… but enough about me

July 2, 1997

Recovering from a pint of Guinness and two pints of Fosters last night. I tried the eggs this morning at breakfast. Feh.

Decided to stay awake and do something instead of going back to bed as I’d originally planned. Throat was raw, probably from the dry ice at the club and shouting over the music and everyone around me smoking. I could have smoked a whole pack myself second-hand! I was wearing Courtney’s sweater. (I hope it doesn’t smell too bad.)

…

I’m breaking down and admitting that I’ve got some kind of bacterial infection in my throat. The past few days, I’ve said how tired I was or how the weather and temperature have been affecting my sinuses. Now I know it’s a sore throat — plain, conventional, painful. Hope it’s gone soon!

Sitting in my dialects class, not exactly bored. Definitely hungry, definitely with my thoughts wandering. I can feel my throat throbbing. I’ve been craving water all day, and all I’ve drunk is juice, an irritant. Maybe I’ll get tea at dinner.

…

Ran into Courtney after dinner. She missed dinner because she was in Greenwich all day. I’m a little annoyed that she went out on her own, but it’s overruled by jealousy. Why can’t I go out on my own? How old am I? How much hand-holding do I need?

The girls was hungry, and I wanted a coffee, so we gathered a band of MSU students to hit up the Night & Day Cafe about two blocks up the street. Burgers & fries, fish & chips. Good coffee and danish. Open ’til 2 a.m. = good place to keep in mind.

…

Don’t let Lisa fool you. She says she’s an “evolutionary nightmare,” with her thick glasses, bad hearing and small breasts. But she’s really pretty. Great sense of style. Fabulous sense of humor. I could go on. I will later.

Courtney told us a story about how she met Tori Amos. I am sick of people telling me how they met Tori Amos. I think I may be the only person who has not. Still… I am eternally jealous.

Andy is from Iowa and goes to college in Chicago. I don’t know how he met up with us, but he sort of joined our MSU program. Super-nice guy. Tall, elegant, blond. Friendly, honest, no trouble connecting with him. He talks about Hunter S. Thompson, someone I know nothing about.

Emily is next door to me. Kind of waifish, very thin and loosely proportioned. She traveled through Greece and southern Europe earlier this summer before joining the program in England, so she has the darkest I’ve ever seen on a white girl. Everyone looks to her for travel advice. I like her, though I did not at first.

Nick amazes me daily. He’s in a wheelchair, but a wheelchair like none I’ve ever seen. It’s red and small and lightweight, and it looks like it’s built for speed. He took to the non-handicapper-friendly London Underground fearlessly. There are a lot of stairs. He does as much as he can on his own, bouncing down the stairs on his tires one at a time. He’s great on an upward-moving escalator. But if he needs help getting up a staircase, we’ll help him if he asks us to. At the risk of being condescending, I think he’s courageous to be on this trip. He became paralyzed in a skiing accident two years ago, and he’s obviously made tremendous progress adjusting. His has a real winning attitude about everything, and everyone has a lot of respect for him. I expect him to be very popular here. it’s natural to be drawn to strong individuals.