Hallmark-Worthy Heffly Words.

maude and i wish you a very happy mmxi

2011-01-01T17:48:00.001-05:00

...and proud we are of all of them.

Glee is getting really intense. It seems like there's a hate crime a'brewin.

2010-11-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

I'm in need of a whole pie. I suppose I would settle for a hug.

See, that's maturity and coping.

i don't tweet

2010-01-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

but if i did, i guess it would be this today: "is he your first ex-hookup to get married?"

man, i can really feel the years catching up to me.

i'm a werewolf in london. or something

2010-01-16T03:36:00.000-05:00

one goal checked off the list: i went on a jdate. i'm really not going to blog about that interaction, but i did want to brag that i finally finished something.

still flossing everyday, and this sunday i'll climb another phoenix-area mountain range, papago. did not go to the doctor about my knee this week. also did not get my car serviced--something not on my list but much more pressing than most of my remaining 100 goals.

pasta is the quiche of the eighties

2010-01-12T01:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday marked the beginning of this silly epic journey. I commemorated the day by dragging myself out of bed at 2pm and forcing my weary body to haul tuchus all over town to get ingredients. Yes indeed, I was determined to be domestic and thus set in motion goal 76 on my list.

Of course, this task was not to be taken lightly. So girl got on her pinafore, her pearl necklace, and them high-heeled shows, and off she went a wass'ling.

After much trial and tribulation, involving but not limited to multiple stores, sore feet, errant baking pans, and a broken mixer, I managed to eke out some chocolate cream cheese marble bars. Wish I'd thought to take a picture of them, but trust, they were way delicious. Took them to my hardworking football-watching boy friends and patted myself on the back for a goal well done. 100 or so to go, and most will be just as accessorized, if not so tasty.

all right, now this is happening

2010-01-09T22:16:00.001-05:00

to paraphrase from all of my other friends working on this project too:

it's time for a new adventure. a long-term adventure. i've made a list of 101 goals to accomplish in the next 1001 days.

this is new for me. i've allowed myself to become complacent; i've accepted factors of my personality as facts. example: i have accepted that i am not a long-term goal setter, that i have no direction in my life. i've adopted it as a mantra, an excuse.

that's not ok--i want to be a different person every day, and i want to wake up every day happy with who i am. i'm not one for ruts, and i'm not one to settle. i'm breaking my own cycle, as i have so many times before. i'm going to set some goals, and i'm going to achieve them.

someone important to me once told me, "i hope you are never content. you can achieve great things when you see the need for change, and if you are never content with what is before you, you will continue to achieve." i cherish that.

in other words: it's on, beezies.

http://dayzeroproject.com/?u=notorioushmr

i only blog when i remember i have a blog

2009-11-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

I've been home for the last few days on account of turkey time. Today I got to experience one of the many reasons I'm thankful for my own integrity.

Grabbed boba drinks with an old friend from high school, and some other kids from our class came to pick her up. My friend, of course, wanted me to come say hi.

Me: Hey, how's it going?

Guy: Hi. I'm B****

Me: Yeah. I know. We went to high school together.

Guy:...oh. Did we have any classes together?

Me: I don't remember. No big.

Then along comes a girl who definitely knew me.

Me:Hey, how's it going?

Girl (with a look that says, "I know a serial killer who looks just like you."):...Hi.

Me (Suzy Sunshine, as always): I'm Hannah! We went to high school together. We sat next to each other in homeroom for four years!

Girl (unconvinced, but there doesn't seem to be a chainsaw in my hands):...uh huh. How's it going?

Me: Good. Bye.

A picture's worth a thousand words. Which has nothing to do with any message I'm sending here. If I didn't recognize someone, though, I'd probably fake niceties with them...at least so they wouldn't remember what a huge bitch I was in high school.

Guess this girl just hasn't changed since homeroom.

8-6-7-5-3-0-8.

2009-09-13T01:44:00.000-04:00

whoops. wrong number. my bad.

point the first: weezer. after approximately a decade of putting up with your shit, it's over. don't call, don't write, and do NOT text. i'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. you had two and a half good albums (max) and everything since has been garbage and more garbage. we're done.

point adieux: i take the subway to work. it's interesting, it's somewhat cost efficient, and it supports local jobs. i'm down with all three. of course i do not have cell phone service in the subterranean tubes, and upon resurfacing last evening, i found i had a voicemail. i didn't get the call, so i don't know who it came from. point being, someone went to great lengths (subliminally or otherwise) to serenade me to the tune of "she's my best friend's girl." i was (and still am) delighted.

just for kicks

2009-08-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

after uploading a new picture today, it came to my attention that i take a lot of pictures in animal hats, yet i only own one...troubling.

exhibit ah:

exhibit beh:

exhibit letter-that-only-really-exists-in-english:

und exhibit finale.

hope you're noting the similar/identical facial expressions in the carnivorous pictures. you know i am.

the best way for you to support this effort right now is to become a member.

2009-08-21T17:44:00.000-04:00

ugh.
i'm in my parents' house, typing this at their computer. why? there are no easy answers, and in some cases, no answers at all.

i still have my job. well, i have a different job with different people now. but i still have it. having been jarringly removed from my former occupation to an association with the latter, i still have some work to do to find my way. i'll be working out of my new job's l.a. office for the week. i was meant to go to arizona at week's end, but that's unclear at this point, if even slightly improbable.

i'm going somewhere, that's the point. the great adventure i've set myself up for is actually happening, with a degree of spontaneity i certainly could not have foreseen. i'm loving it, this coasting along in life's roller skates.

of course, subconsciously, i'm mimicking the voice of the author i'm reading right now. more consciously, i miss the people i know now. and i'm excited about my life.

look up the definition of fascists..then look at the leaders of your group

2009-07-30T18:28:00.001-04:00

i'm far and away and just remembered i have a blog that i never update and no one reads. why not write something?

i'm in hartford, connecticut, right now, fighting for health care reform. it has been suggested that we should wear capes to work. i'm working 13-14 hour days and hanging out at the red lobster semi-regularly. this, my friends, is life after college. i eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day. i read usa today (bad) and listen to npr (good. but standard). i ride a roller coaster of emotions daily, most of which can be summed up as "crazy."

for those of you not in the know, i've got a paid internship for the year working for a nonpartisan lobbying group. we fight powerful interests on behalf of the little guy. it is exactly what i want to be doing, and yet, today i contemplated running away from the job to work at an eco-friendly vegan cafe. there is certainly a part of me that aches for the life that is california; at the same time, i am learning so much about myself and the country i live in.

i've also met some really cool people. emphasis: some. haha. but seriously folks, it's awesome to be working with so many like-minded individuals. way better than being "that girl" who raises her hand to answer every question in class. i have seen the grown-up world, and it is full of interesting, intelligent people. those adjectives can even be applied to men! it's true. the world does not stop at davis and certainly not at g st. pub. not to imply that i don't miss those locales terribly--you know i can't resist the deadly allure of karaoke in the dirty five-thirty.

i'm here for another week and a half and then back to boston for another week and a half of classroom training. i'm stoked to reunite with the other half of our orientation crew, not to mention my darling amelia, who is working for one of our partner groups. i live in a hotel right now. it's nice to have someone else clean the bathrooms, but i miss my little doggy stella. and courtneymichelle, who is in ghana right now. i want to text/call her a minimum of ten times a day, but no such luck.

to conclude for the nonce, "my feet is tired, but my soul is rested."

here's a quickie for you

2009-02-07T03:27:00.001-05:00

Two things, and then I'm going to bed. I'd apologize for being inconsistent on this, but it's unlikely anyone's reading.

1. If Liz Lemon can find love, I'm pretty sure that gives me a shot, too. She embodies many of my ideals, after all.
2. Will Ferrell in a movie with dinosaurs? I jizzed in my pants is pretty cliche by now...but still true, irregardless of that SNL short.

I love working in food service

2009-01-20T03:58:00.001-05:00

The opportunity to yell "Hey, don't spit in this guy's burrito!" absolutely never gets old. It may even have scared professors into giving me good grades and boys into asking me on dates.
Emphasis on MAY.

Nevertheless, there are few things I enjoy more than large groups of inherently stupid people. Take for example my present job. We sell coffee, cake, and cookies, among other things. The cookie shelf is self-serve. I cannot tell you the number of people who have been ignorant of this fact because I literally cannot count that high. Definitely more people than I've even CONSIDERED sleeping with--and I'm a fairly lonely, insecure person.
My favorite example to date:
Addled customer with baby in stroller: "Miss? Can we have some snickerdoodles please?"
Overworked, underpaid employee with a heart of gold and hands full of coffee urns: "That shelf is self-serve, ma'am."
Addled Darwin Award winner walks through the barrier and around to the employee side of the counter and proceeds to help herself.

Other top contenders:
*girls with eating disorders ("Can I have a no tortilla burrito with no beans, no meat, no cheese, and light on salsa and tomatoes?")
*middle-aged men whose $5bills the cashiers check for counterfeit ("Just printed it this morning! Hyukyukyuk...")
*cranky tenured professors ("You poisoned this coffee, didn't you! You bitch!")
*Bible-study bound Asian girls who order ice cream at 10:30pm in WINTER
*Drunk frat boys who come in when we're closing ("I JUST WANT A HOT CHOCOLATE WHY IS THAT SO HARD YOU FUCKING BITCH?!")
*and, of course, people who do not know they're in line for food. ("Lessee...I want...something. What do I want? Ummmmmmmm...huh. Let me see what you have. Ummmm. OK. I think I want--no, no, I don't know. Could I just--shoot. No. Um. I'd like...did I forget my wallet? I did. Crap. OK. Never mind. Maybe I'll just--yeah, ok. No.")

With all these folks in mind, let me remind you of the cardinal rule: never fuck with people who handle your food.

Yeah, that's exactly what you think it is.

still trying (after all these years)

2009-01-13T05:47:00.001-05:00

All right. Let's blog.

I embarrassed myself tonight. I'll let you in on it. mostly because "you" are probably just ME reading this at a later date...Anywho:
I went to my favorite pub quiz tonight. And I missed BOTH Star Wars questions.

I know, I know.

I'm angry, I'm upset, and I'm feeling low.

Thank goodness karaoke night follows pub quiz quite promptly, else the evening might have been a total loss. Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can completely ruin N*Sync for you.
...like it's hard.

baby we were born to blogggg

2009-01-12T02:54:00.007-05:00

Maybe not. But it's a nice thought, and perhaps I'll try this again.

I watch a lot of TV and movies because I'm an American Studies major, or possibly vice versa. My friends and neighbors (sometimes synonymous) alternately enjoy my commentary or ban me from speaking during idiot box time. I think this may be a good venue for my worthless thoughts.

There's a commercial on for some kind of hot grilled sandwich from one of the big pizza franchises, and they make a point of talking about how much better their sandwiches are than Subway's...but all I can think whenever the spot comes on is, "Good for Laura Prepon. I'm glad she's getting back into showbiz, if only through fast food commercial narration." Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama, if you're reading this: maybe you should send her some money.

I'm watching Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, and it straight up blows my mind how much three movies could change the very fabric of our society. There are a lot of epic fantasy films debuting in the Aughts that were originally novels and have been optioned into movies, i.e., Lord of the Rings, Twilight, Harry Potter, Golden Compass, Chronicles of Narnia, Soul Plane, etc. You look back a few decades though, and totally awesome shows and movies were being written for stage and screen and THEN becoming books/games/videogames/creepy fetishes--a la Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and The A*Team. (B.A. Barrackyour minds around this!)
Back to just Star Wars, though. It's crazy to me how many different versions of just one movie there can be! There's original, remastered, those crazy special editions that came out in the nineties where they put a CGI Jabba in (bad call, George)--those came in full-screen AND widescreen (we Refflets had both)--, plus the version of Return they released after/in conjunction with the release of whatever III was called, in which they replaced the old Darth Vader ghost with Hayden Christiansen in the last scene.

Shenanigans. Hayden Christiansen, like Laura Prepon of That 70s Show fame, is a one-hit wonder who flamed out once he reached his incredibly limited potential. Worst. Anakin. Ever. There are only two people eligible for the award (James Earl Jones does not count), so kudos to you for winning something other than a Razzie, Hayd.

I think I want to end here. I also think that although dehydration is most certainly the enemy, peeing every hour on the hour is not that fun either. Maybe I should cut down on tea. Or get a catheter inserted.

no problem, man, i speak english good no problem

2007-12-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

Oh Roma. I'll explain that little tidbit when I get to it.
I'm updating from Rome Fiumicino Airport. If those pezzonovantes are gonna charge me for internet, I'm gonna use the whole hour.

Spent three lovely days in LondyLondon Bridge land. On Friday night, I treated myself to Avenue Q. A wonderful seat and maybe one of the only Americans in the audience--yeah, I picked up on the subtle jokes. Mm, elitism. Then I went back to the hostel and tried to ignore Pierce Brosnan's shitty Bond facade on the tv in the lobby while I made a photo album. My life is too exciting for me sometimes.
Saturday (I just wrote Satyrday by accident. Should've left it that way.) I took myself to the Natural History Museum--literally across the street!-- and was definitely the biggest kid in the dinosaurs exhibit. Like I care. They had an animatronic t-rex!!! It was, in laymen's terms, the shit. I stood in awe for at least ten minutes. Totally could've been eaten. There were also lots of dead taxidermied animals, and I spent some time with them as well. Hello Mr. Polar Bear! Hello Mr. Hiphopapotamus, your rhymes must be bottomless!
After, I went next door to the Victoria & Albert, the big fashion and design museum. I went in a special exhibit on Parisian couture. That Christian Dior knew his shit. Too bad I would way rather spend money on the stuff they made in 1957 than what 2007 has to offer. I also went through a ridiculous gallery on fashion of the 90s. So good. I was happy to see huge 'Clueless'-esque shoes on display, as well as ghetto old cellphones and (wait for it) HOT PANTS. Enough said.
My friend Shelley and I met up for dinner after some mistaken whereabouts issues. We had Italian, and it was good, but they put us in the back because, let's face it, no one wants to look at Americans eating. We ended up walking all the way to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and Leicester Square. There was a Christmas fair at Leicester, so we got gingerbread--which actually has the texture and consistency of bread in England. Crazy.-- and mulled wine. Mulled wine is a wonderful invention. Well done, Britain. Pat yourself on the back for that one. We went on a crazy spinny ride and played a rigged carnival game (no different than any other), and then I was tired and it was late and we went to our homes. I am such an old lady when I travel. I blame my childhood of traveling with old ladies.
Shelley and I met yesterday morning to go on a free walking tour, but we were late and missed it. We took our own. We saw the Tower of London--not very tower-like. More castle-like. I was a little disappointed that it didn't live up to my mental image of one big sinister tower with one long circular staircase--, walked across the Tower Bridge, got a little lost and saw a lovely neighborhood area and a dock where I think they used to hang people (St. Saviour's), walked back the way we were supposed to and saw:
--London Bridge. Also not very inspiring. Every childhood song of British origins has really let me down. Besides the one about fish and chips and vinegar. That one was dead on. Do NOT chuck your muck in my dust bin, my dust bin IS full.
--HMS Belfast. A big ship that is now a naval museum.
--Hay's Galleria (which had a really cool fountain/sculpture called 'The Navigators' by David Perry. I don't know if it's online, but I'm sure you can take the time to look it up.
--Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Definitely as I imagined it.
--Borough Market, a huge open-air marker where I ate pretty much everything. So many cheese samples. So many delicious chocolate-related items. Things I paid for: one broccoli/stilton/walnut quiche, one strawberry tart, one bag of fudge, one jar o'yogurt (definitely hearkened back to a high school memory), and one hot apple cider. Bombdiggity. Yes, I brought that back. Feel it.
--Tate Modern. We went in and saw all the art, fear not. I feel so enriched. Also, I got a poster that I really wanted of an art piece called 'The Great Bear' by Simon Patterson. Hearken to it if ye may.
--Millenium Bridge. What an excellent walking bridge. Really. That's all it is. No room for cars, only my feet.
We had Thai food for dinner, and it was good, but the people definitely tried to rush us out. They succeeded. We went over to Starbuck's for awhile. I know, I know, I'm in exciting new places and I went to Starbuck's. Don't talk to me.

Woke up early and caught my flight to Rome. I've had a ten hour lay-over (4 hours to go, oy), so I went into the city for a bit. Walked around, saw the Colliseum (AWESOME) and got crept on by two unrelated Italians. The first one let me go when I said no to coffee, the second one tailed me for at least half a mile. He kept repeating the phrase I used for my title. Otherwise, I couldn't really understand most of what he said, so I just said no to be safe. I haven't lied while traveling in awhile, so this gave me some practice. I couldn't have drinks with him because I had to meet my mother, she was shopping. Yes, in fact I am married, and my husband would be very jealous if I came to hear you sing. No, I don't have a phone here and I don't know where I'm staying. I have to go meet my mother, husband, and father. It's Christmas, after all.
With that encounter fresh, I decided to come back to the airport, as it was getting dark. Now I'm here with lots of Israelis. Too bad my Hebrew hasn't been any good in at least 4 years. Please don't tell my mother she wasted her money on all those classes. I plan to do it myself.

people on the tube know where they can stick their mean faces directed at my huge suitcase

2007-12-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

And I'm sure you can figure it out, too.

Hmm, it seems I am a lot better at keeping a travel blog when I am actually traveling. Three in one week! Me oh my.
So I spent many many hours in Madrid Barajas Airport last night/this morning, which didn't NOT suck. Floors are cold in check-in stations, and somehow the drunken songs of the Spaniards next to me did not soothe me to sleep. Bah. I read half of the latest Economist though...more Economist than I have ever read (I mean, it was that way after I'd read the table of contents, come on). Finally got into the terminal, bought a delicious chocolate-filled croissant from a vending machine (why don't American vending machines vend delicious treats?) and drifted into a painful lactose-induced crampy sleep. My bad. Got on the plane, took forever to leave, and of course, it was awful RyanAir...since it was a 6 35 am flight, obv it was in the best interests of the full plane of crying children and me to leave the lights on and play their incessant advertising. I'm already on the plane! You don't have to convince me anymore!
Got to East Midlands, hopped on a bus to Nottingham (as in Sheriff of? Oh snap!), and caught the train to London there. I'm working on almost no sleep, so I was already out of the train station and into the underground by the time I found out I was at King's Cross. I missed Platform 9 3/4, drat.
Currency exchanges are stupid here. If you make pound/euro coins, you should EXCHANGE pound/euro coins. What am I supposed to do with 5 euro in change?
Got to my hostel but I can't check in until three...that's OK, because that allowed me the time to 1)call my shipping company and yell at them for trying to sabotage my life by NOT sending my bags home a WEEK ago, 2)look at maps and circle things. It's like I Spy for grown-ups. 3)look out the window and see that the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria&Albert are across the street. And a Christmas Fair. Sa-weet!
Made my way to Leicester (pronounced 'Lester') square and bought myself a ticket to see Avenue Q in a few hours. If I'm by myself in London, I'm going to show myself a good time...buy me dinner, maybe even dessert.
Currently am in some kind Asian internet cafe...the hostel was going to charge me 1 pound for 10 minutes, this place is 1 pound for an hour.
I need to be fed. I know I had something clever to say, but my stomach acid disintegrated it. Be well.

puedo tener mas cervezas?

2007-12-20T06:38:00.000-05:00

Hola, mis amigos. Estoy en Madrid de Espana ahora. Ok, that's all I've got. A whole year of Spanish classes 5 days a week, and I lost it all within one month at Jew camp.

After successfully leaving Italy (the guy at the hostel even carried my bag down all the stairs for me!), I got to Madrid. I took a nicer airline this time (read: not RyanAir), and they showed Will & Grace and The Pink Panther (the actual cartoon) during the flight. When we were landing, they played muzak...we were going through heavy cloud cover and I could not see anything, and then a big light shone on the plane as "How To Save A Life" by The Fray came on the speakers. I practically lived in slow motion, as I thought "Really? A big white light, and THIS is the song I'm going out to?" I watch way too much Lost.
My friend Elyssa from Davis came and met me at the airport via Metro and got me back home to her apartment. She told me about how safe her neighborhood is, and when we got to her building, she found that her wallet/keys had been stolen. Ay dios mio. We went for delicious tapas and she walked me around town and explained Spanish politics and culture to me. It was very interesting, I do love to learn.
Yesterday, after some mishaps, I headed off to the Museo del Prado, a huge and really famous art museum. Needless to say, I saw lots of pictures of Jesus and saints and stuff like that. I got over it, but stayed for many hours anyway. I did get to see their collection of the Dauphin's treasure. And a painting of Saturn (the god) eating a baby! Hella sick. Met Elyssa back here, and we went looking for this convent where the nuns make cookies. It was really hard to find, and then they were out of cookies! Boo to that. We went to a big pastry shop and got yummy things there, and then we went to this great vegetarian falafel place. Then coffee, and then a jazz club! Spain has this crazy job where a bar hires you to stand outside and invite girls in to drink. As we are lovely young American ladies, we were accosted the whole way back to the Metro.
Today I'm going to the Reina Sofia, which is a modern art museum (meaning I will probably like it a lot better). It's raining right now, so we'll see where else I make it to. I have a 6 30 am flight back to sweet sweet Mother England, so I'm going back to the airport tonight. Boo RyanAir.

in italy, they speak italian

2007-12-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

I speak English. Oh My.

I've been a terrible blogger--surprising, considering what an avid LiveJournaler I was? Perhaps I was better at writing about myself when I had nothing too exciting to write. Such an angsty teenager.
My term in Lancaster ended on Friday, and I absolutely can't believe how homesick I am for it already. Friday night we all went out to the Sugarhouse (the student union-owned club) for the last time together...an evening that can be summed up in two overlapping acts: getting sloshed and trying not to cry. This was lots of people, not just me, so I won't have any judgment from you. After all, I'm a full legal adult here. Sadly, I had to leave for my train at 6 45 yesterday morning...which meant that the later (and better) it got that night, the less time I had. Needless to say, there were some goodbyes I didn't have time for and some that I wish had never ever ended. Dra-matic girl I am right now.
Either I'm very early or somewhat late, it's how I roll. Yesterday I woke up when the taxi driver called to let me know he was there to pick me up. Jumped out of bed and into some jeans, grabbed my bag, and was out the door, never mind cleaning up the odds and ends or turning my room keys in. Got on the train, yelled at a conductor when he told me my bag was blocking the aisle, got on another train, got on a bus, made it finally to Liverpool John Lennon Airport (I always feel bad for the other Beatles)...where I got to wait in the longest line ever for my RyanAir flight to Pisa. THen I got charged for my bag being two kilos too heavy and got to wait in another line to pay before I could my boarding pass. Then--too many carry-ons, had to throw some stuff out. Just an umbrella and a Sudoku book, no big. Sigh. Continuing on, my plane was then delayed for two hours. I napped in the airport wherever I could. I woke up every 15-20 minutes when my legs fell asleep, of course. Ah, circulation.
FINALLY, my flight. Got on, got the window seat, enjoyed my time. They were selling tickets for an express bus to Firenze (Florence in Italian is so much prettier/better), so I bought one. Got to the airport, got my bag, got to the bus--couldn't get on the bus. I had the wrong ticket. Stupid stupid RyanAir, this is why everyone hates your neccesity. Did I mention my flight cost a penny? Plus tax.
So I ran across the airport to the train, got on the train, and got to Firenze an hour and a half later, where I managed to figure out a payphone in Italian and called my wonderful and lovely friend Anna who walked right over and got me.
I'm staying in a cute little hostel called Hotel Sampaoli, but I should mention that it's four flights up from street level. Actually, THEY should have mentioned it's four flights up from street level. This bag is going to be hard to get back down. Not to mention my luggage, hardy har har. After dropping off my stuff, Anna showed me her apartment (everything is close here. 30 minutes to walk across most of the important parts) and we went to a delicious pizzeria. It's uncouth to eat pizza with your hands in here, knife and fork is the way to go. Chocolate souffle for dessert. Amazing. Anna showed me the Duomo, and I came back for a much-needed shower and some shut eye.
Today Anna had homework, so I took my map and wandered all over town. I saw the Duomo and Basillica during the day, walked across Ponte Vecchio (the only bridge to not get bombed during World War II--now it's covered in jewelry shops and there was some kind of golf tournament happening on it. People were shooting onto floats in the river), saw Palazzo Pitti (where the Medici died off), ate a delicious panino and gelato...what a day. Don't worry, I saw a lot of churches and also visited the synagogue here. It was lovely. AND I went in the Galleria d'Academia (I know I must have spelled that wrong) and saw Michelangelo's David. That's probably one of the best recognized statues in the world, but I was still stunned by it. It's HUGE! And lots of other adjectives that only express my admiration and amazement.
I had dinner with Anna and her roommates and now I'm back at the hostel. They turn the internet off at 2000. That's 10, but if you didn't know that, I think you should learn military time. It makes a lot of sense.
Tomorrow, the Uffizi with Anna and who knows what else? On Tuesday, I fly to Madrid, Spain, to see my friend Elyssa! And, you know, the city.

No matter where you are in this world, it's likely that I miss you a lot.

Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.
--Holden Caulfield, Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

present and accounted for, as transcribed on 1/10/07

2007-10-03T17:17:00.000-04:00

As yet, I have no internet here in lovely Lancaster, but I’m going to write this and put it up later because I don’t want to forget the things I’m doing here. Got to keep yall updated too, I know how you’re pining away. On a sidenote, they love “yall” here. I get weird looks every time.

The scary tour on Friday night was more informative than scary, but it was very interesting. Apparently Edinburgh is the most haunted place in the entire world. Creepsville, literally. Maybe we should have a Camp Newman exchange program there. After the tour, some of my group and I went out to sample the Friday night pub life. In the first pub, we got hit on by some creepy Irishmen, and one told me he’s going to L.A. in a couple weeks and where should he go while he’s there? I left him with an excellent club recommendation—Tigerheat. Eventually, two of the girls, Amanda and Kim, and I ended up at this Frankenstein Bar. Freaking amazing. It was a dance club in theory, but let me tell you something: no one dances here. I mean, they sway to the music and all, but no one DANCES. Bumpin’, grindin’, gettin’ jiggy wit it…none of that. So we start dancing and after about five minutes we look around and this entire bar is just staring at us. Love it. The DJ played a little bit of R&B, but the highlights were definitely: “Grace Kelly” by Mika (they love him!), “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers, that stupid “I like to move it move it” song, and last (as in the last one we stayed for)…”MMBop” by Hanson. I’m not even joking. Ridiculous.

Got on the train on Saturday without too much trouble, and after a lovely couple hours through the countryside, we made it to Lancaster. Of course, the first thing I did was fight with a family with small children for a cab. No one takes my cab. Got here, got to my room, made my bed, and was promptly invited into the kitchen for tea. The university is broken into nine colleges, and it’s probably easiest to just think of them as the dorm living areas. Like, freshman year at Davis I lived in Segundo area, Bixby building. Now I live in County, County Main. Every college has its own pub (ours is the Northern Oak). Rock on. I live on B-floor (the second floor). In my building, each floor is split into four kitchens, and that’s who you really do social stuff with in the beginning. I share a kitchen with about 25 or so other people (including 7 or 8 more international students). They’re fabulous. We don’t have R.A.s, but we do have kitchen reps that come and hang out with us and give us information on programs. The first night we went to the pub and I laughed about the dancing thing again. Last night was Beach Day at the pub, and tonight is Pub Crawl. Five pubs. Oy.

Needless to say I am already devastatingly impoverished and in love with the populace.

EDINBURGH!!!

2007-09-28T07:05:00.000-04:00

or ed-in-bro, if you want to get it right, you american swine.

i'm here, getting oriented. i love it! after a slightly eventful travel experience (a 2-hour delay out of lovely lax that resulted in me barely making my connecting flight to the u.k. and my luggage not making it until the next day), i made it to scotland. let me say one thing--gingertown. i have never seen so many beautiful redheaded people in my entire life. let me re-phrase: i have never seen so many beautiful redheaded MEN in my entire life. i never want to leave.
wednesday, i got here with a girl named grace from ucsd, checked in to our hotel and walked up and down lothian street looking for pajamas (she lost her luggage as well). i ate a traditional british breakfast (they love heinz baked beans here. gross), had tea, and took a lovely nap. as a group, we ate in a "retro" restaurant called monster mash. i got shepherd's pie and mash--delicious, and for dessert some of the girls and i split some bread and butter pudding with hot custard. also delicious. we went to a pub called doctor's where i tried cider for the first time, and we also went to some payphones to try the phonecards we got from the program. neither mom nor talya picked up. you suck. i also got to see a bum fight! ah, home sweet home.
thursday, yesterday, we had an orientation all morning about classes. not entirely discouraging, only a little bit. i got a cellphone, so call me, friends. as a group, we climbed an extinct volcano called arthur's seat. 4 miles up. camp people, imagine climbing to the overnight site. for 4 miles. davis people...imagine the treadmill on the highest setting? it was absolutely beautiful to look down on the city, though. we had dinner at an all-you-can-eat chinese buffet (just like at home. gross), and after we pub-crawled a little, but my friend monica didn't feel well, so we ended up back in the hotel at their restaurant bar for the evening. my roommate and i watched a show called "mock of the week"--it's like a cross between whose line is it anyway? and the daily show, and it is hilarious. i also watched a show that i think was called saxondale, and it was pretty funny, too. "the cherokee indians have a saying: slow down, you move too fast. got to make the morning last..." "that's simon &garfunkel." "well, i think the cherokee indians had the idea a bit before simon &garfunkel, love."
today i bought a train ticket to lancaster and a coat. thrilling. my roommate and i are meeting up with some other girls at the cafe where j.k. rowling wrote harry potter. hot. the school that she based hogwarts on (george heriot's) is a block down from our hotel and it is gorgeous. later on, we're touring edinburgh castle and going on a scary ghost tour of the city. i'm sure i have nightmares to look forward to tonight before we head off to lancaster tomorrow. cheers, mates.

pre-travel musings about shoes

2007-09-24T23:31:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, B.F. (Before Facebook), whenever I heard a quote that really struck me, I'd write it down somewhere I could find it again easily. It started with my notebooks. I covered them in quotes and kept them in binders that I put masking tape all over so that I could write on those too. I was a lazy student and didn't always take notes in class, so when I ran out of room on my notebooks from quotes and doodlings, I started on my clothes. The hems of my jeans and the sides of my shoes became free space for poetic license. I hated to throw things away because that meant losing those lines of insight too.
I wore the same shoes everyday for what seems like years. When one pair got old, I went and bought the same shoe again. Blue Vans Old Skool. I swear by Vans, and if I still wore shoes with laces, I'd still be swearing by Old Skools. Turns out that when I wore down the final pair, I didn't throw them away. As I was finishing up this horrendous packing process, I found them in my closet, and here's what I had written:
On the left (H.Leff): I've learned that people will forget what you say, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.
--Maya Angelou
On the right (H.Reff): Do one thing everyday that scares you.
--Mary Schmich
Rock on. See you guys from the other side of the globe.

packing is a pain

2007-09-20T15:20:00.000-04:00

Clearly, you are here to read about my adventures in the UK...or you have made a wrong turn and can't figure out how to get back to the freeway. That's how i often find new places.

I'm going to England, y'all, by way of Atlanta, GA, and Edinburgh, Scotland. I wonder if they'll look at me funny when I say "y'all". Let's face it, y'all look at me funny when I say y'all. Today is Thursday, tomorrow is Yom Kippur (which will last me through Saturday), and then I have two days left to pack and get my life on track before I wake up at some point before the crack of dawn for a lovely drive to LAX Tuesday morning with mi papa.

I'll try to write in here, so you can keep track of me if you feel like it. You know you love me.