-I am unhealthily excited for Iceland. Alex is getting back to me on Wednesday with her final answer on whether or not she's coming, but if she's not, I have to go myself. I'd be a moron not to: this is my chance. It's also probably one of the safest countries in the world to go to alone (I mean, only slightly more than 300,000 people live in the entire country, and it's not exactly a tumultuous place...anything more than pickpocketing is pretty much unheard of, and even that's supposed to be quite rare). I was in town today, and H&M had a sale on all the leftover winter stuff, so I got a white, marshmellow-esque puffer coat for Iceland for £15. It was both unnecessary and a good idea: The average temperature during the day in Reykjavik in March/April is about 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's not exactly deathly cold: it was colder than that in Connecticut over Christmas (and pretty much every year) and I survived (and loved it). However, since I do plan to go out on a Northern Lights hunt, which I think is about 3-4 hours long, I thought I needed some warmer clothes than a trench coat with a zip-out wool lining or an L.L. Bean fleece. I figure it can get windy out in the Icelandic wilderness, and that I'll probably be standing in snow. I'm also going to need to get some real winter gloves for that venture (since all I have here are Ann Taylor cashmere knit ones and American Eagle knit hobo gloves), but I stopped myself from buying warmer shoes (£5 for mock-Uggs at Primark, though, which certainly would be warmer than sneakers), since I know how to survive in these temperatures and I don't seem to feel cold like a normal person anyway. We'll see. I wish I could teleport all of the things I own in America to England free of charge: I have proper shoes and jackets at home that I don't want to/can't afford to rebuy in England just for a single 3-day-long trip to the Arctic Circle.

I'm going to really have to debate packing for this whole venture, though: If Alex comes and we go to Iceland between April 2 and 5, I think it's cheapest for me to spend the nights of the 5th and 6th in London and then go straight to Gatwick Airport on the 7th to fly to Germany. This would mean I have to pack for Iceland, Germany, and Greece all in the same suitcase. This may pose a problem: there's a 40+-degree difference between the first destination and the last, and I really don't want to lug a down jacket to Athens and Santorini. If Alex doesn't come, though, I'll probably go to Iceland in mid-late March to avoid the whole question of Easter: as much as I'd love to be somewhere exciting on Easter, I don't know if that weekend would be the best for sightseeing, since according to one of my new shiny Iceland guidebooks, the nation gets a week-long holiday for Easter. Who knows even if the Blue Lagoon would be open? Despite that whole Easter question, though, I would love to be able to buy Jónsi's album in Iceland just to say I did (it comes out on April 5, the day I think I'd probably be leaving the country). Ah, well.

I also bought a stupid, flimsy little portable tripod for my camera from Poundland for £1. It's not going to do the job nearly as well as my proper tripod would at home, but I think it's pretty much impossible to get ahold of that just for this trip, and I'm going to need something to hold the camera steady if I hope to get even one semi-decent photo of the Northern Lights. I may even look into prices of remote shutter-releases...I've always wanted one anyway.

-Speaking of Iceland, Jónsi is going to be playing the Forum in London on May 26. I'm thrilled I'll be in the right country at the right time for once (UNLIKE HOW THE STROKES ARE PLAYING THEIR FIRST GIG IN YEARS AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT ON JUNE 12), but I'm not so thrilled that it's during the exam period and UEA has yet to release the exam schedule (bastards). The presale is Wednesday, and I won't know until mid March whether or not I'll have an exam that conflicts with the concert. Whatever. Unless I have an exam in the late afternoon on May 26 or any time on May 27, I'm going to go. Of course, this means I will inevitably have exams during those times, but I guess I can just sell the ticket later. I think they're going to be cheap anyway: in the ballpark of £15. I'll get one for myself on Wednesday and then wait to see what my exam schedule looks like before seeing if anyone else wants to come.

-Have I ever mentioned how much I hate social drama? I guess what I'm in the midst of now is relatively tame and temporary on the drama-scale (I hope temporary, anyway), but Christ, sometimes I honestly believe that I'd rather not have friends at all than get involved in stupid spats over who said what to who and when and what happened after that. I think the last time I was in something like this, I was twelve. Maybe it's on a bit of a larger scale this time than it was in middle school, but the essence of it is still the same, and if both parties would just accept realism and logic, it would be clear that it would be a non-issue, though regrettable. Vague enough for you, eh?

-Despite loving the shopping here, I've finally put my finger on something: I get annoyed by fashion in the UK sometimes. The styles are so...high-maintenance, and everything is a show and everything has a scene. In America, I feel like a lot of the time, the styles are more effortless, or they appear to look more natural, even if you spent twenty minutes making your ponytail look like you just swept it up. I miss simpler, comfier clothes being acceptable, and I get tired of all these girls (and guys) trying so hard to fit a style or a scene with their heavy eye makeup and pin-straightened scenester haircuts. There's some unwritten rule that "going out," even to a few pubs, means that girls must put on a dress, heels, and heavy makeup, and walk on cobblestones in cold temperatures and sweaty pubs with all that on. I've been a bit more conscious about what I wear and buy, I suppose, but it's almost tiring to be the only one wearing jeans and a hoodie, or even just a cardigan and a nice t-shirt, not because I feel like a slob, but because it's so boring when everyone else tries overly hard and ends up looking exactly the same as everyone else anyway. Buy what you like and wear it when you feel like it: Norwich city center on a weekday with your friends isn't a fashion runway, and you don't have to do your eyes and hair just to by some eggs from Tesco, or even get a pint at the pub.