So, if any of you read my fb... you'd have known it was a rough day. Let me start with waking up at 3am with a migraine from hell. As you know, my migraines have a tendency to make me ridiculously ill... and this was certainly no exception. Two of my classes had already been cancelled for the day, but my morning class, thus far, had not. I convinced myself that I needed to get my sorry behind in gear and go to class, despite the throbbing in my skull and the nausea that was getting overwhelmingly worse. Richard said I should go back to bed... but no, I'm trying to be responsible here! I get to the tube station and get ready to hop on the Jubilee line, only to be informed that the line has been temporarily suspended due to someone [not me, thank God] getting ill on one of the cars. I reroute and get to Waterloo with no time to spare, because the nausea has now turned into oh-my-God-I'm-going-to-rourke-NOW! I run to the bathroom, except every stall is taken, and promptly empty the contents of my stomach into a wastebin. It couldn't be helped. I clean up and start to look for my connection to get to school and get a phone call that THAT class has been cancelled as well. This upsets me some more, and I go make friends with another wastebin. *Disclaimer - I PROMISE YOU THAT THIS IS ALL DUE TO A MIGRAINE AND NOT AN OVERINDULGENCE OF ALCOHOL*
Determined at this point to not have wasted my time (and money) getting into town... I call text Vanessa. The UK is very much like when we were in the Philippines, where we pretty much text everybody and call only if necessary. Vanessa is another Y!PP pirate (PINGA!) who really no longer plays and yet we've managed to keep in contact for five years, which in my opinion, is nothing short of amazing. She normally lives in Sao Paolo, Brasil -- but just so happened to be in the UK for school. Sadly, Nessa leaves next week to go home waaaah! In any event, we decided to meet up and do lunch. I find a pharmacy to get something a little stronger than Excedrin, and make my way to Woking. Meeting Vanessa for the first time was weird... because it was like catching lunch with someone you've known forever! We hit it off right off the bat, and were soon talking over one another and telling jokes. I felt bad, because in all this time, I never knew she was a vegetarian, and here I am snacking on a piece of chicken! Anyways, we figure the best way to get through the day and have a good time was: RETAIL THERAPY! I needed a new suitcase anyways, since my wheels on the other one broke. We pretty much hit up every "bargain" store... and lol, I got quite a chuckle when we went into TKMAXX -- just like back home, except we use a J. It's the same store, I assure you! I got an awesome buy in another store, you all know me and my bargains... and got a sweet coat for 18£ and a pair of boots for 10£. I'd been picking little "here and there's" for Laurel and my family... and Nessa convinced me to get something for myself. twist. my. arm. Anyways, it was finally time to go... nearly 6 pm - wow, we'd been shopping for like 5 1/2 hours! And we were both sad to have to go. I was sad that we'd only just now had a chance to get together... but now we have plans where hopefully she and her family will come to Florida on vacation and everyone can get together and meet Laurel and I can meet her children. If there is one thing I won't regret, it will be that I went shopping for a day with a great and wonderful friend instead of going home to sleep!
My phone has died by now, and I am ever so thankful to myself that I had the forethought to scribble down Richard's number on a piece of paper... because I am so tired from walking all day in the shopping mall, there is no way in hell I'm walking to the boat! Back at the boat, it's business as usual... or rather, take off my shoes, have tea, log on Y!PP, check my email and talk about former failed relationships. Richard decides it's time to open this bottle of wine he's had in the fridge for so long. Let me just tell you... that was the most disgusting bottle glass of blegh I've ever had! I sure hope the sink drain enjoyed it. I convince Richard to go out for a bit, nothing crazy, but just to get off the boat and off the laptop -- so we hit up the bowling alley! I get to listen to him make comments about how he's going to wipe the floor with me and blah blah blah -- most of which I know he's only kidding about, since I've heard him say numerous times, he sucks at bowling. Long story short... I win 2 out of 3. Muhahahah! We shoot a round of "American" pool - you know, the one where there are numbers on the balls! and I win at that too. Richard has a go at the DDR2 game, which I have to say, is impressive... and then tries to take me on at a game of hoop shot. /e wins again. Nothing like turning a crappy start into a wonderful finish. Life is much better today... I hit the train station for a trip to Tamworth where I get to meet Cozzy Julia and Aroven and stay up there for a few days. I'll see if I can put my camera to a bit better use while I'm at it! Much love and missing you all back home! Til then...
