10 Things I'm Looking Forward To

I don't think it's radical to say that I'm missing certain things I used to do before the pandemic. Nor are any of the below peculiar to me - indeed, I think a lot of people are already enjoying many of these things, whether because they live in places that have opened up, or because they live in places that never properly closed down.

Now, the one thing missing from this list is seeing my girlfriend, and that's because she's been spending weekends here with me lately. Having her here is the most important thing of all, and it means waiting for these other things is more bearable.

Getting a drink at the pub: I'm not the biggest drinker, and it's been a while since I've been able to do this, but what I'd really like is one of those lazy Sunday afternoons like I used to get in London, where I'd meet a friend or two, get a nice pub lunch and settle in to watch one or two Premier League matches. The pub lunches would be traditional Sunday roast dinners - roast beef, vegetables, mash and gravy, and my personal favorite part, Yorkshire puddings. I'd wash the food down with a glass or two of Coke, then with belly comfortably lined, I'd switch to a couple of beers. And at the end, not too badly off after the beers and food, I'd ramble home on the train or the tube, full and happy.

Seeing my friends in person: this is kind of allied to the one above, but it's a little more general - I'd love to be able to get together with a group of friends, in a pub or a restaurant or someone's house, and not have to worry about where they've been, whether they'll infect me (or I'll infect them), etc. I've seen my sweetie a few times in the last month, and I've seen my mom and stepdad once, but it'd be great to have dinner, a game night, anything like that.

Getting on a plane: It's funny, given how obnoxious the process of flying anywhere has become since 2001, with every year a new indignity or fee to pay, but what's undimmed is my excitement at being in an airport, getting on a plane and getting to land somewhere new. Or if not somewhere new, then getting back to someplace that I know - it could be Orange County, London, Turin or a new spot like Singapore, Buenos Aires or Tokyo. And while it's being somewhere new that I really miss, settling in for my flight ritual (getting headphones, iPad and book out for easy access, shedding layers I won't need, etc) always means I'm going somewhere new.

Going to a football match: I mentioned watching games on TV earlier, but I also can't wait for the day when I can go to a match in person. And if I say football match, take it as read that I'd like to be able to go to a baseball game or an NFL game or a hockey game too. I wasn't a great one for going to matches when I lived in London, but on the occasions I did go it was a nice way to spend an afternoon - especially when I took friends to see Fulham play at Craven Cottage in West London. They happened to be the cheapest tickets available in the Premiership at the time, and if you went at the start of the season, the location along the river and the family atmosphere was extraordinarily agreeable. And if the quality of MLS isn't quite as high, I'm equally looking forward to catching an Earthquakes game at Avaya Stadium here in Santa Clara.

Sitting at a cafe with a book: this one isn't something I do much here, but it's something I love doing when I'm out of town. I remember some good stops at cafes in Buenos Aires and in Paris, especially after some epic walks through the towns. The one in Buenos Aires was notable for a weird reason (someone had slipped me a fake banknote, though I had a real one to give the waitress when I paid) and for a lovely reason, which is that the hot chocolate and croissant I had were so tasty.

Going to the movies: again, I'm not the only person who misses going to the movies. But it's worth saying - watching a movie in a darkened room on a huge screen, among loads of people who are just as excited about it as me, is something else I'm looking forward to. And making plans with friends or with my honey to go see something is great, but I also miss the times I've dropped in alone at the cinema on a whim and caught something fun, like Drive or Teen Titans Go to the Movies.

Walking down Piccadilly to the Big Waterstones: this one takes in a few different things. First is browsing bookshops for fun - I've mentioned the Big Waterstones, which is my favorite bookstore in the world, but I equally miss stopping in at Kepler's here in Menlo Park, or Books Inc in Palo Alto and Mountain View, or even the two afternoons I spent at Powell's in Portland. But the Big Waterstone's has its own ritual, which involves me taking in all five floors of books, including sometimes the cafe. Of course, there's a ritual involved before I get to the store - which is walking down to Piccadilly from Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road. It usually involves a stop at the Forbidden Planet and Foyle's on Charing Cross Road, and it also frequently involves a stop for lunch along the way, and sometimes a stop at the British Museum (if the line isn't too long). Because I'm usually in London on vacation, I don't have loads of space for all the books I'd like to buy, but seeing the travel section, the fiction (and science fiction) section, and the history section always makes me feel good.

Taking a long train ride: here's another one that's mostly for Europe, though I'd love to do it here too. I have some great memories of taking the Eurostar between London and Paris, especially when I discovered that business class includes a pretty great meal (with wine!), as well as the route between London and Edinburgh or the time I took the high-speed train from Turin to Rome with my dad. But the highlight of recent years remains 2014, when I treated myself to the Eurostar and TGV from London to Turin, stopping in Paris to change trains, and stations. I'd sprung for business on the Eurostar, so I got a lovely breakfast on the first leg, and for first class on the TGV for the second leg. In changing from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon, I saw the French newspapers commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. And on the second leg I was treated to a crossing of the Alps in grand style, soundtracked by the epic number of podcasts I'd downloaded to my phone.

Taking a road trip: here's one for the US. A tradition from the past few years has been to take a trip to the mountains during the summer with my dad - usually somewhere in the Sierra Nevada, otherwise heading up to Northern California and southern Oregon. We spent the end of the 2018 World Cup on the road, watching the final in our hotel room in Crescent City. But it also reminds me of the time I drove down to Joshua Tree for a camping trip with friends (later that same year, as it happens), and the time I drove up to the Avenue of the Giants for a half-marathon... races, incidentally, being another thing I'm looking forward to being able to do again someday soon. There's something so great about hopping in the car for a long drive, podcasts and music at the ready, and knowing that you're on your own schedule. And of course, having somewhere to be at the end of that drive.

Stopping randomly at the store for something: This is the final one, and while it's not the most important, it's also not the least important. Going to the store involves such a production now, between wearing a mask and standing in line to get in, that there's no sense in doing a small expedition - to say nothing of the fact that being among so many other people is still a risk. More than anything, the normality of being able to just run a couple of errands in the course of the day is sorely missed. While I won't be trying to force it, I can't wait for the day when I can stop in at the store for a bottle of Coke or iced tea, without a mask and without standing in line outside.

And as I say, I'm not the only one.