giving thanks

I am thankful for the Partonus charm, Innocent smoothies, and thermal underwear.
I am also thankful for cups of hot chocolate, snowfall, and Glee;

on a more serious note, I'm thankful for:
-my family,
-all my new friends that Ive been so fortunate to meet in this brilliant city,
-my friends at home that stand by me and put up with all my crazy,
-all my past friends that have helped shape me into who I am today. they've taught me how to love, how to feel, and how to cry. ive learned more from them than anyone else and I attribute so much of myself to them. Even though we're no longer in touch, I love so many of them and I take them with me everywhere I go.
-the opportunity to live in London and explore not only new parts of the world, but new parts of myself.
-theatre and the purpose it brings me
-and all the little things that make me smile throughout the day.

Thanksgiving away from home is a challenge to say the least. Everyone here is struggling not being home. this morning I was super depressed and cursing out the world. No one should have to go to school til 6, followed by work til 10 on Thanksgiving day.
I was standing outside the tube station and noticed some flurries whiz past my face and my whole day instantly turned around. It reminded me to be thankful of what I have and to try and make the best of my last 3 weeks in London.
Tonight after work, youll find me in the Famous Cock with the bros drinking to all the fantastic things we've experienced in these past few months.
Let Jack Daniels be my turkey substitute.

iAMsterdam

So the kids and I took a 4 day vaycay from Londontown to experience the fine culture of Amsterdam.
after a train, a bus, a 40 min plane, a train, and a real life TROLLEY we arrive in the amazingly bizarre capital of the Netherlands.

Advice to all travelers: Amsterdam is great for 2 days. 4 is plain excessive.
Despite visiting the Heineken brewery, the Van Gogh museum, Bols Museum, and various other sites, the city felt very small.
Its not the prettiest city in all of Europe but its definitely the strangest. Its super tiny, and theres more trolleys than cars and you dont drink coffee in coffee shops, and the ladies that stand in windows run the town. and dont even think about asking for tap water cause they dont have any.
oh, and theres a reason for the stereotype of the freakydeeky Dutch language "fleegen floggen flugen fleegen." it ACTUALLY sounds like that.

I did find some pretty epic shoes, tho! Gagalicious. I love the ones with the vertebrae.

The fashion was surprisingly amazing. It all felt so much more modern than the Victorian feel of London fashion. After not having coffee in a coffee shop, I went wild in an H&M and bought everything in site. Such awesome product.

But all you really need for a good time is the two crazy cats that are in the proceeding videos.
 First: an audio of how wild Jillian is, backed by the evocative images of puppies and such.

I've been possessed by the spirit of Jillian's dog. I've embodied Stella and actively keep Jillian warm at night just as Stella would.

and finally, another fine performance by Jillian Waldron.

VLOG!

Throwing myself off a cliff and living to speak about it...

My friends and I booked a trip to Wales to go cliff diving. What ever possessed us to do that? I have no idea. BUT, its been my favorite thing that I've done so far.

6 hour train ride, and several treat trolly's later ("Want anything from the trolley my dear? Ill take the lot!") we arrive in Haverfordwest, which none of us still can pronounce.

Let me start off by saying, Welsh is an interesting language. The letters and the words dont correlate in the slightest bit. There's just too many consonants. But my Scandinavian streetwalker friend, Jill, fit right in. It sounded like her native language.

........................

hallelujah, cmon get happy!

Ive been slacking this week on the blog! Lots to include. lets see how concise I can be.

Art:
In the past week, I went to The National Gallery to visit the Renaissance collection,
and The Wallace Collection for their Dutch Genre paintings and Rococo art.

Fashion:
I went to the Globe Theatre and was part of a costume demonstration.

Meow. This is exactly what purchase needs: a Victorian drag queen. Id put all of those other bitches to shame. Watch out Fall Ball!

a day in the life.

European Travelers note:

When you put you're debit card into a machine, dont get all excited when the money comes out and run away because you haven't got your bloody card back yet! Wait for it, c'mon, wait for it. Ok, now take it and go.

I've lost my debit card twice in this fashion already because I overzealously took the money and ran to my nearest pub/shopping destination. 

I know this sounds like complete bollocks, but I HAVE to emphasize how amazing the weather has been.
We've had 5 beautiful days in a row now. Blue skies, crisp air, and sunshine. Unheard of in this city.
Its helping compensate for missing fall. Cause its nothing like a New York fall.

but when the weather is nice like this, I like to get lost off the main road,
into the smaller neighborhoods, where theres more trees, and leaves to scuffle on the ground.

I think about living here after school. Totally plausible.
With things going so well at the King's Head, I might find a paid position pretty easily.
We have a press night on Thursday to introduce Opera Up Close, at the King's Head, London's first new opera house in 40 years.

I totally could do this forever. Last night I comped all my friends tickets. I LOVE being able to do that. so VIP. We saw Showstoppers: An Improvised Musical. It was absolutely brilliant. The actors were so talented. They story was so coherent for something that was made up on the spot. I could swear that one of the actors was Patti LuPone. Spitting image. Exact facial expressions, mannerisms, and voice. I pretended it was her to whole time. gay dream.

Speaking of gay dream, I got lost in a bookstore yesterday. I went in with a few friends and they were looking for something specific, so I sat down to relax cause we had been walking all day. I looked up from my chair and was staring at the fine art section. It was only seconds before I was compelled, no, forced like a magnet, into a world of Bauhaus theory, White and the use of Negative Space, Japanese Aestheticism, and a photo-chronicle of the collections of Alexander McQueen. I could've been there all day.

I haven't quite missed home much, but that bookstore made me miss Purchase. I need to be filling my brain with theory and history all the time! This "semester off" is intellectually unsatisfying thus far. But its too early to complain, we're only in our second week of classes.

Glitter and Grease

Week two of my London invasion has been a success.
Classes are awesome. Im taking Theatre Skills, Theatre in London, and Computer Software and Hardware Architecture.

For Theatre in London, you basically go see 11 shows over the course of the semester which is everything i need and more.
The theatre skills class is my favorite though because, believe it or not, most of us on a daily basis have little to no interaction with Londoners. And due to the nature of a acting class, I get to form close relationships with people that actually live here. what a concept.

I also started my internship at the King's Head Theatre. I hold the title of box office manager and worked 5 days this week. I promised myself I wouldnt work that much but my excuse for the first week is that we just opened a production of Barber of Seville and so they needed extra hands.
Its pretty legit, I get to work on managing ticket sales, sending daily updates to the producers, and managing the website. Ive already earned a set of keys, an email address (anthony.russo@kingsheadtheatre.com) and free ale in the pub downstairs on my breaks.
What more can a girl ask for?

Now on other note, this week I saw a cat on a leash, and I HAD to ask the guy if all london men keep their pussies locked up like that. He thought it the appropriate time to ask me for money.

Story of the week:
I was showering on an average Wednesday morning when the fire alarm went off, I got freaked out, fell out out of the shower, whacked my head on the toilet, and laid on the cold wet ground, naked,  for 5 minutes crying that the world was ending.
fantastic.

The appropriate inappropriate Photo-log of the week:
(after the jump, naturally)

1 week, and over $1000 down.

The first week on my invasion of London town has been successful to say the least.
Sitting, exhausted, hungover, and covered in glitter, I finally have a moment to post about my week.


The first couple days were a challenge not to be noticed for being American. The UK is like an alternate universe (i.e. Fringe) where everything is the same just a little different. Everything from electricity, to water pressure, to toilets, phone numbers, queuing, to ordering food, its all the same give or take a few details. 
How am I suppose to know that you need to press the button for the door to open on the tubes? or how to handle a 13 digit phone number? &that if you ask for water, you get it in a bottle. Specify "tap."

Theres a lot more to worry about than just "minding your gap."
Make sure when crossing, you look left.
and when taking the escalator, stand to the right!

We've learned not to confuse the Tower Bridge with the London Bridge,
that Platform 9&3/4 actually exists,
and that the following boys, may be hugging, they may be kissing, but they are most definitely not nancys! (we'll get to that in a moment)

We've also learned that cab drivers will only take you when it's convenient for them and no one is capable of giving you directions.

We've already be followed by someone who just got out of jail, witnessed fighting in the streets, as well as a chav (Brit for white trash) getting tackled by a couple of Bobby's (Brit for PoPo).

and we also happened to stumble upon the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

Best places so far to visit: Camden market, and Oxford street. So dangerous. I'm going to attempt to not do any shopping (unless i HAVE TO HAVE IT) until December and then spend the left over money before i go home.

Fashion update: (after the jump, click it bitches!)

Mind Your Gap!

Tonight:
Oneil's: American Bar. 
Beer
American classic rock.
Dancing.
Beer.

Girls making out with British guys.
Dancing.
Girls on the floor.
Beer.
Girls making out.
Dancing.
Beer.
Dancing.
Dancing.
Beer.
Dancing.
Fun :D
Beer.
Sandwich.
Bed.

Photos after the jump.

Day of Genesis.

Anxeity persued by excitement.
accents in the terminal.
liftoff. soaring to the future,
hours ahead of reality, into a dream.
into the black nothingness.
Stars, moon, ocean glow.
the memory of your hands.
Ingrid.
Lights out.
day break.
Keliedescope, heart.
Red, orange, green, blue.
clouds.
the rumble, the noise, the stillness.


London isn't real. The homes, the brick, the cobblestone,
the history mashed with postmodernism.
the order, the chaos, the royalty.
Today has been filled with getting lost, getting found,
Tapas, Indian cuisine, and beer.

Mischief to insue tomorrow.

T-Minus 6 hours til departure...

First of all, epic fail on the phone situation. I thought I could wait til the last minute to jailbreak which would have been possible if I wasn't so on top of updating my phone. The hack no longer works with the version of iOS that im using. I'll just have to buy a notsosmart phone to use in the meantime until the new hack comes out.

Second, a recommendation on money matters for any study abroad student: Capitol One offers credit cards with a 0% conversion fee on international use. Everyone else charges about 3%. The card I have has 0% APR until April, so I can accumulate some debt and not worry about it right away.
Unfortunately, Crapitol One lives up to its name quite well: they only gave me a $500 limit, they require you to call them every month to give them an update on where youre traveling to, and my card, without reason, has already been frozen. I had to call and get the hold lifted. When I asked why, they couldnt give me a reason as to the cause. Seriously.
I 100% plan on canceling the card after I get back. its a piece of shit.

Third, Packing is the most monumental task I've ever undertaken. I've eliminated quite a bit. Theres plenty of room in the physical suitcase, but it's exceeding the weight allowance. My shoes alone weigh 11 lbs, and thats after eliminating two pairs!

Swiss Army Bag courtesy of Dante R. Russo.

I honestly dont think I'm being too excessive. Looking at all that stuff and deciding what to eliminate is very difficult, and my mom saying "you sure you dont want to bring that" doesnt help either.

*shoots self*

Therapy and Valium

Massive packing anxiety. I unfortunately am unable to sleep the week before major life events, so I'm sure that isn't helping much either.
I leave tomorrow and I can honestly say that I've only managed to pick out my suitcase and pile the shit that has to be washed into my hamper. Fab.

Tomorrow I'm going to perform a magic act trying to fit all my shoes into a suitcase.
(p.s. every single pair is Aldo, shocker)

Oh, and a weather update: SURPRISE! Rain every day!
"If you don't like the weather in London, wait 5 mins."

New York vs London

Goodbye to my iPhone for 3 months? I THINK NOT

One of the biggest questions I've had is "what am I gonna do about a cell phone!?" "mobile" in English, cause apparently we dont speak English in America. -.-

I've heard various opinions from different people, most of which have encouraged me to get a "go-phone."

Being a victim of a serious iPhone addiction, I get anxiety just thinking about sleeping without my iPhone next to my pillow (shutup, you know you all do it!)

SO, ive come up with a solution!
Jailbreak my iphone and buy a UK SIM only tariff. (once again, Tarriff = plan. I know... it sounds like we've gone back in time to the Boston Tea Party)

How to Use Your iPhone in the UK: A Guide by The Queen

(click "read more" bitches!)

I wish I could write in a British accent...

Dozens of applications, phone calls, emails, and lots of money later, I've arrived at the most difficult part of preparing to go abroad: waiting. 

T-minus 43 days until I'm jet-setting across the pond.

How many more pairs of heels do I have to try on to make time go by faster?