Digital Story

I used to be a very adventurous kid, somewhere I got scared and recoiled in "safety". This trip brought that life back. I once again rode my favorite ride as a kid. I have a new found lust for life!

Digital Film - Music of the People

I was very moved by the street musicians, as well as the free pianos provided to the public in London. Please enjoy my digital film of my observations on this.

Photobook

Hi Everyone!

Please enjoy my photobook. Click on the magnifying glass for a better view.

Home again home again jiggity jig

It's Friday and I've spent most of the day unpacking, getting to know the puppy again and catching up on my blog. The trip back was LONG but problem free. The first time I went overseas with Blythe I was quite depressed for a long while. I developed almost a reverse homesickness. I am not experiencing this at this point. It hit me a bit when I went to the grocery store, which is where it hit me before, but I'm OK. Mostly I just miss my new friends. I don't have many close relationships here and it was great meeting more people in 3 weeks I could be friends with then in the 8 years I've been in California. I believe Paris really made me appreciate the USA, which is something I would never think to come out of my mouth. This is in no way a complaint of Paris as this thought alone was worth the trip. I believe we learn from every experience. I must say, big shout out to the Paris police!! They saved me when I was coming back from the Metro and getting harassed with a friend. Without going into much detail I couldn't see anything like that happening in the USA. I wanted to thank them so much and was completely blown away that surveillance cameras really do work!

Anyway, I'll write more later. Still trying to clean up the house and going through 3 weeks of mail and bills.

Here are some pics of Early, my little man!

Thank you all for giving me such a wonderful experience!!!!

July 15-Last day with my class.

I would be crying a tear in my beer, but leaving from France helps matters a bit. I'm really going to miss all the wonderful people I've met, but I'm ready to go home from Paris. I would probably be looking for a job in the underground market if we were still in London. :)
We all took a cruise along the Seine, then a very yummy farewell dinner. This trip was such an amazing experience that I couldn't imagine that I could ever put this together myself. A few of us were fondly remember a few of the great stories that happened on our trip. I will chronicle them all in my personal journal. I really feel I've made some lifelong friends and learned many things about myself through the cultures of London and France that can only help me with life. I also learned valuable perceptions about myself from a few of the close friends I've made. Growing as a person is invaluable to me at this point of life, everything else was gravy. :)
On my way to the airport I thought about each person in our class and how they touched my life. I am only a better person from this. I will continue to write this blog even though my daily life consists of working my current job and feverishly looking for a new one. I hope you all know how important you are to me and please stay in touch!

Happy Bastille Day!

It's Bastille Day in France and I am trying to gear up to see some fireworks. People were already gathering on the stairs at Montmartre at 3pm today to catch the best seats. I got some great footage of street performers while there. I was also saved from the African bracelet vendors by the girls. They about tackled me to get the bracelet on my wrist so I'd have to pay.
Prior to Montmarte I finally got to go to Pere Lachaise Cemetery after years of fascination. Of course I saw Jim Morrison's grave. I was sad to see it looks so different then the photos I've seen of it. Someone stole his bust and years of vandalism led the cemetery to replace the entire site.
This gravestone was one of the most interesting I've ever seen.

I must also say I was very pleased with my very Parisian lunch of croque-monsieur Sorry Max, I had to do it (at least you didn't have to smell it). ;)



Update: The girls and I went to the Louvre to see the fireworks. What followed was perhaps one of the most wonderful times I've ever had. Over the past few years I've been kinda a wet blanket, this visit prompted me to ride the those swings again that I always loved as a child. Let go, let loose...it was entirely worth every moment.

Bubblies

A train trip today took me out of Paris into Epernay, home to Moët & Chandon champagne. A private guided tour took us through the history of the company, the history of Dom Pérignon, a tour though the cellars and finished up with a tasting. I now have an understanding why a bottle of this stuff costs over $100 in the States. What an incredible experience learning the complexities that go into the fermentation of these very select grapes.
The town of Epernay itself was what I envisioned Paris to be like. Such a romantic, quaint town with wonderful character.
While now back in Paris I can hear the city gear up for Bastille day tomorrow. Outside my hotel window a walking horn section plays outside. Life is good.
In the Moët & Chandon cellars during the tour.


Update: Had a wonderful time out with Dillan, Merle, Alexis and Megan. We went to the Bastille and watched the two stages of concert acts while Paris geared up for Bastille Day on July 14th. The French rappers were the best.

Disney World has nothing on these lines...

Much of the day was spent in various lines at the Château de Versailles. Inside the Palace was not much easier to navigate. Unfortunately most of my photos have heads and other people reaching to take pictures in them. The Palace was rather opulent and made me appreciate the less gaudy decor of Hampton Court. The highlight of what I saw would be the Hall of Mirrors. The Gardens were closed to us and required an additional ticket so I did not explore one of the most beautiful parts.

Fleas and friends

The Porte de Clignancourt flea market is perhaps one of the best shopping experiences ever. It would have been even more fabulous if I actually had disposable income. :) Below are some treasures of the market which is made up of more urban vendors (shoes, clothing) on the outside and an antique mall inside. I never did get my Michael Jackson tribute shirt, but hope to find one in my size around the city.

Oddities I really wanted to buy.

The most wonderful part of the day was having the opportunity to see Blythe and Gunnar, my friends who live in Germany. They came just to see me! Thanks guys!!! Blythe made me a cat pal (totally from scratch) for Ms. Penny. What a wonderful gift, I still cannot believe she did it herself. Ms. Penny is now with Blythe. On her way back to Germany she got to go camping and visit a monastery/brewery. This is incentive for me to go see Blythe in Cologne to retrieve her so she can experience the USA.
Ms. Penny meeting Minerva for the first time. They shall be reunited soon I hope!

Paris is growing on me.

After an interesting introduction to the City of Lights I've decided Paris is growing on me. Most of the day was spent at the Louvre where I spent a great amount of time in the sculptures, but still got a well rounded tour of the treasures.

Parisians seem friendly for the most part as long as you avoid some very easy faux pas as attempting to speak French and talking on public transportation. Shop and restaurant owners are especially friendly. One waiter in particular even gave us a free portion and said, "This is Paris!". The forwardness of people takes some getting used to as staring is not an issue here. Good for me though as I have a tendency to space out and stare at people...I feel I'm in good company.



My meal at the Louvre, it's a fish souffle and really yummy!!

Bye, Bye London

After wrapping up London with a photo at platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station ala Harry Potter and a visit to the British Library we took the Eurostar to France. Paris is a completely different experience from London so far. A trip to the Eiffel Tower at night proved a good learning experience in the safety of this city. I was almost run down by a thief (?) escaping the police. The finally grabbed him, but not before my legs had turned to jello. I'm afraid I don't handle these things well as I have already been told. This is exactly the type of thing Max was worried about. The police are all over the Eiffel Tower, however, and handled the situation extremely well in the midst of all the tourists standing around.


This one is for you, mom!

At the Eiffel Tower

Going up the Eiffel Tower

Like a kid again

Today is the last day in London. ARGH! A fine wrap-up, however, as I got to play in the Diana Princess of Whales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. Adults (without a child) are only allowed to "play" between 9:30-10am, so this was a rare occasion. As you can see Ms. Penny is helping me stear the ship. See, she's alive and well-not baked in a pie.


I decided to be captain of the ship!

After walking through Kensington and Hyde parks I went to Harrod's which blew me away with their food court and toy store. I bought my little cousin her very own Paddington Bear traveler edition so she can hopefully be inspired to escape Detroit like cousin Heather.

I'm very sad to leave London. I've really grown accustom to the politeness and character of the city. I've been without the restraint of televisions or cell phones for two weeks and do not miss it one bit. Adaption usually comes very fast for me, but I have a tendency to develop a sort of reverse-homesickness when I leave Europe. I'm fully prepared for the depression that will set in when I get back home. Max and Early will snap me out of it. I do miss them so!!!

Photo story in 5 pictures

Ms. Penny went to Hampton Court today and had herself quite the adventure. Please do not worry about Ms. Penny as cats do have 9 lives. Follow Ms. Penny's 8th life here at Kat's blog.

Flowers don't suck

Walking through Regent's Park was so beautiful. I must have walked 7 miles today. We walked all the way to Primrose Hill where I flew a kite (ala Mary Poppins)! I haven't done that for 25 years since my dad used to take me. We got the kite up very high...much better than today's attempt. :) Thanks dad! Anyway, my Mr. Frog kite barely got up and when it did it dive bombed innocent people beneath. I felt it was better if I just wached everyone else for the good of the public.

Relaxing at Regent's Park

The calm of this pretty white flower before the storm. It cleared up quickly though!

At 3 Abbey Road, former studio of the Beatles and site of the famous album cover. Yes, I have a semi-recreation of the photo like a good little tourist.

Whee! Kite flying!!!

London Dungeon Podcast

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Tourist traps

July 4th passed like any other day here in London of course. It was my mom's birthday though and that is very special!

Today I met up with the girls at the Tower of London and walked to the London Dungeon tour. Pretty much a huge tourist trap, but fun none-the-less. The tour takes you through underground "caverns" where an actor tells of the history in full character. One room illustrates torture devices, another shows the story of Jack the Ripper while another simulates what it was like to be hung (sans the noose). Photos were prohibited but I recorded audio which I will be using for a podcast to follow.

I did get a nice shot of the restrooms which gives you an idea of the touristiness of the place. The other photo is an employee relaxing outside the dungeon.



I did have a bit of a scare as I was waiting outside the Tower of London for the girls. A huge amount of smoke began billowing from afar and I started thinking of the worst. Turned out to be just a regular fire I'm assuming.

History, oh wonderful history!

Jen and I took the tube to the Tower of London which was really great if you are into Henry VIII. I saw a wonderful exhibit called "Dressed to Kill" (no, not the Eddie Izzard version). The exhibit showcased the Kings armory and weaponry. The striking issue was the large "codpiece" that was fitted into his battle armor (sorry, photos were prohibited).
Photos of me at The Tower of London enjoying morbid things.

I really didn't observe much of British culture today as I spent my time doing purely "touristy" things. I finished the day at The British Museum which, of course, is spectacular. Don't judge, but I did not see the Rosetta Stone. I almost wanted to just take a picture of the duplicate at the gift shop.
My favorite object so far at The British Museum.

Well, I am really missing my puppy "Early" and Max (as mentioned in my first post). I can't believe it's over a week so far. Not feeling "homesick" per say, but just wish I could at least talk easier as 9 hrs. is a big time difference to hit.

A good day of sightseeing for the librarians...

I know there is a mix of people reading this blog, but a good majority will be librarians. Today was packed full of sights of particular interest to anyone in the profession.

Today was spent at Oxford, a place ripe with location shooting from the Harry Potter series of films, as well as a myriad of others. Of special interest was The Bodleian Library. Photos are not allowed in the actual library, so I cannot reproduce the magnificence for you here but you can watch the movies.

In an attempt to pick up any creative remnants that might exist in the ethereal plane I ate at The Eagle & Child pub. J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet here weekly to eat, drink and discuss writing. Below is a small peek inside.


Here is Ms. Penny posing next to the Eagle & Child menu for me.

Lastly I visited The Kilns, home to C.S. Lewis in Headington, just outside Oxford. The home has been restored thanks to the C.S. Lewis Foundation's hard work and voluntary hours. The gardens are magnificent and, while the home seems small from the outside, the floor plan seems to be a maze of bedrooms, studies, etc.

This photo was taken of the replacement wardrobe thought to be the inspiration behind Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Framed on the wall is a photo of the supposed original.

Dear Costa Mesa planning committee

Dear Costa Mesa, CA planning committee:
Please endear our great city with parks where the residence are free to smile, play and enjoy life without the assault of police questioning or drug pushing. The end.

That is what I thought of as Jen, Merle and I spent a pleasant evening in the Russell Square park. Kids splash in fountains while lovers embrace, athletes prance and co-workers lazily mingle on the lawn. That was the end to another wonderful day of seeing sites I could only dream to see in a lifetime (let alone condensed into 14 short days).

Today went from seeing a hockey game in Trafalgar Square to the geometric staircase of St. Paul's Cathedral as shown in Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Askaban. Finally topped off with a relaxing evening in the park as aforementioned.

All the while I tried to focus on the photo project at hand which was to capture motion of transportation. I hope to warn all pedistrians who dare to cross against the red man with this. Yes kids, the invisible man will run you down with his sports car if you don't look left.

Yeah, they ARE much bigger than 14"

David St. Hubbins: I do not, for one, think that the problem was that the band was down. I think that the problem *may* have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being *crushed* by a *dwarf*. Alright? That tended to understate the hugeness of the object.
Ian Faith: I really think you're just making much too big a thing out of it.
Derek Smalls: Making a big thing out of it would have been a good idea.

So, now that my brain fart is over I can I can rejoice in completing one of my lifelong dreams of seeing Stonehenge. It was every bit as impressive as I imagined. The smell and feel of the fresh air breeze added a wonderful sensation while viewing these outstanding objects.

See, here is proof!


After Stonehenge I went to Salisbury to visit the Cathedral and wander the town. Tuesday is market day, so it was interesting to compare the quaint Salisbury market with that of Camden Town market from yesterday. As with anywhere else, the differences can be great whether between burrow or city.

Long bus ride home and time for some homework.

Murphy, Karen (Producer), & Reiner, Rob (Director). (1984). This is Spinal Tap
[Motion picture]. United States: Embassy Pictures Corporation.

Is anyone else's head going to hit the keyboard?

Just got back from Wicked which was amazing! So tired, but so worth it. I noticed quite a difference between Central London and the Bloomsbury district that we are staying in. There is a distinct lack of fashionable women in their cute dresses the girls and I keep trying to find. (Camden Market seems best btw). I'm assuming this difference comes from the much more dense tourist population that exists around Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, etc.

This is my favorite photo of the day by the way. It's of a courtyard at Westminster Abbey
I must say.


I had a memorable experience with a waitress coined by Nate as "The Sandwich Nazi". I've never been so scared in all my life as a restaurant patron. She actually yelled at me for putting my fingers on a sandwich she served me that was the wrong order. Literally, "You put your fingers on it!". The ironic part is I watched her grab all our utensils and put them back to be recycled by the next patron. Also, the glasses we were served still had the ice cube in it from the previous patron. Fingers crossed and downing Airborne. :)

Here are some more of my favorite photos from the day. You can see The London Eye in the background of the first. I took a photo of London (see Parliament at the Thames River banks) to the right atop The London Eye.

Coach tour=busy day!

Incredibly jammed packed day as usual. :) We had another great tour hosted by Hugh (of yesterday's Historical walking tour) on a coach. The tour of Central London included St. Paul's Cathedral, a walk by the Thames with a nice view of the Parliament, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and much more. The highlight was definitely seeing the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.




The latter half of the day I shopped around Camden Market which was one of the key things I wanted to do while I was here. I found a nice mascot which I call, "Ms. Penny". Here is a pic of her touring Camden Market.

London, wonderful London

I'm hear after a very pleasant flight. For those of you that know me I am terrified of flying, so you know it was a really wonderful flight; baggage at the end is always a plus ;).

My flat mates are awesome and I feel really lucky to have met such wonderful people right from the start. We go out in groups often so I haven't had a chance to meet any of the locals which I'm looking forward to doing. The itenerary for class is fantastic and I'm so excited that I get to go to Stonehenge June 30th!!! Although I CANNOT get the Spinal Tap song out of my head. I shall have to wear my t-shirt that shows my insides on the outside (those of you familiar with the film will get that).

Of course my first meal was fish n' chips. Again, those of you who know me know I love to take photos of food. Rest assured the moment was captured in all it's greasy glory! Other than eating the local dishes I've just walked around London, getting my barings and enjoying this beautiful city. I took a historical tour of my neighborhood today which was excellent because I got to see the Ministry of Information which is the model for the Ministry of Truth in Orwell's 1984 (my fav book). My area reminds me of Georgetown, D.C (go figure) which is one of my favorite U.S. cities. I'm staying in the Bloomsbury district of London which is ripe with the same type of brick archetecture and wrought iron fencing.

Of course, well all know the real news...here is a pic of me ruminating the death...

This post is late in coming as, for some reason, I was never contacted about class starting via my university registered email (even though every other piece of mail about the program made it's way to me). No matter, I'm catching up as best I can.

I graduated with my MLIS in May and have been anticipating this wonderful opportunity to meet my passion for media arts for quite a while now. In doing research into the destination countries of England and France I came about a funny little book called Do's and Taboos Around the World (1993). Being very paranoid of embarrassing myself as a typical American I jotted down some interesting items etiquette while abroad. Most are pretty common sense, but let's all see if these are true or not!

England
-We generally say "You're welcome" after a "Thank you". The British answer a "Thank You" with "Thank you".
-User the term "British", not "English"
-Don't be early, but be prompt.
-Chocolate is an appropriate gift when visiting someone, but never white lilies as they symbolize death.
-Do not use conjunctions, slang, etc.
-Do not start a conversation with "What do you do?"

France
-If you know French, don't use it. They just prefer you speak English if you are absolutely proficient. However, it's fine to say greetings, thanks and toasts in French.
-Unlike America, use a light handshake.
-Do not bring roses or chrysanthemums when visiting someone for dinner or the like.

Well, I tried to prepare for the trip as best I can (however, I'm still mortified about missing the chat time and assignments on Blackboard!).

Most of all I'll miss this little guy while I'm gone from my home of Costa Mesa, CA. His name is "Early". My boyfriend and I rescued him just 2 weeks before I left. I hope he's doing well adjusting to his new home as I am overseas. :)


Axtell, R. E., & Parker Pen Company. (1993). Do's and taboos around the world (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.