Things have been moving at a breakneck pace - this is admittedly a rushed & brutal post/update….but here goes…
I’m writing at 8:15 London time, eating breakfast & watching BBC morning news. When the laundromat opens at 9am, I’m doing a load of laundry & packing. Then I’m on a bus by 11:15 & in the tube & off to Heathrow Airport - that should take about an hour all together. Staying here at Tammy & Zac’s 
for almost 2 days has been so amazing & relaxed - no crazy drunk kids running around, no stress about showers/washrooms/stolen food & a very calm atmosphere (& British Big Brother - kickass).
Yesterday I went into the city early to meet two world-travelling ‘former colleagues’ (for 2 days now) for one last breakfast….One ‘refridgerator’ dude is going to Namibia for 4 months doing volunteer work - big hearted & brave. Another will be back in TO in August & then off again to do more volunteering in Bolivia. Said some insufficient brief goodbyes to the rest of the crew, but I’m pretty sure that the tiny town of TO will have our paths cross sooner than later.
I have had few chances to talk to anyone on the phone this week - airtime is mad-expensive in London & phone cards evaporate in a matter on seconds…Doesn’t help that I was conned into lending my card to a desperate Canuck-stranger during the Canada Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square…we are too polite for our own good, eh?
In the nick of time, I snagged an infamous dinner of fish & chips from an award-winning (aren’t they all?) & greasy (don’t they have to be?) take-away last night for dinner & ate in a nearby park with Tam & Zac.
Earlier, while Tam was at work with her entertaining crew of Grade Three-ers, I re-explored the neighbourhood of Brixton with Zac. 
The market scene is so impressive in London & like my 2-time visit to Brick Lane (the vindaloo gave me peyote-level weird dreams about organizing a parade in Parry Sound comprised entirely of grouchy senior citizens), I couldn’t resist going back to Brixton for a spicy Jamacian patty…
After Brixton, Zac showed me the neighbourhoods around Portobello Road & Notting Hill - it’s much nicer than Chelsea (sterile & faux-Italian & snooty - & Could some social anthropoligist please tackle the Oxfam stores in London to study class, gender & image? I spent hours fascinated by the posh volunteers, the donors & the wares - especially all the generously-sized Prada & Gucci wear that have the size-tags cut out but not the brand-name labels….hmmm).
Because it was a Monday - there wasn’t a big food market in Portobello Market, but the antique shops & boutiques were so pretty…I had to check out Rough Trade
while I was there & I couldn’t resist buying the new Belle & Sebastian single (since I got the Christian Silva 
single for free at the gig, this is music industry karma & technically spending $$ on this is just balancing out the freebie, riiight?)..
I feel like I’ve maxed out the free flight from work - I’ve done many museums by myself & taken my time to see the exhibits I want to see (especially 60s fashion at the V&A - had to re-do that one). Visited Camden Town 
2xs during the day & again for the nightlife, crammed in two trips to Brixton & Brick Lane, etc, etc - not to mention the many, many trips ’round Westminster Abbey & Big Ben & Buckingham Palace thanks to the prime location of our residence during the work-week.
Despite the boho stuff & the freebie museums, I couldn’t resist the siren song of Oxford street….After stumbling out of Chelsea/South Kensington (disappointed - now I know why Elvis Costello sings ‘I don’t want to go to Chelsea‘), I walked 2 blocks East of Harrod’s & happened upon the Camper Shoe store & their summer sale lured me in. The beau will be especially happy to know that I’ve pitched my stinkiest shoes - daily flat favs, black Mary Janes that are very much worse for wear - & replaced them with a funkier brown leather Camper version.
I’ll be getting into Tokyo at a decent time - before lunch - & I will be able to seek out the tourist information booths in the airport, pick up subway maps & regular maps & make my way to the hostel without a rush (if that’s possible in Tokyo).
Anyway, I’m very excited & a bit anxious about the trip. This will be a very long flight, but I know that it is worth it. Tammy & Zac will be doing a long & life-changing flight themselves on the 23rd. It’ll be so great to have them in Canada - maybe we should switch countries so they have a place to stay for all those important Arsenault games next year…
I can’t wait to see everyone back in Canada soon. Hopefully I can take the bus up to the hometown in late July & catch up with my family & cool off before the job hunt goes into high gear….
Peace,
Meegs
P.S. ‘Where is the washroom?’ = ‘Toire wa doko desuka?’
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