Step Four: Be Slightly Obessed with the UK

I met one of the dads at the preschool who I hadn’t met before, because one of his children was getting baptized. (Well, anointed, technically). Anyway, he and the older boy (the preschooler I take care of) looked almost exactly alike—very similar clothing. This boy’s always dressed very sharp and almost never comes to church without a tie (and, remember, he’s 3). So I went up to comment on how now we know where the boy gets his fashion sense. The man opens his mouth…and he’s Scottish. As my good friend once said (but in relation to Ihop delivery) “that good news should come with a warning label!” You know, a sign above him that says, “Just so you know, I have an awesome Scottish accent so when I talk, you’re going to be amazed.” (As you can probably tell, it was a GOOD Scottish accent. Understandable, per se. Along the lines of Craig Ferguson and David Tennant).

Year Goal – Be in England: somewhere, somehow.

Sadly, one of the first things people learn about me is that I’m an Anglophile. That’s not sad, it’s just sad that it’s so obvious it’s one of the first thing people learn about me. So, that “slightly” modifier in the title is a lie, softened to make me look better. I’m not even sure why, honestly, but can anyone tell me why they love anything, really? It probably has something to do with Harry Potter and Queen Elizabeth (ginger Elizabeth power!). And the nice accents. Doctor Who didn’t even come into the picture until I was too far gone.

So by the end of this year, the plan is to be in England or Scotland. By Scotland I mean Edinburgh. It’s a close-second or possibly tied for my favorite city. (First is Boston only because I have formed a deep attachment to this city, but it lacks a certain proportion of accented people). I may or may not have been distracted for at least half an hour after talking on the phone with my mom by looking at rent prices for apartments (flats!) in Edinburgh and York. Too soon. Too soon.

I’ve got plans and back-up plans to get there. Let’s hope at least one of them works. Then I’ll be a starving, homeless American writer under an English bridge somewhere in a box.

In other news related to my goals – I finished decorating my room! I also wrote at least a sentence every single day for the past two weeks. Except possibly Saturday, because I cannot remember if I wrote something then or was interrupted by a phone call. But I know I at least wrote a sentence in my head, so I’ll count it.

One goal I didn’t write down because I haven’t updated in a while and because it’s been a goal for two years now is that I finally went with my friend Kelly to the SoWa market, a farmer’s market/o/pen-air type thing in the South End. It’s a good thing I had no cash for the small things – delicious looking raspberries and bread – and that the big art things were too expensive. I told my friend at that moment I was sad I wasn’t a full and legitimate adult yet who could buy art for their house…or spend money on cool clock-earrings. (Or a bracelet of Henry VIII and all his wives!)

And Saturday night I cooked a delicious lasagna with my friend Conrad. So I’m being all sorts of productive. Sort of.