this and that

weekend recap!

• i took myself on yet another date friday. i headed to camden to explore the markets (which is a nice solo activity anyway) and took my time moving from stall to stall. camden is the 'alternative' part of town where all the punks and colorful folk hang out. there were some sweet street musicians (especially two guys doing awesome, funky beatles covers by the tube). there were so many beautiful things- stackable rings with gemstones, leather-bound journals, dresses screen-printed with vintage ads- but i ain't no captain moneybags. i've found that a good general way for me to keep from making impulsive purchases is to snap a picture of the item i'm lusting after. so then i can still remember it/have a part of it? and if i really really am pining for it, i'll go back. but this is rare. i did pick up a pair of sunglasses for £4. they make me look like a giant bug (in general, i just don't like wearing sunglasses. i always feel like a jerk when i wear them because people can't see my eyes and they just seem like a snooty thing to wear even though they protect your eyes and serve multiple purposes. i just can't shake that hoity toity feeling.) but meh. what can you do? i also picked up a SWEET alligator brooch. it's massive and it's tale moves and it has beautiful blue eyes. i'll have to take a picture of it. i was super pumped. annnnddd i figured out what i'm getting people for christmas this year. so, generally a productive trip. we spent the night hanging out with our flatmates at the imperial college student union (our program is associated with the school and there's a cheap bar there) and sipped on some ciders. we finished off the night at the weird bar down the street that recently became a nightclub. it was essentially a basement (very college-esque. we felt right at home) and our group made a circle and danced to all the strange pop-punk hits they were playing. it was literally like, 7th grade playlist night. we knew all the words and sang along, despite how strange it was, and we threw in some very tribal dancing. everyone was keeping there distance. they weren't ready for our moves.
  
• we had plans to attend our friend jerry's rugby game, saturday afternoon, but something was wrong with the field and the game ended up getting canceled. undeterred, we set out for london's open house weekend (a weekend once a year where the city's famous buildings/historical buildings host tours and open houses), hoping to get into kensington palace or a cool movie theater in notting hill. unfortunately, neither place was participating in the event even though they were listed on the website. bogus. we got gelato instead and spent come time perusing a sweet little bookshop. i picked up a beautiful paperback from the penguin 'great ideas' collection, called "an apology for idlers" by robert louis stevenson. we picked up some wine and cheese and spent the night in, playing card games and catching with our flat mates.
  
• sunday was curry festival! it was in banglatown, running the length of brick lane. we got some delicious dumplings and i picked up some pumpkin curry for my second round. giant, soft chunks of pumpkin? yes. please. we saw people on stilts and smelled so many good foods. there were lots of good market stalls for browsing as well. and the people watching! so many interesting looking people all over london! after eating, we hit up another market. while we were walking around, we realized we were about to sink into a food coma, so we hightailed it back to hyde park and all settled in for naps. we're a pretty exciting crew.
• today, i had class (meh.) then christine and i went to a local 'charity shop' where i picked up a sweet dress for £5. it had a front zipper AND pockets so i knew it was fate. we hit up primark afterward to buy towels and i also managed to pick up a snake ring and a sweet vintage-looking headband. primark is always a war zone. i took video today to prove how packed/scary it is. i literally start hyperventilating in there. but primark shall be a whole other post. now we're just chilling in our room, watching british tv online and writing. again, super nerds.