culture clash

Last Choice

2009-02-21T18:11:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned previously, I went traveling a lot in January (LA, NY, London, NY, South Africa, NY). I brought my Holga, a recent acquisition, along with me to London and Africa, and here are the results.

London:

Paul (He's the sound guy for Foals)

The Three Crowns on Church Street (in Stoke Newington)

Berry and Georgie

My dear APC. She and Paul recently got married!

Thames

New York (interval):

Double (perhaps even triple?) exposure of Anita

I never claimed to be photogenic.

The album cover for the band that Mukai and Anita don't have.

South Africa:

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

The Cape of Good Hope

I rode this elephant. His name is Casbar.

Leopard

Snoozing lions

Afternoon safari refreshment

The pool at Elephant Plains

Johannesburg Airport

I'm not your kind and you're not mine
but for tonight, you'll have to do just fine.

Just Drums

2009-02-19T15:05:00.009-05:00

I started writing for The Brooklyn Paper and have already generated some clips!

Here are my first three stories, which is a lot of work considering my first and only day of work thus far was on Tuesday.

Tapes 'n Tapes : Fresh from last year’s new album, “Walk It Off,” the Minneapolis-based quartet Tapes ’n Tapes will slam into Brooklyn with its hard-driving drum-backed twangy indie rock sound for a must-see concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, Feb. 26.

Arborcide : The winds that slammed into Brooklyn last Thursday knocked down a beloved 120-year-old tree in Carroll Gardens — but it wasn’t the gusts that committed the crime; it was arborcide, the tree’s owner claims.

Police Blotter

And here are some pictures of recent events:

Dancing at Marie's party on Valentine's Day. (Oh, the single life.)

I interviewed the boys from Death By Audio, an awesome little warehouse venue in Brooklyn. This is Iran (featuring Kyp Malone) playing there. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and The Fakers also played.

This is the back room, or the living room in the warehouse.

I went to Lit Lounge one night, and there were a bunch of familiar faces that night. I noticed that the foam in my beer glass spelled out "LA", which I found fascinating.

Speaking of LA, I'm going there for the weekend. Just to visit and relax. I'm also hoping to get some work done and plan my trip to Tokyo with my brother, which is still pending.

Evil And A Heathen

2009-02-08T03:22:00.000-05:00

My next DJ gig is on Friday the 13th, and I am quite proud of the flier I made for it:

(Click on it to enlarge.)

Try Again

2009-02-05T21:43:00.004-05:00

I clearly suck because I haven't posted about my life in New York recently. I have been busy with life in general, but I have been updating my Flickr account with the band photography I have done in the past months.

I moved back to my city about a week after LA, and life has been crazy since. I have been traveling like crazy too. Since my last post, I have been to LA one weekend, San Francisco the next, Chicago a few weeks later, LA again, and again, London for New Year's and South Africa. Nuts, I know.

Speaking of San Francisco, I went to cover my time with Foals at the Treasure Island Music Festival, and my encounters with Hot Chip and Jamie Hince from the Kills. (Here's the story I wrote.)

And now, for a long set of photos that (I hope) sum up the past five to six months.

Mukai and I DJ now. She's DJ Homo and I'm DJ Snob.

Pikkujoulu (Little Christmas) Party in BK.

Dancing onstage with The Teenagers in BK.

A photo Frank took of me on his Holga when I was visiting London last August.

Me at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Nights of drinking with friends in Brooklyn.

Brunch at Lulu in Chicago

CMJ Music Marathon, NYC 2008

Hanging out with Foals in San Francisco

I was Carmen Sandiego for Halloween!

Brunch and Sunday Fundays in Brooklyn

Visits to Scandinavia House

Election Night!

Snowy days in Central Park

I should just make a separate Africa post because there are so many photos from that.

Hummer

2008-08-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

I'm back in LA!

In just less than 24 hours of being home, I have had Mexican food and In 'n' Out (duh) and gotten fed up with traffic. I have visited the beach and blasted music while driving with a good friend. I have basked in the sun and caught up with many friends. There is so much more to come.

This jet lag is killing me.
My cat is in bad shape and it's heart breaking.

LDN

2008-08-12T20:32:00.000-04:00

I'm back in London! And it feels great.

I don't even love London, but I have this amazing feeling here.
How will I react to going back to New York? I love New York.

The sun is in the sky
Oh why, oh why would I want to be anywhere else

Today:
Came into town and met my friend at his work. We went to lunch.
He went back to work.
I sat in St. James' Park and wrote a letter to a friend.
I admired life, amidst alternating basking in the sun and shivering.
I walked around to look at old familiars.
I visited the Photographer's Gallery for an interesting exhibit on self-reflection in fashion photography.
And now I am at my friend's work, waiting for him to finish his work.
Tonight, we will go to a pub quiz.
And he will make scones and clotted cream for me!

Oh my goodness, I missed this!

Buriedfed

2008-07-23T15:22:00.000-04:00

I'm worried about my baby.

The Debtor

2008-07-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

Not sure that I wanna stay alive. It's so expensive; it's cheap to die.

--Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson lyrics

I feel ya, man. I feel ya.

Loud Pipes

2008-07-22T16:26:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think about strange quirks I have, and I wonder if other people have these secret quirks or if it's just me. I like to generalize some of them and just guess that other people do the same things, but I can't be sure.

For example:

I think it's funny how people play music on their iPods as if the rest of the world could hear it. Again, by people, I mean that I do it and I am really just curious as to whether or not others do it too. I was thinking about this during lunch just now, at the pizza place right across the street from my work.

A kind of cute boy walked into the pizza place midway through my meal, and I changed my music. I had been listening to relatively girly music, and then I switched to a more relaxed and cool Ratatat. Or, when I'm in the elevator with a bunch of suits and I look like a ruffian gamine, I sometimes switch my music to classical or jazz or some worldly genre, as if they could hear what was "Now Playing" on my iPod. Perhaps visually, I look one way and that's how they perceive (read: judge) me, so I want to appeal to their perceptions of me aurally.

I don't know why I do it. I know it doesn't work. Even blasting my music through my ear buds won't do the trick. And it's not quite the same feeling as creating the "Soundtrack to your Life", because I don't necessarily pick music that would fit the scene. I pick music, mostly, that I think a person looking at me would least expect. When I'm alone, it's more of a mood thing than a soundtrack thing, though I do have my soundtrack moments.

What a fucking generation this is that these kind of thoughts and actions actually have an effect on me/my life. Sixty years ago, no one ever thought these things. There was no technology to justify having such feelings.

It rather reminds me of silent discos, where everyone is listening to the same music on headphones, so they are all dancing to the same beats at the same time, but it's all silent outside of the headsets.

Maybe my life is just one big silent disco, but I'm the only one with the headphones.

In other news, my dear Ashley is in a music video for a very talented musician:

She's in the baby blue with a headband. Here's the link to the video of "Buriedfed" by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.

Enjoy.

Ce Jeu

2008-06-30T02:13:00.000-04:00

I have a sudden rush of ambition. I feel like I have been so...not me...in several ways since I have been in Finland. This is not in every aspect of life, mind you. But I feel like I lack creativity and the motivation I usually have for the things I love. Maybe that's just the day job syndrome. I sometimes feel like I write uninspired shit at work. (And that's not because my writing is uninspired shit; some of my assignments are uninspired shit.) When I come home, I make dinner, watch TV online, and, depending on my current supply of booze, I may or may not partake in beer-drinking.

But I suddenly got a rush. I feel like writing something. Maybe it's the fact that I finished my strange episode of binge-watching 30 Rock, the beer I just drank, or the corn I had for dinner that has done this to me -- but I am going to start a project. Let's hope it's half-decent.

Hurrah!

Young Love

2008-06-19T10:19:00.001-04:00

Though I found out the bad news that I wouldn't be able to get tickets to Provinssi, things worked out quite nicely last weekend. I was able to work my way into a press pass. Though I technically didn't go through the proper procedure to get the pass, I actually am writing about the festival by writing about Justice's performance there.

I also got to interview them!

Space and the Woods

2008-06-10T19:33:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of Finland sans Jaba.

My new friend Orvokki at a BBQ, where I met her.

BBQ.

Some design-y architect party. The architect is hula dancing.

Bars and clubs, duh.

Relaxing in the sun in the park up the road from my apartment. With music, a book and some grapes, it's a good time.

Empty Shell

2008-06-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

I'm actually doing things with my time now. The first few weeks of being here in Helsinki, I didn't do much. I was incredibly inactive. I'm sure it was in part because of being apart from Jaba and part because I had no motivation to go out and do things. But that has definitely changed, at least partially.

I am starting to be a lot more active. Last weekend was so much fun. I spent all of Saturday volunteering at a music festival (Basso Festival) held in Koffin Puisto. It was really fun and I hung out with this girl named Orvokki, whom I had met the week before. I talked to one of the bands that performed about a possible story. I ate and relaxed and drank in the park, in between helping out and photographing the event.

I got to ride a segway at the Basso Festival!

On Sunday, I played in a soccer tournament at Finnair Stadium called the Lapin Kulta Cup. Lapin Kulta is a Finnish beer, and they held a small tournament. Not many strict rules. I played in converse and without shin guards. The fields were small and the games were only 20 minutes each, but it was so tiring, especially since I hadn't played in two years. One of the rules was that a girl had to play the whole game every game. I was the only girl on my team, so while the guys got to switch in and out, I had to keep playing. But I survived. The team advanced to finals, and the guys were all very grateful to me for playing, since most of the girls (save maybe two) were shitty players.

Finnair Stadium.

I scratched up my leg something awful from sliding so much.

That night, some of the group went to Molly Malone's, the bar that the team represents in the tournament. There are some Finns on the team, but the others were Irish and English generally.

Monday and Tuesday, however, I was extraordinarily sore. I was walking around like I had a tree stuck up my ass -- not just a stick. Laughing and coughing were even slightly painful. I had muscles hurting in places I didn't know I had muscles! But the soreness is lessening now.

Yesterday was Fern's birthday, so we went out for drinks again. Tomorrow, I might go see a French film with Riikka. I was initially supposed to go with Hanna, the girl Tuomas' introduced me to, but she's busy. This weekend is Provinssi Rock, which has many big name bands and DJs playing. I still don't have a ticket, but I'm going anyway. I will see if I can get a ticket at the festival doors. But the festival is in Seinäjoki. If I don't get a ticket, Riikka offered to drive me to Ilmajoki, where my grandmother and other family members live, so that the trip won't be wasted. That way I get a free ride to visit family.

It's nice that I actually have stuff to do. I don't sit alone in my apartment sulking as much anymore. Life has been tough here, but being this active takes my mind off of things, at least for a little while. On the sulking note, I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I think I need to organize some sort of resolution, good or bad. It will just be better in the long run, I think.

Let's See It

2008-06-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

Here are some highlights from Jaba's week long visit in Finland!

We went to Erottaja Bar for my birthday.

He did some graffiti for me.

We went to Zetor for Finnish food. He hates Koff and he hates the smell of reindeer.

My apartment is bigger than it looked in the first pictures.

This is mess from when James' stuff was all over and I had just moved in. NOW, that stuff is gone, but it's still just plain old messy.

Jaba bought this Marimekko dress for me, half as a birthday present, half as a going away present. I bought him a guitalele (the smallest guitar in the world) and drew a Moomin in Sharpie on the back. I also bought him a cheap little Moomin poster.

We made Chicken Tikka Masala together!

On his last full day in Helsinki, I took him to Suomenlinna.

Jaba's head is a cannonball!

Fernando and my cousin Riikka joined us at Suomenlinna.

That night, Jaba and I went to Mikko's for dinner and sauna. It was the first time he had ever tried sauna. He liked it.

Riikka took us to see a band called the Winyls that night. Jaba got a tambourine and went on stage!

I took him to the airport the next morning.

SO SAD! I miss him very much.

Lights and Music

2008-05-27T01:44:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-21T19:10:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-20T19:44:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-17T06:55:00.000-04:00

Goodbye London. Hello Helsinki.

Time to Pretend

2008-05-15T01:50:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-14T19:53:00.000-04:00

I HAVE TWO APARTMENTS!

Helsinki:

Check out the chandelier!

New York:

Check out the hardwood floors!

This makes me excited.

The Bears Are Coming

2008-05-09T21:35:00.000-04:00

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

2008-05-06T20:51:00.000-04:00

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!

Heart Earrings

2008-04-26T05:19:00.000-04:00

It's such a nice day! Jenny and I decided to pack a picnic and go to Hyde Park to enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

If this is what Londoners call a "heatwave," I like it. (It's more like typical LA weather...)

Hey, Nineteen

2008-04-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

Jenny is in London now!

I know I have not written much lately, but life has been terribly busy. I will get to it soon. I promise.

Jenny is in London now!

Hustler

2008-04-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

Time is flying. It's like a hang glider, soaring above my head at speeds well beyond my walking capabilities. Or it could be a flying squirrel, because I can sometimes catch up with it. I hate squirrels.

I'm not sure I ever mentioned the fact that I got a job in Finland for the summer. I also recently finalized a studio apartment, which I will have all to myself. Instead of heading back to the states on May 17 (or whatever day this horrid Nido bureaucracy kicks me out), I will fly to Helsinki. Jaba is also coming, in part to help me move and in part to have a little Finnish holiday. Then I start working with Ramblas Digital on Tuesday, May 20. (I asked to skip Monday the 19th because that's my birthday, and who wants to work on their birthday? Exactly.)

I am so excited for that.

In other news, I'm thrilled about the final project that I'm doing for my Reporting the Arts class. Though I hate the teacher, I came up with a project that I actually want to write. Our final essay was supposed to be something rather cliché: an interview, a feature or a really, really long review of something. I don't like doing any of those in 2,000 words because I tend to say everything in short and then run out of things to say. It's not a lot of words for a standard academic essay, but it's a lot for a newspaper writer who is used to writing stories that are usually from 600-1,000 words!

Last week, he casually mentioned that some of his previous students turned in "creative pieces" responding to themes in the class or a show that the class had seen. He said one had written a scene after seeing one play, and another rewrote an existing scene from another play. I decided that this type of thing would be far more fun for me than an interview or feature, stuff I do regularly. I suggested this:

I am going to see Pinter's The Lover & The Collection again and I will try to catalog all of the movement in the play. It's essentially a study of the physicality of a play. This is not dance or a musical, so exaggerated movement does not come into play. I want to see if, especially with this double-bill performance, the movement, posture, facial expressions and bodily communications of the actors effectively reveal what is going on in the play. I have already seen it, and I think their movements say it all. Now I have to see the play at least one more time so I can sit there in the dark theatre, furiously scribbling every little physical detail that I notice.

In the end, it would not have a thesis. It would not have an opinion. It would be merely a run through of every significant movement (or every significant non-movement) from pauses to stick-straight postures to a seductress crawling on the floor. This is certainly a challenge because I have to somehow make an eloquent and coherent presentation of 2,000 words out of a list of, essentially, verbs.

I also had the idea to talk to the director and some of the actors. If I ask them about their motives and ideas concerning their own movements, maybe it would give me some help. I was thinking of splicing their quotes almost inexplicably into my own description, especially if the quote centers on one particular scene or movement.

My teacher said he has the director's phone number, but remember how I said that he isn't very helpful? Well, he's not impressing me thus far. I might have to go stalk the actors after the show...

I know that important people like Gina McKee and Charlie Cox and the director probably have better things to do than talk to a student about their final project in a university class. I understand this. I went to talk to my boss for London Kicks about my project to see if he'd publish it on his website.

He loves the idea. Wants it. Lusts for it.

And now that I have the chance to get the piece published, this might be more incentive for the director and actors to give me serious consideration when I ask for an interview. Plus, it's not a review of their performance, so they know I won't say anything bad -- as long as they don't trip on stage.

I also mentioned my idea to my art teacher. My final project for my art class has to be a review of an art gallery or something, but she said she liked this idea so much that I could use this project and create a spin-off for my final project in her class as well. This is because I'm looking at the performance as an abstract art, as a physical being rather than a play. We'll see what I do there.

I am excited to write it! Now I just need to make sure I get on my teacher's ass about helping me with contacts!

What do you know? It's class time. I get to go see him right now.

Dynomite

2008-03-25T23:02:00.000-04:00

Kristen and I decided to make dinner together and it was such a good idea. We made superbly mouthwatering quesadillas and, as you can see, they went quickly.

I will post about my trip to France later. As well as a few important details about my life that happened before my vacation.

Over and Over

2008-03-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

We get along really well.

Andmoreagain

2008-03-24T14:23:00.000-04:00

It's snowing in London! And when I woke up, I couldn't breathe out of my nose! I'm sick again!

I think I'm sick because I went from moderate weather in London to decently warm weather in Nice to freezing "I can see my breath"-weather in Paris to the same freezing weather in London. It's cold! I don't think my body can keep up with my traveling.

Today, I'm just going to sleep and try to get better. If I have to step out in the cold, it will be because I have to go grocery shopping. Hooray for no school!

Modern Kicks

2008-03-23T15:22:00.000-04:00

I'm b-b-back in London! It's good to be back.

I believe.

2008-03-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

I'm in Paris now! The flight this morning was no problem. I got a window seat when I checked in with Air France. I later found out that I had the entire row to myself. I slept the entire way, except for a few minutes during which I devoured a croissant. Getting from the airport into the center of Paris is expensive, by the way!

My friend Alex (also an NYU student) brought me to his apartment, which is AMAZING. His living room is more than twice the size of my room in London, and he has this entire apartment to himself. He has a balcony that has a view of the Eiffel Tower! This morning when I got here, he bought me a sandwich, brought me to his place, poured me a glass of wine and took me to see his view. There I sat, enjoying the then shitty, now nice Paris weather while having a meal on a 5th story (6th floor in the American sense) balcony, staring at a world famous symbol. I'm going to have a good time in Paris, I think.

On a note completely unrelated to Paris: I feel so lucky.

California Love

2008-03-17T22:50:00.000-04:00

Before I came to Nice, Vincent told me that, in his opinion, it must be like the "California of France." I can see it.

Today, I spent two hours at the beach listening to music and reading and dozing off. Then I walked to the Matisse Museum, which was further than I had anticipated -- and the walk there was mostly uphill. The museum was in a lovely park and, since I had walked so far uphill, the view was breathtaking. Old French men played their retirement lawn games and shouted compliments to me (or at me, I'm still not entirely sure). "Vous êtes très belle!" they said between puffs of their cigarettes, which they held between wrinkly and oranged fingers. It was funny.

What I wrote in the museum:
"These brights and brilliants scream Henri, as does my mind. This is the work of no dog, but of a man, a Matisse. To know that Vincent's grandfather was Matisse's hair dresser brings life to these colorful cut-outs and portraits. The photos I see are speaking so romantically to me. I can see Henri dip his straw hat to me as he walks by, no doubt thinking in blue but speaking in yellow. It's a maze of Matisse! This building winds in and out, singing, eating, breathing, bleeding Matisse! Living Matisse.

Bonjour Monsieur Matisse! Bonjour."

Saturday, Vincent and I went to Monaco, which was pretty and extravagant. We walked to the Monte Carlo Casino and two nice American boys gave us their tickets. Apparently, there's a ten euro charge to get in, and they just gave us their tickets so we didn't have to pay. According to my ticket, my name was Christopher Pangburn.

The casino itself was was so baller! Gaudiness to the extreme. The color scheme revolved around gold (duh), teal and mahogany. Everything was adorned, from the carpets to the "Toilettes Dames" sign. And since Monaco is a principality, there is no law against smoking inside so all of the gamblers had cigars and cigarettes, which left an odor of tobacco in the air.

This is what I wrote in the casino:
"Vincent and I sit as high rollers with wrinkled scowls bet their minimum of five euro (but probably more) and goofy tourists with tennis shoes and wide eyes wander the floors trying to look the part. What am I saying? I am one of those tourists here. I'm just sitting on the couch so as to not appear as in awe as I actually am. Smoke billows out of the mouths of men who show no concern for passers. Their eyes are glued to the chips that make that romantic clicking noise. The murmur of the room never rises above the clack-clack of those plastic (or maybe not) chips that are probably worth more than I have in my wallet. WTF MONTE CARLO CASINO!"

My face is hot so I think I might have gotten a little sunburnt today, even though I put sunscreen on so I wouldn't get burnt. Oh well. Dinner time.

Who Loves The Sun

2008-03-14T11:50:00.000-04:00

I'm in Nice! The weather is lovely and this keyboard is weird. I guess this isn't exactly warm weather for the locals because they're walking around wearing sweaters and scarves. I'm in shorts and a tank top. It's not raining!

I'm visiting my friend Vincent, whom I met in Finland almost two years ago. He works during the days, so I have a lot of alone time. It's so refreshing. Today, I got up and went to read Virginia Woolf on the rocky, pebbled beach. Then I went for a long walk along the coast line. With the Promenade des Anglais to my left, the crystally teal Mediterranean to my right, and my favorite French musicians singing to me in my ears, I felt superbly happy. I bought myself lunch, walked around the old town and bought some postcards.

I would write more but this is taking way too much concentration to write simple things.

In conclusion, ùùùàààçççéééèèè£££¤¤¤µµµ!!!

Silence

2008-03-13T05:38:00.000-04:00

I am off to France in a few hours!

I have loads of news to share, but since it's 2:38 am and I need to get some sleep before hauling my ass to London Heathrow, I will embellish later.

Two Way Monologue

2008-03-04T20:58:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote in here. A lot has happened in the past few weeks.

Some snippets about my academic life:
+ I got my first Contemporary Art in Britain essay back: B+
+ I had a presentation in my Writing London class about Edgar Allan Poe's "The Man of the Crowd" and my teacher seemed to like it.
+ My Reporting the Arts teacher had an ex-editor from Time Out London come talk to our class and, afterwards, I asked the guest about the possibility of working there. He gave me some contacts and told me that I can use his name to drop in my email. I don't think my teacher is too keen on helping me or my career, though. I emailed my teacher asking how to spell the speaker's name (since it's not an everyday name), and he never responded but waited until the next class to spell out the names. Not for me, mind you, but for the midterm "quiz" we're having next week.
+ I had a presentation on Marcus Harvey's art piece "Myra" (depicting rapist and murderer Myra Hindley) in my Contemporary Art in Britain class. Everyone liked it and told my group so.
+ I have a paper about Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde due tomorrow for my Writing London class. Normal school stuff.

Aside from that, life has been quite interesting. I have discovered that time spent away from this dreadful, dreadful "Nido" building is much more enjoyable. My friend Jaba lives in far east London (Essex, to be more specific), which is more suburban than the city. A lot of rich people and chavs (which, in Brit slang, essentially means white trash) live in Essex. It's a 45 minute tube ride there, but it's really nice to get away from everything for a bit. Not to mention, it's great to hang out with someone who has a TV and junk food for those lazy Sundays for which I sometimes long.

Also, one night when I was out at a party called Durrr, I brought my camera. I wanted to record my life, of course. And since my camera is so impressive and makes me look so professional, I was approached by a guy who said he works for London Kicks, an online fashion/art/music/nightlife magazine. He said their photographer wouldn't be able to make it and asked if I could photograph. I said yes, of course, since I was doing it anyway. This guy, my "boss", is named M+olaroid. (There is no + in his name, but I didn't want him to, say, google himself and find what I say about him.)

"M+olaroid? Like Polaroid with an M?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Is that your real name?"
"It is now."
"What was your name before?"
"I can't tell you; I hate to say it out loud."

He never told me. But what could be worse than M+olaroid?? Anyway, he's this eager, yet unprofessional youngin who is, I'm sure, milking the London nightlife to get his name out there. Regardless, he's helping me get my name out there, so it can't be all bad.

Here's a link to photos I took for the website:
http://www.londonkicks.com/display/pictures/?set=575BFB77-E0C4-ED84-0D949498E36946E4

There's actually a photo of me in there, but eh.

Another night, I went to a bar called Mahiki, which is this ridiculously expensive Hawaiian-themed yet ultra hip bar. Kristen and I went because MGMT, a Brooklyn band that we love, was supposedly having its after party there with a possible performance (which never happened). We made friends with a promoter-type person for it, so he told us about it. At the bar, we discovered that a pina colada was the cheapest thing on the menu (it was a special "Happy Hour" type deal), so we got one of those:

After that, our friend told us about the "Smash and Grab Punch" which was only three quid. The drinks on the menu, however, ranged from nine quid to the thousands. It was quite a quirky bar. And Kelly Osbourne was there! Hip place, indeed.

Sunday night, I photographed something else for London Kicks, and the photos should go up today, so I can provide the link in my next post or you can peruse the site to find it on your own.

My Spring Break plans are once again become more concrete. As of now, I plan to go to Nice on the 13th of March (as in, a week and a half). I will stay there with a friend for about a week and then I will move on to Paris, where I have another friend with whom I will be staying. Since the cost of travel is now dramatically lower (since I don't have to pay for places to stay), I decided to opt for a plane trip instead of a grueling train or bus ride. My Mom hooked me up with a standby fare that will allow me the flexibility of flying that I'm used to, while making traveling more convenient. I hope.

Kristen and I have also planned a weekend trip to Barcelona the weekend after Spring Break. There are two DJs called Woolfy that we plan to see. That really inspired the whole weekend trip. The rest of the weekend, we plan to hit the museums, beach and nightlife. Sounds wonderful to me.

In other news: Morgan is coming to London this weekend!! I am so excited that I get to see her and I am going to show her everything I can in the short amount of time that she is here. Last Christmas, we decided not to get each other presents and, instead, save that money for a lovely dinner or a nice night out (or what have you) during our adventures in Europe.

And now for something completely different: Remember how I was so excited about photographing Nouvelle Vague? Here are the results. The band's manager even asked me to make a watermark for my photos in order to ensure that I am credited, no matter where the photos may appear.

I hope that helps you catch up with my life recently. I'm sure I skipped a lot. I'm sure I skimmed over some details of the things I did mention.

In conclusion, this post is very scattered and random.

Doctor Robert

2008-02-18T23:55:00.000-05:00

I have Strep Throat.

All weekend, my throat had been bugging me, but I figured it was just one of those annoying colds I often get. But when I woke up this morning, I saw some strange white substance at the back of my my mouth (where the pain was generally stemming from) and decided that I should have it checked out. I went to Gower Street Practice, the medical facility that NYU in London provides for the students. They have walk-in hours from 10-11 am, and I was surprised at the quick service. I saw a doctor in less time than it would have taken me to see one had I actually made an appointment at the NYU health center in New York. The doctor asked me a few questions, listened to my breathing, felt my lymph nodes (or whatever they are called) in my neck, etc. I told him about what I thought was phlegm at the back of my mouth, he checked it out, and in no more than five minutes, he told me what was actually ailing me.

I wasn't really feeling the other symptoms of Strep Throat (such as fever), but I had pretty much spent all weekend in bed because of my throat. I didn't feel too bad this morning, except for the painful swallowing. He prescribed Penicillin and some pain killers for me. He offered me a note to get out of class, but as I said earlier, I wasn't feeling all that bad, so I thanked him and kindly declined. But after spending all day out of my dorm (in a computer lab and at a three-hour class), the symptoms definitely caught up with me. By the end of class, I went back to the doctor to get a note to skip my Monday evening lecture.

I'm apparently at my most contagious right now, so I figured that it wouldn't hurt to miss the lecture of my mandatory class. I had to wait once again for a doctor to give me a note, and that took longer than my first visit because I didn't have an appointment and walk-in hours were over. Then I went straight to NYU's Bedford Square office to give the note to the right official. He and I had a lovely little talk and he told me that, though NYU in London has a strict attendance policy, it was much better for me to skip the class so I could get better. I said I only wanted to miss this Monday evening class, but he said that if I still felt ill tomorrow, that I should skip tomorrow's class too. He told me to just come in again tomorrow so he could excuse me for tomorrow's class as well, if I felt I needed it.

I don't think I'm going to skip because my art class is going on some excursion to another museum. On one hand, walking around a museum is definitely not going to feel great. On the other hand, I don't want to miss one of the semester museum visits. I'll probably go, provided I don't feel like utter crap tomorrow.

After I turned in my note, I went to Boots (which is a drug store here) to get my medicine, went to the grocery store to pick up some food, came home and made dinner. I am actually venturing to cook food these days, instead of buying ready-made-for-the-oven type meals. Tonight I made this:

I cut up some fresh chicken and fried it with carrots and broccoli. I used very random spices on top, including basil, paprika, ground pepper and a little bit of garlic powder. I also boiled new potatoes, slathered them in butter and sprinkled garlic powder on top. I was impressed at how that strange mix of flavours turned out; I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner. I still eat the unwrap-and-heat type foods (like Chicken Dippers and pizza), but I definitely needed some more vegetables in my diet.

I'll take my second dose of today's Penicillin right before bed. I am supposed to take two pills four times a day, but I'll count this as a half-day. I'll also probably pop another Ibuprofen then too. MMM, chicken, veggies and drugs. Lots and lots of drugs.

This is Not a Love Song (Bossa Nova style)

2008-02-16T23:50:00.000-05:00

It has been an interesting past few days.

Valentine's Day, I had planned to go to a burlesque show with Kristen and another girl, Stephanie. I realized, however, that I had to go to the opera for my Reporting the Arts class that night, which interfered with my previous plans. I don't mean that going to the opera is such a pain; I actually really enjoyed what we saw. But it was just disappointing that I had to spend my Valentine's Day evening with a bunch of kids from one of my classes watching an incredibly depressing and tear-jerking opera.

The opera itself, Madame Butterfly, was fantastic. It was beautifully set and performed. The colours were brilliant and bright, the singing was gorgeous (when the orchestra didn't overwhelm the voices), and even though our seats were crap, it was an overall lovely experience. I was also rather happy that the story is so depressing. After the wedding and night of passion in Act I, all of the cutesy couples in the audience stared into their partners' lovey-dovey eyes and exposed their tongues in passionate (and very public) make-out sessions. However, in Acts II and III, happiness and love and passion all go way downhill until, at the end, Butterfly commits an intensely dramatic suicide. After the curtain went down -- ah the looks were priceless. Couples turned to each other awkwardly, no longer in a daze of romantic ecstasy. "Happy Valentine's Day!" I said, suddenly full of an extreme feeling of victory.

Not jealous. Just envious.

After that, I hurried to join Kristen at a club called Volstead. She recently got a job as a party promoter and photographer and, as her roommate, I get the benefits. Volstead is apparently a hip, little club where Kate Moss, Uma Thurman and Josh Hartnett have been spotted partying. It's £15 to get in, which is absolutely ridiculous. BUT I was on the list, thanks to my dear roommate, so, for me, entrance was free. I was happy to find that coat check was also free. This was, however, a horrid club. The music was poor (for the most part) and the people were appallingly shameless. Drinks were expensive (£8.50 for a whiskey coke!) and...and...ugh. I purposely left home without any money so that I wouldn't spend money on exuberantly priced things. I was sober, but at least I didn't pay $17 for a drink! Kristen ended up getting a free drink for us since she was working there. I spent my time there split between excusing myself for a breather in the bathroom, dancing to music I haven't heard since my middle school dances, and sitting in the corner, making sure my lipstick hadn't smeared. At least it was a free night, right?

Friday, I spent reading Bleak House. My friend Jessica from New York is in town, visiting her boyfriend who is also studying abroad here. She wanted to hang out, so I thought I would take her to Kristen's next club, Embassy, and the little Italian bar that I like so much. Remembering the prices of drinks from the previous night, Kristen and I bought a $6 bottle of wine, which we split beforehand. We went to Embassy, dressed in upscale casual attire: jeans, heels, big earrings, etc. We didn't look like street urchins or anything. But when we got to Embassy, where Kristen just had to stop and meet the other photographer for her new employers, we were told that we weren't dressed up enough. How posh! I had to pee with the force of a rainstorm, but they wouldn't let me in because of my jeans (yet they permitted guys wearing jeans). Apparently, I have to wear a short skirt and freeze my ass off on the way to the club just to get in to the club. Kristen said she'd slip in, say hello and slip out again so we could advance to the Italian place. She was quick, and I was thankful. As was my bladder.

The Italian place was very packed and I don't think Jessica liked it. Her boyfriend joined us and soon after, they left. I assume that he was the one who encouraged Jessica to leave because she was having plenty of fun before he came. He's, essentially, a buzz-kill.

Kristen and I stayed at the bar a bit longer. We had a drink or two more, left and stopped for food before catching the bus. Kristen and I also like sporting a southern accent in these going-home adventures, just to see the reactions of locals. Two guys stopped us, asking for a decent bar that would still be open at around 2 am (which is really hard to find in London). We put on our little charade and fooled them with no problem. They were intrigued. They engaged us in conversation and it wasn't until I mentioned my two kids (ages two and eight) that they got turned off by the two southern belles from Ten-eh-say.

We got home and took hilarious videos of us dancing and lip-syncing to some of our favourite hits. We're quite a pair, Kristen and I.

And as for today, I think I should just stay at home. There is a problem, though. Today marks the birthday of not one, but two guys on my floor. I can of course abstain from partying, no problem. But peer pressure and possibly free booze are incredibly convincing! (That was half-sarcastic, though free anything is generally a plus.)

Good news and bad news...
Bad news: Morgan and I were not completely coordinated with our Spring Break plans so, as of now, Sicily is out. Unless of course I can find someone else to come with me. If Kristen makes enough money from her new job, she said she would come.

Good news: Morgan's Spring Break is a week before mine, and she's never been to London. We decided that she could come visit me while I'm still in school. While I'm in class, she can go do her Art History major stuff (such as visiting museums and galleries). And at night, I'll give her a tour of the London nightlife. She needs a bit of the metropolitan lifestyle to remind her of New York. She'll be here March 7-11.

Other news: I get to photograph Nouvelle Vague at Scala this Wednesday. I am not photographing for any publications, nor am I writing about the concert. But I guess my photography repertoire is impressive enough now that bands will just let me photograph them, especially since I provide the band with my photographs. I am so excited, though!

I went on a tour of Dickens' London. That's me and Charles Dickens' head!

My photo, my shadow.

Valentine's Day!

Odyssey

2008-02-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy what I study. I know there are higher paying jobs in math and science and such, but I am still glad that I chose what I chose. Consider, for example, my "academic" week:

Monday, my Reporting the Arts class went to the British Library to see the exhibit showing Harold Pinter's correspondence letters with friends and colleagues, including Arthur Miller and David Mamet. Since the exhibit wasn't too big, our teacher allowed us to look around the other exhibits, such as the Beatles glass case and works of great English literature from Sir Philip Sidney, Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf and others. We were let out early because we finished early.

Monday night, my roommate and I went to a club where, on Monday nights, there is a party called Durrr. (That is the worst name for a surprisingly good party.)

Kristen and me at Durrr with a new friend.

Tuesday, instead of heading to the classroom, I joined my Contemporary Art in Britain class at the Tate Britain, where we wandered, observed, discussed and admired works of art by such artists as Francis Bacon, David Hockney and more. Our professor is also very interesting and not just an anal-retentive art freak (which I actually expected, at least on a minor scale). She relates anecdotes to subject matter and really takes student opinion into account when discussing an artwork, which I admire. Again, we were let out early.

And while Americans across the pond were "celebrating" Super Tuesday, I spent my evening celebrating Pancake Day. My roommate Kristen brought me along to her friend Frank's place, where we made an array of delicious pancake creations.

We had pancakes with lemon and sugar, maple syrup, brandy flambéd bananas, brandy flambéd yellow plums, blueberries and cream, kiwis and blueberries, etc. We also made good old fashioned banana pancakes, which we then combined with other flavoured toppings.

We created a friend, Sir James Thomas Wellington III.

After that night, I was too full to function.

In my Wednesday Writing London class, we just discussed Charles Dickens and his transformation of London as a mere city into London as a character. It was quite stimulating, despite the fact that I'm already behind in the reading. (It is a 989-page book, so give me some slack.)

Wednesday night, I went out with a new friend that I made at a Duke Spirit concert I had gone to the week before. (This wasn't the Duke Spirit show that I was planning to attend, but they played the next week and I actually got the chance to see the band live.) His nickname is Jaba (which comes from his four initials), but his name is actually James. (Very British.)

I had no classes on Thursday. I spent the morning walking around in the nice weather (sunny day) but came home because of the cold wind. I then read Bleak House and took a decent nap before heading out to the theatre for my Reporting the Arts class. Last night, we went to see Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular, which was very well done. It had Jane Horrocks (who played Bubble in Absolutely Fabulous) as one of the main stars, and she did a fabulous job. I went out for a few drinks with friends after the show.

On my way to the theatre, I ran into Justin, the DJ from New York who came to London for some gigs. This was very strange to me because London is very spread out, and it was such a random encounter. He had only arrived in London that morning and I would not have been in the West End of London were it not for this theatre class. He performs in Manchester tonight and in London tomorrow night, so I get the chance to go see him DJ while here.

And today, I'm waiting for Jaba to get out of work because he and I are going to explore free things to do in London. (We're both very cheap, which works out nicely.) I'm thinking we might go to Hyde Park and visit the Serpentine gallery. Or something of the sort.

Tomorrow, I will head to the Tate Modern with Kristen to do research for my Contemporary Art in Britain essay. And then I will go to Tbar to see Justin perform.

It has been a good week, I think I can say. And it's only Friday!

Morena Tropicana

2008-02-04T03:34:00.000-05:00

Morgan and I are plotting, plotting, plotting. One of my best friends at NYU is currently studying abroad in Florence for the semester, meaning we are only a hop, skip and a jump away from each other. We have plans to meet up for Spring Break, and right now, we have our hearts set on Sicily.

I will probably fly to Florence to meet her. From there, we will train to Sicily and just sun-soak and bathe and drink wine for a few relaxing days. Then we're heading back to Florence so she can take me out for a night on the town. That will only be for a few days because her boyfriend (who is sadly back in New York) is flying out to visit her and, well, I don't want our visits to overlap. I'm sure they don't either.

I CAN'T WAIT.

She plans to visit me in London at some point during the semester as well, so she can get some major metropolitan kicks as well.

Who knows what I will do with the rest of my Spring Break? Today, I was looking for cheap ways to get to Paris. The newly advertised two-hour train there is £57, one-way. There are also indirect flights which are supposedly cheap. I also found a bus line that will take me to Paris for £37 round-trip, but I will have to endure eight hours in a bus each way. But cheap is cheap.

I have a few friends to visit in Paris. Or I could visit my friend in Nice. A little French vacation for my last week of Spring Break would be oh-so nice. (Pun expected but not intended.)

I also found out today that my good Swedish friend Jenny, who has been longing to visit me in America for years but can't ever afford it, has made the commitment to visit me here in London! She will be coming in late April to celebrate her 21st birthday with me. She booked her flights yesterday.

Also, my friend Justin (who works for DFA Records in New York) will be coming to London this weekend. He's not coming to visit me specifically; he has a few DJ gigs in Manchester and London. But it's just convenient that I get to see this guy who I didn't think I would see until my return to New York.

So much to look forward to. And so much homework.

The view from my 12th floor dorm room.

My friend Ricky and I took a walk to Regent's Park. The next two photos are ones I took from that trip:

Ready For The Floor

2008-01-31T10:36:00.000-05:00

I now have a working phone!

The man behind the counter was rather incompetent and kept pushing a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go card on me, but it wouldn't work when I put it in my phone. I ended up getting an Orange card. I have already called a friend, so I know everything is in order. I started off with 15 pounds, and I'm hoping that lasts me a while.

The phone I'm using (Mikko's phone?) is ridiculously confusing. The numbers are arranged in a circle, so the dialing (and texting) habits I have acquired through years of owning a cell phone are useless. I feel like I'm technologically challenged with this phone. I'll learn.

My second week of classes is over now. I finally had my last class, which is Issues in Contemporary British Politics and Culture, not society. (I called it by the wrong name in a previous post.) The class starts at 6:30 pm, but they tell us to get there ten minutes early if we want our attendance counted. The building was rather hard to find, so I was two minutes late (as in 6:22, not 6:32) and us late-birds (of which there were quite a few) were told to sit in the back (instead of our assigned seats) and we were singled out for being the "late kids." I figured they provided that extra ten minutes for those of us who might be a few minutes late, like an "Aim for 6:20 and you'll be there before class starts" type thing. Nope. Looks like I should start aiming to get there at 6:10 instead.

However, it seems we will have some impressive speakers in that class. In our first meeting, we had political strategist Bob Shrum lecture. (He was supposed to come later in the semester, but he had to come on Monday because he can't make the other scheduled date.) It wasn't the most stimulating lecture, but British politics isn't the most stimulating subject either.

And now for something completely different:
As I sit here and write, I have a maid cleaning my room. This polite Russian lady with a big mole over her lip is cleaning my bathroom (which was in desperate need of a good scrub). There is a slight awkward tension between us, but I'm sure she gets it from every student. Turns out that NIDO housing does provide basic cleaning for the rooms once a week. The maids clean the bathrooms and mop the floors. This is about one of the only things NIDO does that actually pleases me.

The people who run NIDO seem to have no idea what they're doing. I think they just decided to make a building in which they could cram a bunch of students and take shortcuts anywhere possible to make money. Either that or they're just stupid.

FOR EXAMPLE:
One morning, I went into my kitchen to have breakfast. I noticed that my key wouldn't go into my cupboard lock. I figured I was being silly and left it open or something. Sure enough, it was open. Yet, I never leave my storage area in the kitchen open. I thought little of it; I was hungry. Later on, as I ate my cereal, a locksmith came in. He and I struck up conversation. He started talking about how NIDO had hired him to replace the locks on the storage cupboards in the kitchens. Why? NIDO realized they didn't have spare keys for these storage spaces and, apparently, the students had the only copies. Solution? Replace all of the locks so that they can make spare keys!

The locksmith went to work, except he needed the key to get into the cupboard to change the locks. NIDO's response? "Oh! Here's the spare."

He was working and considering that he should tell the people at NIDO about their mistake. If they have spare keys for him to replace the locks, then, well, they have spare keys! I asked him if he had already changed my lock and he said he had (hence the trouble I had earlier and the reason it was open). I'm so glad NIDO informed me that my lock was to be changed. I told him to do his job and make as much money from these people as he could. He agreed.

BUT, I live in a great area in London. Why complain? I only have to deal with a sweltering hot kitchen (that makes food go bad sooner than it should), small living spaces, and that dorm-y living for three and a half more months. I can handle it.

NEWS: I gave myself straight bangs.

Kristen and me after a night out. We found a place that sells a microwaveable piece of pizza for 99 pence (well worth it, let me tell you) and this picture shows some of our crazy adventures in our kitchen at the wee hours of the morning.

La Femme d'Argent

2008-01-28T00:11:00.000-05:00

Every Sunday night, I get that horrid realization that I have a lot of work to catch up on for the week. We have only had one week of classes, so it's hard to imagine that I would have too much to do, but since each of my classes only meets once a week, the professors are sure to provide enough work to last until the next class meeting. I need to have one third of Bleak House read by Wednesday. Considering it's a 989-page novel, that is more of a task than it may seem.

But my classes are shaping up to be great. My Reporting the Arts class has several mandatory theatre visits, but on weeks when we don't have an outing, the students must choose their own live performance to attend. This means I can count concerts I go to as part of that, which makes things easier and more interesting for me.

In Contemporary Art in Britain, the professor gave me the impression of a street ruffian who just knows a hell of a lot about art. She's very open to beginners and different interpretations and, since she didn't like school when she was a student, she tries to make our work load desirable. This means that there is no final 15-page essay, but two smaller ones earlier in the semester. (She knows that our other classes are bound to give us huge final assignments.)

Writing London also seems extremely interesting, though I have a feeling that this will be my most work-heavy class. We have plenty to read (Bleak House), which I'm half looking forward to, half dreading. The professor is a smart Italian woman who used the three-hour class time wisely (unlike my other professors during the first week). Instead of spending huge amounts of time talking about nothing while thumbing through the syllabus, she brought two Jonathan Swift poems and a William Blake poem about London for us to read closely and analyze. I got the chance to show off a little bit of my English-major pizazz.

I haven't yet been to my final class, Issues in Contemporary British Politics and Society, the mandatory London class for NYU students. The first meeting is tomorrow. We have assigned seating. I'm curious to see how this class unfolds because, as of now, I'm not too thrilled about it.

I have newspapers strewn around my room for my Reporting the Arts assignment, and I have an onion (which I got from an interesting night out) sitting on my desk. I'm not a very neat person, as if we all didn't know this already.

As for the London nightlife, I can tell that I'm going to have a good time. I found another bar that I enjoy, with cheap drinks and loud music. The great thing about going out in London: You don't need to tip the bar tenders! When a drink is one pound and 50 pence, that's all you pay! I have met some interesting people too, ranging from an art museum curator to a biotechnologist to a 17 year-old rich boy who has twin baby girls. London has quite an interesting mix of people, and I'm slowly (but surely) piecing the different areas of London together in my head and where my home (King's Cross) is in relation to the places I go out. It's getting easier.

It's going to be a good semester, I think.

SOME PICTURES:

Me in front of a statue of Winston Churchill.

Kristen and I (temporarily) swap clothes sometimes.

Justice

2008-01-24T12:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight I am going to see my first theatre production in London for my Reporting the Arts class. There will be two one-act plays by Harold Pinter: The Lover & The Collection. I have seen the advertisements for this show all over the tube, and they really roused my interest. And what do you know? Going to see the production is my first assignment in one of my classes.

Life-wise, I'm slowly adjusting. I figured that moving here would be much like the first time I moved to New York, but there are few similarities. When I first moved to New York, I was probably more open to making new friends, but now that I have made a solid friend base in New York, I generally don't like the cheesy meet-and-greet type of social environment. My roommate and I are getting along great (one week down, many more to go) and we hang out on occasion. I met someone new, though. My friend Austin back in New York would always talk about his roommate Ricky, and I heard the name Ricky so often that it was almost as if I knew the guy, yet I knew nothing about him. And I had never met him in person.

Ricky had the same experience with my name. Turns out, Ricky and I have that Reporting the Arts class together and we recognized each others' names immediately. He's this intelligent little gay boy who likes poetry and musicals and gets tipsy after one drink. He and I went out to a few bars last night, to explore areas other than King's Cross. (He's already been in London for a full semester, so he knows the city better than I do.) We picked a bar from the non-touristy guide to London that my brother gave to me for Christmas and decided that The Grenadier in Belgravia sounded classy, but not swanky. (We are poor.)

We ventured out to this bar, which was in a cul-de-sac that stemmed off of a small, curvy street. (I don't know how anyone but locals would ever find this bar, unless they had the same City Secrets book that I use.) Since it was a Wednesday, that bar closed at 11, and Ricky took me to a little Italian bar near Piccadilly Circus. It was unnoticeable from the street, another one of those you-wouldn't-see-it-unless-you-knew-about-it kind of pubs. It had a young crowd and a DJ that played old, pleasantly scratchy 7-inch vinyl records. It was fun (and the cheapest bar I've seen thus far).

I am going to try to see a band called The Duke Spirit play tomorrow night, and I'm really looking forward to it, but the details are still hazy and I'm worried my plans might fall through.

I will update about my classes soon.

King Kong in London

2008-01-21T01:46:00.000-05:00

I just spent an hour trying to call Peter to wish him a happy birthday. I was trying to call his house phone, which doesn't accept blocked calls. I could not figure out where to put the *82 to reveal the number. Putting it before the country code didn't work, and neither did putting it after the country code and before the area code. I called home to see if there was a chance that there may have been a problem with the card, but I got through. I tried to put the *82 after the area code, and someone picked up, but when I asked for Peter, the man on the phone said I had the wrong number (which I didn't; the *82 probably just affected the number I was dialing). I found Peter's cell phone number and I know that at his house, he has no service. I got through and left a message. I never heard his voice mail message (because the calling card lady was talking) but it told me to leave a message. Let's hope it worked.

Today, I went on a bus tour provided by NYU in London. The first two hours were great. We did the major tourist stops: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, a galleria-type building on the Thames River, etc.

My roommate, King Kong Kristen.

But after that, our bus got stuck in traffic in a boring high-class shopping district. The once soothing and entertaining British tour guide's voice then became a crackling annoyance that gave me a headache. The bus vibrations didn't help. At that point, my roommate and I were tired and wanted to go back to our dorm building.

Oh yes, and my roommate is alive. She came back home later that day. Since the metro closes down at just past midnight and she was supremely drunk, she spent the night at the friend-of-a-friend's place. She is currently with him at a movie.

She and I make good roomies. She and I generally have the same interests in terms of style, music, movies, social interactions and activities and more. We have gotten past the initial awkward boundaries. We can both talk about anything from guys to clothing to pooping. (Yes, pooping.) She and I can hang out on a regular basis without feeling weird. I don't want to be friends with only her, but it's nice to have a companion to induct myself into London life.

London Loves

2008-01-19T16:53:00.000-05:00

I can hear the fluorescent lights buzzing. This kitchen is startlingly white, and it's the first time I have been in here completely alone since the first day I got here. My generic Tesco brand sweet and sour chicken is done heating, and this will be the first meal I have ever "cooked" in London.

I arrived in London with my mother on the 16th of January. She left earlier this morning for American soil and now my living-in-London adventure begins.

I start classes on Monday. I'm still unsure of where, exactly, they are, but as soon as I finish eating and get my act together, I plan to walk down to 6 Bedford Square, where the New York University in London main office is located. I was hoping, actually, to go shopping (for necessity, not enjoyment) with my roommate, Kristen. I only met her the day I moved in, but I can already tell that we have a lot in common. This is a good thing. We need some basic essentials though, like a working alarm clock (since mine just recently broke), a toilet brush cleaner, etc.

Unfortunately, my roommate hasn't returned home from what I was playfully calling a "date" last night. She went to get some cheap dinner and drinks with a friend of a friend, but after several emails between the two blind buddies, the conversation transformed into veiled flirting. I assume that she just ended up having a good time with him, maybe got a little drunk, stayed at his place, etc. If she fails to show up to our room by this evening, however, I will get worried.

But it's not even 2pm yet. It's still prime sleeping-in time.