Well... this update is going to be just fucking fabulous.
Some shit has happened (Again, no details) but suffice it to say that hoodies suck and we all need to be careful at tube stations, because some people have no souls.
In other news, I think I am going slowly insane. Sometimes I just want to go home, but I can't. I have to stay here and see this through (Cue "With God as my witness" scene from Gone With the Wind) to the end. I have yet to talk to my mother about this, that will probably happen tonight.
I don't really want to write any more. Everything is going to be fine, I mean, this is still the shock and frustration period, but along with everything else, that isn't exactly something I am up to handling overly well. I just needed a break, maybe I can get one later. See you guys later! Don't worry, things will be fine.
Weary Traveller.
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Wednesday, 28 February 2007
OMG MiDTERMS RAWK!
So yeah, I really hate midterms so much.
My history midterm was really terrible because we had to analyze a document based on a method I learned in 9th grade. It was about as much fun as high school was. (for you HHSers that means a lot, I know.) But luckily, all my midterms are over and all I have to do is Youth Culture journal entries. Anyway, spring break is soon and I am going to paint London red with Doug and maybe someone else. I hope to go out of the country soon, I hope even more that I can get back into the country (fucking immigration) and not get stuck in the airport (again). So, I might be going to Wicked tonight with Amanda which would be great. First (good) musical I'll see here, and I am really excited. Anyway! I have to go, class is starting again. So I will see you later!!!
My history midterm was really terrible because we had to analyze a document based on a method I learned in 9th grade. It was about as much fun as high school was. (for you HHSers that means a lot, I know.) But luckily, all my midterms are over and all I have to do is Youth Culture journal entries. Anyway, spring break is soon and I am going to paint London red with Doug and maybe someone else. I hope to go out of the country soon, I hope even more that I can get back into the country (fucking immigration) and not get stuck in the airport (again). So, I might be going to Wicked tonight with Amanda which would be great. First (good) musical I'll see here, and I am really excited. Anyway! I have to go, class is starting again. So I will see you later!!!
Monday, 19 February 2007
Oh my...
So yeah, another update.
Well this weekend was fun, saw the Natural History Museum which is really not to be missed. We also saw Daddy Cool and in honor of that, I present to you my 6 page review.
Jennifer L. Genova
British Popular Music
“Daddy Cool”
And They Charged Us 30 Pounds For This
What a crazy fool that Daddy Cool, I tell ya. The latest of the jukebox musicals to cut one in London’s West End is surely not to be missed if you are an aging disco era fly-girl looking to recapture the days when gravity was kinder and the coke was pure. The preceding is a tad harsh, but so is this three hour cringefest, seeing out the last of its run at the Shaftesbury Theater. Normally this reviewer would rejoice at the closing of such a fourth (or maybe fifth) rate production. Unfortunately, this isn’t closing to be locked away and never seen again by humankind; it is going to be taken on tour. That’s right friends and neighbors, now you can experience the music of Milli Vanilli, or whoever actually wrote it, somewhere else! So get out the mirrors and razor blades guys, it’s going to be a rough night.
The plot of the show, and the term is used loosely, begins with young Sonny Chambers learning that he has to leave his aunt’s home in Jamaica to live with his mother in London. We are then taken 15 or so years into the future, where Sonny has become involved with a music group, the ‘Subsonics’. In true hip-hop style, the Subsonics have a rivalry with the Blades, who are led by the serpentine Benny Baker. We also find out that Sonny’s mother, Pearl Chambers fought over Sonny’s father (the infamous, Johnny ‘Daddy’ Cool) with Benny’s mother, Ma Baker, owner of a local strip joint and small time gangster. Benny is in a pseudo relationship with wannabe pop star Asia Blue, who catches the eye of ‘Shake’ (Shark? Shank?), another member of the Subsonics, at her debut concert. Oh, and somewhere along the line Benny’s sister Rose falls in love with Sonny. Understood? Probably not, because neither did this humble reviewer and that was just the first act. The act rounds out with a flashback scene to the disco era when Johnny (remember him?) leaves a newly pregnant Pearl to spend the night with Ma Baker.
The second act begins with the Subsonics and Blades having an ‘MC battle’ to determine something or other that wasn’t really discussed. Instead of burying the hatchet, Benny pulls out a pistol, which is BLOODY ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, and buries a bullet in Shake’s stomach. Sonny then picks up said gun, which is ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, points it at Benny, but drops it instead. This, of course, leads to him being ousted from the Subsonics, because what use is a singer if he isn’t willing to kill a man over a glorified dance-off? Sonny, distraught, breaks things off with Rose because Shake’s injury is magically her fault (and it was a great place to stick in another insipid ballad and create useless tension) and then flees.
Pearl and Ma Baker attempt to patch up the animosity between their families that the audience has barely seen, and instead, Ma has the gun (which is still ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM) planted in Sonny’s room so that he gets arrested. At this point (still not done!) this reviewer ardently wished that Benny had pointed his gun into the third row, center of the Grand Circle and ended her pain. With Sonny in prison, some other confusing things happen which lead to a carnival parade on the day of his trial. We then figure out that Sonny gets out of prison due to a Blade turncoat, and that his mother didn’t deem it necessary to attend the attempted murder trial of her only son. Some other annoying things happen, Ma Baker has a complete turnaround in about 4 seconds and everyone ends up happily ever after. Well, Benny isn’t overly happy because he goes to jail, but at that point anyone would just be happy that the end was near and not be looking to add to their list of plot holes and continuity errors.
Now, this plot probably sounds a lot like West Side Story. That is because the show pretty much lifts the entire show, scene by scene, and just intersperses that with time wasting dance scenes and weak ballads. That aside, there are so many glaring holes that it became ridiculous and pathetic after a short period of time. First of all, the entire first act is just shoving various scenes and images out, which then have to be connected somehow in the second act. The first major groaner is when Sonny is kicked out of the Subsonics for not shooting Benny in the head with an ILLEGAL FIREARM in full view of about 25 people. The second major groaner is that none of those 25 people deem it necessary to either A) turn Benny in or B) remind the other Subsonics that murder is just as legal as firearms. Also, one is left to wonder how in a nation with illegal firearms, shooting one’s rivals can be an integral part of rap stars’ MOs.
At the parade scene, Pearl’s absence from her son’s trial is unnecessary. Furthermore, Ma Baker’s 4 second turn around after she has black listed a stripper, paid off police officers, and planted evidence to get Sonny arrested is forced and insincere, and how the hell did Shake get well enough to dance around and rap after suffering a GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE STOMACH LESS THAN A WEEK EARLIER?
That aside, there are far more things to worry about with Daddy Cool. And the plot, while clearly the most problematic, is not the only offender. The music, clearly the focal point of the show, is mainly by the inexplicably and wildly popular Boney M., a group who sold 150 MILLION albums in the late 70s. Unfortunately, it isn’t just Boney M. who makes an appearance in Daddy Cool. We are also treated to remixed and retooled versions of Milli Vanilli, La Bouche, “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, “Where Do You Go (My Lovely)”, and several other unrecognizable and forgettable ballads. Out of all the music, it is the songs that were obviously changed or remixed for the show that are the worst. After high powered dance numbers like “Be My Lover”, “Sweet Dreams of Rhythm and Dancing” that actually work on some level, the ballads were terribly weak and insipid.
It is ironic that in a musical billed largely as being based around Boney M, that the two best musical performances in the whole show are not by Boney M. Mrs. Chambers (mother of main character Sonny) performs “I Can’t Stand the Rain” in the one and only accurately sentimental moment in the entire show. In fact, Mrs. Chambers is the only accurately sentimental character in the entire sho. Benny’s rendition of “Where Do You Go (My Lovely)” makes one wonder why he was wasted with pithy rapping when he clearly has singing talent. The rapping, while done with skill and care, seems out of place in this show, and makes it feel more like Harlem than Soho.
Unfortunately for Daddy Cool and its audience, the cast is clearly tired. Aside from Pearl and the ensemble member who plays her in the disco scene, all of the other female leads are weak vocally. Asia Blue sings great R&B, but that doesn’t translate well to the stage, and her singing is so over stylized that she sounds more like a cheap Mariah Carey knock off singing a second rate remix of “Brown Girl in the Ring” (the second time it is used in the show). The men, fare a little better, but not much (aside from Benny of course). Rasputin’s rendition of “Blame It On The Rain” is painfully disappointing and would bomb entirely without the trio of backup singers. Also, the vocal quality of certain performers seems to change as the show progresses, either due to faulty microphones or poorly disguised lip syncing. They were sick of being in Daddy Cool and it showed.
The worst scene by far is the resolution at the parade. Why on earth is Pearl not at Sonny’s trial? Why does Ma Baker have the worst line in the history of performance art (“Well, love is the only religion I’ll never stop believing in. I’m sorry Pearl.”)? Why does no one remember that Ma is responsible for basically everything bad that has happened (aside from the terrible book, but who knows who we can blame for that one) and runs a gang of thugs from her dodgy strip bar? Why do we have to sit through another bad ballad? Why is the ‘Jamaica’ scene at the end clearly dealing with Polynesian (IE: other side of the planet from Jamaica) dancing, costumes, and statues? Why is there a half hour of extra show after the curtain? Are they looking for some deleted scenes for when the DVD is released? WHY DOES NO ONE MENTION THE FACT THAT BENNY’S FIREARM IS FLIPPING ILLEGAL?!
Ahem.
Along with Pearl and Benny’s solos, the disco flashback scene of “Daddy Cool/ One Way Ticket” is the best scene in the show, from curtain to curtain. It is the only part of the show that works both in terms of plot and music. It is interesting to watch, fun to listen to, and it actually conveys real feeling and emotion. The dancing in that scene, and in the show as a whole, is excellent, as are the costumes. There was intense attention paid to detail and period in terms of costume and choreography, which in a show that contains music from a past era is very important. The only issue to be had with costume, is that none of it feels very British, or even very European. It feels like we are watching a show about urban American youth, but after sitting through another of those ballads, costume is the least of the concerns. The best part of Daddy Cool is that throughout the show, choreography is the only thing that is consistently enjoyable and well performed.
Despite whatever life choreography and three good scenes could breathe into this production, Daddy Cool falls flat on its face. The only value this show might have is nostalgia, and that only really comes into play when the cast performs “Daddy Cool”, “Ra Ra Rasputin”, “Rivers of Babylon”, and “Brown Girl in the Ring” (for the third time) after the curtain call.
As a jukebox musical, a far from highbrow art form, Daddy Cool is overstated, too insistent, and too serious for what it is. Other similar shows, such as the smash Mama Mia, are successful because of how simple the plots are and how they let the music shine as what it is. They don’t try to be Shakespeare and for that, we don’t expect them to be. Daddy Cool takes itself far too seriously and tries to make too many statements that have been heard before, been performed better, and been far less annoying and hard to sit through.
Daddy Cool is a perfect example of genre corruption. There were days in the world of theater where an audience would have walked out en masse on a production like this and it would have closed before the interval. If people want disco nostalgia, Mama Mia is two blocks away with a better cast and better music. If people want Boney M. nostalgia they should go home, let the seams out of the lycra jumpsuit, and pretend that the 70s were as good as they want to remember them being
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Also we saw the Kylie Minogue exhibit on thursday for Biritsh Youth Culture. It was fun, the V&A is awesome. Sunday we went to the Chinese New Year festival which was also a ton of fun. Saturday Night Doug and I got drunk and called a bunch of people. I miss you all and will repost again soon!
Well this weekend was fun, saw the Natural History Museum which is really not to be missed. We also saw Daddy Cool and in honor of that, I present to you my 6 page review.
Jennifer L. Genova
British Popular Music
“Daddy Cool”
And They Charged Us 30 Pounds For This
What a crazy fool that Daddy Cool, I tell ya. The latest of the jukebox musicals to cut one in London’s West End is surely not to be missed if you are an aging disco era fly-girl looking to recapture the days when gravity was kinder and the coke was pure. The preceding is a tad harsh, but so is this three hour cringefest, seeing out the last of its run at the Shaftesbury Theater. Normally this reviewer would rejoice at the closing of such a fourth (or maybe fifth) rate production. Unfortunately, this isn’t closing to be locked away and never seen again by humankind; it is going to be taken on tour. That’s right friends and neighbors, now you can experience the music of Milli Vanilli, or whoever actually wrote it, somewhere else! So get out the mirrors and razor blades guys, it’s going to be a rough night.
The plot of the show, and the term is used loosely, begins with young Sonny Chambers learning that he has to leave his aunt’s home in Jamaica to live with his mother in London. We are then taken 15 or so years into the future, where Sonny has become involved with a music group, the ‘Subsonics’. In true hip-hop style, the Subsonics have a rivalry with the Blades, who are led by the serpentine Benny Baker. We also find out that Sonny’s mother, Pearl Chambers fought over Sonny’s father (the infamous, Johnny ‘Daddy’ Cool) with Benny’s mother, Ma Baker, owner of a local strip joint and small time gangster. Benny is in a pseudo relationship with wannabe pop star Asia Blue, who catches the eye of ‘Shake’ (Shark? Shank?), another member of the Subsonics, at her debut concert. Oh, and somewhere along the line Benny’s sister Rose falls in love with Sonny. Understood? Probably not, because neither did this humble reviewer and that was just the first act. The act rounds out with a flashback scene to the disco era when Johnny (remember him?) leaves a newly pregnant Pearl to spend the night with Ma Baker.
The second act begins with the Subsonics and Blades having an ‘MC battle’ to determine something or other that wasn’t really discussed. Instead of burying the hatchet, Benny pulls out a pistol, which is BLOODY ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, and buries a bullet in Shake’s stomach. Sonny then picks up said gun, which is ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, points it at Benny, but drops it instead. This, of course, leads to him being ousted from the Subsonics, because what use is a singer if he isn’t willing to kill a man over a glorified dance-off? Sonny, distraught, breaks things off with Rose because Shake’s injury is magically her fault (and it was a great place to stick in another insipid ballad and create useless tension) and then flees.
Pearl and Ma Baker attempt to patch up the animosity between their families that the audience has barely seen, and instead, Ma has the gun (which is still ILLEGAL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM) planted in Sonny’s room so that he gets arrested. At this point (still not done!) this reviewer ardently wished that Benny had pointed his gun into the third row, center of the Grand Circle and ended her pain. With Sonny in prison, some other confusing things happen which lead to a carnival parade on the day of his trial. We then figure out that Sonny gets out of prison due to a Blade turncoat, and that his mother didn’t deem it necessary to attend the attempted murder trial of her only son. Some other annoying things happen, Ma Baker has a complete turnaround in about 4 seconds and everyone ends up happily ever after. Well, Benny isn’t overly happy because he goes to jail, but at that point anyone would just be happy that the end was near and not be looking to add to their list of plot holes and continuity errors.
Now, this plot probably sounds a lot like West Side Story. That is because the show pretty much lifts the entire show, scene by scene, and just intersperses that with time wasting dance scenes and weak ballads. That aside, there are so many glaring holes that it became ridiculous and pathetic after a short period of time. First of all, the entire first act is just shoving various scenes and images out, which then have to be connected somehow in the second act. The first major groaner is when Sonny is kicked out of the Subsonics for not shooting Benny in the head with an ILLEGAL FIREARM in full view of about 25 people. The second major groaner is that none of those 25 people deem it necessary to either A) turn Benny in or B) remind the other Subsonics that murder is just as legal as firearms. Also, one is left to wonder how in a nation with illegal firearms, shooting one’s rivals can be an integral part of rap stars’ MOs.
At the parade scene, Pearl’s absence from her son’s trial is unnecessary. Furthermore, Ma Baker’s 4 second turn around after she has black listed a stripper, paid off police officers, and planted evidence to get Sonny arrested is forced and insincere, and how the hell did Shake get well enough to dance around and rap after suffering a GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE STOMACH LESS THAN A WEEK EARLIER?
That aside, there are far more things to worry about with Daddy Cool. And the plot, while clearly the most problematic, is not the only offender. The music, clearly the focal point of the show, is mainly by the inexplicably and wildly popular Boney M., a group who sold 150 MILLION albums in the late 70s. Unfortunately, it isn’t just Boney M. who makes an appearance in Daddy Cool. We are also treated to remixed and retooled versions of Milli Vanilli, La Bouche, “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, “Where Do You Go (My Lovely)”, and several other unrecognizable and forgettable ballads. Out of all the music, it is the songs that were obviously changed or remixed for the show that are the worst. After high powered dance numbers like “Be My Lover”, “Sweet Dreams of Rhythm and Dancing” that actually work on some level, the ballads were terribly weak and insipid.
It is ironic that in a musical billed largely as being based around Boney M, that the two best musical performances in the whole show are not by Boney M. Mrs. Chambers (mother of main character Sonny) performs “I Can’t Stand the Rain” in the one and only accurately sentimental moment in the entire show. In fact, Mrs. Chambers is the only accurately sentimental character in the entire sho. Benny’s rendition of “Where Do You Go (My Lovely)” makes one wonder why he was wasted with pithy rapping when he clearly has singing talent. The rapping, while done with skill and care, seems out of place in this show, and makes it feel more like Harlem than Soho.
Unfortunately for Daddy Cool and its audience, the cast is clearly tired. Aside from Pearl and the ensemble member who plays her in the disco scene, all of the other female leads are weak vocally. Asia Blue sings great R&B, but that doesn’t translate well to the stage, and her singing is so over stylized that she sounds more like a cheap Mariah Carey knock off singing a second rate remix of “Brown Girl in the Ring” (the second time it is used in the show). The men, fare a little better, but not much (aside from Benny of course). Rasputin’s rendition of “Blame It On The Rain” is painfully disappointing and would bomb entirely without the trio of backup singers. Also, the vocal quality of certain performers seems to change as the show progresses, either due to faulty microphones or poorly disguised lip syncing. They were sick of being in Daddy Cool and it showed.
The worst scene by far is the resolution at the parade. Why on earth is Pearl not at Sonny’s trial? Why does Ma Baker have the worst line in the history of performance art (“Well, love is the only religion I’ll never stop believing in. I’m sorry Pearl.”)? Why does no one remember that Ma is responsible for basically everything bad that has happened (aside from the terrible book, but who knows who we can blame for that one) and runs a gang of thugs from her dodgy strip bar? Why do we have to sit through another bad ballad? Why is the ‘Jamaica’ scene at the end clearly dealing with Polynesian (IE: other side of the planet from Jamaica) dancing, costumes, and statues? Why is there a half hour of extra show after the curtain? Are they looking for some deleted scenes for when the DVD is released? WHY DOES NO ONE MENTION THE FACT THAT BENNY’S FIREARM IS FLIPPING ILLEGAL?!
Ahem.
Along with Pearl and Benny’s solos, the disco flashback scene of “Daddy Cool/ One Way Ticket” is the best scene in the show, from curtain to curtain. It is the only part of the show that works both in terms of plot and music. It is interesting to watch, fun to listen to, and it actually conveys real feeling and emotion. The dancing in that scene, and in the show as a whole, is excellent, as are the costumes. There was intense attention paid to detail and period in terms of costume and choreography, which in a show that contains music from a past era is very important. The only issue to be had with costume, is that none of it feels very British, or even very European. It feels like we are watching a show about urban American youth, but after sitting through another of those ballads, costume is the least of the concerns. The best part of Daddy Cool is that throughout the show, choreography is the only thing that is consistently enjoyable and well performed.
Despite whatever life choreography and three good scenes could breathe into this production, Daddy Cool falls flat on its face. The only value this show might have is nostalgia, and that only really comes into play when the cast performs “Daddy Cool”, “Ra Ra Rasputin”, “Rivers of Babylon”, and “Brown Girl in the Ring” (for the third time) after the curtain call.
As a jukebox musical, a far from highbrow art form, Daddy Cool is overstated, too insistent, and too serious for what it is. Other similar shows, such as the smash Mama Mia, are successful because of how simple the plots are and how they let the music shine as what it is. They don’t try to be Shakespeare and for that, we don’t expect them to be. Daddy Cool takes itself far too seriously and tries to make too many statements that have been heard before, been performed better, and been far less annoying and hard to sit through.
Daddy Cool is a perfect example of genre corruption. There were days in the world of theater where an audience would have walked out en masse on a production like this and it would have closed before the interval. If people want disco nostalgia, Mama Mia is two blocks away with a better cast and better music. If people want Boney M. nostalgia they should go home, let the seams out of the lycra jumpsuit, and pretend that the 70s were as good as they want to remember them being
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Also we saw the Kylie Minogue exhibit on thursday for Biritsh Youth Culture. It was fun, the V&A is awesome. Sunday we went to the Chinese New Year festival which was also a ton of fun. Saturday Night Doug and I got drunk and called a bunch of people. I miss you all and will repost again soon!
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Well well well....
I am currently in history, and my professor has done the impossible.
WWII is now boring.
I know. You would think that WWII would speak for itself. I mean, it is only the second WORLD WAR. Big guns, big battles, shaping of the 'modern' world. Oh no, today it is about as exciting as porridge. I don't care about anything this man is saying, even though it is one of my favorite subjects of history. Seriously, I am pretty close to eating my own hand. Gaahhhh....
Anyway, send me care packages.
Weary Traveller
WWII is now boring.
I know. You would think that WWII would speak for itself. I mean, it is only the second WORLD WAR. Big guns, big battles, shaping of the 'modern' world. Oh no, today it is about as exciting as porridge. I don't care about anything this man is saying, even though it is one of my favorite subjects of history. Seriously, I am pretty close to eating my own hand. Gaahhhh....
Anyway, send me care packages.
Weary Traveller
Monday, 12 February 2007
The Quiet Things
Well, today is a short and very sad entry by this Weary Traveller. This morning, one of our students passed away. I don't know, nor will I be posting any details. It is really terrible, and everyone here is (understandably) grieving. My thoughts and prayers are with the student's family during this difficult time.
More tomorrow.
More tomorrow.
Friday, 9 February 2007
VIP cuz' you know I gotta shiiiiinnnneeeee
So yeah, last night was amazing.
We went to a new place in Soho to dance. Before the dance floor opened we met these three British girls who had just gotten done putting on a show at their performing arts college. So, we were talking, and then all of a sudden they invited us to their cast party at a nightclub across the street. VIP lounge, downstairs. It was so much fun! Everyone we met was so nice, and the dancing was awesome. We are probably going somewhere around there again tonight, to do more dancing. We have finally found a place!!!! I am so happy! Also, today we are shopping and then going to the british museum!!! My kind of place, indeed!
ANYWAY! I have to get going, so I will post more either Monday or Tuesday. See you guys later!!!
We went to a new place in Soho to dance. Before the dance floor opened we met these three British girls who had just gotten done putting on a show at their performing arts college. So, we were talking, and then all of a sudden they invited us to their cast party at a nightclub across the street. VIP lounge, downstairs. It was so much fun! Everyone we met was so nice, and the dancing was awesome. We are probably going somewhere around there again tonight, to do more dancing. We have finally found a place!!!! I am so happy! Also, today we are shopping and then going to the british museum!!! My kind of place, indeed!
ANYWAY! I have to get going, so I will post more either Monday or Tuesday. See you guys later!!!
Sunday, 4 February 2007
Stratford Trip!
AMAZING.
Ok, first, we went to Warwick Castle. Yes kiddlies, a real castle that isn't made out of plastic with a big mouse living in it. VERY cool. We climbed all the towers, with their 6 inch wide spiral stairs, saw the dungeon (obliette is a fun word) and peacocks! It was amazing, I took some incredible pictures.
Then we went to Stratford-on-Avon to see Richard III and the land of the Bard. Lemme tell you, those people must be sick to death of William Shakespeare. He is EVERYWHERE. Obviously he would be, but I cannot imagine living there and having the only plays produced in your town be shakespeare and every mall, restaraunt, shop, and street named after him or his characters.
The town was lovely, it was nice to just relax and walk around. Also, I bought cute shoes.
OH!
Ok, this is all I am going to say about this, but we have had a nasty bit of drama involving the ICLC crew this semester, we have had our first major arrest. Nasty business indeed.
Anyway! Pictures will be up at some point, I really have no idea when. Aside from that, nothing huge is really new. ICLC closes in 15 minutes, so I have to get going!
The Weary Traveller
Ok, first, we went to Warwick Castle. Yes kiddlies, a real castle that isn't made out of plastic with a big mouse living in it. VERY cool. We climbed all the towers, with their 6 inch wide spiral stairs, saw the dungeon (obliette is a fun word) and peacocks! It was amazing, I took some incredible pictures.
Then we went to Stratford-on-Avon to see Richard III and the land of the Bard. Lemme tell you, those people must be sick to death of William Shakespeare. He is EVERYWHERE. Obviously he would be, but I cannot imagine living there and having the only plays produced in your town be shakespeare and every mall, restaraunt, shop, and street named after him or his characters.
The town was lovely, it was nice to just relax and walk around. Also, I bought cute shoes.
OH!
Ok, this is all I am going to say about this, but we have had a nasty bit of drama involving the ICLC crew this semester, we have had our first major arrest. Nasty business indeed.
Anyway! Pictures will be up at some point, I really have no idea when. Aside from that, nothing huge is really new. ICLC closes in 15 minutes, so I have to get going!
The Weary Traveller
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Wow....just wow.
Short entry, I am in class right now.
We are watching Quadrophenia again, we already watched it in British Youth Culture. I care even less. Seriously.
ANYWAY! Drinking here is still expensive, and it is still annoying.
ALSO! A very strange man hit on me at the ATM at the Tube station near home. It was REALLY frightening and I didn't like it. He was from Nigeria or something and kept asking me to be his friend. At first, I was flattered, a nice looking man being... attentive has that effect.
Then I stopped being retarded. Yikes... But at least my friends were there.
We went to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and parliament over the weekend. Quite a bit of walking, but my pictures came out really well and I love it. London has been amazing so far. We are going to Stratford this weekend, which I am really excited for! Going to see Richard III, which is going to be really exciting.
We saw Ghosts last night, and it was terrible. But Richard will be better, and There Came a Gypsy Riding was good. So we take what we can get in this life.
SO! I am off to get a drink for my class break. Talk to you later!
We are watching Quadrophenia again, we already watched it in British Youth Culture. I care even less. Seriously.
ANYWAY! Drinking here is still expensive, and it is still annoying.
ALSO! A very strange man hit on me at the ATM at the Tube station near home. It was REALLY frightening and I didn't like it. He was from Nigeria or something and kept asking me to be his friend. At first, I was flattered, a nice looking man being... attentive has that effect.
Then I stopped being retarded. Yikes... But at least my friends were there.
We went to Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and parliament over the weekend. Quite a bit of walking, but my pictures came out really well and I love it. London has been amazing so far. We are going to Stratford this weekend, which I am really excited for! Going to see Richard III, which is going to be really exciting.
We saw Ghosts last night, and it was terrible. But Richard will be better, and There Came a Gypsy Riding was good. So we take what we can get in this life.
SO! I am off to get a drink for my class break. Talk to you later!
Thursday, 25 January 2007
OH MY GOD! WEATHER HAPPENED!
We had a horrible state of panic yesterday, because of less than one inch of snow.
Less than one inch.
LESS.
This country cannot handle weather. We had wind (WIND) one day last week and I thought the tube was going to explode. Apparently it was really destructive wind, but still. Thankfully, the response to snow indicates that this country doesn't get a lot of it.
Guess I won't need my LL Bean boots (Love you mom <3)
Anyway, I am in class right now, so I need to publish and get out!
PEACE!
Less than one inch.
LESS.
This country cannot handle weather. We had wind (WIND) one day last week and I thought the tube was going to explode. Apparently it was really destructive wind, but still. Thankfully, the response to snow indicates that this country doesn't get a lot of it.
Guess I won't need my LL Bean boots (Love you mom <3)
Anyway, I am in class right now, so I need to publish and get out!
PEACE!
Monday, 22 January 2007
Sanctuary..... SANCTUARY!
Oh man, the London Center is so awesome.
Free wireless, a kitchen, and Fanta Orange...
Life is good.
Free wireless, a kitchen, and Fanta Orange...
Life is good.
Grocery Shopping from Macedonia
Do you ever feel like everyone around you has been given express directions that you somehow missed?
That is how shopping at Lidl's feels. Nothing is ever in any sort of order, and just getting into the store is like a puzzle from the Da Vinci Code. For those of you who have ever been to an Aldi in the states, I have been told it is similar.
The problem, though, isn't the store itself, so much as the products don't come in English. I am not joking. We are choosing our groceries based on the sign nearest to the product, and the picture on the front. Our Apple Juice is in (I think) Polish, our Orange Juice is in German, we do, however have some products that have English on them, like our eggs and lunchmeats, but the majority of our items are in another language that we have trouble figuring out where it comes from.
Also, at Lidl's, no one speaks English very well, and we have a hard time understanding when we do something wrong or ask a question. All in all, it makes for a very unintentionally funny situation. Imagine 5 college students, all relatively lucid, trying to figure out where the 'English' muffins are. It is really kind of funny when you think about it.
ANYWAY. Week two of classes is underway, and I am once again ensconced in the sanctuary of the London Center. This weekend was fun, and our club experience was really far less terrifying that I had originally thought.
****NOTE TO ALL IC STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING ABROAD AND PLANNING TO DRINK***** the ISIC card that we get, is not real ID. Apparently, they sell them on the internet for like... $10. Rachel Cullenen lied to us. BRING YOUR US LICENSES!
Seriously. We learned this the hard way. The hard and embarassing way.
The Weary Traveller.
More Next time on classes, our flat, and all that jazz
That is how shopping at Lidl's feels. Nothing is ever in any sort of order, and just getting into the store is like a puzzle from the Da Vinci Code. For those of you who have ever been to an Aldi in the states, I have been told it is similar.
The problem, though, isn't the store itself, so much as the products don't come in English. I am not joking. We are choosing our groceries based on the sign nearest to the product, and the picture on the front. Our Apple Juice is in (I think) Polish, our Orange Juice is in German, we do, however have some products that have English on them, like our eggs and lunchmeats, but the majority of our items are in another language that we have trouble figuring out where it comes from.
Also, at Lidl's, no one speaks English very well, and we have a hard time understanding when we do something wrong or ask a question. All in all, it makes for a very unintentionally funny situation. Imagine 5 college students, all relatively lucid, trying to figure out where the 'English' muffins are. It is really kind of funny when you think about it.
ANYWAY. Week two of classes is underway, and I am once again ensconced in the sanctuary of the London Center. This weekend was fun, and our club experience was really far less terrifying that I had originally thought.
****NOTE TO ALL IC STUDENTS WHO ARE STUDYING ABROAD AND PLANNING TO DRINK***** the ISIC card that we get, is not real ID. Apparently, they sell them on the internet for like... $10. Rachel Cullenen lied to us. BRING YOUR US LICENSES!
Seriously. We learned this the hard way. The hard and embarassing way.
The Weary Traveller.
More Next time on classes, our flat, and all that jazz
Thursday, 18 January 2007
First Week of Classes
Wow...
I have no homework.
Did you hear me??
NONE!
This is fantastic.... for the first time, I am not being bogged down with papers, research, or other business. I am so excited.
This weekend we are going to a club. My friend wants to check out gay culture here in London, which I am sure will be exciting. As soon as I stop freaking out, I am sure I will have fun. Besides, I can drink here, so that at least gives me something to do, and a way to talk to people. I just hope no one makes fun of me, or stares at me. If they do, I might have to choke a bitch.
Anyway, this week was exhausting, getting used to everything is always tiring, no matter how rigorous it is actually going to be. I am excited though, pub tonight, club tomorrow, touristing later on and whatnot. I hope to get to the British Museum SOON. Also I need to hit the theater etc. etc. Anyway! Today is shopping as soon as we get done here, I dunno what I am going to buy, but it will be fun. So yeah, I am signing off to go have fun. Screw you people and the horses you rode in on!
<3
The Weary Traveller
I have no homework.
Did you hear me??
NONE!
This is fantastic.... for the first time, I am not being bogged down with papers, research, or other business. I am so excited.
This weekend we are going to a club. My friend wants to check out gay culture here in London, which I am sure will be exciting. As soon as I stop freaking out, I am sure I will have fun. Besides, I can drink here, so that at least gives me something to do, and a way to talk to people. I just hope no one makes fun of me, or stares at me. If they do, I might have to choke a bitch.
Anyway, this week was exhausting, getting used to everything is always tiring, no matter how rigorous it is actually going to be. I am excited though, pub tonight, club tomorrow, touristing later on and whatnot. I hope to get to the British Museum SOON. Also I need to hit the theater etc. etc. Anyway! Today is shopping as soon as we get done here, I dunno what I am going to buy, but it will be fun. So yeah, I am signing off to go have fun. Screw you people and the horses you rode in on!
<3
The Weary Traveller
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Be vewy vewy quiet... I'm hunting showt tewm flats to went...
So flathunting is really scary, but we succeeded!
We started Tuesday, by visiting two flats a woman had to let who had letted to London Center students before. The apartments were nice, but she was buckets of crazy. After getting home to the hotel, we decided that we were far FAR too exhausted to continue the search that night, and that we would all go back and get some rest. It was 5pm and we all went right to bed.
I woke up at 6am.
I slept for 13 hours.
It was incredible, I mean on a level that no one could ever comprehend. Then I had the hotel's breakfast, which was even more incredible. It was amazing. The best breakfast in the history of anything.
Wednesday was a completely new day, one in which I had a new lease on life and a new optimism. I had been dreading London for weeks, and was relieved when I was finally able to start enjoying myself. Then we started flathunt... This was an important, yet daunting experience. We saw some SHIT-HOLES let me tell you. Yikes, places I wouldn't want my worst enemy living in. Finally, Thursday, we found a house that we liked. We had discussed houses before, and I though we would never be able to get one. We did get one, and we have been in it the last two nights.
All in all, I am happy with the way things have gone. We haven't had heat for two days, and we had our first experience with an Argos (more on that later) which left us with no blankets. Hopefully we can get internet soon and I can update this more frequently. I am really having a wonderful time, and am very glad I chose to come here. This is going to be an invaluable experience for me, and something that will stay with me for me entire life.
I <3 London.
Weary Traveller
We started Tuesday, by visiting two flats a woman had to let who had letted to London Center students before. The apartments were nice, but she was buckets of crazy. After getting home to the hotel, we decided that we were far FAR too exhausted to continue the search that night, and that we would all go back and get some rest. It was 5pm and we all went right to bed.
I woke up at 6am.
I slept for 13 hours.
It was incredible, I mean on a level that no one could ever comprehend. Then I had the hotel's breakfast, which was even more incredible. It was amazing. The best breakfast in the history of anything.
Wednesday was a completely new day, one in which I had a new lease on life and a new optimism. I had been dreading London for weeks, and was relieved when I was finally able to start enjoying myself. Then we started flathunt... This was an important, yet daunting experience. We saw some SHIT-HOLES let me tell you. Yikes, places I wouldn't want my worst enemy living in. Finally, Thursday, we found a house that we liked. We had discussed houses before, and I though we would never be able to get one. We did get one, and we have been in it the last two nights.
All in all, I am happy with the way things have gone. We haven't had heat for two days, and we had our first experience with an Argos (more on that later) which left us with no blankets. Hopefully we can get internet soon and I can update this more frequently. I am really having a wonderful time, and am very glad I chose to come here. This is going to be an invaluable experience for me, and something that will stay with me for me entire life.
I <3 London.
Weary Traveller
Introduction: Getting here sucked.
Well, for those of you who were worried (*crickets*), I am alive. Officially, I have been in England one week and am one week tardy in setting up this travelogue. If you have enough time on your hands to be angry about this, please go outside.
Last Monday, I boarded what I thought would be my flight at Logan International Airport an hour after it was supposed to depart. It was raining, so we all suspected a reasonable weather delay. This is fine, because Delta Airlines doesn't own the air it flies through, they just rent it from God. Apparently, they were a bit late on the rent because Monday, God was not very happy with Delta at all. To make a long story marginally shorter, I left Boston at 5pm (I was supposed to leave at 11:40am) to get to JFK for a 6:30 PM transatlantic to London. Guess what didn't happen? If you said Nicholas Cage in The Wicker Man, I am very sorry, that did happen and you are wrong. If you said my flight to London, you are very correct. Well, the 6;30 did happen, and everyone got there safely, but I was not on it. Luckily, I did get on a later flight with other ICLC students, so that worked out.
When I got to Heathrow, I had to go through immigration. Oh. Joy. So I get to the counter, I have all the stuff I need, my passport, immigration card, letters, etc. etc. So Mr. Immigration Officer decides that it is time to ask me a ton of questions that I have no idea about concerning some stupid stamp that I will probably never even use. So, he decides, in his infinite wisdom, that I am the person they need to watch out for. He took me out of line, and went away with all my things to call somebody to see if I could get into the country or not. Now, let us, before I tell the next bit of story, have a bit of a recap:
1) original flight cancelled, three hours after listed takeoff time.
2) departed from Boston 6 hours after listed departure time.
3) missed original flight to London, had to rebook.
4) held up at immigration, with no way of contacting anyone and VERY little money.
Are you all caught up? Good. Let's go on.
I fucking lost it. In the middle of the immigration center at Heathrow London, I lost it. I sat down in a chair and started to bawl. Now I realize that dying children in a hospital ward have it worse off than I do, and that land mine victims are facing far worse trials and tribulations than problems at an airport. But let me tell you something, when you are being held up in an immigration line, and some guy just took your passport away, and you don't have any money to pay for a ticket on a bus, let alone a transatlantic flight, you are alone, can't call anyone, and no one knows you are in said immigration line, you aren't thinking about orphans. You are sitting in a chair bawling your eyes out and eventually throwing up in a very well maintained airport bathroom.
Over dramatic? yes. But, in the long run, I am almost glad it happened. I learned a valuable lesson. I learned to chill the fuck out, which is often a problem for me. Also, I now have had a negative experience to give me perspective on all future travelling experiences, which is incredible valuable.
Anyway, I got through the immigration business, the man apologized (as he should have. Bastard...) for being so rude to me, and I went to collect my baggage.
Oh wait, my baggage wasn't there. Funny how life works, eh?
This was one of those icing on the cake moments, where it isn't a big deal in and of itself, but I was really frazzled, overwhelmed, and upset already. Luckily, the woman at the counter for my airline was wonderful, and my issue was sorted out.
So I eventually did get to London Center, thankfully the transport had waited for me to get there and I got on. I got to the hotel, which was AMAZING. A beautiful building, lovely staff, nice rooms with free wireless internet access. It was great, a nice comforting place to be after a very rough two days. I was very happy, I saw my friends and everyone and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was wonderful.
After leaving the hotel and going to London center, we had our short orientation and commenced the flathunt.
More on that in the next post! (which will happen as soon as I finish this one)
Weary Traveller
Last Monday, I boarded what I thought would be my flight at Logan International Airport an hour after it was supposed to depart. It was raining, so we all suspected a reasonable weather delay. This is fine, because Delta Airlines doesn't own the air it flies through, they just rent it from God. Apparently, they were a bit late on the rent because Monday, God was not very happy with Delta at all. To make a long story marginally shorter, I left Boston at 5pm (I was supposed to leave at 11:40am) to get to JFK for a 6:30 PM transatlantic to London. Guess what didn't happen? If you said Nicholas Cage in The Wicker Man, I am very sorry, that did happen and you are wrong. If you said my flight to London, you are very correct. Well, the 6;30 did happen, and everyone got there safely, but I was not on it. Luckily, I did get on a later flight with other ICLC students, so that worked out.
When I got to Heathrow, I had to go through immigration. Oh. Joy. So I get to the counter, I have all the stuff I need, my passport, immigration card, letters, etc. etc. So Mr. Immigration Officer decides that it is time to ask me a ton of questions that I have no idea about concerning some stupid stamp that I will probably never even use. So, he decides, in his infinite wisdom, that I am the person they need to watch out for. He took me out of line, and went away with all my things to call somebody to see if I could get into the country or not. Now, let us, before I tell the next bit of story, have a bit of a recap:
1) original flight cancelled, three hours after listed takeoff time.
2) departed from Boston 6 hours after listed departure time.
3) missed original flight to London, had to rebook.
4) held up at immigration, with no way of contacting anyone and VERY little money.
Are you all caught up? Good. Let's go on.
I fucking lost it. In the middle of the immigration center at Heathrow London, I lost it. I sat down in a chair and started to bawl. Now I realize that dying children in a hospital ward have it worse off than I do, and that land mine victims are facing far worse trials and tribulations than problems at an airport. But let me tell you something, when you are being held up in an immigration line, and some guy just took your passport away, and you don't have any money to pay for a ticket on a bus, let alone a transatlantic flight, you are alone, can't call anyone, and no one knows you are in said immigration line, you aren't thinking about orphans. You are sitting in a chair bawling your eyes out and eventually throwing up in a very well maintained airport bathroom.
Over dramatic? yes. But, in the long run, I am almost glad it happened. I learned a valuable lesson. I learned to chill the fuck out, which is often a problem for me. Also, I now have had a negative experience to give me perspective on all future travelling experiences, which is incredible valuable.
Anyway, I got through the immigration business, the man apologized (as he should have. Bastard...) for being so rude to me, and I went to collect my baggage.
Oh wait, my baggage wasn't there. Funny how life works, eh?
This was one of those icing on the cake moments, where it isn't a big deal in and of itself, but I was really frazzled, overwhelmed, and upset already. Luckily, the woman at the counter for my airline was wonderful, and my issue was sorted out.
So I eventually did get to London Center, thankfully the transport had waited for me to get there and I got on. I got to the hotel, which was AMAZING. A beautiful building, lovely staff, nice rooms with free wireless internet access. It was great, a nice comforting place to be after a very rough two days. I was very happy, I saw my friends and everyone and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was wonderful.
After leaving the hotel and going to London center, we had our short orientation and commenced the flathunt.
More on that in the next post! (which will happen as soon as I finish this one)
Weary Traveller
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