fried chicken in the fridge

Last night I dreamed that Melissa, Meredith, and I were in London, exploring a magnificent garden (that also happened to be sixty feet off the ground and feature a gift store with an amazing amount of Missouri memorabilia) facing Big Ben. (I also dreamed that an 1800s James McAvoy married me in a wedding officiated by JCG, but I don't even want to begin analyzing that.)

London has been on my brain lately, and not just because of soccer practice bringing it up every week night (and some weekends, as I do paperwork). My iPod keeps playing Sweeney Todd and Jekyll & Hyde, both set in the glorious city. I can't walk around my own apartment without seeing some mention of the Brits, from pictures and prints on the walls to titles in my DVD collection. More importantly, I've had questions/comments from people at work, people that I didn't realize knew about such things, about when I thought I might try to move to London.

The knee-jerk answer, of course, is three days from now, depending on how quickly I can find boxes and a storage rental place. The realistic answer becomes more complicated (and slightly depressing), what with its talk of exchange rates, work visas, dual citizenship taxes, and the distance across the ocean.

The distance from everyone I currently know would be the biggest deteriment right now, mostly because it's something I'd have to get over to start considering the others. It's hard enough trying to meet up with family and friends currently (as in: while we're on the same continent) where I can pull a quick long weekend by plane, if needed. Considering I seem to average two trips out of state per season in Texas, I can't see how my rate would improve when faced with $600 10ish hour flights. (Think about that one, Mom, the next time you're sad that this duckling is so far away. Actually, you probably already do.)

On the other hand, whenever I think about *not* moving to London, I get the same ache in my stomach that I used to feel every time I thought about ditching theater to do something else. And, as long as that keeps popping up, I'll keep checking exchange rates.