Three for three and my first day of class

BANKSIDE, LONDON, UK -- Well it ended up being quite the finish for a weekend in sports. Not only did Chelsea win 2-0 to stay on top of the table in the UK Premier League (which I happen to have a nice chunk of change on in Vegas at favorable odds), but the Bears stomped all over the Lions in their second half Sunday afternoon for a nice 48-24 win to go into their bye week at 3-1! Then, after I was long asleep, my pick in the pool, San Francisco, destroyed St. Louis 35-0, so I'm still in the pool, with insurance, and get to pick some ridiculous team this week and actually try to lose.

Yesterday was my first day of class, which went great, and it's officially in the books! I had a lecture and then later in the afternoon a seminar for the same class, GV4E9, which is code for "Issues and Approaches in Public Policy and Administration." It is the mandatory class for my MSc program, so everyone I met last week is in the lecture, plus it's open to other students, so we probably had around 30 students in the lecture (our program is 26), and then the seminars are half of the group, so 15 and 15. We basically had an introductory lecture on what the study of public policy and administration is, and then in the seminar compared it to bureaucracy and how bureaucracy is the administrative means by which policies are formed and then implemented.

Besides class yesterday I got another free SIM card with a couple of pounds on it, so after my cell phone pay-and-go money runs out I'll use this one just to see if it works. I also activated my landline in my room, so if it's cheaper for you to call a UK landline than a UK cell phone try this:

0044 844 550 6666 and then extension 22671

I also stopped by the HSBC bank and they gave my my account numbers and pass codes, so I can do online banking with them now. Still waiting for the Debit card however which should come in the mail later this week, that way I can make deposits without stopping in.

Lastly I went to the National Health Service registry, they copied my passport and I filled out some paperwork, and now later today I have an appointment with them for a quick physical and then I'll actually be registered in case I ever need to see a doctor or whatnot.

Other than that, today I have a few other things going on. I have another lecture at 12:30pm on Global Environmental Governance, which is a topic that fascinates me and should be really interesting. Immediately after that I am meeting my supervisor for the first time, to go over course choices and make sure I have actually registered for all of the requirements to get my MSc in on time, and then also to start talking about possible dissertation options.

After that is my physical with NHS, then a quick break for either a late lunch or early dinner before going to a Volunteering Fair at LSE where I can meet companies looking for volunteers and get active in that way.

Weather notes: yesterday was the first true garbage day in the two weeks I've been in London now (yup, two weeks from today already!), and go figure it was the first day of class. 50s, wind, and nasty rain. Bad news: today is more of the same. I can hardly see past St. Paul's, which means there is a whole lot of fog and rain and all kinds of gross. It's not so much of an issue right now, during the day, but at night to and then especially from that volunteer fair I'll have to keep an eye out for the slick spots.

So there you have it! Today is a full day, but tomorrow interestingly enough, nothing on the calendar! I suppose if there is something I can't get to - buying that Britta, cashing that 2 pound lotto ticket, etc - I can do it tomorrow.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!