^the night-time view of the National History Museum as taken from our window.

Well, many exciting things today. I should probably make a list.

1. Classes started today with session one of our core class (we have session one of our elective A tomorrow).  My professor seems really great; he's from New Zealand and worked at the BBC for twenty some-odd years and really knows his stuff. He's lively enough that our four hour (I know, right?) class doesn't seem quite as long. Well, maybe the real kicker was that he gave us a half hour break in the middle to go to Pret for some sandwiches. I love Pret. A lot. Anyways. The class is going to be great because the real focus (beyond the general umbrella of "British News Media, Culture, and Society") is the influence of the internet on the media and how news is spread across the internet, which is almost exactly what I want to do my thesis on next fall. Excellent.

1a. We also got to watch the half-hour PMQ (Prime Minister's Questions) in class from yesterday, and it was brilliant. (Basically, the PM fields questions from the whole House of Commons, mostly from his opposition, for half an hour and let's just say... it gets pretty heated. Very entertaining. Apparently it's on CSPAN back in the states- I highly recommend it.) It's clearly better to any kind of press conference Bush has done, but I'm not convinced it's really the best form of debate; there was more shouting and jeering than actual discourse. 

2. I bough graph paper pads for my classes with perforated smooth 22lb paper and beautiful black covers that fold back perfectly. Someone out there will understand how excited I am, right? (The stationary store with the notepads also has some excellent postcards... so perhaps I'll send some out someday.)

3. Had an interview with my internship rep woman (another excellent five minute interview) in  which she told me things that I already know... but I'm still on for my placement, which is great. A lot of people seem to not have been placed yet, which would have made me so anxious. I'm happy to know what's going on and that I'm working at such a reputable/cool place, even if it is slightly like a certain job I already have.

4. Last night we went back to the pub/club/bar at Imperial College, which is the big university just down the street from us. It's always a good time; super cheap and crowded with people our age. We met their drinking club and watched them puke into their victory bucket (more like epic fail than victory, in my opinion) and then hung around in the pub area. There was supposed to be a big party going on in the club, but we walked in and it was pretty empty. Plus, it smelled/sounded/etc. like an MIT frat... so that was not a good sign. All in all a good night, though. A lot of us from the house are starting to hang out as a big group, so that's nice.

I have my modern theatre seminar tomorrow (yess!) so that's VERY exciting. We get at least four tickets to different shows around the city over the next five weeks, so I can't wait to get more information. There's also a big full-program party in Covent Garden tonight, so that should be interesting.