everywhere i go i feel like i;m home.

So my arrival to VT has occurred. I am back in the glorious eightohtwo, still jet-lagged and not wanting to leave my house because I miss England so much. Today I watched 3 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and 4 of Sex and the City, went on a walk around a neighborhood which I didn't quite recognize because I didn't want to, cooked a TON of food because all I feel like doing is eating and sleeping, talked to a few lovely friends at HWS, and am slowly making my way through all of the British Top 40 songs on YouTube to remind myself of Mercy and LCR nights (hey, it is Tuesday!!)

The point is, being home is weird. To quote Trevor Hall 'everywhere I go I feel like I'm home' and I thought that was true until I got home from a surreal experience that I am still not quite sure if it actually happened. Which is pretty nutty if you ask me. I mean, three months and 2,000 dollars later I am not exactly sure what even happened over there. Maybe it just needs to settle into my brain which is not capable of thinking right now. Yep.

Oh the eightohtwo. It is crazy that two days ago I was in London and am now here. But all things go and things end and we must accept that. So yeah, on to the new adventures, which will involve bagels and not having emotional breakdowns while re-learning how to play tennis.

Enjoy the reinventing the old.

xxxxxxx

money money money

Recently I had an epic moment of brilliance. Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT epic, and maybe it wasn't as brilliant as I first thought, but it was still one of those moments that hit me and almost knocked the wind out of me (which has not properly happened since I was knocked out with a soccer ball in 3rd grade. But I digress). This is what happened:

I was hiking up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh Scotland, heading deeper and deeper into the typical Scotland fog. Ahead of me was fog, all around me was fog, and below me was a deep green, very muddy, very long grass. Gen was behind me. All of a sudden it hit me: I am hiking up a hill in Scotland that on a clear day overlooks all of Edinburgh. I have paid for this trip myself. I am walking into the fog, nothing else matters. I may never again be doing this in this exact mindset that I am in today. Sounds pretty typical, what is the moment of brilliance, you ask? Well, the fact that I stopped and appreciated it. Now I sound all high and mighty- let me rephrase.

Most of my time over here has had the ethereal quality of a Virginia Woolf novel- moving slowly without a real purpose or direction, experiences happen and they don't happen. It still hasn't really hit me that I am here, each new experience I have takes a while to process and even then, probably because I am not a computer, it doesn't process fully. The moment in Scotland processed and was the first one to do so. Sounds nutty I know, but there was something about being there that was really grounding. It could have been the fresh air, who knows. The most important thing I took out of that moment- sure, my bank account is down a thousand dollars (effing exchange rate), but my experiences are up up up. Money comes and goes, I will make it back in time, but experiences are forever. The key is to know when to spend the money to take advantage of them. Hey, I may be broke and spend this winter and next semester on a strict strict strict budget but in the long run I will be happier that I spent the money to gain life experiences than to know that I saved money and missed out.

and that, my friends, is my speech on why I am not worried that I blew my life savings (twenty years worth) on 4 epic, epic months.

Soundtrack- Trevor Hall

Enjoy the exchange rate.

you'll find love so take me with you, always

Here we are now. 17 days left in my time here (and yes my number of blogs during my time here is extremely pathetic, I know). It is amazing how when transitions are sneaking up on your brain gets all confused and emotional for no apparent reason except, it seems, to remind you that yes, a transition is coming up.

17 days. Reminds me a glorified Ratatat song- '17 years'-'now i've been rapping for about 17 years, i just take things from my head, no disrespect, that's just how i am'.

Thanksgiving. I woke up in tears. There have only been 2 other times when I have woken up in tears. You never actually think you will miss the things you do until you start to miss them, and then you are wondering why you didn't think you would miss them in the first place.

It is also odd, seeing as I will be home sooo soon and missing all of this, to miss being home. Things progress and change and adapt and dissolve and become and go and move and shake and be and dissolve again and memories are created and forgotten and re-remembered and created again and new ones come in and push the old out into the open and closed spaces of the brain we thought we may have lost until BAM they suddenly appear and haunt us and as soon as they do that inner emotional stirring of nothingness or everything-ness or happiness or extreme terror rises rises and then BAM it is there and we have to confront it without falling completely to pieces externally.

That is where I am now. Wishing for the comfort of home, of still being in bed waking up to a scent of fresh coffee and watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, of staying in my pajamas until 1 Pm when we will go for a walk in the brisk fall air and crunch on leaves, our thoughts on the upcoming meal. Then we will eat copious amounts of food until we can't eat anymore and lie flat on the floor, playing a board game wish I will probably lose.

All of that will be there next year, now it is time to mentally be here, in full. There is nothing worse than cheating yourself of your present moment and experience. So be here, enjoy the now, we have nothing more than that.

Soundtrack: Au Revoire Simone's 'Sad Song':

Play me a sad song
'Cause that’s what I want to hear
I want you to make me cry
I want to remember the places that we left
Lost to the mists of time

I know that you’ll go soon
You’ll find out so take me with you always
I know that you’ll go soon
You’ll find out so take me with you always

On buses that move through the night
We sleep on and on
We got off at Memphis
Black-top heat will make us thirsty
We’ll never get sick anymore

I know that you’ll go soon
You’ll find out so take me with you always
I know that you’ll go soon
You’ll find out so take me with you always

Play me a sad song
'Cause that’s what I want to hear
I want you to make me cry
I want to remember the places that we left
Lost to the mists of time

Enjoy the memories, and today, enjoy the turkey!

you were right about the stars

each one is a setting sun.

first Wilco show- Flynn Theatre, BTV, grade 8, with mom, the year Yankee Hotel Foxtrot dropped. Front row balcony seats, went crazy when 'Heavy Metal Drummer' was played. That was when I first realized that I was massively in love with Jeff Tweedy.

second Wilco show- Shelburne Museum, summer after grade 12. Excellent outdoor venue, family friendly picnic-ing. When I realized I would do anything to be Jeff Tweedy's number one groupie.

third Wilco show- Leeds, England, UK, junior year. Tightest show yet. Amazing. When I realized I would give anything to be a part of Jeff Tweedy's family (preferably wife, marry me now). The set list:

1. Wilco (The Song) 2. A Shot In The Arm 3. Bull Black Nova 4. You Are My Face 5. One Wing 6. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 7. Muzzle Of Bees 8. Radio Cure 9. Impossible Germany 10. I'll Fight 11. Handshake Drugs 12. Sonny Feeling 13. Jesus, Etc. 14. Theologians 15. I'm The Man Who Loves You 16. Hummingbird // E1: 17. Poor Places 18. Spiders (Kidsmoke) // E2: 19. Hate It Here 20. Walken 21. Heavy Metal Drummer 22. Can't Stand It 23. I'm A Wheel

I don't think I stopped moving the entire show. Highlights: when Tweedy called an audience member out for acting upset, then apologized with 'sorry you had to see my angry face'. When Glenn Kotche (the super talented, super fly drummer) arose holding his sticks in the power position. When 'Poor Places' fused into 'Spiders (kidsmoke)'. When they would turn to one another and have private jam sessions on stage. Any time Tweedy opened his mouth. Epic.

There is a certain high that one feels after seeing a great show. It is a combination of awe, of endorphins courtesy of the endless dancing and body movin', being in love with the main singer, and pure love and amazement at the fact that individuals are so creative and able to throw together tiny masterpieces one chord at a time. So many emotions during that show- raw, unquestioned happiness, bittersweet memories fused with small regrets of that one summer, amazement, and finally waves of physical and emotional tiredness from loving and feeling so intensely. It is amazing that watching 6 middle-aged men playing instruments on a well-lit stage can do that to do you.

Enjoy the music.

and you in your autumn sweater

I always realize how much I miss fall in Vermont and Upstate New York on days like this, when there is a perfect crispy chill and the breeze wrinkles through the trees just enough to allow one or two golden leaves to float away. Fall, or shall I say Autumn, in England is nothing like Autumn in the Northeast. There are no leaves to crunch on or run through, there is no hazy orange tinge to the light around 4:30 PM (it is currently 5:05 PM here and is just about dark), there are no pumpkins, and sadly there is no left over Halloween candy. So on a day like this, when it almost feels like a proper New England (or Upstate) fall, I get super excited!

The sound track to the day changed between A.M by Wilco (who I happen to be seeing tomorrow night WORD) and Yo La Tengo's fantastic tracks 'Autumn Sweater' and 'Our Way to Fall'. It was a day of finishing and beginning, of fresh crisp air mixed with the stress of coursework deadlines, of preparing for my week away full of new adventures while being nostalgic about past memories. It was a day of red cheeks and aimless wanders while being extremely focused internally. In essence, it qualified as a Fall day in Vermont, without the piles of leaves to crunch.

For your ear's enjoyment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaeKo09ey8&feature=related
'Our way to fall' and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgSjn_5L5xo 'autumn sweater'

And to leave you with a little poetic somethan' somethan', courtesy of Ira Kaplan:

When I heard the knock on the door
I couldn't catch my breath
Is it too late to call this off

We could slip away, wouldn't that be better
Me with nothing to say, and you in your autumn sweater

I tried my best to hide
In a crowded room, it's nearly possible
I wait for you, oh, most patiently

So I looked for your eyes
And the waves looked like they'd pour right out of them
I'll try hard, I'll try always
But it's a waste of time
It's a waste of time if I can't smile easily
Like in the beginning
In the beginning...

Enjoy the fall.

being there

I am just so in the mood to blog it is unreal. So here goes some adventure stories!!!

After arriving at Norwich it soon became quite clear that the town itself is silly, not too much to do. So we plan travel trips! First stop was BRIGH-ONN!!!! aka Brighton.

Booked some train tickets and a super amazing hostel with a fireplace AND sink AND only 4 beds for us 4 travelers (though we did not know that fact at the time), and off we went. My spastic traveling tendencies quickly came out with my spastic packing and frequent misplacement of important objects such as train tickets, but somehow we all made it to Brighton in one piece.

We had some trouble with doors that day, apparently 'push' means 'pull' in my language, and the people on the inside of of the hostel thought it would be hilarious to watch us attempt to open the locked door 78+ times. When we finally got in, we went to our super classy room, investigated, and had a dance party.

We then went and investigated the city, went on the pier, had some fish and chips that were served with a nice loooong piece of the waitress' hair mmmm just how I like it, and then went to the Fishbowl and observed some nice British guts. Yum.

After living like indie rock stars in our hostel room for a bit, we picked up the fourth member of our party and out we went to some super classy places.

The next day we adventured, shopped, adventured, shopped, and went to the Royal Pavilion, which was even sillier my second time there. I still want to sneak in and throw parties there when I move to Brighton to fulfill my goal of being a dread-locked hippie on a bike. Gosh I love Brighton.

Sunday Momma Berk came in from Bogner Regis and we went to a nice lunch. Then we left soon after and caught an earlier train back to UEA wooot!!!

Travel adventure number 2: London for a day. This day was action packed and filled with activity, beginning in Camden and ending sitting on the floor in an overcrowded train. A brief list of sights seen: a naked man on top of a building in Trafalgar Square, paintings by Monet, Manet, Picasso, Andy Warhol, Van Vogh, as well as sculptures by Jeff Koons. A-mazingggg, a watch that cost a million pounds practically in Harrod's (the best department store on earth, so great), GOOODGE street, and loads more. Also ate some wicked Chinese food in Camden.

Travel adventure number 3: London calls again ooo-wwooooo!!!!! This time to see the goons from the Wales trip. SILLY SILLY adventures include: Prick up Your Ears (comedy? hmm), randos, some shopping, eating doughnuts the size of our heads (after a huge meal of tofu yummm), a birthday dinner, not getting lost, and generally bonding with the goons. So good to see them. Also so amazing that we met up in London. But I digress

Planned adventures: Leeds and back to London, Amsterdam (counting down the days to this one), and either Edinburough or some place cooler like Greece!

Enjoy the trip.

Back again.

I am pathetic at this blog. Terrible, actually. Everyday I think: huh, I should probably update my faithful readers (cause I have faithful readers, of course) about my wonderfully British experiences.

So here goes:

I have been at UEA for a little over a month now. Crazy! Because I am far too lazy to give day-by-day instant replays of my adventures, and because you probably have no interest in hearing them, I will give the Sparknotes version instead.

1. Fresher's Week. Being the only people on a fairly large campus and not having to go to module's was quite devine. Met tons of people whose names I have in my phone but can't remember their face, and have never run into them on campus again, and probably never will.
2. This campus is ugly. But then again I guess we at HWS are spoiled with it's gorgeous lake and 'old' buildings with lushes patches of grass mmm. Here is literally a concrete jungle. There are concrete walkways connecting buildings that are literally windows and slabs of gray. I am in a pretty nice building though, they are like pyramids ohhh that are glass zigzags. So green, these buildings, that they tend to over heat and come with a fan. There is a nice lake on campus that I like to run around and hope I don't fall in. Then one day I discovered a marsh with horses that I am convinced are wild but are probably actually not, and a cool river with a bridge with tons of graffiti which is just waiting to be the set of a hipster photo shoot.
3. Courses bahhh. I like don't go to class, but only because I don't have class. That is a lie. I go to 6 hours a week. And all of my coursework is either due in this week or at week twelve, so I really have loads of free time, which is perfect for my latest hobby which is...
7. Ultimate frisbee. Yut yut. You may be going 'Gaby does not play organized sports' which is very true, except frisbee is just so fun. I am throwing lefty so am kind of questionable but eh, it has proven sufficient.
8. The city of Norwich is quite nice. It is out in the middle of nowhere and apparently there is loads of incest that occurs between the locals and if you look close enough you can tell they are all related but I have not yet noticed that. There is a Top Shop here, in which I have to show excellent self-restraint and control or else I will buy the entire store. Thank god for the 10% student discount.
9. I eat probably a pound of Cadbury chocolate per day mmm. Luckily I have to pay 1.50 to get into the gym so when I go I do everything possibly to get my money's worth, so I like to think the chocolate is worked off everyday.
10. I still haven't picked up an English accent, if anything I have developed a Canadian one. Which is silly. Also I will never pick up on an English accent because my American one is sooo strong, or so I am told.

Another post to follow.

Enjoy the day.

Originally I planned on posting very detailed descriptions of our travels, but now that I am sitting down (well actually lying sprawled out on my stomach) to do this, I am vetoing my original idea, mainly because it would take ages and ages. A quick run-down of the places we have seen and things we have done this past week:


1. As I said in my last typo-filled post, the climate is very similar to that of Upstate. Well, with the addition of palm trees and loads more cows, if that is possible. Also it has yet to rain for any longer than 30 minutes at one time! Yay, considering as I was prepared for drastic downpours every afternoon and brought a brand-new super classy raincoat to wear during these.
2. Drivers hardly ever use their blinkers because of the abundance of roundabouts. Also, they HATE stoplights and one town we drove through even went as far as holding a live, one-man protest to argue against putting in one stoplight, complete with signs saying to spend the money in Afghanistan instead of on stoplights.
3. Arundel Castle still has a Duke living in it, and so I felt super lame in comparison. Damn, why can't I live in a house that is on display to the public so they can ogle at portraits of previous Dukes and royalty? I'll have to work on that (aka marry a Duke! okay great plan!!). While we were there I witnessed some mini-Dukes getting into a golf cart, so I already have some options.
4. People are really well dressed here, so of course I am making some mental notes of what I should probably purchase (second hand or vintage of course, not because I am sooo hip that I have to have original items only but because with the exchange rate being 1.67 pounds to one U.S dollar I will be broke in about 2 months). Tights with floaty shirts and boots seem to be the usual uniform, with messy hair (thank goodness I don't have to buy that!) and random bracelets. Also oversize sweaters and skinny jeans. Hmm...
5. Some VT lovin'- we were at a small air force museum where my mom's cousin volunteers and met another guide there. When we told him we were from Vermont he said "Ohh, that is the funny state where everybody is happy and loves each other, yeah?" I told him "Yeah, that is the one". Also, we had Phish Food ice cream after dinner and the people were are staying with said "We got some Pppp-HHH-ish ice cream, funny spelling". I had a nice chuckle. And we met a gardener at Arundel Castle who loved skiing at Smugg's and driving over the Gap. Who knew?
6. London was a blur, doing it in a day was pretty ambitious I suppose. The top of the Double Decker was fun, took lots of photos but mainly people watched. Definitely going back to see the wax museum, shop, and go clubbing duh.
7. LOVED LOVED LOVED Bath, so pretty. It is carved into the side of a mountain (yesss they have things that almost resemble mountains!!!!) and has funky streets and all of the buildings are the same color but with bright doors. The Roman's definitely knew what was up when they ate their oyster snacks in the their baths there.
8. Oxford was cool too, the Colleges are gorgeous. Except I felt totally inadequate roaming the streets with what I assumed were the super smart Oxford- goers. Oh well. Some of the buildings had funny gargoyles on them so I got over my worries of not being smart enough to be in the city pretty fast.
9. BRIGHTON aka the BEST PLACE ON EARTH. I will move there one day, and work in a cute old record shop by day and bar tend at night. On the weekends at I will eat fish and chips on the beach and go clubbing with my hippie friends. I will also bike around in boots and a dress and grow dreadlocks. It will be amazing, and an excellent use of my degree in English. Also, I will somehow find a way to sneak in to the Royal Pavilion and re-create one of the elaborate parties put on there by the Prince Regent.
10. Jane Austen's House. Confession which will surprise you seeing as I am an English major: I have never actually finished a Jane Austen novel. Horridly appalling, I know, as I do respect her as a great female novelist. I just don't like her books, that is all. So the house had little significance for me, but the town it is in is cute.
11. At many of the historical places we visited, such as Westminster, The Royal Pavilion, and The Roman Baths, you can get a headset leading you on a tour explaining what you are looking at. This cracked me up because when you first walk in, it appears as if everybody is chatting away on their cell phones in these highly regarded places.
12. I almost forgot this one. I went to a small section of Hogwarts!!! They filmed the a few scenes of H.P one and two here, so of course it was a magical experience.

So, there it is, a very short and concise rundown of my time here thus far.

Enjoy the day.

Here we are now.

Oh boy. So out of order but here we go, these are my direct notes from my very jet-lagged addled brain the afternoon we landed.



The day started at 5:30 AM when I awoke in a cold sweat realizing that AHH I forgot to pack my fleece! Clearly an important item and worth waking up over. After that large scare I couldn't fall back to sleep so decided that instead of actually going downstairs to get said forgotten fleece and pack it, I lay staring at my walls, which proved to be a great use of my time.



Fleece packed, some more shoes acked, volvo packed, we roll out at 7:30. Stop at Bruegger's for one last bagel and coffee and chats with my fave costumers. Passed out in the car.



A cop drove us to the airport? Not in a cop car darnnn. Crazy stories told. Tried to keep up with 4 different very detailed texting convos, which is quite difficult indeed. But I figured my poor semi-broken cell phone would get lonely and confused as to why it was not being used for 3 months, so I gave it some extra love.



Made it to the airport. Stood in line with my arm falling off (ughh brought way too many items) and then held up the entire security line by attempting to re-pack my carry on bags (yes plural, I am a horrible traveler), and when I looked up the guards were laughing at me, sweeeeet! Gate 4. Plane sooo big ahhh 2 stories. So of course I am ready to turn around, say screw this plan, call up the cop and tell him to drive me back to Geneva.



Plane. Mom held up every single passenger by trying to stuff my large, haphazardly packed carry on into the overhead compartment. I sat on a pillow, socks, toothbrush, headphones, and eyemask, all complimentary from British Airways aka the classiest airline ever.



Flight= 6 hours. blahh. Pluses of plane ride- The Hangover (aka the funniest movie I have seen in a long time) was playing, we were served chocolate caramel cheesecake and free wine, I literally bumped into a gorgeous and super polite British boy while exiting the toilet mmhmmm, doze off to the dreamy sounds of Bats for Lashes which was extra trippy due to my half-lucid state and the changing time zones, and finally awoke from my half-slumber just in time to see the sun rising through the clouds while David Grey made sweet sweet love to my eardrums.

Cons of plane ride- It was 6 hours, an upset stomach resulted from the cheesecake, there were no words exchanged between me and the yummy British boy, I didn't actually sleep, after the first three hours all of my clothes were sticking to my bod, and (here's the kicker) I spent my first 3 minutes on land in England throwing up into a plastic bag. Classy.

Heathrow at 2:00 AM U.S time- body clock all out of whack. Manged to get through customs (unclear as to how). Fast forward to the British rent-a-car place where they had an acoustic version of Mika's "Relax" playing and I instantly remembered why British people are cool. We get a car with UEA on the plate, which, oddly enough, is where I will be attending Uni. That along made me realize that it was a great thing that I actually got on the plane and didn't run in fear like I initially intended to do.

In rented car, snoozing in the back after being upset by how much the landscape here resembled Upstate New York. Although everything was made better when I saw my first palm tree, although my mom thought I was seeing things due to my lucid and sleepy state. Also she was focused on the road thank god or else we probably would have ended up in a bad situation, which would have been bad. We got lost in an adorable town and almost ran into 6 brick walls and practically side-swiped 4 cars and 2 buildings, but luckily reckless driving no longer phases me (my own driving skills are um, questionable at times).

Made it to Bogner Regis, where Neon Indian's "Deadbeat Summer" played in my head. Got lost along the English Channel, but somehow managed to make it to the house, had breakfast, and fell asleep.

Exciting stuff of course, and more about the travels to come later.

Enjoy the Unknown.

Nonexistent Cooking Abilities.

Today I discovered that I am pretty good at organizing other people's items. This is surprising seeing as my own personal organizational skills seem to have disappeared these past couple of weeks. But fear not, I have begun packing! I have some shirts, dresses, skirts, jeans, and a million scarves laid out on a bed woot!!

Unrelated note: I just remembered (or perhaps conveniently forgot) that I will need to cook/ prepare all of my own meals. I do not cook. Well, unless you consider pasta, eggs, grilled cheese, oatmeal, and quesedillas cooking. Which I do not. On my to-do list this summer (which wasn't actually a list on paper, that's wayyy too organized for me) was to learn how to cook AKA learn to whip up some very simple but healthy meals a la Top Chef (but not Top Chef Masters, they are way out of my league!). This clearly did not get accomplished and now I am scrambling around the Internet attempting to find some super easy and super cheap vegetarian recipes. Here is what I have found so far, thanks to about.com, along with my very own comments as to why they will or will not work:

Simple Tofu Stir-Fry with Veggies and Ginger- wok required and buying a wok is not exactly in my budget as a broke international student...

Vegetarian Ramen with Peanut Sauce- YESSSSS an updated version of my old staple!!!! I will be al over that one, provided that Ramen is sold in England.

Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Tomato Soup with Tofu- See above comments

High-Protein Mac and Cheese AKA tofu and cheese- That may be too complicated for me but perhaps if I get really great at cooking I will attempt this one...

Bean and Cheese Burrito- Mmmm

I think you get the point. It will definitely be an adventure in the kitchen this fall and so I am desperately hoping at least one of my flatmates is a cook comparable to my friends on Top Chef. If happen to scamper up to England this fall, come over and I will practice my cooking on you!

Enjoy the meal.

Welcome

So here is the thing. I am going to England in a week. Except my room is a mess. I have not done laundry since forever. I am not packed. I am unclear as to the location of a few important items such as my glasses and iPod.

Here's the other thing. I am not too concerned or overly stressed. Why? Because I am going to England in a week. And in order to leave, I have to clean, do laundry, pack, and find those missing items. Things generally have a way of getting accomplished.

This adventure should probably be documented. Hence the blog. What will be documented? Random musings, observations, stories, and experiences. I am planning of focusing mainly on the music, art, fashion, and media of the England that I experience.

So open your windows and enjoy the trip.