Do you want chips with that?

Let's get this thing about chips and french fries straightened out before we go any further. (Or as the British would say, let's get it "sorted" -- not "sorted out" just "sorted.")

As I was soon to learn, it's not quite as simple as "french fries" in the U.S. being the same thing as "chips" in England.

British chips are actually more like what we refer to in the U.S. as "steak fries," though maybe not quite that wide and thick. As my friend and fellow graduating pal Steve explained, British french fries are different than British chips because British french fries are skinny -- and skinny french fries are not "chips." French fries in England are more like McDonald's fries in the U.S.

The British actually do have what we think of as "chips" (as in potato chips), but they're called "crisps."

But anyway...

Meeting Steve
I was so excited to meet Steve because we had begun our organizational psychology master's program at the same time way back in 2007 -- and were actually in the same conferencing group of newbie first-years. After years of conferencing, emailing and commiserating before exams, we were finally going to meet in person -- and we did -- around noon in front of Big Ben on the Sunday before Tuesday's graduation ceremony last March at the Barbican Center.

Steve is British by birth, but he lives with his wife and young daughter in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is an IT specialist with the World Trade Organization. The goal was never stated, but it was as though he was determined to prove that the word "hospitality" belongs right behind the word "British."

Not only did he set aside Sunday afternoon and Monday to help me get acquainted with London, he insisted on treating me to a traditional British lunch in a British pub.

Peas? Yes, please
Which brings us to the chips, the fish and an unexpected side dish -- peas.

Yes, peas. They are standard fare on the plate with fish and chips in London, sometimes on their own and without seasoning, but other times mashed, well-seasoned and delicious. And, oh my goodness, the fish is absoutely the best.

After lunch, we walked over to Buckingham Palace. The crowds were milling, and the clouds had dissipated to reveal a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon in London. But wasn't London always supposed to be rainy?

Guess not.

Above: The Victoria Memorial, located in the Queen's Gardens, in front of Buckingham Palace. Below: My friend and fellow graduating student Steve in front of the gates to Buckingham Palace. This was the staging area for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jublibee celebration last month.

Below: The columns at upper right frame the balcony

where the royals stand when they appear before the public.

Below: Wasn't the right time for the changing-of-the-guard ceremony. Taken through a space

 in the gate, this was the the closest shot I could get of the only guards I saw.

Below: Hyde Park at dusk. After Steve caught the train back to Woking, where he was

staying at his sister's, I decided to see if I could find Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park.

 Had to head back, though, because it was getting too dark.

Below: This is the entrance to my room at the (not-that) Four Seasons, a boutique hotel with no elevator. Check-in was actually on the other side of the street. More about the accommodations later. So many of the buildings have the same white-stone-block facade, and you never know what's behind unless you find a sign. Might be a hotel, might be a restaurant, might even be a Pilates studio.

Not 'that' Four Seasons

Someday, I would really like to return to London and stay in a hotel that has an elevator, air conditioning, a restaurant and bar, and all of itself on the same side of the street.

But this trip required economizing, so I was very lucky to book a room at a nice little "boutique" hotel called "The Four Seasons." Just a few blocks from the Baker Street tube station, it had almost everything I needed, and the staff were absolutely terrific in finding a room for me, even though I arrived a few hours before check-in time.

I'll write more about the hotel a bit later on, but for now, let's go back to the challenge of how to stay awake another 13 hours (till British bedtime) in order to minimize jet lag due to lack of sleep.

Goal-setting theory
Goal-setting theory and evidence, which we studied in the module Motivation and Performance, supports that goals are motivating if they are specific, obtainable and, among other things, if feedback is near-term.

My single over-arching goal and sole reason for going to London was to graduate. Once there, the goal shifted to actually getting myself to the ceremony on Tuesday morning at the Barbican Center.

So, what better sleep-postponing activity than to make certain I could find my way to the Barbican, learning the underground (tube) in the process. It's actually very easy, but since we don't have anything even remotely like it in the medium-size Midwestern city where I live, some time on the underground seemed like a wise investment. The travel books advised purchasing a 7-day Travelcard if you're staying that long and planning on going here and there on a whim -- so that's what I did. It's really the best deal, costing about $68 USD, preshipped to my home in the U.S. before departure. Not bad for a week's travel, and it also covered the bus system and part of the overground (trains).

The Barbican
For the past few years, I've watched graduation streaming live from The Barbican. But still, I was not prepared for the rush of emotion that hit when I walked through the entrance. Of course, I reacted on a personal level because that's what you do when you're about to reach out and grab a dream and still can't quite believe it.

But the Barbican is really something worth knowing about on its own merit. Historically, it's significant because it was constructed on a site most heavily bombed during World War II, in a way, not unlike our U.S. 9/11 memorial rising from the ashes in New York City.

But besides that, the Barbican is in the oldest (and most historic part) of London, which is called "The City," and it's described on the facility's Website as "Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue, presenting a diverse range of art, music, threatre, dance, film and creative learning" and also "home to the London Symphony Orchestra."

So, I walked around bit and took in a mind-blowing exhibit that I may get a chance to describe later on, but for now, here are just a few photos.

Just off the Barbican tube exit, walking to the Barbican Center

The Barbican from a distance.

Barbican Center main entrance

Skipping ahead to Tuesday morning: A sneak peak at the stage set for graduation