interstellarglue

3
August
2008

Blogging from Britain Part 21

What a lovely day in London.

Kyle and I are totally in love with London. Yesterday, it was just a crush, today it’s true love.

We left a bit too late to make it to King Lear on time. We had to skip breakfast and we were still 20 minutes late. I had to buy groundling tickets (standing tickets… only 5 pounds) because all of the seats were sold out. About 20 minutes into the play I started feeling light headed and queazy and I broke out into a cold sweat. A combination of my horrid condition, seeing the painful look on Kyle’s face (since we were late he had absolutely no clue what was going on), and also knowing that we were going to have to stand for the next 3 hours, convinced me that I had to get out of there (oh yeah, and it was sprinkling on us too!). We went inside the Globe center, got some water and chilled out for a few minutes. At that point I realized that I hadn’t had enough food or water, and that’s probably why I was feeling so bad. I decided that it would be best to skip the play and go find something to eat. We went to a nearby restaurant, and as soon as I had some water and nutrients I felt 100% better. I was bummed we had to miss the play, but I knew that it was better that we did. The Globe theater is awesome though. And the few minutes we did see the play were great.

After we ate we decided to walk along the South Bank. There were lots of shops and street performers. This is a really cool part of London. We saw the Tower Bridge so we decided we should cross it and then go to the Tower of London. The Tower Bridge is awesome- very weird and gaudy, true to Victorian form. We got there when a large ship passed by, so they actually drew up the bridge (is that how you say it?). What a treat!

The Tower of London is amazing. Why don’t we make prisons like that anymore? There was only an hour until closing, so we decided we would wait until tomorrow to go inside. The City (the area we were in), is very odd. There’s quite a contrast between old and new. There’s the Tower on one side, and then the financial district with large glass buildings on the other. We walked around a little more and started to feel peckish, so we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus. We found an authentic British pub, and Kyle had a couple of pints. I nursed on one, and still couldn’t drink the whole thing. It was very… British tasting. The bartender actually warned Kyle that Americans typically don’t like that kind of beer. He assured her that he liked it. I felt stupid that I couldn’t even drink half of mine. The kitchen had already closed so we had to go elsewhere for food. We decided to take the Tube back home and eat at Victoria station. After we ate (I had some killer baked macaroni and cheese) we stopped at a little convenient store and got some water, tea and British candy. Chocolate covered honey comb is to die for!

Even though we didn’t really do anything, it was such a wonderful day. This city has a certain charm to it that just sucks you in. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. The best think to do in London is to walk around- there’s always something wonderful around the corner.

We’ve gotten quite used to the Tube system. We’re practically pros! It’s actually very simple once you get the hang of it. It’s so easy to go anywhere once you understand how it works. Thank god, because those cab rides were getting to be expensive!

It’s really funny that I can’t understand anything the locals say. It’s pretty embarrassing and frustrating. It’s really fun to pay attention to all of things that are different here. To name a few- their keyboards (for computers) are weird, the keys are in different places (not the letters, of course)- they don’t automatically give you water when you go restaurants- the speaker at the Tube station says “mind the doors” as they close- their coffee is actually a freshly pulled shot of espresso with water, it is SO incredibly delicious. There are weird things like that everywhere, I just can’t remember them all now. Oh yeah, they put beans on everything. They have “jacket potatoes,” which are actually just baked potatoes with some sort of filling on top (usually beans).

Tomorrow we are going to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham, the Tower (we’ll actually go inside), and St. Paul’s. It’ll be a busy day, but it will be great.

Time is going by so fast. We actually don’t want to go to Paris at this point, because we love London so much. I’m sure we’ll love Paris just as much. It’s so nice to see that Kyle loves it here. He was being so cranky before we left, that I was afraid that he wasn’t even going to have fun. His favorite thing to day was actually the Globe theater. He thought it was amazing.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Cheers! (Yes, they actually do say that here.)

Posted under London, Vacation

3
August
2008

Blogging from Britain Part 10

Greetings from London!

I’m writing this on day two of our trip. Oddly enough it seems like it’s day three. Yesterday (our first day) seemed like two day. We landed in Heathrow at about 9:30 a.m. We awkwardly made it through customs and found our way to the tube station quite seamlessly. Two words sum up the way the rest of the day felt: jet lagathore. Okay, I guess that is only one real word, and one word that made up, but saying “jet lag” really doesn’t express how awful we felt. We didn’t get a wink of sleep the entire time on the plane, which basically meant that we missed an entire night of sleep. I did, however, watch “What Happens in Vegas” on the plane, and I’d like to take a moment right now to thank Jenn for giving me adequate warning of how horrible that movie was. Oh god, it was just so bad. Not only was it not funny at all, but it also had a horrible message. But now is not the time do give reviews on crappy movies. The flight actually wasn’t that bad. Perhaps it was because I was so excited about getting to London, but I really didn’t feel like the flight was that long. My main complaint about the flight was that I was just so uncomfortable the whole time.

So like I said, we made our way into the city via the Tube. I felt like death. We found our hotel quite easily, only to find that it was the wrong hotel. I was using my travel book as a reference to find the hotel, but I forgot that there is more than one easy hotel in London. Oops… Since we were so exhausted we took a cab to our actual hotel. It turned out pretty well actually, because this easy hotel is in a better location than the other. It’s not even a mile to Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Check-in wasn’t until 3, so we dropped our luggage off (for 5 quid, of course), and went exploring. My excitement was able to ease the jet lag for awhile, but it eventually came back. Kyle was hungry, so we found a little cafe that served very British-y breakfasts. He has a fried egg, beans, hash browns, grilled tomatoes and toast. Sounds pretty weird but it was actually quite tasty. I ordered the same thing as him, but the guy didn’t understand me, so he just brought me coffee. Haha! I’ve found that it’s kind of hard to understand the Brits, and likewise, they often don’t understand us. I’m constantly having to repeat myself when speaking to them. Oh god, what am I going to do in France?

After breakfast we decided we wanted to walk around and explore the area around our hotel. I could see the Houses of Parliament jutting out behind the trees, and the London eye as well. I knew that the Thames must be close if I could see those landmarks, so I told Kyle that it would be nice to find a bench and relax next to it. One might think that would be easy, as we would just have to go in the direction of the London Eye… well, it wasn’t. The streets of London do not form a grid, so you can easily go in the wrong direction. Our feet started to hurt (I was still wearing the sandals I was wearing on the plane) and the jet lag was coming back with a vengeance. I was becoming quite cranky. Kyle wanted to go check into the hotel, but I wanted to find the damn river. My frustration caused me to give up, so we walked back to the hotel.

I knew going in that our hotel was going to be teeny tiny, but that didn’t take away from the shock of seeing it how teeny it was in person. It’s literally the size of a double size bed. There is a tiny area where the door opens as well. That’s where we keep all of our luggage. The bathroom is also a shower. But whatever, all we wanted to do was take a quick nap so we could go back out and explore. We set the alarm on Kyle’s 770 to go off in an hour (there is no alarm clock in this room). We both passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillow. It was heaven. When I got up I took a hot shower, which felt so nice… that is, until I was done. When I turned off the water, I was like… okay, now what do I do? I dried off the best I could and awkwardly got dressed. Waking Kyle posed a problem. He was reluctant (as usual). I told him that he had to get up, and try to adjust to London time. I wanted to dry my hair, so I got our handy UK power adapter, plugged it in, and asked Kyle if he was sure this would work. He sleepily said, “yeah… I’m pretty sure.” I should have known better… I plugged it and it a huge bright blue spark lit up the electrical socket. I thought that either I was going to die, or the hotel was going to light on fire and we were all going to die. I let out a yelp and moved my hand as fast as possible, and just waited for the pain to sink in. Luckily, I felt nothing. My hand was black because the capacitor exploder in my hair dryer and left a back power residue. Thanks Kyle! I guess my hair dryer wasn’t built to take on that kind of electricity. It’s okay though, all of our other stuff works just fine.

We decided to go out again (wet hair and all) and make our wait to the Somerset House to watch Brokeback Mountain on the outdoor screen. The Tube line we needed to take wasn’t working, so we (reluctantly) walked. It ended up being a pleasure to walk all of the way there (probably about 3 or so miles). We finally found the Thames (squee!) and walked along side it most of the time. We found a nice bench and decided to rest our feet. That was probably the most enjoyable thing we did all day. It was so beautiful. We walked by the Houses of Parliament and through Trafagar Square. London is truly an amazing city. It’s like none other I’ve ever seen. It’s a huge city, but it feels so tiny and personal.

When we found the Somerset House our feet thanked us. Unfortunately, or backs did not. The Somerset House is a beautiful museum, but outside, the ground is made of bricks (I was picturing grass for some reason). Kyle got some chili, a jaffar pudding, a beer and a strawberry-pear hard cider. Delish! This was our first time watching Brokeback Mountain. Man, what a a beautiful movie. Had I not been in public, I would have been bawling. The presence of others certainly did not stop the girl behind us from giggling for the first part of the movie, and bawling throughout the second half. She also verbally expressed every emotion she felt throughout the whole damn movie… like we care.

After the movie, we walked to the center of Waterloo bridge. Everything was lit up. It was like a fairy tale. It was pushing midnight by then, so instead of walking or trying to navigate the public transportation system, we took a cab back to our hotel. We hit the mattress and passed out for 10 hours. I’m feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Today we are seeing King Lear at the Globe. That’s all I have planned. I’m just going to let the city take us where it wants us to go.

P.S.- It only took us 10 minutes to get from Terminal C to Terminal E at George Bush International… plus, our plane was 15 minute early landing in Houston… all of that worrying for nothing!

Posted under London, Vacation

1
August
2008

Blogging on our way to Britain!!!1

We weren’t able to get on the earlier flight today, so we’re going to have to haul ass from Terminal C to Terminal E at George Bush International.

We got to the airport almost 3 hours before we actually leave. Today we’ll be doing a lot of sitting.

I’m pretty nervous for some reason. I’m definitely feeling some chest tightage. Maybe I can get a drink in a little bit…

Hopefully next time I blog, I’ll be in London! But, more likely, it will be from Houston as we wait for the next plane (yes, I’m assuming that we are going to miss our flight).

In other news, I might not have a job when I get back. Maybe we should just stay in Europe!!!

Posted under Vacation

29
July
2008

Greatest Soundtrack Ever0

So I decided to create a “British Invasion” soundtrack for our trip. With two exceptions, all of the songs are by British artists. Here’s what I’ve got so far (in no particular order- except the first and last song):

Franz Ferdinand- Jacqueline

Franz Ferdinand- Michael

Franz Ferdinand- Shopping for Blood

Beatles- Mean Mr. Mustard

Beatles- Polythene Pam

Beatles- She Came in through the Bathroom Window

Beatles- Golden Slumbers

Beatles- The End

Beatles- Dear Prudence

Beatles- While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Beatles- Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Beatles- I Am the Walrus

Beatles- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles- With a Little Help from My Friends

Black Sabbath- War Pigs

Black Sabbath- Paranoid

Bush- Swallowed (I can’t find Sixteen Stone, so I can only use songs from Razorblade Suitcase)

The Cure- Killing an Arab

The Cure- The Lovecats

David Bowie- Suffragette City

Elton John- Tiny Dancer

Elton John- Levon

Dropkick Murphys- I’m Shipping off to Boston (okay, so not a British band, I’m a cheater)

Led Zeppelin- Dazed and Confused

Led Zeppelin- I Can’t Quit You Baby

Pink Floyd- Breathe

Pink Floyd- Time

Pink Floyd- Money

Pink Floyd- Brain Damage

Pink Floyd- Eclipse

Pink Floyd- Hey You

Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Police- Roxanne

Portishead- Sour Times

Portishead- Wandering Star

Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody

Radiohead- Life in a Glass House

Radiohead- The National Anthem

Radiohead- Morning Bell

Radiohead- Idioteque

Radiohead- Kid A

Radiohead- Creep (Acoustic)

The Rolling Stones- Gimme Shelter

The Rolling Stones- Under My Thumb

The Rolling Stones- Start Me Up

The Rolling Stones- Paint it Black

The Smiths- The Charming Man

Weezer- My Name is Jonas

Weezer- Say it ain’t so

I thought I should end the soundtrack with a quintessential American band, so the last song will be:

Van Halen- Panama

HAHAHAHA! Kyle about died laughing when I told him that! Whenever we hear this song we always think of the scene in Superbad when they destroy the car.

I know there is way more Beatles than anything else, but how can you go to London without rocking out to the Beatles? That would be criminal.

Posted under Uncategorized

27
July
2008

Update0

Well I got some stuff done over the weekend. I wasn’t feeling well so I wasn’t all that productive. I updated my To Do list with what I got done (see below). I can’t BELIEVE I have to work tomorrow. I just want it to be Friday!

Posted under Uncategorized

18
July
2008

Hatred0

So I have this friend named Jenn. And she didn’t come to work today. And I hate her for that.

Posted under Uncategorized

9
July
2008

Shoes0

Want!

I know, I know, they’re not cruelty free, but shoes are a tough one. It’s hard to find good quality shoes that aren’t leather.

I didn’t get much done tonight. I’m really tired. Plus- my computer is going really slow for some reason. It’s bugging the crap out of me. I think I need to install some updates and reboot…

Posted under Uncategorized

8
July
2008

To Do List Continued:0

I got one thing done and added one thing…

Get Eurostar tickets to Paris.

19.) Buy some comfy shoes.

Posted under Uncategorized

7
July
2008

Bummer!0

I just went to book my King Lear tickets and I found out that the only time it will be showing when we’re in London is at 1:30 in the afternoon. I was really hoping we could see it at night. Lear is just one of the those plays you want to see in the dark! Oh well, better Lear during the day than no Lear at all. However, I still wasn’t able to book our tickets. Something is wrong with the website. I’ll have to try again tomorrow. Damn, I really wanted to check that off of my list…

I do, however, have some things to add:

17.) Make British Invasion soundtrack.

18.) Notify the bank of trip out of the country so they don’t freak out if I buy a cup of coffee in London.

In other news (if you can call it that), I made a delicious Asian “Ficken” salad tonight:

$Asian \$

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, but I made some slight alterations to suit my fancy. Instead of bok choy I used cabbage and I added red bell pepper and cilantro, and subtracted the water chestnuts (gag!). And of course I replaced the chicken with “ficken” (just as good, and cruelty free). We didn’t have any soy sauce for the dressing either so I just put in some Asian sesame marinade goop that we had in the fridge. It turned out pretty well. It was nice and fresh and crunchy- plus, there are leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch!

Posted under Recipes, Vacation

6
July
2008