Five years in this town has not rendered me sufficiently jaded to ignore the fireworks – weeks and weeks of massive celebrations every night? Ho hum.
But today was the Town & Country Show. Steam engines, sheep dogs, and jousting, with the Bronski Beat as soundtrack – oh my! I am genuinely thrilled.
The rummage for old legal papers reveals that I apparently still own a Commodore 64, boxed, with the original manual.
I am distracting myself from the difficulties of the immigration situation by reading biographies about logicians, and Alfred Tarski is officially my new secret boyfriend.
And! Tonight I have front row seats in the theatre founded by Keynes to watch Leonard from Butterflies star in a Christie play. I am psyched!
The geek factor this week is very high.
Benefits of being OCD #123: when the immigration attorney writes at 4 am demanding decades old documents, I know exactly where they are!
Someone flirted with me – and I noticed! This would be a rare event anywhere but in Cambridge?! Inconceivable.
Then I attempted to shop at a grown-up lady store, only to find that I can make even the most respectable frock look egregiously slutty. Who knew. Not me, for sure.
The application for Indefinite Leave to Remain (aka permanent UK residency) has been dispatched by courier to the attorney shepherding the next part of the process.
I can now accurately state where I was every single day over the course of the last five years. Not that I want to or anything.
FYI, I reckon 8am is not the most ideal time to shoot passport photos. Unless you like that “look,” of course.
Tomorrow I relinquish my passport for an unspecified length of time. Adventures will therefore be restricted to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). The only reasonable idea I’ve only come up with is Bekonscot Model Village.
But Byron says that if I go there, the universe may end. So… whatever.
This morning I just wanted to drink coffee and write but instead I was stranded in a Bermuda Triangle of Ladychat. Must. Escape!
I hustled my headphones in and did my best to ignore, but could still hear a sharpish twittery noise…. though at least no words were discernible!
Then as I cycled to the river, the people who live on Drunk Bench cheerfully shouted “Oi! It’s the girl who loses her boat! Don’t do that today, we’re busy!”
One hundred and seven rolls of film later, guess what turned up? The Chorus at the first Ladyfest. Including bit not limited to the Beauty Bark Incident.
On the way to the camera store I provided directions and assistance to three sets of strangers. Before 9am. Perhaps I should give up my career and switch to the tourism industry.
Except, oh wait, I don’t like ….strangers.
Capitalist bastards took Birdsong off the radio!
That was sufficiently appalling, but this afternoon I can’t decide: am I more of a “Canal Boat” or “Waterways World” kind of girl? I’m certainly too cheap to buy both. How stressful.
On the topic of thrift, I am generally thrilled to find my books in charity shops… except today I stumbled across the one with my face on the cover. Creepy!
Back on the devils teat I’m realizing how special Olympia was, at least in terms of coffee. I miss the Smithfield! The Asterisk! Batdorf & Bronson! Dancing Goat! Heck, even the campus coffee cart was better than anything here.
Today I’m eating bread, cheese, cherries & plums on the banks of the river. If the tourists would stop pestering me I would say this is a perfect afternoon!
Though I must pre-emptively admit I loathe, detest, and abhor the Strawberry Fair.