On Correcting An Error

Fear can hold you prisoner.  Hope can set you free.

Five on the 5th

So it's the 5th of January and time for another edition of Five on the 5th.  Blogger Stephen Chapman who writes the blog The State of the Nation UK organizes a monthly photofest of sorts.  It's called "Five on the 5th" and it is five random photographs taken from your life on or in the days leading up to the fifth of each month.  This month's optional theme is "Fun and Games."

This month my post is split between the fun and games I had in London after Christmas and the fun and games I'm having while on holiday back in Texas with a special someone.

And... I've arrived

I took a moment the other day and realized that I have 11 unfinished blog posts that I started to write up over the past few months. For whatever reason, I apparently have been unable to get the words to come out in a way that I felt was... pleasant. Humorous. Honest. Wait a minute. Since when was honesty a required aspect to my postings here?

Anyway, I have arrived in London. After many delays due to bureaucratic issues I was granted entry to the UK and have started to settle in to my new home. Starting, being the operative word. My new home is a 12'x12' sparsely furnished room with a bed that would make a tenant in a correctional institution toss and turn. I have a few linens, the means to store some clothes, implements for personal hygiene, and the ability to feed myself. So, all in all, I'm doing alright.

It's also been raining constantly. Now, of course I expected this. I've been to London before and I spent most of last Fall and Winter watching the weather in London so I'd know what I was up for. I also knew that this is the biggest area of concern for me. Rain. Lack of sun. For months.

The city is still a new and interesting place for me to explore, which I have been doing to some degree. I'm trying to walk most places and the streets are a little less than easy to learn. I went running the other day. I intended to run for about 40-45 minutes. A little over 80 minutes later I got home after asking three different people for directions. I will say, however, that jogging past Buckingham Palace is kinda cool. I'm looking forward to my next run around Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

The course has started and I'm happy to be here. I'm scared as fuck to be here. I'm feeling the pangs of lonliness about being here. I'm feeling the pressure of being here. A night has yet to pass where I do not cry at some point in my preparations for sleep. I mourn the loss of my comfy life back home. I mourn the absence of so many friends. I doubt my ability to complete and accomplish this goal. I mourn the distance from and worry about a loved-one.

But in the end, I'm in London. I'M IN LONDON!!!! And that in and of itself fills me with pride and energy.

Sorry about the somber energy of this post. As I branch out more in the city I'm sure more craziness and shenanigans will ensue. They always do.