Wow someone really hates my number 2 X Factor enemy...

I bet Katie Waissel made this...

Oh hellloooo

Just turned on the coolest show on TV, Time Team, just to see my boyfriend Dr. Jonathan Foyle wearing a hardhat and digging in dirt. Now he's gesturing enthusiastically with his hands, talking about the layout of a room. So hot.

Drinking, the national pastime of Great Britain

At some point over the last year my drinking habits completely changed. I didn't drink in high school (bc I was sooo KeWl!!), I baaareeelllyy drank in college, well I drank but not to the extent my peers did, and for most of grad school I rarely drank. Then around June my life started to change. Interestingly, this coincides with the end of my course and the beginning of my working career. Now being hungover is a weekend tradition of sorts. As is consuming a bottle of wine a night (a weekend night, I keep it easy on weekends). What has happened to me? I blame several factors:

1. Wine. I really really like wine. I don't know how I missed out on it throughout my undergrad. I mean I drank wine then but I didn't LOVE it. The problem is, I can drink wine verrryyy easily, I struggle to drink a beer, but wine I just guzzle. There were signs I'd have problems with wine. Like during my first Catz Night at Oxford (annual college fancy dinner and entz (Oxford party, blah too much lingo)) where I drank an entire bottle of wine and then basically spent 20 minutes telling poor Jonathan (who I BARELY knew) that he was a leprechaun who escaped Ireland because he drank ent (a la lord of the rings) water and grew so tall he was kicked out of his village. That's a true story, obviously not the leprechaun story, but I actually did tell Jonathan that story. I think it's a true sign of the destiny of our beautiful friendship that he didn't stop talking to me after that night and instead eventually invited me to the land of leprechaun's aka Northern Ireland. Anyways, I digress... I drink wine too easily. And wine is CHEAP here.
2. British drinking culture. British people can drink and they do so casually. What I mean is, in America when we would drink it would be usually a big to do, like let's look nice and go out. Here, people just drink whenever. I know I haven't been a Y-P in America, so it may be different, but I do think there's definitely a bigger drinking culture here.
3. I work with men. Men who love to drink. At happy hour on Fridays I forget my womanly body handles alcohol differently than them and try to keep up with them. Oh, and they always buy my drinks, so I drink more. Oyyyyy. Not good Hayley, not good.

This made me laugh so hard I literally could not breath. AMAZING.

Yes Please

This is actually my favorite piece of classical music ever. GORGEOUS. And this video is set to the final scene from Persuasion, though not from the version with mah baby Cieran Hinds. Aside, I still don't believe two people can be as much in love as Anne and Wentworth. Well, I don't believe men can love women that much. BITTER.

Anyways, this song is Oxford for me. I played it on my first coach ride into Oxford the moment it pulled into the city. The music fits autumn in England and just generally reminds me of Oxford and happy memories. Best.Year.Ever.

You go with your two feet bare Down through the cold lane there, to Brighton

What fantastic facial hair they all have.

A bonus to living in the UK is the access to more Louis Theroux. I remember two years ago (HOW WAS THAT TWO YEARS AGO!?) spending way too much time trying to locate Theroux's most documentary on the Phelps family, aka the most hated family in America. It was worth all the procrastination.

Tonight I watched his Weird Weekend with bodybuilders and it made my dinner infinitely more enjoyable.

By buying her book, I will clearly gain all the European male attention I've craved for years. I'm going to try that dance move the next time I'm anywhere that has music playing, such as EAT, which was playing Cloudbusting (!) when I went to go buy my sandwich today.

Found on BWE btw