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Details of a Day
I wake up sometime between 7 AM and 7:15 - whenever Emily knocks on my door. The first thing I see is either the radiator, which is white, or the skylight. The sky is usually also white. Sometimes it is drizzling. I have ordinarily laid out (or at least strategized) my clothes the night before. I put on my deodorant first, followed by whatever I'm wearing on my lower half, and finally what I'm wearing up top. So far, the outfit of choice has overwhelmingly involved boots and blue jeans; I haven't unpacked, and my things are tenuously organized in a pile on the floor (to which I don't want to cede my nicer clothes).
I walk down the hall to the bathroom, splash cold water on my face (there are separate cold and hot taps), and put on moisturizer and concealer. Prior to this, there are normally dark circles under my eyes. If I have time, I do my hair and the rest of my makeup. I rarely have time.
I set my traveling things on a table near the door. At present, my traveling things include an almost full composition book, a book, a travel umbrella which is black with white dots, my purse, an indigo hoodie, a sport water bottle, a packed lunch if I've made one the night before, and, recently, a container of plain chocolate hobnobs. All these things are consolidated in a large bag of Emily's, which is black, plasticized, and covered with blue, yellow, and purple pictures of flowers.
Emily has left a mug of tea on the table for me, usually lapsang souchong in a blue mug. She is usually watching the news. I check the weather, although Celsius temperatures are still not fully intuitive to me. For breakfast, I either gulp down a bowl of cereal (muesli or Cheerios, eaten in the space of maybe five minutes) or (which I prefer) two slices of toast, gorgonzola, and a tomato or fig or both - all of which I eat in the car.
At 7:45, there is a mad scramble to get out the door. Which one of us is running behind varies. It is usually me or Gareth, or me and Gareth, but sometimes it is Emily. Gareth drops Emily and me at Blackheath station. I buy a ticket-plus-return, which costs £4.60. (80? I forget.) Soon, I will have a student card which will drop the price and will mean I don't need a ticket - just an electronic card like a toll tag. However, by the time the student card arrives, I will probably be living somewhere else, and will not need to take the train as often. Sometimes Emily and I get seats on the train; sometimes the seats are full and we stand. Typically, we begin the journey standing, and end it sitting down. We ride in one of the middle carriages.
We arrive in Charing Cross at 8:21 or 8:31, depending on which train we catch. I walk Emily to work, and accompany her on whatever errands need to be run (which are sometimes hers and sometimes mine). This takes fifteen to twenty minutes. After dropping Emily off, I have sometimes gone up to her office and done my hair and makeup in the ladies' room; more often I do this at school. My first class does not start until 10, which sometimes means I run more errands - I've been to the post office a few times, and to the grocery, and to a shoe repair shop. (Since I wear my boots every day, I had them resoled to make them last longer.) A few times, I've been starving and have bought a pasty. Lately, I've just gone straight to the school.
I am typically the first to arrive at the building, staff included. I dial a code to get in. I go down to the basement (the sound department), where I fill up my water bottle and put on my makeup if I haven't already. I dial another code to get in to the computer lab, (in between the first and second floors - and I am using the British definition of first floor) where I check my e-mail and occasionally run in to Ciro, who is sometimes up at 3 AM. (Sometimes still awake; sometimes just waking.)
From 10 to 1, I have a class. In class, I sit in the front row, but not in the center. I typically sleep through the first hour or two of my first class, because the room is often warm, and I have rarely slept well (or enough) the night before. Sometimes Steve (another film student; perhaps a friend) jostles me covertly so that I can wake up and make an illuminating point that convinces everyone I was paying attention.
I did not fall asleep during Brian's screenwriting class. I also do not fall asleep if we're watching John Ford movies. I do fall asleep if we're watching movies from the 20s and earlier, not because I don't enjoy them, but because the flicker knocks me out. I do fall asleep if it is a lecture in which I am not expected to participate. So far, this sleeping has not caused me to miss anything (which, yes, I am able to know). We normally have a ten to fifteen minute break at 11:30 or 12; by then, I have normally managed to wake up. After class, I frequently have a short conversation with the teacher.
Lunch is from 1 to 2. I usually eat lunch in the school's coffee bar; I either bring food from home or buy it there. (The food there is surprisingly good, and unusually cheap for the area.) The lady who makes the food listens to old hip hop, and usually wears a midriff shirt. If I have brought food from home, she reheats it for me, and gives me plates and silverware and water. I eat at a trestle table - a booth - with other students. I do not have a stable lunch group, nor do I only eat with people from my class - I frequently sit with the screenwriters, or with students in later terms.
(Incidentally, today I was introduced to another Texan at the school - Heather, from Houston. She is giving me the lowdown on where to find decent Tex Mex in the area. She believes there is a third Texan, because she has seen someone wearing an SMU sweatshirt. She has not been able to confirm his Texanness, for the reason that he did not respond clearly when she said "go Mustangs.")
Sometimes I run small errands during lunch; if I need to talk to teachers or the administration, I do it then. Sometimes I check my e-mail. Usually, I just chat with people, or go off and write in my notebook. From 2 to 5, I have another class, which is usually more practical than the morning class. For instance: editing, or cinematography, or a class meeting. Sometimes I sit at the front of my afternoon class; sometimes I hang toward the back so I don't dominate it. If I don't, I have a tendency to address the teacher and ignore everyone else, which can cause the teacher to also ignore everyone else.
After class, there is usually an event I can go to - a lecture or a movie screening or both. Usually I go. Sometimes I just go home. It takes me around fifteen minutes to walk to the train station; I have usually just missed a train (it doesn't matter what time of day) and have to wait 20 minutes for the next one. During this time, I console myself with a chicken and vegetable pasty (unless I have already had one). I always get a seat on the train home, because Charing Cross is the end of the line; the train is empty. I sit in one of the first carriages. The train ride takes another 20 minutes; I most commonly write in my notebook, but sometimes I read my book or stare out the window.
From Blackheath station, it takes around, again, 20 minutes to walk to Emily and Gareth's flat, which is above a small gymnasium. If it is the right time of night, I see foxes. If it has been raining, I see slugs. There are several bushes with bright orange berries, and a few bleeding hearts (a flowering shrub that I loved as a kid). The houses that I walk by are very elegant.
When I arrive at Emily and Gareth's, I ring the bell and wait for someone to come down and let me in. I get online, browse around, and check my e-mail. I make some small talk, but we are all fairly busy, and often all on computers. Occasionally, I am late enough getting in that we all go straight to sleep. Rather, they go straight to sleep, and I pretend to myself that I am going to do the same but instead check my e-mail. Sometimes Ciro is online, and we chat. Sometimes I telephone Ciro; I am burning through phone card minutes at a rapacious speed. Sometimes, Ciro is busy elsewhere, and I write a long e-mail. Or several long e-mails. Sometimes, there are already e-mails waiting from him. I have ordinarily already written, or sketched out, an lj entry in my notebook; I type it in.
I get ready for bed, which involves washing my face and brushing my teeth. I take a calcium supplement to make myself sleepy and strong-boned. I put on pajamas - a sleeveless t-shirt and pajama bottoms - and curl up on the futon (green, left in couch position) in a duvet (red, with a lavender sheet inside). I maybe read a chapter of a book borrowed from Emily (different from the book I carry with me). I put on my sleep mask and earplugs. I spend an indeterminate amount of time convincing my mind to calm down enough for sleep. Sometimes it doesn't. Usually, I manage between three and a half and six hours a night. I try to make up for this on weekends.
I don't remember any of my dreams.
I walk down the hall to the bathroom, splash cold water on my face (there are separate cold and hot taps), and put on moisturizer and concealer. Prior to this, there are normally dark circles under my eyes. If I have time, I do my hair and the rest of my makeup. I rarely have time.
I set my traveling things on a table near the door. At present, my traveling things include an almost full composition book, a book, a travel umbrella which is black with white dots, my purse, an indigo hoodie, a sport water bottle, a packed lunch if I've made one the night before, and, recently, a container of plain chocolate hobnobs. All these things are consolidated in a large bag of Emily's, which is black, plasticized, and covered with blue, yellow, and purple pictures of flowers.
Emily has left a mug of tea on the table for me, usually lapsang souchong in a blue mug. She is usually watching the news. I check the weather, although Celsius temperatures are still not fully intuitive to me. For breakfast, I either gulp down a bowl of cereal (muesli or Cheerios, eaten in the space of maybe five minutes) or (which I prefer) two slices of toast, gorgonzola, and a tomato or fig or both - all of which I eat in the car.
At 7:45, there is a mad scramble to get out the door. Which one of us is running behind varies. It is usually me or Gareth, or me and Gareth, but sometimes it is Emily. Gareth drops Emily and me at Blackheath station. I buy a ticket-plus-return, which costs £4.60. (80? I forget.) Soon, I will have a student card which will drop the price and will mean I don't need a ticket - just an electronic card like a toll tag. However, by the time the student card arrives, I will probably be living somewhere else, and will not need to take the train as often. Sometimes Emily and I get seats on the train; sometimes the seats are full and we stand. Typically, we begin the journey standing, and end it sitting down. We ride in one of the middle carriages.
We arrive in Charing Cross at 8:21 or 8:31, depending on which train we catch. I walk Emily to work, and accompany her on whatever errands need to be run (which are sometimes hers and sometimes mine). This takes fifteen to twenty minutes. After dropping Emily off, I have sometimes gone up to her office and done my hair and makeup in the ladies' room; more often I do this at school. My first class does not start until 10, which sometimes means I run more errands - I've been to the post office a few times, and to the grocery, and to a shoe repair shop. (Since I wear my boots every day, I had them resoled to make them last longer.) A few times, I've been starving and have bought a pasty. Lately, I've just gone straight to the school.
I am typically the first to arrive at the building, staff included. I dial a code to get in. I go down to the basement (the sound department), where I fill up my water bottle and put on my makeup if I haven't already. I dial another code to get in to the computer lab, (in between the first and second floors - and I am using the British definition of first floor) where I check my e-mail and occasionally run in to Ciro, who is sometimes up at 3 AM. (Sometimes still awake; sometimes just waking.)
From 10 to 1, I have a class. In class, I sit in the front row, but not in the center. I typically sleep through the first hour or two of my first class, because the room is often warm, and I have rarely slept well (or enough) the night before. Sometimes Steve (another film student; perhaps a friend) jostles me covertly so that I can wake up and make an illuminating point that convinces everyone I was paying attention.
I did not fall asleep during Brian's screenwriting class. I also do not fall asleep if we're watching John Ford movies. I do fall asleep if we're watching movies from the 20s and earlier, not because I don't enjoy them, but because the flicker knocks me out. I do fall asleep if it is a lecture in which I am not expected to participate. So far, this sleeping has not caused me to miss anything (which, yes, I am able to know). We normally have a ten to fifteen minute break at 11:30 or 12; by then, I have normally managed to wake up. After class, I frequently have a short conversation with the teacher.
Lunch is from 1 to 2. I usually eat lunch in the school's coffee bar; I either bring food from home or buy it there. (The food there is surprisingly good, and unusually cheap for the area.) The lady who makes the food listens to old hip hop, and usually wears a midriff shirt. If I have brought food from home, she reheats it for me, and gives me plates and silverware and water. I eat at a trestle table - a booth - with other students. I do not have a stable lunch group, nor do I only eat with people from my class - I frequently sit with the screenwriters, or with students in later terms.
(Incidentally, today I was introduced to another Texan at the school - Heather, from Houston. She is giving me the lowdown on where to find decent Tex Mex in the area. She believes there is a third Texan, because she has seen someone wearing an SMU sweatshirt. She has not been able to confirm his Texanness, for the reason that he did not respond clearly when she said "go Mustangs.")
Sometimes I run small errands during lunch; if I need to talk to teachers or the administration, I do it then. Sometimes I check my e-mail. Usually, I just chat with people, or go off and write in my notebook. From 2 to 5, I have another class, which is usually more practical than the morning class. For instance: editing, or cinematography, or a class meeting. Sometimes I sit at the front of my afternoon class; sometimes I hang toward the back so I don't dominate it. If I don't, I have a tendency to address the teacher and ignore everyone else, which can cause the teacher to also ignore everyone else.
After class, there is usually an event I can go to - a lecture or a movie screening or both. Usually I go. Sometimes I just go home. It takes me around fifteen minutes to walk to the train station; I have usually just missed a train (it doesn't matter what time of day) and have to wait 20 minutes for the next one. During this time, I console myself with a chicken and vegetable pasty (unless I have already had one). I always get a seat on the train home, because Charing Cross is the end of the line; the train is empty. I sit in one of the first carriages. The train ride takes another 20 minutes; I most commonly write in my notebook, but sometimes I read my book or stare out the window.
From Blackheath station, it takes around, again, 20 minutes to walk to Emily and Gareth's flat, which is above a small gymnasium. If it is the right time of night, I see foxes. If it has been raining, I see slugs. There are several bushes with bright orange berries, and a few bleeding hearts (a flowering shrub that I loved as a kid). The houses that I walk by are very elegant.
When I arrive at Emily and Gareth's, I ring the bell and wait for someone to come down and let me in. I get online, browse around, and check my e-mail. I make some small talk, but we are all fairly busy, and often all on computers. Occasionally, I am late enough getting in that we all go straight to sleep. Rather, they go straight to sleep, and I pretend to myself that I am going to do the same but instead check my e-mail. Sometimes Ciro is online, and we chat. Sometimes I telephone Ciro; I am burning through phone card minutes at a rapacious speed. Sometimes, Ciro is busy elsewhere, and I write a long e-mail. Or several long e-mails. Sometimes, there are already e-mails waiting from him. I have ordinarily already written, or sketched out, an lj entry in my notebook; I type it in.
I get ready for bed, which involves washing my face and brushing my teeth. I take a calcium supplement to make myself sleepy and strong-boned. I put on pajamas - a sleeveless t-shirt and pajama bottoms - and curl up on the futon (green, left in couch position) in a duvet (red, with a lavender sheet inside). I maybe read a chapter of a book borrowed from Emily (different from the book I carry with me). I put on my sleep mask and earplugs. I spend an indeterminate amount of time convincing my mind to calm down enough for sleep. Sometimes it doesn't. Usually, I manage between three and a half and six hours a night. I try to make up for this on weekends.
I don't remember any of my dreams.
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Because I am me: A pasty is sort of like a pot pie right?
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