Tea and Me

I've been in England 8 weeks and I've officaly become addicted to tea. To my dad's dismay I still haven't taken up a liking for coffee with out chocolate in it, but tea, tea I like.

I probaly drink at least two mugs a day.

Here is how the Brits make great tea:

One dirty looking mug (b/c the tea has stained it)
One cute little tea bag - the traingle ones are best
Hot water
Add some milk
Add some sugar

Makes for one great mug of tea! Yummy.

The Count Down to Alicante

There are officially three more days of work until I get to enjoy sunny Spain! I can't believe we are already half way done with this semester. I guess time really does fly when your having fun!

This weekend was low-key. Friday we went back to the Walkabout (the bar on the Thames). Once again it was a good time with lots of good music, dancing and sambooka shots. This 25-year-old British guy (never caught the name), insisted that we take Sambooka with him. Then he insisted that I light the shot on fire while he held it in his mouth. I did it (reluctantly) but hell no was I gonna let him light my shot on fire. CRAZY British guys...

This is funny too:

Tracy (a Delta Zeta from SMS) was talking on her cell phone while we were hiking to the night bus in Trafalger Square and she totally wiped out at the bottom of the stairs to get on the bus. British people were clammering to pick her up and now she has a large bruise and cut on her shin.
Saturday I decided to chop off my hair at the Kinghtsbridge Toni and Guy Salon. They did a good job, and should've for the price I had to pay. £50 (including tip) for a cut, and that is with the 10% student discount. But, I guess since I cut off 4 or so inches it is justified. Pictures to come in the online photo album. It isn't short short...it is another swing cut at my chin like it is normally when I decided that I hate long hair.

Sunday was a day of laundry and J 370 papers. Oh, and I booked my Easter Break trip to Edinburgh (Scotland). It should be good times. I've heard really good things from a bunch of people on our trip who went a few weekends ago. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll see the Lochness Monster!

The Sports Cafe and Night Bus, The Bank of England and the Hereford Arms

Tuesday night

The Sports Cafe was calling our name - I mean hello £1 pints and £1 tequilla shots on student night!

That is besides the point. We met these guys (Americans, go figure) that live in the building next door to us. At first we were excited because we thought they were the ones who 'smoked' all the time. Nope, we found the ones that thought 'smoking' was only for pot heads...DAMN. Anyway, it was this guy, Chris' 23 birthday. So of course he was the one buying me, Ali and Kenz shots...haha that is so wrong. But, he seriously looked like Chirs Cattan (sp??)

After too much alcohol we decided to walk down to Trafalger Square to catch the N97 back to Earl's Court. We board the bus and at this point Ali becomes beligerent. To our dismay (and everyone else on the bus) Ali decides to continually push the 'stop' button which makes an annoying beep sound. Those British people were never so happy when we finally got off the bus. Oh, I also drunk dialed me mom and sister - I love the time difference!

Wednesday British Life and Culture excursions are generally a good time except this Wednesday they drug a bunch of Journalism majors to the Bank of England. Who were they kidding...we don't know how money works (nor do we care) we just like to spend it.

The best parts about the Bank of England:

Attempting to pick up a gold bar worth roughly £87,0000
The colonial dude pounding silver coins for us
Tracy accidentally tripping a 10-year-old boy

The Hereford Arms Pub (our free intern dinner) was AWESOME! I was expecting this nice looking resturant with bad, bad food (like our first meal provided by IE Jan. 10). To my surprise we were able to order any meal on the menu so what did I get...STEAK! I was not about to pass up red meat, considering we eat way too much soup, cheese and bread in our flat.

I never though I'd say it...but I miss the food at 901 Richmond. Actually, not the food - just that it is made for you and the bread isn't moldy.

BAFTAS vs Valentine's Day

Finally, after a month and one week in London I've spotted famous people. Sunday evening the BAFTAS the British Academy Awards were held in Leichester Square at the Odeon Theatre. There was a red carpet, lots of security and fans, a ton of press and mirrored lights illuminating the red carpet. We arrived at 4 pm (they didn't start till 7 pm and air till 9 pm) and couldn't see much of anything except people's backs. Being 5' 4" I decided that we needed to leave because there was no way I was going to stand there for 3 hours hoping that I'd grow 10 inches.

So we took our cheesey "I was there" pictures and headed off away from the crowd to find a coffee shop. 20 min. later down by Covent Garden about 20 people were crowded outside of a swanky hotel. We stopped to see why people were standing there and this man opened up a magazine and pointed at a picture of Benecio Del Toro. So we stayed...and 10 min. later Benecio, Naomi Watts and Sophia Kopala (director of the new Bill Murray movie and her dad directed The God Father) walk out.

Funny thing: We didn't know who either of the women were until we were watching the award show and Naomi presented the first award. We later found out she and Benecio were up for best actor and actress.

It was obvious that this would be the highlight of my Valentine's Day weekend although my romantic Italian dinner with six of my London girls and Pat was delicious. It almost ended in tragedy though...Pat wanted to take a picture with Nemo at the resturant and then I covered him up with a napkin so he wouldn't be in my picture. Anyway, we left Nemo at the resturant and Pat ran back to find him. Luckily he didn't have the same fate as the Sea Bass Lauren Campbell and Alison Mackey ate that night.

All in all - Good shopping at Portebella Market, great food and wine and star sightings made for a way better Valentine's Day weekend than roses and chocolate.

Shoes

My new black suede tall boots are by far the best purchase yet. How is it that the perfect pair of shoes can make a girl so happy?

Shoe shopping is not all I did yesterday -

Yesterday was our excursion to the V & A (the Victoria and Albert museum). Cool place, I really liked the colored glass chandelier when you first walk in and the clay mold of The David - and the leaf that they put over his pecker when the royalty came to visit.

The really big bed (it is mentioned in Shakespear) I can't remember the title of it now....anyway it was also really cool. I will have to go back there again because I did not see the jewellery collection...which I hear is fabulous.

OH - my mom sent me the sweetest Valentines Day package...a 40 oz jar of Peter Pan peanut butter and some Stilla lipstick, two necessities in life.

Obviously, I have some down time at work. Well, I could be doing stuff but well I don't feel like it. Sadly enough, I still visit the digmo website to get the scoop on the Missourian. I bet Liz was flipping shit when the J school got $31 million -- she got her biggest story of the year after all.

Back to work: oh and e-mail me assholes! Jk your not ass holes but you do suck at e-mail.

Paris

The City of Lights, Love and Happiness...

After stumbeling out of bed Friday at 6 am I was on my way to Paris. The Euro Star (Chunnel) was way better (and more comfortable) than our coach trip to Wales. Upon arrival Frederick, our French bus tour guide, rounded all 40 of us up and took us on a 3 hour bus tour of Paris.

At the Hotel:

Our bathroom window faced Harper, Pfeiffer and Sarah Carter's bathroom window. This caused for some romantic throwing of bars of soap in order to get each other's attention.

Yummy breakfast - Croissants and cheese : )

Creepy front desk men

Night life
Friday: The Latin Quarter - Ali, Kenz, Harper, Pfeiffer, Keever, Sarah Carter and 3 Betas (one of which I got in a fight with)
A quaint dinner at the Haggen Daz resturant while being served by a dope smoking (in the restruant) French man age 50(+)
Shop and resturant/bar owners begging us to come into their bar with bribes of free drinks
Margaritas that were pure tequilla
The lesbian that hit on Kenz
Photo Shoots in the bathroom (somehow no people ended up in the pics)
Pfieffer taking a potty break in the door way of a shop on a busy main street at 12 pm

Saturday: Le (Some resturant with the word frog in the title) with Ali, Kenz, Harper, Pfeiffer, Keever and Sarah Carter
- The owner resembled Austin Powers, teeth and all. He was cool though and gave us at least 6 free bottles of Champagne and kept the bar part of the resturant open until 3:15 am when we wanted to leave.
- Everyone in the resturant wears crazy hats or wigs and you can sing stupid songs like Alloute and The Wheels On the Bus and everyone in the whole place sings
- AMAZING French Onion Soup
- Scottish and French men singing
- Scottish man mooning us (twice) in the resturant
- Penis shaped ice cream
- Donatella Versace look alike and her fat, and apparenlty loaded Italian husband singing and dancing with us until 2:30 am

Sight Seeing
- The Louvre is the coolest: The Mona Lisa: It is friggin SMALL
- The Arch De Triumph had too much scaffolding ehh, didn't they know I wanted a picture of that???
- The Eifle Tower: It is friggin HUGE
- The Cathedral of Notre Dame - really pretty, but lotsa scary gargoyles
- Shopping - some great sales I love the EURO

Versailles
-This palace is so beautiful. The French Royalty really knew how to live right. I just can't believe all of that stuff inside was 300 years old. You should see this place if you go to France, seriously.

Ok I think that is the low down on my weekend in Paris. It is at least the highlight. For those of you who speak any French you will enjoy being the interperter for people like me if you ever go in a big group. Au Revoir!

Overwhelmed at work...

Don't you just hate those days where your "to do" list seems never ending. Well today is one of those days at National Trust Magazine. There are a few things I've learned about phone calls and e-mails to British people:

They speak faster than me (which is hard to beat)
The use strange terminology and slang all the time
-i.e. The staff will be wearing DJs me, "How do you wear a DJ???" my editor laughing "A dinner jacket." for real in America the only thing DJ stands for is disc jockey.
-They sign e-mails with best, Very best, cheers, and other stupid terms
-They don't answer their phones past 2 pm or before 11 am

The worst part about it is - I've begun to do the same shit (minus the accent)

Oh, and in talking to the cute in a little boy type way, african american receptionist down stairs I've realized that I live in America and I've never been to NEW YORK! He wins the lame contest though because he lives across the channel from Paris and he's never been. Plus he has to have at least 7 years on me.

Last night I finally figured out how to send pictures, but I still don't know how to put them on to the blog. That will probaly take another 3 weeks, haha.

Oy, I can't wait until this day is over! I'm going to a pub. Pub pub pub I wanna go now! Then I wanna get on the Euro Star to Paris and eat hella crossiants and drink yummy wine. Only 14.5 hours until departure.

Holy Wales Balls

Wales is a pretty happening place. Well, at least Perselli Venture.

After 7 arduous hours on a "coach" we pulled into Pembrookshire Wales to be greeted by a small van of my not so favorite sororrity chicks on the Missouri London Program. I don't understand the fascination with drinking a whole bottle of wine (from the bottle) and then torturing anyone else you happen to be around for the next 30 min. in a van.

"Oh my G-D! I have to pee."

"Just push yourself up there, like you have to pee."

"I can't their (referring to all people sober) bags are in the way." -as she crosses her legs and whines

"Just do it- like you have to pee, who cares step on the bags."

But all that is beside the point. Once we arrived at our cottage things went great. A home-made meal and a private bar made all things exceptional. The next morning (thankfully hang-over free) Ali, Caroline Brady, two Syracuse girls and I went on a 10 mi. mountiain bike ride with a cute British guide.

Oh, and while we were learning about the gears on our bikes another guide, Phil, dropped his pants to put on his wet suit. Yup, definately saw some balls. Who does that???

It was beautiful (the bike not the balls). We rode through mini-lakes and stopped to climb down to the coastline and then up this mountian type piece of land for some great pictures. Three hours later it was back to the cottage for some soup and then back out to our costal hike. The hike was not so much my bag, but 75 mph winds and sheep poo were big contributing factors.

The next morning my ass hurt from the bike and my head from a bottle of red wine, but I tackeled coaststeering. It was AWESOME! Wet suits, helemts, waves, 35 degree water, cliffs etc. are so much fun. After wiggeling into our wet suits (which took forever) we looked like penis' but we didn't care. I jumped off all the levels of cliffs and wish we could've stayed out there longer but we had to get back for lunch and the "coach" ride home.

In the words of Freddy, the sophomore Sigma Nu frat boy from SMS...."It was the tiimmmeee of a liiifffee."