a typical day

some of you have asked, so how can i not deliver?

my alarm goes off at 5:45 am and i crawl out of my 1 foot wide single bed. it literally is a crawl since it lies a mere foot off the ground as well, i slip on my cheap cardboard 'sheraton park tower' slippers and shuffle my way to my bathroom - 3x5 feet by the way. i sleepily make my way into the shower and point the shower head as far to the left as it can go. i turn on the tap, and wait for the water to warm, and then i get into action.

i have about 15 seconds before the perfect temperature turns to boiling hot. i soak myself and turn the tap off. i slather my hair in shampoo (boots brunette) and then wash myself...i start to shiver from the cold. i turn the tap on again, and now have 10 seconds before the water boils...i never make it and scald myself for just a little while. again, water off. quickly wash fash, put in conditioner...repeat tap on, boiling water, tap off. i'm ready to exit.

my towel has reddish brown streaks on it now since i can't quite rinse the brunette wash out of my hair. i'd rather sully their towel with a dye they can wash out than burn my hair out of my head.

i have enough time to do what i gotta do, and sometimes i can even have breakfast at home.

by 6:45, i'm at bayswater station - half block away - and waiting for the circle line train with service to london victoria. :) i grab a metro paper, read the back first (football) then check to see what's going on in this new city of mine. i take the last car on the train - its always empty, and when i get to victoria, i'm at the 'way out' i want to be at.

i scramble off the train, push my way through the crowds at vic station on my way to the national rail and every day, i walk in at 6:59 and watch the clock in the main station turn 7. :)

i park myself on a bench in front of the electronic board showing if my train is on time, this way, if i decide to go to costa coffee, i know if i have enough time to get a gingerbread latte, or if i have to merely get an american coffee. i nod to the guy with the bald head i see every morning on my train, he nods back. i'm almost scared of him - he looks like a typical hooligan, but if he is up at the same time as me, and heading to the same town, chances are, he's a working hooligan.

it took me a few times to realize my train is ALWAYS on platform 12. i don't even look at the board anymore or wait for it to tell me platform 12. i go in, make it to car 5 (the first class car) and wait for the train to come. i ride in comfort people. it took me a bit to realize there are 1st class seats (i highly doubt there really is a difference) and there's this guy who always sits in the same seat, his cafe nero in hand, laptop on the table, ipod in the ears. i think i shook up his world a bit because i (gasp) sat across from him. that's right fella, i'm here to shake things up. he still stares at me with his 'who are you?' look - like no one new can dare ride his train. it secretly makes me happy every morning when he gets all hoity toity.

i get to epsom (along with the private school girls/future skanks...wow, with their matching uggs). i walk to work, say morning to the few of us who are there that early, grab a water, a tea, and get caught up.

lunch is either at my desk, or scrambling to marks and sparks for a salad, hummus and carrots. seriously, its not about food at all. on fridays though, we have a cakes and coversation buffet at 10:30 in the 3rd floor kitchen.

the best part of my day is when i see my friends signing on at 2 pm and beyond. all my serious work is done by then, so i can chat with the dedicated fans! ha ha.

at 4:55, i pack up and head to the station...and this is the only part of my day that creeps me out.

its dark now, and on the path between the office and the train station is usually when i see him. i call him ben. he's a rat. i'm going to assume its the same rat because for me to think it could be more than one freaks the crap out of me. the first time i saw him, luckily i was on the path alone so no one could hear me scream. i see him regularily now...as do my path walking companions. they just shrug and keep on walking. i get the heebie jeebies. i scramble to the station, hop on the train, battle the crazy crowds getting from the national rail to the tube at victoria, and wait for my circle line train again. back home...i can relax.

on my train travels, i've noticed a few key things:
- there are 2 types of londoners. those who care about their appearance, and those who don't. there's no grey area.
- men tend to dress nicer, but the boys in canada are cuter. however, i'd take a nice dresser over a cute face...faces fade my friend.
- people either drink cafe nero or costa coffe...not as many starbuckers as you think.
- pasties in the morning smell amazing, but are a bad idea!
- everyone looks so miserable here. they really do. no one smiles
- i like reading the paper. something i never did in calgary