Day 57: Lost (Again) and the Raddest Costume Party Ever

Great Portland Street I tell you, you're absent for five seconds to get to the loo, and everyone except you knows about the Halloween party and has been thinking about costumes all week. All this was unbeknownst to me; this Saturday, I went to find Leicester Square by way of Picadilly Circus, hoping to see Chinatown as well. Of course I went without a map. My perfect navigation skills had never failed me before. As every other person would have predicted, I marched purposefully off in some direction. I ended up walking the length of Great Portland Street, far from Picadilly, Regent's, and Leicester Square. I bought an adapter for my alarm clock, hoping it would work, and then I sat for a few hours in a Starbucks, reading my book, safe from the sudden torrential rain. It was a delightful afternoon, full of walking and chocolate frappacino and a Korean baby looking over his mother's shoulder at me. The solitude and perfect agency of being on one's own is full entertainment for a full Saturday. American Halloween Home before the evening, and I decided to do a bit of homework. Girls came in and out of the classroom, asking what I was going to be for Halloween. After the third time of this, I asked why in the name of all that is holy I would dress up in a country where only Satan-worshippers celebrate All-Hallow's Eve and no one has heard of trick-or-treating. That's when I heard about the party. Naturally, I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't have any means for a costume, and I assumed that most of the girls would be in the same boat. That evening, the party started at 7pm. I claimed to be a pedestrian, a Canadian, a Jehovah's Witness, a plainclothes officer, changing the answer every time someone asked. The Halloween party turned into some sort of fashion show down the stairwell; Napoleon Dynamite (Rachel) looked less-than-thrilled, despite having a liger (Amanda) at his command. Michael Jackson (Morgan) had a white glove and fedora; a paper bag princess (Annie) appeared next to the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty; Sarah Palin (Claire) could never be confused with Mary Poppins (Jani), and even the two guys appeared as Big Ben (two guesses who) and Santa Claus. My favorite was an angsty Bella Swan (Lauren), who wore horrible flannel and a white t-shirt, stuffed pregnant, labeled "Cullen in the Oven". The costume that won overall was Mount Rushmore--the four girls powdered their hair like german composers and wore a heroic white sheet that could not have been comfortable. So many pictures that evening--I turned out to be the only person who did not dress up. I took pictures instead. The servery was packed and hot--I slapped frosting and candy corn on a cookie and left. I tried to do some work, or at least to just sit somewhere--but Penny kicked me out in two different places. Happily I found Katy, Julie and Emily not participating in the festivities; I spent the rest of the evening chatting and laughing with them, overhearing the victory tunnels for the profs ("Saint Tate! Saint Tate!") and the cheers for Dr. Seely's victory at eating donuts on a string. I've discovered it is impossible to spend the day solitary and spend the evening in a party with more than forty people. But it was a rad party nonetheless.