Classic: Eddie Izzard on Language (he pronounces aluminum!)

This and That.

Our clocks changed Saturday, so for a week we are 4 hours ahead instead of 5. Not confusing at all. Oh, and it is pretty much pitch black outside right now. It is 5:15 pm.

You have to swipe your oyster card (=metro card) when you are exiting the tube. After a month of it being a surprise every time, I am finally remembering before I walk into the turn style! Actually, there are little doors.

London is so much bigger and spread out than New York. Taking the G to Long Island City seems like a day in the park.

Friday and Saturday nights are similar as in New York, too crowded at the "cool" places, eg: most places in my neighborhood. And the pub-like places close early (12ish = bummer).

Kenneth: I never even had a dog because, as my mother would say, “you can’t eat love.” And as my mom’s friend Ron would say, “The donkey died. You’re the donkey now, Kenneth.” I have successfully watched all of my TV shows so far! And then some.

Hickledy Pickledy and Tickity Boo (this is getting long, scroll down- Lee's additions are in red.)

This an actual phrase that people in the UK use. And not as a joke! It means something that is sort of slapped together or random. That was the meaning I extracted from it anyways.

Tickity Boo = Lee told me about this and gave me the context:

L "She was like, ill just review the contract and make sure it's all tickity boo."

Haberdashery is also a word (proof below!). It means things that have to do with sewing and crafts. I had to ask some British friends what it meant. They laughed.















Here are some more British/UK sayings:
Are you alright? = How are you/can I help you?
It's okay = You're welcome
Lary = Obnoxious/loud/aggressive
Lift = Elevator
Rubbish= garbage
Tidy = neat
Hob = stove top
to key = press a button
Fancy = like/want
Loo/toilet = bathroom (obviously, but they don't say bathroom or restroom)
Chips = fries (thanks for reminding me Jim! I've gotten used to that one!)
Crisps = potato chips, or any chips.
Cheers = Hi, Bye, Thanks, You're welcome. Like the British Shalom!
Get tucked in = dig in (as in food. This may be Scottish but others knew what she meant and I did not).

More from Lee:

Buggy/pram = stroller

dummy= pacifier

Nappies = diapers

Hard shoulder = "the side of the road"

Dipped headlights = high beams

Corgettes are zuchinni
to book in is to make an appointment
anesthetist = anesthesiologist
trainers are sneakers

and this next one is my (Lee's) FAVORITE
to do "keep fit" is to work out - "keep fit" is a noun
they aren't keeping fit they are going to do keep fit and some guy at a party actually asked me if i like keep fit, cause he enjoys his keep fit with a trainer every weekend.

Urinal is pronounced Ur-I-nal. Okay, it's the same word but it sounds a lot different when they say it. Also, when someone said 'aluminum' it took me about 3 minutes to know what he meant and it was in a metal workshop, which is the only reason I figured it out. I can't even say it again in the same accent.

Frieze Please.

I suppose its fitting that I started school a week ago, haven't written anymore since Day 1, and feel to tired to now. Needless to say, it's been a busy week. Last week consisted of dividing up the studio space and people presenting their work to the group and it went on for 3 very long days. We were "knackered" as they say. My studio space is okay, it seems like it will be fine for me to work in. Apparently, I am not here for the studio space. Below is the group waiting to start the presentations and before we realized we should go get chairs. The building we were in is a triangle and used as an exhibition space.


Today we had the first of the inductions- to the workshops and digital studios. The workshops were AMAZING. Wood, ceramics, casting, wax, metal, and an actual foundry. The way it works is that there are technicians there and you just go in and tell them what you want to do and they help you do it. Learning is specific and self-directed. Excellent. The digital studios are editing, large format printing, AV equipment, etc. Also an impressive array and seemingly helpful staff. As a classmate, Chris, said today, we are going from red to amber to orange today with how we feel about the program.

In other news, I went to the Frieze Art Fair on Sunday, which is held in tents in Regents Park. It was quite a people watching scene, which may be a bad sign that that was my first impression. Though overall I felt it was a worthwhile trip, art fairs feel commercial (because they are) and monotone to me. Nothing really stood out in the cramped and visually monotonous space. The outdoor area was my favorite part- it was a beautiful day in Regents Park.

Louise Bourgeois
This had a sound bit as well.

Day 1

After two and a half weeks of being on a pseudo vacation in London, I have finally started school. I have to say, despite the craziness of a lot of it, it was very exciting. I feel like I have been waiting since my senior year in college/my whole life to do this and am so happy that I finally am! It is a big group of students (45-50 or so) and they are from all over the world: from Europe (England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and France) to eastern Europe (Poland and Russia) to Asia (Japan, China, Korea) to the Americas (Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and the US).

We got our schedule for the entire year, which is erratic, to say the least, but full of time for art making and travel.
For example, here is our schedule for the first month:

Don't understand what any of it means?! Don't worry, me either. I'm 60% kidding because they have filled us in on some of it, but the other 40% is still a mystery.

The first two weeks are "Inductions" into the various resources that they have. The British are very big on "Health and Safety" and we all have to be schooled in the procedures. Should be a blast but at least it is only an hour or so a day so I can set up my studio. Speaking of studios, the space is interesting (by interesting I mean small) and we, the students, are meeting tomorrow to try and figure out how to best assign spaces and meet peoples needs without much help from the administration. Yipes!

Just in case you forgot what Chelsea looks like...

Londoners, They're just like US.

1. They run into people they know on the Tube.
2. Crazy people preach on the street.
3. They go to yoga classes. And arrive late.
4. They talk about transportation (though not as much as us).
5. They rush through the tube stations, almost knocking people over.
   
6. They drink Starbucks.

Not so much like US:

1. They don't complain all of the time.
2. Taxi Drivers are friendly and don't talk on their cell phones.
3. They are slower in general. Actually, everything here is slower.
   
4. Tipping is rare at bars, added at restaurants (usually) at 12%, and only for good service in taxis.
5. They take buses over the tube when possible.
6. They buy things is small packages and not at Costco (not that there is anything wrong with Costco. Has anyone seen the last episode of Modern Family? You should watch it). On that note, everything here is smaller. It is Europe, after all.
   

I'm sure I will keep adding to this one!

Feels like Home/ Red Hook or Wembley?

What is better than drawer organizers, Swedish meatballs, and friends on a Friday night? Not much.














My new friend, Lee (on the right), took Mags (Cornell friend), Liza (on the left) and Glen (more new friends), and me to...IKEA! As most of you know Ikea is one of my favorite places and now I like it even more because it totally felt like I could have been with Christie and Tim in Red Hook. It is laid out the same, has the same products, and is just as fabulous. Being in a place where literally everything is brand new, from the people to the gluten free pasta brands, it was really nice to be somewhere familiar. Thanks, Ikea.

I was trying to get some "colorful" items to brighten my room (you know it is hard for me) but my main goal was organizing.
Notice green boxes and a new lamp. The old one was black and horrible and made a irritating buzzing noise. The frame needs a picture, obviously.



New rug and pillow. I'm leaving out the pictures of my organized closet and top draw. You're welcome.

Well, how can I forget you, girl? When there is always something there to remind me...

I have noticed that everyone here reminds me of someone. In some cases it is justified, some not even close. We were discussing how maybe we notice it more because we are searching for the familiar in an unfamiliar setting. I am not using the royal "we," I was actually talking about it with Shauna.
Shauna looks and talks a bit like Liz Greenbaum (Jason's call on the looks).
Mike reminds me of Levin sometimes- which might just be the Canadian accent sounding similar to Minnesota. How he says "Oooooohhhh."
Rebecka, a friend from Cornell, looks a little bit like Heidi from the nose down (which means not including the nose), and which also means I stare at her awkwardly sometimes.

Speaking of things being familiar, coming to London from New York I kept thinking, it's another big city and they speak English so how different will it be? The answer is VERY. I think that because I was downplaying the cultural adjustment it has been surprising me. The look, feel, and people are all very different. The architecture, for example. Things here are actually old. Oh and they drink. A lot. Like, way more than we do.

This one goes out to the Tapeworm (and Lizzie).

I really haven't eaten anything to write home about yet. Pun intended. The first week I had very little appetite (though it is coming back) and I have not gone out of my way to find restaurants (YET).

A couple things of note, however, were:

• Some very good thai food on Hoxton Square, right near me and a cute venue with lots of outdoor seating that was heated.
• A surprisingly delicious caesar salad at the pub down the street. Fresh grilled chicken, big shavings of parmesan cheese.
• Very cheap chips for late night. As I said, not okay.

One major thing is that they don't seem to have a lot of the brands I am used to at the major supermarkets. There is a whole foods apparently, so I am going to try there. I haven't seen rice crackers (blasphemy!! [shut up Jason, in advance]) or rice pasta. There is a "free from" food line at Sainsbury's that has GF pasta but it is corn based. That line has a wide variety of GF breads too- even pita!

Like I said, a culinary snooze so far, but I will set up to bat soon. I am cooking my (by my, I mean Emril's) linguini with cream, peas, and prosciutto for the group tomorrow night.

Cast of Characters

So far I have spent most of my time here with Tore, Mike, and Shauna.

Tore is from Norway and I wish there was a sound insert on here so I can pronounce his name in Norwegian. We call him "Tori" (as in Spelling). Tore is at the London College of Fashion doing a BA in Fashion PR.
My favorite Tore quote is in reference to a story of some kid smelling a drunk girls hair on the Tube through the window that divides the trains: "I somehow missed the smelling of the hair."
Meet Tore:

And these are his shoes!

Mike is from Newfoundland, Canada and is here doing an MA in Fine Art (like me) but at a different school called Central St. Martins (CSM).
Meet Mike:
It is hard to pick a favorite quote from Mike because he is hilarious. I warned him not to get offended if I laugh at everything he says and that I am just a really good audience. But really, he is so funny and hardly means to be. Sort of like Gerber! In the best way possible.
Some favorites:
"My camera does have a zoom. There is just sand in it."
"My mom doesn't chew food. My dad has given her the Heimlich 6 times this year. We won't let Mom eat meat if Dad isn't around." (Okay this is not funny but Tore and I cried laughing. His imitation of her is also worth discussing).
Something to the effect of "This is the longest I have gone without gravy." Apparently cheese and gravy on fries is big in Newfoundland. The other night we got fries on the way home at 1 am. Not okay. I told them never to let that happen again...I really am back in college...oh boy.

Shauna is another Canadian who is here doing a foundation course in Fashion Design- she is a reformed science major and starting over.

Back to School

Chelsea!


I am officially enrolled in the MA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design. I don't start the course until the 13th of October, so it was nice to be there today and see the school and remind myself that I am actually here to do something other than socialize, drink wine, walk around, and buy things for my flat.

The buildings were a military hospital and are arranged around the square. There is a gallery space that I believe was added on.



The neighborhood is pretty quiet. It is literally next door to the Tate Britain and right on the River Thames. I took a bus from school to Oxford Circus and it was my best bus ride yet- past Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the National Gallery. My bus obsession continues...(after I swore off buses this morning whilst stuck in traffic for an hour). If you ask Mike or Tore, all I talk about is the bus and Marks and Spencer (M&S). I miss Bed, Bath and Beyond and Home Depot but M&S is helping me get over it.