Three down

Up until last week, whenever anybody asked me how long I'd been in London, I told them in weeks. It was never "two months", it was "8 weeks"; never "nearly three months", but "10 weeks". Precise, but weird. I know.

So last week I had my three month anniversary of living here. Appropriately enough it passed by uneventfully, and I didn't mention it at work lest they make me bring in cupcakes or something.

To be honest, three months is a long time (though let's face it, 12 weeks sounds a lot longer). Still, a lot has happened in that time, much of which I have shared on this site. Bits of the adventure have been stored in my brain for future recall to my therapist, while the rest - things like grocery shopping and eyebrow waxes - have been cast into the "too boring even to mention" category.

As I type this, I am shovelling forkfuls of Marks & Spencer heat & eat risotto into my mouth. I have become quite a devotee of these microwave meals - they're cheap; healthy; and accessible to me. I usually pick them up at the M&S at Waterloo station, before the nightly commute reduces my will to live and basically sucks my soul out through my ass. I think the promise of a delicious M&S spinster meal is the only thing that keeps me from going postal on those commutes.

I've slackened off on my theatre outings lately, partly because I was waiting until my cousin & his gf got here (we still plan on going together to see something). But partly I've been saving money because I need to look for another place to live at the start of November. According to an Aussie lady I spoke to the other day, the London rental/sharing market dries up towards the end of November, so I'm heading into busy time. Over the last 3 months I've also developed a bit of a snobby list of things I want (and don't want) in a sharing arrangement. Boring things like a double bed I can walk around; a shower that is hot and powerful; and room mates that keep the house clean and know how to wash (themselves and their dishes). Note that this is not an exhaustive list.

I guess what I'm saying is, I feel like I've had my settling-in period so the next three months will most likely be my settling-DOWN period. With the power of fantastical foresight, I suspect the next three months will be about finding somewhere more permanent to live; trying not to hurt myself (or others) on public transportation; and - perhaps most exciting of all - sampling new and exciting M&S meals. Uh-oh, that all seems like much of the same, doesn't it?

Well let's make a deal then. Over the next three months, I'll do all those things I mentioned above, but I will also:

• Go outdoor ice skating at Somerset House, across the street from my Office (even though I lived in Chi-town for nearly 4 years and never once did this);
• See more live theatre (with or without my cousin and his gf);
• See Europe (nowhere specific at the moment - just Europe in general, since it's right there and all); and
• Go back to Oz for a visit in November.

I cheated with the last one of course - my tickets are already booked. But it still counts.

We're in for a dynamic three months, friends. Just you wait and see...