Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving - Annotations
The following are some notes typed before and after Thanksgiving; they say very little about the day itself and the events that transpired. Perhaps there will be a part 2 containing more.
4:28 AM (Thursday)
I have no rational reason for being awake now, as ever it’s been when I’m conscious after 4 in the morning. I’ve been doing some internet browsing… getting inspired by some photos on Flickr, writing out ideas (outlining general concepts and ideas for photo shoots), writing emails, streaming from one Wikipedia article to the next, and generally accomplishing no one thing in particular but getting a lot of ideas nonetheless. I’ve got to be at work (yes, work!) at 10 AM, and my alarm is set for 8. I’ve got Thanksgiving plans, too. So I’ve got every reason to be asleep right now.
There’s a lovely view outside, however. Oh, it’s the same landscape I described before – the unlit park, a spire or two on the distant horizon, loads of brick buildings, chimneys, and Georgian facades. Double-deckers and red phone boxes, too. I appreciate it every time I look outside; the total London-ness is ever-present. Just this moment, though, a few more stars are visible than usual. Most of the time it’s overcast or too obscured by smog and city lights, but this time I can make out Orion’s Belt. When was the last time I did that? Wheathampstead? California? I’d like to fix the view to my memory, even with the unseemly empty lot, on the corner below (it adds some extra dimension).
The birds are already calling.
9:24 AM (Thursday)
Jeeze… How I hate to get up in the morning. In six minutes I have to leave. So much for needing a shower and a cup of coffee! And now my laptop’s ability to keep a connection with the power cord has become annoyingly elusive. Great.
Out of the blue, I feel like watching Beetlejuice right now. It would sure be lovely to call in sick and watch movies all day. I should have requested the whole holiday off.
5:14 AM (Friday)
I need to sleep. I really, really need to sleep. In sum, however: the first part of the day, to put it bluntly, sucked. The second part was lovelier than I could have imagined. There are lots of photos, too (cherry on top). My computer cord’s still annoying, though. I’m not moving it from this position on the floor. At all. Also, the sky’s back to being overcast, but there are some interesting bright wisps being blown across the sky below the ceiling.
4:28 AM (Thursday)
I have no rational reason for being awake now, as ever it’s been when I’m conscious after 4 in the morning. I’ve been doing some internet browsing… getting inspired by some photos on Flickr, writing out ideas (outlining general concepts and ideas for photo shoots), writing emails, streaming from one Wikipedia article to the next, and generally accomplishing no one thing in particular but getting a lot of ideas nonetheless. I’ve got to be at work (yes, work!) at 10 AM, and my alarm is set for 8. I’ve got Thanksgiving plans, too. So I’ve got every reason to be asleep right now.
There’s a lovely view outside, however. Oh, it’s the same landscape I described before – the unlit park, a spire or two on the distant horizon, loads of brick buildings, chimneys, and Georgian facades. Double-deckers and red phone boxes, too. I appreciate it every time I look outside; the total London-ness is ever-present. Just this moment, though, a few more stars are visible than usual. Most of the time it’s overcast or too obscured by smog and city lights, but this time I can make out Orion’s Belt. When was the last time I did that? Wheathampstead? California? I’d like to fix the view to my memory, even with the unseemly empty lot, on the corner below (it adds some extra dimension).
The birds are already calling.
9:24 AM (Thursday)
Jeeze… How I hate to get up in the morning. In six minutes I have to leave. So much for needing a shower and a cup of coffee! And now my laptop’s ability to keep a connection with the power cord has become annoyingly elusive. Great.
Out of the blue, I feel like watching Beetlejuice right now. It would sure be lovely to call in sick and watch movies all day. I should have requested the whole holiday off.
5:14 AM (Friday)
I need to sleep. I really, really need to sleep. In sum, however: the first part of the day, to put it bluntly, sucked. The second part was lovelier than I could have imagined. There are lots of photos, too (cherry on top). My computer cord’s still annoying, though. I’m not moving it from this position on the floor. At all. Also, the sky’s back to being overcast, but there are some interesting bright wisps being blown across the sky below the ceiling.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Tired & Happy
I’ve had a really great day, full of plenty of things to write about, but at the moment I’m just really engrossed in the news of David Tennant announcing his departure from Doctor Who in 2010 (with four specials remaining) and suddenly set on seeing him play Hamlet in London next February. Lots of YouTube’ing and blog-reading going on. Also, I’ve just remembered that the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is out, and I haven’t seen it yet. And, I’ve been dealing with the annoyances of yet another re-install and patch update for World of Warcraft; I’ve been trying to play it all week!!
I’m taking a break from all that right now (while the high-def trailer’s loading) to write a bit about the rest of my day. So. Here goes…
As I may have mentioned before, I’ve been keeping some pretty ridiculous hours lately. Last night I decided to forego the chance of oversleeping. I’d arranged to volunteer in a work party at Highgate Cemetery, and I had to be there by 1 PM. Yes, that’s right… THE Highgate Cemetery. If the name alone doesn’t ring any bells, think of Dracula. Supposedly, myths of vampires have been so much a part of Highgate lore, they inspired Bram Stoker. It was also pretty high profile in the ‘70s when people were reporting strange “psychic” attacks and a Catholic priest claimed to have staked one. I’m not much for vampire myths in particular, but it is still the most marvelously beautiful and spooky cemetery I’ve ever seen. In photos, anyway. But I digress.
It took me two hours of lying in bed with a sleeping mask until I finally fell asleep. (Probably more from boredom than actual sleepiness.) And surprisingly, I was up early in the morning. Agneta actually woke me (though I think I was already half-awake at the time), and after that I finally went on a morning jog through Hyde Park. I’ve been trying to do it all week, but I just couldn’t get to sleep on time. I even once considered staying up all night and going out at daybreak, but I didn’t have the energy. I got new running pants (sorry, “trousers”), even.
It felt really, really nice. Why couldn’t the mile runs in school have been this nice? I ran all the way around the park – the long way! – by the Round Pond, the Albert Memorial, around The Serpentine, through the Italian Fountains and back. I was out there for a full hour. And by the time I came back, I was more than ready for a shower and a big bowl of oatmeal.
I had a couple hours to spare, so I watched a little Twilight Zone (“The Grave”) and some of a Jude Law movie (Norah Jones was in it, too) with Agneta, though both of us agreed it was terrible. I got a slight late start to going… Considering it’s a Sunday, the Underground was quite limited (no Circle line!!), so it took me a lot longer to get there. But, get there I did, and in no time I was picking garden gloves and clippers out of a box and had set out to de-weed and generally clean several graves near the entrance of the West Cemetery. I got there at about 1:30 and left almost exactly two hours later, feeling something akin to the morning run… well-worked and accomplished. (And well-fed. Somebody shared some home-baked brownies.) But with the extra novelty being in a famous cemetery. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to venture beyond the entrance. Our labors only covered so much, and since I left my piles of brambles and weeds for removal till the end, others sort of came by and picked it up as I progressed, and I never got to venture a little more inward to place it in the compost bin. But, from what I saw, it was already so wonderfully idyllic. The place was absolutely packed with Victorian graves, and the greenery was so thick; avenues were like tunnels through the woodlands. I aim to see the Egyptian mausoleums and the famous crypts at another time, but for now the mystique remains ever stronger now that I’ve had a taste. I’m likely to be going back next week, for the next working party.
By the time I got back to Bayswater, I was already pretty tuckered out. I got a few things at Tesco’s (they didn’t have sardines!) and went home (I had to settle on mackerel). And that’s it.
I’ll probably go to bed early again tonight. It helps to actually be tired for once.
I’m taking a break from all that right now (while the high-def trailer’s loading) to write a bit about the rest of my day. So. Here goes…
As I may have mentioned before, I’ve been keeping some pretty ridiculous hours lately. Last night I decided to forego the chance of oversleeping. I’d arranged to volunteer in a work party at Highgate Cemetery, and I had to be there by 1 PM. Yes, that’s right… THE Highgate Cemetery. If the name alone doesn’t ring any bells, think of Dracula. Supposedly, myths of vampires have been so much a part of Highgate lore, they inspired Bram Stoker. It was also pretty high profile in the ‘70s when people were reporting strange “psychic” attacks and a Catholic priest claimed to have staked one. I’m not much for vampire myths in particular, but it is still the most marvelously beautiful and spooky cemetery I’ve ever seen. In photos, anyway. But I digress.It took me two hours of lying in bed with a sleeping mask until I finally fell asleep. (Probably more from boredom than actual sleepiness.) And surprisingly, I was up early in the morning. Agneta actually woke me (though I think I was already half-awake at the time), and after that I finally went on a morning jog through Hyde Park. I’ve been trying to do it all week, but I just couldn’t get to sleep on time. I even once considered staying up all night and going out at daybreak, but I didn’t have the energy. I got new running pants (sorry, “trousers”), even.
It felt really, really nice. Why couldn’t the mile runs in school have been this nice? I ran all the way around the park – the long way! – by the Round Pond, the Albert Memorial, around The Serpentine, through the Italian Fountains and back. I was out there for a full hour. And by the time I came back, I was more than ready for a shower and a big bowl of oatmeal.
I had a couple hours to spare, so I watched a little Twilight Zone (“The Grave”) and some of a Jude Law movie (Norah Jones was in it, too) with Agneta, though both of us agreed it was terrible. I got a slight late start to going… Considering it’s a Sunday, the Underground was quite limited (no Circle line!!), so it took me a lot longer to get there. But, get there I did, and in no time I was picking garden gloves and clippers out of a box and had set out to de-weed and generally clean several graves near the entrance of the West Cemetery. I got there at about 1:30 and left almost exactly two hours later, feeling something akin to the morning run… well-worked and accomplished. (And well-fed. Somebody shared some home-baked brownies.) But with the extra novelty being in a famous cemetery. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to venture beyond the entrance. Our labors only covered so much, and since I left my piles of brambles and weeds for removal till the end, others sort of came by and picked it up as I progressed, and I never got to venture a little more inward to place it in the compost bin. But, from what I saw, it was already so wonderfully idyllic. The place was absolutely packed with Victorian graves, and the greenery was so thick; avenues were like tunnels through the woodlands. I aim to see the Egyptian mausoleums and the famous crypts at another time, but for now the mystique remains ever stronger now that I’ve had a taste. I’m likely to be going back next week, for the next working party.
By the time I got back to Bayswater, I was already pretty tuckered out. I got a few things at Tesco’s (they didn’t have sardines!) and went home (I had to settle on mackerel). And that’s it.
I’ll probably go to bed early again tonight. It helps to actually be tired for once.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Oxford Street Christmas Lights
On Wednesday night, I went to Oxford St. to see the Christmas lights switched on but just barely missed the official pushing-of-the-button. I still took a lot of photos of the lights and the window displays. Later that evening, I went to the Queen Boadicea pub in Clarkenwell for a BUNAC pub meet. There were some people I hadn't seen in a couple weeks, so it was nice to do some catching up.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Settling In
It’s been about a week since I moved into Porchester Gate, but it feels like I’ve known my flatmates for far longer than that already. It’s quite a big group; there are several bedrooms to fill. We’ve already gone out for dinner, dancing, and clubbing; we’ve had late-night card games and YouTube movie fests into the wee hours; we’ve gone out shopping and out for coffee. It’s like one big international family, with roots in 
Lithuania, Brazil, France, Italy, and Australia.Tonight, all but Claudio, Julia and Agneta went out to the Chinawhite club, near Piccadilly Circus. It cost £20 to get in, and we had to be on the guest list, but it was quite an experience. I rarely go to clubs, but in this case, I agreed to go because 1) I was curious, and 2) I enjoy hanging out with my flatmates. It was a really posh place, but it was intimate and cosy, too. It had an overall Eastern theme, with lots of statues, incense and candles. When we arrived, we were almost the only people there (it was around 9:30; Ryan also brought some friends, so our group came to about a dozen or so), but it didn’t take too long for the place to become packed. My favorite room was chock full of cushions and had sparkling stars on the ceiling behind lengths of colored fabric. It was there I tried my first taste of absinthe, mixed in a martini. It was amazingly flavorful… It tasted like a sweet, spicy glass of liquorice. I only recommend it if you really, really like liquorice, and I do.
I’m not much for r&b, or most pop music, but among friends, I make an exception. I also don’t do a lot of dancing, but I had a lot of fun at it. I had a genuinely good time, and it makes me all the more glad that I chose the flat I did.
Being very tired, I’m sorry that I can’t be much more descriptive. It’s going on 4 AM (which is becoming kind of a normal bedtime, unfortunately). We left the club a couple hours ago, and I made 4 grilled cheese sandwiches (burnt them, though… I’m still not used to electric burners), and that’s pretty much it. The rest of the day, I stayed in mostly, but went to the Brompton Cemetery to take pictures, only to find it closed 10 minutes after I got there. I’m still anxious to edit the few photos I took, however.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election Night
It’s now after four in the morning, and I’m in bed watching live election coverage on CNN.com. (The BBC’s own coverage is open in another tab, but it’s not quite as interesting to watch.) The curtains are drawn, and behind the big window I can see a mini-skyline of London… the local rooftops of Bayswater, with piped chimney stacks, domes, and the treetops of Hyde Park. Other than myself, only Janis is awake; unable to sleep, she’s on her own laptop in bed, too.
My absentee ballot was faxed in on Monday. I won’t reveal any of my votes here, but I will say that I was quite torn for different reasons on both candidates. CNN has just announced that Obama is the projected winner. I’ve gotten so used to all the election coverage, both in the US and here as well (it’s amazing how much of it goes on here; British people are just as informed about it as Americans are) that it’s strange to think the momentum has finally reached a climax and, very soon, a conclusion and a new beginning. I wonder what George Bush is doing right now… Is he on a sofa, watching all this, too? Are any of his things in boxes already?
Ugh. CNN’s already hyping the race side of all this… There’s singing, sobbing, Jesse Jackson, and talk about Martin Luther King… It’s all too sickly sweet. Not to diminish the significance of black history in the making, but I’m finding it all too overdone.
…And now McCain has made his concession speech, and music reminiscent of a 90s action movie is playing as he, Palin and both their spouses exit the stage, forcing smiles… So… that’s it? People are still voting in some states, but really their votes are a formality at this point. The commentary continues, and presumably Obama will be making a speech very soon. I’d like to watch that speech, and then try to sleep… I’m a little tired of watching coverage now, though.
Darn… They’ve just said that it’ll be another 25 minutes before Obama takes the stage.
I seem to be zoning out a bit… I’m watching a bit of both the supporters’ parties. They’ve just shown a few seconds of Oprah at Obama’s party and there was some woman screaming after her (brings to mind a certain SNL skit!). Maybe I’ll wait it out, if I don’t fall asleep meanwhile.
He’s approaching the stage now… Well, that wasn’t so bad a wait. Not likely to be any surprises rhetoric-wise, but I’m curious to hear it all out anyway. Lots of thanks and pledges of hope, I imagine.
…Wow, amazing speech. Really, really amazing. Sort of makes me less apologetic to be an American abroad, too.
Well, on that note, I think I’m going to quit typing and go to bed in a couple minutes.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween In London
Too busy/tired/lazy to write a complete, original blog for Halloween, I've put together bits of emails and phone photos from the day. Sorry, but it'll have to do.
Oct. 31, 5:50 P.M.
The Clink hostel, basement kitchen
There are so many cool events going on tonight... I wish I could go to all of them. :)
http://www.timeout.com/london/halloween/
But, since I'm going with Katie (and her boyfriend, and some other friend of hers, and possibly other BUNAC people...), it has to be after 8, which already limits my options. It looks like we're going to the "Halloween Ghost and Murder Walks" one.
I'm in the hostel kitchen right now, and I put together a quick late lunch/early dinner with some pasta and steak, but there are some Italians sitting near me who totally put my pathetic little meal to shame. They're having pasta, too, but with some kind of a veggies and cream sauce thing, and lots of bread (it's only toast, but I guess it wouldn't be a meal without some kind of bread). Earlier one of them took my pepper grinder without asking, and I complained (I explained that they could use it, but I wished they'd ask next time), but their English was very, very limited, and as a nice gesture, they shared some of their wine -- so now I'm having a sweet, fizzy Italian wine to go with my substandard pasta dish.
Also, I stopped by the St. Pancras church today on the way back to the hostel. I've been wanting to check it out ever since I noticed the big pink banner inviting entry to its crypt gallery, and I figured what better time than on Halloween, right? God, it's truly the creepiest church I've ever seen... it's got huge gothic women statues/pillars, massive grey stones, a really unkempt garden and heavy wrought iron gates. I followed the signs to the "London crypt" onto the grounds; nobody else was there, but the gates were open. I wandered around the building, but I couldn't find a single open door; I tried pulling, but they wouldn't budge. So much for that Halloween idea. There was a list of gallery exhibitions -- I may have just missed the last day of the previous one; the next one opens on Nov. 6, and it's to showcase the work of some costume designer. Not exactly what I'd have expected in a creepy place like that, but I'll go when it opens anyway.
Nov. 1, 4:36 P.M.
Porchester Gate Flat, Bayswater
Well, I ended up going on the "ghosts and murders" walk, which was fun, but unfortunately Katie was unable to make it, and everybody else I know was at the BUNAC event. After the walk, I went to where I thought the event was, but was completely wrong... There are a number of pubs called the "Walkabout" and by then it was already too late to go back and look up all the other locations, so that was pretty much the end of my night. So, yeah, that part sucked. After that, I went to a convenience store, bought a couple candy bars (my only consolation: I've never seen those particular ones in the US), and took the bus back. I met a nice Australian guy and some American girl on the bus back, and they were really nice to chat to... the American girl came from Pasadena, of all places, but now she's a student at Cambridge (she agreed with me that London is so tame in the Halloween department... It could use some excitement like the WeHo Halloween Carnival!). It was also weird that I seemed to be an information dispenser from the moment I got that bus stop... I directed some British girls (not from London, I guess) to the Embankment station, and I told the Aussie which buses he needed to get to Angel Station in Islington. Yay, people are assuming I know stuff about this city! It keeps happening a lot, actually.
So... today I've moved into my new flat. I'm emailing you from Tatiana's laptop (I'm taking her place, actually) in my bedroom. I did lots of shopping today, mainly for bedding things; I've yet to do some grocery shopping, too. I hit up every department store on Oxford St. (OMG, Selfridge's is AMAZING!!!); what I wouldn't do for a simple Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens 'n Things... it took me forever to get a decent feather pillow for under £25.
Oct. 31, 5:50 P.M.
The Clink hostel, basement kitchen
There are so many cool events going on tonight... I wish I could go to all of them. :)
http://www.timeout.com/london/halloween/
But, since I'm going with Katie (and her boyfriend, and some other friend of hers, and possibly other BUNAC people...), it has to be after 8, which already limits my options. It looks like we're going to the "Halloween Ghost and Murder Walks" one.
I'm in the hostel kitchen right now, and I put together a quick late lunch/early dinner with some pasta and steak, but there are some Italians sitting near me who totally put my pathetic little meal to shame. They're having pasta, too, but with some kind of a veggies and cream sauce thing, and lots of bread (it's only toast, but I guess it wouldn't be a meal without some kind of bread). Earlier one of them took my pepper grinder without asking, and I complained (I explained that they could use it, but I wished they'd ask next time), but their English was very, very limited, and as a nice gesture, they shared some of their wine -- so now I'm having a sweet, fizzy Italian wine to go with my substandard pasta dish.
Also, I stopped by the St. Pancras church today on the way back to the hostel. I've been wanting to check it out ever since I noticed the big pink banner inviting entry to its crypt gallery, and I figured what better time than on Halloween, right? God, it's truly the creepiest church I've ever seen... it's got huge gothic women statues/pillars, massive grey stones, a really unkempt garden and heavy wrought iron gates. I followed the signs to the "London crypt" onto the grounds; nobody else was there, but the gates were open. I wandered around the building, but I couldn't find a single open door; I tried pulling, but they wouldn't budge. So much for that Halloween idea. There was a list of gallery exhibitions -- I may have just missed the last day of the previous one; the next one opens on Nov. 6, and it's to showcase the work of some costume designer. Not exactly what I'd have expected in a creepy place like that, but I'll go when it opens anyway.
Nov. 1, 4:36 P.M.
Porchester Gate Flat, Bayswater
Well, I ended up going on the "ghosts and murders" walk, which was fun, but unfortunately Katie was unable to make it, and everybody else I know was at the BUNAC event. After the walk, I went to where I thought the event was, but was completely wrong... There are a number of pubs called the "Walkabout" and by then it was already too late to go back and look up all the other locations, so that was pretty much the end of my night. So, yeah, that part sucked. After that, I went to a convenience store, bought a couple candy bars (my only consolation: I've never seen those particular ones in the US), and took the bus back. I met a nice Australian guy and some American girl on the bus back, and they were really nice to chat to... the American girl came from Pasadena, of all places, but now she's a student at Cambridge (she agreed with me that London is so tame in the Halloween department... It could use some excitement like the WeHo Halloween Carnival!). It was also weird that I seemed to be an information dispenser from the moment I got that bus stop... I directed some British girls (not from London, I guess) to the Embankment station, and I told the Aussie which buses he needed to get to Angel Station in Islington. Yay, people are assuming I know stuff about this city! It keeps happening a lot, actually.
So... today I've moved into my new flat. I'm emailing you from Tatiana's laptop (I'm taking her place, actually) in my bedroom. I did lots of shopping today, mainly for bedding things; I've yet to do some grocery shopping, too. I hit up every department store on Oxford St. (OMG, Selfridge's is AMAZING!!!); what I wouldn't do for a simple Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linens 'n Things... it took me forever to get a decent feather pillow for under £25.
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