Movie’ing on…

So earlier this week I decided to go check out a movie since I’d not been to a movie theatre (or “cinema” as they say here) since arriving in London and wanted to check something out.

There’s a few differences in going to the movies here, which you wouldn’t expect.  For the most part, things are the same – concessions are overpriced and trailers/commercials before the movies add a good half hour to the pre-show. There’s some unique things though, which include:

1) Booking seats in advance

—– Not all theatres are like this, but a lot of them require you to choose your seat BEFORE you even go into the theatre. When you buy your ticket, they have a seat map and you have to pick. I don’t care for this, I’d rather just go in and see the venue first and choose. Seat selection’s also highly dependent on the amount of people around you, etc… which you can’t predict beforehand.

2) Popcorn

—— So back home, popcorn is ALWAYS made fresh in a classic popcorn machine, served piping hot and then you’ve got the option of melted butter/Becel on top for an extra fee, right?  And that’s amazing. I almost always get popcorn when I go the movies, even if it is $128, because to me it’s part of the full experience.

Anyways, a lot of the theatres here serve you popcorn that’s already been made in advance and is served cold or “warmed” under lamps. I once saw the stocks of this popcorn being refilled and it came from what looked identical to a garbage bag, notably the clear kinds we have back in Canada that you put leaves into during the fall.  Not appetizing.  AND, you have the choice of “salty” or “sweet” popcorn.  I’m not sure what sweet popcorn even is. It doesn’t look like caramel corn or anything. I’ve yet to try it and don’t feel superinclined.

3) Movies come out later

——  This really irks me sometimes, especially when it concerns a movie I really want to see. For some reason, a lot of movies don’t come out in the UK until several months after they’ve already debuted in Canada and the states. Current example: Where the Wild Things Are, which is out already back in the New World but won’t be showing here until mid-December. Not only does this movie look great, but it’s the spawn of Spike Jonez and Dave Eggers (my all-time favourite author) so it’s gotta be good. They say patience is a virtue, but it sucks to feel like you’re living behind the times.

At the end of the day:  Cold popcorn aside, I still love checking out the cinemas. Something about being in a multiplex (which seems very North American to me) dispels any homesickness I might have.

Chapter 2: A Canadian Werewolf in London

Sup folks?

Well, for those who don’t know, a quick backstory:  after finishing up my disseration in Edinburgh (and a requisite 1.5 weeks or so of relaxing, partying, saying goodbyes and applying for jobs, etc…), I made the decision to move to London (the England one).

Armed with two suitcases and a collection of other bags, I hopped in a cab and (gladly) left the grey streets and incomprehensible accents of Scotland behind. With all of my closest friends already gone, it wasn’t hard to leave at all – in fact, it’s the only time in my life that I’ve really not had a hard time leaving somewhere and closing a chapter. Mind you, there were a few minutes of iPod-fuelled nostalgia but these were quickly dispelled as I hopped on my train at Waverley and made my way down to the Big Smoke.

Since my arrival, I’ve been crashing at a good friend from Queen’s flat. Their flat is in Stoke Newington, which is a really cool area of London. There’s more diversity within a 60 second walk from their place than I saw in Scotland all year, which is reassuring and makes me feel more like I’m ‘back home’. The nabe is full of some colourful characters;  large groups of Hasidic Jews walk alongside too-cool-for-school hipsters, who duck into local Turkish-run kebab shops after a night at the pub.

I spent the first few days settling in and catching up on sleep. Then, I got an Oyster card and made my way around the city to flat hunt. I thought this would be relatively easy – see a dozen or so places and eventually walk into somewhere that clicks as my new ‘home’.  Well, that eventuality never came. The difficulties with flat hunting are numerous; sometimes the places are total garbage. Other times, I can just tell I wouldn’t get on well with the roommates. Of course, the vastness of the city means travel time from one area to another can easily be 1-1.5 hrs, which means you can only see so much a day. And the fact that it’s very much a renter’s market means that the competitveness to find a place is steep – I’ve realized that if you sleep on a place to make a decision, it’s too late.

After trying for a few weeks, I decided to pursue another avenue recently. I Googled “find flatmates london” and stumbled upon an ace site with others who are looking. I met up with a few guys yesterday and can happily say we all got along well. So now, the process turns to finding an empty flat for us, instead of doing the whole “room in a flat”  thing.  Here’s to hoping there’s better luck this way!!!

As for work, I’m still applying as much as I can and have a few interviews in the near future. I’ve realized I need to be patient and that I think I expected things to fall into place rather instantaneously upon arriving here. Que sera.

In spite of all this admin stuff, there’s still been some great times out here. Em’s 25th birthday party comes to mind, as does a great reunion night out in Angel with Mike N. and some other Queen’s friends. There was also Katee and Tymon’s engagement party, some days spent meandering along the Thames, and a day trip to Greenwich, where I straddled the Prime Meridian.  Some things to look forward to in the near future are Rich’s going-away party (although it sucks he is leaving), a Canadian night out for chicken wings, etc…

So, At The End of the Day:  I’m still transitioning and while it’s taken me longer than I thought, I’m slowly seeing progress and am fortunate to have the support of family & friends back home, as well as my hosts and friends over here who are in the same boat. To all those back in the True North Strong and Free reading this, miss you and hope you’re all well.

Chapter The First

Hey everyone,

I thought I’d set up a blog so that folks back home and wherever can keep tabs on the latest happenings in my life.  Lately, life’s been pretty busy and I’ve fallen behind in emails, Facebook and the like, so if I can manage to keep on top of this, well, at least you’ll know I’m still alive and kicking, right?

As you’ll notice, the [working] title of my blog is a pretty common Britsh phrase but I think it’s pretty appropriate.  I intend to use this site to keep you up to date on my life, as well as [selfishly] exploit the chance to write for musings of the minutiae and cultural differences that make life over here “interesting”/annoying/good/not-so-good.

At the end of the day:  let’s hope this provides some laughs for those reading it.  Miss you, folks.