I've returned, begrudgingly, to office-land after a long break. Even though I got plenty of sleep, ran this morning, and ate a balanced and complete breakfast, I feel as though half of my brain is here at this desk and the other half is floating some two feet above me. Plus my body is sort of numb? This can't be good. It sounds like I'm describing some acid trip or something. Not that I even know what an acid trip is like. Just sayin'. 

After getting back Friday, I worked my first two shifts alone at Royal Bean this weekend. I completed the Miss Frizzle checklist on both occasions (take chances, make mistakes, get messy!!) And no one got really upset with me or threw coffee at me or anything like that. But on second thought, I'm not sure if I really took chances. Whatever, you get what I mean.

Now I'm sitting here trying to write Podcast scripts at work, which is a more interesting task than most I do here, but it's been going something like this: 

Topic: Apply to be an RA

I type: Sample script: Would you like to (cursor blink, blink, blink, blink) (backspace backspace backspace etc.)

Then I type: Do you like (cursor blink, blink, blink, Maggie starts reading Gawker, blink)

I just need coffee, that's all. 

Lastly, you know how in Legally Blonde, there's that UPS guy (who happens to look like Mel Gibson) that that one lady has a huge crush on? (bend, and snap!) Well, we totally have the same thing going on here. That UPS guy in his little brown outfit seems to put some people around here in a fluster. He even sort of looks like the guy in the movie, except he has these annoying mirrored sunglasses. He's nice enough, though.

I'm not in America!

So I thought I would blog. Our London trip has been fab so far. I only have 7 minutes left on the interwebs, so this will be brief.

Here are some of the things we've done/seen:

-We shopped in a bunch of markets yesterday and today. So far, Kate has purchased 27 dresses. Yes, like the movie. Ok, maybe she actually bought 9 dresses. Maybe more. Ok.
-We went to see The Lion King! Which I really liked.
-We attempted to find some of the things on the list I made before the trip. Two of them didn't seem to exist. One was a graveyard but it was closed. Phail.
-BUT I did roll down a giant hill of grass in a park near the graveyard. Win! (Epic photos to come)
-We've eaten Fish and Chips and our other favorite British Foods. There aren't many, but the ones we like, we REALLY like.
-We went to wave in front of the Abbey Road webcam for our loyal fans at home (read: grandparents, my dad's friends, etc.) Then we called them to see if they saw us. They did! Including Kate's two cartwheels!

Other things we're going to do:
-We may go to Oxford by bus tomorrow if it isn't raining!
-I've got tons more shopping to do.
-We're seeing more shows.

MY TIME IS UP BYE!

Farewell, mainland.

I leave tomorrow for London (Insert exclamations of excitement here!)

I'm mostly packed and will finish today between jobs. 

I'll probably be blogging from the UK, so if you're bored/interested/both, look for a post!

It will be nice to have a break from work, but it's not that I haven't enjoyed my jobs so far this summer.

I got a new computer here in Housing, and I took the liberty of installing Digsby, Safari and Open Pandora. Hope that was ok! I'm getting more phone calls than ever, mostly about fall assignments. I've mastered my greeting/farewell ("Kyou'rewelcomebye!") They are slightly robotic.

I've done three training sessions at Royal Bean with my fourth to happen tonight. I love it there! The people are nice and I learned how to make the fancy drinks a lot quicker than I thought I would. It's a wonderful place. Stop by to visit Saturdays or Sundays between 1 and 6 or on Monday nights!

I hope everyone has a fabulous 10 days. 

"The day was 24 hours long, but it seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go and nothing to buy -- and no money to buy it with."

--Scout Finch, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Summer is in full swing. This one seems to be lazier than some in the past, and I'm not really in a rush to go anywhere or do anything. There are a few things, though, that are going on over the next three months.

Here they are:

Trips

My family will be going to London in 10 days! I haven't been since my senior year of high school and I'm anxious to return. This will be the latest in the spring I've ever been there, so it will be warmer usual. That will be nice. I spent a considerable amount of time a while back researching things to see besides typical touristy spots. I discovered open air markets/city farms/galleries/etc. that sound really great, so hopefully we can make it to a few of those. For a bunch of them, though, I just have Tube stops written down. Believe it or not, you don't typically exit the Tube and see what you're looking for. Unless you're looking for Big Ben, because it's sort of hard to miss.

The other trip is one I recently signed up for. In July, I'll be backpacking in North Cascades/Olympic National Park in Washington State. For a long while, I've been obsessed with Washington and Alaska, even though I've never been to either state. I've also never been backpacking before. This is just going to be great. Tabitha [edit: and Julia!!! are] going, too.

Work

It just wouldn't be summer without a few jobs. I'm working in the Housing office on campus -- where I've worked since January -- in the mornings Monday through Friday. I just got a job at a a coffee shop on Hillsborough Street where I'll work Saturdays, Sundays and Monday evenings. I start training this week. I'm looking forward to it. Come visit me and I should be able to make delicious coffee for you.

Other things

I started a book club, which many of you five people that read my blog are members of, so you already know. Anyway, I'm about to start the first book, once I finish "The Fountainhead," which is taking me entirely too long to read. I mean, I like it, it's just dragging a bit. The club is going to be great, though! We'll be reading seven fabulous books.

In other news,

• I'm taking a history class on DVD second session.
• I'll be spending long hours at the pool on weekday afternoons.
• I have to get in shape before the backpacking trip. It's really not an option.
• I'll be reading ridiculous amounts of dinosaur comics, which are totally worth my time.
• I want to try sushi. That was one of my goals last summer but it never happened. It's going to happen.
• I'll be watching hours and hours of CSI re-runs.
• And I'm really excited that the new Narnia movie comes out this weekend.

I suppose that's my summer. On paper it looks like I'll have a lot of free time -- I don't deal too well with that. I'm up for any sort of outing/adventure. Really.

Happy summer everyone!

Headline: Luckadoo family to enter the hood

My family leaves for London in 19 days. Yesterday, I checked my email (ok, I am perpetually checking my email, so by checked, I mean I was staring at my inbox and one came in), and my dad had written to ask if my sister and I would be interested in going to see one more show while we are there (we are already going to see Wicked and The Lion King). He included a link to the Ticketmaster page, and when I read the description, I almost fell out of my chair.

Here it is:
"Don't miss the theatrical event of the year - the likes of which has never been seen before in the West End.

Into the Hoods is a fabulous fusion of fairytales, groovy tunes, wicked dance moves and cool movies, performed by the multi-talented and critically-acclaimed `ZooNation'. Originating at Sadler's Wells, the show has been the smash-hit of the last two Edinburgh Fringe Festivals.
Featuring music from Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Prince, Basement Jaxx, Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, James Brown, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, Black Eyed Peas, Bob Marley, The Chemical Brothers, and many more.

"Into the Hoods is a family-friendly musical full of wicked old skool, R&B and Mo-town grooves that'll leave you spinnin' on your head." - Sunday Times

"The staging is witty and fun. Best of all is the music - a fantastic compendium of soul, funk and pop numbers, plus all the most irresistible hip hop jams from the past 20 years" - Daily Telegraph

"***** It's standing ovation stuff." - Metro"

I think that last line pretty much sums it up.

Anyway, I thought he must be kidding, because he likes to do that. Quite frequently. And, while I often make my mom listen to K 97.5 with me in the car and I think she likes it, this sounds like the last thing my parents would choose to do on our vacation.

So I didn't write back or anything, then this morning I wake up and see this email from my dad:

from	Dad
to		mcluckad@ncsu.edu, kcluckad@ncsu.edu, deblucknc@aol.com,
date		Fri, May 2, 2008 at 8:53 AM
subject		Got Tickets

I just got four tickets to Into the Hoods. It looks like a great show. Our seats are excellent...in the very front section. We got tickets that are normally 39.50 pounds ( $79) for 10 pounds. So, instead of $316, we spent $80. I checked the site five minutes after I ordered ours and they were all gone.


HAHAHAHAAH.

It's going to be the best day of our lives. I can't believe it.

The best dream ever. No really, you've never had a more exciting dream.

So this morning I woke up at 8:15 because I was supposed to go to Vintage with Jennifer, but she didn't feel well, so I went back to sleep at 9:15 with America's Next Top Model on. Consequently, I began to dream that I was on the show and I was in the top 12 finalists. Yes, Tyra was there, and yes, it was awesome. We were in this big room where we were going to practice our walks and maybe some dancing, and I was supposed to do my walk across the room but my legs were shaking so bad from nervousness that it didn't go so well. Anyway, both Julia and my dad came to support me, and I remember going up to them and saying how I felt bad because I really didn't care about modeling and that I just wanted to be on the show. I also remember saying I thought I would be the next to be voted off, but that was OK because I would still get to be on the opening credits of the show.

Here's where my dream becomes even BETTER. So for some reason, us top models were staying in this random hotel. All I know is that it had green carpets. Anyway, after a long day of modeling, I was heading back to my room. I reached the door I thought was mine and tried my key (which was remarkably similar to my Bragaw suite key..) and it worked. However, when I walked in, the room was not mine and also was covered in blood spatters. I then entered my other favorite show, CSI. My first instinct was to run out, but I knew my fingerprints were on the doorknob and I didn't want to be a suspect. So I went ahead and called the police.

Then I woke up before Grisham and Catherine could show up to investigate.

Thank you, Jennifer Blue, for allowing me to have that amazing dream.

I don't think it's too late to post about Belize.

And the story of that trip definitely deserves to be told! It's hard to believe I'm sitting here on my laptop, surrounded by material things with a flush toilet and a hot shower a few feet away -- the complete opposite of my surroundings just last week. My experience in Belize was truly a cultural one.

I thought that was something I had in Ecuador, but the shiny tile floors, television and modern bathroom of a hotel room could not provide that to the extent a small, wooden hut with a thatched roof could. I don't miss the roosters -- which crowed at all hours of the night (yes, the movies are lying to you about roosters crowing at sunrise) -- the bug bites, or the hot sun.

I do, however, miss the simplicity of life and the sense of purpose I felt while we were there. It was really nice to walk home after a hard day of work to the smiling faces of our host family. I miss the sudden Mayan conversations during dinner that I did not understand a word of. And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I even miss cramming 17 people into that van built for fewer and driving somewhere completely new. I could ramble on and on about my trip, but if you are really interested in reading my ramblings, check out my commentary written for the Technician.