This post is basically because I'm wondering if something's caught on at home.
It's a song about three fellows who find themselves, surprisingly, on a Boat.
It's from the SNL crew, and contains a great deal of gratuitous cussing, but it's quite hilarious and a great track to dance to. I enjoy it solely because it just sounds like regular hip-hop - which I do not like at all. The fun begins when you actually listen to the lyrics, which contain such poetic gems as, "I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat./ Everybody look at me, 'cause I'm sailing on a boat," and "I'm the King of the World, on a boat like Leo/If you're on the shore, than you're sure not me - oh."
So yes. Have we seen this in the land down under yet? I feel like, with the marvels of the internet, we should have.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
The Ville
The past few days have pretty much been relaxing in Gina's town - which I definitely needed after the insanity of Boston.
Today we saw Up, which was quite cute. There was, however, the downside of it being a kids movie, and thus the cinema was full of, well, kids. I do forgive them, though - mainly because I have memories of crawling along the floor of the cinema, under the seats, during the Secret Garden. I doubt that anyone loved me for that.
After the movies we lounged on Emma's back lawn with books, beach towels and baby carrots, before walking to a carnival. Yep, flashing lights, dangerous-looking rides and tacky stuffed toys all around. It was actually really fun - we pretended it was Emma's 9th birthday instead of her 19th, thus justifying cotton candy and the ferris wheel.
Post-carnival we had dinner at Panera and ice cream at Cold Stone. (And yes, Australian viewers, Cold Stone is pretty much exactly the same concept as Cold Rock.) I was coughing up my lungs at this point, so I opted to go home. (Look Mum! I'm responsible!) Feeling much better than I was yesterday, though, so it's all well and good.
Going journeying tomorrow, "up the Hudson," which sounds to be most delightful. Definitely looking forward to seeing some more of the country!
Lx
Today we saw Up, which was quite cute. There was, however, the downside of it being a kids movie, and thus the cinema was full of, well, kids. I do forgive them, though - mainly because I have memories of crawling along the floor of the cinema, under the seats, during the Secret Garden. I doubt that anyone loved me for that.
After the movies we lounged on Emma's back lawn with books, beach towels and baby carrots, before walking to a carnival. Yep, flashing lights, dangerous-looking rides and tacky stuffed toys all around. It was actually really fun - we pretended it was Emma's 9th birthday instead of her 19th, thus justifying cotton candy and the ferris wheel.
Post-carnival we had dinner at Panera and ice cream at Cold Stone. (And yes, Australian viewers, Cold Stone is pretty much exactly the same concept as Cold Rock.) I was coughing up my lungs at this point, so I opted to go home. (Look Mum! I'm responsible!) Feeling much better than I was yesterday, though, so it's all well and good.
Going journeying tomorrow, "up the Hudson," which sounds to be most delightful. Definitely looking forward to seeing some more of the country!
Lx
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Lungs? No thanks.
Back from an amazing week in Boston.
It was absolutely phenomenal - we all had an amazing and hilarious time.
We all are also now sick as dogs. Coughed up lungs, hoarse voices and overall exhaustion abound.
Currently holed up in bed with toast and tea sharing sympathy via the interwebs.
I'm starting to feel like going home won't be the worst feeling in the world - although the thought of the flight makes me want to be physically ill.
Love.
Lx
(And Mum, relax, it's just a cold, I'm looking after myself and I'll be better in no time.)
It was absolutely phenomenal - we all had an amazing and hilarious time.
We all are also now sick as dogs. Coughed up lungs, hoarse voices and overall exhaustion abound.
Currently holed up in bed with toast and tea sharing sympathy via the interwebs.
I'm starting to feel like going home won't be the worst feeling in the world - although the thought of the flight makes me want to be physically ill.
Love.
Lx
(And Mum, relax, it's just a cold, I'm looking after myself and I'll be better in no time.)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Boston
Is amazing.
I'm alive.
These people make my life happier than imaginable.
Don't want to leave.
Going to climb out of the internet and hang out with my friends now.
Love.
I'm alive.
These people make my life happier than imaginable.
Don't want to leave.
Going to climb out of the internet and hang out with my friends now.
Love.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Lights are Bright on Broadway
It's such an gorgeous day today - there is not one cloud in the sky, and it's warm and sunny. Gina and I just went for a walk around town soaking up the prettiness that surrounded us. Did I mention that I saw a bunny the other day? Just sitting on the front lawn nibbling on the grass? It was ridiculously cute.
The warmth is a nice change after last night, which was absolutely FREEZING. We were in the city until late because we went to see a show!
We arrived in the city at about 2.30 and lined up at the booth in Times Square for on-the-night tickets to shows. It was pretty fast-moving - from arrival to purchase it only took us an hour - and we ended up with half-price tickets to Phantom of the Opera! (Which is my favourite show. Ever. Pending seeing Wicked in a week or so.)
The first act was good, but the guy playing the Phantom was no comparison to Anthony Warlow, who I saw in Brisbane. (Who is though?) I wasn't too keen on Christine at first, but the whole cast really lifted in the second act. Raoul was brilliant, and I loved André and Firmin - they worked really well together comically, and were great to listen to. Carlotta was fabulous too - overdone and operatic, of course. I think that's actually what I didn't love about Christine's performance, she was a little breathy in some parts, and then a little too operatic in others. The scene I liked best, actually, was in the graveyard with the Phantom and Raoul. She got it right there, I thought. The Masquerade scene was fantastic, but Point of No Return (my favourite song, actually) didn't sit perfectly with me. On the whole though, I thought it was a great production - and I've now seen a Broadway show, which was one of my checkboxes for the trip. I also got to see Times Square at night, which was spectacular - very bright, very shiny.
Gina and I are now in the midst of packing and cleaning up before we go to Boston! Excitement abounds - though the 7am train into the city to get the bus isn't such a welcoming thought.
Love
Lx
The warmth is a nice change after last night, which was absolutely FREEZING. We were in the city until late because we went to see a show!
We arrived in the city at about 2.30 and lined up at the booth in Times Square for on-the-night tickets to shows. It was pretty fast-moving - from arrival to purchase it only took us an hour - and we ended up with half-price tickets to Phantom of the Opera! (Which is my favourite show. Ever. Pending seeing Wicked in a week or so.)
The first act was good, but the guy playing the Phantom was no comparison to Anthony Warlow, who I saw in Brisbane. (Who is though?) I wasn't too keen on Christine at first, but the whole cast really lifted in the second act. Raoul was brilliant, and I loved André and Firmin - they worked really well together comically, and were great to listen to. Carlotta was fabulous too - overdone and operatic, of course. I think that's actually what I didn't love about Christine's performance, she was a little breathy in some parts, and then a little too operatic in others. The scene I liked best, actually, was in the graveyard with the Phantom and Raoul. She got it right there, I thought. The Masquerade scene was fantastic, but Point of No Return (my favourite song, actually) didn't sit perfectly with me. On the whole though, I thought it was a great production - and I've now seen a Broadway show, which was one of my checkboxes for the trip. I also got to see Times Square at night, which was spectacular - very bright, very shiny.
Gina and I are now in the midst of packing and cleaning up before we go to Boston! Excitement abounds - though the 7am train into the city to get the bus isn't such a welcoming thought.
Love
Lx
Friday, May 15, 2009
Bronxville and Brooklyn
I didn't meant to be quite so harsh on SF and NY in my last post. I was really just pointing out the immediate livability that DC presented me with. It was definitely more of a "feel" than anything else - I think it's just somewhere that I think could really fit me. (Now I'm planning a long-term career path ending as a White House correspondent for the ABC. Or some other reputable paper/magazine/broadcaster. I've never actually had an endgame I thought I might enjoy before.) I wish summer internships worked the way they do in the States in Aus. Over our summer the whole country shuts down for Christmas, then starts up again in the New Year. There's no continuity the way things run in the summer here. It's just holidays for schoolkids, and maybe a long weekend or a week off for those in the "real world." I'd like to actually work in journalism for a while to see if I could actually cope with it. I don't know if I could cope with working for a local paper or the Courier Fail though - I mean, I know you don't start at the top, but I'd have to have an idea of what I would be working towards. I'm sure my idea of what it would be like isn't 100% accurate - I want to see if I think I'd enjoy it, and if I think I could cut it. This is the first "job" that I've felt like this about: actually wanting to investigate the possibilities it presents instead of regarding it with apathy.
I'll have to think about it a little more. I'm hoping this isn't one of those ideas that comes and goes though. I feel like this could be different. We'll see.
Hm. This post was meant to be about Bronvxille and Brooklyn, but it seemed to turn into a musing on my future career. Basically, we went to Brooklyn today (walked across the bridge, which was fun) and had AMAZING pizza at Grimaldi's, under the Bridge. It was pretty fantastic, and yes Gina, I now feel that Australian pizzas are eternally sub-standard. You've ruined me. Happy?
Tonight we had dinner at the Field Club and then had coffee with some of Gina's friends who are home from College. It's a completely different atmosphere than home is - the neighbourhood and the proximity of everything is really sweet. It's not just on TV that people walk over to each other's house just because they can - it's actually done here. I like it.
Mm, definitely time to sleep now.
Lx
I'll have to think about it a little more. I'm hoping this isn't one of those ideas that comes and goes though. I feel like this could be different. We'll see.
Hm. This post was meant to be about Bronvxille and Brooklyn, but it seemed to turn into a musing on my future career. Basically, we went to Brooklyn today (walked across the bridge, which was fun) and had AMAZING pizza at Grimaldi's, under the Bridge. It was pretty fantastic, and yes Gina, I now feel that Australian pizzas are eternally sub-standard. You've ruined me. Happy?
Tonight we had dinner at the Field Club and then had coffee with some of Gina's friends who are home from College. It's a completely different atmosphere than home is - the neighbourhood and the proximity of everything is really sweet. It's not just on TV that people walk over to each other's house just because they can - it's actually done here. I like it.
Mm, definitely time to sleep now.
Lx
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
These Alliterative Titles are Becoming Difficult
Finally back at Gina's house outside of NYC. Tomorrow is definitely a designated rest day - for the past two weeks it's just been all on all the time. (Tomorrow is the 14th, and I left on the 1st. TWO WEEKS down already? Not possible.)
Washington DC was fantastic. It was definitely my favourite place so far. I mean - I really loved San Francisco and the one day I've spent in NYC so far, but DC really felt like somewhere I could live, if I wanted.
San Francisco was amazing - although the weather seemed determined to show me a horrid time - but I definitely felt like a tourist there. The public transport was expensive (cable cars) and not so easy to use without looking at three maps and then asking someone who looked local. I'm sure once you know the system it would be fine, but it definitely wasn't simple or intuitive. There were an enormous number of SOMOTD (see, I haven't forgotten, I've just seen NO strange old men!) and I never really found any "local" feeling areas in the city. (Of course it was very welcoming, comfortable and easy to live at Stephanie's house, but that was further out of SF proper.)
During the day I spent in NYC, and then this evening as Gina and I went from the bus to catch the train back to Bronxville, I was really overwhelmed. The City is amazing, and I'm definitely excited to see and explore more of it, but it was just too big. In every possible way. The buildings are all ridiculously tall, and they just don't stop. In any direction, it just keeps going and going and going. The subway is pretty, um, earthy - though the train system to the outer suburbs is as nice as, if not nicer than, Brisbane trains. Where in Brisbane I'd get the train from the city to Southbank to save a walk (Yes, I am lazy, this we know.) I would not use the subway in NYC to go the same distance. It's just not pleasant. I'm aware this is sounding a bit princessy, but I'm talking about features that make a city less inviting, and less livable, for me personally. I would definitely, definitely recommend visiting New York - it's amazing, and there are so many brilliant things to see. I just can't see myself living in the city at all.
I say all this, you see, because Washington was totally different. In DC, none of the buildings can be built taller than the Capitol, which is fairly tall but by no means a skyscraper. This made the city quite low set and comfortable, at least in my mind. It was definitely busy, and there were (obviously) far too many things to see than could be seen in 4 days - but it felt like a place where I could very easily fall in to a rhythm of actually living. Just day-to-day existing. The metro (subway system) was clean, safe and easy to use. There are lots of things in walking distance to Colleges (GW and Georgetown) and from landmarks/areas of business. Not to mention, of course, the fascinating things that go on there on a daily basis. There were areas that felt homey and local 20 minutes walk from where the most important political decisions of the nation are made. Plus the weather in DC was gorgeous pretty much the whole time I was there.
I always said that America was somewhere I'd love to visit, but not live. Washington DC may have changed my mind.
Lx
Washington DC was fantastic. It was definitely my favourite place so far. I mean - I really loved San Francisco and the one day I've spent in NYC so far, but DC really felt like somewhere I could live, if I wanted.
San Francisco was amazing - although the weather seemed determined to show me a horrid time - but I definitely felt like a tourist there. The public transport was expensive (cable cars) and not so easy to use without looking at three maps and then asking someone who looked local. I'm sure once you know the system it would be fine, but it definitely wasn't simple or intuitive. There were an enormous number of SOMOTD (see, I haven't forgotten, I've just seen NO strange old men!) and I never really found any "local" feeling areas in the city. (Of course it was very welcoming, comfortable and easy to live at Stephanie's house, but that was further out of SF proper.)
During the day I spent in NYC, and then this evening as Gina and I went from the bus to catch the train back to Bronxville, I was really overwhelmed. The City is amazing, and I'm definitely excited to see and explore more of it, but it was just too big. In every possible way. The buildings are all ridiculously tall, and they just don't stop. In any direction, it just keeps going and going and going. The subway is pretty, um, earthy - though the train system to the outer suburbs is as nice as, if not nicer than, Brisbane trains. Where in Brisbane I'd get the train from the city to Southbank to save a walk (Yes, I am lazy, this we know.) I would not use the subway in NYC to go the same distance. It's just not pleasant. I'm aware this is sounding a bit princessy, but I'm talking about features that make a city less inviting, and less livable, for me personally. I would definitely, definitely recommend visiting New York - it's amazing, and there are so many brilliant things to see. I just can't see myself living in the city at all.
I say all this, you see, because Washington was totally different. In DC, none of the buildings can be built taller than the Capitol, which is fairly tall but by no means a skyscraper. This made the city quite low set and comfortable, at least in my mind. It was definitely busy, and there were (obviously) far too many things to see than could be seen in 4 days - but it felt like a place where I could very easily fall in to a rhythm of actually living. Just day-to-day existing. The metro (subway system) was clean, safe and easy to use. There are lots of things in walking distance to Colleges (GW and Georgetown) and from landmarks/areas of business. Not to mention, of course, the fascinating things that go on there on a daily basis. There were areas that felt homey and local 20 minutes walk from where the most important political decisions of the nation are made. Plus the weather in DC was gorgeous pretty much the whole time I was there.
I always said that America was somewhere I'd love to visit, but not live. Washington DC may have changed my mind.
Lx
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