Mateless in London

This morning something startling happened. I was, as usual, squished into the sardine tin cesspool of doom sometimes referred to as the Circle Line, engrossed in my Ipod and pretending I was somewhere - anywhere - else, when I suddenly noticed a bloke had caught my eye and smiled at me. Not in a flirtatious kind of way - he was a good bit older than me - just in a friendly kind of way. A silent "hi". I was astounded. By lifting my head from where it was moulded, altogether too intimately, in a stranger's armpit, I glanced around to see if there was someone familiar to the Friendly Bloke smiling back at him. Nope. I mentally checked whether I was, once again, absent mindedly dancing to my Ipod (which does often motivate strangers to smile at me, in a somewhat pitying and slightly frightened kind of way). Nope. I looked back at the Friendly Bloke, but, having utterly befuddled me, he had gone back to his paper.

I was befuddled partially because that is my natural state at 8.39am, but also because that never, but never, happens on the London Underground. Or even in London, overground. Occasionally, when the tube, yet again, stops for no particular reason in a tunnel, people will catch each other's eyes in a common-irritation-eye-rolling-'typical' sort of way that Londoners do so well, but a random smile of friendliness? Never. I think that I am especially aware of just how isolated and - on the surface at least - glum Londoners appear, because I have just returned from Australia, where people grin away at each other all day. In all fairness, they do so in the sunshine and the knowledge that they could pop to the ocean for a quick swim or surf after work, which would make anyone smile; but, sardine tin tubes, crappy weather and distinct lack of ocean aside, London isn't all that bad - surely it deserves a smile or two?

It isn't just isolation from random strangers that London lacks - it is, in my experience at least, a lot more difficult to be social, full stop. Possibly because many commutes are so marathon-like, working hours so long, there is so much choice available, somehow keeping in touch with people - not to mention meeting anyone new - is a full time job. When I am in Vancouver, I hardly ever think conciously of having a social life - it just happens. Everyone somehow finds each other after work or at the weekend and we figure out something to do; but here, just arranging for a couple of us to get together for a drink involves dragging out diaries, negotiating over locations, and eventually settling on something early in 2007. There is definitely a bit of "I'm busier than you" one upmanship to contend with, which doesn't help, that Canadians just don't bother with. The first time I had a party in Vancouver, I was shocked when everyone I phoned to invite said either "sound's great, I'll be there" or "sorry, I can't make it". Yes or no, completely clear. No "well I'll have to see what I am up to…" or "I'll let you know closer to the time…" or "who else is going to be there?" Then, when everyone who said they would actually showed up at the exact time I invited them for you could have knocked me over with a feather. And not just because I had generously sampled a few pints of the punch I made in case I'd accidentally poisoned it.

I don't really know what my point is here, except to throw myself on the ground and wail like a two year old "I want to go back to Vancouver!!!" I think I am suffering from the post travelling blues a bit this week (they always hit just as the jet lag abates) so am down on London and up on… every where else really.

As a random mention - because no one would recognize that this was my blog otherwise - mention of the band that my grandma calls "inks", I am gutted about the Europe cancellation! It is so unlike them - I cannot think of another gig that INXS have cancelled, never mind three weeks of them - poor Tim must be in a bad way. I did notice him wincing a bit in Sydney, and a couple of friends who were at the Hobart and Melbourne concerts this weekend said that it was almost uncomfortable to watch him so clearly in pain. They did say that the concerts were phenomenal otherwise, so roll on Shepherds Bush!