Day 24

Tuesday, June 5 -

This morning was one big crisis after the other. I was getting ready for work and I was almost done, I just needed to dry my bangs so I could straighten them. If I don't straighten them, they just become a weird curl on my forehead. I go to get the hair dryer that I share with my roommate, and it is nowhere to be found. I spend a good 10 minutes searching the entire room and flat, and can't find it. I'm running late so I come up with a plan B: I'll run to Boots (the Walgreens equivalent) and get some bobby pins or something and pin my bangs back. Boots is in the train station, so I'll only be a few minutes late.

Turns out they don't have American standards of customer service here, so the store wasn't open for another 30 minutes. I run back home, and by this time my hair is pretty much dry so I just go ahead and straighten it. Then I'm out the door again, running about 20 minutes late. I finally get to the train station (not the one Boots is in) and IT'S CLOSED. I have to run all the way back to the other station, and by the time I get on the tube, I should be walking in the door to work. Ugh.

Once I finally got there, I had to log again. The royal family went to St. Paul's Cathedral for thanksgiving service, and then they all went to Westminster for a lunch, and then the band marched around the streets forever while they all ate, and then they all took carriages back to Buckingham Palace, and then they stood on the balcony and waved for about five minutes to the thousands of people who gathered to see them, and then they went inside and the Jubilee weekend was over.

There were SO many people in the mall and driveway of Buckingham Palace and it was crazy to watch them all gather. Since I was logging, I got to see the aerial shot from the helicopter, and it was just a little bit ridiculous. I think the royal family should have done a little bit more, because seriously all they did was stand on the balcony for 5 minutes and wave and point and look astonished that there were so many people there just to see them.

To celebrate the end of the Jubilee, we had a work party! It was at some pub and they reserved a room for us and everything. It was quite the occasion. It was also very interesting to see everyone outside of the workplace and I think I got to know everyone a lot better!