TO DO:

• find a decently priced flight to and from London Heathrow
  
• book course and accommodation in Oxford
  
• update bankbook
  
• keep on emptying space in harddrive
  ( ... )
  

( Everything you never wanted to know about me * and thus avoided asking. )

So I finally have an introduction post, figures. And so here comes the second part of this post – this will be sticky'd, that is, set to stay always on top, so it will be easy to access. And if you ever want to tell me something and can't be bothered to find my e-mail address or even send me an e-mail, or if you feel it's too random to post on a normal entry, you can comment here. I'll even screen your comment if you want me to. You can tell me that you've loved/hated a film that I've seen, or a book I've read. You can tell me that you've begun to watch a show, and what you think of it. You can provide me with fandom news or life news or anything else. You can ask me for favours – proofread your assignment, translate something to Spanish, help you find something online. I may turn you down, mind you, but it doesn't mean you can't try.

If you've friended me recently, you can tell me why. You can introduce yourself, tell me something that you just need to tell someone, et cetera et cetera. You can share recommendations or pictures (yours or someone else's) or quotes or links to things or whatever you want to share.

So there goes that.

( 'It must be some life, seeing all those different places.' 'You should know... you've been writing from them for years.' )

( If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.  )

Recommendations are appreciated. (I'm compiling a to-read and to-watch list off LiveJournal.)

I've just become one of those people with sad lives who spend their afternoons staring out the window. I do hope the fact that I'm eagerly awaiting my bloody suitcase takes a bit of that desperate connotation out of the whole thing. I don't even know what I'm waiting for, besides a car to stop in front of the house. You see, I got a call earlier this afternoon where they told me it would get here either late this evening or tomorrow morning; and then I got another one, answering to the voicemail message I left this morning, and they told me it would get here definitely, definitely later this evening.

UK people, what does "late evening" mean for you, and how late exactly do couriers work? Or how early? Because, see, I have to go to the school tomorrow, and I don't feel like asking these two... people whether they're going to be here when the courier arrives, or miss the first day. For the sake of socialising and all, I mean.

( The first set of pictures from this trip. Basically, airports and views from planes and views from the window and sickly-looking me. )

And basically, the French girl is called Marion and she's one of those cute girls with a sweet voice and an even sweeter accent, and her English, as far as I've heard it, is rather limited, but she seems very nice, and she reminds me of Miriam, a Galician girl from my dorm who I quite adored. I just wish I had some clothes to put on, because I don't feel very comfortable talking to someone I actually am interested in getting to know when I'm such a mess.

Condensed version of things, in case this wireless connection (which is not my host family's and is the best thing that's happened to me yet) stops working:

( Not the best day ever, no. )

Best part of yesterday, though? Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. As we were landing, it smelled like rain, and the airport itself is just amazing. I'll post pictures as soon as possible; after all, one of the reasons I took my laptop with me was avoiding all those pictures piling up.

(Is anyone interested in me doing a big, on-top post where I update with the things I write in either my paper or my Pages journal?)

Also, Serena doesn't detect an original DVD that did play perfectly two days ago. I can't either use it or eject it. Any help? (Serena's a MacBook, for anyone who doesn't know.)

ETA: Does anyone know a way to remove knots from your muscles that does noy involve having to pay for a massage? I'm so tense that even my breasts seem tighter than usual.
ETA2: My suitcase was just sent, should arrive this evening or tomorrow morning, thank God. My muscles feel suddenly less stiff. I do maintain, however, that the lady of the house is retarded. And not just because she can't speak English very vell.

( Blah blah blah. )

Anyway, questions:
1) Sitting right next to the exit door on a plane: Y/N? Checked in, sitting next to the door on one of the planes. Hey, people do that, it can't be that bad, and you're the first to get off, which is good. There's probably more leg room, too.
2) Oxford in July: boots or no boots? Temperature in sleeves? Already packed, no space for boots.
3) Brighton in July: hot enough to get into the water, or just enough to walk around the beach and look? Beaches where it's not hot enough to bathe? Are pretty heavenly.
4) Seriously, does anyone know if they're gonna let me pass my 60x36x20 suitcase as hand luggage? It is one bloody centimetre over the limit. At any rate, I'm saving a bunch of things inside a bag inside the suitcase in case it's not allowed. Nevermind, that bag and my laptop case are already 9kg, so I'll have to check the suitcase in. Damn. I shouldn't have to, you know? I'm a very slim person, I should be able to occupy as much space in the plane as a decently chubby man would.
5) Is it rude of me to ask to use my host family's address to get stuff shipped to me? I've been thinking about it and sure, I wouldn't mind at all, but maybe it's not like that for everyone.
6) If you've ever been to Oxford: Oxford Bus or Stagecoach Bus? The fares are roughly the same, and they stop at the same places. I'm leaning towards Oxford Bus because there are more buses later in the evening, but any input is welcome.

You know, if there is one thing I hate about travelling, it is not having money to pay for a cab. Or not having a car. Because it's a train, then the Madrid tube, which honestly freaks me out a bit, then the plane, then another plane, then one more bus, and then yet another bus that thankfully stops right in front of the house I'm staying in.

And I still feel weird about the whole thing. I think it won't really dawn on me till I'm there, it feels so much like a dream – literally – right now.

I posted pictures from last week at saneasalice, here. Basically: a hailstorm at night, me photowhoring in the wind, and random stuff.

This is the bag I got for my laptop: out & in.

And I downloaded Firefox 3, and it works really well. Smoother than the previous one, anyway. It's a bit weird, but I'm getting used to it – I just hate how dark the tabs bar is.