So I leave for London in a tad more than nine days...which is both extremely exciting and slightly daunting. It seems like that London is a huge place. But I'm more excited than anything else. Frankly speaking, the past two years at Ohio State have been both extremely rewarding and extremely taxing. So this trip to London is, in a sense, a trip of rejuvenation, perhaps a chance to come back renewed and refreshed. All the people at Ohio State that I've gotten to know made the burden of school so much easier to bear, and for that I'm especially grateful.
In a sense, this personal quest finally coming to fruition has been a long time coming. I've always wanted to go to London. Perhaps starting with an infant sense of wonder with the Beatles and Monty Python, London seemed to be that exotic paradise or whatever. While London is likely the least attractive destination if reaching paradise is concerned, in my mind it was that. And now here I am, on the cusp of what will likely be a life-changing journey.
I won't likely be updating this every day, but I will certainly be updating this once every couple of days, hopefully including some photos to give all of you an idea of my goings-on in London.
The key question I wonder is whether or not the concept of gumption is present in London. Gumption, if you are familiar with my sister blog (which details the golden age of rock music),
The Name of This Blog Is...Gumption Centers, is moreover known as "common sense." I use gumption in this context as a purely American concept; Americans pride themselves on their "common sense" that, for one reason or another, sets them apart from the rest of the world. So in this sense the peculiar goal of mine will be to see if either the Brits have either their own brand of gumption, or whether they think that their gumption outstrips ours.
But with regards to other goals, here are a few:
1. Adopt a fully functioning British accent.
2. Be able to find my way around London.
3. Go to a bunch of shows because every awesome band has some sort of stop in London (like...three straight nights of Pavement for me in May)
4. Immerse myself in the culture.
5. Pick a soccer team.
6. Have the time of my life.
7. And, uh, I guess I should probably pass my classes...right?
So I suppose that's really it for a first entry. But, as I hope to make something normal, I will handily list what I am currently listening to as I am blogging. First up:
The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope
