London

Well I'm in London after a 24-hour flight. High point: getting enough sleep to roughly be in synch over here. Low point: dropping toothbrush on the floor of an airliner's toilet.

I'm in the bar at Belushi's on Camden High Street. The bartender just looked up how to make a flat white. The degree to which he got it wrong is kind of adorable. It's in a massive mug and tastes like roast dirt, but I kinda need it. Also, as I walked in they were playing Mother Russia. Now it's that band Bret Anderson had whose name utterly escapes me for some reason. The track's Animal Nitrate, at any rate.

In the time it took to get the coffee two people actually ordered pints of Fosters. One with lime. Had a moment of feeling like I was standing in the Australialand exhibit at Disneyworld. I think the last time I actually saw Fosters advertised we'd just gotten our first colour TV.

Everything's pretty much as I remember it here. Striking how much it felt like I've never really left, even though I was only here for 2 weeks ten years ago. I think I'm actually in the same dorm as well.

No idea when I'll be able to post this. The place has free wireless but it doesn't actually seem to work.

I'm off in half an hour to meet valkyriekaren at the Dev, then go get something to eat I think.

J texted me excitedly, saying she's got the WGT tickets. I think we'll be there this time next week...? I think?

Wishing I didnt have a book to write, but I think this could be a good thing. I'll let you know how that goes, but I'll keep it brief.

R gave me a bunch of experiential assignments to do while I was away, and I'll post the homework here. I think it'll be cool. I told DK about it and he asked if I'd do something for him. He wants me to stand on the Hungerford Bridge at dusk. He said I'd understand why when I did it.

Turns out we were supposed to go to Manchester after Edinburgh, but J's going to head to the Netherlands instead. I think that gives me 18 days spare, which means either I'll be able to do Paris with DK (or by myself) and/or Amsterdam, come home a little early if the cash is hurting, or maaaaybe do Cairo if that somehow works out. I may also do that at the end of July, not sure. Depends if R gets there or not.

Hey, the net just woke up. Might send this while I can.

In short: I'm alive, I'm awake, I'm about to go have fun.

London Morning 2.

Last night we drank pints of good English cider and watched the sun go down over Camden Lock. I'm going to walk around today and take a few shots for Fateless verisimilitude (not that I really need it at this stage. It's just a kick being back here so long after writing that scene.)

Kicking myself that I didn't align the photo more carefully but... eh.

I keep thinking about Doha though. It was so goddamned desolate. Dry, hard-packed clay. The whole place was one big hazy pancake of it. Made me want to just pick a direction and walk. Wishing I'd gotten some shots out the window on approach (instead of departure) as the architecture of the area really leapt out: the kind of boxy, narrow, stepped, rectilenear architecture you just don't see in the Western world - themselves arranged in rectileaner plug-and-play patterns. And some beautiful salmon-pink mosques contrasting with the sandy colour of everything else. It was really something.

The contrast between Doha from the air and London really got me as well.

Flickr album here. Maybe 15 shots. Can't really correct or mess with them on a Eee, but I probably will once I get home.

OK, better do some Fateless before the market, then the Dev. Turns out reddragdiva can't make it due to last minute family things, which is a shame.