What ho! Figures that faced with my first real night in London the first thing I do is find an Internet cafe; how loser-iffic. However, not five minutes in some kind German (or something) guy offered me the illegitimately free computer he was using. Less than 48 hours in this country and I'm already ripping them off, ha ha. I'll spare you the exhaustive details of my trip so far, except to say that, gosh, London is a heckuvalot like New York, except that I'm utterly incomptetent at making a telephone call. My folks and I spent the first full day and night in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth- and death-place of one Wm. Shakespeare. We reverentially viewed his grave and afterward took in a Royal Shakespeare Company-sponsored production of his play "Cymbeline," performed--ironically enough--by a quite talented theater company from New York. I find myself wanting to sleep an awful lot.

I haven't exactly had the chance yet to go to King's Cross and attempt to find platform 9 3/4, but that will surely come soon. Now the challenging bit is trying to get hold of my various family members scattered throughout the city when there's no telephone in my room at the B&B.

Off to a pub for dinner, I think. Cheers!

I found an apartment! And guess what--it's the same one I wrote about a few entries ago, the one that I sat in front of twice and got stood up by the brokers who were supposed to show it to me. But third time was a charm, and as soon as I walked in I knew it was exactly what I needed. Not the dream apartment, to be sure--it's very tiny. But considering that I'm jobless it's the perfect NYC "starter" apartment. I mean, I shouldn't pay for loads of space or amenities when I have no idea what my income will be. I just needed something clean, in a nice neighborhood, convenient to subways, and a decent price. And that's what I got.

I was talking to some friends a while back about how when you see a place you like, it's usually just one detail that really "sells" you. It's usually something relatively minor, like the light fixtures or the sheen on the floor. In this case, it was the cute pink and black decor of the bathroom. I only saw it for a few minutes last weekend so frankly I don't remember it that well, but here's what I recall: It's one main room, I think about 10' x 10', with wood (parquet?) floors. Off the main room is a TINY kitchen (I'm guessing 5' x 5') with a small stove, sink, cabinets and a fridge -- actually the stove and fridge weren't installed yet when I saw it (the manager insists they'll be there before I move in), so the good thing about that is that both will probably be new. I hope! The bathroom is about the same size as the kitchen. A normal-sized (pink!) tub with shower (good water pressure), sink, and (duh) toilet. There's a small closet in the main room, probably about 4 feet wide. The bottom line: don't be sending me any big stuff for Christmas, folks!

The building is in the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill neighborhood, most famously known as the home of Spike Lee. It's North of Park Slope, East of Brooklyn Heights, and West of Bed-Stuy. I'm just a couple blocks away from two different subway lines, and not far from one of the major Brooklyn subway hubs. It's about a ten-minute walk to the famous Tom's Restaurant, which serves the best breakfast-with-a-smile in Brooklyn. I don't know much else about the neighborhood because I didn't get a chance to walk around a lot, but it seems to be populated primarily with students (Pratt, a fine-arts school, is just a few blocks to the north)--I saw mostly youngish, arty people, of every ethnic variety. My block is pretty, tree-lined, and seems quiet. My building is sort of a large Victorian mansion--architecturally very unlike most buildings I've seen here. It's surrounded by a big yard, by New York standards, and a cute iron fence. I can see taking a chair outside to read in the springtime. Since it's set off the street a bit, the building has a classy, quiet feel to it. It is also very well-maintained, and clean. There's even a laundry room in the basement--huzzah.

I'm on the top floor, and it's a walk-up, so I'll get PLENTY of exercise! I will also need to buy (or rent) an air-conditioner.

So that's it! I signed the lease today, and paid -- get this -- SIX MONTHS rent in advance, plus deposit. You see, folks, it's not easy to convince someone to rent to you, ESPECIALLY if you don't have a job, even in a depressed market. If you are considering moving to The Big City anytime soon, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a lot of readily available cash. There's no way I would have gotten this place if I couldn't pony up the dough. Even on top of that I still had to have a "guarantor", someone who is legally obligated to pay my rent if I can't, or don't. I was lucky enough to find a broker willing to accept an out-of-state guarantor, as most brokers want someone in-state for some obscure legal reason that I'm sure is in their favor. They are still even holding the lease because some of the final guarantor paperwork isn't done yet. I have never gone through so much red tape for anything in my life, but in the end it's all worth it because I got my place, and I can move in December 15th.

Until then, I'm outa here. I still have packing to do and I am leaving for the airport in, let's see, about 9 hours (and I have to sleep, too). I'm off to London! I'm so glad to not have to worry about the apartment search while I'm gone. I've never been to London before, and I haven't been on a long trip since Hawaii in 1999. A bonus is that I won't be there alone. My sister's been going to school in London since September, and my mom and stepdad will be there by the time I arrive. And as if that weren't enough, my cousin is just finishing up his semester at Oxford, so hopefully he'll come visit us -- it's fun fun family time.

I'm just glad to have the chance to use my passport again before it expires. Travelling has practically become an addiction lately. I start feeling weird when I don't have a plane ticket booked for somewhere. I've been in a constant state of travel or preparing-to-travel since last March, and it's pretty great. This time it's ten gray, damp days (ahh, just like Seattle), extremely old buildings, musty art, and bland food. Watch out, I'll probably return with one of those annoying fake British accents like Madonna has. Woo hoo! Sorry to be rubbing it in, but I am SO EXCITED.

So, enough packing procrastination, I'm signing off. I may try to post another update from London, if I get a chance. Otherwise, I'll give you the scoop when I return. Kisses to all!

Oops, I think I sent out the last mass e-mail twice. Sorry about that, kids.

"I don't want to sound like a Ginger-slammer," said Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, Calif., "but it's about $2,000 too expensive and 40 pounds too heavy."

--The New York Times