Adventures of an Open Mind

+107

2009-04-25T15:36:00.002-05:00

..."Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

(ps, lies! I didn't take any new pictures. Sorry.)

+101

2009-04-19T12:48:00.014-05:00

101 days in London, 1 week left.

Yep, this time next week I'll have been on a plane for a few hours already, making my thousands-mile journey back to the ones I love. So what have I been doing with my last full Sunday in London? Homework, of course. Sigh.

But oh, after tomorrow at precisely 11:30 am, I am free from class and free to spend 5 1/2 days documenting everything about London I'm going to miss for you (and, you know, experiencing it too, but I just realised how few pictures of London I've actually taken).

In honor of pictures to come, I suppose I'll grace you with part two of my Germany photo series: Tour of Darmstadt.

Darmstadt is the city I spend most of my time in whilst in Germany, because it's where my friend Marie lives. Darmstadt is about 20 minutes outside of Frankfurt, and full of its own historical vibrancy. Of course, we visited Frankfurt too, but it wasn't a whole lot more than some banks and skyscrapers and tourists, so we didn't visit it for THAT long.

What an adorable city!

+99

2009-04-17T13:40:00.003-05:00

The discarded carcasses of daily newspapers are reduced to pulpy mash beneath the feet of a restless herd, pawing and pushing their way down rain soaked stairs and into the underground station; disinterested eyes look at everything while seeing nothing.

My days with London are winding down; in a short week I'll be back in the warm arms of home. Today was my last class for Art Appreciation, and my school schedule has been reduced to a due paper and a test on Monday. Then, I'm free. I also stopped by the IE office to retrieve my activity deposit (or what was left of it) and my prints as well (I won a photo contest, only an honorable mention and a 2nd, but good enough, so they made prints of my photos for me).

Oh, but Wednesday! Wednesday we toured the Tower of London, very nice, and then I split an order of fish and chips with my friend Sarah. After that I headed to South Kensington to view the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, and naturally I fell in love (no pun intended). Then I went to Regents Park to eat that elusive meal hidden between lunch and dinner, and to read the end of my second free sci-fi book, The Godwhale (which I picked up rather spontaneously at the Imperial College Union some time ago).

Yesterday, my friend Crystal and I had some Chinese in Chi-town and then paid 10 pounds to watch Madame de Sade, featuring Judi Dench and Rosemund Pike (of Pride and Prejudice fame). Of course, we were at the very top of the theatre and had to stand for the entire hour and 45 minutes, but in my mind, it was completely worth it. The set, costumes, and ambiance were magical, and from that height you're really forced to admire the pitch and sway of their voices. Sigh. ^^

My I'm chatty today.

+99

2009-04-17T07:50:00.019-05:00

Germany!

Friday, my friend Marie's parents took us on a boat ride to go explore a fortress in St. Goar, along the River Rhine. It was a beautiful, sunny 75 degrees all weekend, and there were castles along the river as far as the eye could see. Rowers joined cargo ships in enjoying the weather, and our boat was full of tourists headed to destinations of their own.

+99

2009-04-17T07:40:00.002-05:00

An image of the Hindu temple I was telling you about, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

It was quite a trek to get out to it, but I think it was worth it. I really wish our teacher had told us we needed to wear skirts that hit BELOW the knee before we got there, though. I mean, I was modest by today's standards, but I still had to wear a bedsheet before they would let me in. Goodness.

+90

2009-04-08T16:06:00.002-05:00

So, I fly out for Frankfurt tomorrow.
Have I begun packing yet? Well, no. Not yet.

I also have to register on Monday (I'll still be in Germany) for my Fall 2009 classes, though I'm not sure what classes I'm going to take yet and we've got a new system this semester besides. So I'm trying to get that figured out first.

Today we went to the Globe Theatre, ole Will's place. It was pretty fun; we had a very entertaining guide to tell us all about it. An American had the bright idea of rebuilding Shakespeare's theatre as it was back in his time, and it opened in 1997 with Henry V. 12 years later work is still being done on the building to make it as accurate as possible, as is the establishment's mission.

I also took a trip to a Hindu temple, which was absolutely astounding. It was made of white marble, almost every inch of which was intricately hand carved by thousands of craftsmen.

Pictures and elaboration to come...I really need to get back to my work.

+89

2009-04-07T09:58:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all, what's up with you? Not tons going on in Londontown at the mom., at least for me.
Classes, you know, that sort of thing. Long walks.

I just thought I would supply you with a link to one of the exhibits we visited a couple weeks ago for art class called Mythologies. It was hosted at Haunch of Venison, an art gallery off of Piccadilly Circus, and was actually quite good/very thought provoking. The first line of the program detailing the show goes something like this:

Mythologies explores the stories we tell about the world in order to understand it.

I urge you to keep that line in mind as you look through the works in the current exhibition (which is a feature of the site!) and question what stories the pieces might be telling.

A quotation I would like to leave you with (that was boldly featured on a wall in the exhibition) is from a man named Jorge Luis Borges, which upon recent googling I have discovered had quite a love for quotations and made many of his own. He said some very poetic things, though I'm not sure I agree with all of them.

...animals are divided into (a) those that belong to the Emperor, (b) embalmed ones, (c) those that are trained, (d) suckling pigs, (e) mermaids, (f) fabulous ones, (g) stray dogs, (h) those that are included in this classification, (i) those that tremble as if they were mad, (j) innumerable ones, (k) those drawn with a very fine camel's hair brush, (l) others, (m) those that have just broken a flower vase, (n) those that resemble flies from a distance.

(for those of us with a deep and abiding love for the discreet science of taxonomy)

+87

2009-04-05T11:05:00.006-05:00

As you may (but probably don't) know, I'm in a history of photography class over here in London...going through my assigned chapter today, I suddenly felt compelled to let you see what kinds of images grab my fancy. (Just another from of procrastination? Yes, probably.)

Garry Winogrand

Robert Doisneau

Dmitri Baltermants

Man Ray

+87

2009-04-05T06:21:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I spent some quality hours walking around Hyde Park (literally around, which is about 4 miles) and then perusing the Southbank. The Southbank, though highly populated/touristy on gorgeous weekends like yesterday, is still a place I find my self returning time and time again. Yesterday was the first time I saw the whole operation in full swing, and the entire sidewalk was crawling with pedestrians and "living statues" and entertainers with their musical instruments. I cannot imagine the kind of stamina someone must have to be a street performer, or the dedication. So many people pass by, willing to enjoy your work without compensating you for it...they can't be doing it for the money, can they? I'm not sure. Anyway, I went to the Southbank with the express purpose of finding a Chocolate Festival advertised on Time Out London's website, but it was poorly advertised and not as "festival-y" as I'd hoped. I managed to resist the temptation to buy reasonably priced gourmet chocolates, and of this I am quite proud.

As I rode the tube back, I snacked on roasted peanuts and practiced my lip-reading (which becomes more complicated when people aren't speaking English). About halfway home, a woman entered the car next to mine, Hemi-hound in tow. The waddling bulldog came as a delight to the children sitting in the seats across from him (you don't get a great number of dogs on the subways, but it does happen) and became an instant success (in my mind) when he "broke free" of his person to sprawl out in the middle of the car in front of one of the doors, where he lay the rest of his trip.

+84

2009-04-02T13:13:00.083-05:00

Caution: Longest Post Ever?

Yes, there's a possibility that this may be the longest post ever. I put almost all of the pictures I finished with on here, which is a good many. I hope you enjoy looking at them, and I'll try to add in little blurbs here and there.

Out our window, down the streets. We could rent those bikes and take them all over!

Entrance to the Métro, Paris's subway.

Arc de Triomphe

The clouds were gorgeous.

Paris from all the way at the top of the Eiffel Tower!

The Musée D'Orsay

Wings of the Louvre.

Notre Dame in the distance.

Heading into the Louvre.

Some painting...I don't remember which one this was.

Everybody really liked it though.

Notre Dame!

Rose Window!

+83

2009-04-01T17:12:00.002-05:00

Theme song for the day: Games People Play, by the Alan Parsons Project.

During every trip I take, the question inevitably comes up: So, now where do we go?
And during every trip, the song inevitably takes root in my mind. I finally had to take the time to just youtube it so I could listen to the dang thing and get it over with. I've had it on repeat for a while now, actually.

Sorry, procrastinating on those pictures. I'm going to attempt to put up ALL my Paris pictures this time around...so it might possibly be the longest post ever.

+83

2009-04-01T10:32:00.002-05:00

Welcome to London.

The G20 Summit came to London a few days ago, and protests/"riots" have been in the news increasingly over the past couple days.
Apparently someone got creative and decided to call today Financial Fool's Day?

Just some linky-links for you if you want to know what's been going on in my part of the world.

In other news, 6,000 rare dolphins found in South Asia!

I'll be working on putting up my photos from Paris next, now that we finally have internet back in the flat! Yay!

+81

2009-03-30T02:28:00.003-05:00

Bonjour!

We (my friends J & N & I) got back from Paris Saturday (around 9ish we were back at the flat) just in time to go out with A & her boyf one last time. We went to an indie club in Soho, the (as S put it) "gay and trendy part of London." Whatever you want to call it, it was super fun. Nevertheless, I was worn out from the day of traveling, so I was back in bed by 2:30 or 3 (which is quite a feat, considering I had to wait for my night bus at Piccadilly and ride it back, which can take a good 45 minutes depending on when the last bus came and how many ridiculously drunk people are pushing the "stop bus" button for fun).

Yesterday I spent most of my time moping around, being sleepy and happy I didn't have anything in particular to do (aside from my religion homework, which I finished this morning). I sent off J & N yesterday, and then in the evening my remaining friends and I had a farewell dinner at Nando's (home of legendary, Portuguese, flame-grilled PERi-PERi Chicken). S & A flew back to America this morning, and I'm afraid everyone that I sent home has flown into delays and cancellations, which could really present some problems with school (since class technically resumed today). Oh bother.

I took about 200 pictures while in Paris, but I haven't really had the chance (read: taken the time) to go through them and find the ones I like. We also STILL don't have internet at our flat, though yesterday we pirated some from an odd French channel (?) for a little while. The forces that be have said that we should be back up and running by April 3rd, which will come to a grand total of over a month without properly accessible 'net, and it's driving some people crazy. Look at me...I'm in McDonalds at 8 in the morning just so I can check my e-mail before I go to class.

Pictures and stories to come!

+76

2009-03-25T14:01:00.003-05:00

Sorry things have been a little quiet around here. From what I can tell, all of my friends are loving the city, and tomorrow morning I fly out to Paris! A couple of my friends and I will be staying there Thurs, Fri and Sat, and then we'll be back in London by Sat night. It should be a crazy busy weekend, but I'll have some more fresh pictures to put up once we're back.

The days they are a'dwindling. I make my decent into the US on the 26th of April, which is a couple days over a month from now. I'll be happy to leave, sad to leave, happy to be home, and missing this home, all at the same time. ...but it's not something I'm going to think about right now.

Today we went to the Inns of Court, which are where all the barristers have their chambers, and we visited the courts and sat in on some trials. I thought it was pretty dang cool, and all of the barristers and judges got to hang out in horse hair wigs. Yesterday we had an in depth lecture about the English legal system and I found it highly interesting...probably because I've had some practice digesting that kind of information from my PLS class last semester.

After our trip, a few friends and I headed to Old Street to try and find an art gallery for an extra credit paper. Only after half an hour of wandering around in the rain (hahaha, yes! the London weather is BACK!) did someone think to ask the only other art gallery in the area where our destination was. And it was closed. Indefinitely.

Then I ate some Hummus Bros with Amanda and Nik, wandered around Soho, headed back home, took a nap, and ended up in McDonalds to use the internet because it's been almost a month and the flat STILL doesn't have its wireless fixed.

Goodness.

This post is all over the place.

On my tube ride back to Earl's Court, I sat across from a poem.

+73

2009-03-22T14:39:00.004-05:00

Things are going well. I've got 4 (read it: 4!) friends visiting me for MSU's spring break, so I've been a little busy entertaining/going out. I get to play tour guide a little bit, and act like I know all about this strange, beautiful city I've been living in for the past three months.

How our conversations usually go:

Them: "Oh, that's pretty! What's that building?"

Me: "I...don't know."

Them: "Well what about that one?"

Me: "You know, I'm not sure."

Them: "And that one?"

Me: "I, uh...it looks kind of like a government building..."

It was St. Paul's Cathedral.

Fail.

Via The Flying Kiwi

+70

2009-03-19T13:18:00.003-05:00

Today I got my hair cut by a musketeer from Germany. It was his second day on the job.

Would you trust these men with your hair?

+69

2009-03-18T12:26:00.021-05:00

Cinque Terra photos see the light of day, finally! (unless you're looking through my facebook albums, in which case none of this is new).

I know I promised these quite a while ago, but you didn't think I'd forgotten completely, did you? Oh no, I wouldn't do that. However, there's not much to say about them. One of the days we had allotted for Florence we spent exploring a few coastal towns in Tuscany. We were actually supposed to spend about 5 hours on a hike along the water that would have taken us through 5 different towns, but the majority of the trail was closed due to flooding, so we splashed around in the towns we could get to. All in all, it was an amazing, relaxing, beautiful day that I would recreate in a heartbeat.

+69

2009-03-18T07:50:00.005-05:00

I would first like to apologise to my mom for visiting Parliament today. I had no choice, it was an IE field trip for which I was graded. I realise visiting Westminster Palace on a day (as I assume most are) when the alert is severe would not usually constitute sound judgement, but I am back in once piece and all the better for it.

Personally, I shall have warm memories of the building and will always remember it as smelling of delicious breakfast, even in the House of Lords.

Bonus points to you if you read that blurb in your head with a British accent, as that's how I was composing it in mine.

Secondly, I would like to give you a run-down of what I would like to get accomplished today, in a perfect world: hair cut, laundry, mail postcards, bargain hunt, enjoy the day.
It is once again unbelievably sunny, and I broke a sweat walking the 5 miles back home from Westminster. How wonderful. =)

+68

2009-03-17T07:18:00.006-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Four beautiful days in a row?! It's almost too much to ask for, but this morning I woke up, yet again, with the warm sun tickling my eyelids. These are the kinds of days that just beg for the park, for a walk, and for shopping!

It was a relief to spend a beautiful weekend in London by myself, especially after all the traveling in Italy. It was a fantastic opportunity, but a week later I was still drained. Most of my loves went off to Ireland or Paris or someplace nice, so I took advantage of my freed-up status to go out dancing with some friends I don't get to see as often (my old roomie from freshman year) and to experience some live music in what turned out to be an old, white, rich man's club. Very funny.

Saturday I took a long walk through Hyde Park, and Sunday my friend C and I woke up early to go to Camden Market and find the Irish Cultural Centre for free breakfast. Come to find out, the breakfast wasn't free, they just didn't mention a price online. How nice of them. And no, we didn't want to pay 7 pounds for it, so we headed back towards the market and grabbed an English breakfast for 3 pound 95. Much better.
After we explored the market for a little while (I got some cute brown shoes on super-sale and a little yellow birdy necklace) C and I rode the bus back to Picadilly Circus and enjoyed the festival taking place in Trafalgar Square. The place was packed with good-natured drunks (for the most part) and the entertainment kept us interested for a couple hours, at least. One of my favorites was an Irish boy band called Closure.

Let me just say that again, for emphasis: Irish Boy Band.

+67

2009-03-16T14:03:00.003-05:00

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.” --Pablo Picasso

Today I visited the National Gallery for Art Appreciation, and we got to see the exhibit Picasso: Challenging the Past.
It was absolutely marvelous. Picasso, in fact, was absolutely marvelous. The exhibit was organized into 6 or so rooms, each with 8 - 10 paintings centered around a common theme (portraits, still lives, nudes, etc.). The exhibit really showed the breadth of his skill as a painter, spanning his early years (while still a teen, even!) right up to his most-cubist elderly years, and focused mainly on how his work was influenced by the artists and styles of the past (hence the title).

You know what else was marvelous today? The weather.
I'll let you know how marvelous the weather and my weekend was when I get back from salsa dancing!

+65

2009-03-14T13:24:00.010-05:00

For 3 days after Venice we explored the Italian city of Florence!

The first day we waited in line for a few hours to get into the Uffizi gallery, but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside (surprise). The third day we saw Michelangelo's David, and hit up the Duomo and climbed to the top, but my camera died right as I was going in. So I don't have a lot of photos, sorry.

Next time...Cinque Terra!

+65

2009-03-14T09:10:00.022-05:00

Long, looooong overdue: Spring break, Venice

Sorry this has taken so long, I haven't been that busy...just lazy. Regardless, here are the pictures from the first city I visited during spring break, Venice.

It was wonderful to spend a couple days in a place where there were no cars whatsoever. You don't even realize how much you love it until you arrive in Florence and the city is full of Fiats and mopeds and surly pedestrians. We went to the Piazza di San Marco and St. Mark's Basilica, took a gondola ride, and reveled in the leftovers of Venice's Carnavale. After hours of walking the alleyways and bridges, it was heaven to just soak up the sun by a canal with a calzone and a coke and not worry about homework at all. We ate a lot of pizza, too, but it was good pizza. I usually just had a margherita (cheese pizza, tsk tsk) and the last pizza I ate in Italy was made with thick mozzarella and slices of cherry tomatoes.

The souvenir shops were dominated by masks, and it was common to run across shops that were exclusively masks ranging from 15 euro to hundreds. There were also a fair amount of shops that sold Venetian glass jewelry, and others that sold some of the most beautiful leather gloves I've ever seen. There were also shops that sold nothing but delicious gelato, but we're not going to spend any more time talking about the massive amounts of ice cream I consumed while on break. Because it was a looot.

I hope this tides you over until I get my Florence pictures up. I don't have many from there...it was more of a basic big city than Venice, and who wants to take pictures of typical store-lined streets? However, I took about a hundred thousand pictures during our day trip to the Italian coast, so there will be plenty of eye candy from that. Oh, how I miss the Tuscan sun.

+59

2009-03-08T18:07:00.002-05:00

Ciao!

After 9 grueling days of trains, hostels, and rainy skies, I've finally made it back to London from my Italian holiday. I'm sitting on my bed in my flat, eating sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice and trying to think of what to say, but it is 11ish at night and I'm terribly tired. We'll see how things go; they might be a little sporadic, but eventually I'll lay out all the pieces of the puzzle for you (I think).

Today I woke up at 5:40 to catch the bus to the airport for my 10 o'clock flight, then had to take the bus to the train station to catch the tube to my flat. It was a long day of traveling, and I was more than happy to throw everything down and relax. I uploaded my photos to my computer, and I am proud to say I managed to take 1088 pictures in Venice and Florence before my camera's battery died (and I forgot my charger in the UK...sigh). I've been weeding through them on and off for a little while now, but it will probably be another couple days before I have anything substantial.

Luckily for me, I have two of my classes cancelled this week, so I'll have extra time to try and get caught up.

+52?

2009-03-01T11:27:00.002-06:00

I'm not keeping track of the days very well.

Venice was charming and chilly, and it was nice to spend a couple days in a city completely void of cars. We took a gondola ride, and fed the birds in the square (as per my sister's instructions).

Right now I'm in an internet cafè in Florence, Italy...so I'm not going to give you a comprehensive rundown of things, by any means.

Today I saw three of the four Ninja Turtles and hordes more famous works. We spent at least two hours in the line for the Uffizi, but it was definitely worth it. If you want a little taste of what I saw today, I recommend googling the following terms:

Birth of Venus
Judith Slaying Holofernes
Adoration of the Magi (Leonardo)

Or, you could visit this site, which has a few more pictures from the gallery.

My favorite was called Leda and the Swan. I suggest googling that too, but you might have to specify Leda and the Swan, Leonardo.

I've eaten entirely too much pizza, pasta and gelato. I've also spent entirely too much money. Italy is making me broke.

Ciao!

+48

2009-02-25T15:10:00.010-06:00

Okay, I lied. I forgot to put up pictures from Dover and Canterbury, where we went for our field trip last week. Today we didn't have a field trip, so I don't have to worry about that.

Dover we visited a castle, Canterbury we visited a cathedral.
I had a lunch of fish and chips, and carrot cake for dessert. PS, I like fish now? I'm still not sure how that happened.
Tidbits: You can tell the castle was built before Richard the Lionheart (aka Sean Connery...we had the best tour guide) because the towers are square. After Richard, British castles are built with circular towers. Also, Canterbury is where Christianity was reintroduced to Britain after the Romans left.

I can see France from my house!

Trebuchet!

+48

2009-02-25T13:42:00.013-06:00

Prague was a-ma-zing.

We spent two days walking around the city, and it snowed almost the entire time. We went to a string concert (read: not Sting concert, string) and entertained ourselves in a 5 story club. Somebody asked me if I was Arabic. (?) We visited the castle, numerous souvenir shops, and rubbed the statue of a saint for good luck. As per usual, I'll put up some pics, but I don't think I can really narrate it all.

Tomorrow we leave for Italy! Venice, Florence, and Rome!

Today I went to a Sikh Gurudwara and learned all about their religion, kind of. I would like to hear about it from someone not so...biased, but I'm not sure if that will ever happen. It was an enlightening experience, regardless. They also coaxed us into eating from their cafeteria, which apparently feeds 35,000 people a week. The tea was delicious.

What else did I do today? I charged the battery for my camera, ate a grapefruit, cleaned off my picture card, and walked to High Street Kensington (but didn't buy anything!). I also took a trip to McDonalds and snuck some of their wi-fi because ours hasn't been working since I've been home.

There probably won't be a lot of posting for a couple weeks...VACA!

+44

2009-02-21T14:34:00.002-06:00

PRAHA!

+42

2009-02-19T08:58:00.018-06:00

Come Hell or High Water, Part 3 - a picture story

The end.

+41

2009-02-18T15:16:00.008-06:00

Come Hell or High Water, Part 2

When preparing to jump off a 30 foot cliff into the ocean, it is best to not question yourself. If there's no immediate danger, hesitation is pointless. Even if you're scared witless, at least you'll look like a badass.

Saturday morning you wake up and attempt to stuff yourself into a wet suit, which is much like squeezing into an ultra-tight girdle, and not all that flattering. You don't mind though, because when you're standing in a shed in your skivvies in the middle of February, all you want is to be warm again. After you've thoroughly suited up, you hop into the bus and make your way to the coast of Wales.

When you first hit the water, you forget how to breathe. Oh god it's cold, and the ocean is filled with bubbles, and you just float for a moment and then push back to the surface and toss your head back and gasp. Your limbs are loose but your chest is tight, so you just bob with the tide for a little while trying to reclaim your lungs. One by one your friends follow suit, the ocean continuously broken by sputtering, cursing youths. Helmeted heads dot the water, and on the guide's signal you break into long strokes towards a crevice in the rocks nicknamed "the toilet" because of the way the waves raise you up and then flush you back down. The surrounding rocks are covered in barnacles and they scrape the tips of your fingers that poke through your gloves as you reach for a purchase. You finally steady yourself during a low spell, just seconds before the water suddenly raises again, throws you off and swallows you up.

Once you've escaped the toilet and hoisted yourself up the shut-ins type rocks, the cold hits you with a whole new vengeance. Your fingertips are thrumming, and your forehead aches. Your lips are turning blue, and the salty wind whips across your face, a siren song luring you back to the sea. Luckily you don't stand still for long, and soon you're scrambling across the rocks and jumping cannon ball style back into the Atlantic.

After lunch you're back at the ocean, wedging your surfboard into the sand and laying on your stomach, pushing your hair out of your eyes and watching Bramble demonstrate proper surfing technique. The board is heavy and catches the wind, constantly blowing you off your feet. The cold water is a familiar shock as you wade into the waves with your board floating at your side. The leg rope tangles around your feet, and the foamy water fizzes around your waist as you wait for a substantial swell.

You wait too long for the first wave, and it flips the board you're only half on; you swallow a mouthful of sea water as you tumble under the surface. Catching the leg rope, you haul your board back to you and try it again. This time as you seen the wave gaining, you turn your board towards the coast, get fully centered, and start swimming frantically, rushing towards the beach with triumphant speed. The next step is to push yourself up into a cobra pose, and as you arch your back you think you've just about got it. Half an hour later, Bramble teaches you how to spring into a standing position, but the water and wind have sucked all the strength out of your upper body. Back in the waves, you tumble off the board repeatedly as you try in vain to get your feet flat on the plastic.

The sun sets as you strip off your wet suit in the parking lot, shame long since discarded in the morning shed. The promise of hot chocolate warms you long enough to pull on your soft, dry sweatshirt, but the bone cold of the day will remain in your fingers and back for hours to come. The muscles in your legs and arms ache, and your salty hair is a tangled pile on your head, but you're happy. If anything, you're happy.

+41

2009-02-18T15:07:00.003-06:00

Dear Mom,

Thank you for the lovely Valentines Day box! It came in the mail yesterday, and I was so excited to finally have more pumpkin bread. I had no idea you'd baked me THREE loaves! I've heard it's virtually impossible to find Cool Whip in London, but a neighbor did have some canned whipped cream that topped the deliciousness off nicely. Thanks for the Kissables, too. I think I ran around most of last night with a sugar high, so I'm going to have to learn to moderate myself. However, I'm not really sure what those lip candies are, so I haven't tried them yet. I mean, what if they're gum and I accidentally swallow them?

I also love the card that you and Tanner sent me. It was a little soggy when I pulled it out of the box, so I made sure to open it straightaway. It was great to hear your voices, and now I'll have something to listen to any time I feel a little homesick. I'm sorry it cost you $40 to send me that, but I appreciate it more than you know.

Love, Kins

+40

2009-02-17T07:35:00.003-06:00

The guys in London have no asses.
Even if they did, the tight legged, baggy bottomed pants trend that they have come to embrace makes it impossible to tell. Not that I’m particularly interested, but these are the kinds of things you notice when you’re power walking the streets of the city.

It was a good walk, too. London has been beautiful the past couple days, gray as always but close to 50 degrees and breezy. It was the kind of walk that the High Street with their Porsches and shopping bags don’t appreciate at 12:30 in the afternoon, full of zigzags and close calls and long strides. It was the kind of walk you feel up the tops of your feet and over your ankles, the kind that builds and builds and sizzles for a jog until you’ve finally reached the gate of Kensington Gardens and you can give in. It was the kind of walk fueled by Enrique, the kind with hip swivels and the occasional finger snap and a strong and heavy beat. It was a good walk, to be certain.

+38

2009-02-15T18:03:00.002-06:00

Forgive me, for I am shirking on my duties.

Today I finished all my homework early and decided to get out of my flat and do something. I chose to walk to the Science Museum, which is right down Cromwell, and is also the Science Museum. Do I really have to elaborate? Anyway, I thought "right down Cromwell" was going to make it easy to find; I really should have paid attention to that mapquest a teensy bit more. Anyway, long story short, I passed it up and came across Harrods instead. So I figured hey, I haven't been to Harrods yet and I've been here over a month. Let's do it.

So I went in. In case you didn't know, Harrods is one of those places where you shop for your Chanel rompers and open-toed booties and gold plated doggie dishes and for god's sake don't touch anything because it all costs more than you do! It was 5 drool-worthy levels of decadence, and needless to say I was too nervous to really enjoy it. Perhaps I'll go back another time when I've brushed my hair and traded my brown loafers for four-inch instruments of torture. But that is a bit of a walk for brushed hair.

For all of you left wondering about the Science Museum, I was hell bent on finding it, and find it I did. I felt quite a bit more at home in the Science Museum...I remember thinking that exact thing. My sister asked me if it was at all like the Science Center in St. Louis, and my initial response was "no, not really," though I couldn't pinpoint why. Now that I've had time to think about it, the Science Museum is different by its inherent nature of being a Museum about Science. It is centered around numerous artifacts related to science, but not necessarily with giving in depth explanations about scientific processes and procedures. It had Watson and Crick's DNA model, for example, but not a large elaboration on how DNA works.

In other recent news, I had a dream last night I was John Lennon's love.

I think that's about everything...

Italy in 2 weeks!

+37

2009-02-14T06:27:00.002-06:00

It's the little, unexpected things that make you miss home the most...

Like not being able to find a sharpie in Sainsbury's? Or a black permanent marker of any sort?

Really, London? Really?

+36

2009-02-13T18:49:00.003-06:00

update

Oh! I forgot! Wednesday we went to the British Museum and I got up close and personal with the Rosetta Stone.

It...will...BE MINE!

I think that museum has more Egyptian work in it that Egypt does. It also has most of the good stuff from the Parthenon. Britain, I take it, knows how to pillage expertly.

My history of photography class also took a trip to a hip part of the city to check out a show by South African photographer Santu Mofokeng. His shots were touching and thought through...instead of photographing the images of the anti-Apartheid struggle most were focused on, he captured the life of Africans in between.

/update

+36

2009-02-13T18:31:00.008-06:00

Come Hell or High Water, Part 1

Through a little enthusiasm, pretty pictures, and slick advertising, we were lured into an adventure weekend on the coast of Wales. The fees we paid would cover everything, they said, and all we had to do was find our way over there. Funny, that.

Friday morning we set out for the Victoria coach station, backpacks, duffels, and rolly bags in tow. It was a gorgeous day (actually I think it was raining a little) but all we really wanted was to get to the station, get on our coach, and get to Wales – especially since the ride was scheduled to be 6 or 7 hours long. The gates were rather like an airport, but there were pigeons roosting on the display screens and the stores sold boxed sandwiches instead of high-end perfume. We arrived around 45 minutes before our departure time (12 sharp!) set down our bags and grabbed some waters. Luckily (but mostly unfortunately) we didn’t have to wait for very long. After about 10 minutes, an amiable voice lit up the station, informing us that our trip had been cancelled due to “severe weather.” Mass panic ensued.

Okay, maybe not “mass panic,” but lots of people were 1. Confused 2. Pissed and 3. Confused. Were they going to reschedule our coach? Should we wait and see? If we couldn’t get to Wales, would they refund our money? Well, as it turned out, no, no, and no. So we hightailed it, through the not-quite-pouring rain, to the Victoria train station and finagled 1 o’clock train tickets for around 36 pounds, which was possibly less than what we’d paid for our coach tickets (would we get THAT money refunded? No, probably not; they can’t control the weather.). We hopped on the next train to Swansea, wandered through the (empty) first class cars, and finally settled in a (full) layman’s car, much to my dismay. But at least we were sitting down.

An hour or so into our ride, Ryan and I moved up to a table that had freed up and joined some of our friends. Here, we met the self-proclaimed most unusual man we would ever meet.

A few hours later, we arrived at Swansea (which was still about 2-3 hours from Haverfordwest, our ultimate destination) and discovered we were a wonderful hour ahead of schedule…unfortunately, our next train was right on time. So, Mark, Emily, and I decided to wander about Swansea, rolly bags still in tow, and observe the local Swanseans in their natural habitat. A run down of the street we experienced: a bowling alley (we considered popping in for a frame) lots of closed down and graffiti’d on shops, and three booming outdoor apparel and gear stores.

Our last few hours on the train passed relatively quickly. Of course, I was sleep on a shared table for the majority of it, but I digress. When we finally made it to Haverfordwest it was full night, but our hosts were there to pick us up, and a brisk 25-minute bus ride later we were at our lodge in the Preseli Hills. We were shown to our rooms, served a delicious hot dinner, and left to enjoy the rest of our night with the comfort of a full-service bar. After an hour or so I changed into my jammies and meandered outside to soak in the starlight. Starlight’s not something you get a lot of in the city.

The ecolodge was...uh...pink. But we could see the ocean!

+32

2009-02-10T14:43:00.003-06:00

Fear not, for I am alive!

I apologise for my absence; I spent my weekend in Wales on an amazing adventure. Unfortunately for both of us, I have some classwork to catch up on and some thoughts to sort out before I can give you a more play-by-play post (flowery wording included!).

In the meantime, I'll share a few of the artists I've experienced lately. My school life often consists of visiting various galleries and shows (as I may or may not have already mentioned) most of which are definitely worth my time.

Edward Burtynsky, who specialises in "manufactured landscapes." The show that I went to was comprised of hi-res, large format color prints of various mines throughout Australia. It was a-ma-zing.

Mark Rothko, a modernist painter who utilised shape, color, and texture to create abstract pieces that challenge the viewer who wishes to be challenged (I'm linking you to specifically his later works, because the exhibit we saw at the Tate was comprised of those, but the site should be easy enough for you to navigate).

Indian Highway, the current exhibit at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park. Intense, thought provoking work from some of India's leading new talent (this time I'm linking you to the home page because once the exhibit is over I'm not sure if they'll leave the page up. But, for the time being, you should be able to find it directly on the left).

Alright, now have a fantastic day. I'm off to two more galleries tomorrow, possibly three. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, and I guess I'll give you a little teaser from my trip to Wales. Since you asked so nicely.

+27

2009-02-05T09:15:00.007-06:00

In other, not completely London-relevant news, this is pretty much how I've been feeling lately: (via The Sartorialist)

Of course, it's hardly a style I can afford, but I do what I can with what I have.
And now...fashiony London finds!:

This pony print scarf is pretty much my fave right now.

As well as my new hat + pin (found on Portobello).

+27

2009-02-05T08:23:00.011-06:00

Yesterday we took a lovely day trip to the city of Oxford, approximately 1 hour by coach (and accessible from the station at Marble Arch).

It was cold, and I had (obviously) dressed appropriately in sheer patterned tights. Hey, at least I remembered my gloves this time. Darrion didn't even have a coat! On our ride over, we were enlightened on the history of Oxford as well as the way the college is set up. I don't suppose anyone ever considered that there might not be just a nice little gated clump of buildings helpfully labled "Oxford College" which is why they felt the need to fill us in. Oxford is, as the metaphor they gave us goes, much like the US government. There is the "federal government" that is Oxford University that links its 38 colleges, but it doesn't have a building or anything of the sort -- it's just a Board of men and whatnot. Then we have the "state governments" which are all the separate colleges, which pretty much do their own thing. They each control their application process, etcetera etcetera. We were then regaled with horror stories of applying and interviewing and such, and were thoroughly impressed.

When we finally stumbled off the bus, our lively tour guide Deb spent a couple hours talking us around the town and through a college before dumping us to ramble 'round for an hour or three. Oxford is, like most of London that I've seen so far, a unique mixture of old, old buildings, Marks and Spencer, and Zara. We stopped in a college apparel store to buy emblemized tees and sweats, and then perused the city for The Eagle and Child, a pub where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to grab a bite and have a friendly argument. I ordered a piece of chocolate cake with ice cream, which everyone had to try (the verdict: orgasmic) and followed that with a turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sandwich (Thanksgiving between bread, anybody?). Delish.

Once we were stuffed and satisfied, our journey took us to the Christ Church - the Church, legend has it, was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. Also that some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed there, but that's not nearly as interesting. As God decreed, there was an entrance fee of 3 pound 50, so we mingled around the front taking pictures and then alighted to the shopping centres, which were free. The Christ Church is not a sanctuary for the poor.

+25

2009-02-03T05:56:00.003-06:00

This has absolutely nothing to do with London, but if they weren't $255 I would own them.

+24

2009-02-02T06:33:00.019-06:00

Across the way, a father carves a smiley face into a snow-topped mailbox for his tottering, bundled up son.

Young women in hijabs chase each other along the slushy sidewalks, gathering snowflakes on their flowing dresses and sturdy shoes.

High on the rooftops, Imperial hooligans push drifts of snow onto the hats of passing students.

Smartly dressed businessmen congregate outside of a Starbucks, lattes in one hand and snowballs in the other.

Cars line the roads, topped with snow eight inches deep (but only on the side facing traffic). Eager hands of all ages have been quick to stretch from the sidewalks and scoop off what fluff they can reach.

Clumsily built snowmen occupy the medians of the perpetually busy streets, assembled with stony eyes, newspaper arms, and traditional carrot noses.

Carefully we walk, placing our feet just so and tensing our bodies for the inevitable slide, but unable to chase away the smiles that relax our faces.

+24

2009-02-02T06:33:00.017-06:00

And now, some more pictures from the Chinese New Year celebration, minus all that sappy prose.

+23

2009-02-01T18:51:00.006-06:00

London is inches deep in night and snow, and it is utterly magical.

Today I woke up (fairly) early to go to Trafalgar Square and China Town for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Down a barricaded street branching off Picadilly Circus, stages were being set up and red paper lanterns were strung across the sky. Snow drifted down in between the baubles and stuck to my pea coat in great clumps, wetting my nose and eye lashes. With a mixture of awe and apprehension I melted into the quickly growing crowd of prams and paper dragons, searching for something intangible.

Minutes after becoming thoroughly entrenched in foreign accents, I was being pushed to the sidewalk to make way for a cadre of drums and cymbals, followed closely by a disembodied lion head. Obviously excited about what they were about to witness, I was pushed forward again by clamoring hands and one persistent little boy who just wanted to go home. I was, I realized, occupying a prized spot at the front of the crowd, and felt rather smug about it. Unfortunately for us, once the lion finally put its head on it snaked away rather quickly, off to jump and kick for the less determined farther down the road.

+22

2009-01-31T17:15:00.006-06:00

I suppose you want to know what I've been doing with my time since Thursday, since it's already Saturday night. Why, you ask, would I bother to get on and ravely review my Thursday happenings without continuing to elaborate on the rest of my time since then?

Well, I don't really have a good answer to that, so I guess I'll just get on with it.

After we finished the Lion King we got McDonalds (FOR SHAME) and proceeded to have an amazing dance party back at the flat that lasted until about 5 in the morning.

Friday I sat around and attempted to read for my religion class.

Saturday some friends and I went to Camden Market (which was totally freaky) and then we came back and did some more homework.

I suppose that's why I didn't bother telling you about it.

Hannah, Laura, and me.

+22

2009-01-31T16:48:00.002-06:00

The Lion King is a great movie.

It is also an AMAZING musical.

No joke - first song, Circle of Life, all the animals start coming out, I thought I was going to cry. And then when Mufasa's saving Simba from the stampede and you know he's not going to make it - seriously almost cried again. Of course, I'm going to chalk my quick-draw emotions up to hormones, but it was still amazing.

The first thing that struck me was the complete ingenuity of the costumes. I just...I'm having a hard time even coming up with words to describe how unique, but appropriate, they were. Talk about suspended reality...there were puppets and stilts and wheels and strings and it was mind blowing.

I was also pleased that (for the most part) the character players attempted to emulate their cartoony counterparts. Timone sounded like Timone, Pumba sounded like Pumba, and so on and so forth. I mean, I'm all about thespians developing their own character and what not, but it's the Lion King, okay? Isn't it enough that they all had British accents?

Finally, I would just like to say that in all of London they couldn't find a young Simba that could stay on key? Really? Really?

If you ever get the chance to watch the Lion King in theatres, you'll be making a mistake by not going.

+19

2009-01-28T14:05:00.004-06:00

Sunday I went to a high Anglican service in one of the oldest churches in all of Britain, St. Bartholomew the Great (built in 1123). It was, according to my teacher's wife, more Catholic than any Catholic service she went to, but there were still bits and pieces I could pick out from my own experiences as a Presbyterian (the Lord's prayer, the Apostle's creed, those kinds of things). The building was dimly lit, the service was highly structured, and the choir had about 8 people in it, but they sang in Latin and wooed me completely. The Reverend was a jokester as well, commenting on the fact that the "incense" they were using was actually from a fog machine. The whole experience had this very archaic feel to it, which was a fascinating foil to the world we had just stepped out of.

Interesting trivia about this particular church: Hogarth (the painter and namesake of a road some of my fellow classmates live on) was baptized here, and

(this picture was lifted from the Daily Mail)

scenes from Shakespeare in Love, The Other Boleyn Girl, and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves were shot in the premises!
If you want to find out more about St. Barts, they've got a nice little site online that you can visit.

In other heavenly news, today after our visit to the Tate Britain we took another little field trip to a mosque in St. John's Wood (home of Abbey Road). It was the first mosque I've ever been to, and I enjoyed it greatly. We had a soft-spoken, articulate (and sharply dressed) young "tour guide" who filled us in on the history of Islam and the reasons for some of their particular customs, such as the removal of shoes before entering (they don't want to get the carpet dirty).

While I'll freely admit that I know very little about Islam, I found it fascinating how similar it is to its relative religions, Judaism and Christianity. To put it in a harsher light, it was easy to see the mini-version we were given as Christianity, plus a couple extra chapters (Muhammad). We witnessed a call to prayer, and reveled at the remarkable acoustics at work via the gilded dome. This is a subject I hope I'll be able to expand upon later, perhaps tomorrow, when I have time to flush it all out, but it was definitely a beautiful thing to experience.

::EDIT::
I forgot to mention! Before we made it to St. Barts we stopped by the market where, apparently, William Wallace was drawn and quartered. It also gave a little history of Queen Mary, who (tale tells it) garnered her nickname from the sheer number of people she had executed.
Bloody Mary,
Bloody Mary,
Bloody Mary.

+16

2009-01-25T15:39:00.006-06:00

In-depth musings on Stonehenge, because I just can't let it go.

Stonehenge was a majestic site, and it almost took my breath away as the coach approached it. After riding for what seemed like hours through British pastureland, I was seriously beginning to doubt we would ever see anything more than green fields and sheep. But there it was, finally; an ancient monument I could only reference through pictures, staring back at me through my tinted window. This awe-struck mindset, however, was short lived. When I envisioned visiting Stonehenge, I thought I would be mysteriously transported though space and time to a different world – one without planes, trains, or automobiles. In the end, though, I really just felt like another tourist.

My first brush with modernity came from the very existence of a welcome center, an “entrance” to Stonehenge. Capitalism had made it all the way to Salisbury Plain in the form of a snack shack, a gift store, and an admission fee; turnstiles efficiently acknowledged my arrival. Magnets with the half-wit slogan “Stonehenge Rocks” glared back at my reflection in the store window, and painterly reconstructions of the antiquity lined the walls that herded me to my ultimate attraction. My friends back home had warned me that Stonehenge was kind of a let-down, but at the moment I was mostly let down by society.

Ironically, I feel the measures taken to preserve the sanctity of Stonehenge have only managed to make it seem cheap. The roped-off pathway snaked me around the site, and after a few moments of strained reverence, I whipped out my Nikon and began snapping pictures. Stonehenge had, in a manner of minutes, gone from a place of mystical commune with the creativity of the past to nothing more than a pile of rubble. I couldn’t walk between the stones, stand in their shadows, or imagine what hand might have shaped them before mine. In the end, with the wind from the nearby highway whipping though my hair and prickling my ears, all I could do was recreate the photos I had once seen with awe and think about how great they would look as a background on my computer.

+13

2009-01-22T05:36:00.014-06:00

Done with school so soon? I love classes here…it’s Thursday, 10:50ish, and I’m finished with university for the week.

I really shouldn’t wait so long to update things, but I’m sure you understand. I’m a busy girl!

Monday: My history of photography class took a trip to the Robert Capa show at the Barbicon Art Centre (called On The Subject of War, very powerful stuff), and my Art Appreciation class got in a huge fight over what the purpose of art is, whether the fact that Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel devalues his work, and whether Hitler was a good guy.

An-My Lê, who was exhibiting with Robert Capa.

Tuesday: The pub at our Union had an inauguration watch party for us. It was…and odd experience to have in London, and probably in any other country other than our own. The room was filled with more Brits than Americans, and their reactions to Obama’s speech made us all very hypersensitive to what he was actually saying. The room was rather still, but everyone cheered when he was finished. It was a good feeling, regardless of where we were, and a buoyant one. Then we had to go to a lecture about paleo-meso-neolithic Britain. Snore.

On the bright side, my roommate from freshmen year stopped by with her boyfriend Darrion (who is in the same program as me) and we all went out together! I haven’t seen Crystal for what seems like ages (she studied in Spain last semester) and it was a great time all-around. I haven’t laughed that much in a while, and I did some silly things indeed, but all-in-all we agreed we would have to spend a lot more time together while we were here.

Wednesday: It was a day of many emotions. We woke up bright and early (after a rather long night) to go to Stonehenge. Unfortunately, one of my lovely friends had a seizure on the coach. This was her second one in a week, and we’re all very worried for her. She had to miss the trip, which is a pity, because it was a gorgeous day for Stonehenge and Bath.

I was not, as some people were, disappointed by Stonehenge. I was a little pissed about the rope holding corralling it in, but not because I wanted to climb all over the ruins or anything; I live by Elephant Rocks state park – been there, done that. Mostly I was angry because it really took away from the feel of antiquity the site *should have had. It was like a sideshow attraction, not something awesome you could have just stumbled upon whilst exploring the countryside. A lot of the glamour was tarnished by the fence, but also by the highway running along side it. That helped too.

After Stonehenge we rode on to Bath, which is possibly one of my favorite cities to date. All of the buildings matched (aside from the ones replaced after being bombed, but they tried, they really did) and the restaurant we ate at was quaint, classy, and delish. I highly recommend it.

(This was so cool! The picture was a representation of Oliver King's name...the olive tree and the crown.)

(Don't touch the water!)

(one of my favorites)

+10

2009-01-18T16:40:00.023-06:00

It’s been a little over a week now, but it really feels like I’ve been here forever.
But not in a bad way.

Kensington, we’ve been informed, is a very wealthy borough, but not the best representation of “real” London (when we inquired as to where we would find the “real” London we were told vaguely, “anywhere else”). Kensington is known as a business hub and a place for second houses, not first homes. Orlando Bloom is rumored to have digs in our area, so I guess that only goes to prove the point. Nevertheless, it’s a nice, peaceful place, consistently 5 stories high, and I like it.

Our first day or so here, we were taken on a sight-seeing bus trip that hit a lot of the famous places: Buckingham palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the London bridge, Diana’s favorite shopping complex. We were allowed, once, to feel like the tourists that we were. I doubt we’ll feel like that again.

Interestingly enough, alcohol in London (and all of Europe, I’ll venture to suppose) doesn’t have the stigma attached to it as it does in America. Pubs are great places to make new friends, or just sit and chat with Yanks you already know. Any night is a good night to go out (at least for us) and there doesn’t seem to be a fervor for the weekend like there is in America. In fact, I spent my first Friday night lounging around my flat. Imperial’s Union is fun for meeting boys because of their school’s terrible guy-to-girl ratio (science FINALLY does me some good) and the pub down the street is good for Monday night trivia; my current favorite drink there is peppermint tea.

I’ve tried (successfully, I believe) to have at least one adventure a day. These have helped me to become thoroughly acquainted with the tube, which is handy information when my friends need to get somewhere.
I’ve been shopping on Oxford Street, which nearly killed me, and have found the Westfield shopping mall, which I haven’t yet thoroughly explored.
I’ve been to Portobello Road and examined their wares, and can say with confidence that, in fact, anything and everything a chap can unload is sold off the barrow in Portobello road.

I’ve been to Abbey road, and crossed it.
I’ve even walked to Greenwich, which has probably been my biggest adventure to date.

Friday morning, I awoke with nothing in particular to do. So, I turned to the handy guide Amanda made me to find some inspiration. Walk the southbank of the River Thames, she tells me, and see the living statues! That sounds like a good idea to me, so off I go. I hop on the tube and ride to Westminster, and alight for the London Eye and Aquarium. I cross the bridge, gawk at just about everything, and be-bop my way along the riverbank. I pass the Millennium Walking Bridge, the London Bridge, the Tate, The Globe, and eventually the Tower Bridge. It’s been a nice walk, but I’m getting a little tired, so I’ll cross back over at the next bridge I come to and find a tube station home. Little do I know that the next “bridge” is the footpath through the Thames in Greenwich. But hey, a deal’s a deal.

(see any more bridges? yeah, me neither.)

(no more people, either.)

(these kinds of places took up a large chunk of my walk)

(Greenwich park!)

(the Royal Observatory!)

(some college in Greenwich, ac

+8

2009-01-16T21:23:00.002-06:00

Quite a few Brits actually love the queen.

The pigeons in Kensington are a lot like the squirrels in Springfield.

+6

2009-01-15T10:43:00.002-06:00

Everybody smokes,
and no one knows which side of the sidewalk to walk on.

But I love it, I really do.

I plan on exploring more with camera in tow, so hopefully I'll be able to shed some light on my first full week in a couple days, with visuals!

+2

2009-01-11T15:33:00.005-06:00

Home sweet home, part 2

We arrived at Heathrow at about 11:30 yesterday, and I was so glad. Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t handle motion very well, and spiraling in for the landing was rough (but I made it out with the contents of my stomach still intact). My first British meal was fish and chips, and it was delicious. I don’t even like fish and it was delicious. I’m in Britain. Fuck yeah.

We also went on a pub crawl last night, and I made it through 3 pubs and the Imperial Union without paying for a single drink (or drinking a single drink, but that’s besides the point). The Union was full of university students, and my friend Sarah and I introduced ourselves to four dashing fellows and were thoroughly entertained throughout the rest of the night. And by “rest of the night” I mean I was in bed by 11 o’clock, but it had been a long day, so don’t hold it against me. They were extremely excited that it was our first day in London and that they were our first British friends. They also love Obama, the Queen, and tea. Go figure.

Today we woke up at a bright and early 7:45 to have a 3 hour tour about London. It was a lot of fun, but mostly I was tired. We saw Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London and Tower bridges, Trafalgar Square (where there was a protest about Gaza…they’re rather popular), and all of the best and most touristy spots in the city. When it was finally finished the bus driver dropped us at Picadilly Circus and let us find our way back to our flats. Some friends and I ate lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant and then rode the tube back to our borough. I’ve got a phone and an oyster card and a pillow and I’m feeling much better about things.

This evening my friend Kendall and I went to a pub to watch a football game with some guys from our flat – I had a pint and some chips and now I’m sleepy. And happy.

If you're expecting pictures from our tour today you won’t get them…maybe later, but they’ll have to be filched from someone else.

Here's the view from flat 5, if that makes up for it. Hopefully it will, because it's fucking awesome.

+1

2009-01-10T10:09:00.001-06:00

Home sweet home.

I made it without losing any luggage, so I guess you could say I made it in one piece. I'll add some photos when I'm not a zombie.

Pub crawl tonight!

0!?

2009-01-09T08:45:00.002-06:00

I expect everything to be fixed when I get back.

Love, Kins

-7

2009-01-02T14:45:00.001-06:00

One week! One week! One week! One week! One week! One week!

-8

2009-01-01T11:03:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

Did you make any resolutions? I didn't, not really. Never do.
My friend Justin and I had a late dinner at IHOP and discussed it, and I suppose there are some things I'd like to accomplish in '09, but hell, as long as I accomplish them, who cares exactly when? I've got to keep my back strong, and finally figure out some kind of career plan. I want to do something exciting or new every day; last night, we made oreo balls and went over to a friends house (even though it was already late and I had to be at work this morning by 8).

Hey, no time like the present.

-9

2008-12-31T09:22:00.002-06:00

Books I've been reading

The rather lamely titled Gemma Doyle Trilogy, by Libba Bray, which consists of

A Great and Terrible Beauty
Rebel Angels
The Sweet Far Thing

Despite their athor's inability to come up with suitably engaging titles, these books, with their combination of period class, strong herione(s), and adequate fantasy, have managed to assauge the monotony of my work. If you've finished the so over it Twilight series without becoming catatonic, I recommend picking at least the first book up and seeing how you do. If you find you can't live without vampires and wanton anti-feminism, so sorry to have wasted your time. If you're looking for self-help or life-altering prose, well, I'll direct you towards Ayn Rand and then you'll be sorry you asked.

Music I listen to: A non-comprehensive look at what's on my Shuffle when I'm exercising

What We Came Here For, Damone (great for that last mile, which is why I listed it first?)
Green Light, John Legent feat. Andre 3000 (great for dancing...while running. Uhm, yes.)
I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man), Kenny Loggins
The Bitch Is Back, Elton John
Flathead, The Fratellis
Anyway You Want It, Journey
Amigo Vulnerable, Enrique Iglesias (great for practicing your español!)
She Loves You, the Beatles
Philadelphia Freedom, Elton John (he's just so darn upbeat!)
In The Clouds, Under The Influence of Giants
Smokin', Boston
Don't Fight It, Kenny Loggins feat. Steve Perry
We Didn't Start The Fire, Billy Joel (great for practicing your memorization skills!)
I Don't Feel Like Dancin', Scissor Sisters (yes I do)
Legs Remix, ZZ Top
Call Me, Blondie

In my personal opinon, there should be more 16-item lists.

Songs I've been listening to on repeat

Wire to Wire, Razorlight (you're just going to have to youtube it, they've disabled embedding for this particular gem)

Websites I waste my time on (ooh, bullets!)

Obviously, I'm in need of some new time-sucks. Well, for the next few days.

-9

2008-12-31T08:59:00.004-06:00

I'm back at school for the remainder of the week, and not necessarily sad about it. Of course, being back does require me to sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, but I'm not complaining - honestly. I get a little bored, I get a little lonely (my last two shifts the only person I've seen is the mail man) but I also get paid...and these people are going to pay me to sit and constantly refresh my facebook? Uhm, okay.

My off time, though, is wonderful. I've been to the mall twice, out eating with friends twice, to Wal-Mart 3 times, to a casino, and to a vintage store. I've made new friends, and run into lovely current ones back from their weathered trips. I've spent late nights playing ping pong and talking until my thoughts run dry, and gone miles on my residence's new treadmill. I've finished a novel and begun a new one, and have drank countless glasses of holiday flavoured tea.

Oh Springfield, you spoil me.

-12

2008-12-28T22:46:00.003-06:00

I spent my weekend galavanting around in shorts and tank tops.
How weird.

-14

2008-12-26T19:13:00.002-06:00

In the spirit of the season, a couple more of my favorites:

Thankful, by Josh Groban

and All I Want For Christmas is You, by Mariah Carey (my favorite by her, which I suppose tells how much I care for her music...)

I hope your holidays found you in good spirits, and that you got everything you wanted. I got time with my family, a backpack, a polaroid camera, and a lot of long underwear. =)

In exactly two weeks time I'll be leaving on a jet plane.

This, to me, is cause for celebration!
Nevertheless, I'm growing nervous.

-16

2008-12-24T22:06:00.004-06:00

Make sure you tell your family that you love them--whoever they may be, however you've come across them. In celebration of the season, I'm adding in my favorite Christmas song for your enjoyment. The Little Drummer Boy always has a way of making me tear up...I'm such a sap, ha. I suppose it's the idea of having nothing but yourself to give, and giving it anyway. Regardless, make yourself some hot cocoa, dim the lights, cuddle up with someone special, and celebrate the gift of life you share together. Happy holidays, whatever your preference.

-18

2008-12-22T16:36:00.013-06:00

I love coming home.

It was a pleasant enough drive, despite the frosty weather. Three and a half hours can get a little stale after a while, but with the right music and the right mindset it goes by surprisingly fast. The mountains surrounding my little town were covered in frost, and the hazy sky seemed to melt into the trees. I had to force myself from stopping in some stranger's drive way to take pictures, but my restraint only lasted so long; I stopped further down the road and walked back along the highway.

My mother wasn't waiting for me to arrive, which is good -- she would have been worried at my hour-long delay. I think she would have been glad to know that plenty others were worrying on her behalf, though. No less than five cars slowed to make sure I hadn't broken down, and I just smiled and waved my camera at them. No, thanks. Yes, thanks, I'm fine. It's all so beautiful, don't you agree?

Home....where else can you go and be regarded as "that so-and-so girl, her mom married what's-his-name, he's related to Martha? Martha, she was in your class, and had that brother who married the ugly one?" In a small town everybody knows everybody, and that's the truth. It's something you don't realize you've missed until you're back and it makes you smile and you nod your head. Home is a place where you can cross your town in a mile, and leave your car unlocked, and wave at people driving by because they wave back.

I love coming home; it's like awakening from a coma. It's the same place you left when you lost consciousness, with the same people and the same trees, but everything's a little different -- the puppies are quickly becoming dogs, the leaves have lost their green. Your town is growing up without you, and suddenly you're less apt to take your days there for granted.

-24

2008-12-16T18:28:00.022-06:00

(win me)

-29

2008-12-11T21:45:00.001-06:00

I really have no idea what I want to do with my life.

Isn’t that awesome?!

…no, not really.

“Art” is the suggestion I get from most people. If they wouldn’t mind recommending an ACTUAL JOB maybe I would take them a little more seriously. But, mostly, it’s just, “I don’t know, but you should be an artist!” Gag.
My most recent decision regarding my future was to major in both art AND psychology, so I could become an art therapist, perhaps? However, on further exploration into the field I’ve decided that I don’t really give a fuck about psychology. Really. But I’m probably going to declare it anyway so I’m not encumbered when I get back to the states and have to register for classes. What a mess.

In an interesting turn of events, my drawing teacher told me Wednesday that I should be studying art in New York or Chicago (which I’ve considered, but MSU is freeee) and that if I decide to be an art major he would get in contact with his friends and see if there’s anything they can do for me. Suddenly, art school has become a lot more intriguing. I’ll probably start researching art schools again after next semester, so thank you MSU ahead of time for making study abroad so affordable for me. I’ll never forget you, until I’m having a much better time in an art institute.

Or maybe I’ll switch my major to a science and spend another year in school. I’ve always liked science, and I’ve always liked stickin’ it to the man. Fuck you, art gods, I’m going to squander my talent by living with chimps.

Hey, it could happen.

In the mean time I'll just gloat about the fact that next semester I'll be living in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which is, I've been informed, the most affluent part of London. I see they're having a cashmere sale on the 19th. Pity I won't be in town quite yet.

-30

2008-12-10T15:29:00.002-06:00

Dear Santa,

I hope things are going well for you this year. I know I’ve been having a rough time, but don’t hold it against me. For instance, some kids in my class have been telling me you’re not real! I think they’re just jealous of the special relationship we have. They said that my parents are responsible for the gifts I get, but we both know that’s baloney—you’re the ultimate gift giver! They ask me how it’s possible that one man can know whether every kid on earth has been good or bad, and find it in his good conscience to reward one kid over another, and I tell them all they have to do is believe. I mean, I have faith in you and keep getting presents, so I must be right! Besides, there are tons of books and movies about your adventures—everyone knows the story of Rudolph!—and these aren’t stories that can just be made up. I have to admit, though, I never quite know how to answer when my friends ask me how you get your reindeer to fly…my answer is always something lame, like “Santa works in mysterious ways.” I know magic only works in the movies, but for you, I’ll make an exception. Anyway, I don’t let it get to me; the numbers are reassuring. I mean, 91 percent of whites believed in Santa as a child and 72 percent of minorities did…maybe they just got lost along the way. That many people can’t be WRONG, can they?

Can they?

Love, Kins
(PS, I want a gecko for Christmas, but I don’t want it to die when I forget to feed it. And I want world peace. And one of those pens that can write upside down and underwater, like the astronauts use. I lost my last one.)

-32

2008-12-08T23:25:00.007-06:00

I'm fantasy shopping; it's my favorite way to waste time. But this is fantasy shopping for a good reason! So this is part 1 of probably 12,455 of items I need (need...haha) for London:

Lots and lots of layering neutrals. Camis, cardigans, sweet skirts, and pants please.

A back pack for constant on-the-go travel! I'm loving the leather look--so chic.

HOLGAROID!! I'm sorry...but I really need an instant-film type camera. I've been on a real experimental photography kick lately, and I would love to be able to snap a photo and mail it right off. It doesn't get much more personal than that.

Oyster card. To affordably ride the tube. Essential.

-33

2008-12-07T23:06:00.001-06:00

kind

insecure

narcissistic

sarcastic

1337

easygoing

...yuletide?

(I'm also partial to "philanthropic" "concise" and "opportunistic" but they didn't really fit my theme...)