot face man?
02:32 [Vendredi]: Heehee..
02:32 [Mehmjei]: You heehee'd, I win =)
02:33 [Vendredi]: I don't see you here dancing yet.. this is a travesty!
02:34 [Mehmjei]: I also don't know how =(
02:34 [Vendredi]: To dance?
02:34 [Mehmjei]: Don't rub it in ;;
02:35 [Vendredi]: It's okay, I've been enjoying some [Kungaloosh], I just THINK I can..
02:35 [Mehmjei]: And you think everyone thinks you can too =P
02:35 [Vendredi]: Of course, I'm a girl, so people will pretend I can, even if I most certainly can't (which is the case)..
02:36 [Mehmjei]: The Kungaloosh helps, most certainly ^^
02:37 [Vendredi]: There is no Whelpling on Razorgore!!!!! /emonerdchickrage
02:38 [Vendredi]: What am I going to do with [Mantle of the Blackwing Cabal]? That is a terrible substitute!
02:38 [Mehmjei]: You were too strong and destroyed it =(
02:38 [Vendredi]: You can still redeem yourself.. Vaelastrasz?
02:39 [Mehmjei]: Oh, he has no pockets for me to place it in.
02:40 [Vendredi]: Just tie it to his tail... everyone knows not to stand by dragon tails.
02:40 [Mehmjei]: That explains it!
02:41 [Vendredi]: That doesn't explain anything!
02:41 [Mehmjei]: Oh no, I am getting the move along signal from an evil looking hammer =(
02:41 [Vendredi]: In all seriousness, farming pets and competing with bots is t3h sux.
02:42 [Mehmjei]: It does, and really wish I could have helped with your pet =(
02:42 [Vendredi]: Meh... can you escape the evil Hammer of Doom and still slip in a quick joke?
02:43 [Mehmjei]: Mmm, what do you call a cow that jumped over a barb-wired fence?
02:43 [Mehmjei]: Utter destruction!
02:43 [Vendredi]: Hmm.
02:44 [Vendredi]: That's pretty bad.
02:44 [Mehmjei]: You know you like it =)
02:45 [Vendredi]: I'm not convinced, I demand another!
02:45 [Mehmjei]: What's brown and sticky?
02:45 [Vendredi]: All of my responses are terribly inappropriate so I'll wait for the punch line..
02:45 [Mehmjei]: A stick!
02:45 [Vendredi]: Oh, that's already on wowbash.. FAIL.
02:46 [Mehmjei]: But you didn't get it =P
02:46 [Vendredi]: I was healing things! BWL is srs bzns.
02:47 [Mehmjei]: Then I won't take up more time so you can get back to business =P It was nice to meet you Vendredi.
02:47 [Vendredi]: OK, I'm getting teased in the Supression Chamber...
02:48 [Vendredi]: All these green Whelps... /cry
02:48 [Vendredi]: Farewell panda-GM.
02:48 [Mehmjei]: Farewell Candy-hands! ^^
Good luck with all your worldly drops! Feel free to send any comments to wowgmfeedback-us@blizzard.com. *Mehmjei flies away on a trail of sparkles, cakes, and lasers, pew pew*