35 Today
Nothing to write home about, but I'm now in the age bracket 35+. Kind of depressing :(.
Lunch in London
Lunch at the Ritz today for my birthday. Surprisingly normal collection of people compared to what I expected (of course there were the "I am British" set of people you see in all of these places). Luckily I checked the dresscode and wore a tie (mandatory). London was painful in terms of the commute. Train from Cambridge was packed - not helped by someone trying to check tickets on a standing room only train. Got into London only to find a good chunk of the underground was closed..
Note to tourists: Ensure you are familar with the phrase "Planned Engineering Works" - this should be a mandatory phrase taught in basic English language classes for all those who plan to travel to the UK (as well as "Replacement Bus Service").
Had lunch, then off to bookshop in Piccadilly. Why is it that people in a bookshop don't have access to Amazon ? In the time the teller called up the computer to search for the book I was looking for, I was on the iPhone and could have ordered it from Amazon (I reckon she was secretly chatting to her friends on Facebook whilst serving me). Also why is it that when the computer shows 1 copy of a book in stock the odds of actually it being present on the bookshelf are similar to that of Partick Thistle winning the Scottish Premier League ?
Went to Mitsukoshi Department Store just off Piccadilly Circus, as usual this put me in a good mood. I love the fact the the ladies in the store speak to me in Japanese (even though the chances of me speaking Japanese are about 1 in a million).
Cambridge Bells
Cambridge has this annual event where the churches ring their bells into the New Year. This year there was a light show on Kings College (projecting past achievements from University Scholars). As usual a random collection of Cambridge people. Of course I couldn't resist making random disparaging remarks about people. Followed up with some drinks with friends.
Foxy Knoxy
The tabloid press are of course obsessed with this girl (on trial in Italy for the murder of a British Student). Still, at least she can take some comfort- if she is found guilty she won't be short of male suitors wanting to write to her in prison...
Foxy Knoxy? Is that what the British tabloids are dubbing her? Apparently she is a student from University of Washington here in Seattle so the trial occasionally makes the local news here is Seattle although it's kind of kept on the down low and generally not even noticed. Probably more pressing things in the news right now, I suspect!
Interesting what you mention about her not having a shortage of male suitors in prison. Had a similar discussion with friends last night where one mentioned that you never hear about women in prison being pursued by suitors. Maybe women in prison are not as high profile over here in the US. Typically it's the men who have committed the most heinous crimes who are pursued by an abundance of female suitors- like Scott Peterson, Ted Bundy, etc. Maybe Foxy Knoxy will be the exception!