In the days running up to going to England, I always feel both very excited and slightly sad, as I will be spending the next month away from this place. And when I get back? it's a few days off and then school. School again. In a way this is an end to a part of summer, which is why I don't feel over the moon per se. Don't get me wrong, I love going to England each year, I love seeing everything I miss, but now that I'm cool with this country I miss being here, as well. Also, going to England is always a bit of a business. Luckily I don't have to leave for the airport until late afternoon on Wednesday, but my family always packs at the last minute(myself included), and I've gotten into the habit of waking up at midday this summer, so Wednesday's gonna be pretty stressful. Obviously flights are never fun anyway, but god forbid I get the crappy entertainment system where you can't choose what shows you watch, or if there are delays this year. I have a bunch of stuff left to organize, such as CDs, while I'm still here too. Nevertheless, I'm making a conceited effort to make the best of the upcoming few days, which are gonna be a bit tough.
The best part about flying to england? The obvious: landing. But not just because it's like "THANK CHRIST, IT'S OVER" but because I walk outside and I see signs with different spellings and people with the same accent as me and HMVs and WHSmiths and I walk outside the airport and I feel that cold, smoke-filled English air. Silly stuff like that.
I've made the most of my time here, I think. It's been fun and a great break from a tough school year.
Today, I went to the beach. Had to get up early so I could catch low tide and a walk across to this little island right off shore. It feels like a tropical island because it's so overgrown. Since the weather wasn't very hot, the beach wasn't too crowded. However, we did establish that we were sitting behind a family of Germans(with the best beach umbrellas around, not gonna lie).*The temperature was actually bearable this time, and even the water was fun to be in. Oh yeah, I'm fully aware I'm a lone wolf on this one but I love British beaches. Not when you get an unexpected "heat wave"(anything above like 65 degrees, actually) and the entire country runs to the coast, but when the weather is typical and gray and rainy and you're the only people there because the water is freezing and the sand is wet. I just think it's fun.
Yesterday I went to Borders. Sad that it's closing down I suppose. I know every one's saying that, but I mean it. In the past I actually bought stuff there, books and magazines and all. Society's screwed. I was actually in there that day looking for a specific book...this was the case for, oh, no one else in the crowded store at the time. The response of the average person to Borders closing was not "oh it's a loss of knowledge and the spreading of knowledge and learning and why don't people know the value of the printed word anymore?" which is a contrived but perfectly valid response. No, most people responded with "oh, that's a bit sad. HEY IT'S A SALE LET'S BUY STUFF". So the place was filled with people carrying around trolleys literally grabbing any old thing of the shelves that they may or may not(but probably not) pay any attention to after they get home. "Ooh, flashy cover, and it's ON SALE, I must buy it now." One overhears some shitty conversations too. I'm sorry but if it takes like a 15% discount for you to pick up a fucking book, I think you're pathetic. Where the hell were you guys before? You're the type of person who has all the time in the world to go to a book store, but instead chooses to buy a gimmick like a Kindle and never actually read using it. Jesus Christ. I know I'm like the most illiterate book snob there has even been, but this scene was just a ridiculous demonstration of the stupid things people round here do. I was fuming at the ears by the time I left that place! Luckily, I went out to dinner in the evening and had a slow day. This improved my mood.
Sautrday I made a gooseberry crumble in the morning and went to the mall with some friends in the evening. That was a fun time--I got a book with some of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, and also an Airborne Toxic Event CD. Oh yeah, and another raspberry coolata. I pondered the complications of spending the rest of my life on a diet consisting of nothing but blue raspberry coolatas and bagels. The Apple store was as busy and white as ever. also we got the TVs in the food court to play Ellie Goulding. So overall, that was a fun day.
And Friday, the weather was listed as "dangerously hot", or something like that, so I had to stay out of the sun for most of the day. I went school supply shopping for my sister and again went into a book shop. I'm looking for a book--nothing specific, just any book, any collected works--by John Betjeman. No luck so far. I couldn't find anything else in the store either. Why do so many popular books look terrible? Like, the sort of "beach reading" stuff, my god, it looks awful. They didn't have any of the magazines I like either, sadly. Also, I got ice cream that day.
I finished my school reading book but will likely put off note-taking for some weeks yet. It was okay, a bit repetitive though, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get out of it. Dammit. I can't analyze books to save my life' I really can't. Hopefully the essay I'll do in September will end up a bit better than last year's Secret Life of Bees disaster. Not even gonna discuss that.
As for music, I've been listening to a lot of Frankmusik, Arctic Monkeys, Hurts, Imelda May, and other such things. The last couple of months haven't been the best for music for me, you had some great things in winter and spring and them it sort of died out. Apart from Patrick Wolf. Haven't a clue why this has happened, it's probably in my head. With new albums from Beirut and Laura Marling, the Killers and Biffy Clyro recording, and new stuff from Arctic Monkeys and Bon Iver and Elbow still in my mind, why should I be complaining? Answer: I shouldn't. I'm just sick and tired of people fusing dubstep and pop and also reading the NME gush about some Oasis-wannabees. This is not new, but it's frustrating. It's just a blip, I'll find something new soon enough. Oh yeah, Imelda May, she's amazing. She did this jazzy cover of Tainted Love, I could listen to it all day.
Off to watch the Office for one of the last times. Speak to you from across the Atlantic next time, everyone.
* In Europe, if you go to a beach in Spain or Greece or wherever, the Germans are famous for being the first there. A British family can get up at the crack of dawn, but there will always by a group of Germans there first. The fact that this has seemingly transcended the Atlantic made me smile.
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