Naturally, I’m doing a little of both right now. Tonight’s match is of no major importance, so I decided to do some work while I watched. Once in a while I can look up, check where the ball is on the pitch, and resume working with the full comprehension of what’s going on. As far as I can think of, there aren’t really any other sports like that. Not hockey, basketball or American football that’s for sure. Maybe baseball, but you could lose your place in the game pretty easily if you miss an inning or two.

So in my unofficial poll of sports I just thought about in my brain, football is the most versatile. Pretty cool, right?

(Just don’t mention this to any Englishmen, or any Europeans for that matter, because they would be very, very angry I said this. To them, this is a lifestyle and a passion that must be follow down to the second, even if the match does feature your shadow squad with some first-timers in a league round robin stage you’ve already completed. Still, they’re obsessed.)

It isn’t that I’m against these options, but something else comes into play when making my decision: The e-reader.

To be fair, I am not sold on the concept of a Kindle or Nook or whatever company will call theirs Cranny. But I am also not totally against the idea. I, you see, am a nerd, ready to read whatever I can, whenever I can, about a variety of interests. So the idea of getting my magazines, newspapers and books (maybe even some I have to read for classes) onto one object appeals to me greatly.

Here’s where this affects my phone debate: The Nook has wi-fi and works on Android, which means it could potentially have the hardware to run Android apps. If I get an e-reader with decent wi-fi and applications, do I really need a cell phone like the iPhone? (Of course, Android is fairly new so we don’t know how much it’ll work out, or how much Nook will work to allow for using it for its apps.)

Also, what if I got an iPod Touch and just used two devices, one phone, one application device? That totally eliminates the previous e-reader conversation for now, but it is still a potential option.

The downside I see to a wi-fi device not connected to a network is a loss of using a device anywhere. With an iPhone, Jack or Blackberry, I could be on the web no matter where. With the iPod Touch or Nook, I would be limited to certain locations where I pick up the wi-fi.

I know there are a decent amount of you tech nerds like me our there, so help me out! Got an idea for me? This is quite a tech nerds dilemma.

Am I going? Heck no. I live next door to these shops and pass them nearly every day. As much fun as I’m sure the street performers are, I’d rather go at times that I have established as less busy and therefore more efficient for the shopper. (These, apparently, are the things I take time to think about here).

It a plan that reminds me of the new traffic free efforts in Times Square, which people seemed to love. If it proves to be a boon for business then I say kudos to London. But at the same time, it is only for about nine hours once a year, so it’s not like it changes much. Shut it down for a week of shopping, and let’s see how many VIPs show up then.

Personally, I cannot decide whether or not to buy Christmas presents for friends and family here or in the States. Saying the present is “from London” would be nice, but everything is so darn expensive. I guess there will be more to come on that when I make a decision.

It is odd to think that my time is winding down here. Just yesterday I was searching for a flat with people I barely knew, wondering where the hell we were and why there were so many bloody people in costumes (we got stuck in the middle of a carnival). But now we are discussing ways to return to the airport, getting back our security deposit and how to best clean the place we’ve called home since the last weekend in August.

I am excited to go back, don’t get me wrong. Home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be in Pennsylvania (sounds pretty anti-poetic, doesn’t it?). But London will always hold a place near and dear as well. That I am sure of.

And now as American students return to the grindstone refreshed and focused on the end game of finals that is looming in the distance, American students abroad are left wondering where our tank-filling time is. Even though the time being spent here has been amazing, I still am starting to run low on gas. Not that it’s taking a toll. Of course not.

With the weight of the grades in my courses placed on these last few weeks, and in an attempt to finish off strong at ORBIS, I am currently running later and later into the night to ensure all my work gets done at a quality level.

It surely does not help my cause that I am perfectionist when it comes to things one cannot perfect. I’ve re-edited the open to a video presentation over five times and continually switched the music. But hey, that’s the cost of doing business.

How will I stay awake through these last few weeks? Coffee? Don’t drink it. Soda? Possibly. The new After Eight McFlurry from McDonald’s? Absolutely.

I, however, am sitting at work.

No turkey. No stuffing. No American football.

Just me and my desk.

Ouch.

Britain isn’t into this whole Thanksgiving thing yet, which alludes me, because I feel like Britain has plenty to be thankful for. Take us, for example. They should hold a Thanksgiving to thank their lucky stars that we revolted and left the Empire. If we didn’t, I imagine the Colonies as that kid in the back of the class that keeps causing problems but won’t listen to authority.

Britain could also be thankful for bangers and mash, the Queen, and their troops protecting them around the world.

So Britain, get on this Thanksgiving band wagon. Sure, the holiday’s beginnings have absolutely nothing to do with you, but the idea is nice, right?

…Kidding. That’d be a dumb post title then, wouldn’t it?

No, no. It’s rain. Cold rain, specifically.

Take this morning. A cold rain outside, so I wore a sweater and a jacket for my two minute walk to the Tube station. Two fat-kid-stomach-packed trains later and I’m sweating like I just lied to the President about WMDs. Then back out of the the Tube and up into the rain again. Then a ride on the lift and into the office.

I was hot, sweaty, and gross, and all before 9 am. Not that I’m up in arms about it or anything.

The topper on this cake of nasty? The sun just came out.

The saying is right: fact is much more twisted than fiction.

Anywho, there is still a lot that needs to be accomplished. Unlike in Ithaca, where my classes have grades spread all over the semester, the courses here are heavily weighted to the back half of the semester. That means that as nostalgia sets in and I want to see more of the city, I also have more work to stay on top of.

Talk about a dilemma.

So the plan is this: Do as much during the day as I can in the city, and do as much in the night for school as I can. So far it seems to be working out pretty well, but at the same time I’m pretty tired, so we’ll see how long this plan lasts.

How do you manage your time? I hope you’re a lot better at it than I am!

I live in Marble Arch, well, on the edge of it. It isn’t politically incorrect around here to say that it is generally an Asian Subcontinent and Middle Eastern population in this area. There is also a large African population here and in other parts of London. And a large Asian population. And a large, well, everything. London is a city of diversity. A city of many colors, languages and cultures. Which is why London is really more a world city than a Brit city.

That statement would probably upset plenty of Brits, and I understand why. But in reality, this truly is the center of the world. With its unique connections to the United States, Europe, and the nations of the former Empire, I believe Britain, and more specifically London is centerpiece of the world.

Now why does this matter when it comes to sport? Well, this little thing called the World Cup is coming up. Teams from all around the world have been attempting to qualify. I could pretty much tell you every team that’s qualified in recent weeks because each successful team has spawned spontaneous street chanting, car honking, flag waving, and my personal favorite, in-street fireworking.

Yes, fireworks. Being set off. In the middle of a street. Mere blocks from my flat.

Fire codes be damned, for this is a party.

So while I appreciate a good sport like any other American, I really don’t think we embrace them as fully as other nations. Coming from a guy who grew up a Philadelphia sports fan, that’s saying a lot.

Diversity plays a huge role in this, and our understanding of society. And I hope everyone can get to experience true diversity at one point or another. The experience is what brings forth understanding. The understanding bring compassion. And with compassion comes a whole lot of awesome love and friendship.

The UK, as you’ve probably heard, has the NHS or National Health Service. On Sunday, I got to test it out.

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless to avoid embarassment (and no this isn’t me protecting my own health) needed some expert doctor advice on Sunday, so we went to the Emergency Room.

In case you were wondering, it was no fast process. Thirty minutes to see a nurse, then another two hours to get to sit down and chat with a doctor. The doctors all work in the ER on rotation, which means that they may specialize in something that has nothing to do with you. Sounds kind of like America, right?

Personally I am a supporter of the bill that’s been passed by the House. I think it is a step in the right direction. But I sure hope people don’t think it’s going to make the waiting lists as hospitals go down. Or make everyone immediately cured of all diseases.

This Barack Obama is potentially a miracle worker. Just not those kinds of miracles.

And as an aside, how do you pronounce the word “miracle”? Apparently I do it wrong.