Yesterday I took a stroll down to the Parliament building and Westminster Abbey to take some pictures of Big Ben (side note: actually the name of the bell and not the clock or the tower). I was being all touristy, wandering around with my giant camera.

It was getting late and I had to be at a prospective flat for a viewing soon so I went to check the time on my new, very cheap British phone. The phone would not turn on; it kept going blank and then restarting. After about five minutes of this, I was getting worried because I wasn’t sure how much time I had to get to my very important appointment. (I was living out of what was basically a cupboard in a hostel at the time, so getting an apartment was top priority.) So I’m rushing to the tube station, worrying like crazy that I’ve lost track of time, and getting increasingly angry at my stupid phone.

I was just about to give up and ask someone for the time when it hit me. I’m basically standing directly under Big Ben. Which has what on it exactly? Oh yeah, A GIANT f-ing CLOCK. I’d been wandering around for ten minutes freaking out about what time it was and all I needed to do was look up.