Sunday, December 30, 2007

Central Time Zone

We have a clear itinerary for the continuation of the trip now, which is great. However, I also feel like having DSL internet and an ethernet cord available in the hotel room is in fact too much of a good thing... definitely spent too much time on the net this evening in Montgomery, AL.

We did get out of the hotel for a surprisingly delicious dinner at a Japanese chain restaurant (Sugato??) just down the road from here. Neither Mom nor I had any idea that upon sitting down, we'd be treated to a meal made right before our eyes by a very wacky chef, who spun food in the air, lit certain parts of the food on fire, and then grilled it to perfection. I remembered that ARIGATO! is the way to say thank you in Japanese, and he seemed to appreciate that.

Now KC is beckoning me to rest and I'm inclined to take her up on her advice. I've also been neglecting writing in my book journal in favor of this online compliation, but would like to strike a more even balance from now on.

Moving on to New Orleans for New Year's Eve tomorrow night.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Chesepeake Bay Bridges and Tunnels




The highlight of the first day's drive from Delaware to North Carolina!

Cast of Characters


Myself, KC, and Mom, all on the road in the Outback.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Photos VI. Switzerland (a small sampling of many shots!)

another view of the mountain panorama
taking in the Schilthorn´s incredible 360 degree mountain panorama
following the steps of James Bond to the Schilthorn
overnight in Murren, nestled in the m0untains
the skydivers descend -- but you will have to wait a bit longer for shots of me doing that!
Lake Thun en route to Interlaken
nationalism in Bern
flora and mountains on Lake Geneva
the backpacker arrives at dawn in Zurich

Photos V. Budapest

the exterior of the Thermal Baths (no cameras were allowed inside)
along the Danube River
a view of Pest from Buda
flying high above the city
Kelati train station

Photos IV. Belgrade

one of the main sqaures in the city
a surprising slice of London, far away from home
the open road heading towards the city

welcome to Serbia...

Photos III. Sarajevo

the Holiday Inn in Sarajevo was a home base for journalists during the Bosnian war.
Peacefulness on the river
war and peace were awkwardly mixed
the Turkish Quarter
a mountainous ride towards the city

Photos II. Croatia

Where in the World is JP, Dubrovnik edition.
the spectacular Old Town of Dubrovnik
first glimpse of Dubrovnik
a plaza in Split
Zagreb skyline
arrival in Zagreb

Finally some photos!!! (Part 1: Cologne)

SMR leads the Shambhala Anthem
so much torma!!!
Dinner with new friends
Offering a very large poster of the Sakyong for auction
Home base of the Shambhala Congress in Cologne

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Madame Tussaud's




I didn't get a job with Madame Tussaud's, but I did get to go through their exhibit for free, which was a whopping savings (admission is normally 25 pounds --$50-- and hardly worth that to see a bunch of surreal wax figures.)

London on Film

I’ve developed an appealing habit of only seeing films that have some part of them (or in a few cases, the whole movie) shot here in London. It began with Blood Diamond with its coda to the film set here. Even though it was supposed to be 1999, there were several modern giveaways that the filmmakers didn’t bother to cut out. I followed that up with Notes On A Scandal on Friday night, which was filmed about three miles away from me in Islington. Then going to a special IMAX presentation of Casino Royale Sunday night brought a few more views of the city, though mostly the familiar landmarks of the Houses of Parliament area – and it’s funny how many films, now that I think about it, use either that or Trafalgar Square as their sole view of London.

On Monday I got a big surprise seeing Breaking and Entering, a new drama by Anthony Minghella (which I think has only just opened in the USA? It opened here way back in September and was at a second-run cinema.) Minghella filmed a good portion of the film immediately adjacent to my flat! He chose a weird, modern block of flats which I can see from my window to be the residence of Juliette Binoche and her “son”, portraying Serbian immigrants who are getting by in London. In a couple of scenes you can even see my house as they look out the window! I’ll certainly never look at that flat complex in quite the same anonymous way.
On Wednesday, also at the second-run cinema, I finally saw Children of Men, an unsettling observation of futuristic Britain. It was very obvious in a couple of scenes that Cuaron (the director) had filmed in the actual location and then green-screened in the digital effects to make it more futuristic. This was particularly clear in the scene when Clive Owen is being driven through Trafalgar Square (again!). He passes a Tesco Express in pristine condition, which is there right now in present day. Somehow I doubt it would be in the same shape at the time of the film. It also appeared that they might have shot in the Tate Modern museum lobby at the conclusion of that sequence. Once the characters got out of London, there was more freedom of expression on the filmmaker’s part. Normally it is only a two hour drive from here to Dover/the English Channel, but I can understand that futuristic rebellion would have complicated the journey.

A few city scenes





Sunday, January 28, 2007

Local Colour

My weekly transport card ran out on Thursday this week, so instead of getting it immediately updated, requiring me to continue traveling around the city at the weekend, I decided to wait, and treat the weekend as an excuse to stay local. That meant no tube or bus, but that was fine. Probably walked a good 6-8 miles again over the past two days, from home down to Covent Garden and about halfway back yesterday, and then around the Kilburn and West Hampstead boroughs today. I was very successful with my efforts at shopping to take advantage of the end of January sales. Today that reached a fortuitous peak when I visited the local Oxfam shop. Everything was on sale for just 30p (60 cents) so I ended up with a Saville Row jacket and two long-sleeved shirts for under 1 pound. Amazing. Yesterday brought slightly more expensive but similar deals, including a winter vest for 5 pounds and two sweaters for 11 pounds. It’ll leave me all set for the foreseeable future!

Monday, January 22, 2007

A very evenly balanced weekend

When I went out of the house and didn’t wallow in my current still-jobless state, this weekend was actually pretty good – certainly was helped by cold but brilliant sunshine over all three days. I think Londoners (myself possibly included) are very susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder with the constant shade of grey that is perpetually in residence over the country.

Friday night marked a welcome return to the theatre scene to see Happy Days by Samuel Beckett at the National Theatre, with Fiona Shaw in a brilliant almost-one woman show with a twist. She spent the entire show immobilized in the middle of a sunny mountain field, buried to the torso in act one and to her upper neck in act two. I had a front row seat and got to see the direct effect. It was never directly explained why her character (Winnie) had ended up in that state, but it didn’t need to be. She bravely and gamely carried the show with a monologue analyzing the state of the day for her from her “perch” and some things that she craved (attention, feelings, compassion from her husband “Willie”, who lay clumsily on the side of the stage) and things she didn’t like (having a gun in her purse, the prospect of the day ending, just being stuck there in the hot field.) The staging was enhanced by having almost all of the stage lights on at full power, which made the theatre at least ten or fifteen degrees warmer (and like a hot field) than it had been for other productions I’d seen there. Shaw thoroughly deserved the partial standing ovation and lengthy round of applause the audience gave at the end. It seemed to be a real labor of love for her,. It’s also clear she’s fond of Beckett, as that is what she had my classmates and I rehearse for her when she visited BADA – and now she’s doing his work professionally. I was impressed with her commitment to the role in staying completely non-physical, and just trusting her initial physical movements and power of character enough to carry the whole performance.

Saturday was house-bound for most of the day, and felt static. I should remember not to do that on the weekends especially when it’s nice, although I did catch up on pleasure reading, which is something I need to do more of. It also gave me the idea for Sunday’s trip, which arose from a desire to get out of the city for a green breather.

And so this morning I boarded a train from Euston Station to travel to Tring, Hertfordshire (about forty miles from London) and visit Aldbury, a town that achieved cult-famousness as the setting for a classic episode of The Avengers, and I had wanted to see in person for ages. I almost exactly followed the plot of that particular episode as I walked from the train station to the village green. The next stop was the north of the village, at a hotel and golf course which was being extensively renovated, and then back down to the village green in the sunshine. I eventually retraced my steps through an incredibly wide and open sheep field as the sun began to set in front of me.
It was extremely restorative to see the countryside (I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful to see some GREENERY), get a lot of exercise (must have walked about seven miles today) and also put my London experiences in a bit of a wider context ~ I have been making lots of progress, even if there are times I don’t feel like I have. I also feel re-energized to focus and commit to job searching in new venues over this work week.