Hey, did you know that domain names expire if you forget to renew them cause you’re so busy going to England? Funny, that. But it’s ok! I fixed it! There was no blog here for a few hours today, but it’s back! Good grief. Clearly I should not be allowed more than one task at a time because damn if I can handle it.
So, I’m in England! I had a scant 24 hours in London, then a weird couple of days in Wigan (a small town that was once the spot to be for Northern Soul, and now has a mall at the former site of the Wigan Casino Club, which was the spot to go dancing to Northern Soul, but don’t worry! They’ve named the food court the Casino Cafe in memoriam). Wigan is a funny, small town with not much to do in it, and I finished with the research-related stuff I wanted to do fairly quickly. And the town was kind of quaint and sleepy, but just quaint and sleepy enough to send me spiralling into an OH MY GOD I CAN NEVER WRITE A DISSERTATION BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THINGS type of identity crisis, so I didn’t sleep very well and sent what, in retrospect, was a totally pathetic and unfortunate email to my dissertation advisor explaining said crisis, and luckily she wrote back approximately five minutes later and told me that everything would be fine and that research trips basically make everyone feel disoriented and alienated. And then I had a good night’s sleep and then I felt better.
Now I’m in Blackpool (the hilarious Niagara Falls of England, minus the falls, with a lovely ocean, and just enough rain and clouds to make for a right crummy day at the beach) and tomorrow I’m going to Liverpool. A quick google search of upcoming cultural events in Liverpool tells me that there is going to be a John Lennon Memorial Poetry Contest tomorrow at the Beatles Experience museum, so I could go to that! Or I could shoot myself! Or more likely, I could stay in the hotel room and wash my underwear in the sink.
But I’m actually having a really good, productive time. I’ve gotten some good work done, and I’ve really enjoyed riding trains around the countryside. I’m looking forward to being in a big city tomorrow, though.
Further observations about the United Kingdom:
THINGS THE BRITISH DO WELL:
Jaywalking. Good god. It could be because I’ve gotten acclimated to LA, where if you jaywalk, you’ll probably either die or get ticketed because the LAPD don’t have enough to do, but holy fuck, the British seem completely unafraid of death by speeding car. And I’m sure I look like a total tool as I patiently wait for the walk signal.
Prepackated foods. Oh, Marks and Spencer! I am basically surviving on your little pies and your little salads because it’s cheaper than eating out every night, so Marks and Spencer Picnic in the hotel room (while watching Antiques Roadshow) is quickly becoming a bit of a tradition. Also, walking around your stores is weirdly relaxing and therapeutic, more so than walking around a Trader Joe’s, which is how I relax and unwind and end up making unfortunate food purchases (ie: those awful frozen avocados) in LA, largely because everyone in Trader Joe’s are always all Busy and Important and that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Tawdryness. Blackpool is a little bit amazing. Because it’s kind of shoddy and falling apart, and there are these old Victorian pleasure piers with rides and attractions on them that people clearly LOVE even though they are a little unfortunate and decrepit. Also, they are currently getting ready for the Illuminations, which, basically, are piles and piles of Christmas lights that they run up and down the shore every fall for, um, some reason? It’s kind of unclear. But people are very excited because ROBBIE WILLIAMS is coming to town to flip the on switch for the illuminations this year! Gee golly. So, basically, I sort of love Blackpool in spite of/because of this tawdryness. As a devoted student of kitsch, it’s been a fascinating educational experience, because it is such an interestingly different kind of kitsch than SoCal Kitsch, with which I am intimately acquainted.
THINGS THE BRITISH ARE LESS GOOD AT:
Free wireless. AAAAGGHH!!! Some people need wireless internet a little too much. This person needs wireless internet a little too much. There is wireless in coffee shops here, yes, but it is almost always owned by British Telecom and is stupidly expensive (5 pounds for, like 1.5 hours!) which I resent deeply. Luckily, I know that in London there will be wireless at the British Library and at St. Pancras station, both of which are basically across the street from where I’m staying, thank goodness.
So that’s all for now! Liverpool tomorrow, and then I will be reunited with my dear Gentleman Caller in Brussels for the ACTUAL VACATION part of this trip: We will eat and drink our way through all of the cheese and beer in Belgium and the Netherlands.
DUDE! It is also true of France, with the wireless! And we have decided it is because things like Hulu are blocked over here. So why would they know/love/be as good at the internet as we are? They don’t know what it’s for! It’s so wretched. Let me tell you that whole departments of the BnF–the massive centuries old main archive/library in France–HAVE NO INTERNET. It is amazing.
Also, I feel wise for doing my archival research at the very end of my writing process. Some might say that is counter-intuitive but it has alleviated a lot of emails to Susan freaking out about how I am an idiot. Because the work is basically done and I am too tired to stress about how much I don’t know, so I mostly just look at handwritten letters and giggle. Don’t stress!