~ ANNE! ~

First of all, an announcement I have been very remiss in not making sooner. Thanks to the fact that my friend Michael is a sweetheart and a very generous guy, he's allowed me to post my pictures on his website!!! So to put faces to all the random names I keep talking about, and to see the places I've been through the lens of Steve's camera (long story), check out the pictures.

Also have a look at the rest of Michael's site. He's been pretty busy with his camera as well, and there are some great pictures of places around Auckland and the rest of New Zealand! I particularly recommend the beard photos, and be sure to check out the Guy Fawkes video of idiot guys blowing things up. Bonus: to see pictures of me behaving badly with a bunch of Kiwis in London (the first time I met Michael), check these out, starting with #27.

I will eventually fix my pages up a bit, and hopefully post the Northern Ireland daytrip pictures and the pictures from the Netherlands. Still, I'm happy to have some of them up!

So today I was coming out of King's Cross Station to walk back to the hostel (not worth taking the tube when it's only a few blocks) and was dodging across the street when I had to laugh. I remember the first day in London with Dad, when I was horrified at him for crossing against the lights! Now I'm flinging myself across the smallest gap in traffic, with (I'd like to think) the flair of a practiced Londoner. Apparently travel does change one. Huh.

So last night, just as I'd decided I hate St. Christopher's and booked accomodation back at ISH, I met a bunch of people and started having fun. Go figure. Talked to another BUNAC guy last night, an Aussie with the offputting nickname of "Shag Guy". He swears it's a nasty joke. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's telling the truth. Pretty harmless sort. It was a little depressing talking to him, though, as he's been here five weeks and hasn't found a steady job. I really hope that won't be me in five weeks. On the other hand, I won't be staying in London unless there's a really good reason, and maybe the pickings are better elsewhere.

This morning, at about 7:00, someone came into our half-empty room and crashed on the bottom bunk. I ran into him again at breakfast. Geo is this crazy black guy from Alaska. Had I to sum him up in one word, it would be "gregarious". Means the entertainment is pretty much constant, but kind of takes it out of a poor introvert like me! Geo is involved in putting together a backpacking magazine, and also recruiting young photographers to take pictures at hostels all over Europe. I promised I'd plug his site, so check out PHOTOhype . Went to the V & A (surprised?) with him and Marcelle, a very cool Brazilian girl, and then checked out a photo gallery by Leicester Square. I chalk it all up to networking. Geo has promised that if I can't find a job here, he'll hook me up with the hostel in Bruges. Heck, maybe I'll do it anyway. Getting pretty sick of looking at job postings.