Brighton is for hipsters

Damn daddy, it is hot. Brighton's currently experiencing a heat wave, and so I'm sticky icky all day, every day. Since hot weather is few and far in between here, none of the buildings on campus have AC. This makes sitting through a 2 1/2 hour class somewhat dreadful, but I'm not complaining! Even though the heat makes me sluggish and lazy, I'm loving everything here.

Since the sun rises very early and sets extremely late, the days are long and drawn out. I don't constantly feel rushed or stressed here (like I do at UCSD). I can actually take my time to do things and chill when I want to. It's amazing.

Observation: there be beer all up in my grill. The English consume it the way we drink boba or water, and it ain't no thang to them. A few days ago, I visited le pub with some frands and had my first pint of Strongbow, which was tolerable because it tastes like apple cider. Standing at 5'4" and weighing ~105 lbs, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I can drink. I guess I have my pops to thank for that. Relatives, if you are reading this -- I promise that I am being responsible and careful :)

A few days ago, I ventured into town for some groceries. We visited Sainsbury, which looks like a museum from the outside. No joke. The exterior is comprised entirely of dark and weathered bricks, and the place looks enormous because it's attached to a multilevel parking structure. Complete with an escalator for people and shopping carts, Sainsbury is fancier than the supermarkets back at home mos def. In the store, I noticed that items are packaged differently than they are in America. Nothing is Costco-sized, so bigger is not better. All of the portions are reasonable and small, which I appreciate. Oh, and everything expires quickly because the food doesn't contain a grip of preservatives. Downside is that it's not very convenient to have to pick up milk or bread every two to three days, but it is healthier afterall.

I also toured Brighton the same day. It's difficult to capture how I felt walking through the streets of Brighton, but I srsly dig it. One section known as North Laines is a hipster's paradise, full of vintage clothing boutiques, sex shops, and everything avant garde. I definitely got a feel of how liberal this place is upon passing stores called "Penetration" and "Pussy". I'm going to be immature and insert a giggle here, hehehehe! Everything is really compact and close together, and on top of each shop is an apartment. Vair kewl. It's like San Fran meets Universal Studios Hollywood. A lot of people were commenting how it seemed like we were walking through a movie set. There's a lot of tagging and street art found in random alleyways in Brighton, and the pieces are phenomenal. There's also a swanky, "cultured" side of town, lined with pubs, jewelry stores, and expensive eateries. Afterward, we walked along the pebble beach, and people were still sitting by the water, despite it being 9 in the evening. Of course, no one was actually in the water because it's fuhreezing.

When dinner time rolled around, we decided upon FATLeo's which was a bomb Italian restaurant. Since our group was so big, we received VIP treatment and took up the entire second floor. Surprisingly, the food was well-priced AND tasty. I paid about 6 pounds for a plate of mussels and lasagna. SO DANK.

Let the good timez roll.