A Broad Abroad

No More

2008-05-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

"...the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time."
-T.S. Eliot

I could write something really nostalgic and meaningful for my last London blog post, but I'm going to go eat cake instead. You can find me here:

astronautte.blogspot.com

I'M DONE WITH SCHOOL

2008-05-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesssssssssssssssssssss!!

Well, it was a tough semester but now it's over! I have a whole week left in London just to do whatever I like. I'm foreseeing a week of museums, galleries and parties. Also, this whole entry is in italics because for some reason Blogger wants it that way. Here are some photos I took the other night... just to take advantage of some cool lighting.

James

Emilia

Just a few...

2008-05-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

...photos I took of Late of the Pier at the Bar Fly in Camden.

Banksy

2008-05-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

It is an amazingly beautiful day out in London today but instead of enjoying it, I am cooped up inside making a PowerPoint presentation and finishing my sketchbook.

Anyway, here are some photos from the London Cans Festival, featuring work from Banksy and 30 other artists.

ha ha...

I don't know how well you can tell from this picture, but there was an absolute SEA of people waiting outside

Great article about a New Yorker painting over a Banksy here

Gray Day

2008-05-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

I took these out my window the other afternoon... yeah, it's that dark in the AFTERNOON.

Nightmare on Queen Street

2008-04-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I was at the National Portrait Gallery, complaining to my friend Frank about not being able to find a job. “I can’t imagine a girl like you walking into a bar, asking for a job and being told ‘no,’” he said. Well, I hadn’t asked any bars. Working all night for minimum wage in a country that doesn’t tip isn’t exactly my idea of fun. I told Frank I didn’t understand why people bartend here. “Because people like you need jobs…” Oh. Yeah, he’s right.

The next day, I went and dropped off some CVs at a few bars. About 15 minutes later, my phone rang. One bar had another place that was understaffed and wanted to know if I could bartend that night. Well, I’ve never bartended before, but as long as they’re okay with that, I’m okay with that.

I get there about 6:30 and it’s busy already so I don’t really have time to go over the basics. Instead, I’m told I’ll be helping out collecting glasses, etc until 12. This is fine with me. The bar is huge, packed with people, and there is a lot to keep me busy. The clientele is very specific: all businesspeople in suits coming to “unwind” after work. The skeeziest of the skeeze, willing to hit on the girl cleaning up their empty beer bottles. Mostly I just ignore it, but one guy legitimately creeped me out.

He was at the bar alone (red flag!) and asked me when I got off work. There was no way I was going to tell him that, so I said I didn’t know. He said “I’ll wait for you” and I laughed and walked off. Later on, I see he’s taken a seat by the door and he’s watching me. He keeps asking me when I’m getting off work. I went and talked to the group of bouncers at the door and told them that I was nervous about him. We came up with a plan; if I think he’s following me out, I say “pizza” to them and they take care of him. When I actually left, I snuck past the guy, through another exit so he wouldn’t see me.

Anyway, midnight finally rolls around and the bar is quieting down. I haven’t drunk a drop but I am covered in beer, tequila and Jager. I smell like a frat party. The manager has left for the night but the bitchy second-in-command is there. I tell her that Wayne told me I could leave at 12. “Ummm, could you stay a little longer?” Normally I wouldn’t mind extra hours but the bar was so painfully slow. I ended up staying until 1 AM anyway.

I was planning on catching the last tube home, but since I stayed late, the tube was closed and I had no clue on where to catch a nightbus home. The bouncer that helped me earlier felt bad and walked me to the bus stop. The moment I step on the bus, I hear a noise like someone pouring out a litre of Coca-Cola, fizzing and splashing. A drunk girl is puking all over the bus. Of course I take the seat farthest away. A few stops later, the bus stops and the driver tells everyone to get off, someone’s been sick and he isn’t allowed to operate anymore. I wait for the next bus and get on it for a while before I realize it’s the wrong bus. I get off again near Holborn and have absolutely no clue where to catch a bus to King’s Cross, so I walk down the street past every bus stop until I finally find the right one.

I get on my third bus of the night and Thank God no one is puking. (Someone puked at the bus stop though.) An old Italian man sits next to me even though there are CLEARLY other seats on the bus and starts talking. He says he lives in Angel and asks me where I live (I obviously didn’t tell him). I get off at King’s Cross and he follows me off the bus… even though that’s definitely not Angel. He keeps talking to me and I have to walk out of my way until I lose him just so he doesn’t follow me home.

Finally I get home around 2:30, all my schoolmates, buddies and peers are grouped outside, jolly after a drunken night out. I’m staggering like a drunkard but really I’m stone sober and exhausted as hell. When I get to bed, I can’t sleep… instead I stay awake until around 4, thinking about how dumb I am for starting such a tiring job when all of my work for finals is due.

Finals

2008-04-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly stressed out about finals, so I've been putting off writing essays/preparing presentations/studying for exams but it basically all goes to hell on Monday when finals begin. Here's what I've got coming up:

-Essay on gender and sexuality of the Victorian age, as portrayed in Dracula
-15 minute presentation on aforementioned topic (the good thing about choosing your own topics for finals is that you can overlap if you're crafty)
-Essay on masculinity in the 19th century (again I can reuse some Dracula stuff)
-Exam on 19th century Brit lit
-2 hour, 1 question exam on Gothic literature
-Essay on a contemporary British issue (can't use Dracula here)
-Presentation on Chuck Close
-Exam on British architecture
-Finishing my sketchbook

That's my schedule for next semester, which will be even less fun.

And here's a picture of me out, enjoying myself... which I'm sure won't happen again for a long time. At least not until finals are over.

Grossness continued

2008-04-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you remember my post here about weird British snacks, but I've been continuing my quest...

I started with Pickled Onion flavored "monster munch"... These things burned my mouth, but after a few, my mouth was numb and I couldn't really taste anything anymore. Imagine eating pickle juice except in solid form and much more vinegar-y.

Then I moved on to steak flavored chips. Well it tastes exactly like that. Not so much the steak, but the weird juice that comes out of the steak. I found it really unnerving.

Ketchup flavored potato chips. They're actually really good! It tastes just like french fries with ketchup. mmmm.

Twiglets. A close runner up for the NASTIEST THING I've ever eaten. They taste like marmite. And they really do look like twigs.

...And the prize for the nastiest thing I've ever eaten goes to prawn cocktail! If you could somehow capture the smell of a fish market and then add grease and salt, that's prawn cocktail crisps.

My quest continues to find something nastier than prawn cocktail chips. It'll be tough, but I think if I put my mind to it, I can succeed...

...And here's a fun song. Yay!

The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy

Brighton

2008-04-16T04:28:00.001-07:00

...is adorable. I took a day trip to the South coast of England and actually got to go to the beach! Not like it's warm or anything though.

This was King George's IV's vacation house. Indian exterior, Chinese interior... absolutely gaudy and wonderful. It looks like Vegas inside.

I look midget-y

and finally, Emilia on the bus ride back:

I've been listening to the new Cut Copy album more than is healthy. Especially this song:
Cut Copy - Feel the Love

The Mighty Boosh

2008-04-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some of my favorite British comedy. I also happen to have a huge crush on Noel Fielding (the one in the sparkly suit).

"Jaquettie!"

I have more to update about but Wednesdays are the worst ever

2008-04-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

blurry currywurst

Instead of doing last-minute studying for a test yesterday morning, I let myself get really distracted when this song came on shuffle and danced around my room for a good 20 minutes while it played on repeat.

Does it Offend You, Yeah? - Dawn of the Dead
(Sorry it's a download... the song wasn't on seeqpod)

And if you're into really talented 17 year olds making crazy Devo/Gary Numan-like synth sounds with the occasional Bowie falsetto, listen to one of my fave British bands to come out in the past few years:

April Fools?

2008-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Okay well I got my midterm essay back in my English Novel class and I'm pretty pissed. I got a B.

Now a B is a really good grade for me but the thing that pisses me off is that the kid who sits next to me got a C. This guy is the kind of super-smart kid who always participates in class and has insightful things to say. I'm the type who sits there and pretends to know what's going on. On the rare occasion I do say something, it's always about my own personal feelings on the subject instead of actual analysis. I know for a fact that this guy is a really great writer and knows a lot about the subject (he's in the third year of an English Lit major). I'm studying Anthropology and don't give a rat's ass about Charlotte Bronte.

According to my professor's feedback on the essay, it was "vague" and at one point I "lost track of the thesis". It was vague, probably because I only read half of the novel I wrote about. And I definitely lost track of the thesis; by the end, I was grasping at straws. So why did I end up with a B while an intelligent and well-written essay got a C?

This is probably one of those situations where the professor "expects more" from some students...but that doesn't mean it's not completely unfair. We all attend the same university and should all be expected to present the same high quality of work. I don't want to be coddled, but I'm not about to go argue for a lower grade either.

My only other explanation would be that there was a minor earthquake while she was drawing the D. Either that or a really cruel April Fool's joke.

Short update

2008-04-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

I STILL haven't gotten paid for my photos (bastards!) despite my pestering emails. I might threaten to get all legal on them. I also have a job interview on Saturday at Camden Market. Wish me luck! God knows I need it, I'm a broke joke.

Berlin day 4: Currywurst and Expressionism!

2008-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

I started off my last day in Berlin with a regional food I had been too scared to try: currywurst. It's sausage cut into slices with curry powder and warm ketchup and its DELICIOUS. First thing I did when I got back to London this morning was go to Tesco and buy sausage, curry powder and ketchup. Seriously. Before I even dropped off my suitcase.

After that, we went to the German Film/TV museum, which was the only one I REALLY wanted to go to. The design was amazing and it fit in so well with the expressionistic films that they displayed. It was difficult to take pictures because it was so dark, but you'll see...

mirror-y room

Frank faces Darth Vader

And lastly, the cutest mural ever:

In short, Berlin was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat. <3!

Berlin day 3: more sightseeing!

2008-03-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Squats are popular in Berlin. Luckily, a lot of squatters are artists, so their squats look really effing awesome. Berlin also has some of the best graffiti I've ever seen.

Something totally different

The wall

I wrote my name on Larry Bird's face.

My favorite piece of graffiti (and now my computer background)

Graffiti in progress

Anita and Frank inside an artists' squat

That night, we went to a bar called Bang Bang that was oh-so-New-York. Homesickness ensued.

Berlin: day 2!

2008-03-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was full of lots and lots of sightseeing. I wish I could remember the names of all the places we went to but unfortunately I suck at remembering and I suck even more at remembering German.

Here is a bombed out church with some sort of modern building next to it... the inside was incredibly ornate and beautiful but yeah, I didn't take any pictures.

Our lovely tour guide!

Some other Berlin-y building

Anita and I with the mascot (there are bears EVERYWHERE! Fake ones, I mean.)

Brandenburg Gate

This Holocaust memorial was really interesting... It was like a maze of different sized pillars and different leveled ground. Walking through it is supposed to make you feel lost, confused, like you're being followed.

The line for the Reischtag, which we did not wait in. We tried to sneak in the side entrance but it didn't work.

Our friend Frank acting like I don't know he's posing

Outisde of Kaiser's (grocery store)

We saw my Converse ad in Berlin! There were about 3 copies of my ad/my ass in the window of this shop. I went inside and tried to take a photo with one, but the clerk insisted on "NO FOTO". After I kindly explained to him that it's my butt all over his store he...continued to act like a jerk. So I went to take a photo from the outside and he turned 2 of the ads around so they weren't visible. But he forgot one!!

Who would've thought Berlin would have amazing burritos? I ended up having on the next day and I wanted another the day after that, but it didn't happen. I could go for one right now too...

That night we went to a rock and roll type bar called Franken and ate pudding cups. Epic.

BERLIN: day 1!

2008-03-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

I got back from Berlin this afternoon... I have to say I am absolutely IN LOVE with the city. It's like Brooklyn except...European. I decided to separate these posts into days to try and organize my thoughts but I know I'm going to leave out so much of the things that happened. Oh well. Enjoy the pictures.

My first meal in Berlin at a place called Faustus. Luckily, I didn't have to sell my soul to get food. I didn't know any German and Anita wasn't around so I ordered an omelet, since it's the same word in German I guess!

I then went to a bunch of local shops, including one where you can buy clothes by the kilo. I got this awesome fur coat for 9 euro!

Then I met up with Anita and her friend Sam. Anita's student housing in Berlin is amazing. They have an amazing place, their own bedrooms, kitchens, balconies...

That night we went out to a German rockabilly bar called White Trash. Apparently, you can get a free tattoo if you incorporate the name of the bar into it (don't worry--I didn't)!

And this picture just because it's cute.

SO worth posting

2008-03-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

this is how we waste our time!

Eastie

2008-03-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

We had Easter dinner in Stoke Newington for all of us who didn't have anywhere to go. This included lamb with mint sauce, lots of veggies, tomato and mozzarella salad, and finally scones with clotted cream. Sooo delicious. We also painted eggs and then all passed out in front of the TV.

Steph and my eggs

Mmmmm, scones

As for the weather in London... it's effing SNOWING today :(

Wow

2008-03-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

I really wish it would stop HAILING in London. Seriously, it's almost April. Enough.

Anyway, I got to see TWO of my fabulous New York friends last night, Anita and Zach.

I'm not leaving the building again today unless I have to/it stops hailing.

Oxford

2008-03-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I went to Oxford and then spent the night in the shire. Oxford was beautiful; it had some amazing architecture, but Oxfordshire was totally surreal. It was literally a village, stone houses with thatched roofs and everything. The houses looked like something out of Lord of the Rings (except normal people size). Here's Oxford (not my picture, obviously):

In other news, Anita comes into London today! I got us a feast of nasty college foods at Tesco: pepperoni pizza, doritos, chicken nuggets, oven chips, decent wine, etc.

And completely unrelated, here is a song from my "top 25 most played" on iTunes. It's just really nice. ha ha.

Notting Hill

2008-03-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Notting Hill yesterday, thinking I would walk around Hyde Park and go to the Banksy exhibit in South Kensington but I never made it there. I ended up spending all day in Notting Hill. It's a really cute area, lots of vintage shops, pastel houses and street markets with fresh fruits/veggies.

We found this cute old book shop... reminded me of the Strand a little! Lots of 50p books but they all sucked, naturally.

Find the hidden message! Well it's not really hidden, but...

Bangers & Mash

2008-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

...and here's me, to prove I'm still alive and not blogging from beyond the grave:

Taking photos is fun, but not when the parties aren't. I never received a reply to my politely worded quitting email, which prompted me to text my boss so she didn't think I was a no-show... Apparently she read the email and just chose not to respond! How rude. Well, at least my kvetching is over. I promise.

Break-up

2008-03-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well here's something I didn't think I'd be saying... It's a beautiful day in London! It's not raining, it's not windy, it's kind of sunny and it's warm enough that you don't have to wear a heavy jacket! English people are just standing outside dumbfounded, eyes cast upward. It's like they've never seen the sun before. Cute.

Despite the nice weather, I've got this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I just quit my job. Via e-mail. Now I've had enough shitty jobs that I know when they're becoming abusive. These people owe me something to the tune of £167.50 ($335) for my photos from about a month ago. They're always telling me I need to improve, but their only suggestions are "make people look more tanned".

Last night was the straw that broke the camel's back. I got to the party around 10:30 and started taking photos. A bunch of my friends were there and I basically had to ignore them so I could take photos. Around 1:30, when I'm getting ready to go home, my boss finds me and says, "Where have you BEEN? My boss is so pissed at me because he hasn't seen you take ANY photos!" Okay, so let me talk to your boss. I showed him that I had taken nearly 200 photos and given out most of my business cards. He still somehow didn't believe I was doing my job because he "didn't see enough flashes". These people really know their shit when it comes to photography, right?

After grumbling and complaining to my friends all night, I woke up this morning and sent this email:

Emily,

In light of last night, I'm beginning to see that my style doesn't really mesh with this job. I appreciate the opportunity; thanks for everything. I will send you the photos ASAP but I don't think I'll be making it out tonight.

Best,
Kristen

But what I REALLY wanted to say was:

Emily,

I think you're a bitch and you should probably get a new job. Please give me money.

Best,
Kristen

I needed this job... but there are plenty of other fish in the sea. I'll move on! I will survive!

I'll post a few pictures after I upload 'em.

Okay I thought of more stuff to update about

2008-03-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Before I head back to the states, I am definitely stocking up on all the weird British snacks I can find. Just a couple of things I'll be packing:

Meat flavored potato chips. So far, I've seen flavors like Steak & Onion, Roasted Chicken, Sausage, and Prawn Cocktail. The only one I've tried so far is the chicken flavor and yeah, it tasted like chicken... I'm working my way up to "prawn cocktail". Sounds nasty. There's also curry flavored chips, but those are damn good.

Ribena. Black currant is a really popular flavor here for cough drops, jam, candy, etc. Ribena is the popular black currant flavored drink. It tastes a little like cough syrup, but it's still kind of good. It also tastes a bit minty. You can buy jugs of it concentrated and then just add water.

I'm sticking out my tongue but it looks like I have a really messed up bottom lip! ha!

All I've Got to Update About

2008-03-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

I want to start taking pictures with my 35mm camera. I've got plenty of film, but the battery is dead!

ANITA

2008-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

...is coming to visit me! I'm so incredibly excited to take lots of silly photos together and cut her hair and maybe watch some Golden Girls online. Seriously.

yessssssssssss.

I just have to survive midterms first. I don't have much else to update about because my life has been consumed by loads and loads of work. Here's what I'm working on (boring school stuff):

Thursday - hand in my sketchbook to be graded. I have so so so much work to do on my sketches!

Monday - Gothic Lit presentation. I chose to present on modern film/TV using Gothic themes as a way of veiling more serious issues and turning them into something easily consumed by the masses. Still working on streamlining the name of the topic...

Tuesday - English Novel 19th c. essay. I have no clue what I'm going to write about seeing as I'm completely disinterested in this class.

Thursday - Self-Fashioning essay on an autobiographical text of my choice. Haven't picked one yet but I'm thinking of doing something I've already read, like Kerouac or Ginsberg so I have more time for my other work, even though I really want to read Fitzgerald's The Crack-Up and this is a good opportunity to.

See, I told you that would be boring. I also have to read like 3 more books before spring break and work on research for that book, so I'd better get on that. 11 more days!

You know it's a bad night when...

2008-02-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

I stay in with Ben & Jerry's and a diet coke. I haven't done this since New York. I think Anita knows all too well that I have a tendency to run to a bodega and buy the two when I'm in a bad mood. A drunk guy at the deli paid for my food but then I realized he must have been really drunk considering how disheveled I looked so I felt bad and made him take the money. Then I felt stupid because I totally could have gotten free ice cream.

I have sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection and midterms are approaching quickly. Spring break come quicker!

Recap

2008-02-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

So Emilia and I have made friends with Jordy, the guy who works the door at a weekly party that bands play at. We saw him a couple of nights ago and he mentioned he was doing the door on Tuesday for "a New York band you might know...MG something..." MGMT. So he told us he could get us in and wrote down the address for us. I started to get skeptical when I went home and saw that MGMT was in fact playing London that night but it was sold out and not at the address he gave us.

We showed up at the address he gave us anyway and it turns out that Jordy was working at MGMT's afterparty, not their show. So I didn't get to see them perform but I did get to gawk at how cute they are up close and act awkwardly around Kelly Osbourne.

I brought my camera to get some pictures of the show, but there was no show... so its just pictures of Emilia and myself sharing a pina colada. Did I mention it was a cheesy Hawaiian themed bar somehow turned hip?

SeeqPod - Playable Search

muuuuuusicccc

2008-02-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

I should be working at Bonnaroo again this summer, and I'm pretty pumped even though the lineup is weird... It's not set in stone, but my fingers are crossed. Here are the bands that I'll be sure to see if I'm there:

MGMT
Broken Social Scene
Sigur Ros
Vampire Weekend
Rilo Kiley
Against Me!
Ladytron
Tegan & Sara
Jose Gonzalez
M.I.A.
Talib Kweli
Ghostland Observatory

I don't know what I'll be doing for spring break since I have no money, but if I can scrounge up enough, I really want to go to Barcelona for a weekend to see these DJs

Barcelonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Another night on the job

2008-02-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

This party was a tad bit better and I used light tricks that I normally never use for parties... but it turned out pretty well I think. I didn't end up going to Windsor today because I STILL have a cold and really don't think standing outside for 6+ hours would be good for my health. Here are some pictures from last night, though:

As if I don't have enough work to do already...

2008-02-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have just begun doing research for the next edition of the book Bestsellers by Clive Bloom (on Amazon here). I won't get paid, but I'll get credit in the book! Am I a huge dork for being excited about this?

Well, work in my classes is beginning to pile up already. This usually doesn't happen until the middle or end of the semester, but I guess they do things differently over here. The work load is incredible. Monday, I woke up early and went to the library. Then at 2:00, I went to class. After class, I went back to the library and after that, I went to a lecture. Tuesday went the same way. Today, I've just been tapping away at the keyboard, trying to finish a few essays that are due (...tomorrow). I'll probably be up all night finishing the essays, then tomorrow I have to get up super early to work on a photoshoot before being in class from 9:30-6. Then I'm going to work taking more photos.

Feel bad for me!

Sorry, no pictures, I haven't been doing anything picture-worthy. But Friday I am getting up at the asscrack of dawn to go to Windsor. Puke puke puke. At least there will be pictures!

2008-02-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

If you completely ignore all of the work stuff I had to do, this weekend was pretty brilliant. Thursday was Valentine's day... before going to photograph the lame party, my friend Stephanie and I went to a burlesque show. The dancers were all so clever! One of them came out wearing nothing but rose petals and cupid wings and sang cute love songs while walking through the crowd, handing out giant heart-shaped balloons. Her last song was "Tainted Love" in which she pulled out a giant knife and personally stabbed every one of the heart balloons she had handed out! Then she used the knife to cut off the cupid wings, fake blood and feathers flying everywhere... brilliant! Too bad I had to leave early. I only managed to take one picture of the first burlesque dancer...

I also got some really incredible news from my sister this weekend (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I went to the Museum of Natural History, which was kind of lame and obviously for children but whatever... the only other noteworthy thing that happened recently was getting hit on by someone who is quite famous in the UK but I had never heard of before. He looked like just some drunken Chav... he kept on trying to get me to sit at his table and drink with him but I walked away and someone was like "You just dissed Frank Lampard!" (The captain of the Chelsea football team)

Oops. Whatev...

Venting

2008-02-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

The new job kind of sucks. The party was lame... music/crowd was not my style. I had to meet with the other photographer last night so I could see how they want it done. He explained to me that he uses a lot of cropping and Photoshop. I explained to him that that's not how I do it. We are both very stubborn people and it's really not going to work out. I told him I'm not willing to change the aesthetic of my photos to be something more boring... but I'll keep going with this job and see how it pans out. The other photographer also had an attitude because he's been doing this job for "kind of a long time" (a year)... Come on! I've been working steadily as a photographer longer than that!

Anyway, I think I still managed to make a boring party look decent. What do you think?

2008-02-13T15:40:00.001-08:00

Internet went out in my building today. It was total anarchy. I went to Starbucks because I had to figure out where I was going for my job interview... yes, I finally got a job interview! And as of today, I also have a job. Boo-yah.

It's not really a stable job, though... I start tomorrow night photographing a party for 50 quid. Not bad. They also want me to work as a host, bringing people in... this job is much more difficult but if I can pull it off, they'll add another 100 quid and bottle of vodka for each night I work. Not bad. I'd rather just do the photography but that won't pay the bills.

Update later on my first day on the job.

I'm sick and I miss New York

2008-02-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for a week plus and it's getting really old. I'll probably never recover because I have to stand outside for 3 hours every Thursday and sketch architecture. Then I wake up on Friday with a bad cough and by the time I start getting over it, I'm outside sketching again. Anyway.

The weekend is over... I went to the Tate Modern on Saturday... it was incredible! Lots of Francis Bacon, one of my all time favorites. I picked up some cool postcards there too; they're blank and you're basically just supposed to draw your own picture. You can draw them while you're there and leave them in a box and they post the ones they like on the wall. I did a contour drawing of my hand holding a pencil that says "YOUR PENCILS ARE DULL"... (they were). Then I decided I wanted to take it with me. Nikki, if you're reading this, thanks for the museum reccommendation! I'll send you a postcard if you email me your address.

Friday I went to Cambridge. Pretty boring but the colleges there are beautiful. I'm so jaded from having to sketch architecture that all Gothic buildings are boring to me now. Example:

hey look, a boat!

I should probably go to class now. I'll leave you with this song that I can't ever get out of my head and it reminds me of NYC

Bath & Bristol

2008-02-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

All of the buildings in Bath are made out of the same yellowish stone... beautiful!

Bristol looks a little grungy from here, but it was an awesome city

Pancake Day! Epic!

2008-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

In the US, you may be partaking in Super Tuesday... here in the UK, we have Pancake Tuesday. Probably one of the best days of the year. We had every kind of pancake with every kind of topping imaginable... feast your eyes...

me slaving away in the kitchen

The masterpiece pancake I made!

We also flambed bananas and yellow plums for the pancakes... sooo good.

the Marmite that I love so much

STONEHENGE

2008-02-04T03:51:00.000-08:00

WAS... AWESOME

Hundreds of years before the dawn of history, there lived a strange race of people...

2008-01-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm too lazy to really write anything but there will be an update later because I'm getting up at the asscrack of dawn tomorrow to take a trip to Bath, Bristol and...

STONEHENGE!!

Strange music

2008-01-29T04:12:00.000-08:00

Quite possibly my two favorite bands of all time are finally doing stuff after making me wait in agony forever. The Magnetic Fields are touring (for the first time in 5 or so years) all next month in Massachusetts and New York and it's KILLING ME that I can't be there. They also have a new album that just came out this month called Distortion. I don't have the album yet, but here is a song called "Too Drunk to Dream"... just a warning, in true Mag Fields style, it's not very friendly to anyone who isn't already in love with the band.

My other favorite band, Why?, is coming out with an album March 11 called Alopecia. Thanks to my friends at Superfly, I got the album early. Here's the first track:

Why? - The Vowels Pt 2

Weekend Update

2008-01-27T12:37:00.000-08:00

Look, I'm standing in two hemispheres at once!

Anyway, that's about the most exciting thing that happened on my tour of Greenwich. Yeah, it was that bad. Greenwich is really nice but the tour was absolutely horrid. It was an hour and a half walking tour in the freezing English weather with an inept tour guide who felt the need to inform us about elementary history... (Henry VIII had lots of wives? REALLY??) Also, since we had limited time, we didn't actually get to see any of the sights, instead it was "If you like this, you can come back later and see it!" Whatever though, it's always nice to see somewhere new. Even if you end up coming out of it with a cold.

Saturday I didn't end up going to the Tate after all because I was too tired and swamped with homework but Emilia and I ended up going to a friend's apartment and pawing through their extensive record collection. Seriously, any song I could think of that I wanted to hear they had on vinyl. They also had a bunch of instruments, so we had someone on the guitar, drum and piano and I was on the ukulele. Great fun.

Sunday was Sunday Roast... contrary to the gross picture I posted earlier, it was really good! The Yorkshire pudding is not actually pudding, it's like pancake batter put in the oven so it's crispy. Mmmm. It was just that, roast beef and lots of vegetables. No soylent green. After Sunday roast, we took a walk around the "famous" Brick Lane.

Anyway, now it's back to homework. Unfortunately, I broke the jack in my computer for the internet plug so any time I want to use the internet, I have to go to the kitchen, which is the only place we get wireless. The kitchen is hot as hell and there are always a thousand people in here, being really obnoxious.

Here are some of the songs I picked out of the record collection the other night... let me know what you think of the new format:

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Boring stuff about school that no one will read

2008-01-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Now that I've attended all of my classes, I can give a proper summary. They're surprisingly alright! I don't want to speak too soon, but I'm enjoying them, even though the work load is horrendous.

Monday:
Gothic Lit - This class is right up my alley. We are studying the beginnings of Horror in literature and film as well as the emergence of "Gothic" as a writing style and an escape from the previous Romantic era. We also are watching some of my favorite classic films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. My professor is really intelligent and awesome, even if his accent is a little tough to decipher.

Issues in British Politics and Culture - This class actually doesn't start until this coming Monday, but it's a series of lectures from prominent British figures about current British issues. I'm kind of psyched!

Tuesday:
The English Novel in the 19th Century - Most of the required reading for this class is extremely boring (Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, ewww) and the professor expects an immense amount of work from us (close readings, frequent presentation, lots and lots of library time) but... wait, where was I going with this? This class kind of sucks. But we are somewhat focusing on feminism when it was still in its subtle stage, which is my cup of tea, so to speak.

Thursday:
Self-Fashioning in Literature, Art and Film - This class is pretty cool. We are studying the way that self-portraits, autobiographies and self-referential films reflect culture. The strange thing about this class is that in addition to the reading, writing, presenting and everything else, we must also become involved in the topic of "self-fashioning". By this, I mean that we must sketch a series of self-portraits (one a week) to reflect on later, write our autobiographies and make a series of 5 minute video diaries.

Seeing London - This is basically an Art History/Architecture class that requires us to travel to different parts of London, learning about their respective histories and analyzing what we see. The great thing about this class is that we get to do a lot of sketching. Today, I sketched different parts of the British Museum. Maybe by the end of the semester, I will actually be able to draw, ha ha... The bad part is that I have a class before this one and I'm expected to show up at whatever site we are studying on time. Every time I am late deducts 1.5% from my final grade. It's a little unfair, but whatever.

Oy. I will be a very busy girl until May. I've added some more events to my upcoming roster:

Friday: day trip to Greenwich for "Seeing London"
Saturday: trip to the Tate Modern
Sunday: Going to a friend's place for Sunday Roast! (It's an English tradition thats like Easter dinner... except EVERY SUNDAY)

I don't even know what's on that plate but MMM free food!!
Next Tuesday: PANCAKE DAY

Emilia with a Pancake Day sign
Okay, so pancake day is a little far in the future, but I'm psyched. Can you tell?

And what would a post be without a random song? It's kind of go-go-go so pretend it works.
Albert Hammond Jr. - In Transit

London is Creepy

2008-01-23T08:56:00.001-08:00

I have way too many photos to post at once, so here is a little selection I like to call "London is Creepy"

And a creepy song from one of my favorite Brits to accompany:

Patrick Wolf - The Libertine

Still too lazy to upload photos

2008-01-23T03:27:00.000-08:00

I don't have classes today, which is completely awesome. But I do have a lot of things to do, such as buying books and reading them all day to try and catch up. It's not really a great sign that I'm already behind this early in the semester... Oh well. It'll be a comfy day in bed with lots and lots of tea and books. Is it weird that I say some sentences in my head with a British accent now? Like that one about tea and books. Anyway...

Last night I went to this science conference... No, it wasn't school related and yes, I went willingly. I really wanted to hear this group of scientists speak-- they're developing robots that are completely energy autonomous! This robot (called Eco-Bot) releases pheromones that attract insects, captures them, then actually uses their energy to power microbial fuel cells. Essentially, it captures and digests its own food. Really exciting. Also, there was a lot of booze there. Apparently, scientists like to party too. I haven't seen that much booze and beards since last time I was in Brooklyn. I wish I brought my camera (for the robots, not the beards).

Just for kicks, here is a picture my roommate snapped of me looking like an extreme tourist:

Here is what my future looks like, because I know you were wondering:
-Class ALL DAY tomorrow
-Getting up REALLY early on Friday and taking a boat to Greenwich
-Tuesday is Pancake Day!! Seriously, that's a real holiday.

Also, I just got the newest Sunset Rubdown album (a little late, I know) and it's alright, I haven't really formed an opinion on it yet, but here is the first track:

Sunset Rubdown - The Mending of the Gown

Boo

2008-01-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

Some differences between New York areas and London areas:

SoHo in New York is full of very rich people. Soho in London is full of clip joints, prostitutes and burlesque.
Chelsea in London is full of very rich people. Chelsea in New York is full of very gay people.

Anyway, today was my first day of classes. Uneventful. I haven't bought my books yet, so there's not much I can do. But more interesting was my trip to Tesco, where I got a carton of apple juice, 4 frozen meals, a pack of scones, and a jar of jam for less than 7 quid!

I have a bunch of pictures from my tour but I am too tired to upload them now so I will leave you with one.

Pence-Pinching

2008-01-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

Being an American, everything in the UK costs double for me. This has led me to employ some of my best penny-pinching, or pence-pinching tactics. So far, I haven't spent money on anything but beer, coffee, and transportation. Here are some of my methods:

-Attend EVERY school event.
As boring and pointless as they may be, they're almost guaranteed to have free food. Otherwise, kids wouldn't come.

-Oyster Card
I got an oyster card yesterday, and it's pretty much amazing. It costs £3 (which is refundable if you give the card back!) and gives you discounts on tube/bus fares. Usually, a ride on the tube costs £4, but with an Oyster Card, it's £1.50. Score!

-Ditch Starbucks
Unfortunately, my love for Starbucks is not worth the price. There's a deli that has £1 coffee. It's gross, but whatever, it gets the job done.

-Mooch off of other people
My London buddy is asking his friends if they have an old cell phone I can use/if they can hook me up with a job.

-Be Sneaky
I discovered that the Coke machine in the lobby doesn't charge because they haven't put in the pay system yet, so I got an accidental free Coke. I got two more and then I started feeling really bad. But hey, three free Cokes!

In other news, my foray into other parts of London went really well. I went to Piccadilly Circus, Camden and some area that I can't remember the name of but was like the Hipsterville of London. The only pictures I have are from Piccadilly Circus, though. It's kind of like Times Square except a lot smaller and less annoying.

My lesson of the day is that if someone asks you if you want marmalade on your toast, you should probably ask them to clarify or say no. I said yes, and as it turns out, in a British accent, "marmalade" and "marmite" sound almost exactly the same. I didn't want to be rude and reject toast with black marmalade on it, so I took a few bites, and it turns out that marmite isn't made out of oranges, it's made out of yeast. Be wary.

Cheers

2008-01-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

Last night was my first real night out in London. My roommate Emilia and myself went to ULU to drink at their bar. Yeah, their University has a bar in it. We were expecting it to be pretty dull--and it was--until we realized why everyone was looking up at the televisions with the drink prices on it.

It was set up like a stock market-- the prices would go up and down depending on what people were buying. Every once and a while, the market would crash and we'd all rush to the bar for cheap drinks. The most expensive drink I saw was a pint of Fosters at £2.50 (around $5) and the cheapest was Vodka Blue, something like Smirnoff Ice for £0.70. I ended up somewhere in the middle, having two pints of cider at a steady £2 apiece. Surprisingly, it ended up being ridiculously fun.

We ended up making friends with the kids who had stacks and stacks of empty pints at their table, which included a guy from Newcastle with an awesome Geordie accent and a kid who we later found out was 15 years old. 15! Seriously, when I was 15 I was probably still playing Pokemon!

Anyway, the Geordie was almost unintelligible at first but once I got used to it, I realized it is incredibly fun to speak. Here's a little lesson in Geordie for you:

divn't = don't, as in "Ah divn't smo-ekh!"

"Ahm gahn yahm" = I'm going home

It sounds kind of like Scottish... but cooler.

The Geordie and our new Bulgarian friend

Emilia and I home after a long night of... ping pong...

Just so this post isn't all about beer, here's what I'm up to for a while:
Today - Meeting a friend at Piccadilly Circus to see a new part of London
Tomorrow - Guided tour of King's Cross to get to know my part of London
Sunday - Coach tour of London (wow I sound like a tourist! I should wear my ~~fannypack~~ "bum bag")
Monday - CLASS. ugh.

And finally, one of my old favorite British bands:

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love

Cheers!

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE...

2008-01-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

"England is the paradise of individuality, eccentricity, heresy, anomalies, hobbies and humors."
-George Santayana in The British Character

Okay, George. You think England is weird? Well I lived in New York, the home of all that is loud, strange and downright crazy. Nowhere else do you find popular events called Motherfucker (R.I.P.) and socialites that look like (loveable) tranny freakshows. Yeah and thats just on the surface.

Our villages may be called East and West while yours are called Piddletrenthide and Crapstone (seriously), but I bet England's "weird" isn't as weird as it thinks it is.

So here's a challenge, England. Prove me wrong. Out-weird New York.

Assuming I don't forget, I want to keep the weird-off as a running theme. Who will be victorious??

For fun, some songs about my beloved nyc.

Ace Frehley - Back in the New York Groove

Cat Power - New York

New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

And of course...

The Magnetic Fields - The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side

There are loads of amazing songs about London but that's a whole 'nother post...

Departure... Arrival

2008-01-16T05:37:00.000-08:00

Flying always makes me think about death, particularly during takeoff. And I had two transfers! I have no problem flying coach but somehow questioning my mortality three times in one day just doesn't seem fair. Anyway, I'm alive enough to blog so I guess I can't complain.

I flew out of Logan to Ireland. Coming in to Dublin at dawn is something really magical. Not magical like leprechauns but pretty damn close. More magical like "ohmygod I have to come back here." I'm putting Dublin near the top of my list of places to travel when I'm older and rolling in dough (i.e. never).

Now I'm all settled in, semi-unpacked. My room is embarrassingly small (think 9th st. apartment except half the size) but my roommate is awesome. She's Finnish and likes the same things I do (music, photography, sequined clothing...) but I already forget her name. Oops!

So I've decided that my stay in London could go one of two ways:

(As Anita sees it:) I make lots of friends and spend my time partying and gallivanting with a certain British electropop star

(As I see it:) I don't know anyone and don't have money to go out and meet people so I take up chain smoking (for dramatic effect) and spend my days gazing sadly out the window, sipping black coffee or whiskey or something equally dramatic (black coffee AND whiskey?) ...And then I do my homework.

I guess we'll find out. Here is some music I was listening to on the plane:

Radical Face - Welcome Home
(This song might not play on your iTunes because I bought it, but it will definitely play on your iPod.)

+/- - Yo Yo Yo (Please Don't Fall in Love)

This should be interesting.

2008-01-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

I ship off for London in two days; expect an incredibly long winded entry full of excitement, neuroses and a little nausea. I'll certainly miss the energy of New York and the rural "charm" of Massachusetts, but I'm looking forward to starting a new, but temporary lifestyle.

My hard drive is full, my iPod is full and my pockets are empty. To reiterate: this should be interesting.