Trying to Live Cheaply and Failing.

6/24/09

As I sit here in my room, alone, in the dark, listening to Bonnie Tyler’s eternal classic “Total eclipse of the heart,” I have come to reconcile with the fact that I cannot afford a trip to Rome. I can always resort to hooking, but this is supposed to be my vacation, and I would like to keep all my new years resolutions. On the other hand, I am planning on going to Paris, Dublin, and Amsterdam. London is a fortune in itself so I should just shut up and continue with my easy listening. I just watched two more episodes of my new guilty pleasure “The Tudors,” and a shirtless Jonathon Rhys Meyers always puts me in a better mood.
Next morning: Fuck everything, I’m just going to wait until a cheaper flight on Ryan Air pops up and book it. They don’t call me Sarah “do work” Sol for nothing.
Monday night we went to the Broadway Play ”The 39 Steps”, based off of the 1939 comedic film. I found it rather amusing but a lot of the kids in the group thought it was tedious. I’ve really begun to notice the difference between British and American humor. British is more slapstick and a lot less PC. They are also a lot freer with nudity, and there are a lot of topless women in the newspapers. The boys we came with were quite amused. Granted, they are all Drexel students. GO ENGINEERING GO!
Some of the British people we’ve met have commented on how they don’t like American humor, and that it’s too dry for their liking. They even have a British version of “The Office.” Who the hell doesn’t like “The Office”?
After the play we headed off to the pub Waxy O’Connor’s. I really need to be an ass and just start bringing alc out with me. Tuesday we went to our second class and then held a group meeting that lasted a good two and a half hours arguing about flights to Rome. That’s when I silently freaked out and watched the Tudors to calm myself down. This morning, after some caffeine, I realized I need to bite the bullet and accept the fact that I am going to spend money. Good thing I’ve been saving up my magical Jew money. That being said, I found an Emporio Armani dress-suit at the charity shop for 45 pounds that fits perfectly. Holla, interview suit anyone? I tried to use my Bank of America card and then realized it was rejected. I then went to Barclays for help and they said I needed to call America. I hope Bank of America burns in hell.
A tip for those who plan on living cheaply in London: DO YOUR FOOD SHOPPING AT TESCO. I bought a huge bag of potatoes, a quiche, a big jar of instant coffee, a pasta meal, and a 12 pack of scones for 7 pounds. Granted I ate the entire quiche and about half the scones as soon as I got home (probably 2 days worth of calories) but all the walking seems to be evening it out. I lost more weight, and if I don’t eat pastries and such I will begin to look like some sort of Jappy refugee. Which I really wouldn’t mind. The instant coffee is a lifesaver, coffee converts to about $7 a cup over here, and I couldn’t find a cheap coffee maker. Therefore, I went from a minimum two cups a day to zero and had serious withdrawal. I felt like a crack head and would sleep until one in the afternoon or just have a perma-headache and shake occasionally. I take really good care of myself.