things change

I've never liked clubbing. Still don't. I've been to a club twice in my life. Once in LA. Once in Tampa. And now, once in London.

I've been to a gay club once. In Tampa. But it was pretty dead, so I'm not sure if it counts. Then I wrote a story about the gay club. Not sure where to put that.

Well, tonight, I reach for another rung on the ladder. Today, I not only went to a gay club in London, but it also happened to be "Porn Idol" stripping contest night at G.A.Y. A friend was a contestant.

Don't be shocked, if you are. Be amused. It's all an experiment. How much can Julie change between May and January? Stay tuned.

random pic of the entry: the end result of the cookie-baking experiment. the end result.

a massive update

Wow. The last time I really put up anything of significance was when I got sick. Well, I was definitely sick the entire time I was in Paris the first time ... it kinda sucked. I mean, sniffing and sneezing in the most beautiful (YES!) city in the world was just not cool. But Paris was so pretty. I wanted to just sit in front of the Eiffel Tower and stare at it. Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, this is the column I wrote for the DT about how I was left behind on the thing. Anyway, the first weekend, Aaron, Erika and I saw the major stuff -- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, Arc d' Triomphe, Bastille and other similar things. We stayed at a hotel 5 minutes from the Bastille and ate at a cafe about a block from the roundabout that has good salmon quiche. Yum. :) At the Eiffel Tower, on the green/garden part where the fountains are across the tower, there is a stand that sells delicious crepes. When Matt, Erik and I went, we stayed at a hostel near the Repulbique and there was also a really good crepe place on the way to the metro stop.

The Louvre was so huge that I only saw what amounted to 1/3 of one wing ... and there are three wings! The Mona Lisa was anticlimatic -- sort of like reading Romeo and Juliet in English class -- because it was talked about so much anyway, seeing the actual thing wasn't as much a thrill as expected.

The second weekend, with Matt and Erika, we went to the Louvre again, saw more stuff, and STILL didn't get finished. That place is enormous. It's also a maze. Even with an English-language map in hand and signs around the museum, I still needed to find a "you are here" directory to navigate. I think it took me about 20 minutes to find the Aphrodite/Venus statue, aftering circling around and around. I did successfully find the Code of Hamurabi, which, I think, is the first recorded set of laws in the world... it's also really strict.

With Matt and Erika, we saw the Egyptian exhibits and French, Italian and Spanish paintings and French sculptures they displayed in a sunlit courtyard in the middle of the Richelieu (I think) wing. They were pretty. When you walk into the Louvre from the Musee du Louvre metro stop, you are actually walking underneath the biggest of the I.M. Pei pyramids. You can then take the escalator up to the street level and walk around the plaza (the three wings form a U and the largest pyramid is in the middle). From the plaza, you can see the Eiffel Tower.

The second week, we went to Chateau de Versailles, which, apparently, is outside the Paris city proper, and we had to pay extra to take the metro there. We didn't know that, so we had to pay about 2.50 Euros ... the police told us that if Parisians did that, the fine is 35 Euros.

Versailles is beyond beautiful. You can see why the French were furious with the royal family when the citizens were starving. Versailles is opulent. It's really ornate with tons of gold and paintings and candeliers ... and, of course, the Hall of Mirrors, which was partly under renovation when we were there.

The palace was gorgeous, but the real beauty is in the gardens.Trees and grass and flowers and fountains as far as the eye can see. And a canal! With canoes! It's amazing. There are also cute little walks on the side to stroll in peace .... so pretty. And we went on a clear day, too. Speaking of clear days, Paris was sunny and warm when we were there. It feels like summer was just ending, but fall is only creeping around the corners. I think it was in the 70s when we were there, both times.

I first heard about the Centre Pompidou in French class in high school but didn't really know what's in it. But there is a modern art museum in it, so Matt and I went on our last night in Paris. It's pretty cool, more so than the Tate Modern.

Speaking of the Tate Modern, Matt and I finished it last Friday, along with Tate Britain. Tate Britain was a letdown, it didn't really have any really awesome paintings, although there is one with an amazing sunset landscape and one with Ophelia dying. Those are the main ones. But nothing special, really. And after awhile, I got really tired of looking at the same paintings room after room. But the last exhibit I went to at Tate Modern was really awesome ... it's really a 3-D collage of sorts about the Iraq war, with cardboard U.S. soldiers forming a fence around the stuff inside like mushrooms (like bombs) and books, etc.

I also went to the National Portrait Gallery, Hyde Park (soooo pretty), Kensington Gardens, Knightsbridge, Harrods (had to!) and places around there. Oh! And the Tower of London, but it was kinda boring. It was just a lot of towers with creaky wooden floors. But ... I did get pictures of actual Beefeaters! :)

On Sunday, I went to Greenwich to walk around, but it was super touristy and not much fun. And windy.

You should read about the cookie-baking experiments.

All right, that's about it, at least the important stuff. I'm going to the Hungarian consulate tomorrow morning to get a tourist visa to go to Budapest (YES!) the weekend of the 17th. It's going to be super fun. :)

pictures from Paris part one

At long last, Paris pictures are here. I swear I added more than just these in this entry, but Notre Dame and some others apparently did not upload. So there will be two parts. This one is from the first weekend in Paris.


** It just doesn't seem right to start any other way. Eiffel Tower did not disappoint. It was every bit as magnificient as it was said to be. Except a bit rustier than expected.


** Every hour at night, the tower gets to twinkle like a Christmas tree! This is obviously not one of those twinkling times.


** me, Erika and Aaron with the Eiffel Tower.


** Champs-Elysees. Erika and I waited at least 10 minutes for a giant red tour bus to get out of the gorgeous view of the gorgeous street.


** Arc d' Triomphe. It's pretty cool. There was some sort of military service thing under the arch when we were there, so we didn't get to walk through it the first time we were there, but it was still pretty cool.


** a crepe sucre from a stand near the Eiffel Tower. It was hot, gooey on the inside and crispy at the edges. Mmmmm....


** Apparently, my store sells men's clothing, so no shopping at Jules.


** L'escargot. A little chewy, full of basil-and-olive-oil goodness. Yum. It comes with its own clamp and fork!


** The Bastille at night. It's just a roundabout now, no actual building exists. It's about a five-minute walk from our hotel my first weekend there.


** You can see how the Centre Pompidou (the weird bright building in the middle) might anger its neighbors -- it stands out! and definitely does not fit in with the surroundings! Inside, there is a really cool modern art museum (and some other stuff) that Matt and I visited on the last night of my second trip.


** This was right in front of the entrance of the sanctuary in Notre Dame cathedral.

It's coming!

Paris pictures are coming, I promise! I just got back from Paris, round 2, so there will be even more pictures. I love that city. Wanna move there. So many beautiful places, so little time, so little money. Need to find a more travel-friendly-salary occupation.

But the pictures are coming. I promise.

Paris!

Got back from Paris yesterday, but the 100-or-so pictures are still on my camera, so there are no pictures to post yet. Also, I just realized that I have a presentation due in class on Thursday, and I have to read in order to do it. So I need to read, then update with Paris trip stuff. Oh, there will be Paris stuff. :)

well, it's time for an update

Giant blister healed (kinda), so I stopped band-aiding it. Today, I found dried blood where the new skin used to be. No good. I'm also sick (self-diagnosed, one hour ago) -- sneezing, runny nose, sore throat. It's OK, though, my friend Matt gave me vitamin C and zinc and EmergenC from Trader Joes. All will be well. Look for updates from Paris or after Paris on Paris. Au revoir! :)

PS: haggis

ah, an important postscript from the trip to Edinburgh. Haggis isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It actually tastes like really bready stuffing. Really not bad at all.

Thank The Gap

Apparently many people out there are not fond (to put it mildly) of The Gap. But from my experiences on Friday and Saturday in Notting Hill, I owe The Gap quite a lot. They're good peoples.

Anyway, the second week of school has started, and things are setting in to their boring, lecturing self. In Society and State in Britain (basically medieval British history through the formation of Parliament), the prof spent the entire time talking about how to use proper grammar construction. Then, three hours later, in the seminar (discussion, if you will), he spent an hour talking about how to write a proper essay -- complete with Latin explanations. Puke. To give the guy some credit, though, I will say that he is hilarious. He's bitter, sarcastic and cynical, and it cracks me up. :)

Anyway, one side of my desk is clean, and my bookshelf now has books on it, so cleaning last night was a sort of success. More today, perhaps?

look ma! more pictures!

Sometimes, you just have to be a tourist, and we head to Trafalgar Square. For some reason, sightseeing has been done at night so far....


** Nelson's Column at night.


** a view of the Big Ben all lit up in the background with the Column in the foreground, taken from the National Gallery.


** a picture with the lion. (Erika, Matt and me)


** that's me ... with the lion.

After Trafalgar Square, we joined Ethan, Greg, Cassie, Kate and Brian for The Aristocrats. It was hilarious. If you haven't seen it yet, you should.

this is where Edinburgh pictures are

Last Thursday, less than a week after we all landed at Heathrow, a group of us took off to Edinburgh in a semi-impromptu trip. Matt, Aaron, Sara, Jim, Greg and I are all from USC. We met Cassie, from Vassar, when she walked into the common room in Maynard when we were watching "Bad Lads" (remember the military reality TV show?). Kate (Boston College) is Matt and Aaron's flatmate, whose boyfriend Brian (also BC) lives in the flat across the hall, which is where Erika (Baylor), whom I met at dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant, lives. Matt, Aaron, Erika and I met Jim when he overheard "Traddies" in the stairwell on the first day of orientation. For the uninitiated, Traddies -- or formally known as "Traditions" is the on-campus bar at USC. Through Sara, we met Chris, who also goes to BC. Did I cover everybody?

Today, while queueing (of course, what else would I be doing on a Tuesday afternoon?) in the history department (I might tell that story later), a girl nicknamed Flea (for Felicity) gave me a pretty thorough education on the British education system and the British teenage rites of passage. Apparently, 18 is the year when you get trashed and 21 is the year you get a formal ball type thing -- to celebrate growing up, I think. I also found out people hear just say "uni" instead of "university" and that "going to school" doesn't really work for going to college. You just get a funny look. It's also interesting to learn (and hear) that British people say "OxfordandCambridge" as if they're one the way some people say "HarvardandYale" in the U.S. There is also "Oxbridge." Perhaps there is/will be Harvale?

I've met three of my flatmates; there is another who moved in but haven't caught his (her?) name, and the door across from mine hasn't opened when I was in the flat. There is Tom from southwest England; Giles, whose mother must think I'm dumb because I couldn't understand when she asked what "course I was studying"; and Tokru from Tokyo, also an associate (international) student.

The way my schedule stands right now -- and let's hope and knock on wood that nothing is going to change on Thursday -- I have Wednesday and Friday open, a crazy Monday, and OK Tuesdays and Thursdays. The 20th century U.S. history class is going to be fun, I think, but I really want out of my all-American discussion session. I'm taking U.S. history in Britain because I want a British perspective, not to get the same points of view I've been getting in the U.S. The Linguistics of Storytelling seems promising so far. There might be quite a lot of academic (finally found the word!) journals, but the main class project sounds fun. We'll see how things go.

Anyway, here are a sampling of Edinburgh pictures. I won't bore you with the whole collection. Enjoy! :)



** inside the courtyard of the Edinburgh Castle. You can google the main entrance of the castle if you want. It has a moat! :)


** this is a doorway of a military prison in the Edinburgh Castle. It's so short that my head was about 3 inches from the frame and can nearly touch it with my head by tip-toeing.


** this is the group of us at Edinburgh Castle. From left: Greg, Chris, me, Erika, Matt, Sara and Aaron.


** one of the many pictures of the Scottish Parliament building. It's pretty neat, huh? In the background is Arthur's Seat, a small hill that we climbed on our last full day in town.


** we found an old cemetary near the Parliament on the main street through Edinburgh. This is the oldest tombstone we found; there are probably others, though. In the cemetery is also the grave of a poet named Robert Fergusson. I don't know the name, but some of you guys probably do.


** the Scott Monument, which, according to Wikipedia, was built in honor of Sir Walter Scott.


** from Calton Hill, overlooking the city.


** the entire group (minus Jim, who tends to disappear on his own a lot) on Calton Hill -- or at least nearby it. The two new people are Kate and Brian.


** Matt, Aaron, Greg, Sara, Erika, Chris and I climbed Arthur's Seat -- no small feat if you know me. So here is proof. That's important! :)


** this is us (who made it to the top ... YES!) from the top of Arthur's Seat. Don't let the smallest of it fool you; it's a curvy and steep climb, and (scarily, sadly, regretfully) nobody brought water with them to the climb.

a quick missive on Edinburgh

Hello, world.

I just got back from Edinburgh, and it was everything people told me it would be. My room's internet died (again), so I am currently at an internet cafe near campus and am running out of minutes, so this will have to be quick.

I'll write more on Edinburgh when I get internet back up and post pictures ... because I took A LOT of pictures.

But the most satisfying thing I did there would have to be the full day, when a group of us hiked up Arthur's Seat ... it's not a "mountain", per se, but it is more than a hill. I got such a sense of accomplishment out of it. :)

Anyway, school starts tomorrow, and I need to unpack my luggage earnestly now because there are still suitcases on the floor and all kinds of crap on my desk.

FIGHT ON!

pictures!

As promised, here are pictures of the first half of the first week. I just got internet, and life is good again. :)


** sign in Heathrow


** Big Ben and Clock Tower with London Eye in the background.


** my rolling chair does not roll. :(


** "red beer" -- black currant concentrate, Strongbow and Grolsch.


** amusement.


** easily amused.


** ?!??!?! if anyone knows what this means, please let me know.


** a public service announcement provided by Britain.


** saw this one as my friend smokes his second Marlboro Menthol of the night.


** on the central line Tube to IKEA ... Matt, Cassie and Kate.


** the IKEA hamper I bought in the kids' department! :)


** the alarm clock didn't have a time because when I bought this at IKEA, I also bought the wrong size batteries, so now I have a whole box of AA IKEA brand batteries. Perfect.

It's 4:02 a.m. GMT. Kelly Clarkson is playing the background. I have to get up at 8:30 in the morning, so I will go now. Hope y'all enjoyed the pictures. :)

the GMT

Oh, man. I'm sitting in terminal 8 of the internet cafe around the corner, contemplating whether I should get a sim card now or later and how much I really need to use my cell phone. Scattered around me are my newest acquisitions from IKEA, my second trip ever. And what a journey to IKEA it has been. Let me put it this way. QMUL is in the east part of London. The IKEA we went to is in Neasden, which in northwest part of London. The Tube ride was fine, but the walking reminded me of freshman year at USC without a car and having to walk or take the metro everywhere. Especially memorable is the trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond at the Beverly Center, lugging pots and pans, knives, flatware .... basically everything I ever could need for my sophomore year apartment.

This time, I'm smarter. I leave IKEA with one bag and a bright green hamper with a pink flower lid!!! :) Oh, you know there will be pictures soon of my awesome amazing hamper.

But. The prize buy of the day is my clip-on alarm clock with 5-minute interval rings in increasing volume. It's gonna be awesome terrific.

I come away with no winter clothes (we were too pooped to even stop by the grocery store for provisions), but the weather today was OK. There was a bit a drizzle when we left the Tube on the way there, but otherwise, it's just really, really gray.

It looks like I won't be getting my own Internet for at least a week, after we register.

Anyway, hope all is well back home!

here I am ...

but I'm definitely not torn to pieces. :)

The first indication that things are going to be a little different was on the flight when we were descending into Heathrow. The captain, over the PA, said that we were descending, blah blah blah, and the weather outside is clear, London is reporting a temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius, which, he tells us, translates to about 42 degrees Fahrenheit (something like that). You can hear the people in the cabin twittering.

It is kinda chilly outside, but it's really quite beautiful. There's a light breeze, the sun is out, and the air is clear. So all is good.

The plane had to "remotely" land, so we had to descend our Boeing 777 onto the tarmak. That's a new experience. There were buses waiting to take us into the the terminal. It wasn't until we were deep within the bowels of Heathrow Airport that it hit me.

The bus is driving on the left side of the street. Holy crap. I'm in London.

Immigration, customs, baggage reclaim and all that went well.

On the way to Queen Mary, University of London (that's where I'm studying), the bus -- excuse me, coach -- passed Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the phallic building in Central London and snaked along part of the River Thames.

It's amazing.

I just moved into my room in the dorms, and my room is gorgeous. I love it. It's so clean and new and beautiful. Small ... about half the size of my room at USC -- just big enough to fit a built-in bed, a built-in desk, built-in closets and a REALLY tiny bathroom. There's one way in and out and really nowehere to turn with all my luggage in there.

Right now, I'm in an internet cafe just outside the campus gates. USC was telling us that East End -- where QMUL is -- is like South LA but less gritty. I guess ... but it's much better than I expected it be. It's not a "nice" area by any means, but it ain't South Central.

There seems to be quite a bit of international students. Just in the bus group I came in with were people from Boston College, Duke, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, Swarthmore and Ohio University.

I haven't met any of my flatmates, yet, but hopefully it will happen soon. :)

here we go!

The time is 6:17 a.m. I'm leaving Florence in about 4 hours. I have not finished packing, so I am going to go do that.

Otherwise, hope all is well with you all out there in cyberspace. :)

Turning off the computer now....

booooo

ETS is the ruiner of dreams. >: (

oh, dear

gasp. 2 more days until takeoff. you know NASA wants me to work for them. totally.

resolution

I finally figured out what was wrong with me the last couple of days. I was going through medication withdrawal. Whatever hydrocodone is -- I think it's either an opiate or narcotic -- it was screwing me up. Panic attacks, near-nervous breakdowns (hence, apparently, the hiding under the desk), etc. At least I know I won't be doing drugs ... ever. It sucked.

Now I am mentally preparing (haha) for my second stab at the GRE. The first time didn't go so well. You'd think that being a journalism major I would have some sort of grasp on the English language. HA! scoffs ETS, that's what YOU think, you liberal arts nothingness.

Man. I should've been pre-med or pre-law or something. Bleh.

But after the GRE, I will begin to earnestly pack for London and make sense of the piles on my floor.

And once again, another shameless plug.

Ciao. :)

a mess

Sorry, guys, for the lack of real news or updates. My life is a chaotic mess right now and needs fixing. I think it's a combo of GRE and London anxiety and a lot of other shit. I literally hid under my desk for some solitude about 15 minutes ago... :*( My stomach is in knots... and I don't really know why. : (

At this exact time next week (Saturday, 3:32 a.m. eastern), I will be in London. There is a lot to think about and plan.

I don't cry often; in fact, I can't remember the last time I did, but during all this Katrina stuff over the past 2 weeks or so, I've been really angry. Now -- yesterday, today -- when I watch or read the news, all I feel is incredible sadness and utter hopelessness. I went to a quasi-job interview the other day, and the talk came to the self-preservation of copy editors and how we tend to have a passion outside of work because we need to. Well, I think I've found mine. I've always had a passion, but these few days made me feel that I should do something that really makes a contribution to others.

I want to be a Big Sister, but apparently they want you to be able to stay in one place -- impossible for college 3,000 miles away.

But I think when I get back to LA, I'm going to get on board with USC's Habitat for Humanity ... it feels right, for some reason....

more diagrams!

This time, it's interactive! From The New York Times.