The Ossies are surely having a field day with this...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090226/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_germany_cashier_1

A Few more London Photos

See all of my photos on Facebook...

My attempt to be artsy at the Tate Modern.

Those red phone booths seem to now be trash bins... Stupid handies (handys?).

Donuts, donuts, donuts. You ask for it, you got it, Toyota.

This made me think if Jason.

Big Ben and White Hat Ashley. (And the runner between us.)

How do we encourage people to be kind to one another?

Hm. Maybe we could make passive-aggressive posters for the subway of stereotypical people promising not to commit social faux-pas.

Yes. Great idea.

Third Big Thing: London Trip

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. -Mark Twain


I just got back from a lovely week in London. I understood (nearly) everything people said, bought magazines for reasonable prices, and ate decent Mexican food. Oh yeah, and I toured 8 museums (Tate Modern, Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tower of London, Science Museum & Victoria and Albert Museum) saw 2 shows (Avenue Q and The Sound of Music) and 2 churches (St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey). It was a good trip and now I need a nap.

At Trafalgar Square with the Lions. I couldn't resist. OBIC

Outside of Buck House (Buckingham Palace).
Mom said she compared her life to Princess Di's because they got married around the same time and had their first children at the same time. She even told me once she imagined I would marry Prince William and perhaps live here.
Sorry to disappoint you, Mom, but not gonna happen.

I stayed with Laura for the first three nights, and knowing my bad sense of direction, when I went to explore her neighborhood I took pictures as my bread crumbs.
They came in handy later.

My beefeater tourguide. Excellent. Hilarious. British.

Outside of the Tower of London. Notice that my neck is well protected.

Second Piece of Big News

Today I attended the Berlin Film Festival for the first time. Yes, I know that film is one of those interests listed in the ever popular "Bible of White People Stuff" and I decided I must attempt to gain interest in this habit as well.

I just returned from seeing Rage at the Friedrichstadt Palast. Hm... It begins as a school project from a kid with a highly developed sense of ironic/witty humor. Each take consisted of a character talking to the camera as though a part of a documentary. After about 30 minutes, I felt like a total loser with no knowledge of film. It certainly seemed arty enough, but I didn't get it. Then, I noticed the scores of people leaving (note: Slight exaggeration, but as Lisa said this weekend, "You gotta make the story good.") and watched Rachel do the head bob thing. Clearly, I was not the only person who was wishing the screen was a bit brighter to do some reading or darker so I could do some sleeping. As the film shown on, more and more people left and at one point the end was made evident by the words "Last Day." At this point, a man in fron of me raised his arms like Blaze, the American Gladiator and I began applauding. Now, looking back, I'm ashamed at my impropriety. But the movie was really, really bad.

We're going to see something else on Wednesday. Wish me luck!

Here are some pictures from AGIS...

Big News

It seems that I've gotten some people all in a tizzy predicting my "big news." Well, since Rachel and Alyssa's apartment was broken into I didn't want to open mine up to an invasion while I was away at AGIS this weekend. The conference was exciting and fun and I performed with some BBIS staff. Lots of fun.

100 Random Things

There's big stuff going on in my life right now, but I can't talk about it yet. I promise, I'll share soon. To focus on something else, here's a list of 100 random things that I got from Alyssa's Blog...and she got it from someone else...etc. I like this better than the 25 Random Things going around on Facebook right now. The ones that are highlighted are the ones I've done. Enjoy!

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars (on the trampoline)
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyland (why would one go here when there is Disney World?)
8. climbed a mountain (in a gondola)
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped1
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea (on a cruise ship... not so fun!)
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. seen in person the Statue of Liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch-hiked
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill (Mental health day, my dear)
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping (I love the fountain!)
27. run a marathon... hahahahahahahahahaha
28. ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or a sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language (does German count)
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michaelangelo's David
41. sung karaoke (in a group, never alone)
42. seen the Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. received a prestigious award
48. gone deep sea fishing (see 27)
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie (WBCS, sugah!)
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business (I ran a carnival...)
58. taken a martial arts class5
9. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. got flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check (Not officially since my bank protected me...)
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guards in London
77. broken a bone (toe?)
78. been on a speeding motorcycle (deathcycle, you mean)
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book (in Writer's Workshop, you bet!)
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire Bible
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating (right...)
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club (I'm in 2 right now, looking to join a third!)
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. been involved in a law suit (I was summonsed to testify in a custody case...)
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. learned to play an instrument (piano, french horn, trumpet... I'm not proficient at any of these, but I can read music.)