Bells and Whistles

Snow!

2012-01-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, it has SNOWED, finally. And in celebration I went on a shooting spree. I don't claim to be a photography, and none of these pictures are edited, which testifies to the gorgeousness of the day.

The ever adorable King's English played host to a marriage proposal today. Absolutely fantastic. And she said yes (how could you not?)

A lamp post standing next to a bunch of wheat. Straw, hay? I'm not sure. Something that should be on a farm of some sort. I liked this picture, though, because the tree and the wheat (?) make it very textured, which is nice in a picture with a limited palette.

We still had some apples on the tree. They are a little gushy though, so no eating, ok?

Don't you just love it!? I think I love taking pictures in the winter so much because there is always a high contrast. The snow and sky are always light, and everything else is so dark it almost looks like a silhouette. The many clouds also soften the light, making it delicate. Just gorgeous.

I love this shot, because of the tall center tree, and the difference between each side of the frame, the light and dark, bright and purplish. Lovely.

On the street where I live. *sigh

Our trampoline could use some springs, huh? It is kind of a random picture, but something about the composition grabs me. Maybe it's the large blank space of snow, and the various fields of depth. I dunno. Maybe it's just the memories.

Books ending

2011-11-26T19:14:00.001-08:00

I've just finished reading a book (American Gods by Neil Gaiman) and it's put me into a thoughtful mood.

When I read book I read them, allowing my whole self to become absorbed into the words. Have you ever thought about that imagery? Absorbed? Like my fingers stick to the pages, then melt into the pages and the rest of me follows. Time fades, sensations fade, noise fades and I lose myself and there is only the story.

It feels like diving, in a way. I get submerged and it takes thought and effort to swim to the surface and become aware again of the real world and things I should be doing in it. When I'm there for hours the submersion so total that my sensory to the outside world is completely blocked.

Then when the story ends, abruptly, suddenly (because I've been reading the words, not noticing the thinning stack of pages against my right hand) the real world and the story world collide jarringly. The sounds and the textures of the story have filled me so completely and when the characters are ripped from existence there is a silence like no other silence I have experienced. Even though I haven't been making a sound for hours the quiet is now eerie and sharp and expansive. It's like an inhale of breath, it's a void that used to be full of so much noise. It leaves a ringing echo, when the book closes. I had so much and inexplicably it's all gone and I am left lonely and cold.

I am a reader, if you haven't guessed. I love stories. They are timeless and seem to inhabit a negative space. Stories can do amazing things yet they live on printed pages and in finite space. You can go there, become wholly changed, yet return to find everything exactly as you left it, only now all the meanings have changed. Is it strange that they can do that? Is it strange that we can do that?

Go read a story. Go make a story.

Kentucky

2011-11-14T19:20:00.001-08:00

It has been quite a while. I have spent a good amount of the interim time in Kentucky. There's so much that happened there that I'm not sure where I want to begin. So I suggest you read my friends blog because she talks about a lot of what we got up to, plus a good portion of the pictures are mine. So instead of redoing it all and waiting a kajillion years for my slow internet to upload photos, just check it out.

I will add these photos though. They are from the Lexington cemetery which is well known for its landscaped beauty. It was a gorgeous fall day and everything looks so enchanting.

A lot of the headstones were large and intricately carved. Some of them were old and worn to illegibility.

This one is a little cherub asleep on a stone, and the moss has come creeping in on it.

Update

2011-10-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

I nanny currently for that green mulah that is so desired by most people who like to eat and stay warm. And the kids I nanny can be very darling. Examples:

The boy, I will call Luke, is three years old and quite a character. I am his play buddy so he's always making sure I have my sword and my helmet so we can play properly. Even when his friends come over I need to be dressed in all my evil-fighting regalia. I usually try to take it off unnoticed because those plastic helmets don't actually fit on my head and they are always snagging my hair. But Luke is insistent.

One time he had two friends over (making it three 3-year-olds and me) and we all had guns. They were all shouting, "I'm Star Wars!" and then make a series of shooting noises. Originally we were on teams, but it quickly evolved into everyone hunting me. 3-year-olds may seems almost harmless, but put them in packs and arm them with heavy plastic machinery they turn quite lethal. The game continued for a while, mostly, I think, because my death scenes were so legendary. I found if I made a great, lasting commotion about it they would stop attacking and simply watch my amazing acting skills (which are amazing).

Other times when we play with guns (Luke always being "Star Wars!" [said in a very angry voice]) We just aim the gun at each other and every once in a while one of us will fall down and play dead for a few seconds. There is a plethora of Nerf guns in the house, but we still have to play Russian Roulette with only one dart between the two of us. And that single dart is usually greatly slobbered on because it's the baby's favorite chew toy.

The baby, Samantha, is a doll. So darling and funny. She doesn't know any human words yet, but she sounds like an Ewok when she talks. Sometimes she gets really into telling me something and I have no idea what she's trying to say, but it's adorable. She also dances really well and shakes her head "no". She's got a lot of spunk for one who can barely walk.

And that is my life thus far.

Midnight Baking

2011-10-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I came home late from work. My entrance woke my mother who had fallen asleep on the couch. Mother leapt off of the couch and started moving.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Midnight." I said.

"What?"

"It's midnight." I repeated, watching her dash around to no specific destination.

"But what time is it?" She was frantic.

"Mom! It's midnight. Twelve o'clock in the morning."

She moved around. "What time is it?"

"It. is. midnight."

She flapped her hands and looked desperate, "But what does that mean?!"

I laughed (not kind, I know, but you try doing it differently). "You're the one that's freaking out. You tell me." Then I noticed that the oven was on, so I opened it. "It's your bread." I told my despairing mother.

Her eyes finally started to focus. "Oh. Bread. Ok." She then pushed some buttons and told me to put the now risen loaves back in the oven, and turned on the timer. I was a little wary leaving her alone in her sleepy state with the oven and the eight fluffy round loaves of bread. But I was tired, so I did anyway.

I finished getting ready for bed and thought I better just do a last check on the Sleeping Baking Beauty. I barely saved the loaves from burning. They are a dark brown instead of a burnt black. "Mom!" I chided her. "Your timer is going off!"

She raised her head from the couch and said, "Oh.... put the other loaves in. Timer."

I went over and stood next to her. "Mom, can I trust you to take out the bread? Because I'm going to bed now and you didn't do so well last time."

"No, I'm fine. I've had a nice nap. I'm awake now," she said but laid her head back down. So I set the oven timer and put an alarm on her phone, thinking that between the two she should wake up decently.

This morning I went into the kitchen and found two very burnt loaves of bread. Indeed.

Update

2011-09-13T15:52:00.001-07:00

So, I have not written in an age. Mostly because my life is about as exciting as an apple that sits in the windowsill until it becomes an old fogy face or a pile of ooze.

But! I thought I'd make even that slow event sound exciting, so be prepared for my amazing writing skills (*cough cough).

I haven't been able to find a job so I succumbed and started nannying for a family down the street. The kids are adorable (softened with a bit of fussiness and really dirty diapers). The girl is nearly one and has the most amazing wardrobe. If she wasn't the size of my calf I might seriously fall to klepto tendencies. Today I was feeding her some lunch (which was difficult because she was using all her rations to feed the floor). Then she shared a bit with me then shoved her food into her face. I cooed at her, "Are you shoving that gold fish into your eye?" and she giggled and kind rolled her head to one side, like "Yeeees."

And the other day she was napping but I heard some noise from her room so I went in to check on her and she was completely awake, just lounging back on her pillow. She saw me and her face broke into this huge smile and she held out her hand to me as if to say, "Hey! I'm just chillin here, in my crib. So glad you could make it!"

Lately she's taken to crawling intensely. She'll think about her destination for a minute then put her head down and charge towards her goal with serious determination. Her navigation skills could use some work though, because she's been running into walls n' stuff. She gets so angry if she has to look up mid-crawl. It slows her down, but... so does the wall.

There's the extent of it. I am blanking on my more exciting adventures with those kids, but more will come, I'm sure, because it's all my life consists of at the moment.

Surprise Party!

2011-08-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my mother's 50th birthday, so we celebrated her by surprising her with a lot of people, a lot of food, and homemade ice cream. It transpired thus:

My mom was planning on dinner with just her children, and it was going to be later because the little boys have football practice til 8:30. So we all played along and let her make call in and make a reservation. But before then Nik took her out for ice cream with his girlfriend, who couldn't come to dinner but had still gotten her something (a likely story). Then while driving my aunt called Nik, completely frantic and concerned, "Nik! Grandma has fallen down and we can't get her up. We need your help! Where are you?! Can you come?" So Nik and Co. headed up to my aunt's house.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party was in my aunt's kitchen, doing last minute preparations. We all stationed ourselves in position and then Teeny got a sudden idea. "Let's really have Grandma on the ground!" and though most people didn't seem to think this was a good idea (she is 99, after all, and already broke her back this year) Teeny was insistent, and with the help of several gentlemen they lowered Grandma onto the floor in the front entryway. They gave some pillows, dumped her walker strategically, then turned her wig so it was just askew.

When my Mom and Nik entered Grandma started moaning in great pain (she is quite the actress, that lady), escalating in pitch. Teeny and my mom fumbled, explained, and suggested for a minute, then Teeny said, "She's just so hot. Could you go get her come ice or a cold rag in the kitchen?" (My uncle was all for saying, "Go boil some water!" or "Grab some towels," but we opted for something slightly more logical) So my mom dashed into the kitchen where she met a crowd of people who shouted "SURPRISE!"

Ahahaha! She was shocked. "That is cruel!" she said, "You guys are so mean." She covered her face, and Grandma came walking in, her wig on straight and a very satisfied smile on her face. Mom had no idea. It was wonderful. Nik was laughing, as was must every one else. A few were disappointed there were no tears. Teeny thought she ought to have milked the tragedy a little more, but it was all good. After the initial shock wore off she was delighted.

*Chuckle. I am very satisfied.

Grandma runs me over

2011-08-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

On Thursday my great-aunt hired me to take my great-grandma out for a little while. These two charming women have somewhat of a Mrs. Bates/Miss Bates relationship, not quite that extreme but sometimes close.

My darling great-grandmother is turning 99 (that's right, ninety-nine) in just a couple weeks, so getting her around in not exactly easy, and neither is talking to her since she can't quite hear and her short-term memory is suffering somewhat. But still I love her, and so was glad of the opportunity of taking her to pick up her hearing aid, getting some Arbie's, and do some grocery shopping. My great-aunt packed a cooler full of ice, cups, and coke for the trip.

The visit to the grocery store was by far the highlight of the adventure. We got grandma into one of those jazzy scooters with a shopping cart attached and just let her go. She insisted on following me though, so for most of the trip I was ghosted by an old lady on a scooter.

Down one aisle she said that we needed some coke, so I picked up a box of cans and said, "Grandma, I'm going to put this in your cart instead of mine." She responded "Ok." Then rammed me over with her scooter. She just held down the go lever, pushing me back while I've got this big thing of soda in my hands. "Grandma, stop! Stop!" But she didn't really hear me, so I had to reach over and pull her hand off the controls.

Then we had a big debate over marshmallows. Growing up during the Depression made my Grandma very conservative with money and food. She needed marshmallows but couldn't stand the fact that a bag was almost $3. Thank goodness for Western Family.

After settling on which bag of marshmallows (I was able to convince her that the fruit kind, already horrible [hence the reduced price], taste particularly nasty in chocolate) we found the rest of the aisle a-litter with new merchandise and carts (and one poor bloke who was having a real tough time deciding on pasta).

So I said, "Grandma, we'll have to go back that way. Do you think you can reverse straight all the way back?" She looked at me and said, "Yeah." then clenched her fist around the reverse lever and shot backwards, without even looking, straight into the jell-O and cake mixes. And she just kept pushing reverse so the scooter kind of scratched and skidded along the shelves for a bit before I was able to get her to stop. "Grandma! Whoa! Stop!" When she finally heard me she just put her hands in her lap and waited.

I started cleaning up the wreck, but a real nice employee came over and said, "I'll take care of this, don't worry." Which, if we analyze the subtext, would sound more like, "I can see she's a handful, so keep a closer eye on her and stop wrecking my store."

The whole fiasco was fun though. I'm glad I went. I love her dearly. Maybe I'll get her a jazzy for her birthday.

It's a matter of taste

2011-07-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my mom had a catering job and she called me on her way over in a moment of panic and requested my mad catering-skills to come and assist her before the party started. So I went on over and she handed me some frozen concentrate, countrytime powder, real lemon juice, and a large orange cooler and told me to make some lemonade.

Now, unbeknownst to my mother I have never mixed such things to make a drink. I am a very much a one- or two-ingredients per drink kind of girl, but she's the boss so I just started mixing some stuff, tasting along the way to see how I was going. When I thought it was nearly there I had my mother taste-test it, and her reaction was not what I was expecting.

"Whoa! Wow. That's... that's, well..." I was kind of surprised because, I mean, how wrong can you go with lemonade? Especially when there's powder and mix for you? I guess I must be really talented or something. Mother continued, "You put that much lemon in? Ok, well... hmmm...." She then took the Costco sized Countrytime powder mix and dumped half of it it. "Hopefully that will do something." She said.

Somewhat abashed I abandoned the lemonade and moved over to the caprese and lettuce-wraps. My mom ended up fixing my bout of creativity and the lemonade was fine. But, lesson learned for next time!

I made a bag!

2011-07-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Look at this!

Hidden in the depths of 50 lb. flour bags and enough rice to feed a chinese village, not to mention a sizable box of ties, a partial drum set, and shoes of various kinds and sizes was this! It happens to be my grandfather's sewing machine, sewing table, I think, technically. I had no idea we had it until I was organizing and tried to move this surprisingly heavy nightstand. I explored and found a sewing machine within its bowels.

SO (sew)

A day of furious planning, pinning, ironing was immediately necessary.

After digging through boxes of fabric inherited from my grandmother, and after doodling all over my sketch book, after debating color schemes and my actual talent with a sewing machine, I made this!

It's a purse! And it's just the perfect size (big enough for a notebook and novel, plus other normal purse things, but without being too cumbersome).

And look inside! That is correct, it is lined with adorable fabric and given pockets too! A pocket for a pen, my sunglasses, chapstick, and then a couple extra for girly things, I suppose. Or my pocket knife. I should get a pocket knife.

It was hard, but satisfying. Those little flags were... let's just say it didn't take long for me to hate them. And attaching the lining and the outside together was also difficult and in need of restitching a couple of times. But we all made it through, and I am glad.

Ode to Neil Gaiman

2011-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

(illustration by Tom Gauld)

I kind of have this thing for Neil Gaiman. He is an author that really bends his genre and does fantasy in a refreshing way that reminds me that fantasy can be good and enjoyable without being cliche or trite.

I just got a collection of short-stories he helped compile (along with Al Sarrantonio). In the intro he described very well my reason for reading, "We wanted to read stories that used a lightning flash of magic as a way of showing us something we have already seen a thousand times as if we had never seen it before... It's the magic of fiction: you take the words and you build them into worlds. It seemed to us that the fantastic can be, can do, so much more than its detractors assume: it can illuminate the real, it can distort it, it can mask it, it can hide it. It can show you the world you know in a way that makes you realise you've never looked at it, not looked at it. G.K. Chesterton compared fantastic fiction to going on holiday--that the importance of your holiday is the moment you return, and you see the place you live through fresh eyes."

A lot of other people seem to think so as well, because they keep making his stuff into movies.

Coraline

This one is just good. Unexpected, slightly creepy, but good for many reasons.

Stardust

This one is just enchanting, clever, and highly enjoyable.

Sandman

This one is a graphic novel series, not actually a movie, but it's cool

Good Omens (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett)

This one is also not a movie, but a really fun book. This is an adaption by some kids and I actually think they did a really good job, considering their budget. They remain true to the book (huzzah!). Plus it reminds me of these book projects we had to do in high school.

So there is some inspiration, to get me to use my pen to capture a snippet of the vast expanse of my mind.

Firework!

2011-06-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

I really like this song, even though I'm not a usual fan of Katy Perry. I think it is just good, with a good message and a good feeling.

I chose this video because her music video is, not gonna lie, totally freaky and bizarre. It tries to be uplifting and encouraging, but I think they pulled only minimal success through that forest of flash, shock, and misdirected creativity. Plus this one, you get to see the words!

Surprise!

2011-05-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a spider:

And let me tell you how this spider ended up at my house, in a plastic bucket with a saran-wrap lid.

First, I was at a baseball game (which really isn't an important factor, but fun nonetheless, especially because Noah made a home run, and an excellent catch). Then I rode home with my mother in my brother's car. We couldn't take the rest of the kids because the car was full of Ben's fix-it and build-it gear and other miscellaneous junk that accumulates in the cars of the American Youth.

On our way home we stopped to buy some plants (another non-important though interesting fact). We crammed the plants between the build-it and fix-it gear and on top of the junk. Then we headed towards the freeway and just as we were turning onto it I saw our friend from Image no. 1 come crawling out onto the dashboard with some business in mind. In my panicked mind I believed that I was its business, since it crittered right over to me, as though it had something important to discuss.

Naturally I pushed back into my seat as far as I could and started jabbering, "Mom! Mom! Mom, there's a spider. Spider! Spider! Mom, there's a spider." and I started into some hysterical laughter.

She looked over from the driver's seat. "Where? Oh! Oh! Spider! Spider!" Instinctively we both started looking around for something useful. We found a half-empty bottle of water, sandpaper, nails, ruler, box, plants (tomatoes, sage, etc.), buckets, full-length red down coat complete with hood, cookies, baseball helmet, mini soda, purse, but nothing really help this spider problem. No paper for mushing, no cup for catching. We thought about catching it in the bottle, but the spider was too big for the hole (now isn't that frightening?).

But we really wanted to catch it because this spider was too big to kill. There's a certain point where a spider becomes a trophy for the ordeal of finding it and being clever enough to capture the monster.

Mostly, though, the problem was that we were driving at this point, over 50 mph with a whole trail of cars behind us. The spider changed his route from me to my more attractive mother and she really started to panic. "Brianna! Brianna, find me something quick!"

Everything within my arm's reach was useless so I took my seatbelt off and went through the rest of the junk, berating Ben the whole time for not having the proper kind of trash in his car.

When the spider got to the other side of the dashboard and climbed up to Mom's eye-level (no doubt in the hopes of some romantic and sultry endeavor, or perhaps murder to the face) she decided the spider had more precedence than driving, so she pulled over to the side, though we had to pause our spider-dealings for a moment and figure out how to turn on the hazard lights (which was surprisingly tricky).

In the end we got a bucket and a pack of sandpaper. Slowly and gently my mom slid a baseball photo behind the spider (trying not to alarm it into fleeing into the crevice) and after several deep breaths she flicked it towards herself and I caught it in the bucket and slammed down the sandpaper.

Once the spider was contained we put our seatbelts back on and re-entered traffic, chuckling to ourselves, as though this was a typical event, and a typical way of dealing with it.

But of course, halfway home I wanted to make sure the spider was where he was supposed to be. So I peaked a look and found him right at the edge of the bucket, staring up at me, waiting. So I slammed the sandpaper back on, though by doing so almost dislodged the bucked from my legs. My mom screamed even though I caught it. No worries. Spider remained contained and is now enjoying some light and attraction.

We're pretty sure it's a kind of jumping spider, perhaps a bold jumping spider, kinda like this. The internet authority claims that jumping spiders are "completely harmless", but come on. A face and a look like that is very harmful. And even if they're not poisonous, per se, there is still a very probable psychological harm that comes from an encounter. So there.

2011-05-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

My life has been kind of standard, so my blog is kind of boring. Sorry 'bout that (though I'm sure you weren't really paying attention anyway, but I was).

But here are some current highlights:

"The dead girl's my age!" (my grandma on a funeral she went to).
Something called a "Narggle Kiss" (hehehe...)
A weeded garden (whew! [though my brother did most of the work])
A 20's Movie-Premier-themed Wedding that was absolutely wonderful (way to go Liv! and Skyler!)
Dancing in the rain (there is tons of it, so we must dance--it's the only sensible thing to be done!)
A job interview (tomorrow...)
A quiet house (this one is new... and short-lived)
Running (I've decided to train for a half-marathon *woowoo!)

Alright, I think that's it. If anything more comes up, you may or may not be informed.

Update of my life

2011-05-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

So I know it has been FOREVER since I've communicated on the internet. If you cared at all, I apologize. But here is what I have been doing with my exciting and fun-filled life! (and we'll be going backwards because I uploaded the pictures in the wrong order and am too lazy to fix that).

DISNEYLAND!

This is where the excitement ended, and what a wonderful place to end up! It was so fun and I haven't been in years. ALSO it was the first time I went on a roller-coaster with a loop (applause, please. And then more applause).

I have been a wimp with roller-coasters since I was seven, when my mom told me we were going on the bumper cars, but really it was the legendary White Roller-Coaster. Scarred me for 15 years, thanks madre! But it's ok, because I have evidently recovered. I was absolutely rushed with adrenaline and by the time I got off the California Screamin' my face was wet with tears (I have no idea where they came from, though I suspect I should be embarrassed by that) and my hands were tingly and numb. But it was cool! I survived and it was almost fun. Then to top it all off I went on Tower of Terror (a mild standing ovation, if you please). To quote my mom, "It's lucky you went with boys, otherwise you wouldn't even have considered it," which is so true. It was in no way my own idea, but I fell into peer pressure and am glad of it though I nearly peed my pants in anticipation.

POPPIES!

This was taken on the drive to So Cal (Socal? SoCal? I'm obviously not cool enough to know). The South California. Whatever it's called, it's beautiful and sunny, though very windy (intense push-you-over kind of wind on the beach). We passed this field of orange poppies and stopped the car so we could go frolic. But frolicking was made impossible due to large amounts of barrier bushes that were full of thistles and thorns. So we simply admired it from a distance. And look at how blue the ocean is! Just wonderful.

THE REDWOODS

You can't see the scale on this sucker, but believe me, it's massive. Those trees are just giants! I've never seen them before and it was fantastic. They are so strong and impervious to everything, including fire. We went inside one that was covered in black burns and hollowed out due to flames but it was still alive and growing. Amazing.

RAINBOW CLOUD

This was near the beginning of our trip. We passed this cloud rainbow. I hadn't seen one of these before either, and didn't really know it was possible, but there it is. A cloud that was thin enough to create a rainbow effect without it raining. It was really neat.

GRADUATION

That's right, folks. All this adventurousness started because I graduated, which naturally required some celebration. So I've done it! Finished with school! I've got a college degree, and holy cow! I never thought I'd make it, but I just kind of closed my eyes and kept pushing through and now it's over. Hoorah!

Of course the question everyone is asking is, "Now what?" But, naturally, I have no idea. Life, of course. A career, I guess. But where? When? What? I have no answer to those questions, but I'll figure something out, I'm sure. Right now I'm just happy to be done (now it's your turn to jump up and down in childish excitement, like me).

Summer is just around the corner

2011-04-05T14:37:00.001-07:00

Summer is nearing! I can hear it like an ice cream truck 3 1/2 streets over. Which means, despite the indecisive weather, I will be out of school! And when there is no school there is a surprising amount of time for fun things. So since I currently don't have much time (that whole school bit 'n all) I will simply give a list of things I would like to do with my summer.

Learn how to play the ukulele
Run (which I have been craving, oddly enough)
Sleep normal hours
Earn some money (always a handy thing to have lying around)
Go places I've never been before
Read recreationally
Water slide (SWIM)
Paint a bit
Take more pictures
Make a movie
Learn how to edit
Have a picnic (or several)
Eat my weight in watermelon (which a lot of watermelon)

Thinking about this is somewhat of a downer because I still have 3 papers to write, 5 finals to take, and 2 presentations to give :( But as I see it the summer is a large and well-deserved reward for making it through the school year. So yay!

Oh weather

2011-03-21T18:32:00.001-07:00

Spring is occasionally in the air. It was sunny and warm on Friday. Today it snowed. So, naturally the world is a little confused and no one knows what's going on or who's in charge of what. The snow elves keep making that white stuff because the orders for the winter-weather-halt was misplaced between the pansy layout and the request for lily-bulb upgrades. It's all in chaos, more or less, but we manage by wearing our coat while carrying flip-flops (just in case). I just hope they get it settled soon. I want a warm weekend!

Things I Love About Life

2011-02-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

Swimming
Movies (good ones with friends, snuggles, and candy)
Letter-writing
Inside jokes
Rolling down hills
Absolutely wonderful younger siblings
Inspiring older siblings
Silly parents
A friend finding happiness
Creating something you like
Worrying you're going to fail, then not failing
Jamming out to a great song
Sunshine
Discovering a new and wonderful book
Passion
Jumping in puddles
Laughing
Making someone laugh
Realizing you do homework better than you thought
Good food
Hot chocolate
Warm showers
The clickity-click of this keyboard

And much much more!

Good Ol' Monty

2011-02-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

I took a Monty Python class last semester, and I loved it. I thought I'd share with you one of my more favorite skits. Perhaps it will brighten your weekend.

A List of Creativity

2011-02-05T09:14:00.001-08:00

I have been feeling the need for some newness and creativity. You know how it gets when you just want to express yourself or do something but your cramped by space, time, and money?

So I've compiled a list to help get one out of a creative/activity slump:

Take a good picture (it may take a few tries. That's the point.)
Find new music you like
Find a new blog to follow
Paint something (a card, a painting, a chair, etc.)
Try a new hairdo
Do some crazy makeup
Write a haiku
Bake something (delicious)
Do yoga
Rearrange your furniture
Watch an artsy movie
Tie a scarf or belt around your person in some new manner
Sew something (a button onto something, your initials, etc.)
Cut some paper (into shapes or make a pop-up card)

So there you go, if you're ever in need for a creative pick-me-up, I hope this helps.

Have a good day!

Some More Pretty Pictures

2011-01-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

So today, class, we are exploring some American painters. I hope you enjoy (I certainly did).

Inness "Home of the Heron"

Don't you just feel it? That brooding expectation?

Cassatt "Breakfast in Bed"

Isn't this just beautiful and wonderfully understated?

I love her profile, and for some reason her right arm. It's very elegant, but that right arms adds a great deal of reality to the piece.

Apparently she was quite the scandal, with numerous affairs and possible abortions (very daring for the time period). You know women of the age would sometimes put arsenic on their skin to make it translucent (so you could see the blue veins underneath. How strange!)

Whistler, "Blackboard"

I love her dress, the texture and such.

The British Language

2011-01-14T08:49:00.001-08:00

Here are some fun British phrases I hope you'll enjoy:

Lollipop man: The crossing guard in front of schools.

Jam tomorrow: a common expression meaning that if you do something today you'll be rewarded tomorrow.

nouse: common sense; intelligence

scupper: to defeat (originally it was used in the Hornblower sense, as in to sink an enemy ship)

chuffed: delighted, pleased ("chuffed to bits")

Sod off!: Go away!

moose: unpleasant, boring; ugly person

Family White Elephant

2011-01-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

Every after Christmas and before New Year's we have a family adult Christmas party that includes the passing of white elephant gifts. This year this is what my brother brought:

In case you can't tell that is a drum cymbal with a self-help relationships video, a glow stick, and hand warmers taped onto it. It was voted as one of the worst gifts present. The other gift that tied for worst was my cousin's sack lunch that he took out of his car and wrapped up with the host's wrapping paper.

This party is usually very fun, as my family can get quite creative with what they bring. There were also some Cialis pill boxes (empty, but containing money), a plethora of dollar-store man-candy calendars, a jar full of homemade puppets' heads, and I think my personal favorite was a live lobster wrapped up in a macey's clothing box. Ah, family.

About the Snake

2010-12-30T23:00:00.001-08:00

Since there have been some inquiries I thought I'd explain about the python that appears in that photo.

Well my talented brother wanted to take family portraits as Christmas gifts for the parentals (which totally worked. My mom would have cried if we let her). So we went down the street to an empty lot and took pictures in front of an old maroon Chevy. The owner of the Chevy came out of the neighboring house and asked us if we needed the car moved or repositioned. We said we were fine, and it was all good. He returned 1+1/2 minutes later with a 15 foot python. And that's the explanation I have.

We took some pictures because how could we not? Apparently its the oldest python there is at 42 years old. A little while later the owner brought out a second python and we took some more pictures cuz life is just that awesome with two 15 foot, 40+ year-old pythons.

One life goal checked off the list.

Thank you friendly neighborhood snake-man.

Just the neighborhood python out for a stroll.

2010-12-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

So my yearly portrait included a Burmese Python.

Did yours?

Some Pretty Pictures

2010-12-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

So here are some paintings I've come across during my sojourn in the academic world. And I like them, for various reasons.

This one depicts Ajax (the Lesser) abducting Cassandra from her sanctuary of Athena (for which Athena punished Ajax by blasting him with a lighting bolt. Lesson: Don't mess).

This is a painting of the Romantics depicting the suicide of Chatterton. It is terribly sad (especially since he was only 17) But the painting is a great work of art I think. The play of blue and red, the symbolic rising sun and the open window. I saw it at the Tate, which was awesome.

This is a somewhat happier painting. It shows the sculptor Pygmalion as his glorious work of art comes to life as Galataea. I love how you can see her transformation as it is taking place. Cool stuff.

This is why life is still good, even during finals.

2010-12-08T16:30:00.001-08:00

So what if it's stolen from another blog? Such happiness must be spread, I tell you!

Look at me being all artistic

2010-11-23T08:43:00.001-08:00

So in desperate need for creativity I brought out my old watercolors and painted.

This one makes me happy. It's just... yeah. Happy.

Here's another sailboat. I got the idea from a handkerchief I have. I just copied the shape, then played with the patterns.

This one if part of a 10 hour project I have to do for my New Testament class. If I'm being bold I call it "Rejoicers Among the Mourners" (but I don't think I'll be bold about this one). It's the Marys running in to tell the apostles that Christ is risen. Despite how ridiculously long this took me I don't like it much. It's so stiff, and I can't really paint. It just looks so basic. Maybe I'll try this again once my skills are warmed up. But I like the idea.

Good Times

2010-11-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

So instead of working on a rather daunting paper that is still very much in the worrying stage (that sits looming before the thinking stage-- which is WAY before the writing stage) I've decided to sit down and rehearse to you an event that happened last week.

Last Thursday I ran into my Asian Humanities class about a minute and a half late. The teacher was at the front of the class, bringing it to order and calling on someone to pray. Now there are many seats in this quite full classroom and I usually sit near the front when I want to see the board, so I was rushing in between two rows which were placed a bit too close together. The praying boy stood up and everybody got quiet then WHAM. My foot went through some Swiss boy's backpack strap and put a very abrupt stop to my scurrying. I flew admirably and landed with a smack full length along the floor. I couldn't quite catch myself since there was a partially drunken breakfast shake in one hand so I landed hard without a shred of grace (save for the shake that miraculously stayed in its cup). Everywhere were feet, backpacks, and I could hear the chorus of Oh's and Are-You-Ok's? scattered above me as every student craned their necks and raised themselves out of their seats to see my spectacle.

I tried to get to my feet, but I only had one injured hand and my knee was stinging. Plus my foot seemed to only get more and more tangled during my attempt. The owner of this malicious bag finally had to get off his seat and unwrap my legs from the bag and I was able to get up. All around me were staring eyes, some concerned, some empathetically embarrassed. The two boys ahead of me scooted their desks away from me, giving me the room I obviously need when maneuvering. When I finally sat down and assured the baited class about 4 times that I was fine the other standing student was finally allowed to pray. I could hardly keep silent during the prayer because I kept erupting in not-so-silent laughter. Chuckle chuckle. So funny!

So cheers to me!

my birthday

2010-10-11T12:22:00.001-07:00

It was my birthday, so I had a party. Here is some of what it looked like.

Pewter, pumpkins and candlelight. So enchanting!

Bahahha! Those little dressed up pumpkins make me so happy.

My ring selection is awesome. And so is my nail polish.

Everyone got a mustache! Or monocle. This produced some very interesting results. Just imagine the inner characters that surfaced. All they needed was a bit of fuzz above the lip and accents abounded, both in prose and lyrics, also accompanied with amusing facial expressions. Highly entertaining.

Here is the cake my brothers decorated for me. In the very center was a giant marshmallow, impaled with candy corns and topped with a giant plastic eye. Truly Halloween. They thought they were so clever for not only putting on the googly eyes, but also covering some up with frosting, so as to be a hidden surprise for some poor Bruce in want of chocolate cake.

But it was all fabulous! Very fun and filling. Thank you friends!

Lake Powell

2010-09-27T12:27:00.001-07:00

We went to Lake Powell last week, just us adults. And it was all very fun. We wakeboarded, air-chaired, played horse-shoes and told stories around the camp fire. Memorable, fun, and often hilarious.

Here are the spectators of the horse-shoe match. Please note the plethora of cranial protection. Also the fact that the gentle-lady in the pink bonnet is my 98-year old grandmother.

This is me participating in the hors-shoe tournament. Was pretty much awesome, so ya know.

My uncle and me, winning the tournament. Told you I was awesome. My ringer ended the game (only after Danny dragged us all the way to the top).

Grandma again. We pumped her full of sweets then let her sugar-crash out in the water.

Other things of interest:

There was one wallet lost in the water, which was retrieved with mask and dive the next day.
This family is highly competitive (which resulted in various strategies of commentary, encouragement, distraction, and eventually evident avoidance of the other team).
I learned how to play bridge with my 98-year old grandma.
This family has the best stories to tell around the fire

FOR EXAMPLE:

Hootie once drove his friends for some camping trip up in northern Utah. They were pulled over by a cop and had to use the rest of their money to pay him off. They then continued to drive, and Hootie decided it was fun to light bottle rockets out the window of the moving vehicle. Naturally one flew back into the car and bounced everywhere before landing in the driver's console. This resulted in a moderate crash that tilted the entire frame of the car. But no worries. On to fishing!

They finally made it, and caught some illegal fish but couldn't eat them before the Fishing and Game Inspector came over. But they still had fun by strategically placing a dead snake for one of their friends to find.

But when they needed to go home they had no more gas and no money. So what did they do? Simply they used the windshield fluid hose to siphon gas from a cop's car (since it was his fault they were in this predicament in the first place) while the car was sitting in front of his house. It took a while, but they got home just fine, and rather enjoyed themselves.

And that is just ONE of the tales of the family. They lived quite adventurously, I do say. THOUGH we did have our own share. On the way home we stopped in Green River and the keys were locked in the car. This was bad, as there is no spare in existence and we were trying to get my aunt to the airport just in time to catch a flight. Yikes.

But luckily there happened to be a teenager working at the Subway who has the black-market knowledge of breaking into unsuspecting (or suspecting) vehicles. We rounded his sandy head up and he assisted us with a small set of tools (including the coat hanger and a screw-driver) and in less than 5 minutes he had the door open and we were on our way. Richard to the rescue!

And how does my brother pay Subway back for hiring such ideal employees? By stealing one of their giant sticky signs and adhering it to my other brother's car during the night. Fun fun.

2010-09-21T21:52:00.001-07:00

So I have been constantly eating since I was old enough to put food in my own mouth. And I blame it on womanhood, since it's more general than me.

Anyway.

My roommate is watching the Chop Challenge on the food network. That's crazy cool. Knife-yielding genius. I myself own some sharp Japanese blades. Perhaps I should practice so I too can be the chop champion! I have an onion... and canned green beans. Hmm...

I just grabbed another lemon bar. Good compromise.

2010-09-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wore my London tights (or 'stockings' as someone called them) and it was a great day.

Thoughts (I don't claim them to be good or worth your time)

2010-09-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

So summer is officially over and I've now been in school for a week. I am still begrudging many a thing that goes with the school season, but as there seems to be no way around it, I'll just have to deal (or run screaming off into the distance--which I still may do if there happens to be a heavily oiled and well-toned man both shirtless and holding a pina colada in the distant sunset...ah, summer).

But life is getting better and I'm learning (like how to hear literary jargon and nod with a small smile Oh, yes, of course... pedagogical, mmm hmmm... while inside I'm rather confused and somewhat dazed).

So onward ho! Bouquets of sharpened pencils and the smell of scotch tape! Let's own this school thing, shall we?

2010-08-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Kids' Camp

2010-08-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished the first day of my kids' camp and HOLY COW. It was intense. Like a five hour birthday party with two different age groups, the majority of both filled with intense, screaming boys. Party. On.

We played with water balloons and had a relay race where the boys had to carry an overgrown zucchini between their legs. Now THAT was amusing. And we made salt-dough volcanos (which we will later explode, much to the enjoyment of all). Some of the kids got very creative--we're talking trap doors and giant rattlesnakes and sea animals of various sorts.

It's only day one of this exciting adventure and we are all wondering how we will make it through.

2010-08-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I have a sty on the inside of my lower eyelid. Things are swelling out of proportion and it's starting to creep up into my vision. Ew.

St. George

2010-08-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

So my mom was in desperate need of a vacation and we decided St. George would be a good place to go at the end of July, when cooking eggs and bacon on the sidewalk is so passe, and people have moved on to ham and asparagus. We're talking 103 degrees average =fun?

Luckily the condo had air conditioning (which is actually a huge step up from home) and a nearby pool with a handful of beautifully tanned and well-shaped life-guards. =fun (probably more fun if they were past high school and knew about the real world, at least a little). But I won't lie, I was totally looking.

It was a rather fun trip. I learned shuffleboard (I'm quite gifted actually. Why am I so surprised? I mean come on, it's me. Don't I just ooze Shuffleboard Queen?). I told Greek myths to the boys (Jackson was rather upset that I knew so few stories about the "Water Guy" aka Poseidon).

We did a death hike in the middle of the day on Wednesday. It was so hot the five of us went through five quarts in like an hour and fifteen minutes. DOOOD. We later hiked Angels' Landing at night (as in walked home in the dark with a wind-up flash light=fun and a little scary). I absolutely SHREDDED my pants slipping of the road while taking a picture. Minor scrapes on the body but the shorts are completely done for. I had to finish the hike holding my pants together so anyone behind us wouldn't get sight of my voluptuously white arse. Yes we can all laugh, ha ha ha.

The boys finally caught their much desired lizard. Hours of chasing the poor animals around hot rocks and sand only to end up in a poky bush. But they were at last successful. They caught one tiny one, but almost caught five, so... they were happy.

Now we just have to get back to the real world... =not fun.

Girls' Night

2010-07-17T12:14:00.001-07:00

I have some awesome friends. Like could hold up the world while singing the National Anthem and make you feel like a million bucks kind of awesome. And last night we all got to hang out and it was a BLAST.

It began with a bridal shower. Gifts and food have always been good starters for adventures. Just as a warning, this doesn't end in chocolate smeared on faces, or ripped feather pillows. It was much more natural and classy. (Ok, ok, the chocolate would be natural but we had just stuffed our faces at a shower so didn't feel the need for excess sugar and syrup). Instead, it was diet cokes and North and South, which, to me, is *perfection*.

Oh, by the way, I totally made a double-layered cheesecake for the shower. It was my first cheesecake ever and I ROCKED IT. Everyone loved it (so what if I was threatening them with a serrated knife covered in goo?). But yeah. AWESOME. I even made a legit Devil's Food Cake from scratch for the in between layers. I should be a chef or something. One that threatens people to like my food. (You can do it, Bruce!)

But anyway. Fabulous friends make life so much easier. We went over my life last night, and now I know where I'm headed, and feel so much better about it all. I'm glad we discussed it. Plus they are just inspiring people. Like what they've been through and how they've come out on top. It's worth some serious chicken soup (the good kind, not the kind some granny covered in cheese cuz she thought it sounded cute). Anyhoo. They make me marvel, and I'm so happy that my life is filled with such people.

And HEY! I made a cheesecake!

*ps, to those who may be involved, this is not meant to make you feel awkward, uncomfortable, or any other disagreeable feelings. Don't feel the need to reciprocate or anything. I just love you.

Bear Lake Weekend

2010-07-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

My family typically goes to Bear Lake for the 4th of July. Typically, as well, the boys check out Lake Bloomington, which is a small lake surrounded by coldness. Look hither:

Notice those little dots on the snow? That would be the male members of my family plus a knee board which they used to sled down into the water.

Like this!

Does it not look ridiculously fun?

Exactly.

That's why I didn't go for it. I let stupidity reign only so much.

Here is one brother attempting to warm up afterwards.

And here is my dad suffering from a similar brain freeze. We're sitting in the sun judging the rope swingers. Obviously I was not that impressed. Most the attempters were show-offs with no talent (which is a little contrary to the point of a show-off, don't you think? It's like fat people in small swimsuits. If you don't have it, don't flaunt it.)

Also at Lake Bloomington we saw a small dog that was 1/2 golden retriever and 1/2 wiener dog. Now isn't that a question to the universe? Who in the world allowed that? And how in the world did it happen?

The result was actually quite fun, despite any misgivings you may have; the golden retriever personality in a much more containable size.

Summer Jobs

2010-06-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've decided to reenter the world via employment. Supposedly, money is a good thing, and while I am dubious in some respect, I do agree when it comes to such things as gas and food. And movies. And books. It is remarkable how much money I spend on entertainment. Do you know how many books I came back from Europe with? Well I'm not telling. It's embarrassing.

You should be proud though. I've updated my resume and applied for THREE jobs. Just this morning. One already bit (speed speaks volumes of desperation). I'm hoping for the others though. Catering mashed peas to drooling old people is only so ideal. Everyone keeps telling me internships are great for career purposes, but I don't exactly qualify for many, and others are on either coast, so.... mashed peas anyone?

We'll see, we'll see. I'll keep you updated, surely.

A Short Update

2010-06-28T13:08:00.001-07:00

Sorry for those waiting (or not) for some more Europe update. Short story: Stupid internet. I have a video, but apparently no one gets to see it.

But Saint Petersburg is crazy! I went to the Russian Ballet (Swan Lake--oooh, so cultured), and a dead baby museum (gross--and so Russian). There was a city-wide party for graduated high school seniors, which I'm pretty sure is never a good idea. The city felt so different from everywhere else I'd been, so it was a really neat experience. Nik says I didn't even get the whole experience since I only saw a little blood and no needles, or passed out drunk/drugged people. But I got a taste.

Then I came home after a very long and arduous journey and my best friend got married! It was a gorgeous wedding, and just lovely.

Uh, more later? If i feel inclined and if anyone cares?

Welcome to St. Petersburg!

2010-06-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Nik and I finally arrived in Russia, after being delayed for a night in Latvia (what? Who goes there?) When we landed and started to make our way to the hotel I got very anxious. Everything when I first landed felt so foreign. The language, the alphabet, the customs. I mean, I've been a few places now, but here I felt so much more distanced between them and me.

We took a bus to the metro (buses are interesting, let's just say that for now) and once we figured out the metro I felt a little calmer. For me the metro in a new place is always the scariest aspect. The signs and directions are all different, people are going fast, and there's no official people around to help if needs be. But I conquered the metro, and feel better about life.

Here is the lovely view from our hotel room. The room is small and the bathroom smaller. It is easily possible for a person to wash their hands while using the toilet while also washing their feet in the shower. Space efficiency is key.

The first day we went to Peterhof, which is a very large palace with some very impressive fountains (as you now see). Look at this picture and notice the size of the actual people (they're small, but keep looking). Like I said, impressive fountainage.

St. Petersburg is cool, from what I've seen so far. It is very different, therefore very exhilarating and frightening at one and the same time. I rather cling to Nik. I have no idea what anyone is saying and can't even begin to attempt to communicate. I do know some of the alphabet, but that's only useful if I have 10 minutes and 1 word, and happen to know the translation.

Bugger, there's a HUGE party going on outside and I want to go, but Nik's not back yet, and I'll admit, mobs of russian people rather scare me on my lonesome.

More Italy

2010-06-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Voila, Italy. The gem of the Renaissance. I must be brief just cuz, ya know, I'm in Italy. That doesn't afford much time.

Here is a lovely overview of Rome. Who knew? The city can be very wind-y and at times dirty, or distincly submerged in the smell of urine. But this is beautiful! Nik and I have pretty much spent the last two days walking, non stop, up hill, stairs, or running. It is very hot, and pretty sure I'm constantly covered in a layer of dripping sweat. No worries. That just means I fit right in.

How is this for an Italian? He was our tour guide for the Colosseum, and that's right. His name was Paolo.

See?!! This is the kind of interiors all of Rome works with. You see something less than this and you just shrug like it's a sweater 2 years out of fashion.

This Piazza of statues just shows how frequent great art is in this country. Every corner you turn and every building you see is something huge, important, and artistically significant. We stood on one corner and every direction you turned there was something amazing. It's like sensory overload all the time. It doesn't help that our hotel is on the corner of a very busy street, so we never get any rest for our senses. I feel a little strung out. But it's ok. I will press on.

And how's this for fun?! I just loved it, and thought you should too. More later. Maybe.

Nik Arrives!

2010-06-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Nik finally came, arriving Tuesday after a much troubled flight. I was so terribly excited as it has been quite a while since I've seen any family. I showed him some bits of London, we saw some great plays. It was wonderful.

Then we went off to Paris. Instead of showing you all of Paris I will just show you a new acquisition to my list.

Voila, Le Sacre Coeur.

It was massive and beautiful. The tile work inside is highly impressive. It covers such large area of the wall and ceiling. Quite stunning.

We stayed in this area that could not seem to decide which culture to emphasize. When we first arrived the streets were thronged with Middle Eastern people, so crowded and busy. Later that night all these tourist shops suddenly popped up, and no one appeared to be a native. Then the next morning there were streets and streets selling fabric of all kinds, lain out on the sidewalk. The place kept changing on us, but it was only a collection of maybe 4 streets.

Nik and I took a sleeper train to Italy from Paris. Here was my Paris souvenir: wonderfully cute, small, and delicious. Happy? Yes.

The train was an interesting experience. We were bunked with this small, odd Frenchman with a large suitcase and cello that he could not figure out where to put. Nik says the Frenchman got up multiple times during the night to check his stuff and peep outside the cabin window.

In the morning our French friend was the first to hop down and open the door. Only the lock mechanism came out in his hand and he could not fix it. Yes, we were locked in this very cramped, uncomfortable cabin with uncomfortable, foreign, and small people. It was awkward and strange and never-ending. I feel I should also mention the bathroom facilities this train offered were so small that, according to mon frere you'd have to open the door and step out into the hallway to wipe yourself. Also there was a sign above the sink that said 'do not drink the water'. Sketchy? Yes. It didn't help that our Italian cabin manager insisted we lock our door and 'sleep wit da moneys'.

Nik took a hand at the attempt of freeing us after a while. Quite naturally he almost took the door off its hinges, except it didn't have any hinges. But this showed us exactly where the door was stuck (it wasn't the lock). We finally pulled in, all 4 of us close cabin buddies still stuck. Help came in the form of 5 Italian men, 1 mallet, 1 crowbar, and 1 audience member. After much rushed and angered Italian to each other and words of calming to us, some hammering, to the door, and some crowbar to the track the door was off, we all were freed. But missed our connecting train.

Not to worry. We made it to Florence. Eventually.

Florence!

Here is the gorgeous, unbelievable, amazing Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Or simply the Duomo.

Here is Nik climbing the dome (can you see the curve?). Those were some steep steps. Almost put the Notre Dame to shame.

Almost.

Look at its beautiful painted ceiling! It really was breathtaking.

Ok, so that, quickly, our days in Paris and first day in Florence. Certainly a lot more happened, but I'm pretty sure I have never been so caked with sweat in my life. Or my feet so dirty. Shower is much much needed. We love Europeans only so much. I'll copy their art, but never the smell.

Old Men and their JAZZIES

2010-06-07T00:37:00.001-07:00

And you remember the original?

Every time. Such happiness.

Stratford-Upon-Avon

2010-06-04T13:38:00.001-07:00

This week our entire program went to Stratford-Upon-Avon to see the birthplace of that one famous guy, who may be the cause of this whole program and my being in London, that Shakespeare dude.

We went to see every farm, garden, house, and piece of land connected to him and his life (or his daughters, or his mother's). It was intense and exhaustive, but I made it through the Shakespeare mania.

This house is pretty much the format of every thing we went to see. A large, beautiful garden, and an old school thatched-roof house with some old furniture and fake bread inside.

But before we went there we stopped my Coventry Cathedral, which has been a religious site since the 1100's. It has been 3 different cathedrals, and was bombed in WWII and they kept the outside standing, and simply built a new one on the inside of the shell.

There was a lot of modern art inside, and I really loved their stained glass window.

Next we went to Kenilworth Castle. It was the home of some famous guy in Queen Elizabeth's court, the one she actually liked and wanted to marry, but luckily didn't.

This was my favorite part.

I turned a corner, and who should be there but Robin Hood? Vastly appropriate.

Here is the inside. Pretty cool huh?

The British really like their gardens, and even offer books about it in the Kenilworth museum.

Then we made our way to Ann Hathaway's home. We saw the chair she and Shakespeare might have sat in. It's all very exciting.

Here is a man with an interesting shirt. I suppose his wife was glad enough to have him along so she'd take him in what ever form he came in. Look. She's so excited ("Oh look! Plants Shakespeare might have had, enjoyed, or even seen! Let's take a picture.") He's not much of a gardener, ("Yup. That one's purple.")

So Robin Hood & Gang donated this bench. They must like Shakespeare.

The Old English people were rather lax when it came to building homes. Nothing was straight, even, or even similar. Beams were whatever length suited the day, every floor slanted sharply (missing pocket change? Look to the southern wall), doors could be specific to the one person who made them. No hallways (room --> room --> room) to which our guide said, "You saw something *shrug* you saw something. But the curtains were for a bit of privacy. You'd still hear it though." (us: MAKE HIM STOP! MAKE HIM STOP!).

This is the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried. Pretty.

The last day we went to Blenheim Palace, which was a much more appropriate version of Versailles, except for this odd creature:

We are all curious as to why anyone would choose a harpy statue. "Oh please. Apollo? Again?! I'd prefer something much more original. And creepy. Yes a harpy will do quite nicely."

A lake in their garden. On our way here we found a tree someone had given to the Duke in honor of something significant. We thought it rather amusing. "Oh yes, thank you. I do love a good tree, and my yard is somewhat sparse. This will do just wonderfully."

The last bit of our trip was spent in Oxford. We went to the Natural History Museum (those are the most entertaining).

Behold giant spider crab that I attempted to pet. He was not kind.

I like mimicking animals' faces, ok? Don't judge me and my three chins. And don't stare, either.

Oh, this is a kind of stork. I call him Darrel.

This is a bad picture of some shrunken heads. I would have gotten a better one, but it was 4:28 and the guard was yelling, "The museum is now closed!" also meant as, "get the hell out of this building so I can go home." But apparently the shrinking of enemy heads was in practice up until 1960. At least that's what our picture of the caption says.

That's Right, I went to the home of the illustrious JANE AUSTEN

2010-05-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

So now I realize that all my blogs tend to be a large number of pictures with medium length captions. I don't know how we all feel about it, but as you make no comments, I feel it's fine to continue on in this fashion. If it upsets you, you had your turn to speak, so just deal.

Here is her house, right on the corner. It wasn't as cute or quaint as I was expecting, but it was her last house, and generously given by her brother. So it'll do (pig, that'll do...). Notice how everyone is just flocking towards it.

Behold: the plaque

Behold: Me by the house.

Around the back they have these interactive things for little children (hence me). Can anyone guess the scene?

How about this one?

The outside appearance of the house was completely made up for by the spectacular garden. The flowers were absolutely stunning, all just in bloom. The gardeners took special care to have flowers that were popular during the regency period. And by each flower they have a plaque of its official name, what is was called in Jane Austen's time, and when it was brought over to England. Amazing, right?

Beautiful. I'll spare you the thirty odd flower pictures I took, and just give you the general idea.

Look at this! This picture shows a lock of Jane Austen's hair, her and Cassandra's topaz crosses, and a bracelet of hers. Bah!

Even better, the writing desk!!!! The writing desk where she reworked her novels into publication state. The power of this desk....

Me being Jane Austen

This was a lovely quilt sewn by Jane, Cassandra, and their mother. It took some serious dedication. The other side is highly impressive, as well.

This is Cassandra's handkerchief, embroidered by Jane. Can you believe it? The hand that penned Pride and Prejudice sewed those letters.

These items were found under the floorboards. It looked as though Jane was very capable of looking after herself.

Little knife for making quills and quill nubs, I think.

Can you read the card in the pic, cuz that'd be easier.

This is Martha Lloyd's recipe book. She lived with the Austen women for quite a while, and wrote down all the recipe's they used, so we know what kind of foods they ate and made.

I love this. It's one of Jane's stories when she was 14, illustrated by her sister. Isn't that adorable?

For me it was wonderful to see the actual artifacts that made up Jane's life, and influenced in the creation of her amazing books. Sometimes it feels like these great influential people were always somewhat big and important. To see their human side almost makes me feel more equal with those greats, like maybe we could have been friends. It was like seeing Chaucer's sarcophagus coffin thing, and realizing that that man was terribly short. It was just a really cool experience.

I honored the venture by buying a long-desired quill and ink.

I just thought this was funny. On our walk there we went into this subway, where it looks as though a horse had previously been. No one could have been riding him since the ceiling was too low. And it also looks like the horse was so scared going under a busy road that the horse literally crapped himself. Pah ha ha ha.

Tower of London

2010-05-26T15:42:00.001-07:00

Tower of London, Baby! That's right. It's exciting (in that awkward need-to-pee kind of way that my face seems to be expressing. Also, the good food I eat non stop would explain the chubby expressing the need-to-pee).

The ravens were HUGE. This picture does not do them justice at all, but they were frighteningly large. It doesn't help there's a sign near by saying that they bite.

Me and a ready-made friend I found. He was nice, but rather bland.

This was King Henry VIII. Do you spot something awkward? Yeah... Well, he was Henry VIII.

The biggest and the littlest suits of armor they have. The big one was for a man who was 6'8".

In many of the buildings there are wall carvings from the prisoners kept there. Crazy! Some of them had quite some time.

Some people who were in there on account of witchcraft would carve these astrological diagrams and such. I don't know about you, but such things I doubt were beneficial in proving their innocence.

Chopping block. For heads.

So many tight spiral stair cases. I thought I was done after Paris, but oh no! It was the only staircase known to man until the 1600's.

Notice the size of my foot and the size of the stair. Either these people were really small or the contractors/commissioners were chincy cheap skates.

This is the coat of arms of my ancestors. That's right. Awesome. Never mind that they were involved in malicious plots to murder the throne's direct heirs. It's awesome.

Pretty guns. Two of them.

And look! This is an experimental gun from like 1450. It didn't really work, but just look at the design.

A very large and long lance.

And all the gruesome gore ends in a pretty and serene chapel. What?

Weekend In PARIS

2010-05-23T05:53:00.001-07:00

I hope you have a lot of time, cuz this is going to be rather intense. 4 fast days in Paris. It is intense.

Ahem.

We begin.

LAAAAAA!!!!

How gorgeous and beautiful!?

When I first got into the city, and stepped out the Eiffel Tower I just kept laughing to myself in amazement. I was IN PARIS, staring up at this world-known monument. It was just utter amazement and disbelief.

The first day was an interesting an momentous one. I took a later train than the rest of the group, and was supposed to meet up with them at a designated place and time. I got there early and stayed an extra 2 hours, but they never showed. So I did day #1 in Paris by myself. Exhilarating, frightening, jittery, unbelievable. Yes, it was.

After getting some food I found a park, and in the park I found these men. They were playing this very French game that I have read about, and seen in movies. And here they were! These lovely French men, actually playing it! They toss these metal balls, trying to hit the previously set ones without going beyond (I think). But it was very intense. Everyone took it seriously. It was adorable.

The city of lights!

By the Eiffel Tower, where I hung out most of day 1, there are bands of young men selling scarves and miniature towers that they carry on large rings (see above). They pack up every couple hours to go over their earnings and change schedules and areas. It feels likes some huge, city-wide underground business. They come up to you, jingling their wares

I thought it interesting that the lower end dealers and beggars always used English to try and get to you. There was no shame in begging, and they are not afraid to get close. The women who do this go around in skirts and scarves asking if you speak English. If you moderately say yes they hold up a note on the back of a postcard that gives some story about their starving family and their wretched state.

They really know what strings to pull, and they've mastered that desperate sounding voice, the pleading. It's quite creepy actually. One of them I didn't respond to, but she got reeeeeal close and I continued to shake my head, but she started stroking my arm "Please please please" AH! I more or less jumped away. It's so hard in these situations. The beggars are crowding all the streets, so it's not like you can say yes to one and no to everyone else. And they all speak English so well it really makes you wonder....

But anywho..... Me at the Eiffel Tower. In such tourist hotspots you really try to stay in cognito to avoid getting pounced on by all these dealers, vendors, and beggars.

But after the failed meeting I went to see where Napoleon was buried---or entombed, rather.
Pretty building. The French are more or less obsessed with Napoleon. He's enshrined in this amazingly beautiful, gold-topped building that has no other purpose but to hold his sarcophogous. The marble and tile work was amazing. Pictures of the man are all over the place, in every single museum and beyond. We saw him framed in McDonalds, for crying out loud. At times, this as well was a little creepy.

But the end of day #1 was a little scary. Our hostel was far from the center of Paris, in a not-so desirable area. I got off the train with hand-written directions (I couldn't find it on a map, it was that far out) got lost a couple times, relied on the bus stop maps (with no buses attending them). But I FINALLY made it to Hotel Cheap Beds just as the sun slipped over the horizon, after power walking for about 2 hours or so.

Bah! The other girls had an adventure all their own that lead to their delay. But we all made it back, safe and sound.

Here's the stairwell up to the top of the Arc du Triomphe. Very tall, very tight. There were a lot of these in Paris. Feel the burn, baby.

DAY 2 we went to the Louvre.
In most public areas, a large walking area is covered in this white dirt/sand. If I had known this I would not have brought black pants. Oh well. But aren't the grounds pretty?!

This is me, excited for my life.

Guys! I saw the Winged Victory. I saw it! In person! Isn't this statue amazing?!!! And for some ancient Greek. With a hammer and chisel. And yet look at her skin, her dress. It looks so real. But it's marble. Mind---->>>>blown away.

And here's the controversial Da Vinci that was referenced to in that one book. You see Mary's hand, it used to be on Baby John's head, but the commissioners thought it too irreverent and suspicious. So he painted the Baby John sitting down. (John, John the Baptist...right?) This I also saw in person.

And hey look! The Mona Lisa! This one I've always been kind of confused about, but when you stare at the actual painting it is intriguing and drawing in some strange, inexplicable way. It's hard to look away.

I have been in love with Josephine Bonaparte since I read these books in like 7th grade. So I got to see my favorite painting of her, when she's crowned Empress by Napoleon. I just like Cinderella stories, princesses, and beautiful art (even though her story didn't necessarily turn out the best). It made me very happy.

Bah! The detail and amazingness! This painting was huge. I loved it.

Is this statue not incredible? Yes, it is tragic, but the artistry is intense.

And look! The Venus de Milo! This was another mind-blowing thing to see. I was amazed at how much her skin looked like real skin. It was smooth, but still had texture. So cool!

Michaelangelo's Dying Slave. COOL.

Me resting from all this intense and studious venturing.

After that break we went to Chartres Cathedral. And guess what? It was amazing.

I loved it's painted ceiling. This place had crazy intense detailing all over the place. Gothic in the utmost sense. Every trim, border, edge was painted with intense colors and patterns.
The windows! Ah! The windows. How unique and unbelievable is that? And you know what else is cool about these French Gothic cathedrals? The stain glass was made from sand from the Seine's shores, so the color hugh and combinations you can't find anywhere else.

After the Louvre, and Chartres we went to (bah bah bummmmmmm)

Notre Dame!

The gorgeous amazing outside.

The gorgeous amazing inside.

The magic of light at the right angle.

As much as I love these cathedrals, and think them beautiful beyond compare, I don't know why they insist on putting in creepy death reminders. Like this:
Who needs that? In a cathedral? I suppose at the time it the time it was made everyone was dying from the Black Plague, so I could see how death would be a prominent thought. But still. IN every cathedral I've been in I find there to be an excess of skulls and morbid statues.

After the inside we took a tour up the towers, and it may have been my favorite part of Paris. .

The view was spectacular in a way the Arc could not compare to. The age of the building helped I think. The climb was steep and treacherous up small marble steps that have been significantly worn away over the years. Then half the very long climb the steps shrank so you had to hug the wall tightly if anyone was coming down at the same time.

Frightening? yes. Worth it? I think so. The gargoyles were so fun and wonderful.

And it was cool because we were there at the 1/2 hour so the bells peeled right behind us. It was loud, striking, but spectacular. We were all to effected that right afterwards we ran across the street the the english bookstore and bought copies of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This is me mimicking the gargoyle behind me.

Ah! The beauty and magnificence!

And there was a beautiful park right in back of it where we were able to eat our baguettes and crepes.

DAY 3 we went to Versailles.

More and more of that annoying white sand crap that makes you look dirty all the time.

Versailles is HUGE, like, bigger than I ever thought 1 piece of property could be without it being its own country or something. The castle is beyond belief, and then the grounds.. I--it, just----big... There are not quite words.

HUGE. And the guy who made it was rather obsessed with himself (Napoleon having not yet been born, therefore unable to obsess over). And quite naturally he had multiple paintings of himself commissioned. This was my favorite:
He's being painted by gods and just the painting is held up by angles. So magnificent! So majestic! It made me laugh. And mind you this is only 1 sampling. The place was littered with him.
I just thought this was amazing because of all the different types of stone used for one bust. Quite cool. Though the coolest statue of this fashion is of a women (goddess?) and it's at Orsay. Therefore I could not take pictures of it. But here's an idea

In the queen's bed chamber some girl was off in the corner, quickly drawing the whole thing. I was impressed, so snuck a picture.

WHA???? Isn't this the same picture that we saw at the Louvre yesterday?

I was already confused because we were in Versailles, the infamous palace of King Louis the some number, and the final room ended in an homage to Napoleon. What? (But they are French, therefore obsessed. So they have to put him everywhere, even in the palace that represented the exact opposite of Napoleon's initial campaign.)

So, confused. And then there's this enormous repeat of a rather famous piece of artwork. Did they think we wouldn't notice? But what can you do? They must have their Napoleon.

Here is a very detailed pretty chair that the royals would sit on to have tea. Those kind of things were hand sewn. Inconceivable.
Voila! The gardens! And this is only the left wing. Go to the end of the horizon, turn right, and begin your journey through the rest of it. Which we practically did. We attempted to find some little cottage thing and ended up power walking the majority of the Versailles gardens. Whew.

But look how beautiful it was! If it wasn't so hot the situation might have been forgiven.

Here was a fountain on the right wing (on our way back to the entrance, which is only 2 3/4 light years away). The statues are all dragons and really scary fish. Then this crow popped down there and started cawing ominously.

DAY 4

We went to Orsay (hence no pictures) But that museum was my favorite. It had a lot of my favorite artists plus others that I didn't know but really liked. I have such a love for sculpture that I didn't have before. It's probably because now I've seen actual sculpture, not just pictures of it. So. Cool.

Vincent Van Gogh's Self Portrait was fantastic. I love Van Gogh. LOVE. I found a Renoir piece that I liked a lot more in person than in picture. Monet I have a fuller appreciation for. Look at me. So cultured.

After we went to the Orange (?) and saw Monet's Water Lilies.

I wasn't expected to be as moved as I was. There is definitely something about being literally surrounded by great art.

Afterwards we attempted to go to the opera house. It was the wrong opera house (no phantom). I thought it pleasantly ironic that the opera's front steps were covered with goths.

What's up with that? Please pay special attention to the wig on the girl behind, on the left.

After much searching we found the actual opera house we were aiming for. It was large and impressive, per usual. We, however, made it too late to take a tour. So we just stared at the miniature model then sat on the steps and people watched until we left for our London-bound train.

It was a crazy, intense, fast-paced four days. I enjoyed it and learned many things:

The French are obsessed with Napoleon
They have something for the ancient Greeks and their classical style. It's mimicked everywhere.
The city intensely reveres the past and doesn't pay much attention to the present.
Carry hand-sanitizer at all times
Stand clear of suspicious liquid
Stay close to the center of town and be in before 10 pm.
Bring good shoes (the best) when walking 10+ hours a day
A crowded train can always fit more people
Eat crepes and try new things
Pack light, but be prepared
The Eiffel Tower is AMAZING when it sparkles

the V & A

2010-05-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum today, and since art is pretty, and important to the survival of your soul, (and I'm avoiding homework) I will show you all the amazing things we saw.

This is a brass fruit bowl, shaped like a leaf. Amazing, right?

This is the kind of punch bowl used at parties given by kings or rock stars. But don't be fooled. They still fill it more than half full of ice.

That's right. Gunpowder tea. I was confused and asked Jana. She said it was because "It has a real kick." Pah.

This was the view staring up. A hanging art piece of steam-rolled brass instruments. I liked it.

The gauntlet attacked. Instead of saving me Jana took a picture. Now I type only using my left hand. The right keeps trying to be chivalrous.

A man's jerkin. The old kind, made by hand. Let's get a close up.

That's right folks. And all for a white undershirt.

Here's another close up. And of what?

Oh, this hamburger dress. 6 ft wide, 1 ft deep. Dude.

I took a picture of this statue because she and I share a body shape.

Don't ya think?

Oh, that's me showing off my poorly tied cravat.

This would be a comb carved out of ivory. I feel like it would just have to touch your head and your hair would suddenly wind and fold itself into some intense oriental up-do.

An intricate ladle.

A spoon. A wooden spoon for soup. Look at that thing! It looks like one of those delicate cookies that crumble the moment you touch it.

This is the kind of knife/dagger that Aladdin came from. The sheath and handle were absolutely covered in ornate shiny gemstones. Yes I'm going to kill you, but in style.

This was a pretty piece simply over the information desk. Like a giant lightbulb to all their understanding.

Historic Places

2010-05-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Since it is Sunday I will venture on a matter more spiritual than I am wont. This week I went to Stonehenge, Bath, and Westminster Abbey. And at each place I had a profound and connected experience. I thought I'd share, in case anyone cares (which if not, you can drop off and stop reading--I permit)

To begin, Stonehenge. This place is full of mystery and wonder. People have been coming here for thousands of years, wondering what the hell it's all about (pardon my language--and on a Sunday too!) England has been populated for hundreds of thousands of years, and yet no one seems to have any recollection of a vast group of people moving 18 ft, 45 ton stones hundreds of miles (without the aid of the wheel), and worshipping around them.

But somehow, it was done. And it still stands as a marker of their lives. All of us visitors come prancing around, to gawk and awe, and yet as I came up to these giant stones a kind of reverence comes over and people slowly stopped talking. I just stood. I mean, it is amazing. It is also very possible that the makers' descendants are part of this gawking crowd, and yet we're missing the connecting dots, from Stonehenge to this person right next to me. But the simple fact that this person exists shows that there is connection, even if we can't see it.

And second, the Roman Baths, of Bath.

They've found all sorts of pieces of the Roman ruins, and this piece in particular struck me. It was commissioned by the Roman leaders, but it was the Celtic natives that created it. The Romans, who we assume brought civilization to a majority of the words, relied on a much narrower branch of culture to build up their city. No one is quite sure what this man represents. Some say he's supposed to be a gorgon (which is muddled by the fact that it is a man) and others say he's another kind of god, or king, or who knows what else.

I was simply fascinated that this culture that left little in terms of their history and religion, left their mark by means of the Romans. We don't know what it is or what it means, but it was right in front of me, close enough to touch.

This was another bit made by the Celts. This is their highest ranking deity (from what I gather). It is a group of three goddesses. And it just amazed me because of my belief in a three-person godhead. There is evidence of truth all over, in so many different shapes and sizes, from all different types of people, and yet it is all the same truth. We are all connected in ways that we have yet to fully comprehend.
This is just a pretty shot as we were leaving Bath. Just at the edge of the horizon are some "mountains" (according to our guide) beyond which lies Wales, where the beacons of Stonehenge were quarried. Just think! This is the same land they crossed. This is the same view they saw! We know the land hasn't changed much because the barrows are still there, from the eons before Christ. Though, in actuality, there probably were a great deal more trees.

And last but not least, Westminster Abbey

The abbey was gorgeous. And I was so excited going in because I knew my ancestors have been there, were married there. So it was quite a thrill to be in that space, to be stepping on those stones that have carried so many influential people, including the people who played a significant role in bringing about my existence.

If you're quiet, and you listen, you can real feel the history of the place filling the air around you. People who have changed the world seem to all come together in Westminster Abbey. There they all share a common ground. There's Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, Chaucer, and they all now reside on the same tile, in the same space. It really is quite something.

Well, there you have it. I am sorry if it bored you, or if we failed to share a common thought. It struck me so I thought I'd share on this charming Sunday afternoon.

Museum of Natural History

2010-05-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

So my roommate, Jana, and I went to London's Museum of Natural History. It is a rather old museum, being around since the mid 1800's. The building was specially made for it, and it was gorgeous! The mosaics and tile work was amazing. See here:

We learned many interesting things and saw many interesting/bizarre/concerning things as well.

Here is a monkey skeleton swinging around and having a grand old time. Did anyone else think of Pirates of the Caribbean? Cuz I did.

And look! I made a friend. Sort of.

This was a better friend. Meet the really really old giant armadillo. Awesome, right? Just don't make him too happy. His tail could take out a flight of stairs.

I just thought this was funny. Here, we'll put this on display, but just ignore this bit.

Another picture of the building. GORGEOUS. I plan on living there someday, either as an official resident or a piece of the exhibit. They may in fact be the same thing under different titles. The man you see is actually posing for someone else, but I was tired of waiting so he made it into my memories. Congratulations good sir!

More creepy monkeys that resided in every nook and cranny of the place. Did anyone else think of Bartok and the demon/slug things in Anastasia? Cuz I did.

An artist carefully prepared this tree slice. It's a real tree that's been pasted on to the ceiling. In respect for the tree the artist planted 200 of the tree's seeds. Tarzan, anyone?

This is Jana overlooking what appear to be the remains of the museum's first director. This marble box was just sitting in the corner of some small exhibit that had nothing to do with him. It's a little creepy. We aren't actually sure if the box does indeed hold the director's remains, or if it's just a box commemorating him in some suspiciously vague way.

This pic is actually from the museum next door (museum of science). Yes, it is in fact a chandelier made of cheap ball point pens.

We saw a lot of other things as well, like:

eggs shaped like cork screws (what?)
really creepy malevolent fish you wouldn't want to meet even in the best of circumstances
An alligator with a snout as thin as a pencil
Fish with free-floating jaws (yeah, still confused)
Giant salamanders, worms, and etc.

And yeah. Just a cool awesome place!

Latest Adventures

2010-05-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

OOOooooo K. This is a big post. But It's good, so pay attention.

This is a man we saw by Leicester Square (Where you buy the theatre tickets). I think what he is doing is technically illegal (there's a specifies Speakers' Corner for this business) But he was adamant that we tell the Queen the truth about these secret societies. They're bringing down the world, starting with fashion icons!

Quite a beautiful shot (if I do say so myself) of the fountains at Trafalgar Square.

Yes. I was there. Here's proof.

Attack of the ANIMALS!!!

No matter how stately your stance, a pigeon on the head ruins all.

These painted elephants are all over the place. They were "unveiled" a couple days ago. Different groups and people painted them to raise awareness of the dwindling Asian Elephants.

Me. (and Sara). Kissing a lion. Can we all please note my hair?

Look! It's a little baby one!

(I take this stance every time I pet an elephant.)

And before I leave the animal section I ought to relate the time I wandered around Hyde Park and came across the Round Pond, filled with ducks, pigeons, and swans. A couple different families were rather forcing their kids to enjoy the wildlife. The kids were screaming, surrounded by these feathered animals pecking the ground for bread the kids had dropped in fright.

One dad went to go console his daughter, picked up the bread and tried to hand it to her. He started to feed the birds (tuppence a bag...) turned around and literally came face to face with a swan. I kid you not, the thing was HUGE. The swan was up to the man's shoulder without even extending itself and it just stared at the man, like, You gonna give me that bread or what?

The man picked up his daughter, skittered off, leaving the bread behind.

Yeah Harry Potter!!!

(my eyes are closed because I was magnifying my wizarding powers. Alas I did not make it to Hogwarts. I will simply have to try yet again.)

Regent's Park

So beautiful! They have parks like this everywhere. And everyone uses them. Everyone. It's wonderful and amazing.

Today I went searching for this cemetery called Bunhill Fields where Daniel Defoe and William Blake are buried. It was soooooo enchanting! And beautiful. And wonderfully aged.

And the bonus?

This old man was taking a nap in the middle of the through street. A nap. In the pathway. In his jazzy. This is why we love London. Or old people. Whichever.

But even without the jazzy napper, this place is wonderful.

I saw a worker crawl under the fence (you couldn't actually walk between the headstones--which makes sense, they're old and wearing away quickly). He was rather limber for an elder man. But I think he just checks the quality of the stone but doesn't necessarily keep them tidy. I mean, look at the plant growth on the tombs.

Last but not least here is a picture of my roommate eating something.

It was a giant something from some questionable restaurant sold to us by a girl who doesn't speak English. I'm not sure what ethnicity it was supposed to be, as I got an "English Breakfast" while Janna got this ginormous sandwich thingamabob--the spinach kind, not the meat.

It was rather amusing because I was under the impression that I was getting a sandwich, but instead was served eggs, ham, bacon, baked beans, toast, sausage, cooked tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms (breakfast what?). Janna thought she was getting a pastry sort of something, and here ya go. All was forgiven, however, because we were hungry.

All Hail Macbeth!

2010-05-02T07:59:00.001-07:00

On Saturday our group went on a Shakespearean tour on the other side of the Thames. We went around some really old parts of the city, saw some of the original sites, as well as places where the plays supposedly took place. When we left the weather looked about like this:

As we lunched in Borough Market (delicious by the way. I chose a wild boar sandwich. The Brits seem to have a special something for sausage. My sandwich was just one cut in half on a bun. But surprisingly wonderful) the weather turned a bit, but nothing to be alarmed by, as it made for excellent pictures:
(Me across the way on London Bridge [the second as the first was shipped to Arizona by the whim of some ridiculously rich person])
We went to the Globe (the reproduction, also not the original) to see Macbeth. Here is one of the bagpipers that opened the Scottish play. I don't think I was technically allowed to take a picture of him, but he played for like 10 minutes, I had to do something.
This is a paper hat that folds out to fit your head, purchased by many of the elder members of the audience, as it is lightweight, space compact, and terribly handy. I thought it made them look like ice cream cones.
Here is a close up in case you were wondering what was going on in the background. It's a kind of nylon tarp with slits for the groundlings' heads. It is supposed to further layer the audience so feel like Dante's different levels of hell. I, for obvious reasons, was further up--though i was slightly jealous as the groundlings could better see Macbeth's abs and amazing back. The man was devilishly attractive. But then the creepy witches would run underneath the membrane and scare everyone who couldn't see them.

The porter had a fabulous seen where he walked around with a bucket of guck and threatened to throw it out over the audience. When he finally threw the bucket's contents all the heads disappeared as people ducked, then slowly popped back up one by one.

The sky continued to darken until the fifth act when the rain finally broke. It wasn't so bad at first, but then just got worse and worse. The biggest raindrops I've ever seen. It was enough to cancel a whole slew of sports games, but the actors kept on going. They and the groundlings were completely soaked through and then it started hailing. Naturally Macduff came up to greet the new king once Macbeth was killed, shouting, "HAIL!! Hail!!! Hail! (and for good measure) Hail hail the king!!"

Naturally I forgot my coat and umbrella on my bed, so I was soaked before too long. We bummed around West End a bit afterwards (since we saw a matinee) and got something to eat. We all were cold and wet and slightly miserable, but I thought it quite a proper London adventure.

Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, and the like

2010-04-30T16:02:00.001-07:00

So many many pictures. It's late and I feel I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. Our flat is right across Hyde Park, which is absolutely perfect. Beauty, everyday!

My entrance. (Never mind the date in the corner. I fixed it later.)

Our flat is just a couple windows the the right of this shot.

I thought this was an interesting composition. I'm not sure what was up with this day, but he did look slightly despondent.

Big Ben and tourist central. So many languages were being spoken, it was amazing.

Fuller shot.

The sandwich was dancing, and it excited the kids into running over to him. Their chaperone was disappointed. "Oh no kids! The corporate big man has got you again!"

I took the long way around to get to the other side of Westminster and Big Ben, kind of got lost, and stumbled across the gorgeous little garden/cemetery. I walked around a bit before realizing the slabs were large headstones, not walkways. Oops.

A close up. Most of the tombstones were so old they could only be partially read, most dated from the mid 1800's.

So many beautiful flowers in bloom.

The shot of when I finally came around the other side (after going around the hospital, some schools, that garden, and other such things. The grid system is nonexistent here, and there are so many tall buildings that you are always surrounded and you can never get an orienting view).

A bouquet left beside a statue/monument of an avid player in women's suffrage.

Westminster Abbey is very large. I mean, look at those people. They are practically ants.

A neighborhood right next door. Absolutely charming.

I paid to go to the bathroom. Fifty pence. Which I didn't mind in the slightest because the sign said "public loos" They also offered this. If you read the fine print it says it chews like gum and freshens breath and you spit out when done. So why exactly isn't it gum?

Pretty bird. It totally knew it was the center of attraction (I wasn't the only one taking pictures). Every so often it would look over all smug like, pleased it had posed itself so advantageously.

Breath-taking willow in St. James' Park.

They have pelicans in their ponds. Also strict sign saying not to feed them. Would anyone dare, however? They look like they could take of an arm in one bite. Pretty--but from a distance.

More neighborhood beauty.

Other things of note:

Two mid-twenty-year-old Italians asked me where to find the Peter Pan statue (they had previously been having a heated Italian debate over it). I gave them the correct location (pat on the back)

Our fire alarm went off tonight, and apparently you can't turn if off yourself (aka waving a towel in front of it), so it took fifteen minutes to stop the loud loud racket. RA was not pleased.

Contact lenses are causing me problems. Saline solution stings. Ripped another contact. Hope tomorrow goes better.

So far there have been many lonely moments because everyone came here with friends. Except me, apparently. But I am working on integrating myself with the groups, occasionally resulting in sometimes awkward/stalker-ish behaviour (look! british spelling snuck in!). Temporary problem that has put a damper on some things. Hopefully it'll right itself soon and I won't have to be the hoverer of conversations anymore.

Went to the Victoria and Albert museum today. That place is HUGE and has a lot of awesome stuff. Will return.

Also went and saw my first play! Directed by the famous Peter Brook. I sat on the "pit" which is the floor in front of the stage. Cool stuff. There was a live musician the whole time.

IF you've read all this, I commend you. It's a lot of nonsense. To quote Pascal "I didn't have time to make it shorter."

London-- Initial Reactions

2010-04-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

London. London london. Sooo happy. After so much thought and dreaming I'm actually here. I'm here. It still feels weird, dreamlike probably due to the fact that I've been on numerous planes and time zone changes. But no worries!

We went out on a grocery store run and I was finally able to see the place with my two eyes uninhibited by altitude, windows, or overwhelming luggage. The streets are rather narrow, and windy (as in winding). The architecture in my neighborhood is beautiful, very attempting to impress, but only as a second thought, as if the street was made for its own beauty and purpose, knowing all the while that the world would envy it. It feels like New York somehow imbedded onto a Jane Austen canvas. There is modernity, but only on the inside. The facades are layered brick, and the inside is Gap and H & M, and grocery stores.

(Just as a side note, there are some construction workers on a scaffold just outside my window working on next door, but as the distance between our windows is maybe 10 feet I keep looking up and making eye contact... awkward.)

Some things to remember:

A pound is not a dollar, in value or in looks.
Look right when walking across streets (even thought we know they drive on the opposite side of the road, it still is confuddling every time a car drives past)
Stores go up and down, so if you CANNOT find the blasted cereal it's probably above or below you, not around you.
London also buys their bananas from South America. I never thought of us eating the same produce, but there you have it.
They use a LOT of coins. Don't underestimate the coinage.
Try not to stare at construction workers outside your window because they are not actually attractive. And they know you're looking, so now they think they're attractive.
Pretend jet lag doesn't exist and see how far you get. (not far)

That's just a quick jot. I've only been in the city for like 4 hours or something. So more to follow, along with pictures.

Hello. I am a chicken. And I lay jelly-bean eggs.

2010-04-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Growing Things

2010-04-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

So my younger brother has been more than a little obsessed with health lately. He's done a whole bunch of research and now has created in interesting, intense, all-health routine that involves sprouting your own wheat and grinding up for flour (for bread, etc).

He rinsed his own wheat over a week ago and look what he found down the drain on Easter.

This wheat sprouted in the disposal and grew at a rapid rate, and was so intertwined amid all the gears that the disposal could not work. Mom stuck her hand down to see what was the matter, and found this.

It took a while, but he managed to wrestle most of it out.

Let me tell you, it was such an odd experience to put your hand down the sink and find a thick blossoming lawn there.

Happy Easter!

TRIP OF MY LIFE!!

2010-04-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

So I finally bought the majority of my plane tickets. I had a lot of finagling to do because my brother decided he didn't want to miss out. So he's joining me after my program and together we are going to frolic around Europe.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are our destinations thus far. We don't have too much time, but see if you can guess where we are going! (It's not that hard)

HOLY COW HOLY COW HOLY COW!!!!

I leave in 3 weeks!

Hybridization in Unexpected Places

2010-03-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Smith's (why? you may ask--the answer is because I happen to enjoy/need food, unlike some people out there {I don't actually know whom I mean by that comment}) As I got out of my car I heard a cat meowing. I thought it odd, I was after all in a large square of asphalt covered with metal boxes sitting on rubber (occasionally known as a "parking lot") I looked around. Then I heard meowing again--from above me (which is odd, in case you didn't know cats are land mammals). So I looked up and saw a large white bird (a "seagull"). The bird opened its mouth and meowed. I'm not kidding! It MEOWED, and absolutely made my day.

Meowing seagulls. I know hybridization is really in just now, to make all sorts of funky fruits (such as the peach-alope, mango-berry, banapple, and who knows what else) But I was simply not expecting it in the local wildlife. Pah.

2010-03-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is how you know God loves you.

You find a picture such as this completely unlooked for and unexpected.

And for the more learned of humanity, they would notice that they are all staring at The Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dali--and everyone at the museum honors Dali by mocking his confusing and ridiculous facial hair. Damn those humanities classes. They give the painting sense.

2010-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend I encountered a very old and cranky vacuum and was actually there as it combusted.

I was part of the team that sanitized my grandparents house for the new renters. My mom said she had the vacuum fixed, so I began to use it on the varying lengths of shag carpet that covers a vast expanse of the house's floor.

In the dining room (that's right folks, in the dining room) this vacuum began to complain quite a bit. Naturally I was a bit miffed, I mean this vacuum was old school, as in it used knobs instead of buttons, made of metal and thick fabric (no plastic), and weighed significantly, so I was thinking, Oh give it a rest--it's not like you're making this easy on me.

Mr. Vacuum heard my thoughts and started to really speak quite profusely, changing in pitch, speed, and volume. It was all quite interesting. But you see, I don't speak vacuumise, so I didn't know how to respond. Then all of a sudden he gave one last final startling POP.

I turned it off, afraid it was going to eat me, and flipped it over. It was literally smoking. And I thought, but it's a vacuum. Evidence of the damage were the shards and pieces of its inside falling out (most of it glass--what?). Also randomly a giant magnet was stuck to his underside holding on to various needles, pins, and screws.

Moral: You can't send out and fix old age crankiness, even in vacuums.

Corfe Castle

2010-03-03T08:34:00.001-08:00

HOLY COW!

I was doing some family history and I found a noble that I'm related to, and guess what? He lived in a castle!!! Guess what else? This is the castle. IT'S STILL THERE!!

Guess where I'm going when I get to England. That's right, to claim back the family lands.

My London Dream

2010-02-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

So... I'm going to London, right? To study Shakespeare and literature and all that high intellectual stuff, right?

Well, in all honesty... This is all I'm really thinking about.

Mmmmmm... Yes please?

Wouldn't say no.

And if he can make that Irish accent permanent, the yes, for sure.

Intellectual, my eye. Don't try and kid me, professors. I know what life is really about. You may try to win my over with your Zola and Dostoyevsky and Manet. But they are not going to make me feel like I'm crusted over with diamonds. Those dead artists are just going to make me depressed, confused, and lower my GPA.

These tasty-cakes, however.... crusted diamonds.

Bring on the Britain.

Stream of Conscious (and yes mine does have this fabulously correct punctuation and grammar)

2010-02-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

So I have been staring at those poor Chinese kids for, like, a week or something. I keep meaning to do another post, but nothing has come to mind. So that is the new post.

NOTHING!

Exciting, I know. Just wait til I get started.

Oh, pooh. It's lame, isn't it?

Oh well. At least it's new. New pooh. (Somehow I feel that new pooh should not be better than old posts, but it some how is)

Pause a second, will you? I've got to take my yam out of the oven.

(time passing)

YAM OUT OF THE OVEN and lookin' good! I used tinfoil this time so yam juice didn't get all over the oven floor (oven floor?) But yes. It's good. Just wait til it cools, then I will be a yam-eating-machine! (mwahahahhyamyamyamyamyam)

Today I did not go to class because I was feeling ill. I felt like a pile of refried beans actually, with a head ache (Do beans get a headache? Do they have heads? I think they are just heads, minus bodies, so very able to have a headache. whew. answer solved---I mean question solved er, answered). Anyway, not going to class was actually not that fun, being head-achey beans and all, and still having to do homework. Damn the internet. They always know. (insert a pair of beady eyes)

Ok, I think I'm done. The universe is starting to yawn (mmmm.. yams). So check ya later. :P

Chinese Child Ball

2010-02-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Is it bad that this is the kind of mother I will be?

Unintentional Free Time (woohoo!!!)

2010-01-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was going to spend this hour between classes doing things I should have done yesterday. But the essays I was assigned to read are not where the teacher said they would be. Did I do anything about it? No. The moment they did not appear I jumped to the first escape page: Facebook.

After that I did a well rounded run through all of my fav website and blogspots. Now I've ended up here, so I thought I'd take the time to tell you all this.

I mean, I know you are all SO interested to know about these little interludes I have in my days. So I'm here sharing them with you. (blah blah bah blah blah... to quote Erin)

(At this point the majority of you readers {meaning at the most, one of you} will get so bored you'll jump ship and run off to some other person much more interesting and eloquent. To which I say I AM ELOQUENT, DAMN IT!)

I hereby apologize for my profanity.

(somewhat)

now I have about nine minutes left til I must skeedat to my class

(groanings of much length and volume)

Can I keep your attention for nine minutes? Probably not. No one is reading this, in all likely hood. So why Do I continue to type? Throw it out there in the universe? Tempt some extremely bored individual? Someone must read it. I mean there's enough people in the world to at least have that odd. One person. One solo reader. Make sure to make a comment, you one lonesome reader, or else my theory is kaput.

Doesn't this all remind you of that circular library story by Borges? (Burges?... that one confuddling Argentinian {Argentine?}... Garden of Forking Paths, anyone? Or a little Brothers Bloom?)

Ok. Three minutes. And since I pity you, one reader, I will let you go ear----

(mwahahhahah)

2010-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out the point of school.

Does anyone know? I mean really?

The only place I want to be is the Sundance film festival. I'M SO FREAKIN' CLOSE!!! but I have no one to go with, no money to buy tickets, and homework and other lame, secondary importance obligations. SO LAME.

._-

(my face)

humpback

2010-01-18T14:08:00.001-08:00

Last night I lay myself down on the floor in front of my mom and said "Massage my back. It won't move."

Instead of complying she exclaimed "What is this??!!! Is this a hump? You have a hump!" She thumped some part of my back.

I responded quite calmly. "I don't have a hump. Just massage."

"Yes you do. This is a hump. That it." She then moved my hands so they were on the back of my head. She then instructed one young brother to sit on my ankles. "Ok, now up." So I had to do several rotations of this exercise before she'd finally release the knots in my back.

This is not me. I do not have a hump. Just knots (temporarily relieved).

2010-01-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have been absolutely craving creativity and artistry for the last little while. It's been frustrating since I can't get my hands around anything to create--because I'm still working on the idea part of it. But I've located my color pencils, watercolors, and gathering inspiration. What will come of it, I'm not yet sure, but I hope it's cool.

I'm feeling rejuvenated and excited now. Here is a big of my inspiration. If you have taste, you will like.

tjarn 3 by Emanuel Bernstone

Isn't this just mind-boggling?

Roselle's Blue Chair by Chelsea Bentley James

This is another artist cousin, and it's just cool because that is our grandmother's chair. How many times I've sat in it, or stared at it. And now it's captured in an unbelievably beautiful way.

Object 95 by Hyunmee Lee

Noon at Cocolalla by Chelsea Bentley James

I love the colors in this one.

Water on Table by Brian Blackham

I absolutely love this piece. It's practically monochrome but look at the texture! It's just...pah. I could stare at it for hours.

Elusive Satiation by my cousin Angela Bentley Fife (sister of the previous Bentley)

Isn't this amazing? It says a lot.

2010-01-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

You know your literary efforts are working when you shout a Harry Potter spell to get rid of a spider.

Finite Incantarto!!

*Though I'm not sure if that's actually how you spell it.

Makeup Final

2009-12-17T21:14:00.001-08:00

HEY HEY HEY

LOOK AT MY FACE!!!

I was supposed to be this guy (see below) What dost thou think?

Is it not FREAKIN' AWESOME?!

Granted I didn't have a top hat or a cravat, but I still think it turned out rather decent.

And now finals are over! Yeah!

French Final

2009-12-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

(This picture will make sense shortly)

Holy holy of all that is holy (Saint saint de tout qui est saint)

I SURVIVED!!!

Survived what? you may ask. And yes you would be correct in thinking it was something beastly, frightening, fanged, and involved excessive use of that gutteral noise.

MY FRENCH FINAL

This is has been a most adventurous semester in terms of scholastic leaps. I have been enrolled in French 321, Advanced Grammar from the fearsome head of the department herself: Madame Chantall P. Thompson. Unless you are a close family relative that name should strike fear into the very center of your American soul. She is an amazing woman, in the old-school sense of the word. Powerful, frightening, throws lightening bolts. And we all want to be her, but can't make it past her laser-eyed look of complete comprehension.

Let me make this clear to you: I HAVE BEEN TO NO PLACE THAT SPEAKS FRENCH, unlike the vast majority of my class. So I have lagged, struggled, and doggie-paddled my way to the end of this semester. But I have made it out alive! Missing a limb or two, but ALIVE!

We had 90 multiple choice questions, involving nearly all possible tenses "Ah, non, my dear, that would be the futur anterieur, NOT the conditional past." And then we had to write 75 lines in full-blown French. For one of the sections we were supposed to describe a happy moment in the past. So I talked about a tea party I had with my hedgehog (naturally). But I finished describing the majority of the action and still had 13 lines to go. So this tea party slowly got more and more adventurous. My hedgehog went on a rampage (which directly translated from French comes out sounding like "she rose up in large acts of destruction"). Hot chocolate was thrown everywhere. Tea cups were flying. The dolls were screaming! I think I should get points for creativity because I can almost guarantee that no one else had such an exciting tea party in their childhood's, much less with a hedgehog.

DOOOOD

LONDON THEATRE STUDY ABROAD

2009-12-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

So I just got accepted into the London Theatre study abroad, and needless to say I am sooooo ecstatically excited. I'm not going 'til the end of April, and I have no clue how I'm going to pay for it, but holy cow! How exciting! Theatre! in LONDON!

Greatest News Ever

2009-11-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

So, my mom and I are looking at the ads for Black Friday (we're very proactive, considering it's already midnight and half the bargains are being pulled of the shelves as we speak). But we came across one of the greatest ads featured in Khol's (which opens at the much more sane hour of 4 AM) But the ad is for an NFL print SNUGGIE for MEN.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does that not make you so ridiculously happy? Now men can be comfortable and snuggled up in front of the TV without their masculinity questioned. They can proudly display their preferred team of men acting mannish and hitting other people with as much force as possible all for the sake of a oblong shaped ball.

Ok, so I realize I might have been a little behind on this thing, since I just googled in and everyone and their goldfish have NFL Snuggies. But it still absolutely made my day.

Bearded Lady!

2009-11-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

Guess who had their first facial hair experience? That's right,

ME!!!

Is life not so happy when this is your assignment?

Thus far, best day of November.

This is how I looked when I went to the library, my biology class, the bookstore, and the grocery store. I received some compliments, many confused stares, and lots and lots of personal satisfaction. I asked a security guard where to return the CD's, I checked out a book, and I asked a clerk where to find rubbing alcohol. I was actually surprised at how casual there response was. But my roommates tailed me and where able to give a more accurate account of my reception. Lots of subtle followers, rubber necks, and one dumbfounded cashier.

On our way to the grocery story Katrina looked down and said, "Oh no! I'm still in my sock-monkey nightshirt and I don't have a bra on."

Then Erin pointed to me and said, "Um, she has a beard."

Problem solved.

Plants

2009-11-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

I bought these pots for 50 cents each at Target. And they're GROWING!! I didn't think they'd actually work. I mean, 50 cents for your own basil? You know what this means? Next time I'm at Target, I'm get getting the christmas tree seeds and some miracle grow.