Universality of Parades

I will not be writing for nearly as long as last time around, as it is 4:55 am, and I need to try to get back to bed. Last night, I fell asleep at 11ish, and I slept until about 4:00 am. Waking up at four with no problem is strange (and frustrating), but at least Sunday was a good first full day in London.
The day began with the me waking up at 11:30 am after a sleep-spotted night of cold-- apparently sheets will not do the job of keeping me warm when it is 50 degrees. Unfortunately, 11:30 was the magic number, as I was to have been at an orientation at that very same time. I woke up at the correct time according to my phone clock, however, the time on that phone was incorrect. Thanks, Piccell. Anyway, I had to catch a taxi ($), and at least that was nice. The driver liked me. Despite my tardiness, Lisa, the CEA rep., was not the least bit upset.
After being oriented (a courgette is a zucchini, but I don't want it in either language), I was off to find a proper alarm clock before the 2 pm walking tour. I found one at a local Boots.
The group met at Oxford Circus. Nate Miller has often spoken of LillyWhites, a sports paraphernalia store. There is one in Oxford Circus, but we were just meeting the guide there, so there was no time to stop in--later, I suppose.
To keep this short, the tour was fine. The little British lady spouted jokes that were obviously memorized (Lisa was not laughing much), but at least some of them were slightly amusing. Here is a quick summation of the tour: Piccadilly Circus, little parade, gentleman's clubs (not like Damon's, but clubs for actual gentlemen...with loads of cash), royal homes, joke about British royalty, disinterested look from Lisa, royal parks, joke about royal horses, distant view of Buck. Palace, fatigue, slight boredom, tube ride, reminders that this is an expensive place.
Of the many great things from Sunday was the realization that no matter where one finds him/herself in the world, a parade sucks just as much as anywhere else.