In trying to keep in step with one, Chris Bowser, (and to give him a bit of a mention), I am blogging away these days. My parents are in the air surely to be crossing the Atlantic in a matter of moments en route to see me in Londi for the holidays. I am beyond excited to show them my city. I had another "I love London" moment today as I took the scary step out my door into the frigid weather and into the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers. I chose Covent Garden as my first destination, trying to avoid Oxford Street at all costs. I spent an extremely pleasant quarter of an hour sipping my grande Starbucks and leaning over the red railing in the center of the market area to listen to a string quintet...no, there were six of them... What do you call that? Anyway, I watched and listened to these superbly talented folks play with such joy. If you have ever been to Covent Garden (at any time of the year, not just during the holidays), you can picture this scene of talented street performers. The word that comes to mind? I must say... "lovely", followed by a deep sigh. The guy playing the stand-up bass ran round and round it never skipping a beat. He would carry his bass around the cafe-type sitting area to cajole passers-by to throw a bit of change in their basket or to buy a copy of their cds. He blocked the staircase and stared at people until they caught his eye and made them smile. Lovely.
The day did not start off quite so delightfully. I saw, what you might say, both sides of the coin of a city today. As I hopped on the 247 bus to go to my Lord's Cricket Ground stop, my head turned to the rear of the bus. A seemingly drunken man (I must mention it was barely noon) began to argue with another bloke about who got to sit in a seat on our crowded mode of transport. Pushing and yelling ensued. The bus pulled over at the first stop possible, and the bus driver yelled from his enclosed seat in the front that he would call the police if they did not calm down. The two men paid no mind to the driver's warning. All of the rest of us who were lucky enough to be witnessing this interaction, which was bit unnerving, to be honest, seemed to be staring at and inching toward the closed doors to make a hasty exit. As the bus driver yelled that he was, indeed, phoning the police, those of us longing for escape were given our wish when the doors were opened. We filed out and all stood around watching the goings-on, quite the show, actually. By the time we had alighted onto the curb, another 274 bus had pulled up behind us at the stop (which I must say, is utterly shocking since I rarely see these busses meeting up as they seem to be horribly off-schedule most days). All of the passengers from my bus immediately went to board this new arrival but were halted by the second bus driver leaving his seat to go support his colleague. As these two bus drivers, the two disgruntled men, and the gaping masses waited on the police to arrive, I chose to walk. When I arrived in St John's Wood, my core was a bit frozen, but at least I avoided getting into the mix of that altercation any further. Life in a big city...lots of people equals drama and delight all at the same time. I do love London. If you ever get the chance to visit, do not hesitate! Lovely.

Word of the day? Christingle. Google this. Our entire church service comprised a skit of one of the student pastors standing on stage in a paper mache orange. Hilarious! : )

Happy Christmas!!!!