Cheers from England...

Well, I'm here, safe and sound in Welwyn Garden City, about 25 miles north of London, here in England. Traveling over here wasn't bad. The cab I took to Waterford had to go the long route because of the Tall Ships festival which had most roads closed, so we took the ferry across the River Barrow, which was neat because I'd never ridden one. It took about ten minutes to cross and I managed to get a photo of a nice burly daddy bear. The only negative from the cab ride was the cabbie, who reeked of tobacco and actually farted when he got out of the car to ask for directions. No photos of that.

The small airline I flew to England milked me out of 30 Euro because they said my bags were overweight. To which, I responded, "They're not overweight, they're stocky.." I loved the blank response I got from the ticket guy. I did get a picture of a cute bearded worker guy in the airport. I'll be posting pictures for a month when I get home. The plane itself had propellers, I swear... again, another photo.

My new hotel is strange. There's no phone in the room, which puzzled me greatly. Apparently you have to stay in their "Metro" locations for a room phone. Now, since when is that a perk? I've stayed in some crappy hotels before, but they've always had phones. They may charge you and arm/leg/nut for it, but it's there. And the WIFI network there has great connectivity... for a price... about $12/hour. Uh, no... Now I know why the signal is so strong on my 3rd floor room, because no one is apparently using it. No posted pics until I can get home, I'm afraid.

The hotel's only saving grace is its location. I'm about 1/4 mile from the mall and the train station. I'm using the internet cafe in the mall right now for a much more reasonable price. I'm actually debating going into London as the trains and metro are working for the most part and there isn't much to do here. We're not supposed to let the events of Thursday ruin plans, so I think I may be venturing out. More pics forthcoming.

And the Wheel Turns Round...

I went to see a morning showing of Valiant, an animated comedy-action film about carrier pigeons in World War II. It was pretty cool and offered some shelter from the rainy British morning walk. The movie gets released in August in the States. I'll likely go to see it again, it was pretty funny in most parts.

I'd hoped that it would have lightened my mood and it did some, but not nearly enough. I hate to say it, but my curious Mary Sunshine side has been locked in a dark dungeon by the sadistic Sister Desdemona Ignatius of Our Lady of Pain and Perpetual Apathy. With the continuous overcast sky, cooler temperatures, windy conditions, I've sunken into a funk of sorts. Adding to it is the fact that my plans for the week have fallen through, by completely unpredictable circumstances.

I'm not interested in the local museum, the flower garden, the walking paths, the shopping mall, or anything. I know London is nearby and there is a lot to see there, but truth be told, if I could wipe away this weekend and start work sooner, I'd do it.

To add insult to injury, this computer that I paid to use, has it's child-friendly locks on so I can't chat on 411 or even see my friends' recent entries, the latter because apparently someone has posted something it deems unacceptable.

It's my third week on the road, the hotel sucks, the internet sucks, and I'm in a tired and irritable mood. Ladies and gentlemen, it's official...

...I'm homesick.