delayed reaction

Utterly spent from a week of virtually non-stop human interaction and the associated mental clutter that has exponentially compounded itself, I find myself...irritable? Antisocial? Resigned? For the moment, my patience has run dry for all except those who seek to scratch the surface of daily existence. I'm sick of talk of work, relationships, sex, money, next evening's plans, the difference between London and home, the definition of 'home', the ideal partner, the details of qualifying for a mortgage, how to...forgive my curtness. Ask me something interesting and you'll win my undivided attention.

Thomas on my mind

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

sunset quote

Memories are wonderful things, if you don't have to deal with the past.

Poles in London

Karen and Wojtek have come and gone already. It started Sunday evening with a late night walk in Westminster, Big Ben lit up green, strobe lights forming a halo around Nelson's statue to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. A celebration masking British melancolia?

Hours ambling through London, along the South Bank threading through bridges, coffee with a priest in Monmouth, Anglicised curries off Brick Lane (what's the obsession with poppadums?), kebabs in a dusky Soho Square, Abbot's Ale in the Ladbroke side of Notting Hill, battling crowds in Oxford Street, post-curry pints in Jack the Ripper's haunt, and for a bit of culture, the latest George Bernard Shaw play starring the most English of performers, Edward Fox.

I smile watching them awestruck by the size, the heaving of London, half wishing I could remember a time when I felt such amazement. Was it Paris or New York? I can't remember.

animeballetscorpiolatino

Life seems to be going at a more manageable pace, though I still find myself ducking and then looking back at what just went by. Oh how it reminds me of softball...except no one is screaming 'Jennifer noooooooo!' in an exasperated tone. The weather goes from crap to gorgeous from day to day and the temperature is dropping, my throat is a testament to that though it's perfect for snuggling up in bed and watching anime. Yes anime. The Full Metal Alchemist to be exact. The translation is atrocious but you get the gist and I can't get enough of the exit song - Japanese pop at its best/worst.

Half of October has disappeared and still in the thick of job applications but there has been plenty of time for fun. Janice and I cooked up a storm on Sunday - fresh chips with garlic aioli, lemon roasted chicken with mushroom sauce, and pears stewed in spiced red wine - and the day before we witnessed an uber-sexy modern ballet from the Paris Opera Ballet.

Cue last night and I get a call from a country code I do not recognise. Nor do I recognise the voice. Karen? Karen! A friend from Mexico that kept me from tumbling into the warm embrace of vodka during my short stay in Poland. I had tried several times to plan a trip to see her in Warsaw but it never panned out, the prices were extortionate and London wouldn't let go. Perhaps a part of me stopped trying but when she said she would be coming this Sunday, the excitement indicated how much I had missed her. It felt as if I had downed 2 glasses of champagne - bubbles in my head and giggle fits.

The days leading up to December will fly by even faster. Karen's visit leading into a weekend of Scorpio birthdays, followed by 3 days in Madrid, then followed by a short visit from dad and of course, Thanksgiving with the Andean Lovechild. Hmmmm, it seems the latinos are the most loyal bunch... How can I not stay in London?

Yes, she did.

I mark my return (temporary as it may be) to the world of blogging with my most recent witticism:
The rag is cool because it's like the gender-based equivalent to diplomatic immunity; you can get away with murder if you have it.