Day 5

Today was

supposed to be bland.

Seminar, walk, read, eat. I had dutifully colored in the hours the night prior and could envision myself, puppet like, fulfilling each task.

But my being is continually flung into new experiences.

First, the most delicious taste of naan, fresh off the pan, honey, and labneh. Instant ramen, leftover pizza, and other student staples have yet to pass my lips.

I eased into the tube listening to Don Quixote and laughing – out loud. Humorful writing is a rarity, and I haven't quite figure out how Miquel Cervantes accomplishes it, maybe because he brings the reader into his confidence and appears to expose all his vulnerabilities to us. Maybe because the character of Don Quixote is both ridiculous and familiar.

I was a bit alarmed that my seminar was in on floor – 3, but reconciled to the idea when our tutor described our environs as the "bowels of the strand building."

I crossed the waterloo bridge for the first time. Big, blocky structures – St. Paul's Catherdral, the London Eye, a – were reduced to miniatures. I think the river lends a certain power to those who regard london from it's vantage – allowing you to own the city with your eyes. I imagine the romans drifting down the Thames (if drifting was something they did,) and regarding Londindos for the first time.

Hunting for a slice of cake to celebrate my half birthday, I navigated narrow lanes with brick houses – lured by a purple corner shop with a long line.

"Are you waiting for coffee?" A woman of indeterminate age and accent asked me – I affirmed, and asked if the cake was good here.

We drifted into an easy conversation – she said she was rehearsing for an orchestra performance, and was also a doctor.

I left with three slices of cake and a ticket to her performance on Monday.

Seeing that I finished this entry three days later, I cannot remember what I did text. I think I made another cake - to enter into a local apple baking competition. The memories blur together. I know recognize the importance of these daily accounts.