so i can say that i spent my birthday in two countries - started in paris and ended in london :-) i went to france friday and saturday, went to the louvre, notre dame, ate crepes and baguettes, and drank cheap wine at midnight in front of the eiffel tower to start my birthday off right! we met tons of people while we were hanging out in the park in front of the eiffel tower (basically anyone that spoke english joined the party), so i got about 20 random people sing happy birthday to me haha we also happened upon the beach volleyball world tour and got to see misty may and kerri walsh (the womens olympic gold medalists) play for a while which was sweet! and paris was gorgeous, its a very picturesque city. i thought my 6 years of french would just come flowing back to me, turns out 2 years not speaking it puts a damper on ur communcation skills, so that was tough and i was glad to get back to good ol' london tonight.
before leaving for paris i went to another play - guys and dolls. it def has made it to the top of my favorite musicals, i looved it. and ewan mcgregor was the lead! he was perfect for the role and his voice is {sigh} haha so that made the show even better.
well all my traveling has caught up with me and im sick with a sinus infection (wohoo) so im off to bed....i cant wait to see everyone next week!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
7-25-05 GOOD TIME TO GET OUT OF BRITIAN
london has gone a little crazy. thursday 4 more bombs were planted in the tubes. the detonator went off but luckily not the bomb itself (made wrong or something) the papers said that the people that put this set together was the same as the first ones so they were planned to have the same impact as the first. luckily nobody was hurt. then friday cops chased a man they had as a suspect for the bombings through the tube station onto one of the trains, and shot him several times, killing him, then later found out that he was innocent. you can come to your own conclusions.
ireland was a great break from work and class tho! the quote of the weekend was 'the spartans love the irish!' i was on a tour that drove across the country to the west coast, followed the atlantic ocean, and back around to dublin. everyone on the trip was our age so we got to meet tons of cool people. there was a group of 6 loud law students that loved to prove a point on the bus with us that we all kind wanted to push over a cliff after a while, but luckily ive gotten use to those pre-law kids in the last year or so. (one of them looked like will farrel tho! if ron burgandy and veronica corningstone had a baby, this was him. and it only got better when he started singing 'afternoon delight') so heres what i learned about the irish:
1. they love the craic. pronounced like crack (which makes some interesting innuendos) it mean fun in a pub sense - good friends, good food, good music, good beer. so if someone asks u how the pub was last night u say 'ooOOo the craic was deadly/mighty/grand' or 'it was great craic'
2. lovey day for a guiness. the country is guiness crazy. by the end of the weekend i never wanted to see a guiness ad or souvenir again! that is literally all any true irishman drinks. they call it mothers milk. slainte! (cheers!)
3. theyre the friendliest and funniest group of people, very homely. very non-londonish. the people we met were the highlight of my weekend
4. pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs.ive never seen so many. we would drive through small towns and see 5 or 6 pubs in a row. u cant even imagine until you see them all. we stayed in a VERY small town one night with about 50 people living in it. our tour guide told us it had all the essentials - 3 pubs and a church. and thats exactly what it had.
5. music makes the world go round. classic irish folk music is my new addiction. so is attempting the irish jig!
6. you love sheep. 90% of the population lives on a farm and love every minute of it. theyre all so content living in the middle of nowhere in these gorgeous hills and grass, laying low, and drinking all day.
7. dublin is dirty and sketchy. tip for irish travellers - get the hell outta the city.
8. fairies are real! you love folk lore and story telling. you're superstitious about just about everything. you firmly believe in the luck of the irish, and anything else lucky or cursed
9. you may ask what luck will come to u if u kiss the blarney stone? you live. to kiss the blarney stone u have to climb to the top of the blarney castle, lay on ur back, dangle out over the edge of the castle, turn ur head upsidedown and kiss. so i better have some life changing lucky coming my way for the stress and danger i went through to kiss it!
10. the british are feckin eejits. (feck = NOT what ur thinking, its a polite curse words - u could say it to a priest or ur grandma. eejit = idiot) its a friendly neighbor rivalry, but def a rival. in london they had to get rid of 75% of the public trash cans because the irish would come over and put little bombs in the garbage cans all the time
ireland was a great break from work and class tho! the quote of the weekend was 'the spartans love the irish!' i was on a tour that drove across the country to the west coast, followed the atlantic ocean, and back around to dublin. everyone on the trip was our age so we got to meet tons of cool people. there was a group of 6 loud law students that loved to prove a point on the bus with us that we all kind wanted to push over a cliff after a while, but luckily ive gotten use to those pre-law kids in the last year or so. (one of them looked like will farrel tho! if ron burgandy and veronica corningstone had a baby, this was him. and it only got better when he started singing 'afternoon delight') so heres what i learned about the irish:
1. they love the craic. pronounced like crack (which makes some interesting innuendos) it mean fun in a pub sense - good friends, good food, good music, good beer. so if someone asks u how the pub was last night u say 'ooOOo the craic was deadly/mighty/grand' or 'it was great craic'
2. lovey day for a guiness. the country is guiness crazy. by the end of the weekend i never wanted to see a guiness ad or souvenir again! that is literally all any true irishman drinks. they call it mothers milk. slainte! (cheers!)
3. theyre the friendliest and funniest group of people, very homely. very non-londonish. the people we met were the highlight of my weekend
4. pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs pubs.ive never seen so many. we would drive through small towns and see 5 or 6 pubs in a row. u cant even imagine until you see them all. we stayed in a VERY small town one night with about 50 people living in it. our tour guide told us it had all the essentials - 3 pubs and a church. and thats exactly what it had.
5. music makes the world go round. classic irish folk music is my new addiction. so is attempting the irish jig!
6. you love sheep. 90% of the population lives on a farm and love every minute of it. theyre all so content living in the middle of nowhere in these gorgeous hills and grass, laying low, and drinking all day.
7. dublin is dirty and sketchy. tip for irish travellers - get the hell outta the city.
8. fairies are real! you love folk lore and story telling. you're superstitious about just about everything. you firmly believe in the luck of the irish, and anything else lucky or cursed
9. you may ask what luck will come to u if u kiss the blarney stone? you live. to kiss the blarney stone u have to climb to the top of the blarney castle, lay on ur back, dangle out over the edge of the castle, turn ur head upsidedown and kiss. so i better have some life changing lucky coming my way for the stress and danger i went through to kiss it!
10. the british are feckin eejits. (feck = NOT what ur thinking, its a polite curse words - u could say it to a priest or ur grandma. eejit = idiot) its a friendly neighbor rivalry, but def a rival. in london they had to get rid of 75% of the public trash cans because the irish would come over and put little bombs in the garbage cans all the time
7-17-05 JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE FABULOUS CITY
hey! its been quite a chic weekend so far. most of my class went to rome for the weekend (so jealous) but the few that stayed made the most of it. friday we desided to dress up and have a big night on the town. the resident director in our house, elie, is in the inner circle at most of the upper class bars and clubs around kensington & chelsea (the high class, old money, part of the city) so she took us out to a club that looked like you had to have on versace or armani to get in at all, but elie pulled it off, being her fabulous self haha. we had to live it up while we were there so the 5 of us ordered a £50 cocktail (which comes to a cool $90 at home) it was the biggest cocktail ive ever seen, but worth every pound. wait till u see pictures of this thing! its like heaven with a kick. we danced the night away there and had a blast. have i mentioned yet that british people have no rythme at all?? they dont care, they just let loose and limbs are flying. let me put it this way - they make me look a good dancer. we stumbled home at about 130 and realized that the grocery store by our house was having a harry potter party so we went in and bought it, still fairly drunk and def still dressed to impress haha but we beat the rush!
saturday i went to the tate modern for the day. it has amazing galleries of modernist painters and sculptures. lots of picasso, duchamp, dufy, matisse, and some monet. turned on my ipod and walked around there for 5 hours - im a changed girl! haha that night i went for a run and found myself on kensington palace gardens - 'the most presigious address in london'. its a street lined with absolutely huge and beautiful houses, i really cant even describe them. most of them sold for about 70 million pounds (double that for US dollars!) i have to thank robbie for telling me to find those houses (so bohner - if u see him let him know)
this morning we actually got up before noon and went to st pauls cathedral for mass. it was, safe to say, amazing. the architechture, sculptures, and mosaics on the walls and ceiling are one of a kind. oh the mass was pretty good too.
tonight is the big 'willy wonka' movie premiere in london. were heading down to leister square to see if we can catch a glimpse of johnny depp wish us luck!
saturday i went to the tate modern for the day. it has amazing galleries of modernist painters and sculptures. lots of picasso, duchamp, dufy, matisse, and some monet. turned on my ipod and walked around there for 5 hours - im a changed girl! haha that night i went for a run and found myself on kensington palace gardens - 'the most presigious address in london'. its a street lined with absolutely huge and beautiful houses, i really cant even describe them. most of them sold for about 70 million pounds (double that for US dollars!) i have to thank robbie for telling me to find those houses (so bohner - if u see him let him know)
this morning we actually got up before noon and went to st pauls cathedral for mass. it was, safe to say, amazing. the architechture, sculptures, and mosaics on the walls and ceiling are one of a kind. oh the mass was pretty good too.
tonight is the big 'willy wonka' movie premiere in london. were heading down to leister square to see if we can catch a glimpse of johnny depp wish us luck!
7-15-05 woOO were half way there, wOOo livin on a prayer (3 weeks down, 3 weeks to go)
hey! so yesterday i desided it would be a good idea to check out the free press website and see whats goin on at home. low and behold there on the front page is an article about the new wings coach, which can only mean.....hockey is back again :-) it made my day! i dont know when it was all desided, but being that british people barely know what hockey is, news travels a little slower here, if at all. anyways i know erin and jess are just as excited as i am!
back in the uk - after the bombings, security has skyrocketed of course, but theyre a little more liberal about their interpretation of security around here. on wednesday we had class outside in russell square across from our building and as we were finishing up, a bunch of bobbys (police) started telling everyone to get out of the park, and told us we had to go back into the university and not leave. inside, we were talking to one of the cops and he said that they found an unattended suspicious looking van by the park (which i dont always understand because arent all parked cars unattended? people dont stand by their cars when they leave right?) they were checking it out and if nobody claimed it in 20 minutes they were going to blow it up. yep. just blow it up. another group of people were at a tube station and there was an abandonded bag that they were prepared to blow up too. so the town likes to blow things up. seems a little overdramatic to me, but whatever keeps us safe i guess.
ive been quite the theater-goer this week. wednesday night i went to see 'stomp' and loved it just as much as the first time around in new york. we had great seats, 10th row center. i loved how carasmatic and funny the people in it were. it was all around entertaining, not just sitting and watching them bang on garbage cans and sinks. i was laughing so hard i was crying at one point. i give it 4 stars. the next day we saw 'chicago' with brooke shields playing the lead. another great show, i love the music and dancing, but for some reason wasnt blown away by it. i guess i shouldnt have seen it right after 'stomp' cause i loved that so much.
other than that ive been hard at work with class and my company project, boring stuff. now im off for a run in hyde park. hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!
back in the uk - after the bombings, security has skyrocketed of course, but theyre a little more liberal about their interpretation of security around here. on wednesday we had class outside in russell square across from our building and as we were finishing up, a bunch of bobbys (police) started telling everyone to get out of the park, and told us we had to go back into the university and not leave. inside, we were talking to one of the cops and he said that they found an unattended suspicious looking van by the park (which i dont always understand because arent all parked cars unattended? people dont stand by their cars when they leave right?) they were checking it out and if nobody claimed it in 20 minutes they were going to blow it up. yep. just blow it up. another group of people were at a tube station and there was an abandonded bag that they were prepared to blow up too. so the town likes to blow things up. seems a little overdramatic to me, but whatever keeps us safe i guess.
ive been quite the theater-goer this week. wednesday night i went to see 'stomp' and loved it just as much as the first time around in new york. we had great seats, 10th row center. i loved how carasmatic and funny the people in it were. it was all around entertaining, not just sitting and watching them bang on garbage cans and sinks. i was laughing so hard i was crying at one point. i give it 4 stars. the next day we saw 'chicago' with brooke shields playing the lead. another great show, i love the music and dancing, but for some reason wasnt blown away by it. i guess i shouldnt have seen it right after 'stomp' cause i loved that so much.
other than that ive been hard at work with class and my company project, boring stuff. now im off for a run in hyde park. hope everyone is having a fabulous summer!
7-12-05 MORE TIPS FOR BEING A BLOODY BRIT
more things to know if you ever desire to become a true londoner:
11. never say bloody
10. if advertising is your calling {cough - kato} then europe is where you want to be. you can get away with anything if it means it will shock the market into wanting whatever u have. this includes nudity and/or profanity
9. your beer choice is a form of personal _expression, as is your pint glass
8. music lovers: if u are sick of kylie minogue, madonna, and robbie williams, try some keane, travis, jem, or scissor sisters (some specific amazing songs are martin sexton - glorybound and robert randolph & and the family band - smile....i listen to both every day)
7. its ok to smell. and pick your nose.
6. if you want to get real business in notting hill, put up a big sign that says 'magic mushrooms sold here', but only until the police make you take it down
5. count off every 100 feet and u will find a starbucks, and another, and another. (heaven!)
4. you love PDA. doesnt matter if ur straight, gay, or havent desided yet - public displays of affection are so hot right now.
3. fashion forwards: ladies - big brown leather belts with white skirts, and small scarves with everything (no matter the weather). gents - business attire must include pinstripes and some form of pink or purple
2. what is an SUV? the smaller the car the better. minis and smart cars are standard
1. brighton is for lovers...of all kinds. today we went to brighton (beach town on the english channel) and had lunch at my first gay bar! its the gay capital of the UK. one love in true form
11. never say bloody
10. if advertising is your calling {cough - kato} then europe is where you want to be. you can get away with anything if it means it will shock the market into wanting whatever u have. this includes nudity and/or profanity
9. your beer choice is a form of personal _expression, as is your pint glass
8. music lovers: if u are sick of kylie minogue, madonna, and robbie williams, try some keane, travis, jem, or scissor sisters (some specific amazing songs are martin sexton - glorybound and robert randolph & and the family band - smile....i listen to both every day)
7. its ok to smell. and pick your nose.
6. if you want to get real business in notting hill, put up a big sign that says 'magic mushrooms sold here', but only until the police make you take it down
5. count off every 100 feet and u will find a starbucks, and another, and another. (heaven!)
4. you love PDA. doesnt matter if ur straight, gay, or havent desided yet - public displays of affection are so hot right now.
3. fashion forwards: ladies - big brown leather belts with white skirts, and small scarves with everything (no matter the weather). gents - business attire must include pinstripes and some form of pink or purple
2. what is an SUV? the smaller the car the better. minis and smart cars are standard
1. brighton is for lovers...of all kinds. today we went to brighton (beach town on the english channel) and had lunch at my first gay bar! its the gay capital of the UK. one love in true form
7-8-05 WHAT I HAD TO SAY AFTER THE BOMBINGS
An age of Terrorism. Terrorism. The word makes me sick and twisted. The single most horrible word I've spoken and most horrible action is this part of history. Yet it has become a household word spoken daily by thousands. This is how my age will be remembered. When terrorism hits any corner.
Yesterday at 9:50am, 4 bombs went off in London. 3 tubes were blasted, filled with people during the busy morning commute. Another bomb split a double-decker bus in half, sky rocketing the top half. I was a half mile from that bus. I heard it, felt it, saw my building shake with the explosion. I got off the Tube 30 minutes before the explosion. Terrorism finally hit me. Its surreal. I was numb for hours after I got the news of the stomach-churning actions taking place outside the walls of the university where I was. I choked up and can barely remember calling my house, waking me dad up at 5:30 in the morning to tell him that, before he turns on the TV, I’m ok. There have been bombings in London, one very close to me, two blocks from me, but I’m ok. Sitting in the university for 5 hours before the police let us leave, emailing everyone I know to reassure them I’m ok, getting emails from long-faded friends and being so happy to know they still care. Walking almost 2 hours through the abandoned streets of London to get back to my house with 25 other people that instantaneously became my comfort blanket. I’ve known them 2 weeks and now we have a bond I have with no one else. Watching the news for hours after, watching the death count rise o 25, 37,40,55,90. Waiting with uneven breathe to hear from MSU if they are sending the 350 Spartans in London home on the next flight to Metro Airport in Detroit. Wanting so bad to be on that flight to my family while not wanting to cut short my affair with this city I am learning to love so much. Finally hearing my parent’s voices on the phone – so happy that I’m ok. Hearing Michelle cry on the phone when I talked to her. Getting drunk to blur all my emotions and avoid trying to take any more in. Sleeping. A day I will certainly not soon forget, minute by minute, being caught in the crossfire of a terrorist war I do not understand, in a country I barely know, trying to grasp why they would do this to ordinary people on the street, people I could have been sitting next to on the Tube 20 minutes before their life ended. I still can’t grasp it. I doubt I ever will.
Yesterday at 9:50am, 4 bombs went off in London. 3 tubes were blasted, filled with people during the busy morning commute. Another bomb split a double-decker bus in half, sky rocketing the top half. I was a half mile from that bus. I heard it, felt it, saw my building shake with the explosion. I got off the Tube 30 minutes before the explosion. Terrorism finally hit me. Its surreal. I was numb for hours after I got the news of the stomach-churning actions taking place outside the walls of the university where I was. I choked up and can barely remember calling my house, waking me dad up at 5:30 in the morning to tell him that, before he turns on the TV, I’m ok. There have been bombings in London, one very close to me, two blocks from me, but I’m ok. Sitting in the university for 5 hours before the police let us leave, emailing everyone I know to reassure them I’m ok, getting emails from long-faded friends and being so happy to know they still care. Walking almost 2 hours through the abandoned streets of London to get back to my house with 25 other people that instantaneously became my comfort blanket. I’ve known them 2 weeks and now we have a bond I have with no one else. Watching the news for hours after, watching the death count rise o 25, 37,40,55,90. Waiting with uneven breathe to hear from MSU if they are sending the 350 Spartans in London home on the next flight to Metro Airport in Detroit. Wanting so bad to be on that flight to my family while not wanting to cut short my affair with this city I am learning to love so much. Finally hearing my parent’s voices on the phone – so happy that I’m ok. Hearing Michelle cry on the phone when I talked to her. Getting drunk to blur all my emotions and avoid trying to take any more in. Sleeping. A day I will certainly not soon forget, minute by minute, being caught in the crossfire of a terrorist war I do not understand, in a country I barely know, trying to grasp why they would do this to ordinary people on the street, people I could have been sitting next to on the Tube 20 minutes before their life ended. I still can’t grasp it. I doubt I ever will.
7-10-05 LONDON SAYS - GO ON BRUSH YOUR SHOLDERS OFF
things have gotten back to normal realitvely quickly around here. friday we were still a little too warry about things to take the tube anywhere. which means we walked. alot. but it definately hasnt turned into a 'lay low' weekend. friday went to the original hard rock cafe london which was cool. one of the best finds in london is the half price theater ticket booth. genius! we got tickets to 'some girls', a play showing about a guy who is getting married and desides to visit 4 of his ex girlfriends to 'right his wrongs' and smooth things over, but of course its not that easy. it was very good. and the best part? david schwimmer was starring in it! he did a great job. he played a 'ross' type character, akward and funny, so it was perfect for him. very cool to see him up close and personal - my first celebrity sighting!
yesterday we finally got the courage to take the tube - and our feet would be able to stand another 6 mile walk across the city. it wasnt bad, and empty which was nice! so it appears that nothing can slow this city down for long! we got up early and headed to the markets, which are a huge part of life around here. it was amazing! every food you could imagine. grilling all kinds of meats and seafood, sandwichs, wraps, cheese, pastries, paste, breads, fruits, veggies, and fresh flowers. wow. so we walked through there and sampled everything within arms reach! lol then we walked down the river to the tate modern museum. we only stopped in the check it out and i cant wait to spend a whole day there. there was one exhibit that they put togetehr about a group of people that did this 'thames dig' where they dug around the banks of the thames river and dove under and collected all the little things they found and put them on display and you can come to your own conclusions about what it all means. mostly there was bottles and scrap metal but there were some toys and jewelry and letter that the ywere able to preserve. interesting stuff when you think that its all from hundreds of years ago.
we visited shakespeare's globe theater, where he performed his plays back in the day. the theater is still intact and they still perform his plays there. we saw 'a winters tale' it was cool to see it put on in that setting. the ground around the stage is for standing room (cheap tickets $$) so we stood for - eh - 3 hours. so it was rough! my feet are hating me right now (especially from my 6 mile run through hyde park this morning too :-/ ) we came back and had a bbq to celebrate the first cloudless, rainless day weve had since weve been here! the RA for our house is this huge romanian dude named alex, who'd never had a s'more before. so we gave him a true american experience! (needless to say he loved them and kept making us make him them since he didnt understand the concept of putting a marshmallow on fire)
today were off to another market in notting hill to do some flea market shopping and barginning - what i do best!
yesterday we finally got the courage to take the tube - and our feet would be able to stand another 6 mile walk across the city. it wasnt bad, and empty which was nice! so it appears that nothing can slow this city down for long! we got up early and headed to the markets, which are a huge part of life around here. it was amazing! every food you could imagine. grilling all kinds of meats and seafood, sandwichs, wraps, cheese, pastries, paste, breads, fruits, veggies, and fresh flowers. wow. so we walked through there and sampled everything within arms reach! lol then we walked down the river to the tate modern museum. we only stopped in the check it out and i cant wait to spend a whole day there. there was one exhibit that they put togetehr about a group of people that did this 'thames dig' where they dug around the banks of the thames river and dove under and collected all the little things they found and put them on display and you can come to your own conclusions about what it all means. mostly there was bottles and scrap metal but there were some toys and jewelry and letter that the ywere able to preserve. interesting stuff when you think that its all from hundreds of years ago.
we visited shakespeare's globe theater, where he performed his plays back in the day. the theater is still intact and they still perform his plays there. we saw 'a winters tale' it was cool to see it put on in that setting. the ground around the stage is for standing room (cheap tickets $$) so we stood for - eh - 3 hours. so it was rough! my feet are hating me right now (especially from my 6 mile run through hyde park this morning too :-/ ) we came back and had a bbq to celebrate the first cloudless, rainless day weve had since weve been here! the RA for our house is this huge romanian dude named alex, who'd never had a s'more before. so we gave him a true american experience! (needless to say he loved them and kept making us make him them since he didnt understand the concept of putting a marshmallow on fire)
today were off to another market in notting hill to do some flea market shopping and barginning - what i do best!
7-705 TALK ABOUT AN EVENTFUL TRIP NOW
i hope you got the email from my dad that im fine. im sure my parents really enjoyed getting woken up at 5:30 in the morning from me about what was going on around me. (huge props to u guys for surviving that call without a heart attack! i love u!)
so far we know that there were bombs in 5 tube stations around london, and at least one bus explosion. the death rate is at about 20 people and 90 injured. unbelievable. im been looking at US and UK news reports and the US ones seem to be a little behind on the facts. the bus is about a half a mile from where i am in russell square. im at campus because it happened while i was in class. there was a huge boom and the building kind of shook at one point, i was confused but didnt think much of it (there was that damn exam i had to concentrate on). soon we found out what had happened and have been obsessively checking websites for updates since then. were pretty much stuck at the campus because obviously the public transport is NO option anymore (im thinking theres no way your getting my on a tube for the next 5 weeks!) and the roads are stopped with people trying to get out of the central part of the city. when the chaos dying down a little were going to walk back to our house....about an hour walk, so grrreat haha.
tony blair spoke about an hour ago from edinburg at the summit meeting and said that he is coming back to britian but the G8 is going to go on without him. they are finally calling it a terrorist attack that was most likely planned for the beginning of the G8 summit. of course none of it is confirmed but it seems reasonable to think, since it was very much planned. all the bombs were reported to have gone off at about the same time, and picked the busiest time of the day for it.
anyways, ill be in contact if you want, but dont worry about me!
so far we know that there were bombs in 5 tube stations around london, and at least one bus explosion. the death rate is at about 20 people and 90 injured. unbelievable. im been looking at US and UK news reports and the US ones seem to be a little behind on the facts. the bus is about a half a mile from where i am in russell square. im at campus because it happened while i was in class. there was a huge boom and the building kind of shook at one point, i was confused but didnt think much of it (there was that damn exam i had to concentrate on). soon we found out what had happened and have been obsessively checking websites for updates since then. were pretty much stuck at the campus because obviously the public transport is NO option anymore (im thinking theres no way your getting my on a tube for the next 5 weeks!) and the roads are stopped with people trying to get out of the central part of the city. when the chaos dying down a little were going to walk back to our house....about an hour walk, so grrreat haha.
tony blair spoke about an hour ago from edinburg at the summit meeting and said that he is coming back to britian but the G8 is going to go on without him. they are finally calling it a terrorist attack that was most likely planned for the beginning of the G8 summit. of course none of it is confirmed but it seems reasonable to think, since it was very much planned. all the bombs were reported to have gone off at about the same time, and picked the busiest time of the day for it.
anyways, ill be in contact if you want, but dont worry about me!
7-7-05 TUBE EXPLOSIONS
subject: FW: tube explosions (from dad to friends)
Hi!
I'm forwarding an email from Jenny regarding the situation in London. Bottom line is that she's fine. I spoke with her this morning and they are staying at campus (which is in Russell Square) for now.
I'm sure she'll be sending you a note, but I thought I'd pass this on.
Jenny's Dad
-----Original Message-----From: Jenny Waters [mailto:jen3085@sbcglobal.net]Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 5:39 AMTo: Mom; work DadSubject: tube explosions
i dont know how quick this is getting to the news in the US but i wanted u to know that im fine. there were some explosions that went off in 2 or 3 tube stations by the university while we were in class. the news said that there were 3 bus explosions also, one by us. it just happened about an hour ago so i dont know what else is going on. they keeping us at the school untill they can get a way for us to get back to our houses.
there was one tube station not working when we were trying to get to class, which made getting there crowded and confusing but we didnt think much of it. but then when we got to class (in the middle of the exam of course) there was a loud boom that sounded like thunder relly close by and the windows shook so it couldnt have been thunder. one of the tube stations that were hit was the one right by campus so its kind of crazy. but were in the classroom and were staying here untill its ok to go back, so dont worry im fine. ill call u as soon as i can and when i know more, the phones arent working right now.
love u and miss u jenny
Hi!
I'm forwarding an email from Jenny regarding the situation in London. Bottom line is that she's fine. I spoke with her this morning and they are staying at campus (which is in Russell Square) for now.
I'm sure she'll be sending you a note, but I thought I'd pass this on.
Jenny's Dad
-----Original Message-----From: Jenny Waters [mailto:jen3085@sbcglobal.net]Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 5:39 AMTo: Mom; work DadSubject: tube explosions
i dont know how quick this is getting to the news in the US but i wanted u to know that im fine. there were some explosions that went off in 2 or 3 tube stations by the university while we were in class. the news said that there were 3 bus explosions also, one by us. it just happened about an hour ago so i dont know what else is going on. they keeping us at the school untill they can get a way for us to get back to our houses.
there was one tube station not working when we were trying to get to class, which made getting there crowded and confusing but we didnt think much of it. but then when we got to class (in the middle of the exam of course) there was a loud boom that sounded like thunder relly close by and the windows shook so it couldnt have been thunder. one of the tube stations that were hit was the one right by campus so its kind of crazy. but were in the classroom and were staying here untill its ok to go back, so dont worry im fine. ill call u as soon as i can and when i know more, the phones arent working right now.
love u and miss u jenny
7-6-05 WAIT I HAVE TO GO TO CLASS TOO??
pretty uneventful week so far (as uneventful as london can be....which isnt very uneventful ) ive had alot of work for class and the company project. we have our first exam tomorrow and ive been doing tons of research on bulgaria (i could convince every one of you to go to bulgria if i tried!). but after my exam and some work tomorrow im back to globetrotting! i leave for paris friday morning for the weekend. hopefully ill get to meet up with natalie and she can show me what paris is really like (and translate for me! my french is a little rusty after not speaking it for a few years) i cant wait to see her - such a cool coincidence were both studying abroad at the same time! i get back from france on monday then tuesday were taking a study break and our teacher is takin us to brighton for the day, which is a beach town on the english channel, for some fun in the sun and boardwalk shopping
yesterday i did get a chance to go to the place most sacred to any true beatles lover - abbey rd .....i feel that much closer to a crazed obsessed fan (not that i wasnt before....) its funny cause abbey rd is a pretty busy street, not residental like i thought it would be. so people are dodging in and out of traffic trying to get pictures walking across it...id love to know how many car accidents there are at the intersection everyday. (newspaper headlines read: one millionth person injured at abbey rd this morning trying to walk on crosswalk barefoot in white suit and hit by oncoming double decker bus....check out the album cover if you dont get the barefoot/white suit part)
a few people in my group have been very lucky so far - the same 3 girls have gone to wimbeldon and made it onto center court for a few games, literally ran into pierce brosnan at the tennis match, and also went to leicester square (to buy theater tickets), which also happens to be where movie premieres take place. who would have thought that in the middle of a monday afternoon they would be having the premiere for the new owen wilson and vince vagne movie - wedding crashers! so they got awesome pictures and autographs from them! im going to stick with those girls more often from now on!
the theaters around here have great discounts so weve been taking advantage of those too. tomorrow night im doing a night on the town with dinner and a play - seeing 'the producers', next week we have tickets to 'the lion king', and were trying to find some for 'les mis' or 'chicago', which should all be fabulous!
in the news: london won the bid for the 2012 olympics so the city has been buzzing! all week there has been hype, so its a big party now!
yesterday i did get a chance to go to the place most sacred to any true beatles lover - abbey rd .....i feel that much closer to a crazed obsessed fan (not that i wasnt before....) its funny cause abbey rd is a pretty busy street, not residental like i thought it would be. so people are dodging in and out of traffic trying to get pictures walking across it...id love to know how many car accidents there are at the intersection everyday. (newspaper headlines read: one millionth person injured at abbey rd this morning trying to walk on crosswalk barefoot in white suit and hit by oncoming double decker bus....check out the album cover if you dont get the barefoot/white suit part)
a few people in my group have been very lucky so far - the same 3 girls have gone to wimbeldon and made it onto center court for a few games, literally ran into pierce brosnan at the tennis match, and also went to leicester square (to buy theater tickets), which also happens to be where movie premieres take place. who would have thought that in the middle of a monday afternoon they would be having the premiere for the new owen wilson and vince vagne movie - wedding crashers! so they got awesome pictures and autographs from them! im going to stick with those girls more often from now on!
the theaters around here have great discounts so weve been taking advantage of those too. tomorrow night im doing a night on the town with dinner and a play - seeing 'the producers', next week we have tickets to 'the lion king', and were trying to find some for 'les mis' or 'chicago', which should all be fabulous!
in the news: london won the bid for the 2012 olympics so the city has been buzzing! all week there has been hype, so its a big party now!
7-2-05 LIVE 8.....
picture sir paul mccartney opening a show fora quarter of a million people with sgt. peppers with U2. another million people watch from screens all over london. it was a dream come true. U2 let white doves loose after playing beautiful day. then elton john, coldplay, tons of others, and ending with the who, PINK FLOYD (yea you read that right) playing money, then ending only with who began it-paul mccartney playing long and winding road into hey jude. picture all of hyde park singing "na na na nanana nanana - heey jude". words cant describe.
me and another girl got up early to try to sneak into the park without tickets. we considered hopping the fence, steal tickets out of people hands, or just making a run for it and hopefully not get rugby tackled by the security guards. but we settled for finding a huge screen in a park close by. second best idea. so we watched it beginning to end there - all 10 hours! we met tons of people (music makes the people come together as madonna said) and danced and had an amazing time! pictures will hopefully be coming soon.
me and another girl got up early to try to sneak into the park without tickets. we considered hopping the fence, steal tickets out of people hands, or just making a run for it and hopefully not get rugby tackled by the security guards. but we settled for finding a huge screen in a park close by. second best idea. so we watched it beginning to end there - all 10 hours! we met tons of people (music makes the people come together as madonna said) and danced and had an amazing time! pictures will hopefully be coming soon.
7-1-05 BLOODY HELL
hi everyone! so busy few days. yesterday after class went to harrods, which is the largest dept store in britian. and its amazing! its the size of a city block with 4 or 5 floors. it has a dept for anything u could want, from candy, chocolate, and groceries to fridges, wedding dresses, and scuba diving equipment. the best part is how elaborately everything is decorated. all the depts have different themes to the decor. the perfume dept felt like i was walking into a rave and the candy shop was something straight out of willy wonka with a chocolate bar and everything.
last night we went to picadilly circus, the time square + broadway of london. it was all lit up and the town was alive! it has all the best clubs and pubs and its also where the theaters are. very cool, popular area. next week were going to try to get some cheap tickets to plays to see!
today we did the touristy thing. we saw big ben and parliment, went on the london eye and got an amazing view of london from 140m up. we saw the tower bridge and london bridge. were putting together a website with everyones pictures on it so as soon as we get that up ill send out the link! im not big on picture-taking - ive been leaving it up to the others girls that are trigger-happy with their cameras!
theres a rumor going around that bob dylan is in london tonight with a new band that he is managing playing in the area. so were going to go check that out! everyone keep their fingers crossed that i see him! and tomorrow is live 8! i cant wait. for of you that dont know, its a free concert in hyde park with paul mccartney, elton john, madonna, coldplay, U2, and a reunited pink floyd! were getting up at about 7am to get in line for it. itll be amazing! hopefully will be one of the highlights of the trip
last night we went to picadilly circus, the time square + broadway of london. it was all lit up and the town was alive! it has all the best clubs and pubs and its also where the theaters are. very cool, popular area. next week were going to try to get some cheap tickets to plays to see!
today we did the touristy thing. we saw big ben and parliment, went on the london eye and got an amazing view of london from 140m up. we saw the tower bridge and london bridge. were putting together a website with everyones pictures on it so as soon as we get that up ill send out the link! im not big on picture-taking - ive been leaving it up to the others girls that are trigger-happy with their cameras!
theres a rumor going around that bob dylan is in london tonight with a new band that he is managing playing in the area. so were going to go check that out! everyone keep their fingers crossed that i see him! and tomorrow is live 8! i cant wait. for of you that dont know, its a free concert in hyde park with paul mccartney, elton john, madonna, coldplay, U2, and a reunited pink floyd! were getting up at about 7am to get in line for it. itll be amazing! hopefully will be one of the highlights of the trip
6-29-05 TOP THIRTEEN
thirteen rules to know if you want to become a brit:
13. any wallet is fair game. if you can see it, grab it, its yours.
12. you only need to make your way to 3 places everyday. work. pub. home. although most of the time if you make it to the pub you will not make it home. this makes home optional. and who are we kidding, work is optional too
11. fashionably last is a proverb here. if you are fashionable (of which ALL of us londoners are) you will be late. but thats ok because your fashionable.
10. there is always room for one more on the tube. just pack em in like sardens
9. dont brush your teeth
8. never leave home without your ipod
7. ladies - always look like you just rolled out of bed and into your most fabulous bohemian outfit, especially if you live in chelsea. and your jewelry must be big flashy and more expensive than your flat.
6. men - think dirty and very gay. never wash your clothes (no trouble there) and your jeans must be tighter than your girlfriends. dont forget your cowboy boots.
5. if you own any drinking establishment - only play the best of american pop music and '90 one-hit wonders
4. tourists deserve no mercy! because tourists are not fabulous like brits.
3. its every man for himself. including the pigeons. when you walk, ignore everyone else on the street. no eye contact. if you must, go ahead and run into em. if you think your walking fast, walk faster. and if your a pigeon - any solid mass is fair game to fly into, and for a good laugh dive bomb them head on.
2. there are 3 kinds of people that drive. 1) cabbies 2) rich people 3) crazy people - which includes #1 and 2. driving rules include driving as fast as possible (freeway or residental streets doesnt matter), drive as close as possible to the cars by you, ignore lanes (one way or two way doesnt matter either), pedestrians DO NOT have the rightaway, if they are in the way dont slow down - speed up.
1. you are fabulous
so thats what ive learned so far!
13. any wallet is fair game. if you can see it, grab it, its yours.
12. you only need to make your way to 3 places everyday. work. pub. home. although most of the time if you make it to the pub you will not make it home. this makes home optional. and who are we kidding, work is optional too
11. fashionably last is a proverb here. if you are fashionable (of which ALL of us londoners are) you will be late. but thats ok because your fashionable.
10. there is always room for one more on the tube. just pack em in like sardens
9. dont brush your teeth
8. never leave home without your ipod
7. ladies - always look like you just rolled out of bed and into your most fabulous bohemian outfit, especially if you live in chelsea. and your jewelry must be big flashy and more expensive than your flat.
6. men - think dirty and very gay. never wash your clothes (no trouble there) and your jeans must be tighter than your girlfriends. dont forget your cowboy boots.
5. if you own any drinking establishment - only play the best of american pop music and '90 one-hit wonders
4. tourists deserve no mercy! because tourists are not fabulous like brits.
3. its every man for himself. including the pigeons. when you walk, ignore everyone else on the street. no eye contact. if you must, go ahead and run into em. if you think your walking fast, walk faster. and if your a pigeon - any solid mass is fair game to fly into, and for a good laugh dive bomb them head on.
2. there are 3 kinds of people that drive. 1) cabbies 2) rich people 3) crazy people - which includes #1 and 2. driving rules include driving as fast as possible (freeway or residental streets doesnt matter), drive as close as possible to the cars by you, ignore lanes (one way or two way doesnt matter either), pedestrians DO NOT have the rightaway, if they are in the way dont slow down - speed up.
1. you are fabulous
so thats what ive learned so far!
6-28-05 DAY 2
i have a couple minutes for an update. im not staying in a dorm like i thought. were in flats. sounds very posh but is very not. their old and run down. my room is called "the cave" because its in the basement. its basically a hallway with some mattresses, a toilet, a microwave and two hot plates (one that doesnt work) that they call the kitchen. right. so whatever im not planning on being in the room much. i have two roommates. both going to be seniors at state. one is engaged and very mothery, so eh, shes nice. the other is a hippie. i walked into my room the first day and phish was playing, right then i knew i would like her lol so shes cool.
today we finally came to campus, which isnt really a campus as more of a rowhouse (what we would call a townhouse) with bedrooms turned into classrooms. my class (25 of us) is split into 4 groups to work with the different companies for our marketing projects. im working for a start up real estate company that does vacation spots in the uk and bulgaria on the dead sea. we have to do market research for them, learning about their competitors, and how to get their name out there. i think market research is cool so it should be interesting (except that i cant tell you the first thing about bulgaria?! if any of you can give me some tips on that thatd be grrreat thanks haha)
so were on break for lunch right now then im going to "the city" which is the finiancal and business districit of london (where im sure in the next 10 years ill hopefully be spending most of my time) to meet the chief exec of this real estate company to get the real lowdown on what we'll be doing. then were off to wimbeldon for the evening! dont even like tennis, but i cant wait! lol
today we finally came to campus, which isnt really a campus as more of a rowhouse (what we would call a townhouse) with bedrooms turned into classrooms. my class (25 of us) is split into 4 groups to work with the different companies for our marketing projects. im working for a start up real estate company that does vacation spots in the uk and bulgaria on the dead sea. we have to do market research for them, learning about their competitors, and how to get their name out there. i think market research is cool so it should be interesting (except that i cant tell you the first thing about bulgaria?! if any of you can give me some tips on that thatd be grrreat thanks haha)
so were on break for lunch right now then im going to "the city" which is the finiancal and business districit of london (where im sure in the next 10 years ill hopefully be spending most of my time) to meet the chief exec of this real estate company to get the real lowdown on what we'll be doing. then were off to wimbeldon for the evening! dont even like tennis, but i cant wait! lol
6-27-05 HIYO EVERYONE
i made it. 30 hours later, on no sleep, 3 flights, and the same clothes as two days ago. im absolutely exhausted. def couldnt sleep on the flight with the crying toodler behind me. im not kidding. all i could do was laugh (and turn my ipod up really loud). but ive fallen in love with the city already. its busy and crowded and hip. its the ultimate beatnik city. i cant wait to sit in starbucks and read ;-) we got in at 8:30 this morning (monday) and weve been unpacking and walking around all day. its 18:34 now (im pretty sure that means its 6:34) all i want to do now is sit in a pub and drink a beer. which im going to go do right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)