Speaking of food, I walked to Uxbridge again today (while Robin worked on her looming book deadline) with two canvas bags to do some minimal grocery shopping. This time, I studied a Google map of Uxbridge to make sure I didn't get lost. Of course, the best way to not get lost here is to not ask locals for directions to any place more than 100 feet from where you're standing. Even if they know how to get there, you probably won't know what the hell they're saying because some of the accents sound like Hollywood casting planted a bunch of actors in the shops and a movie director told them to really ham it up and over-do the accent thing. One of my next projects is to go back into a certain kitchen goods store and secretly record the voice of a woman who works there.
The Chimes, a nice modern mall in the center of Uxbridge and next door to the tube station. Another big mall, The Pavillions, is across the street and a block away.
In The Pavillions, is Tesco, the Uxbridge grocery store that's always filled with University students. I filled my two eco-friendly shopping bags and was a little worried about how heavy they'd get before I got back to the campus. Happily, a bus going straight to Brunel stops just outside the Tesco entrance, and drops you off in the middle of the campus. It costs two pounds, and I found out that you can use your Oyster card to ride the bus (the prepaid tube card). These UKers have got some things figured out that we're still struggling with in the USA. Or at least in New Mexico. Like public transportation. I wonder if anyone from England ever tried to take a Greyhound bus somewhere in America, expecting WiFi service, and maybe some small degree of comfort.
Here are some random photos from the previous couple of days:
My trip to the Apple Store was fun. But then, I'm from New Mexico where there's not a subway within several thousand miles. To get this far underground, I'd have to go to Carlsbad Caverns.
Change from the Metropolitan line to the Bakerloo line, then exit at Oxford Circus to get to the Regent Street Apple Shrine - I mean Store.
I think I hear angels. I must be close.
The Enlightened Ones gather here every day. The faithful are expected to make a pilgrimage at least once in their life to either the Regent Street Apple Store or the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York.
When we arrived at Brunel, volunteers were everywhere. They delivered us and our bags to our room in the Isambard Complex.
Robin gets a phone call from Jimbo (friend/house-and-dog-sitter) who found some desperately needed passwords for getting online that we left at home. Our residence building is in the background.
