chomp chomp

thursday is our first big critique of this term. we're completing our 4-week Analog (non-digi) Workshop and there will be 'one-to-one' scale models, "beamers", and a bunch of crazy material experiments. it is our first review with invited critics (bigwigs other than our studio tutors) and its bound to be . . . well, interesting.

CLICK on the color image [below] to view some of our components. the color image is a slideshow, so give it a few seconds to load in the new window after you click.

AND please wish us luck! go PACMAN (that's our team's nickname) chomp . . .

. . . chomp. i know, i know, i've got loads of stuff to catch up on for the blog, so hopefully this weekend i can do some more [rewind]s to fill you in on what school is actually like.

tick tock + the ghost of halloween past

the 'Brits' change the time back too, we just switched our clocks on sunday (of course, like usual, i had no idea this was happening until luckily one of my studiomates told me as we were leaving the building at midnight lock-out) - and yes, btw, it does get dark so early here!

also, another thing snuck up on me this week - apparently its halloween time? they don't really celebrate it here (or atleast no one at my school from the 37 other countries has mentioned it). but they have, however, already put up christmas decorations. oh yes of course, they did that a couple weeks ago! every store that i pass on the streets - don't worry, no shopping for me - has big festive trees and sparkles up in the windows, and all the restaurants have been advertising christmas and new year's bookings for weeks. the stereotype is true, they are really obsessed with it. oxford street is quickly getting more and more nightmare-ish (if even possible from its already overcrowded sidewalks), so i don't even attempt to walk near it anymore. its all about backstreets and shortcuts now. oh i'm so londoner now, eh?

they do have some bonfire holiday coming up on the 5th of november, so hopefully i'll be able to take a moment away from my schoolwork to check that festivity out with "real british people". it has something to do with a crazy guy attempting to blow up the houses of parliament (the Gunpowder Plot), and i guess that is well worth celebrating. . . apparently there are fireworks and maybe a lot of meat-on-a-stick : eeek!

so will you guys please send me pictures of your crazy costumes this year? I'm just dying to know what you came up with and wishing i could be there to laugh at all the craze. Girls, what's the uniform this year?! steve? i expect something good from you! wil - wear some pants this time! tell me all about it, and pretend i'm at the parties. maybe make a cut-out of me and stand it up in the corner. this year i would like to be a superstar. you know, as usual . . . or . . . a porcupine fish. can't decide. : )

ha.

my 'FLAT'

so you are curious about where i live. actually, so am i - i'm never there! but here are some pictures of my apartment, err . . . flat!














these are pictures of my kitchen/living room. In England, they call the living room the "lounge" and in many apartments (like mine) there is no lounge - hence the random couch in my kitchen! Its quite a good space though, we can have a quick glass of wine there - and watch the clothing dryer go! (thats what the random tube stretching across the floor is for, the glorious glorious dryer.)

our flat is 2 levels of a 3 level rowhouse. the kitchen and antoni's room are on the 1st floor, and alex's room, my room, and the "loo" are on the top floor. this is the stair landing upstairs, showing my door in the background with a 'welcome back' poster on it for the guy who used to live there. yes, maybe i will take that down.

i took these pictures one night and they were very yellowish orange for some reason, so i made them black and white so they would look more artistic than they really are. the walls are peach, people. Peach.

and so we go into my bedroom. it is quite large and has wood floors and 2 big windows. exciting! other than that, it is, well, peach. There is also really pretty ugly maroon curtains and a big poofy chair which is scary to look at, but not that bad to sit in! the desk is also a monster from the past, but hey, it holds up and i didn't have to haul any of it up the stairs!


there was a small issue with the heat for a couple weeks, (i.e. there was no heat in my room and it was freezing cold!) but now, you will all be pleased to hear, i have gotten the registers working and heat is pumping into the old tanks. YAY WARMTH! It is good.

yay for my room.

comments comments comments

I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS
please keep them up

and whoever is "anonymous" why are you so mysterious?!

KUDOS to K-'dog' and Funk for having the most HITS - you each earn one free pass to stay at my flat when you visit me in london + a complimentory shot of vodka from the kitchen cabinet

perhaps i will award a grand prize at the end of my study here . . . . hmmmm

fires [sad]

Hiya

i just wanted to put a link in to the news about the terrible fires in San Diego County. as you know, i don't watch the news, but have finally heard about the disaster via email from several friends. it is devastating.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/

it is strange to learn about a thing or a place you think you are still so connected to, only to realize how disconnected you now are. if there is anything i can do for my friends in SD, please let me know. i am thinking of all of you!

( mark, kari; alayne + family; mau + 4: are you okay?? )

leaves of . . . london

i realize i am getting a bit slower with this blogging, but there are many things to come . . . . soon - ish, but today i just wanted to put a quick one.

LEAVES.
There are leaves here, (london has more green park space than any other major city - i think anyway). It sounds a bit ridiculous to say, but if you spent the last 4 years in San Diego, California, you might understand why this is so mesmorizing.













FALLING.
The leaves are falling now. I walk through them everyday on the way to my studio. Its really Fall here, or as they say, Autumn.

The streetsweep man puts them in piles before loading them onto some street-leaf-mobile. The piles are fun, eh? (maybe just to someone who hasn't felt a real fall in a long time)

I can even smell it again.

cornflakes, blackheath, + GMT [rewind]

while there are so many things yet to describe about my experience here, this one is getting vastly overdue. i would like to share just a bit of my first experience in what i guess i'd call "outer london", that is, those areas still within the Mayor of London's city limits, but outside what most people associate with Central London. I am talking about my stay out in Greenwich, back when i first arrived in town, just after my first 4 day stint at the EasyHotel.

i was very fortunate to book a small one-bedroom apartment for 7 nights in an area of London called Blackheath - this was due to the great generousity of my friend Rachel, her grandfather Bill (whom i have never even met), and his friends Derek + Elizabeth Thorp, who live in Blackheath themselves. These kind people arranged for me to stay in this temporary lodging for an amazing 12pounds/night, and even went so far as to pick me up in their car at the trainstation with my gigantobags!

The Thorpe's were a very sweet couple, who kindly made me eggs and toast for lunch on my first day, and then a very "English" dinner that night of some sort of meatpie and veggies. Each morning they insisted i stop over for breakfast (which was always cornflakes) before i went off for the day. Aw!

like a usual idiot, i forgot to take pictures of the apartment while i was there, but i can describe it quite simply. it was big (huge compared to my last hotel) and consisted of a lounge (living room) with a table and 4 chairs, a complete kitchen with some dishes, a large bathroom with powerhouse-shower-of-the-gods, and a bedroom with two single beds. Huge! It was clean, very clean, and located just a hop away from some bus stops, and across the street from the glorious Royal Standard Pub.

The Pub is where i went with my laptop for endless hours of (free-internet to search daily for my flat options. The locals were kind there and a few talked to me and gave me tips, beers, and cheers. Usually i just ordered tea though, which may sound strange, but the pubs here are often more than just a bar, they have lounge spaces, internet, pool table, everything. (the term "pub" is actually short for "public house" which back in the day were created to serve as sort of a living room for the many many labor and factory workers in the city who lived in dormitories so tight, there was no room for anything other than rows of tight cramped coffin-like beds. eeek.)

as i would go into central London each day to look for a "flat", it was rare for me to return home before 10 or 11pm, thus i was very tired and slept quite well in the little apartment. the trip into central London from Blackheath took about an hour each way, as Blackheath is located geographically south of Greenwich, the village famous for the Royal Observatory and location which the Prime Meridian governs navigational time, i.e. Greenwich Mean Time [GMT]. i tried out a few different options for travelling into the center, from all bus route, bus/tube, bus/DLR/tube, walk/DLR/tube, etc. "DLR" stands for "Docklands Light Rail" and is the over-ground system (and under-river) that is most commonly associated with the new developments of East London: the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf regions (a pretty hideous execution of what can only be described as a typical American city). This famous rapid urban development houses new centers of finance and other large corporations that have grown out of room in the historic center London district, that neighborhood specifically called "the City" (or Bank, if you are familiar). typically, one-way from Greenwich/Blackheath to London took about an hour, and it was most interesting to travel on the DLR because you could see the massiveness of the city out of the windows, but it was a lot of travel each day!

i did, however, manage to take one lovely sunny afternoon to walk to Greenwich Park and also up through the Royal Observatory grounds, and down into Greenwich itself. It was quite pleasant, and the park had more people in it than i'd ever seen use a park. it was also fun to stand on the prime meridian, though a bit cheesy and unclimatic when you are by yourself! i would describe the observatory and all this more to you, but well, you'll just have to come and see for yourself. hopefully this slideshow thing works okay - despite the low-res crappy cameraphoto image quality.

so i will just end with this one image: me standing with one foot on each side of the international date line.

i am a time traveler.

tea + crumpets

probably time that i introduce to you the infamous tradition of English Tea and Crumpets. I'm not really quite sure the more "correct" ways of experiencing this, but i have just a few little tales.

i must say, to my surprise (and surely yours), that i am very taken by this whole tea-drinking thing. Its good! I never really liked teas when i had them in the states, but here, well, i guess they must just be better. (And the British will attest to this strongly - they despise what we call "tea" in the states) I like mine with just a bit of milk, no sugar. however, i always have to wait a bit longer than other people to drink it, because for some reason i burn my tongue much easier.

every two steps on the sidewalk is a place to get tea and coffee. They say "take away" instead of "to go" and when you want tea with milk, you just say "white tea". It is cheap too (at most places anyway.)

today, a bizarre thing happened to me. i stopped in a cafe near my studio to grab a cup, and discovered before paying that i didn't have any cash. i asked if i could pay with my credit card, but was not surprised that they did not have a credit machine, and then said my apologies and that i would just go without. then i was amazed. the baristaman (what are they called?) asked me if i worked in the area, and after i replied, yes, i go to school just down the street, he said this: ok, just come in and pay later or tomorrow sometime. i was dumbfounded. and pleased. how kind! perhaps maybe it is just a strategy to get me to return to the shop as a regular customer, but i like to think of it more simply, that there is still to be found in a neighborhood some level of trust!

and finally, about crumpets. i have not had one yet, nor have i even seen one in real life. but a new friend of mine said this: "crumpets are better than sex."

i will leave that to all of you to ponder.

"ring me on my mobile"

this is my new cell phone - err, 'mo-bile'. its one of those sexy ones that SLIDES open and has a scroll key.

right now i'm using Pre-paid service, which is actually kind of expensive. soon though (once i have proof of my address somehow) i will get a monthly plan, probably with the company Orange. Because, well, you know, ORANGE is THE thing, thesedays it seems. Why is everyone stealing my color? Its mine, jerks!

its hot, eh? yep. and the screen reflects like a mirror when its not active, so i can check my teeth. !!

everyone here says "ring" instead of "call" so i'm always hearing things like, "ring me later, luv" or "ring my mobile for a chat, yeah?"

easyhotels [rewind]

i know the suspense has been high regarding the infamous pod-ish hotel i booked for my arrival, so i will describe what can only be summed up as, well, orange.

so the first place i stayed at in London was the EasyHotel, London Victoria. I booked this accommodation mostly because of its price and location close to Victoria Station. I have stayed in this area before (adria, you may recall our "homey" B&B fondly from last year!) and wanted to be somewhere in Central London for my first few days, so i could be close to school and what i hoped to be the areas i was to find an apartment in. And i DID NOT want to stay in a hostel. No. Thank you.

So i booked the EasyHotel for 4 nights, http://www.easyhotel.com/, which is owned by EasyJet of course, and operates a basic hotel with no frills for a decent price. My room was small, some 6-8 square meters including the bathroom. You pay seperately if you want cleaning more often or extra towels, or if you want to rent a remote to watch TV. To save money, i of course did none of those things, and thus just had my silent little room with no windows. For sleeping, actually it was quite great!

The tough part was that i couldn't check in immediately when i arrived, so they stored my bags and i had to go walk around for a few hours to wait until 3pm to get in. Off of no sleep that was a little hard, but i just went out and got some food nearby and tried to find a cafe with internet. Finally i could check in and it was amusing trying to get my heavy suitcases down the stairs to the room (unfortunately there were no ground floor rooms available.) They had this poor 12 year old kid to help me with my bags, and i thought he was going to fall down the stairs with my one bag. F!Once i got into the room i took a much needed shower in the hilarious little bathroom and changed into fresh clothes. I was tempted to go to sleep, but wanted to stay up until the evening to atleast have a more normal sleep schedule. So I then went on the tube to the neighborhood my school is in and went cell phone shopping, got a phone and grabbed a few things at a grocery store to eat. I returned to my easyhotel around 8:30pm and was deep asleep by 9! Ahh.

Later that week i moved out to stay in an apartment in Greenwich, which i'll describe seperately, but I did also stay at the easyhotel again a week later, when I still hadn't yet gotten an apartment. That time, i stayed for 2 nights in the EasyHotel South Kensington (different neighborhood, the Victoria hotel was full) and my room - which was supposed to be the same size - was even SMALLER than before. There were literally, walls on three sides of the bed!

All in all, though, i'd probably recommend the place to anyone needing a similar "easy" situation. It wasn't fun or comfortable or anything, but it was super clean, super easy, and nice to just have a zone to keep my stuff. There are B&Bs around the same price available, which probably have a better atmosphere, a more helpful staff, and atleast windows, but this was good for me, and i don't mind orange. : )

arrival [rewind]

about my arrival - already 3 weeks ago, shockingly:

i flew by the glorious Northwest Airlines by night, leaving Minneapolis/St.Paul airport at approximately 7pm (Central Standard Time) on Monday, 10 September, and i arrived in London Gatwick at 9:00am (Greenwich Mean Time, GMT) on Tuesday, 11 September, nonstop. My parents had driven me the 3 hours to the airport of course, from home - and of course i had to rearrange my packing once at the bags check, because they were over the allowed weight limit of 50pounds, and one was even over 70 pounds which isn't even allowed at all! I had two suitcases, my laptop bag, and a small carryon bag. Lots of stuff, true, yes, and i couldn't even fit everything i wanted, jeesh. But away to bag check they went, and into the airport abyss i disappeared to find currency exchange - which is just depressing, the rate is badly Not in our favor. Ew.

The flight itself was pretty good, roughly 8.5 hours and relatively painless. I was lucky, and had selected an aisle seat in the middle section of the plane. No one sat in the seat next to me either, which was very fortunate! On the other side of that seat was a really nice British guy about my age, an actor. I actually talked to him for a number of hours, his name being Danny, and himself just returning to London from a 5-day Vegas trip - yikes! He has emailed me since a few times, checking to make sure i'm settled okay and giving me some great local tips. Very kind! I later watched a movie i believe, hmm, what was it? Oh, Oceans 13, and then after that snoozed a little bit - though it was just too tough to sleep really.

Once i arrived in London, i had to get to my hotel, which was located near Victoria Station. I planned to take the Gatwick Express train, which goes directly from Victoria to Gatwick with no stops in about 25 minutes. I first had to go through customs of course, which was pretty easy, except the woman questioning me was pissed i didn't have a place to live lined up. I thought for a moment she wasn't going to let me in! And also she required a copy of my admissions letter from the school, which i had not expected, but lucky happened to have a copy in my carryon. Eeek!

Then off to get my luggage. I noticed Every Single Person was using a "trolley" to wheel there bags arounds, so smartly, i found them and got one myself. I had never used one before and wow, do they make a huge difference. It was like i didn't even have any luggage, err, well, close. Then i pushed my gigantobags over toward the train ticket area, which was a bit confusing to find, but alas. It was an absolute MadHouse, so i decided to investigate getting a cab. Yes, found a cab box, asked about price, and was returned the answer: 100pounds. thats about $200U.S. Ha. Yeah right. (My new friend Danny had fictitiously told me it should be around 35pounds. Ha.) Back to the train hub with my trolley.

Impressed with my ability to still be extremely alert (despite not sleeping) i even asked at the ticket purchasing agent if there was a way to easily get my gigantobags onto the train - as i had noticed the masses turning in their trolleys and pulling their bags now, eeeek. The agent then told me to get a Porter, seeing my blank look, then told me she'd even call ahead to tell them to look for me. Aw. So i just pushed my trolley over to the Porter station (yes, the Porter Station) and a very nice man then lifted my bags for me onto his own trolley, took me to a seperate elevator and dropped me practically inside my train. It was the easiest thing ever. Then he told me he'd call ahead for me to Victoria Station to inform a porter there to meet me. Amazing! I tipped him, and he looked at me like a weirdo, maybe you aren't even supposed to tip them! (but my bags weighed the equivalent of a dead body, so um yes, sir, you get a big tip.)

And then of course, nice 25 minute ride into London, passing loads and loads of green. It was really pretty beautiful and all the old houses are so . . . old! When i arrived, there was in fact another Porter, waiting with a trolley, right outside my car door. Yay. He then trollied my bags up the escalator (which was amusing!) and then outside the station to the cab line and put me into a cab. When i told the cab driver the address of the hotel, he was kind of pissed, because it was only about 1 block away - how was i to know?! (Well, i did sorta expect that, but honestly, pull my bags more than a block? no way.) He did take me there though and because of the one-ways, i feel got his moneysworth. So i was there. At my hotel. I was in London. At last.

flatmates flatmates

I have two flatmates: Antoni and Alex. And after searching for what seemed an eternity (and meeting some very interesting people), i am so excited about them.


We had champagne on Sunday night and went to eat at supper at Los Guaduales, a really great Colombian restaurant in our neighborhood, to get to know each other a bit more. (Antoni is a bit obsessed with their BBQ ribs, fyi, for your crazy meat lovers.) They both seem really fun and easygoing, super nice, and are originally from Montreal, Canada. (AH!) Heh heh, seems I am always mingling with these French Canadian people. They do speak French to each other, which is really pretty cool to hear in my own house. I can't understand any of it, but they are kind enough to speak English most all the time I am around - and they have promised to teach me some French as well. So far, i learned - and then forgot - the words for eating and cleaning. Good Job, Linds, I know. Antoni (on the left) has just turned 28 and has lived in London for 5 years now. Alex (in the middle) is soon to be 29 - shhh - and has lived over here for 1 year. They both work professionally in the center, and Antoni even bikes to work (yikes) from our flat.

I will put up some pictures of my apartment soon, but right now i'm not yet living in my real bedroom. I'm actually temporarily in what will be Alex's room, he is staying in Antoni's room, and Antoni is staying with his girlfriend - just until this weekend, when the other guy (Neil) moves out of my room-to-be. Amazingly kind of them to shift around like this, just so i could move in early, eh? Yep. Nice guys!

AND here is the kicker, the icing, the champagne of beers: we have a clothing DRYER! That's correct, i do believe it could quite possibly be the only flat in London that has one. (Most apartments only have a small washmachine - which, yes, of course we also have - and it is tiny.) But most importantly, i can dry my underwear - cheers! (hmmn . . . . perhaps this is why my rent is so high . . . . )

location location location

the infamous "mind the gap" is actually said each time the doors open on the underground transit system here - aka, the TUBE. its amusing. they also say, "mind the doors" and "stand clear the closing doors". But you can get stuck in them, i saw one guy almost lose his shoulder bag as he was jumping in the train at the last moment, and his bag remained stuck outside the closed door. yikes.

so i thought i would insert the image of the system, to point out where exactly i am being. I think this will be easier to understand than a regular streetmap, as London is so large it is hard to pinpoint things that way. Though please keep in mind, the tube map is distorted and does not properly represent distances or directions. I realize it looks tiny to you, so i will just be general - but if you google the map yourself or go to http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ you can zoom in yourself and understand more clearly what i am saying!

WHERE MY SCHOOL IS:

36 Bedford Square in "Bloomsbury" just off of the legendary Oxford Street (shopping, people, shopping hell).

The Architectural Association : http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/

Closest Tube: Tottenham Court Road station, literally one block away. The red (central) and the black (northern) lines come into that station. It is dead center in the middle of the Tube map, in the dead center of London, near Soho, Hoborn (pronounced: Hoebern), Leicester Square (pronounced: Lester), Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, etc.

Bloomsbury is most known for its Literary history, and is home to University College London and of course the giant British Museum (about two steps away from my school). So if you have a map of London Centre, find the British Museum on it, and thats basically me. Norman Foster did a glassy roof over the interior courtyard. I have yet to go inside an see it. Ooops.

Here is a picture of my school's front entry. Its about 5 levels overall, and also has some back studio spaces beyond a courtyard through the building, etc. Don't get me wrong though, it is SMALL. Interestingly, it was apparently part of London's first planned "suburbia", though now it is included in one of the two most central postcodes in London, WC1 (west central) Yep, the style is Georgian, and the mansion blocks were built to house fairly rich merchants who worked in "the City" (the technical name of the "downtown" neighborhood of London that houses the great banking and financial industries) and wanted to go home to a more pleasant destination in the evenings. In the center of Bedford Square, is a very nice greengreen park, which is private and only Keyholders can enter the gates and use the garden. My school does of course, hold a key. :) [We were to hold our big school picnic there on friday - but it rained so we picnic-ed inside the small lecture hall instead. A bit bizarre.] These other two images are also of Bedford Square, and you can see what it is like in the private garden in the center (just off the road in the nighttime shot)

WHERE MY FLAT (yes, flat!) IS:

135 Isledon Road in "Finsbury Park" which is a Northern neighborhood technically in the borough of Islington. It is directly north of my school, but definately not in walking distance. Its very near Camden Town and also very near Highbury+Islington, and Angel, if you are familiar with some of the more trendy neighborhoods for young people to live and go out in. Finsbury Park is actually a large Park, just north of my house. I haven't been there yet.

Closest Tube: Finsbury Park station, just a few blocks away, about 5 minutes walking (which is very good). The blue line (Piccadilly) and the cyan line (Victoria) lines both go into my tube station, so i can take either line down near to my school, though i then have to either transfer one stop or walk in a bit farther. So far, i'd say it takes me about 30 minutes door to door from my flat to my school. That is quite good for London as well!

The neighborhood at first seems a bit gritty, but actually i have discovered a number of nice places closeby. Also, the next station down, Holloway, also within walking distance, is where there are the larger grocery and other stores.

These pictures are of the front of my building. My flat, which is a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom occupies the upper two floors, the very top windows with the arches are both my room. The two windows below are one of my roommates, and the bay window below that belongs to the people underneath us.

The picture on the left is the approach to Finsbury Park station from my street. The pictures on the right is the neighborhood the giant grocery stores are in nearby. Not exactly glamorous, but you can see the condition of the grey sky which makes everything just oh so bright. (ha)

So this is where i am! I have already gotten quite good at interpreting the bus and nightbus system also, so i believe i can find my way around pretty easily now - yay.