I’m sure many of you have seen this trailor, but I stumbled upon it today and it does seem quite interesting. I always find myself questioning whether it’s better to be in the media industry and make change from within, or to rally against it from the outside. Don’t we all?
Something new: http://type.salsen.com/
I’ve been on a brief hiatus the past week or so. I had a unique opportunity to visit my friend Mo in London. This was a HUGE deal for me since:
What can I say? IT WAS FANTASTIC. I did the usual touristy stuff, but there were some really excceptional places, people, and events. Some of the highlights inlcluded:
The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London - I didn’t expect much because I’m not usually the ‘bling bling’ kind of girl (or as Lauren/Catherine Tate would say “Bing bing”). I admit though, once I saw the shiny gleam of diamonds and gemstones, I couldn’t get enough. These were the most beautiful jewels I have seen in my life. The only thing stopping me from trying the jeweled tiara on and prancing around like a princess was the glass box and 5 million security guards. *sigh*
National Portrait Gallery: Probably one of the best museums I’ve ever been to, if not the BEST. The main selling points are that it’s free and boasts one of the most impressive collections in the world. The biggest reason worth going is that it’s a museum that you actually WANT to go. Located in the center of Trafalgur Square, it’s close to all the major sights (Westminster, Covent Garden) and surrounded by beautiful sculptures (those famous lions). What made this museum better than the MET or Whitney is the learning center by the cafe downstairs. You can search for art pieces by artists name or piece name, even just part of their name., What’s even cooler, let’s say you don’t know what you want to see, just that you want to see famous things because you’re a tourist and that’s what tourits do. So you can select ‘Themed Tours” and the computer will give you a selection of tours pre-made for you (ready-made seems to be a very British thing). They had a great variety from “Greatest Hits” to “Drinking and Debauchery”. Some others tours were “Michaelnagelo Top 10″ “Impressionists Inspirations” and “Love and Romance” “Creepy Crwalies for Kids”. You could click on each painting to enlarge the image on screen and read more. OR, you could also print out the entire tour (usually 5-10 paintings) and the printers would print (for free!) thumbnails of the paintings and highlight a map for you indicating which room the painting was in. AWESOME. Such a great way to use technology in the arts. It truly encouraged visitors who are pressed for time to actually see what great pieces are on view.
Sunday Roast: Sunday Roast: Overall, the food wasn’t spectacular, but Sunday Roast was worth waiting for. Mo and I visited his friend Yasmin (sweetest girl ever) who lived in Crystal Palace. It was there that we had this traditional meal that only takes place, obviously, on Sunday. Even though I’d had tea and cake that very morning I still ate most of my meal because it was THAT good. It consisted of Yorshire Pudding (pronounced York-Sheer), cinammon broccoli and carrots, sirloin beef in a sort if gravy, and roasted potatoes. I didn’t have high expectations, but this was delicious. Yum!
On the last day of my trip Mo and I went down to Paddington Station to see my favorite bear. It was cool to see my furry friend, with his tag and suitcase. This trip certainly rejuventaed me in a way that was very much needed. I feel much more focused and inspired. And if P-bear can travel from Peru to London and make do, I can do anything too.
I have the best friends in the world. Thank you, Mo.
Well this Wikipedia article pretty much explains it all.
This summer I received a book called “100 Greatest Trips”. It’s not the greatest book ever, it’s really just coffee table piece - but one day I was lounging in the AC and longing to be anywhere, anywhere but here. I read about cute villages in Kenya and interesting cultural trips to Europe - but the one that stood out was Vietnam. The culture, the people, the land…it seems so incredibley different that I just can’t get over it. For now, it’s just these pictures.
I’ve never been overly supersitious or anything, but I must say that sometimes things are so totally coincidental that it makes you think twice. Today for example, I read an article about Salvia in the New York Times - Salvia is a natural plant that provides a high much like an acid trip. It wasn’t the first time I’d read about it but for some reason I remembered, the street I grew up on was called “Salvia”. And the house I grew up on was 1979. Smashing Pumpkins 1979. Salvia 1979? I mean, really?
Also, I graduated 111th in my college class. My dorm room was #111 my freshman year.
I really wish I knew more about coding. The design part I generally get but it’s difficult to get it all down just.right.so. For tonight, I’m fine with what I have here. Simple. That will be a later post!
Goodnight dear friends.
I’m amazed (but shouldn’t be) at the blog revolution. I remember my first blog on diaryland back in 2002. I wish I could retrieve some of those messages! I’m curious to see how the thoughts of my then 18 year old self stack up to my older, somewhat wiser self.
Well here we go, starting the Fall with a brand new blog. Bare with me as I figure out Word Press. I really want to customize my own page and it was definately more complicated than I thought it would be. I’m starting to get the hang of it. I wonder how to upload files? Anyone?