Farewell

Yesterday was my friend Matt’s last day at London South Bank University. Matt is the friend who helped me find the job. It was bittersweet for him. Carole, an older lady who worked with Matt, organized a farewell party for him.

She had biscuits and cakes for all the well-wishers and she bought a plain blue t-shirt that everyone signed for Matt. Let me tell you, there were a few racy comments not intended for the faint-of-heart.

For the four weeks Matt and I worked together, we rode the Tube to work. I rode the Tube out of respect for Matt because it was his ritual and without him I would not have the job at LSBU.

But now that Matt is finished at LSBU, I plan to walk to and from work. Last night, we walked home to experiment with the route and we found out it is LITERALLY a straight shot!

For those of you who have not been to London, there is no such thing as a straight shot in London. The roads twist and turn and muck about changing names and directions every five meters!

Thus, it is hard to verbalize the magnitude of my shock when I found out that it’s only a 3-mile walk in a straight line from the hostel to LSBU! I mean, I don’t think I’ve walked in a straight line since I’ve been here for longer than a half of a mile!

The first reason to walk to work is it saves a lot of money. Second, you don’t save much time by taking the Tube. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, you miss all the sights and sounds of London when you travel underground.

My walk includes a trip over the Waterloo Bridge which gives me a beautiful panoramic view of the London skyline with Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London eye, just to name a few.

This morning, I couldn’t imagine a prettier view. The sun was rising over downtown London over blue skies and crisp air. For those of you who know my mother, you know the emphasis she instilled in her kids, including me, in getting your 15-minutes of uninhibited sunlight everyday.
Today I got more than enough vitamin D!

Also, this week I booked my ticket for St. Patty’s Day in Ireland. Me and some mates will fly into Belfast and 15 March and end up in Dublin for St. Patty’s Day. I’m stoked!