You heard me. NO GOING HOME! Last night I got an email that made me smile from ear to ear. It wasn't anything special. No comforting overtones. No idea of my current life's strides and stipulations. No, it was a simple, four letter, one line email that literally made my day - 'Yeah Thursday is cool.' It brought the drive back out of me after weeks of stress, worry and frustration. The person who wrote it has no idea and probably never will, but that's o.k. They don't need to know. If anything, they just need to know they can make me smile and that I'm happy of the thought of seeing them very soon.
So today I wore my U of O green jacket with pride. Pride because I was saying goodbye to my life in Oregon and the states. Pride because today was a new day on my path to not going home, to staying in London, thinking positively, putting out the good vibes the universe needs to help me along the way and having one hell of a ride. Pride because I am going to find a way to stay no matter what! To somehow bypass the bullshit economy and banks that are being flushed down the toilet. Pray that people who can help but haven't will. Anything is possible. And what I want to be possible is to stay in London. Money sorted. Good to go. NO GOING HOME!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Week 4 - Wednesday Night to Saturday Morning
Wednesday Night:
Frank came for the night. He always makes dinner and brings alcohol. He had just returned form Sicily and brought the best Parmesan cheese ever. I guess he was inspired because he made pasta with seafood along with some decent red wine. I always have a great time when Frank comes. He's a man of my own heart. Plus he always makes me laugh/smile and my god, I enjoy that. It's nice and relaxes me. I apologize Sherrie for not taking a photo of him. He'll be back sometime this coming week and I promise I will do it then.
Thursday:
Rush hour on the tube - finally. Oh man, how it blows. You have no idea. You're squished in-between mass amounts of people, or mass amounts of people and a wall. Plus, there is no AC so you're wearing heavy coats, can't take them off, and suffer from heat of too many bodies crammed into a tiny space. This morning on my way to Victoria Station to catch a train to Brighton it was the mass amounts of people and the wall. Typically if you can get an edge it's not as bad, typically. The last photo is the queue to get into the tube at Victoria Station. Thank god that is where I was getting off.
Field trip to Charleston! For those of you who don't know, Charleston was owned by Virgina Wolf who bought it for her sister Vanessa Bell and her menage a trois of lovers, their lovers, and their children. Very bizarre. The inside of the house is almost entirely covered in paint. They literally lived in an environment where art, creativity and expression was the motto. It made you want to come home and paint murals and what not in your flat. Sherrie, you would have loved it! It reminded me of your art and I loved that even more. Atlas, no pictures where allowed inside. What's the deal with that? The British can be so lame sometimes!
Pebbly Beach. I think not! Yeah, that's how Brighton was described to me. Image my let down upon arriving and seeing a few pebbles, but mainly just big rocks. WTF?!? That is not what a beach is supposed to look like. Being by the sea though was exactly what I needed. Water is my serenity, and my god, have I needed some of that lately. We didn't stay long, and only went to the pier and onto the non-pebbly beach beside the pier. It was good enough. Got donuts and then headed back to the train station to go home. Check out my first uploaded video.
Friday / Saturday Morning:
Had a day off. So what was I supposed to do? Research for an essay! Boo to that! Seriously, the whole writing thing is so not fun. And yeah, I know I chose to do it, but still, I'll bitch if I want to. I often have trouble getting started. But once I start to get in the groove I'm typically o.k. This time though, I find it hard to motivate myself enough because of things that still need to be sorted back in the states and will ultimately determine if I even stay in the program. Send white light and prayers my way that it will all work itself out soon. Lord knows I am tired of dealing with and ready to move onto the next obstacle.
Anyways, I did manage to make it to the library at Sotheby's and reserve some books and check out a few. Of course, the ones I needed/wanted to check out where the biggest and heaviest. That was a fun journey home trying to carry all of those home. Haha. I did manage to take a photo of a tube add that I find quite amusing. Moobs. How silly. I love that add.
After returning from the library I made some dinner and got ready to meet up with Janet and Simon. Again, another set up through Natali; before moving I met Janet and Simon's cousin Sarah, and technically she's a Brit, so she got us in contact. They seemed super cool through email so I was stoked to finally be able to meet them. Guess what? They rocked! We went all over the place. Primrose Hill, Camden Town, Angel, Kings Cross and then back home. In traditional British fashion beer was consumed at all places. And yes, we were all good and drunk and having a lovely time. We stopped at some noodle place and got food along the way. After that Janet and I sent Simon to the grocery store to get beer and wine for a house party we were going to while we had another beer and girlie talk at some pub. I really like her! New girlfriend! Yay! Her birthday is 6 days before mine, and we're going to be the same age. Possible joint party. Double yay! The house party was cool. It ended strangely though. Around 3 AM everyone just seemed to clear out. Weird. The only form of transport at that hour is car/taxi or one of the 24 hour buses. Janet was determined to get me home, so we walked forever until we got to Kings Cross. Then they put me on a bus to Camden Town (crack town) and send me on my way. Oh man, that was interesting. Luckily I asked the bus driver where I should get off and how to get to Chalk Farm Tube. He was helpful, but then at the bus stop I was lost again. I've never ridden the bus by myself, and it can be quite confusing, especially if you've had too much to drink. No worries though, I always have good luck with strangers willing to help me find my way. Some dude asked where I was going and told me to get on the next bus. I made it home safely but there were sketchy dudes everywhere. Even in safe and pristine Primrose Hill. Not cool. But again, I made it home safe, in one piece, and have decided that getting pepper spray would be a good idea. ***I will post picture of Janet and I once I get them from her.
Upon arriving to the flat, I thought Michael was still up. 4:30 AM though? I couldn't believe it. Nope, he wasn't up, in fact, he wasn't even home. What a harlot! He just left all the lights on and a mess in the kitchen (there were more dishes then the photo lets on). True, some of those dishes are mine, I admit it openly. But the peeled potato skins? Come on. The rubbish bin is literally 3-4 feet away. Give me a break. I did do most of the dishes later that afternoon after I woke up and tried to recover from a proper night out in London. Easier said then done I might add. Ah, London was good to me that night.
Frank came for the night. He always makes dinner and brings alcohol. He had just returned form Sicily and brought the best Parmesan cheese ever. I guess he was inspired because he made pasta with seafood along with some decent red wine. I always have a great time when Frank comes. He's a man of my own heart. Plus he always makes me laugh/smile and my god, I enjoy that. It's nice and relaxes me. I apologize Sherrie for not taking a photo of him. He'll be back sometime this coming week and I promise I will do it then.
Thursday:
Rush hour on the tube - finally. Oh man, how it blows. You have no idea. You're squished in-between mass amounts of people, or mass amounts of people and a wall. Plus, there is no AC so you're wearing heavy coats, can't take them off, and suffer from heat of too many bodies crammed into a tiny space. This morning on my way to Victoria Station to catch a train to Brighton it was the mass amounts of people and the wall. Typically if you can get an edge it's not as bad, typically. The last photo is the queue to get into the tube at Victoria Station. Thank god that is where I was getting off.
Field trip to Charleston! For those of you who don't know, Charleston was owned by Virgina Wolf who bought it for her sister Vanessa Bell and her menage a trois of lovers, their lovers, and their children. Very bizarre. The inside of the house is almost entirely covered in paint. They literally lived in an environment where art, creativity and expression was the motto. It made you want to come home and paint murals and what not in your flat. Sherrie, you would have loved it! It reminded me of your art and I loved that even more. Atlas, no pictures where allowed inside. What's the deal with that? The British can be so lame sometimes!
Pebbly Beach. I think not! Yeah, that's how Brighton was described to me. Image my let down upon arriving and seeing a few pebbles, but mainly just big rocks. WTF?!? That is not what a beach is supposed to look like. Being by the sea though was exactly what I needed. Water is my serenity, and my god, have I needed some of that lately. We didn't stay long, and only went to the pier and onto the non-pebbly beach beside the pier. It was good enough. Got donuts and then headed back to the train station to go home. Check out my first uploaded video.
Friday / Saturday Morning:
Had a day off. So what was I supposed to do? Research for an essay! Boo to that! Seriously, the whole writing thing is so not fun. And yeah, I know I chose to do it, but still, I'll bitch if I want to. I often have trouble getting started. But once I start to get in the groove I'm typically o.k. This time though, I find it hard to motivate myself enough because of things that still need to be sorted back in the states and will ultimately determine if I even stay in the program. Send white light and prayers my way that it will all work itself out soon. Lord knows I am tired of dealing with and ready to move onto the next obstacle.
Anyways, I did manage to make it to the library at Sotheby's and reserve some books and check out a few. Of course, the ones I needed/wanted to check out where the biggest and heaviest. That was a fun journey home trying to carry all of those home. Haha. I did manage to take a photo of a tube add that I find quite amusing. Moobs. How silly. I love that add.
After returning from the library I made some dinner and got ready to meet up with Janet and Simon. Again, another set up through Natali; before moving I met Janet and Simon's cousin Sarah, and technically she's a Brit, so she got us in contact. They seemed super cool through email so I was stoked to finally be able to meet them. Guess what? They rocked! We went all over the place. Primrose Hill, Camden Town, Angel, Kings Cross and then back home. In traditional British fashion beer was consumed at all places. And yes, we were all good and drunk and having a lovely time. We stopped at some noodle place and got food along the way. After that Janet and I sent Simon to the grocery store to get beer and wine for a house party we were going to while we had another beer and girlie talk at some pub. I really like her! New girlfriend! Yay! Her birthday is 6 days before mine, and we're going to be the same age. Possible joint party. Double yay! The house party was cool. It ended strangely though. Around 3 AM everyone just seemed to clear out. Weird. The only form of transport at that hour is car/taxi or one of the 24 hour buses. Janet was determined to get me home, so we walked forever until we got to Kings Cross. Then they put me on a bus to Camden Town (crack town) and send me on my way. Oh man, that was interesting. Luckily I asked the bus driver where I should get off and how to get to Chalk Farm Tube. He was helpful, but then at the bus stop I was lost again. I've never ridden the bus by myself, and it can be quite confusing, especially if you've had too much to drink. No worries though, I always have good luck with strangers willing to help me find my way. Some dude asked where I was going and told me to get on the next bus. I made it home safely but there were sketchy dudes everywhere. Even in safe and pristine Primrose Hill. Not cool. But again, I made it home safe, in one piece, and have decided that getting pepper spray would be a good idea. ***I will post picture of Janet and I once I get them from her.
Upon arriving to the flat, I thought Michael was still up. 4:30 AM though? I couldn't believe it. Nope, he wasn't up, in fact, he wasn't even home. What a harlot! He just left all the lights on and a mess in the kitchen (there were more dishes then the photo lets on). True, some of those dishes are mine, I admit it openly. But the peeled potato skins? Come on. The rubbish bin is literally 3-4 feet away. Give me a break. I did do most of the dishes later that afternoon after I woke up and tried to recover from a proper night out in London. Easier said then done I might add. Ah, London was good to me that night.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Inspired? Possibly.
Apparently I have been inspired to actually start taking photos of my adventures and non-adventures around town. Maybe this is due to my 4 day weekend I had where I was actually able to rest, de-stress and just plain chill out. Of course the stress is still there, but I seem to be able to manage it better - although it's most likely from a good girls trip to a pub after class, acupuncture and a pill with some codeine in it on Monday. Haha...I realize that doesn't sound like the best combination, but it certainly did the trick and combining all 3 won't be happening on a regular basis I assure you.
Now let's get down to the descriptions:
Sunday:
I went to Southbank on the River Thames to meet up with a new friend for drinks. It was sunny and fairly warm until it started to get late. Then my toes froze. But as we were walking back to Waterloo tube the sun was starting to set (which happened in what seemed to be a matter of a few short minutes). The first 2 photos are from the view of where we were sitting at the second pub and the third photo is a shot as the sun was quickly setting. Sadly the photo does not give justice to what the visible eye saw. It was absolutely beautiful!
Tuesday:
Got out of class about 40 minutes early. Yay! That's always a lovely thing to have happen. On my walk home I noticed something new - a women feeding pigeons from her bike on the bridge in-between Chalk Farm tube and my flat. Personally, I think pigeons are pretty damn disgusting and could never image actually trying to attract them close to me. YUCK! They're the rats of the bird world. But for the sake of grossness, and my aunt Sherrie, the women and her birds had to be photographed. She saw me by the way and the shots where taken while I was walking past her, hence the blurriness in the first photo.
Wednesday:
No classes today, just a meeting with my tutor (aka adviser) Lis Darby. Can I just say I adore her. Not only is she on top of her game/knowledge in the art world, gives amazing lectures (some that do indeed border on sensory overload - too many slides) but is a super women to talk to about anything and everything. My meeting went very well.
Before meeting Lis I met up with a classmate/new girlfriend (double yay!) at the British Library. I didn't get any research done, but did manage to get registered so I can go in any time I like and look up stuff. I didn't realize that the downfall to the British Library is you can't check anything out. Boo to that! You can make photo copies, and I image you can take snap shots, but still, it's pretty lame. What can you do though except go along with it, especially if you need the information?
Guess who I saw in the tube? Obama! Yep, he's advertising in the UK. Doesn't really make too much sense, but reminded me that I still need to register as an absentee voter - which actually could be the point of his campaign - remind procrastinating Americans (like myself) to make sure they can vote even though they're overseas. I also saw Martin Luther King Jr. in a lovely poster for VSO - one of my obsessions is to photograph design that I like. And of course I took the "random tube" photo. They all have the same look/feel, but I love them anyways.
There's a field trip tomorrow to Brighton - Yay Pebbled Beach! We're having lunch on a coach again, so I decided to head straight to my favorite Italian sandwich shop on Regents Park Road (2 minute walk from the flat) to pick something up for tomorrow. It's great because the sandwiches are so big that I had half of it for lunch today, and can save the other half for tomorrow. I got a butter, goats cheese and smoked turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread. Yum.
The first photo is on Regent's Park Road on my way to the sandwich shop, about 1 block away. The second photo is for my little cousins Simon and Max. Construction outside of my flat. The third photo is a street number on a building that I thought was much more original and modern then all the rest. Oh and look, in the forth photo I found some hippies! Tibetan prayer flags - reminds me of home. :)
Now the next photos are more on the inspired side. I decided to experiment with my micro lens feature on my little hand held, point and shoot, digital camera. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty rad and the feature works better then I thought it should. All the photos of flowers and whatnot are right outside the building entrance of the flat. It had sprinkled right before (and luckily stopped by the time I was ready to make my 2 minute walk home) and left water droplets that intrigued me beyond belief on everything. Let's just say I had some fun taking them.
Now let's get down to the descriptions:
Sunday:
I went to Southbank on the River Thames to meet up with a new friend for drinks. It was sunny and fairly warm until it started to get late. Then my toes froze. But as we were walking back to Waterloo tube the sun was starting to set (which happened in what seemed to be a matter of a few short minutes). The first 2 photos are from the view of where we were sitting at the second pub and the third photo is a shot as the sun was quickly setting. Sadly the photo does not give justice to what the visible eye saw. It was absolutely beautiful!
Tuesday:
Got out of class about 40 minutes early. Yay! That's always a lovely thing to have happen. On my walk home I noticed something new - a women feeding pigeons from her bike on the bridge in-between Chalk Farm tube and my flat. Personally, I think pigeons are pretty damn disgusting and could never image actually trying to attract them close to me. YUCK! They're the rats of the bird world. But for the sake of grossness, and my aunt Sherrie, the women and her birds had to be photographed. She saw me by the way and the shots where taken while I was walking past her, hence the blurriness in the first photo.
Wednesday:
No classes today, just a meeting with my tutor (aka adviser) Lis Darby. Can I just say I adore her. Not only is she on top of her game/knowledge in the art world, gives amazing lectures (some that do indeed border on sensory overload - too many slides) but is a super women to talk to about anything and everything. My meeting went very well.
Before meeting Lis I met up with a classmate/new girlfriend (double yay!) at the British Library. I didn't get any research done, but did manage to get registered so I can go in any time I like and look up stuff. I didn't realize that the downfall to the British Library is you can't check anything out. Boo to that! You can make photo copies, and I image you can take snap shots, but still, it's pretty lame. What can you do though except go along with it, especially if you need the information?
Guess who I saw in the tube? Obama! Yep, he's advertising in the UK. Doesn't really make too much sense, but reminded me that I still need to register as an absentee voter - which actually could be the point of his campaign - remind procrastinating Americans (like myself) to make sure they can vote even though they're overseas. I also saw Martin Luther King Jr. in a lovely poster for VSO - one of my obsessions is to photograph design that I like. And of course I took the "random tube" photo. They all have the same look/feel, but I love them anyways.
There's a field trip tomorrow to Brighton - Yay Pebbled Beach! We're having lunch on a coach again, so I decided to head straight to my favorite Italian sandwich shop on Regents Park Road (2 minute walk from the flat) to pick something up for tomorrow. It's great because the sandwiches are so big that I had half of it for lunch today, and can save the other half for tomorrow. I got a butter, goats cheese and smoked turkey sandwich on ciabatta bread. Yum.
The first photo is on Regent's Park Road on my way to the sandwich shop, about 1 block away. The second photo is for my little cousins Simon and Max. Construction outside of my flat. The third photo is a street number on a building that I thought was much more original and modern then all the rest. Oh and look, in the forth photo I found some hippies! Tibetan prayer flags - reminds me of home. :)
Now the next photos are more on the inspired side. I decided to experiment with my micro lens feature on my little hand held, point and shoot, digital camera. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty rad and the feature works better then I thought it should. All the photos of flowers and whatnot are right outside the building entrance of the flat. It had sprinkled right before (and luckily stopped by the time I was ready to make my 2 minute walk home) and left water droplets that intrigued me beyond belief on everything. Let's just say I had some fun taking them.
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