France for the Day... Who Knew?

That still blows me away.

It takes 12 hours to drive from one in of Texas to the other, but you can get to France in 2 hours. Very cool. Yesterday I (kinda impulsively) decided to do a day trip to Calais and Bologne. We took a bus and then a ferry, which was very cool because it was like a mini-cruise!! That meant there were decks and a duty free shop and restaurants. Even an arcade for all the little kids :) Got to see the white cliffs of Dover as well - they really are white, very pretty.

Calais is actually right near Dunkerque (made me think of you, Daddy!) We went to Bologne first, a huge fishing port. There was a very neat old, medieval town surrounded by a stone wall. I ran into everyone tearing down from the Saturday market. I just kinda wandered around, had a very long lunch, took pictures, went in a chocolate shop. Kind of a quiet, lazy afternoon but that's exactly what I was going for.

Anyone see the "bling bling" advertisement? Yea, thought so. The rest is pretty much just pretty scenery :)

In Calais they dropped us off at Cite-Europe, a giant shopping mall. I found that pretty funny actually. Believe it or not, the only thing I actually considered buying was peanut butter, because the stuff here is disgusting!

So I pierced my ear again.

Claire's (the teenybopper place where you hold a teddybear while they pierce you with a gun) was closed, so I went across the street to SelfSacrifice. Good name for a tattoo and piercing shop.

They don't use piercing guns here - they use a big needle. I asked the lady if it hurt more this way - she said no. Of course, she had her lips, nose, cheek and eyebrow pierced...

I turned my head, whinced, and returned to work with a throbbing ear.

Let's be honest, I'm quite sure there's somewhat of a masochistic element to this. Feel a little lonely, stick a needle in my ear. Now a have a new toy to play with/look at. Don't worry too much though. I have neither the money nor the inspiration for any tattoos right now.

World Leaders and Serial Killers... ?

So yesterday we did the coolest thing... we went on a Jack the Ripper Tour! Starting at the Tower of London in the east end, we walked around to all the sites of the murders and were told the conspiracy. Apparently they think it's a royal family cover up! (Isn't everything?) That movie "From Hell" with Johnny Depp is actually very accurate. The idea is that the royal family doctor was involved to protect the Prince, because he married a Catholic (this is illegal!!) and had a child. This illegitimate child would be the heir to the throne.. big scandal. So basically the doctor went around killing prostitutes who knew about the baby.

The pictures are never in order, but this one is in the medieval east end that can never be redeveloped. It's wonderfully antique looking, except for the random modern building peeking through! We passed by Frying Pan Alley on the tour.. very cool.

CCTV are the cameras everywhere. Apparently you're captured on camera 300 times every day in London! I love that someone wrote that on the wall - very "1984."


I just now got back from Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Concert - definitely a once in a lifetime experience! There were performances by Leona Lewis, Will Smith, Edie Grant, Annie Lennox, Josh Groban, Queen and Amy Winehouse! There were also other lesser known acts, lots of African singers. It was incredible. I was obviously most excited about Wino - everyone was wondering if she would show up and if she'd be sober. I hafta say... she looked pretty coked out :( She had a little pin that said "Blake" in her hair, and she kept nervously pulling her skirt up. Quite a show though.

Nelson Mandela spoke. All of the artists walked him onto the stage, it was very touching. He's called "Madiba." This was a birthday celebration yes, but this was also to raise awareness for his foundation 46664, which raises money for HIV/AIDS prevention.

Oh, and I also played Guitar Hero at work today.

Sleeping and Showering

So I'm work and I'm super tired. Yesterday Adam made fun of me because I was having trouble staying awake.

Gotta do something about this sleeping situation. I found a SECOND mattress pad so my bed is finally comfortable now - I'm not waking up with backaches. But even when I try to get in bed early, my roommates are staying up till 1ish, and the light is really bright. I wake up a lot in the middle of the night - I'm not sure why.

I was just explaining my living situation to my colleagues. "Do you need proper coffee??" They tease me for drinking McDonald's. "You're living in a dorm!! When I was 13 in school they gave us our own rooms!" Tom teases as he picks up the beer bottles they all drank before the Radiohead show last night... Sheesh.

Good Thing I Went to D.A.R.E

I can't believe I'm up writing this right now. Unless you count passing out on the train back, I've been awake for 26 hours now. When you can't feel your body, it seems longer!

Just got back from Summer Solstice at Stonehenge. We arrived around midnight last night to see the rocks backlit with blue light and surrounded by about 20,000 revelers. This included the Druids and other pagans who worship on the Solstice (which is by the way, the longest and supposedly happiest day of the year). The rest of the crowd were hippies... just there for the hallucinogenic substance abuse party.

One guy approached me, saying I looked tired. I said I was just really cold. "Want some Coke?" he offered, pulling a tidy little bag out of a tin. I guess I wasn't surprised, I've just never actually seen it before. Is that the typical response to someone being cold???

Another guy with glow-teeth asked us what contraband we were using. Just the stuff we can smell...

It was neat to see the people who were really passionate about being there - people drumming and dancing and generally celebrating. When the sun rose at 5 there were bagpipes and cheers and screams. The rounds of cheers actually happened a few times, because no one was exactly sure when the sun was rising (damn fog!)

Normal Boss?

So I mentioned to my boss today that I'm going to Stonehenge tonight for the crazy solstice events (this being the response to "Are you going boozing tonight?") He told me to bring back magic mushrooms. Do what I can....

It Was the Day I Got Punched... Until I Met Sienna...

So 2 big things happened today. I was walking down Picadilly St. and I got tripped, quite deliberately. I turned around to find a scraggly looking guy, and I said "Excuse you!" He ran at me and punched me in the face/ear. My glasses flew off and my earring came out of my ear, bleeding a little. I think he had wanted to steal my purse when I tripped and didn't know what to do. I'm fine now, but I was really shocked and my ear was ringing for awhile.

The next thing... I was on my way to Mayfair for the premier of "The Edge of Love." I was standing in line with other fans watching people arrive with passes and fancy dresses. Twiggy, KT Tunstall, and David Cameron (Prime Minister candidate) showed up... very cool. Finally Sienna Miller showed up and started signing - she was sooo sweet. Kind and smiley and not in a hurry. She put her arm around me!! Haha I'm such a dork. Kiera Knightly showed up right after and just walked right in!! How rude! Exciting night :)

Package Day

Today at work was like Christmas for everyone (and by everyone I mean the 5 of us in here). We've had about 4 deliveries. A pair of pants.. not trousers, underpants, for my boss. Some Mac minis - they're tiny, and 3 of the guys all ordered them. Amazing technology there. Bubble wrap popping party ensued.

Now for the best. When I arrived today, ET was sitting at my desk. Yes, lifesize ET, complete with Reeses Pieces on the floor. We ordered him. Just now R2D2 arrived. He has a spaceship remote control, and he plays DVDs. Tom is sitting on the floor behind my rolling him across the office, and "The Empire Strikes Back" is currently being projected onto the ceiling. Hard to not get distracted. (Not that I'm just killing time till lunch... reading Campaign magazine... !)

What a day. And it's only 1:30.

And We Thought the French Hated America...

So yesterday, after casually browsing through the National Gallery, we wandered around Trafalgar Square to find the first protest of the day. This one was relatively tame - about 70 people gathering on the day that the President was meeting with Gordon Brown (and tea with the Queen - for what??) to call for an end to torture. Interestingly, there were people dressed as Barney, because that theme song is often used as torture. No surprise there.

The second protest was near Parliament, where Bush was having dinner with the PM. This was mostly anti-war, anti-nuclear groups, but overall it was anti-Bush. Violently. 2000 marchers tried to storm the barricades at Whitehall and the 1000 police officers had to step in.

The second protest really bothered me. I'm all for peace, but I didn't like what these people were saying. There were group chants of "George Bush: terrorist!" I may not agree with everything he does, but he's my president and I do believe he has good intentions. Certainly no terrorist. These people made me angry.


On a nicer note, that's a really cute pub next door to my work. Also... is that not the fattest pigeon you've ever seen?

Nasty Popcorn

So the movie theaters here... They have assigned seating. That means that when I came to my row and there was an old guy sitting in a seat, I had to go sit next to him when the rest of the row was empty. Awkward. It gradually filled up, but of course people had to deal with kicking people out of their seats, and its so dark you can't see if you're in the right seat. Way too much hassle for a cinema.

Also, the popcorn is gross. You can choose between sweet or salty, but neither is hot. Both bland.

Feeling like a Local?

I suppose I feel like a local when visitors come in. When I can explain to my folks how to navigate the Tube system. We had a great time - although they went to the Tower of London without me!

I'll make a serious statement. DaMario's = best Italian food ever. My pasta was spinach, garlic, pine nuts, and pesto. Don't forget. No wonder Diana took her kids there all the time!

Roundabouts Must Be a French Invention (ie, thanks for driving, Daddy)

So the folks and I took off for the weekend to Geneva, home of... everything. We saw the United Nations, Unicef, and C.E.R.N (whose particle accelerator was right down the street from us).

Turns out we were in town for a big weekend - Euro2008. Every country brought its soccer team to play in Switzerland, and nearly every person was wearing his colors - flags hanging out of every window, people dressed in their team colors, and even a dog all decked out for Spain.

Old town was very quaint and pretty - those are the windows and little shops you see. ALL of the super-secure Swiss banks, by the way, are located together in a little square.

The Swiss are famous for their chocolate and the timepieces. We also thought fondue was a pretty big deal — we had to leave town, though, to finally find some! After getting lost and navigating the roundabouts and streets with no signs, we found Lausaunne. Totally worth it. And speaking of food, we ate at a Mexican restaurant that served Cactus salad. They also make really good pizza. (The Swiss - who knew?)

On our drive we stopped in Martigny - Home of the St. Bernard Museum (seriously). I guess those rescue dogs are a pretty big deal when you live in the mountains and have no allies. From here we drove through the Alps, along winding roads (check out the view), to Chamonix. The little cottages and chateaus along the mountain were breathtaking. Kinda seemed more magical with the low mist. This one shop is called Folklore, which is kinda what it feels like being in the Alps.

It's Kinda Sunny Out Today

So I know more about my job (and I'm officially hired). It felt like a dream when I walked in and immediately saw a DVD rack bigger than me. I was also overdressed — me in a suit and them all wearing jeans and sneaks. Only about 10 people work there, so I'll have a lot to do. I also don't start until 10 AM. They offered to pay for my transportation everyday. Not bad.

On another note... today was whirlwind tour day. We went to Parliament AND the BBC. In the House of Lords was a giant throne made of solid gold, and I was sooo jonesing to take a picture of it. Westminster is not the place to break the rules or mess with security, though. No joke... that thing was so bright!

At the BBC they showed us into the dressing rooms and told us gossip about celebs who've come in and requested crazy things. Madonna wanted a lifesize painting of the Pope. J-Lo required a completely white room (and white sheets on any non-white surfaces she sat on). James Brown wanted 12 crates of champagne (for the 10 minutes he was there. And the best one... Mariah Carey asked for a room full of puppies.

Bar(th)elona Is a Wild City

Here is a peek at my weekend in Barthelona. There is a beautiful Catholic Church - look at the mural (tiles!) There is also a flamenco dancer. Show was amazing! Their feet move so fast, and they are just dripping with passion!

There were lots of people dressed up in crazy costume - Borat, a big condom, Edward Scissorhands, scary guys popping out of boxes... A really pretty balcony, underwear advertised with a very well endowed doll, and street break-dancers.

These 2 buildings are the Casa Battlo and La Pedrera, both designed by Gaudi.

These beautiful fountains are at the Placa d'Espana. Thr colors and the water change every minute in the awesome designs, like a light show. This is me and Caitlin, also some random girl that was just fascinated by the show!