Jazz Guild, Selly's Sausage and Mobile

On Friday night some of us went down to the Guild, which is essentially the IMU but with a bar in it, to see some live jazz and blues. They were doing an open mic night for any musicians on campus who wanted to play.

Sadly, there wasn't much in the way of live playing but they still kept playing jazz over the stereo system. It was pretty crowded in there anyway and we were just around the corner from where the musicians were playing.

It was a very relaxing night of just cocktails and conversations. It was much better than any of the clubs I've been to. The closest thing to that in Iowa City is the Mill.

The night wore on into conversations and a late night jaunt through the area surrounding Oakley Court which lasted until four.

I woke up the next day around two. We were all going to Selly's Sausage for a brunch. I love that place. I can't speak highly enough of the full English.

This time though, I had the super big breakfast. It was three of everything. One thing I love with the big breakfast that it is so massive and with so many ingredients that it is very easy for them to forget something minor when they put it together. They had forgotten to give me black pudding which I'm okay with. I tried it. It was okay but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat it.

Afterward, Caitlin and I went off to the Bullring via train. I was in search of a phone or as the Brits call it a mobile.

I got a cheap pay as you go plan which I can top up as much as I need. I can get 100 minutes for 10 quid. I don't think I'll be on the phone that much.

I also went to the bookstore while I was in the area. It's not in the Bullring but it is down the way in sort of the shopping district. The previous week, when we were lost trying to find a place to eat, I had noticed this bookstore.

Waterstones. There is a small one on campus. This one though, is massive. It was three floors tall and felt like I was in a huge library. They also have one hell of a deal. Buy 3 and get 2 free.

Did I take advantage of this deal? Hell yeah I did.

I picked up for myself:

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
White Jazz by James Ellroy

I kind of have a problem with buying too many books. I've already bought several others.

The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I guess I'm at a point in which I would rather have a massive library than a massive DVD collection.