25 June 2010

The last few days

Hey

So I wrote last a week or two ago, but since then life has been well seasons of NCIS. I use TV shows to think, but I have not done any thinking. My mind is blank. I used NCIS to write my Honor's Thesis last year and yet it is not giving me the inspiration it did last time. Er. I just started the 7th season today. Yes, I know seek help. I'm on it.

The last few days have been the most interesting. Uncle Jim and Oma were in London. I spent Wednesday with them. Of course, Wednesday was the big day... England and US were both playing. We ended up watching most of the England game and then saw the highlights of the US game. I am such a sports addict that I have gone out of my way to watch the World Cup and right now I'm watching Wimbledon. Federer is playing Clement. Working at the tennis club and being friends with Elyse has been me more tolerate about tennis and I can actually sit and watch a game. At the club, Murray is the big deal so his games are never missed.

Speaking of the Club, I am not very popular there right now. I worked the American vs England game and then the England vs Algeria game. I laughed at England. They deserved it though. The club members were so cocky during the England vs US game, but afterwards they said that they were trying to be nice by letting us have a point. THANK YOU SO MUCH. The game against Algeria was soo bad. England couldn't buy a goal nor did they deserve one. Other than that, the club has been good. I helped entertain 40 Americans last weekend and that was just too much fun. Hearing the accents, learning where everyone was fun, insulting NY... the fun just went on. One moof the first Americans I met was born in NY and though lives in Cali I think still likes the Yankees. We had a nice fight about that.

Anyway, to Uncle Jim's visit. It was fun. We went down to a pub near Covent Garden. Why is it that when I'm with someone visiting I can't find a normal pub? The one we went into is owned by Fuller's, but seriously. We didn't order at the bar and service took forever. When I go to the Mill or Wetherspoons my food takes 10 minutes and I pay at the bar. But anyway, we got the watch the game there. After we ate, we went back to the hotel and sat in the bar to watch the second half. I introduced Oma to Pimms. She liked it. It's hard with Pimms because no one can explain what Pimms is. It's lemonade and Pimms. That's all I got and that's all the British know. An American asked Alex what Pimms was and he just said, "Pimms is... Pimms." I like it. It's a nice summer drink.

I ended up though near Trafalgar Square after I left Uncle Jim and Oma. I got some dinner, sat on the steps and ate it and then went to a pub to watch Germany play Ghana. I met some interesting people including an American couple who had been on a tour and ventured out to find dinner. They are from Atlanta I believe and we sat and chatted long after the game ended. I sat with people originally from Germany and talked to two guys, one is a lawyer. From all my time at the club, I can hold my own when talking about the World Cup so that was good. Didn't sound like an idiot. There was an old guy there, he was about 78 and he is now hiking in Scotland. He reminded me so much of Auntie Helen. It was a good time though. Meeting people in pubs is so much fun.



There's a new statue thing in Trafalgar Square as well. It's more Nelson themed than what was there.

And I think that's about it for me. Oh a picture for everyone. Me in a skirt. I went to The Cribs show last night at the Hippodrome and wore a skirt. Yes, it was weird.

08 June 2010

Portobello Market

Monday... oh Monday. What a good day. Well other than the fact that I was up at 8:30am after coughing half the night and not being able to sleep because of the hockey game going on. I hoped to fall asleep to the game (which I did) but my brain needed to know the score. I didn't really fall asleep until about 4am.

I was up early because I was meeting Nick in West London for my dissertation meeting. i got there early, got a cup of tea, and was writing when he showed up. Nothing really exiting happened during the meeting, I told him how much I have done, we talked about the self reflective essay, the deadline, summer plans, and that's about it. I'm sending him what I have in a few weeks and by that time I hope to have 10,000 words. I only need 1,400 to get there.

After that though was AWESOME. I walked to Portobello Market which was two seconds away. I walked the market, almost bought a watermelon but decided it would be too messy to eat and I can get one in Kingston, had lunch at a pub, and then the real fun began. I got two cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery... YUMMY. They actually aren't as good as they were last time and much more expensive. But still, they are good. Of course, I had to get a coke after I ate the cupcake so I wouldn't fall asleep. I decided though to go to Kensington Gardens and eat my cupcake there. Good idea. I stopped at a used bookstore first and walked out with four books. Two of them about Rome. Yeah I know, go figure. I got a travel writing book that compares London to the Monopoly board (yeah I couldn't help myself) and a book by Kate Moss (the author not the model). I went to a Masterclass that she gave. The only one I went to. The Rome books I got were two narrative autobiographies (?? is that a term) one about Augustus and the other about Tiberius. I'm 40 pages into the Augustus one and it's Augustus telling the story about his rise to power to his grandchildren. I think. It mentions Lucius and Gaius who were two of his relatives. I did go in looking for used travel books. I swear.

Kensington Gardens was so nice. I sat by the fountain by Lancaster Gate and ate my cupcake. I then went down to the Peter Pan statue and read a little bit. I can't go to that area without stopping to see Peter. It was a little cloudy at this time but still so nice. I was listening to Disney songs, eating a cupcake, reading, and in London. Can you get any better than that???

After that, I did have to go to work, but that was fine. It started down pouring during the Social Tennis so all a sudden I was invaded by the tennis group. The only bad thing that happened at work was I got Subway before heading to the club. I ate a good part of it, but then I had to go and serve someone. When I got back, I picked up my sandwich but there was a spider really close to it. I ended up throwing away the sandwich. Boo.

It was still a good day though and now I'm going to eat that second cupcake.

02 June 2010

Eurovision

All right so Eurovision. Oh boy. The Americans introduced our British friends to Thanksgiving so they returned the favor... Eurovision.

Jenny, Sammi, Chris, Matt, Arsenyo, Lindsay, Hudson, and I went to Philippa's flat for Eurovision. She did a very stupid (but fun) thing... we got noise makers. LOL. When we liked a performance, we made it known. It was a fun little party, we started with Pimms and then went on to whatever we brought. Sammi brought home made ice cream, but I didn't have any. No one really did since it was so hard.

Anyway, Eurovision. It's not as much of a talent show as it is a political fun time. You vote for your neighbors and for those who have the most outlandish performance. UK's performance was boring, just a group singing. No fireworks, no colorful costumes... yeah they came in last.

Germany had a bad performance as well and yet they won. The woman's song has sold about a million copies in Germany, but no one in the room liked it. We were yelling at the TV. Iceland's performance was sooo good, but again it's not about talent. Serbia had a man/woman as a singer. Matt and I thought it was a woman, but nooo it wasn't. Sammi was right. Philippa had a great comment, Serbia doesn't know the 80's ended! LOL!. Croatia had a Welch singer so the UK was in it twice. Neither did well.

It such a good night though. Eurovision was a blast and just sooo funny. We stayed at Philippa's a little bit after the show ended just sitting around talking. Good night.

On Sunday, we had a belated birthday party at Amanda's. It was her birthday. We had a Pimm's party. Again, the same crowd was there, just with Tony, Nick and a few of his friends. The weather was nice though it was a little windy so we complained every time the sun went behind the clouds. Happy, happy day.

It was a pretty good and chill weekend. It was good to see Matt and Chris both days since they do live a little far away so they only usually come in for school events. I guess Eurovision was enough of a reason for them to come!