Lights and Music

I promised Banksy photos, so here they are, along with a collection of other things that wrap up my London experience.

My art class went to visit the Henry Moore Foundation. Lots of sheep.

Two of my courses held one of our last classes in a pub. One of the teachers even bought all the drinks.

Kristen and I had a good last go at our favourite bar, The Italian Place. (It's actually called The New Evaristo Club, but we like to call it the Italian Place still.) We actually went there one more time after this, for Ladytron's after party (because Kristen knows Ruben from the band), but it was so packed that we didn't stay long.

The two James'. On the left is Kristen's James (also known as Banjo) and on the right is my James (also known as Jaba). Banjo is sporting Kristen's sweatshirt and Jaba is wearing mine.

My final night out in London was not my last night in London, but it was fun nonetheless. It was the night of the Ladytron party, but again, that was too packed. We found a funny, empty club across the street that played good music.

Good memories at King's Cross.



Banksy Photos:














Ice cream before we found the exhibit.

LANYUK

I'm getting actual work! It feels nice to be relied on. I edited a sort-of proposal for work and I was thinking that somebody else had final say, so I made my changes tentative, but they told me that it's my decision. They trust me. That feels good. 

Today, Mikko and I arranged to get me internet at home. We decided to buy a 12-month package because I get everything I need, and it's all free for the first three months. Then, when I cancel the package, I have to pay a 99 euro fee. But that's all. I don't pay anything else. And considering it would cost 30 to start and about 35 per month for service without a plan plus some extra fees (for equipment), it was actually cheaper to just get the package. I will, of course, cancel it in three months' time. Mikko is helping me with everything so I don't fuck up. Plus, he got free cable TV from it (at least for the time I have the package). Since I don't have a TV, I didn't care about the cable. But Mikko also said that if I do end up getting a TV somehow, he would give the cable TV card back to me. Good deal, I think.

I (accidentally) stole a pack of BBQ sauce from McDonald's today. Mikko and I went to eat there for lunch. We had to find something quick since we had spent so much time arranging my internet. I forgot that you have to pay for condiments in Finland, so I walked up to the counter, picked up some BBQ sauce and walked off. Mikko laughed and told me I had just accidentally stolen it. No one cared, though. Hm.

I might take Friday off of work, which everyone is saying is OK, since Jaba leaves on Sunday. Who knows if I'll ever see him again. I'm not sure yet. I need to see how much work I have to get done before then. 

I'm also randomly sick again. Apparently, what I have went around the office a few weeks ago (and all winter), so I just picked it up from the air. Ugh. It sucks.

I LOVE LANYUK.

Feel the Love

You know, I really like Finland. 

It's kind of chilly right now, but I don't mind. Today is sunny. Today is my first day of work. I like my work thus far. The people I work with seem to be pretty cool dudes. They are relaxed and fun, but also very serious about their work. They deal with some pretty cool stuff too. I think this summer should be nice.

Yesterday was my birthday. I slept until 11:30 (since I had the day off). Jaba and I went around to do all of my errands. I was so productive on my birthday! I registered my address, visited my work, went to the bank to get rent money, got my tax card for work and, duh, had pear ice cream. It kind of sucked having to do so many boring things on my birthday, but I got to drag Jaba along, showing him the city along the way. Too bad he doesn't like pear ice cream.

At home, we napped. I made dinner -- Karalian pies and makkara -- and we went out for drinks at a bar I remember really liking two years ago. I still like it. Jaba bought all of my drinks, and he's poor, so that was nice of him. He sang "Happy Birthday" to me in parts throughout the day, finishing with the last line just a few minutes before midnight. 

Jaba is thinking about getting a tattoo in Finland. And when I say thinking, I mean he's legitimately looking at tattoo parlors. Crazy boy.

I feel so bad that I have to work four of the days he is here, but he seems content. I'm trying to get him to do stuff (like go to Tallinn or the zoo or something), but he's poor and wants that tattoo. 

I don't think I'll be too lonely here, even though my apartment is one big room. The guys I work with are definitely very accepting. The first night I was here, Mikko got me trashed (of course), though he was definitely more drunk than I was. I met several of my to-be colleagues that night. And today, several of the guys brought me to lunch at Mount Everest, a Nepalese restaurant that I have been to before. It was good, but I don't think I can afford to go to lunch with those guys every day. They also told me about drinking hijinks and stuff, so I feel like it will be a good time.

And now, I will try to meet up with Jaba for the evening.

LONDON TRAFFIC

Goodbye London. Hello Helsinki.

Time to Pretend

Today was a good day. I finished my last essay and handed it in. I returned my last library books to Senate House Library. Kristen and I went to an art gallery. Then we went shopping.

I bought London souvenirs:

















£2.50
















From Upper Playground. Niassa works for this design company in San Francisco. There are a few London exclusive designs, this being one of them.

I might return it for another shirt from the same place which had a walrus head (the UP thing), but its tusks were the Tower Bridge upside down. And it said London. I'm still not sure. I have two days to decide.


And Kristen and I ventured to make dinner together again last night. This is what we came up with:

















Couscous with diced cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, chunks of chicken (with basil and ground black pepper on them), feta cheese, and pesto-vinaigrette Italian dressing. The lettuce leaves were for added visual effect.

















School is over! Time to enjoy London while I'm here!

Tree Bones

I HAVE TWO APARTMENTS!

Helsinki:













Check out the chandelier!

New York:


































































Check out the hardwood floors!

This makes me excited.

The Bears Are Coming

I went to see Late of the Pier at The Barfly in Camden. Here are some photos I took of the show:

They had a Maypole in the audience.

Maypole Mosh!

ELECTRIC EYE CONTACT



http://www.myspace.com/lateofthepier

Saturday

The semester is quickly coming to an end. I'm rather excited because, frankly, I'm kind of sick of school. I just have two more papers to write and a small reading quiz next week. Aside from that, I'm trying to milk London for all I can before I leave.

Yesterday was a bank holiday here in the UK, which is a day when the banks close, so everything closes. At the beginning of the semester, a woman explained this holiday to us as "a really pointless holiday, like Labor Day." I know that the idea of Labor Day has been largely forgotten, but there actually was, at one point, a meaning to Labor Day. Not sure if she knows that.

But the bank holiday is a three-day weekend when people go out of town or use the extra day off as a reason to get absolutely trashed on Sunday night. I didn't do anything special for the holiday weekend, and I felt like I should have. But on the actual bank holiday, the weather was beautiful and I found out about this special Banksy exhibit going on in a tunnel, featured with other graffiti hot-shots. Kristen and I decided to take a break from studying to head over there. We couldn't find it at first, but stumbled upon a little fair or something, where you could buy food and wine by the glass and ice cream. We got ice cream.

Then we found the Banksy thing, with a mass of people waiting in front of it. A man with a megaphone, wearing a construction-worker-meets-police ensemble, let us know that it would be a 45-minute to an hour wait. His bright yellow vest said "Polite" instead of "Police", which was meant to take the mick out of the fact that the police generally aren't very polite. Kristen and I decided to wait, though we hate queues. We ended up playing mind games (where you list things in category, the next answer starting with the last letter of the previous one). I'm never very good at those, so the first few games (countries and movies) ended very quickly. Then we picked bands as a category, and the game never ended. It lasted us until we got into the exhibit.

And boy, was it worth the wait. I was wearing a new summer hat I just purchased on Saturday, which made me feel so classy and quaint, and Kristen and I were admiring and photographing everything we saw. It was such a fantastic exhibit. I have no words. I'll show photos when Kristen gives them to me. (I know I said that about France, but I mean it this time.)

Just that little art excursion made the holiday seem valuable. It was such a lovely day!

Today I went to another art exhibit, for class this time. We met a group of students from Amsterdam for the trip. It was a photography exhibit and there were some really amazing pieces by Colombian artists.

I think that's the best part of London, at least for me. I have been feeling a bit cynical about London life, probably because I realize that it's not for me. The nightlife I have encountered here is incestuous and nothing special, the music scene is fine but better in LA and NY, and the city is too clean. (I guess I like my cities dirty.) But the art scene makes me so happy to be here. I have been to all of the major institutions (Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Library, etc.) and I have ventured to smaller, unknown galleries. I have seen both White Cube galleries and some that I would never have known to exist were it not for my classes. My Reporting the Arts class went on a little tour of Vyner Street in East London, where the galleries are endless. I also found this amazing sign on Vyner:
















I love it!

Kristen and I made a list of things we need to do before we leave London. It includes a few tourist spots that we have yet to see, and also some bars and nightclubs -- old haunts -- that we haven't been to in a while.

I feel like I will get nostalgic for London once I'm gone, but I don't really feel like I belong here. London and I just didn't click, like I did with New York. I think that's a good thing, though. Now I know that my affection for New York wasn't sparked by just an awed "Ooh, this is new!" feeling. My affection for New York is real. And though I like London and I appreciate it for being London and I don't regret coming here in the least, I miss New York like hell. I can't wait to go back! (And, perhaps for the first time in my life, I feel nostalgic for Los Angeles, too.)

But first: Helsinki! The days are dwindling and my excitement is rising. Jaba and I will be in Helsinki in less than two weeks' time. While everyone else in the London program is going home, I feel like I'm doing more. I'm continuing my European adventure. I'm going somewhere where I don't know anybody (but family).

New city, new experiences!