last night was truly mahvelous, dahlings. i ducked out of work at five exact, went home for a quick change and bite, and hit up a yoga class just two tube stops away from my pad. i was a pro at the tube, like a bonafide superhero, my cape fluttering out behind me each time a passing subway car left me in its windy wake. i wish i had a camera to record the finesse with which i successfully navigated the rush-hour crowds, making my connection effortlessly and only having to stop for directions once when back above ground, arriving at the yoga studio, elated, with minutes to spare.

if you don't already know, i'm a great big fan of yoga. i'm been doing it on and off for the past few years and pretty religiously for the past six months. everyone should at the very least try it -- women, men, children, pets, everyone. it's the only thing that kept me sane during my very hectic first year of school. good for the spirit, soul, body, digestion, nervous system, everything. and despite the general disdain i have for all things exercise, yoga is one of three things i don't mind breaking a sweat for (the other two being sex and dancing, of course).

the class went well, will definitely repeat it. afterward, i slowly made my way back to the flat, which was unusually empty and quiet. i downed a huge bottle of water, and then sank into a hot bath, where i stayed until my fingertips turned into raisins. a slow shower and much needed mud mask followed, with the evening's finish line being the couch, where i sat calmly reading -- relaxed, refreshed, blissful.

meanwhile, all of the others in my program could be found in some london theatre suffering through a performance of "my fair lady," which judith kindly let me opt out of. my flatmates returned past 11 pm complaining that the play was indeed as boring as i had suspected it would be, making me even more pleased with my decision to do my own thing. that's something i've decided i need to do a bit more of while here. for all that these six weeks are a work experience, an education, an adventure, a vacation, they're also an opportunity to enter the alone zone. i used to have a golden rule that about 50% of my free time would be spent socially, the other 50 on my own. i haven't made those numbers in years. this summer will allow me to forget the mundane responsibilities of a dog that needs to be fed, the papers that need to be written, the deadlines that have to be met, the bills that require payment by day's end lest the water will be shut off. for a few brief weeks, all that can be pushed to the wayside in favor of lazy, long afternoons spent sitting pensive in a cafe, a simple pleasure i once enjoyed with frequency. sigh.