The bells of Notre Dame! and the gargoyles, but no Quasi Modo

This is what missing home looked like

nothing like a giant Astroturf arm-chair to make you really home sick.

Beautiful day at Stonehenge

View from a London theater

This is the view from the top floor of the National Theater. This panorama that I fashioned was during intermission of The Revenger's Tragedy. Click on the link to see the preview. This was the most amazing play I have ever seen. Milly Still, the director, did a brilliant job portraying the disturbingly dark sides of revenge, death, violence and sex. With the mix of techno music and the most amazing falsetto I've heard, I walked out during intermission bawling because my senses were so overwhelmed. I was in raptures! I've never felt or seen anything like this. I love London theater.

London Street Art

Many famous street artists have originated in London. Banksy, for example, the graffiti artist know for his satiric paintings and stencils concerning politics, society, and ethics, is renown world-wide for his graffiti art. In the Tate Britain (one of London's famous art museums) I bought a book of street art and it served to perpetuate my fascination with street art and its punk and anarchic origins. These photos come from a skate park that is sandwiched between two of London's most prestigious theaters, the National Theater and the Royal Theater. Everyday artists come with their paint and make something totally awesome. You never see the same thing two days in a row because these artists continually have the opportunity to paint freely, even in the day light. It was really cool to watch them work.

this is all the louvre i need

We were walking past this giant building and all of a sudden my professor says, "Oh yeah, here's the Louvre." These were taken at about 8 at night. The sun was perfect.
I went inside the Louvre, but it honestly didn't compare to these outside pictures. Who needs ancient artifacts?! The inside smelled because there were so many tourist bodies jammed inside this once palace. Unfortunately I walked through as fast as I could because I hated being in there. Luckily, this evening was the Louvre's redeeming grace.

This is the end. The end my friend.

To day is my last day of class, and I have to give a presentation in just a few minutes. It's about censorship in the UK, and how ever since their censorship laws changed, oh say about 30 years ago, the country have gone naked-people happy. There are things here on the tube, on the streets, on the tv than your average Utahan sees in their life. Sex and naked people are everywhere. This sexuality has been repressed for so long that now the British have immersed themselves in a multi-media wave of sexy sexy things. Interesting, huh?

The next few days I have finals. After that, and maybe even amidst, I'll post my pics of Stonehenge and give everyone an adequate blog to read/view. I've realized that blogging doesn't give me enough instant gratification and I know my laziness on updates is obstructing your voyeurism, so I'll try a little harder.

King Lear at Shakespeare's Globe

As "groundlings" we have to stand through the whole performance, but we get to lean up against the stage, close enough to have fake blood sprayed all over you when one character ripes the other characters eyeballs out. Like the poor peasants back in olden times, we can only afford the cheap standing tickets accompanied by a complimentary rain shower.

Ah, London.

I just got back from a weekend trip around the English country side, again. It was nice and pretty, but I was glad to get back to the city. Now I cant remember why. I'm sitting in my flat next to an open window downloading my pictures onto a computer for my blog. I can hear from across the street that one of our neighbours is having a nice cocktail party from the sounds of their guests chatter from their balcony. There is one woman in particular, I can tell she's American, now out of college, freshly in the professional job market seeking a job where she can use her ingenuity as a young bourgeois, wanna-be Londoner. She has various speculations on attending law school and men, and I can tell she's full of shit and trying to impress the guy with the tie standing in front of her. This is more information than I care to know about any of my neighbours guests, especially bitchy American ones. So I glare at her outside my window and catch her eye to which she says to two other party guests whose ears must be bleeding now from her boring conversation, "Look at that weirdo staring at us." Then to this loud-mouthed American I say "I don't care to know about your schooling and career, can you keep it down?" "What?" she replies. I lean my head a little further out the window to ensure that she hears me as well as I can hear her, "I don't care about your life. Keep it down!" At this her snobby senses have been hurt and she whips her body around to recount this interaction to the other guests. I much prefer the shy girl with the black skirt who isn’t talking.

Aw, London. With is jam-packed buildings and neighbourhoods. There are seven million people inhabiting this relatively small area, and there's just no room for complete comfort and privacy. All this city exposure has left me sassy, and often cheeky, depending on how pissed off the people make me. All I can do is laugh and be glad that the big bad city doesn't scare me, or I would have reason to pee my pants at least three times a day. Oh look, someone’s car alarm is going off. Just another London evening in posh Kensington.

The Cliffs of Moher, west coast of Ireland, next to the amazing blue atlantic

These cliffs were the reason I went to Ireland. They left me speechless. They are over 700 ft. at their peak. Many people have died, deliberately and accidentally. I absolutely loved this trip.

Peaking over the edge. I dont recommend it. I froze with fear, and my feet started sweating, I was like a sweaty statue--it scared the shit out me.

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It was very windy up there--my hair doesn't normally do that.


The Burren, just north of Moher, a giant limestone field.

Blarney Castle and Druid forest

Cave

Wicked cool forest

The wishing stepts. Allison and I walked down and up these stairs with out eyes closed, concentrating only on our wish. Later on that night mine came true. You all will have to wait till I get home to find out.




Witch rock