Couldn't be happier

Well Jackie is in England baby! She arrived on Tuesday around noon and I took her straight to a pub called The Fountain for a serving of fish and chips. After that we visited several shops and made a couple purchases, just basic stuff, and things that were forgotten. We went to Waitrose for a few snacks and things just in case we missed breakfast and then got on the bus and headed towards West Dean. The evening was spent having dinner and introducing Jackie to my friends, Sonia and Catherine described her as "a breath of fresh air" so I think she made a good first impression.

Yesterday after I took my science test we took the train to Brighton and had a lovely day. The weather was perfect, sunny, warm, by the sea. We walked down to the pier and went on a couple fair-type rides, had lunch by the sea and did some shopping. Jackie bought some really pretty earrings with leaves on them and I got a pair with enameled bits of color in greens and yellows. After a quick train ride back to Chichester we got to watch Harm and my tutor David in a race called "The Chichester Challenge" and had a great time cheering them on. The evening ended with a meal at a restaurant Harm and I had been wanting to go to that is "American". It was filled with American flags and lots of cowboy gear which made all of us laugh. Needless to say I'm really happy Jackie is here and can't wait to see what the next week or so brings.

YIPEEEE!!!!!!!!!

T-minus 11 hours until Jackie gets here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wack

I had a dream last night that I died (which could be considered a scary thing), but here's the thing. Apparently in some deep recess of my mind I have a belief that when you die you go to the pedestrian portion of the Brooklyn Bridge. And while you're there you run in place in marathon clothes with rain pouring down on you. And then someone shows you a bike and says nobody has ever used it. Then I say f that and take the bike and go for a ride on the Brooklyn Bridge. Where does this stuff come from?

"Black Jenny"

Well I tried to suppress it as long as possible, but there’s something about Spring time, the NBA and March Madness that brings it out. Not to mention all the dance parties we’ve been having as of late. We’ve all had many a discussion about “Black Jenny”, how she talks, the music she listens to, the pursing of the lips and bobbing to the beats. I lost that little piece of me that loves rap music and takes pride in knowing all the words to most EMINEM songs, not to mention the rap wars J and I used to participate in.

Well, I compiled a playlist recently that I listen to while working in the workshop and I must say it has brought back a joy in my life that I had forgotten. Songs like Chris Brown’s “Run It”, Ludacris “Number One Spot”, and Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”. Priceless pieces of lyrical magic that seem to be able to rhyme any two words together. I mean, where else would you hear the phrase “drove through the window the industry super-sized me”, “explora like Dora” and “you disagree take the Tyson approach and bite me”. Any musician that manages to combine Spanish-speaking girls with talking back-packs and ear biting wife beaters has my vote. I’ve always been a big believer in the idea that rap and hip-hop were the sounds of summer. I realize it’s not summer yet, but my iPod thinks it is, so who am I to say no.

Kiss Me I'm Irish

Ok, maybe I'm not Irish, but I'm sure if I looked far enough back in my family history there would be some kind of link. But lets face it, "Kiss me I'm a quarter Swedish, quarter English, half Norwegian" just isn't the same. Maybe "Kiss me I'm human" would work better.

Anyway, as I'm sure you all know St. Patrick's Day was on Saturday, and lucky for me I got to spend it with some Irishmen. Catherine had some friends visiting from Dublin and we decided to have a party in their honor...and St. Patrick's honor. As usual there was plenty of booze, chatting and dancing.

These are the Irish Girls

Me and Jenny

Harm & Catherine looking very festive

Everyone dancing!

I must say it was the best party yet. A special thanks to Harm for being our party photographer.

An Excellent Trip

Well, I must say the trip went much better than expected. We arrived just outside of Cambridge by noon and had a lovely pub lunch with the owner of the tannery before venturing off to see the place. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the skins they receive are already tanned (as in they don't smell of dead animal) and then they re-tan them and dye them various colors. We were able to see how the whole process works and I even bought two skins. One emerald green and a second deep purple/maroon. They had an amazing shocking pink (a rare color for quality book binding leather), but it was a special order from America and they were not sure if they would have extras so I will be emailing them later to find out if I can buy one off them. I really hope they have a spare.

The sleeping situation was fine and I got to sleep in a full sized bed which is always nice. The next day we visited Cambridge University Library and were shocked to find conservators that did not whinge and moan about their jobs, they actually seemed enthusiastic about what they were working on (a rarity in this field I have found). We saw all sorts of books and manuscripts and even a set of very early bones that were written on. This was the only visit we went on this term unlike last term where we went out nearly every week, so I'm really glad it turned out to be such a good experience.

Road Trip

Well tomorrow 6 of us plus our tutor David are going on an overnight trip to a leather tannery and Cambridge. I gotta say I'm not too excited about going to a place that has been described as smelling like dead animals. We saw a slide show about how leather is tanned and frankly that was enough for me, but I guess seeing as the trip has already been planned and the rooms booked I can't back out now. What is far more scary is the idea that we will be together for 48 hours straight....and I will be sharing a room with someone who is not Sonia as she paid a bit more to have her own room (that Sonia's a smart cookie). Anyway, it should make for some interesting stories and I'll be sure to take pictures and fill you in when I get back.

Confession

After recently watching the movie "Brick" I couldn't figure out what else I had seen the character called "The Pin" in. In a last stitch effort to figure out why he looked so familiar I looked him up on IMDB. Turns out I recognized him from his acclaimed role in Material Girls....wow, how sad am I.

(side note: he was also in 3 episodes of 24 in 2005, don't remember that)

Dear Readership,

Should I pay out and attend the Mavs v Spurs game while I'm home or pay less and see Mavs v Jazz? Which game would be better? How are each of these teams doing this season? How badly do I want to see Tony Parker, TD, Finley, and Ginobili cry? Please help.

Love,
Kristi

I miss the NBA

I recently decided to catch up on some Sports Guy columns and had the privledge of reading his Hip Hop Woodstock article. I'm sure everyone has read it and knows how amazing that weekend must have been. This article caused me to check up on my dear friends, the Mavs. 16 wins in a row!!!!! I mean I've been checking all season and slowly watching their skill reach new levels, but I couldn't be happier that they squashed D. Wade's big ass ego and sent him crying to his mama. Way to go guys, I have never been more proud.

Spice Up Your Life

Well last night was round two of girls night and I must say it was superb. We started out by going to a pub for drinks and then took the party back to Jenny's room. Several things happened that I found very entertaining.

1. We blasted Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and various other quality music and belted it out at the top of our lungs
2. Sarah was jumping on Jenny's bed and we were egging her on to "do something cool" and she did a massive seat drop breaking the bed
3. Three people got pushed out of Jenny's first floor bedroom window into a bush
4. We re-enacted several Grease moments including the hand jive, the Better Shape Up dance sequence, and the song where they make fun of Sandra Dee
5. The evening came to a close with a 5 person rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

All in all an excellent girls night.

Head Gear

This weekend Harm and I were on the tube and this guy got on with a huge silver box that was a really odd shape. Naturally we were curious as to what was in this box and we made several guesses from a single shirt to a huge cake. (when he dropped the box we hoped it wasn't a cake) The name printed on the mystery box was Philip Treacy. Harm looked him up and as it turns out he is a fantastic hat maker. The picture above shows just four of many many hats on the site. I can only think of one event where these would be worn, and that is Ascot (a really really posh horse racing event). This lead me to the conclusion that I one need that polka-dot hat and two need to figure out a place to wear it.

Someone stop her!

Last night I entered the Dower House common room to find 5 people sitting in chairs typing on their laptops...a very rare thing for that room. It is usually filled with tv watching, loud music or drinking, so as you can imagine I was pretty shocked by the silence. Well, they finally installed a wireless network in the Dower and last night was apparently the time to use it. I chatted to Jackie and got our hotel stay in London squared away, then had the joy of listening to some Stephen Colbert (who I miss soooooo much) and I was finally shown this video which blew my mind. I realize that I'm in England so you may have seen it, but if you haven't seen this bride go psycho and cut her own hair one hour before her wedding I strongly recommend viewing. It's basically a car crash that you can't look away from. Enjoy.

An Excellent Weekend

Well this weekend turned out to be pretty sweet. Harm and I arrived in London on Saturday around noon and headed right to Portobello Road. We walked all the way down to the bridge and had a lovely lunch at Falafel King which was excellent. Next we went to Trafalgar Square and visited the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. You will all be sad to know that the David Beckham portrait is no longer there. After that we had dinner at Bella Italia followed by a movie in Leicester Square. (a long but excellent day)

Next we headed to our hostel (YHA Thameside) where Harm was given his own 6 person room with ensuite bath, and I was handed a key to a room with 5 other girls. BUT thanks to some shameless eyelash batting I was able to secure my very own empty 6 person room as well.

Sunday Harm went to a 2 hour church service called Hillsong which I believe was basically a christian rock concert (if there is such a thing)...needless to say I opted out for that part of the day and went to Covent Garden where I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I also went for a slice of 1pound pizza and was shocked to find out that it is now 1.49 now, so if you are planning on eating nothing but pizza next time you're in London make sure to account for this price change. Next we headed to the Tate Britain (which I haven't visited in a long time) and I remembered why as it is mostly filled with Turner paintings. All in all I must say it was an excellent weekend filled with museums, good food, and excellent company.

I'm sensing a good weekend ahead of me

Well 10:30 tea break just ended and Harm and I managed to suss out the fact that we both desperately want to go to London. So, tomorrow we will be taking a little trip to London town and probably staying the night there to make the trip more worthwhile. Just talking about going to Portabello Road, Evensong at St. Paul's, and the National Gallery made me deliriously happy. Needless to say this should be a kick-a weekend and I can't wait for it to start.

Jesus Walks

Yesterday amidst my half day off I was reading some articles about malachite and listening to some tunes. For some reason I decided to organize my music by songs most played just to see how much time I had wasted listening to my top played songs. Turns out I have listened to Jesus Walks a grand total of 189 times. 189 times!!!!! Let's consider for a moment that that song is roughly 3 minutes. This means that I've spent nearly 9 hours of my LIFE listening to this one song. It was at this moment that I truly believed my blog subtitle, "A blog devoted to useless dribble, incoherent thoughts and general ridiculousness" was the new tagline I should start attaching to my life. That said, I think I'll listen to it one more time.