Old Britannia

So finally I get back and what do I find? My dorm somehow "doesn't have water" even though my sink works and they are fixing the hot water. I don't get it, hopefully something awful isn't just about to happen? No that would have been my flight back. So I took a redeye from JFK to Heathrow and when we get to Heathrow at 7:15AM, we are circling around Heathrow but there is a lot of air traffic really bizarre for 7 in the morning and we are supposed to have made really good time and come in early, but instead we had to go into a holding pattern. We circle back around to Heathrow and we get a great view of the dawn and London (I didn't notice until I saw the Eye and Hyde Park. It was pretty cool going over all of it) So we neared Heathrow and we descended, I saw the other parked planes, I saw some airport buildings but something wasn't quite right...

We seemed to be right on target but as I looked out the window, it seemed like we were going way too fast and were not low enough or at the right angle. As I pondered whether we were going to nosedive into the tarmac or land too far along the runway to come to a complete stop by the time it ended, I heard and felt the engines jump back to full thrust and the plane quickly bank up and to the left and away and we quickly accelerate off. We were all puzzled as to what happened. we were pretty close to landing when we pulled out or should I say close to the runway because I don't see how we could have landed that. So we wait and then we realize we must have almost hit another plane.

The copilot comes on the intercom and says not to worry, that it was "normal operating procedure." I laughed with the guy sitting next to me because, yeah of course if you are going to hit another plane it is "normal operating procedure" to take evasive maneuvers! So then the pilot comes on and explains that the airport was really busy (I knew that) and that a plane hadn't finished clearing the runway and so we had to abort the landing because of safety requirements on distance between planes. I don't know how close we came to rear-ending a plane, if it was even that or if we were going to collide head on. One can only hope that wasn't a close call and that I didn't use up a spare life that morning.

But now back to London. I was really tired, somehow the jet lag really hit me a lot this time so I spent much time in bed. Oooooo was it nice... We found a bar called The Maple Leaf for Canucks so that was fun. I also rediscovered, even though I am not a picky eater, that English food again was fitting the stereotype and I had been spoiled by home cooking for three weeks. Oh well, I have the whole term to get readjusted! I did my first radio show of the term today. Went really well I thought except for a few slip ups that I will keep to myself and not tell anyone else. Now I have a permanent slot so I have plenty of time to stretch out my legs, though it seems like I always feel rushed trying to fit the music for my show haha. If only I had another half hour or hour...

It is nice to be back. It was good being home too. It's the little things you appreciate. Like The London Paper. The worst paper ever, but it is free, so I read it. It borders on the tabloidish, has a relationship column and a paparazzi center spread for celebrity faux-pas's and of course it "reports the news" Example: the Tory candidate for Mayor of London is Boris Johnson who has gathered the reputation, internationally as well it seems, for always putting his foot in his mouth and just acting really clumsily. If you see a picture of him with his frazzled, disheveled genius hair, you can't but sympathize with the criticism. He went around a tough area of London in light of recent stabbings and some youths recognized him as "that guy off the TV who does stupid stuff" Man I love this trashy newpaper. I'm going to miss it when I am back in the States. At least they have a website.