A Look into my Life

Welcome to my new and improved blog. I’ve taken some time to get everything back into shape in hope that I will expand topics to keep things rolling.

There’s a new name, a new look, but the same old me! No content has changed and the pictures are still there however I hope to develop this into somewhat as an outlet for my thoughts and anything that I experience as I will soon be entering into the real world.

Please leave feedback in the comments section of anything you would like to hear about. In the meantime take a gander through the pictures. I always see something new in each one, and I was there!

Stay tuned for some pictures from the Jack Daniels Distillery.

Todd Site Maintenance Feedback, Jack Daniels, Status Update

So I have been a terrible writer and left my blog stagnate. I finally have found a few minutes in each day that I can work on it! My first thing on the list is to update the software processing everything. You guys won’t see much of a change but it will make it much easier for me. I hope to also find a new look for everything as well. Some editing of content will also occur but will only affect previous work.

My next content based post will be an article for my company about my experience in London. I have sadly neglected to the point where they may not want it. Oops! I’ll give it a whirl though. Stay tuned for some new stuff and I hope to get some new ideas to keep this thing going!

I apologize in advance for any down time that may occur. Hopefully everything will go on will go off without incident!

Todd Site Maintenance Status Update

In an effort to keep the updates rolling in, Welcome to Thursday! Only two more days to go. I have so many mixed feelings right now it’s not even funny. I’m ready and very excited to come home, but I’ve grown to love London and hate to leave.

I’m down to my last and final class of the semester. I had my last art class an hour or so ago. We attended the Saatchi Gallery. It was a rather odd one but I did find the most unique and what I think to be the coolest exhibit in London. In the basement of the gallery there was an empty room with models of old men in electric wheel chairs. Each chair had sensors and moved around the room as if the models were driving them. The models of the men were so life like that I was scared looking at one. I was ready for it to jump up from the chair and scare me. It truly was an odd experience and rather intriguing piece of work. I do have some pictures but I won’t be able to post them until I get back to the flat. So look for them tomorrow morning or so.

I did make it to the Natural History Museum last evening. It’s a great place. I wish I would have devoted more time to it. I still did get a taste of it though! I have also picked up my British flag so I’m absolutely content in leaving now. I do want to pick up a few things but if I don’t, I’ll still return a happy Todd!

Status Update

Like I said above, two more days. At this time Saturday I hope to be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean with America in my sights.

Todd Goodbye London London, Saatchi Gallery, Status Update

Todd Goodbye London London, Status Update, Towe Bridge, Trafalgar Square

Hello and welcome to the last Wednesday in London, two days, twenty-three hours to go. Papers are all finished and I’m heading out soon to my last (and first) final of the semester. I’m pretty much done after that! Quite amazing if you ask me. After class I’m going to go check out the Natural History Museum. That is the last and final place on my list to see. After that I’m content leaving this island.

Speaking of leaving, I’ve got most of my life packed into suit cases right now. It’s now smooth sailing to the end. Friday I plan to end my time here just like I began it. A tour around the city and the final pictures of all. I still can’t get over the fact I’m having to think about this. It’s quite crazy!!

Stay tuned tonight. I hope to pass by Tower Bridge and get some night pictures!!

Edit, my bad, sorry for the typo.

Todd Goodbye London Final Tour, Natural History Museum, Packing, Status Update, Tower Birdge

In an effort to see all I want to in the last week that I haven’t already, I’m making every minute count! Yesterday before class I went and walked around the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. There are so many different types of things in this museum. It was described to me by someone back home as going through the attic of an old house. It does seem that way! There is jewelry, iron works, paintings, prints, tapestries. You name it, it’s there! I’m definitely glad that I went!

Today I hope to make it to Primrose Hill in the north of London. It’s a very large hill that overlooks the entire city. I hope to get some great pictures and I think that this is a good way to close things out. A city overview if you will. Pictures will definitely be posted from that!!

Status Update

I’m just going to make these a regular thing now. Four days, one hour to go. I still have one more final to complete for International Trade (not worried) and a paper for Popular Culture. This paper proves that I’m a good procrastinator. I don’t think that’s a good thing though. I’m really nearing the end now and I’m getting really excited to return home. We got a paper on reverse-culture shock yesterday. I’ve found any type of culture shock to be weird, surprising, and generally sneaky. I’ll right more about that when I get home though.

I’m off to get ready for the day, it’s supposed to be beautiful out, cold but sunny. Look back later for pictures!!

Todd Goodbye London Culture Shock, Primrose Hill, Status Update, Victoria and Albert Museum

Like the two past days I traveled to to another destination in England that I wanted to see before I left. I set off one last time to Victoria Train Station. I missed the 10:45 to Canterbury west and ended up having to wait another hour until the next one was ready to disembark. That gave me some time to burn. Luckily there was a pub in the train station I sat down for a full english breakfast. It’s got to be one of the weirdest things I have eaten here. It’s comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and get this, baked beans (not so bad), a grilled half tomato (um, no), and a cooked flat mushroom (seriously?). It was very good and very filling although a few things were left sitting on the plate when I was finished!

It neared time for my train to leave so I headed for the platform. I settled in for the hour and forty-five minute trek across the south eastern portion of England. I really enjoyed seeing the country side. It’s so very beautiful. Upon arrival I found Canterbury to be rather boring. I walked through some sections making my way to the centre of the city thinking, did I really just spend £20 and two hours of my time to see this? I made my way to the centre and wow was I surprised. There were small winding streets packed with people and shops. It was amazing! All of these people came out of nowhere. I walked around there for a while and sadly I missed a parade of some sort by just an hour. I meandered through a few more streets, had a gander at the cathedral.

I then made my way back to the train station in time to watch the train to London leaving the platform. Thankfully there was another in fifteen minutes. I jumped on that and head back into the city. Another item crossed off of what is becoming a very short list. Thanks Marian for the recommendation!

Might I also add that I have been very lucky these past three days. The sun has been out in full force and the temperature hasn’t been too bad either. I think it was a proper last weekend here!

Speaking of my list I will be visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum tomorrow morning before class. I’ve been meaning to get there since the beginning of the semester but just haven’t made the time to. Looks like I will have to squeeze it in! I’ll post details of that tomorrow.

Status Update

Five days, sixteen hours to go! Unbelievable! Like I Mentioned above my list has quickly shrunk down to a short list of things to do. There should be at least one update a night! Well, maybe not Thursday because CAPA is throwing us a going away party and we’re all celebrating!

Todd Second half, going way to fast Canterbury, London, Status Update, Victoria and Albert Museum

And Brighton got my shoes wet. The past two days I’ve been taking advantage of the rail system within the UK. It’s one aspect that I find truly amazing about this country. You can get from one point to another by train in a very short amount of time and it doesn’t cost a lot. Yesterday I made the journey to Oxford. I was actually very close to it when I went on my road trip. I figured it would be best to tackle the city without having to worry about a vehicle.

It definitely is a unique town. I quite enjoyed walking around it. I made sure to drop by Christchurch. It has some significance to Harry Potter. I’ll have to wait for a resident HP expert to chime in, Kim!! I ended up walking through a park and made it to out skirts of town. It was a long walk back in but I made it! At this point I was starting to really feel the effects of the cold that I was hoping was only a sore throat. Check out the Oxford album, there’s some good photos!

Today I boarded a train to Brighton. It’s on the southern coast of England. It is know for it’s rocky beaches. I didn’t quite know what to expect. The beach is completely covered with what we would call river rock. It’s much smaller, about an inch in diameter. It’s the weirdest thing! So I went down to the waters edge with a goal in mind. I wanted to touch the water!! This is when things went terribly wrong. I studied where the water would come up to and finally felt comfortable going near it. Well, one of those random large waves decided to rear it’s ugly head and before I knew it I was in water up to my ankles. OOPS! So I had some wet feet for the remainder of the day, great for being sick as well. I walked along the edge of the beach. They have a sort of board walk there. There is also Brighton Pier which is like an amusement park suspended over the sea. 

Upon arriving back in London I made my way to Oxford Street. We Americans have Black Friday, Londoners have the first Saturday of December. Oxford Street and Regent Street is closed to traffic and as I found out people swarm the area. It was unbelievable the amount of people that were out. I also made what will probably be my last visit to the Regent Street Apple Store. 

Tomorrow I’m heading to Canterbury. Check back tomorrow evening for those details. I have also dropped below a week remaining in London. I’m still in shock that this is my last Saturday in the city. Quite amazing! I can almost see home from this point!!

Todd Second half, going way to fast Brighton, Canterbury, London, Oxford, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Status Update

I took ma and pa back to the airport this morning. Everything went without issue. Mom is quite worn out but she did survive the week, just. And dad did too!!

Yesterday I once again hired a car, just for the day this time. Mom wanted to see the prime meridian at Greenwich and Hampton Court Palace. So we took off early in the morning in our Vauxhall Astra heading for Greenwich Park. There we wandered around the Royal Observatory in the drizzle that would accompany us all day.

After our visit there we headed across the south of London through terrible Friday afternoon traffic. This is when I really wished I’d opted for an automatic transmission. Regardless I now have a stronger left leg. We arrived at Hampton Court with only a little time to actually go through. We did hit all the major areas however, minus the gardens. But it was raining and despite the current situation, would have been miserable to go through. The rooms within were beautifully decorated and were massive. It must have been quite extraordinary to live in there in the 1700s. There had been a fire in the King’s portion of the state rooms. It was repaired and refurbished and looks fantastic. 

We then departed Hampton Court with the Satnav set for Piccadilly Circus in the centre of London. I want mom and dad to see the lights there as well as the Christmas lights of Regent Street and Oxford Street. We looped up through there seeing everything and being one of the few cars on Oxford Street mixed amongst the busses. Quite intimidating! We stopped off at a few shops and got them some souvenirs, dropped them off back at the hotel, returned the car, and dined on some pub food before calling it an evening!

I’ll put of pictures of yesterday as well as pictures from their trips to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Paris. 

Status Update

In two week time I should be landing, or near landing at Philadelphia International. 

I have a little bit of a dilemma on my hands. After I return home, finish up covering my experience here and write about re-culturing myself the the way of the United States I don’t really know what to do with my blog. I will keep it up for quite a while. I hope to go back through and do a lot of proofing and minor tweaks to the posts, but once that is done I have no idea what else to write about. So for the next couple weeks I’d like to hear from everyone who has been viewing and ready for the past 3 months to leave some feedback on where and what you’d like to see from my site. I’d love to post about my last semester at school but it would all be the same; cold, it snowed, and class sucked. So I’m open for ideas!!

Todd Mom and Dad's Visit, Second half, going way to fast Greenwich, Hampton Court Palace, London, Oxford Street, Paris, Piccadilly Circus, Prime Meridian, Regent Street, Status Update, Stonehenge, Windsor

Yes, Ma and Pa Devers are on their way to Philadelphia as I type. They’ll be boarding the plane later this evening and arriving at Heathrow in the morning. Stay tuned for updates! It’s going to be an early morning tomorrow.

We have a few things planned. Not sure what all we’ll get done but this is a possible preview: Hampton Court Palace, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, Greenwich, they will also be going to Stonehenge and Bath as well as the same trip Jamie and I took back in October. We’re also going to try and check out the new shopping centre in West London. It’s the largest in Europe. That’s scheduled for Friday, need to feed Mom’s craving for shopping on Black Friday!

Update on things, I have 20 days left in London. This time in three weeks I should be nearing Philadelphia International. How exciting!! Still lots of work to get done before that time is up. Wish me luck!

Todd Mom and Dad's Visit Heathrow, London, Mom and Dad, Status Update