.

so it turns out we are in fact returning to london. at least for a little while.
visa has still not come through (nor any of the steps leading up to the visa, in fact), but we already had our return flights, and ben's boss prefers having him in the same continent, so on monday back to london we go!

however, since the visas have not yet manifested themselves, I will not have the ability to work or search for a job over there at the moment. which means over the next three months, I will have to find other ways of occupying my time.
this is what I have come up with thus far:

-continuing working with the NGO I've been volunteering with (and have been since last October), re-building a school in Haiti that got destroyed by the earthquake in 2010.

-finding ways to make our £80 a month food budget last all 30 days...

-toting our camera around the city, exploring a bit and practicing how to actually use this fancy dslr contraption we have (I keep avoiding doing this on my own, for fear that people would think that I am in fact a tourist, instead of a local. like anybody would actually care. it's irrational, I know).

-network the hell out of everybody I know so that when (not if, when) our visas come through I can find a job (and hopefully, a job I like).

-go to the museums I have not been to yet (and re-visit some old favourites).

-furthering my quest (we do live right across the street from a library over there, after all).

-catching up on a few tv shows I've been remiss in watching.

-figure out how to hang stuff up on our bedroom walls...


I know it seems like a lot, but we'll see how much empty time I manage to fill productively (instead of just sleeping a lot).

[photo mine]

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hit book number 7.

it was okay. have many more lined up in my queue that I am much more excited about. (two of them may or may not involve julia child...)

and for those of you curious how I've been rating the books I read on my quest to a 100 in a year, I present to you, my book rating system:

0 out of 5 stars: oh god that was horrible.

1 out of 5 stars: eh.

2 out of 5 stars: suppose it was okay enough, for a quick literary distraction. however, no need to go anywhere near it again.

3 out of 5 stars: enjoyed it. might even search out other works by the author. but consider that particular book checked off as 'read', and nothing more.

4 out of 5 stars: really liked it. might go out and buy it, for a future re-read or two.

5 out of 5 stars: loved it. probably am going to go out and buy it. and will read it at least 3 more times over the next ten years.

I try to keep myself in the 3 to 5 star range (what's the point of reading a bad book?), but every once and a while a 2 or even a 1 will slip in there. (my stubbornness gets the better of me sometimes, 'screw you book, I don't care how bad you are, I am finishing you, damnit! this was the case of the latest conquest)

but even my stubborn nature can be bested by a 0. I usually quit on those about 5 pages in....

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