I've always been a 'people-watcher.' It's not really staring so much as it is just observing. Perhaps that's just a euphemism, but I've never thought it was creepy or weird because I've always known that everyone does it. Admit it. You know you do too.
Recently on the Tube, I've noticed what people do to pass the time. While most are engrossed in some form of musical entertainment blasting into their ears via little white earbud speakers, there are still a select few who actually use their commutes to enjoy the written word. As a journalism major, London astounds me at its fairly decent selection of free newspapers that are handed out just outside the Tube stations. The LondonLite, in my opinion, is a rag and has very little substantive news value, but the London Paper and the Metro are actually fairly quality journalism. Because of the can't-be-beat price of the news in this town (um, it's free, hello!), I'm convinced that London is far better informed than DC, where there are only two major subscription papers (London has about 6) and only one free paper (London has about 3).
But even more striking than if someone is reading in general, is if they're reading a book. Today, I had the interesting experience of sitting next to two people who were not only reading, but reading self-help books. The first was a man reading about how to preserve his inner artist. It was going on and on about negative self-images and how that kills creativity and how you must counter-act the negative with a more positive statement... Repeat after me: I, (your name), am an excellent artist whose gift is a way to be closer to the highest form of understanding and being... not even kidding...
The second reader was a woman engrossed in a title that was something like, 'How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have...' Of course, being the Londoner, I started reading over their shoulders. Personally, I would not want some random busy-body like myself reading over my shoulder if I was reading something that was basically teaching me how to become my own personal cheerleader. There's something strangely ironic about someone who has enough self-confidence to read a self-help book on the subway. But to also be so unconfident as to actually feel like they need a self-help book in the first place.
I will forever be more conscious of what I read on the tube. I know that since I'm looking and reading over your shoulder, some day next week, you'll be looking and reading over mine.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
czech me out
Skipping back in time a little, I should probably talk about my birthday before spring break. I had a wonderful 20th birthday. The girls in my flat pulled out all the stops for me. I woke up to a bouquet of roses from Lily and Keiko and a pair of earings from Scotland from Mandy. I then promptly consumed Pop Tarts from my care package from Mom and then talked to both sets of parents. After that, we went to the London Eye. It was a beautiful, clear day. We could see for miles. It was perfect. My birthday was Red Nose Day - a Comic Relief Festival to help Africa and some English schools. It was really funny to see people walking around London in red clown noses. But I found out today that the festival raised 7 million pounds. I'm happy to share my birthday with such an excellent event. The night was spent at dinner at a noodle joint called Tuk Tuk and then at a few pubs. It was a good time.
This post really should just be full of photos, but it takes forever to load them. So I've uploaded them to another Web site. Here's the link so you can enjoy my pictures from Prague. Unfortunately, the pictures are in backwards order, so start from the end and work backwards if you can.
The trip was wonderful. The city has such amazing character and history. Prague has survived so much - it's one of the only European cities to have much of the original architecture from before the second world war. It was left basically unscathed and because of that, the whinding cobble stone streets are packed tight with beautifully ornate Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic buildings. It's an architectural wonderland, and I had a fabulous time wandering around with Olivia, getting lost and exploring a city that has seen hundreds of years of kings, the dark years of Communist rule and is now a modernized member of globalized Europe.
We didn't have as much trouble as we thought we would with the language. Both Olivia and I printed out little pocket guides to Czech. I can now say about 4 words (please, yes, no, beer, wine... that's about it) in Czech. Most everyone spoke English, so it wasn't a big deal.
It was great seeing my dad and staying in the hotel with him. We stayed at the InterContinental. It's a 5 star hotel and the room came complete with a hot tub, a sauna, tons of bath products which we pilfered, a queen size bed, slippers and a rubber duck. Yes, that's right. A rubber duck. He disappeared after the first night - not because we took him, we don't know where he went. We used the hot tub a few nights because it was so terribly cold outside. But despite the frigid temperatures, we had an amazing time.
The only bummer came when we tried to come back to London. Our flight was delayed about 6 hours. We were supposed to leave Prague at 8:50 pm. We didn't end up leaving until 4:15 am. That put us into London around 5:30 am. We got to our beds at 7:45. It was miserable. I was so tired yesterday, and I'm a little sick, so that didn't help the situation. Unfortunately, because we flew easyJet, it doesn't look like we're going to see any sort of compensation for our time or trouble. It's really too bad, because I would feel a whole lot better about their airline if they actually cared that I was a zombie all day yesterday. Oh well. We made it, and we made some good friends at the airport while we waited. We ended up talking to these two girls from Bristol and playing card games with them for the majority of the time. It passed quickly enough, so it wasn't so horrible, and if anything, it's a good story, right?
But now, the fun is over and it's back to real life. I started my internship back up today and class starts again tomorrow.
More soon.
B
This post really should just be full of photos, but it takes forever to load them. So I've uploaded them to another Web site. Here's the link so you can enjoy my pictures from Prague. Unfortunately, the pictures are in backwards order, so start from the end and work backwards if you can.
The trip was wonderful. The city has such amazing character and history. Prague has survived so much - it's one of the only European cities to have much of the original architecture from before the second world war. It was left basically unscathed and because of that, the whinding cobble stone streets are packed tight with beautifully ornate Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic buildings. It's an architectural wonderland, and I had a fabulous time wandering around with Olivia, getting lost and exploring a city that has seen hundreds of years of kings, the dark years of Communist rule and is now a modernized member of globalized Europe.
We didn't have as much trouble as we thought we would with the language. Both Olivia and I printed out little pocket guides to Czech. I can now say about 4 words (please, yes, no, beer, wine... that's about it) in Czech. Most everyone spoke English, so it wasn't a big deal.
It was great seeing my dad and staying in the hotel with him. We stayed at the InterContinental. It's a 5 star hotel and the room came complete with a hot tub, a sauna, tons of bath products which we pilfered, a queen size bed, slippers and a rubber duck. Yes, that's right. A rubber duck. He disappeared after the first night - not because we took him, we don't know where he went. We used the hot tub a few nights because it was so terribly cold outside. But despite the frigid temperatures, we had an amazing time.
The only bummer came when we tried to come back to London. Our flight was delayed about 6 hours. We were supposed to leave Prague at 8:50 pm. We didn't end up leaving until 4:15 am. That put us into London around 5:30 am. We got to our beds at 7:45. It was miserable. I was so tired yesterday, and I'm a little sick, so that didn't help the situation. Unfortunately, because we flew easyJet, it doesn't look like we're going to see any sort of compensation for our time or trouble. It's really too bad, because I would feel a whole lot better about their airline if they actually cared that I was a zombie all day yesterday. Oh well. We made it, and we made some good friends at the airport while we waited. We ended up talking to these two girls from Bristol and playing card games with them for the majority of the time. It passed quickly enough, so it wasn't so horrible, and if anything, it's a good story, right?
But now, the fun is over and it's back to real life. I started my internship back up today and class starts again tomorrow.
More soon.
B
Monday, March 12, 2007
a little kindness in the daffodils
They say that cities are cold. Not temperature cold, but emotionally distant and uncaring. For the most part in London I've found that that is true as with DC or New York or any other major metropolitan area. You don't say 'Bless you' when the man next to you sneezes. You don't pick up the lady's paper when she drops it. And under no circumstances should you look at people as you walk past them on the street.
Today was a warm day. In a city usually populated by black trench coats, black umbrellas and black clicky heels, there were sunny colorful skirts, ties and coatless backs. And with the rising outdoor temperature today came a warm spell of friendliness.
Today, sitting in the sun in Trafalgar Square at lunch time, I was taken aback by how many people were sitting on the low walls eating lunch with friends, chatting, talking about the school children who walked by and the lady in red who sings opera to a boom box. I was astonished when, as I was getting off the tube at Warwick Avenue, my home, a lady walked past me, head up, listening to her iPod smiling. She looked me right in the eye and grinned. I, slightly stunned, tilted my head and smiled back, meeting her gaze and sharing a moment with a complete stranger.
Spring brings a sense of life to this city that I have not yet experienced. The appreciation for the world that the woman and I shared today on Clifton Garden Road is something that I had not yet noticed could happen in a place where 7 million people run around each day with their own agenda.
It seems to me that with daffodils subtle kindness is not far behind.
Today was a warm day. In a city usually populated by black trench coats, black umbrellas and black clicky heels, there were sunny colorful skirts, ties and coatless backs. And with the rising outdoor temperature today came a warm spell of friendliness.
Today, sitting in the sun in Trafalgar Square at lunch time, I was taken aback by how many people were sitting on the low walls eating lunch with friends, chatting, talking about the school children who walked by and the lady in red who sings opera to a boom box. I was astonished when, as I was getting off the tube at Warwick Avenue, my home, a lady walked past me, head up, listening to her iPod smiling. She looked me right in the eye and grinned. I, slightly stunned, tilted my head and smiled back, meeting her gaze and sharing a moment with a complete stranger.
Spring brings a sense of life to this city that I have not yet experienced. The appreciation for the world that the woman and I shared today on Clifton Garden Road is something that I had not yet noticed could happen in a place where 7 million people run around each day with their own agenda.
It seems to me that with daffodils subtle kindness is not far behind.
Friday, March 9, 2007
crunch
It's been a crazy time since I've posted last. I know I've said so many times that I've been busy, but it's reached a new level. Before, it was a touristy busy, filled with running around from place to place to see the sites. Now, the real world has caught up with me, and work and school have taken over my life.
I have two papers due this coming week, before spring break starts on Friday. I've almost finished one, but haven't even finished the book that I need to review for the second one. Today, my day off, I'm going to spend typing and reading. Not really how I want to spend my free day during the week, but I've been putting it off and putting it off to have fun and see people, and it's time to actually do work.
This has been the week of visitors. Alex, Mandy and Olivia's friend from home, has been here all week and leaves Sunday. My friend John from home was here earlier in the week before heading to Paris on Wednesday. And now Olivia's boyfriend Sam is here for the next week until the 18th. It's been so good to have familiar faces. I've been a little homesick recently, so being able to have people from home come to me really helped.
We spent the morning in Greenwich yesterday for class. We didn't get to stay long, but it was so beautiful, I really have to go back. The Maritime Museum was really interesting, they have so much stuff. We hiked up the biggest hill ever to get to the Royal Observatory and took our campy pictures on the Prime Meridian. It was fun to be goofy and touristy - I stood in two hemispheres at once. It was pretty cool.
Earlier this week I had my first big even at my internship. I recently found out that my official position at the ENO is 'PR intern' which explains why I'm hardly interested in what I've been working on and why I don't really get to work with the press department. But I just keep plugging along, doing my best and keeping my eye out for a project that I might be able to assign myself. But on Monday we had the event for La boheme. I really got to take charge of it. I had to put together tickets and drink vouchers and then got to personally hand the packets to all the invited guests. That was neat, because I got to meet a bunch of MPs (Members of Parliament) and a few Lords and even a Baroness. I stayed for the show when my friend Canden and her friend Jonathan from home came and watched it with me. It was a long day, I didn't leave the block for like 13 hours, but I actually ended up having a lot of fun. I think I just need more days like that.
Tomorrow we're taking a big class trip to Bristol, Bath and Stonehenge. It's going to be a long day, starting at like 7.30 am, but it should be super fun. I'll be sure to post on that with lots of photos!
more soon, cheers,
b
I have two papers due this coming week, before spring break starts on Friday. I've almost finished one, but haven't even finished the book that I need to review for the second one. Today, my day off, I'm going to spend typing and reading. Not really how I want to spend my free day during the week, but I've been putting it off and putting it off to have fun and see people, and it's time to actually do work.
This has been the week of visitors. Alex, Mandy and Olivia's friend from home, has been here all week and leaves Sunday. My friend John from home was here earlier in the week before heading to Paris on Wednesday. And now Olivia's boyfriend Sam is here for the next week until the 18th. It's been so good to have familiar faces. I've been a little homesick recently, so being able to have people from home come to me really helped.
We spent the morning in Greenwich yesterday for class. We didn't get to stay long, but it was so beautiful, I really have to go back. The Maritime Museum was really interesting, they have so much stuff. We hiked up the biggest hill ever to get to the Royal Observatory and took our campy pictures on the Prime Meridian. It was fun to be goofy and touristy - I stood in two hemispheres at once. It was pretty cool.
Earlier this week I had my first big even at my internship. I recently found out that my official position at the ENO is 'PR intern' which explains why I'm hardly interested in what I've been working on and why I don't really get to work with the press department. But I just keep plugging along, doing my best and keeping my eye out for a project that I might be able to assign myself. But on Monday we had the event for La boheme. I really got to take charge of it. I had to put together tickets and drink vouchers and then got to personally hand the packets to all the invited guests. That was neat, because I got to meet a bunch of MPs (Members of Parliament) and a few Lords and even a Baroness. I stayed for the show when my friend Canden and her friend Jonathan from home came and watched it with me. It was a long day, I didn't leave the block for like 13 hours, but I actually ended up having a lot of fun. I think I just need more days like that.
Tomorrow we're taking a big class trip to Bristol, Bath and Stonehenge. It's going to be a long day, starting at like 7.30 am, but it should be super fun. I'll be sure to post on that with lots of photos!
more soon, cheers,
b
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