"what time does the sainsbury's shut? 8? on a thursday?"
my school offers 1st year housing to international students who have not lived within the M25 before (i have...sort of...but i didn't find my housing and technically don't know anything), so i figured i would at least request it and see what i could get. considering i really only want to live in one of 25+ houses (a lovely flatshare in camden), and i couldn't specify which house i wanted in particular, i'm not hopeful. i'm even less optimistic as i will be notifed on or around september 8th of what i will be offered - which could be nothing - a mere 10 days before my departure and 15 before i'm without a hotel room. after witnessing amanda's experiences searching for a room in LA (which produced an amazing find, after multiple oddities, including at least one offering board in exchange for sex), i've decided to take matters into my own hands. when we were looking for a house in DC, i was looking for four people in an area about 2 square miles in size with a very particular list of amenities. now i have many more options in front of me, and only my own concerns to suit. currently i only look at craigstlist ads with pictures because everything says the same things, but i'm trying to comprise a list of must haves for wherever i will live:
-around £100/wk or under £500/mo, excluding council tax and internet and the like
-fully furnished or close to it, because i don't want to buy furniture
-not too far from school - preferred area would be camden town or anything near that or closer to school - regents park/primrose hill/russell square/euston/tottenham court rd - nothing too shady, nothing too busy (some of the student houses face on oxford street, which would be horrendous), and nothing so far east as hackney (despite my current profile name)
-LARGE ENOUGH FOR GUESTS - i expect lots of visitors, and rightly so - y'all better come visit
-near a 24 hr sainsbury's, which was the best convenience ever. 24 hr tesco is a lowly substitute
-cool roommates/flatmates/housemates
-lots of windows
-chic (like a docklands flat that i can't afford) or victorian with high ceilings
-no room sharing - while i love jamie, becca, and sarah, sharing one room with them my last time in london was too much for four months
-cool-named area - this should probably go with location, but i feel like it needs it own. one only needs to browse a tube map to see some of the possibilities. i mean, mayfair? sounds like a housing development near me now. i need adventure (surrey quays), or to remember a line from a song or book (primrose hill/kings cross), or to laugh (where to start? cockfosters, east ham, tooting bec), or to find meaning in the name (dulwich/ickenham), or just love the way it sounds (bethnal green, maida vale, brixton, etc). no mayfair, or notting hill because i hate that movie and i really didnt care for the caribbean festival on the bank holiday.
-everything is close to shops, bars, restaurants, and culture, but i guess there is a gradient of coolness...so, close to things, but not on top of them.
............................
also, which is worst, snakes on a plane, or terrorists on a plane? because, you know, unless you have samuel l. jackson (i'm assuming, i havent seen the movie yet), you could easily get killed by poisonous snakes too.
-around £100/wk or under £500/mo, excluding council tax and internet and the like
-fully furnished or close to it, because i don't want to buy furniture
-not too far from school - preferred area would be camden town or anything near that or closer to school - regents park/primrose hill/russell square/euston/tottenham court rd - nothing too shady, nothing too busy (some of the student houses face on oxford street, which would be horrendous), and nothing so far east as hackney (despite my current profile name)
-LARGE ENOUGH FOR GUESTS - i expect lots of visitors, and rightly so - y'all better come visit
-near a 24 hr sainsbury's, which was the best convenience ever. 24 hr tesco is a lowly substitute
-cool roommates/flatmates/housemates
-lots of windows
-chic (like a docklands flat that i can't afford) or victorian with high ceilings
-no room sharing - while i love jamie, becca, and sarah, sharing one room with them my last time in london was too much for four months
-cool-named area - this should probably go with location, but i feel like it needs it own. one only needs to browse a tube map to see some of the possibilities. i mean, mayfair? sounds like a housing development near me now. i need adventure (surrey quays), or to remember a line from a song or book (primrose hill/kings cross), or to laugh (where to start? cockfosters, east ham, tooting bec), or to find meaning in the name (dulwich/ickenham), or just love the way it sounds (bethnal green, maida vale, brixton, etc). no mayfair, or notting hill because i hate that movie and i really didnt care for the caribbean festival on the bank holiday.
-everything is close to shops, bars, restaurants, and culture, but i guess there is a gradient of coolness...so, close to things, but not on top of them.
............................
also, which is worst, snakes on a plane, or terrorists on a plane? because, you know, unless you have samuel l. jackson (i'm assuming, i havent seen the movie yet), you could easily get killed by poisonous snakes too.