Pope on a Rope.

Finally back in Bath, and I am overjoyed.

Things That I Will Miss About Fall Break:
-the gorgeous weather in France and Italy
-gelato (particularly from the place to the right of the Trevi Fountain)
-Euro MTV (particularly the weird german/italian soap and the Scissor Sisters video)
-free croissants for breakfast and real non-instant coffee/espresso
-stores being open past 6
-buying on the euro
-once in a lifetime opportunities, like making Pope jokes at the Vatican

Things That I Will Not Miss About Fall Break:
-living out of a backpack (particularly wearing the same pair of pants so much that i have to roll them at the waist to keep them on)
-not being able to straighten my hair
-reading maps all the time
-hotel beds and bathrooms and showers (particularly when the hotel showers ARE the bathrooms...)
-once in a lifetime opportunities, like walking across Rome at midnight barefoot (um, I know.)

So it was a wonderful time but I am very much glad to be back. The pictures are being updated slowly, seeing as it is a long and arduous process. Currently the Nice pics are up so hopefully those will hold you over until I have time to add the Italy pics. For now, a preview:



Just a little shot of the Sistine Chapel. Apparently the only reason you're not supposed to take pictures of it is because Japanese TV has a copyright to it (lame). So obviously when I found that out I had to get a picture just to spite them.

Also, If anyone can think of something brilliant for me to be for Halloween, please let me know within the next 24 hours.

Roman(ish) Holiday

Hello hello

I am currently at an Internet Cafe in Florence, which we all know is no way to be spending my vacation, so I'll make this short... I checked my email and saw that I owe a lot of you emails, which I will gladly return once I'm back in Bath on Monday. Miss you all and wish you could be here to sample many varieties of pizza and gelato with me :-)

A Very Merry UnBirthday

I'm going to culturally enhance my blog slightly today with a little link to the play I saw last night, The Birthday Party. It was good....but very very strange. I mean I guess that's the point, but it was certainly one of the more confusing plays I've seen. I also saw Conflict Tiger, this crazy russian documentary about man eating tigers..... both were on the study trip my modern british fiction class took to Bristol. It was an interestng day but I was ready to get back to the little bubble that is Bath.

My house has really maximized its pong potential in recent days. The danger being that sometimes the pong ball bounces out the kitchen window and has to be retrieved. Good times though, good times. Karaoke was a success. Sang a little Journey because, after all, we're in college. There were some other great contestants as well, particularly Pistol Pete who rocked out to some song that I can't remember, and Panda (yes, that was his name..) who 1)sang a Meatloaf song and 2) looked like Meatloaf. Too bizarre.

I continue to be grateful for itunes for making Grey's so downloadable. Tonight Burg and I will enjoy last week's episode, and perhaps a little guac. For now I am journeying home.

The Room of Requirement

If it exists, it's totally at Oxford. And I had class in it this week. I also think one of our program directors might be Gilderoy Lockhart. (I'm sorry if you don't read Harry Potter and can't get my allusions).

Every time I post it pains me because I see how the blog is suffering. Again I'll stress my picture page as a supplement.

Things I've Learned While at Oxford:
- 'The Turf' is the pub where Clinton didn't inhale
- Even the numeric codes to get through the gates have historical significance
- I don't know who thought of punting, but I'd imagine it was some British alcoholics
- My life has been incomplete without Indian food

Thank you, Toby

Toby at STA Travel has made my day (/life).

October break plans (with Burg and Xtina):
21-23: Nice and Monaco
24-26: Florence
27-29: Rome

Additionally, there is a December Paris weekend that has been booked.

I am financially and physically drained and I haven't even been yet. But I'm also pretty excited.

Olympics here I come

One of my fave London pics.

Teaching Your Grandmother to Suck Eggs

Two of my tutors have said that in class so far. Of course noone knew what it meant, so one of them explained it as meaning 'Teaching someone something they already know' --because your grandmother already knows how to suck eggs, so it would be redundant to teach her. What wasn't explained was what it means to 'suck eggs.' So I'm still kind of in the dark.

Speaking of darks....Apparently all the dye had not yet come out of my skinny jeans. So although I thought they were safe to wash with some whites....um, they weren't. I now have a lot more light blue clothing than I used to. Which wouldn't really bug me if I didn't already have a light blue polo.

London this weekend, will try to get some good pics to spice up the blog. Maybe some people picketing outside of Tony Blair's house or something....

So it's not a cupcake, but...

A (freaking delicious) cookie and a cappucino for 2.55 pounds. The picture does not do it justice.

The Dark Ages

No cellphone, no internet...man this is a whole new experience. It's hard to be my usual random-daily-blogging self when I don't even check my email every day. However I have found some time to provide two pictures:

A pretty view of Bath



A pretty view of a round of cider



Something that made me laugh recently-- a woman (British, obviously) working in a store told the group I was with that she loved our accents, and could listen to them all day.

EDIT: So I've thrown the few pics I've taken up on a yahoo photo account (see 'Bath Pics' link on the right)... I don't really have the time or patience to better organize it right now but I assume that will happen in the future.

When in Bath...

Ok so that title is horribly cliche, I can't believe I even thought about it let alone actually typed it. But while my body has gotten over the jet lag a bit, my mind apparently hasn't.

As a result, this is mostly just a Yes I Am Indeed Alive post. When my mental acuity returns I'll try and make some humorous observations....and if not just I'll just post some pictures of my house.

In the interim I'll just say that Bath is gorgeous and you should all come visit me right now. Go, buy your ticket, I'm waiting.

Goodbye Cupcakes

The lemon tart cupcake from Yummy's that's approximately half the size of my face
(note: wow it totally looks like I'm not wearing a shirt in the picture but trust me, I am)

The cupcakes Jenni made me on my second to last day of work

The lemon angel food cupcakes my mom made me last night

I can't be bothered with titles

Can't sit still. Leaving the country in 2 days. Freaking out.

Saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels last night.....it was awesome. The whole cast was great, and Norbert was freaking amazing (of course). Plus two gay guys sat behind us giving extensive commentary on everyone and everything, so really it was the perfect theatre-going experience.

What?!

In my shock I could not think of a more clever title. So I'll get right to the point.

Tucker Carlson WON'T WEAR HIS BOWTIE on Dancing with the Stars ?!?!?!

Insanity. I thought they were inseperable. You don't see SpongeBob trading out his SquarePants for some distressed denim (excuse the horrible analogy). But really. If there was one reason I was going to watch it would be to see The Bowtie. Now I"ll leave Dancing with the Stars to the more devoted fans, ie my grandma, while personally sticking to the classics, ie watching that time Jon Stewart verbally kicked Carlson's ass on Crossfire. (which I desperately wish I could link, but am forbidden thanks to current browser).

RIP


Additionally: Breakfast so far: apple, licorice...and a cupcake. Fantastic.

3 is a Magic Number

I'm sure this is overkill given the number of people who weigh in on this sort of thing, but I've been meaning to do this for awhile. So here's who I want in the Runway final 3.





Michael- I've loved him since Day 1, when he made that coffee filter dress that was really overlooked. I hoped that he, much like Daniel V., would come into his own with time. And he did. Sweet.









Kayne-I think you said something to this effect Andrew, but he's like the southern gay best friend I never had. He's so adorable. He needs to turn his designing around a bit if he's going to make it to the end, and if he doesn't I might cry. And I pretty much never cry.








Uli- I think everyone can agree that she should've won last night (even Tim says so). The only reason they gave it to Vincent was to cause drama, and really I'm sick of that. Him and Angela both should've been gone episodes ago. Anyway, Uli rocks.

So that's what I think. Of course we all know that this won't be the final 3 because then the viewers would actually like the designers who made it, and [the proverbial] they can't have that.

Also, I recommend that everyone watch at least one episode with their father. It really adds a whole different dimension to the show. And it could be an experiment of sorts-- are all dads annoyed by Tim Gunn, or just mine?

Wednesday Stands for Boring

I want to see this. I had planned on a whole diatribe this morning about the Santa Clarita Valley's inability to show good movies and blah blah blah but as it turns out its actually playing out here (now). Way to steal my thunder, Edwards Valencia 12. I just need to find time (and a friend) to see it between today and 9 am Sunday.




I apologize for the mundane nature of today's post. I hope I haven't been granted some omniscient perspective on my own writing today, reavealing to me that its always this boring.


I'm reading this -->
So far so good, but I have absolutely no idea where its going.


Edit: On second thought, I don't apologize. It could be much much worse. I could be writing emo poetry or providing the details of my dentist appointment. Consider yourselves fortunate.

A Post for Miss Mack, On her Birthday

20 Good Things About Being 20

1) 12 months until you're 21
2) 52 weeks until you're 21
3) 365 days until you're 21
4) 8760 hours until you're 21
5) 525, 600 minutes until you're 21
6) 31,536,000 seconds until you're 21

Um, did I say 20 things? I meant 6.


Side note: Joel Stein, you cut me deep this morning. A dis to cupcakes AND Harry Potter at the same time? Ouch.

Every time a bell rings a cupcake gets its wings

Before the week is out I want to try and make these lemon angel food cupcakes. (Minus the fancy decoration which appears to include plants.)

Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow

There is no energy preservation occurring in this building right now. And if so, I am not benefitting from it. It is freeeezing. I'm trying to delay putting on my sweater because I know it will only be a weak shield from the harsh environs.

So this weekend I saw this: and read this:



Step up was awesomely bad. Or horribly awesome. Whichever order makes the most sense for you.
The Red Tent was legitimately good. Not something I'd really recommend to the male reading population, but good nonetheless.

On a more general note: I try not to be an elitist about movies or literature. Even when a film/book isn't traditionally good, it usually has something that lends it a sort of diamond-in-the-rough status. (Like Step Up or Jaws 2). But sometimes, it is just bad. And no amount of laughing-at-it-and-not-with-it can change that. Alexander comes to mind (Fiore can speak to the horror)....as does another book I read this weekend. I don't want to name it because that can't be good luck. Not that I believe in luck, but I did open an umbrella indoors this weekend, and do I really want to tempt fate? Not that I believe in fate. Hmm. Anyway, if I see you reading it I'll rescue you from its horribly simplistic sentence structure, religious undertones, and ultra manipulated plot.

Happy Monday.

An idle brain is the devil's playground

The world has really become a sad place when even the Choose Your Own Adventure books are being made into movies.

Using a remote to choose your adventure is nowhere near as cool as flipping to page 73 (only to discover you have been transported to the time of Genghis Khan, or turned into a baby).

But seriously, are kids that lazy and loth to read? Do the people who market this sort of thing really want kids to watch the movie instead of read the book?

I'm sure that will work out well for everyone in the long run...

Now to avoid hypocrisy (this time) I'll get off the internet and go read.

New and Improved (read: Not So) Fun Zone

Yesterday I mentioned how I rarely ever post current events....and here I am, doing it again: The End of the Fun Zone Era.

This isn't actually new by any means, but I wanted to take a moment, if belated, and mourn. Growing up (I say that like I'm not anymore...) we always went to the fun zone when we visited my grandparents, and I always freaked out in front of the Dark and Scary Ride (supposedly called the Scary Dark Ride, but this is my blog so I'll say what I want). Then my gparents moved up north for awhile and we didn't go back until later in high school...apparently the Dark and Scary Ride wasn't so Dark and Scary.

Aaanyway, I think it's pretty sad that it's being replaced by a museum. Sure, a "starfish-laden touch tank" has potential, but chances are good that it's either lame, overpriced, or both.

Hmm...should I get some more water for my half-empty glass?

If only I was wealthy and could buy my favorite lawsuit-waiting-to-happen ride, ie the drummer-boy-spinning-teacupish-thing. Then I could put it in my parents' backyard and have a taste of Newport kitsch whenever I wanted. Or twice a year at the very least.