7:30AM - Alarm clock goes off.
8AM - Alarm clock goes off.
8:10AM - Dan goes off: "Are you going to your interview?"
Most people prepare for a crucial interview by conducting extensive background research on the hiring company and waking up early after a solid night's rest to undertake a vigorous grooming process, so as to reach his or her highest possible level of aesthetic social presentation. I prefer to wake up drunk, put my clothes on and leave.
Dan and I left together early in the AM for our respective interviews (Julian had already taken names, interviewed and kicked some ass last week). Apparently I was incoherent for the first thirty minutes after getting out of bed. I was told later that, after lots of stumbling and mumbling around, I asked Dan and Julian (who was still sleeping, having had his interview last week, as previously mentioned) if they wanted me to make them toast and marmalade as I got dressed. Having only 3 hours of sleep, it was clear that the celebration from the night before was going to continue on through my interview.
After a very emotional parting of ways at the Gloucester Tube station, where Dan went West, I went East towards London Bridge, where I am applying for an internship at a small creative agency, called B'LOWfish (www.blowfishnet.com). Over the past week I have executed several behavioural studies of London culture (including adding u's to certain words, and replacing z's with s's). Among the fascinating findings, exists a pattern in which people in London refuse to speak to each other on the Tube (further investigation is being funded to determine whether or not this behavior is imitated across all forms of public transportation). The English are very serious about keeping complete train car silence - this has been confirmed, moreover, by Marketing Professor Jackie Bishop, who was shocked to find out students in our class have been approaching fellow Tube patrons.
Anyway, despite the toast and marmalade that I may or may not have had in the morning before we left, hunger was steadily creeping up on me throughout my 20 minute commute. Minding the gap and stepping off the train at my stop, London Bridge, I was now totally arrested by the command of my stomach. Luckily I am working in the area of London known as the Media and Creative Center (similar to a financial center, but cooler); the significance of my location lies with the phenomenon known as marketing promotion, and the high concentration of marketing and advertising agencies in the area. Upon walking through the exit turnstiles, the light of day shining through from the street, I was approached by a team of uniformed samaritans. The wishes of my grumbling stomach had been answered by a promotionial box from Lurpak Perfect Breakfasts... thank you marketing gods. The box contained a fresh croissant which rest atop a neatly folded napkin and plastic knife, not to mention a single serving glass container of jam and butter.
After a very satisfying snack, I toured the area for a while before ringing up from the iron-cased, snake encrested gates that separate B'LOWfish from the street and guard against intruders. After a young girl with the sides of her head shaved, leaving the top of her scalp with a long, flowing ponytail, came down to collect me, I waited in a conference room for a few minutes. After turning down several drinks, I finally agreed to some water which I sipped ceremoniously as I stole furtive glances of the main floor of the agency through the door. There were thick 10x12 drawing pads that contained the agency logo in the bottom right-hand corner laid neatly in front of every seat at the conference table, and the walls of the small room were a sporadic combination of bleach-bright white sheetrock and exposed brick. Then the three head creatives/partners walked in.
They were all really cool, down to Earth, and easy to talk to. We went over my resume and campaigns I've worked on, I told them what I was looking for at their agency, the ads I liked and why, how I've been spending my time in London (as if not apparent by my image) and just joked about a lot of things. Less of an interview, our hang-out session ended after, roughly, 45 minutes.
Extatic, I walked over the cobblestone path and left through the iron gates, wide-eyed and quite content. It was still early, and such a nice day, that I decided to walk around the area a bit and check out the sites. Right near the River Thames, I checked out some now familliar landmarks that I've mentioned before: the Mayor's Testicle, the Fishnet Condom (which was peaking the tip of its head out over some buildings in the distance... oh please, you're sick) and, of course, London and Tower Bridge.
After lunch and a well needed nap, Julian, Matt and I walked a few blocks to the Museum of Natural History. We were enammored by the Dinosaur Exhibition, which featured many fossils and a life-sized moving/sneering/roaring T-rex. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed breaking out the raptor moves that have been extinct now for about 2 semesters.
By the time we got back to the room, after the grocery store, around 5:45pm, Dan was just waking up. We made dinner and hung out in the room with a bunch of our friends. After the 20th person walked by to ask us what we were doing/where we were going, we decided it was about time to stop having fun and leave. We caught a bus to Leicester Square and, after hitting up Club B.K. (Burger King) for use of their world renowned facilities, made our way through the city, visiting new places.
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