Yes We Did

So what's an American Obama supporter to do when she's in London for the inauguration? Find other Americans! I managed to find a group of expats who had commandeered a music venue for the occasion. For 10 quid we could watch the show on a giant big screen, and I fortunately not only snagged a great seat up front, but also made friends with this British gal I met in line. Actually, most of the people I noticed there were Brits, and I even heard girls in the bathroom saying they wish they were American - you WOULD NOT have heard that kind of talk during the Bush years. Anyway, I thought the inauguration was inspiring - the speech was awesome, Aretha's hat and Rev. Lowry stole the show, Rick Warren was dull, and I'm nearly deaf from the chorus of boos that rang out every time Bush and Mr. Potter, er, Cheney appeared on screen. It was also extraordinary to see a roomful of Brits stand up for the National Anthem and sing.

The only downside of the day: the headline in the London paper that read:

"Bush Says Goodbye to World, Says Hello to Texas." Can't win them all!

In non-Obama news, I have moved into my flat and am settling in. It's a huge house, with a utility room and dining room (my last London house had the fridge in the den), so that's pretty nice. On Sunday I went with one of my flatmates and his friend to see the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" exhibit at the National History Museum - lots of amazing photos. I hope to do more museum-hopping once Celebrity Big Brother is over. I mean, once I settle in.

London's Homeless Rate Drops

After looking at what feels like a million spaces - really only a few but taking the 1- to 4-hour-long train from Colchester to London will warp anyone's perspective - I have finally found a home. It's in Clapham, which was my number one neighborhood choice. I will be living with two guys and a girl. One guy, Colin, is an Aussie and is still traveling so I haven't met him yet. The girl, Jody, is from New Zealand, and the other guy, Steve, is from, where else, Colchester, England. They seem pretty nice, and though the room is modest-sized, the house is really roomy, with a utility room, two bathrooms (thank god), a large kitchen, and a nice backyard with a barbecue grill purchased by a previous tenant from San Antonio. Even better, it's dirt-cheap - a mere £320 a month (about $480?). I'll be moving in on Saturday. (Clapham is on the Northern line, about two stops up from where I was living before in Tooting, and has a nice park, and lots of restaurants and shops.)

It's been great staying with Gemma and having girly nights in, but it will be nice to be able to unpack and not have to spend most of my day on the train. 

In other news, this weekend was pretty busy. Friday Gemma and I went to Aqua Springs, a very cool indoor spa/baths place with jacuzzis and saunas. Saturday I looked at flats and met up with my friend Tony's new gal pal, who is American. Sunday I came back into the city, had lunch with Aunt Susan at a very posh restaurant near Charing Cross, then went for drinks in Battersea to celebrate my friend Lucy's birthday. Took me four hours to get back home (thanks, engineering works!), but the silver lining is that it will be a long, long time before I have to make that journey again. 

I'll leave you with a clip from my new favorite obsession: Celebrity Big Brother. Here's Verne Troyer singing "Endless Love" with Ulrika Jonsson. How can you resist the Lionel Richie costume? http://www.channel4.com/bigbrother/news/newsstory.jsp?id=606&position=8

New Year's + Update

So I made it to London safe and sound, having cruised through customs with my Irish passport and a you're-one-of-us-now nod. I spent my first day sleeping off the jet lag and playing various games with my friends in Watford. For New Year's we made a batch of mulled wine, then headed out for a nice Indian meal at Brick Lane. Unfortunately the Tube ride back was a bit of a nightmare...a group of not-so-nice men were clustered in the center and were determined to cause trouble. Long story short, I ended up getting goosed by THREE different morons, despite the presence of my friend Tania's fiance. The events immediately following will forever more be known as: Erin Goes Mental on the Tube. I whipped my head around at Idiot No. 3, and pretty much screamed something along the lines of "Don't ever do that again. How disrespectful. You could be arrested for something like that. Ever heard of sexual assault?" Not exactly coated in Southern kindness, but it made me feel better...until we got to the river to watch the fireworks from the London Eye and the guy behind me decided to use me as a human tripod. Luckily Tania's fiance Phil was able to yank him and his video camera off me before I went ballistic. But the fireworks, from what I could see from my squatted perch underneath a Sony camera, were nice - very glittery.

Not much else to report, although last night I did get to go to the Tottenham v. Wigan match with Gemma and her family. Tottenham won 3-1, so I have been deemed 'good luck' by her dad, as last time I went they got a draw (tie), which is good considering they were playing Arsenal. It was an exciting match and I now have 'Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be, we're going to Wembley, que sera, sera' stuck in my head.

Hope everyone is well! Happy New Year's! Miss you!