11 July, 2006 | 2 Comments

For hardcore Sylvia Plath fans, some photographs accompanied by an audio commentary [7 minutes long]. Enjoy!

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11 July, 2006 | 4 Comments

I managed to get myself an appointment at the French Consulate in London next week. Whew! This is a huge relief for me, because it turned out that if I applied for the French visa in the US, I would have only been allowed to apply at the consulate in Boston, since that was where I lived last (and I have a Massachusetts driver’s license). This was not good news, because I had no plans to go to Boston. But luckily for me, the American damsel-in-distress act I have perfected not only works on the English, but on the French as well. [I got out of paying a fine on the tube a while back. I had the wrong ticket, though I'm not sure how I managed that. So anyway, the guy said I would have to pay a rather large fine. I said I was an American tourist and I was so confused about the tube, etc. He actually bought this sob story and let me go without having to pay anything!]

So anyway, this is my good news for the day! My life is no longer ruined…

11 July, 2006 | Comments

My post for Shortcut yesterday was a revision/update of a posting I did last year, if you’re interested (and how could you not be?).

10 July, 2006 | 9 Comments

I watched the World Cup final last night. I find it astonishing that so many people are up in arms over Zidane and his red card incident. Perhaps it did cost France the game and I can understand fans being upset about that. But the actual incident? Who cares! I swear, listening to the BBC commentators, if I hadn’t seen the head-butt myself, I would have assumed that Zidane had pulled out a gun and shot the other guy dead. Such outrage over a non-issue. He’s forever shamed! His legacy is ruined! How ridiculous. It was a stupid thing to do, but we all do stupid things sometimes. Get over it.

10 July, 2006 | 6 Comments

One of the advantages of living abroad is that you learn a lot about your own culture. Take, for instance, the act of smiling. I think Americans smile more and are friendlier than people from many other countries. There are regional variations, to be sure. People in the Northeast are much less friendly than people from other parts of the US, but in general it’s safe to say that Americans are a rather friendly bunch.

In France, American expats often complain that people in public always look so glum. The French, on the other hand, believe that Americans look moronic with big smiles plastered on their faces for no reason. An American expat in London wrote in the Guardian a while back:

In the UK overt displays of friendliness are taken as a sign of brain damage. This sounds horrible, but actually it’s a fairly good rule of thumb. Try to match your moroseness to those around you. Occasionally you will run across that rare British person who is not just friendly but outgoing, helpful, charming and loquacious. He is a con man.

This is obviously an exaggeration. I have met plenty of friendly people here. Well, one or two. (Only kidding!) From my experience, taxi drivers are by far the friendliest people in London. I’m not sure why this is, exactly. Perhaps they’re bored.

I never thought of myself as a person who smiled a lot until I came here. Since I’ve been in London people have commented on it. If the guy who sorts the mail in the building sees me coming, he will always collect my mail and hand it to me, “the girl who always smiles at me.” Huh? I really don’t consider myself to be an overly-friendly person, at least by American standards, so I find all of this to be quite amusing.

I think a great many people see the American habit of smiling and acting friendly towards strangers as being superficial. The American phrase “Have a nice day!” is ridiculed around the globe. I can understand why people think this kind of behaviour is insincere, but I don’t see it that way. While in some countries smiling almost always signifies genuine happiness or delight, Americans use smiling as a polite greeting or pleasantry in public. Most people with good manners will smile at a person they are engaged in a transaction with (at the bank, the post office, etc.). It’s not difficult to differentiate this kind of smile from a more heartfelt one.

I do think it’s important for Americans abroad (particularly women) to understand that smiling or acting friendly can sometimes send certain unintended signals. For example, men from certain…uh…non-English speaking cultures often assume that a woman who smiles at them in conversation or acts even the least bit friendly is hitting on them and probably wants to sleep with them. And if they find out you’re American – forget it! I was riding in the slowest lift on earth the other day with the Egyptian maintenance man. He struck up a conversation with me and his eyes lit up when I said I was American (so much for anti-Americanism). By the time we reached the lower ground floor, he was offering to teach me Arabic. I’m still not quite certain what he meant by that, but it felt gross.

Because of encounters like these, I think walking around like a stone-faced bitch has its advantages and I will probably do that more in Paris, though I really don’t want to. I often complain about the embarrassing habits of Americans, but I miss those overt signs of friendliness. Even when I lived in New York, I often found myself chatting with strangers while waiting at the supermarket or at the doctor – you can bond with complete strangers this way in a very short period of time. People here, at least in London, don’t really seem willing to strike up conversations with strangers at all. When I first got here, I often found myself in need of assistance in public – for example, asking a person at the bus stop how much a ticket cost. And people were more than willing to provide me with this kind of information, but once they gave it to me, they sort of backed up and averted their eyes, as if to say – “I helped you, now please don’t talk to me anymore.” I think Americans tend to interpret this kind of behaviour as coldness, when it’s just another way of being. No better, no worse, just different.

9 July, 2006 | 1 Comment

I found a few links to my most favorite Saturday Night Live skit ever:

“I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!”

I hadn’t seen it in a few years and it always cracks me up. You can watch it here, here, or here. It’s bizarre how many websites there are dedicated to this skit, not to mention all the merchandise surrounding it. It first aired in 2000. Christopher Walken said the cowbell sketch was career-defining for him. I have no idea why this is so hilarious. It just is.

8 July, 2006 | 2 Comments

I went to the Tate Modern today for the first time. I don’t really like modern art and after today I still don’t like it, but I wanted to broaden my artistic horizons. That’s something! My favorite part of the day was the view of St. Paul’s dome from the Millennium Bridge. Stunning. Another highlight was when I used the loo at the museum. Inside the stall where I peed, someone had written a message on the door: “Love Yourself in the Long Run.” I tried to imagine what had prompted a woman to write such a message on the door of the loo with permanent black marker. I thought about it on the walk home. I’m obviously thinking about it even now, though I don’t know why. I guess art exists wherever you choose to see it.

Tags: Tate Modern

8 July, 2006 | 1 Comment

Yes, that’s right. The stork will be visiting soon, though I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know who the father is…

[that was a joke, no one should panic]

So anyway, the hall of residence where I live has been overtaken by tourists. Most of the students have fled and the greedy money whores who run this place are renting out rooms to any old riffraff from off the street, but then I guess that isn’t much of a change from life during the academic year. I only know one student here now, an American who is due to give birth any day – right in the middle of trying to finish her thesis. I cannot imagine bringing a newborn back to this dump. Oh, and did I mention that the taxpayers get to foot the bill for this bundle of joy? What a generous country!

When my friend gets back to the U.S. in August, she’ll have a master’s degree and a baby! This makes me wonder what I’ve accomplished this past year. If I hadn’t spent so much time in the library last fall, I could be having my own little Anglofille right now – the perfect accessory to tote around Paris! Heavier than an iPod, yes, but cuter. And if it were a girl, I’d name her Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt – or if it were a boy, the male version of the name: Jesus.

Alas, I remain baby-free, which is probably just as well, because then this would turn into one of those annoying baby blogs where all the women do is complain about how much they hate their husbands and want to die. Have you ever read one of those blogs? I swear, the FDA should approve them as a form of birth control.

7 July, 2006 | Comments

I decided to take a break from working and go out for a walk. My whole neighborhood is filled with police and the news media at King’s Cross, Russell Square and Tavistock Square, which is completely closed off to traffic so the victims’ families can have privacy. The spot where the bus exploded is surrounded by large black barricades, though I could see plants inside. The sky is overcast and there’s a somber mood in the air. It’s all so sad. I just decided to come home again. I’d rather work than be out there.

7 July, 2006 | 1 Comment

I actually went to a pub last night. Oh, shut up! There were three of us (one of whom had just arrived from NY) and we ordered 1) bottled water; 2) apple juice; 3) beer. What did I order??? I’ll never tell.

This pub is named after a Virginia Woolf novel. We sat outside on the terrace, overlooking Russell Square. It was a perfect summer evening and as I sat there watching the buses and the taxis and the tourists walk by, it hit me that I’m leaving London soon. And this incredible sadness came over me. My departure seems real now. I knew this moment would come, I just didn’t know when.

[P.S. Thanks to the concerned people who urged me to apply for the French visa right away. My bizarre avoidance of the visa process makes no sense whatsoever, not even to me. And now it seems that it’s already too late to get an appointment before I leave London, unless there’s a cancellation or something. I guess I will just have to apply in New York or maybe even Los Angeles if that’s possible. Applying in the US requires less documentation because I’ll be in my home country, so perhaps being a slacker has its advantages. Still, I just don’t want to deal with this!]

7 July, 2006 | Comments

6 July, 2006 | 1 Comment

1. Every member of the French police force speaks fluent English.

2. John the Baptist was really a woman.

Tags: Da Vinci Code

6 July, 2006 | 3 Comments

Two of my friends from Boston have been visiting over the past week, which has allowed me to play tourist. Yesterday we went to Highgate Cemetery. One of my friends, as part of her doctoral research, is studying funerary monuments and sculpture. So it was a treat to visit the cemetery with an expert. I took some video but will have to post it later, once I can edit it for length.

What surprised me about Highgate is how woodsy, overgrown and dilapidated it is. During our visit there were periods of heavy rain, plus extremely high humidity and bugs; at moments, it felt like we were in the jungle (and my hair never looked better!). Many of the gravestones are falling over or broken into pieces; others have even been completely overtaken by roots:

We saw one gravestone that was suspended in mid-air, having somehow gotten wedged between two growing trees. I’m not sure why the powers-that-be have let the cemetery fall apart in such a way, but the wildness certainly gives it an otherworldly feel. It was an unexpected oasis of calm and beauty. Here are a few more snaps:

George Eliot’s grave

Karl Marx’s unmodest grave

Tags: Highgate Cemetery

5 July, 2006 | 6 Comments

Three weeks from today I am leaving London for the US and the bad news is that I have no energy. I blame the heat, I think. Either that or denial. Or both.

I need to get my French visa before I go, yet I haven’t even made an appointment at the consulate yet. I also haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with my stuff. Last summer, I thought it was a swell idea to send 8 boxes of books to London. It didn’t cost much because I sent them via M-bag and it’s been tremendously helpful for me to have a personal library here. But do I really want to drag all these books to Paris with me? They’re cumbersome! So what to do? I should probably put them in storage, but honestly, I’m scared to find out how much that would cost in London.

I also need to sell a bunch of stuff. I don’t know where to sell it. I wonder if I could have a yard sale in Russell Square?

I am incapable of making decisions right now. Does anyone have any brilliant ideas for me? Pretty please?

Tags: Whining, Whinging

4 July, 2006 | 2 Comments

For whatever reason, I feel compelled to mention the 4th of July. I won’t be celebrating it this year because that would just be in poor taste. In general, I think patriotism is one of the most over-rated virtues, regardless of which country you come from. This doesn’t mean that I’m not grateful to have been born an American and a citizen of a Western, “free” nation. I never take my rights for granted and even though I’m not one for flag waving and crying during the national anthem, I did take a moment to reflect on that today. So to all of you American readers, enjoy your day off and your BBQ and your fireworks!

3 July, 2006 | Comments

Nearly every time I go out, someone asks me for directions. I can always tell when people are going to ask. They look at me and I can see it in their faces.

Perhaps I should be flattered. I obviously look like I know where I’m going and I must not appear threatening in any way. And just in case you think it’s Americans who stop me after sniffing out my Yankee pheromones, I can honestly say that not one American has ever asked me for directions. It’s always Brits or people with vague European accents. They are usually looking for:

Russell Square (the actual square or the tube stop)

SOAS

British Museum

Great Ormond Street Hospital

King’s Cross

And they’re in luck, because I actually know where these things are.

Occasionally, I must go the extra mile in my tireless efforts to aid others (it’s exhausting). The other day I was in front of my building when a young Slovenian woman asked me for directions. She was completely turned around and had no clue where she was going. I tried to explain but she didn’t understand English very well – and she was heading to a job interview to be a receptionist. I could just tell this poor girl was on the verge of having a complete meltdown – as a frequent meltdown-sufferer myself, I can recognize the signs. So I ended up having to walk her to the interview, which took about 15 minutes. On the walk she said she was happy to be in London so she could learn French, so perhaps she was more lost than she even realized.

So you see, sometimes I try to balance out my evil thoughts and deeds by doing something good.

1 July, 2006 | Comments

So I imagine that everyone is gutted now that England is out of the World Cup. I watched the end of the match. What a way to go out. It seems like Portugal was up to some dirty tricks, at least from my amateur viewpoint.

I don’t know much about English football, but I’m guessing — just guessing — that being an England fan is like being a Boston fan in many ways. With rare exceptions, they break your heart in spectacular fashion. I know the feeling and it sucks. Sorry everybody.

1 July, 2006 | 6 Comments

I’ve seen links to the My Heritage website on several blogs over the past few days, so of course I must do my part to promote this craze. You can upload your photo and using their state-of-the-art facial recognition technology, My Heritage will tell you which celebrities you look like. [Warning: You have to enter your e-mail and create a log-in.] According to them, I look like:

Pop Starlet Natalie Imbruglia

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

Hmmm, not sure I see the resemblance, but the results could be worse…