I've been in London for a year now, and am starting to see some of the annual events come around again--Wimbledon, Kenwood House concerts, the Shoreditch festival, Hyde Park Calling, BBC Proms, etc.--but I realized I don't have anything to look forward to.
That is, when I was in downtown Los Angeles for a year, there were many things I looked forward to -- the farmers' market on Friday, the downtown art walk on the second Thursday, Cal Plaza in the summer. If I took the subway in the evening -- to see a movie or play on the west side -- I treated myself to a chile relleno burrito and agua de jamaica at Ye Olde Taco House; if I went to Union Station, I stopped at Olvera Street for taquitos de papa. I spent many hours at Disney Hall, the Ahmanson Theater, and McCabe's guitar shop.
I've done so many things in London, but there's no routine, no structure, no rhythm to my life here. There's not even anything on television that I look forward to. (I do watch the Daily Show just to keep up on American politics.) I think part of the problem is the weather--life is more compressed in LA, whereas here everything is tied to the seasons--and part of the problem is choice; there is just so much more to do in London. But more than either of those, I think the problem is I've been working so hard to 'experience' London, I really haven't spent any time 'living' in London.
These emails stopped being a travelogue long ago, focusing on my own issues and using London only as a backdrop, a bit part in a bit play. So to that end, I think I should stop writing for a little while, and focus my energies on enjoying the terribly brief summer here. And who knows, when the trees are bare, the days are six hours long, I'm wearing five layers and still freezing, and all anyone talks about is taking a holiday to Mauritius to see the sun, maybe I'll have something new to say. (And I will definitely be looking forward to the spring lambs and the bluebells.)
In the meantime, I'm still available for private emails, suggestions, jokes, etc. You can even reach me via a US number -- (678) 389-9123. I'll be back in California in September, though I don't know if I'll have time to see anyone. And if you're going to be in London, you're welcome to crash at my flat.
Have a great summer!
