This is how I do

Action Shots!

2010-06-23T13:40:00.001-07:00

They had photographers at the CPE Agility competition that took some amazing action shots of all the dogs running the courses. Here are some of my favorites of Tony in action!

Photography by M:

CPE Agility Trial - June 19, 2010

2010-06-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tony recently participated in his first agility trial. We did three runs, and he ended up getting a 3rd place ribbon and a 4th place ribbon. Not too bad for his first time out in the "big ring"!

Below are his runs. First up is the course called "Colors". He was in Level 1. He took 3rd in this course for his height.

This is his run in the course called "Wildcard". He was in Level 1. He took 4th in this course for his height.

My mom and I with Tony and his ribbons :)

Me with my little guy! It was a loooong day (12 hours!), so we were both pretty dead tired at the end of it.

Agility Practice!

2010-06-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

On June 19th Tony will be participating in his first dog agility Trial. It's like a competition. We are entered in 3 events. Jumpers, Colors, and Wildcard. This is our first ever time competing where we will be judged. Yikes!

He's really smart though, so I just hope I am on my game and give him the right cues!
The Jumpers course will be just jumps and tunnels. The Colors and Wildcard courses will have more obstacles (like an A-Frame, Dog Walk, table).

My mom is coming to record how we do. Wish us luck!

Tony's GREEN Mohawk

2009-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

So this weekend is Halloween, and what better thing to do than to dye my dog's mohawk green? He'll be going as a punk this year, so the green hawk was a no-brainer. (don't you hate it when people say no-brainer?)

How did I do it? Easy - Neon food coloring from the grocery store. Just squeeze a few drops on a sponge (I used a new dish washing sponge) and apply to the desired hair. Since all I was coloring was a small area I just applied it to dry hair, but they say if you want to dye more then you should dilute the food coloring with water and wet your dog.

I let the color sit for about 15 min, then took an old wash cloth and rinsed off the excess. If you get any on your fingers, Dawn dish soap will take it right off.

Enjoy the coloring possibilities!

The Crib: My Apartment in Aliso Viejo, CA

2009-06-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to snapping some photos of my new apartment in Aliso Viejo, CA. Where the heck is Aliso Viejo you ask? It's about an hour north of San Diego, and an hour south of LA. More specifically it's in Orange County. Yes, the OC.

I love it here, planned community living at it's best! Everything you could want is just a few blocks away, and the neighborhood is beautiful and safe. I live in a fairly large apartment community in a 2nd floor 1bd apartment.

I am lucky enough to have a private large patio as my "front yard".

Once inside you look into my living room, with my awesome comfy red couch.

And my Ikea tv unit, that took FOREVER to build. They gave me 2 wrong parts, luckily my dad was there with his drill to make it all come together!

This is my Kitchen. Behind that door at the back is my very own laundry room, complete with full-size washer and dryer.

Now into the bedroom. We are allowed to get one accent wall painted, so I am waiting on that wall behind my bed to pe painted a light blue. Hi Tony!

This is my awesomely huge bathroom!

You can't see it in the previous picture, but also in my bathroom is my huge walk-in closet. What girl doesn't love a huge closet?

There are tons of grassy areas around the complex for Tony to run around in, and also a pool and a work-out room for me. All in all I am pretty happy here. :)

Tony at Work!

2009-05-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

As you may know - I have moved back to Southern Cali (Aliso Viejo to be exact) and have a new job at DraftFCB in Irvine. We are allowed to bring our dogs to work M W F, and of course I take advantage of that and bring Tony boy in. There is a Mastiff puppy that also comes into work - her name is Brunella. Her owner took a little video of them playing ... and here it is for your enjoyment!

More Snow!

2008-12-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

The snow just ain't stopping here! This last storm we got about 3.5". Tony doesn't like it as much when half his leg is covered with snow! I also have to carry him over the salted areas, because the city doesn't use pet-safe salt. He stopped mid walk once to lick at his paws.

Here are some pictures of the snow around my apartment, and Tony in it.

A video of Tony not quite having the best time in the snow. He was ready to go back inside and ran to the door right after this video. I'm thinking I might get him booties, but I have a feeling he would just rip them off. Humm.

Merry Christmas - Tony Style!

2008-12-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we went to a local animal rescue center to get Tony's picture taken with Santa. All the proceeds go to their shelter, so I know my money went to a good cause. It's not the shelter I got him from, but it's one of the best in KC.

He was a little scared of the Santa at first, did a little barking and looked scared... but all I had to do was mention the magic word "treat" and his ears perked right up!

We are very excited to escape Kansas City and the ridiculously freezing temperatures on Tuesday for our flight to San Diego. We'll be there for a nice long 10 days.

Happy Holidays!

Agility Practice

2008-12-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

I took a video camera to our agility practice today so I could capture some of the obstacles that Tony can do in an agility course. In this video you will see him do:
hoops
jump
dog walk (I call it "walk it" in commands)
hoop
weave polls (for learning purposes we have orange gates up so they know which way to go)
tunnel
teeter

Tony is still a little weary of the teeter, because it moves while he is on it. His first instinct is to "bail" - which you will see him do twice before I lure him with treats to stay on it.

The yellow painted areas on the ends of the dog walk and the teeter are the contact areas. In a competition the dog must put a paw in each of these areas or they will be docked points. In practice we aim for them to get all 4 paws in the yellow so that they get used to doing the obstacles that way, which leads to them more likely to make contacts in a competition.

Over the tunnel in the video you will notice another obstacle that isn't being used in this particular course. That is called the A-frame and it too has contacts.

Tony is usually really fast and zips through the course, but I took this video at the end of the class so he was a bit tired. He also knew where the treats were before the dog walk, so he stops to check out if he could sneak one. What can I say, he is treat driven!

Enjoy!

First Snow

2008-12-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and KCMO had it's first snow. I thought I would capture some pictures of it to share with you all.

This Friday I went to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. Here are some shots of me in my sweater vest masterpiece.

Button up that overcoat...

2008-11-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's getting COLD out here in KCMO, and even little Tony boy is needing some extra warmth.
He has out-grown the sweater that he had last year at this time, so we went out and got him a jacket. A parka to be exact, with a nice little faux fur lined hood.

I think he looks very stylish, and his mohawk doesn't hurt!

Tony and his new get-up:

Agility!

2008-11-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

So it was a long time waiting and to my dismay there are only three pictures of Tony and I doing the agility course at the Ren Fest. I'll try to remember to bring my camera to a practice and get some pics or even a video to post.

But for now, the three pictures I got from the RenFest. In the first two Tony is taking jumps and the last one he is jumping up onto the Finish table. Enjoy!

Wind ... it's CRAZY!

2008-11-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

It is soooo windy today here in KCMO ... and I can hear it whistling.
No joke.

Hear for yourself!

Tony's free toy

2008-11-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

Tony and I did an agility show at the KC Ren Fest - a just for fun show - and we were given this dog toy called the Catch-It! as a thank you.

Tony loves it and it's the perfect way to help tire him out when it's freezing or snowing out.

My new apartment

2008-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hey! Here are some pictures of my new apartment, in downtown Kansas City, MO.
The building was an old hotel, built in 1889. (some say it was an old brothel)

It has been deemed a historical building for KCMO and in a few years will go through a renovation to keep it nice. It is in an area called Quality Hill. I am on the top floor (5th) and my living room windows face west, so I get a pretty cool view and a free sunset viewing every night.

I also work in downtown KC, so my commute to work is now about 3 minutes by car :)
I should really save on gas!

My apt is a 1 bd, 1 bath apartment. The living room:

The kitchen:

The Hallway:

The Bathroom:

The Bedroom (note the huge window and tall ceiling):

View from the bedroom window:

View from the living room windows:

Tony saying "You went shopping and all I got was this lousy bag?"

Video of a walk-through for my apartment:

Video of my nightly sunset view:

My New Home- The Plaza

2007-11-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

The area of Kansas City, MO that I live in is know as The Plaza District.
Right by me is the Country Club Plaza, which is a big beautiful outdoor shopping/eating mall.
To me it reminds me a little bit of Santa Barbara becuase of all the teracotta tiles and the somewhat Spanish-y style.

And you may not know that Kansas City is know as the Paris of the Plains. It's true, look it up on Wikipedia. And Kansas City also has the 2nd most fountains of any city in the world. The first being Rome, Italy. In fact, a lot of the fountains and sculpture in Kansas City has been flown here from Italy. One of the founders of the city had a second home in Italy.

So here is a little photo montage of my new home, to give you an idea.
And I bet you are going to be pleasently surprised!!

A close up of one of the largest fountains.

A nice open park by the fountain.

A look down into the Plaza. Those lamps in the center were actually brought here from San Francisco.

Another fountain.

Close-up of one of the cool faces on the fountain.
** you'll notice that the larger fountains aren't running water. This is becuase they turn them off when it gets too cold so the water doesn't freeze. I of course didn't realize they were going to do that, since I haven't ever really had to think of freezing/snow related issues before. So I'm sorry I didn't capture them in all their glory. You'll just have to wait till Spring!**

This tall tower is where The Cheesecake Factory is. Yummy!

Yay, a working fountain!

Another cool fountain shot.

Beautiful Brush Creek.

See, I do live close!

Even the McDonalds has it's own statue! Mmm, Big Mac..

This is my apt complex - Fountainview on the Plaza. (yes, even my apt complex has the word fountain in the name)

I am still in the very ongoing process of furnishing and decorating the inside of my apt. So when I am pretty close to done I will take some pics and post 'em. But for the anticipation I'll tell you .... my couch is RED!

Kansas City is also very spread out. Meaning that you pretty much need a car to get around here. Since I was living in New York before this, where you def DON'T want a car... that means a new car was a need to get. After some researching and test driving I decided to lease a 2008 Honda Civic Coupe. Here is my pretty new car!!

AND, my new home phone that I got is Middle Americanized itself. It has an accent all it's own. Check it out... (listed to how she says "0" as in 8:03pm)

That's it for now. Coming next will be my work area and Downtown KCMO. :D

Kansas City, Here I Come

2007-10-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone - I got an Art Director job at a very cool agency in Kansas City, MO.
They have been around a little over 4 years and are a small but great group of people.
The agency is Kelly-Russell.

I start in the end of October, and I move there on the 22nd.
My mom is gonna go out there with me to help move me in and check out KC.

I'll send out emails with my new address :D

I've got a head like a Ping-Pong ball

2007-05-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

I keep on going back and fourth and sideways and out-of-bounds on where I am gonna live and work.
And now I have made a decision that will last at LEAST 2 months (cause I have made a 2 month housing deal).
On June 2nd I am flying back across the country to NYC!!
That's right - I am going to be in New York yet again, but this time I am staying a while. And hopefully a long while :)

Last time I was there (in March) it was snowing and I was wearing a big down coat.
Now it's hot and rainy. Oh joy!
Tell me why I am leaving San Diego again...
KIDDING!

I miss all my friends in New York (and those of you not in NY, I miss you too!)
And I really wanna give it a shot getting a job and living out there.
Become an East Coaster!
Maybe start pronouncing wash with an R in it like my parents.

I have stocked up on Hand Sanitizer and am ready to go.

Panda Kids and Dogs

2007-05-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

So I snapped this pic in Santa Monica along Main Street by the place I was freelancing at.
I thought it was a pretty strange mural (if you can even call it that), and decided to share the strangeness.
"Remember Who You Are" - cause we are all really pandas?

And some cute pictures of Pepper, my sister's dog.

Goin' Back to Cali

2007-04-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I said I was leaving ... and I DID leave, for 2 weeks.

It was 2 wonderful weeks in NYC where I went to St.Paddy's day pub crawls, and birthday parties, and goodbye parties, and ate a lot of great food. Seriously, if you haven't tried steak tartare DO IT!!! It's so good. At a reputable restaurant of course. I wouldn't eat it at like Bob's French food Deluxe or something.

But yeah - long story short I moved BACK to Cali and now I am in the LA area. Santa Monica to be exact. So when your travels bring you to the west coast, gimmie a ring. We can eat avacados and rollerblade down the boardwalk. ;)

Saying "Bye" to Cali

2007-03-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Or at least for now.

That's right, I am "moving" out East to New York, NY.
I will be flying by the seat of my pants and staying with a good friend in the city.
My goal is to get a job and my own place and be offically MOVED to NY, NY.

Today (Tuesday) was my last official day in San Diego. And what a beautiful one it was too. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect temp, I even put on a bathing suit and tried to catch what I could of a TAN before trecking out into the world of seasons.

Tomorrow (wed) I fly out, have a pit stop in Denver, CO - then land in my new home around 9pm.
I am so excited!!!

And what's more - we are doing a Pub Crawl on Saturday. Yay for St. Patrick! Thanks for having a drinking day named after you, and for driving out all those rats. Or whatever else you got a day for. :)
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Cheers everyone!

Year in Review: Version 2006

2006-12-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Wow - 2006 has been a busy year for me. I have been traveling all over the world, moving to a new city every 3 months. It was my second (and final) year in Miami Ad School. And now I am back in the so called "real world" of unemployment. How did I get here? Well, let us take a little look-see.

New Years 2006 - I was in Prague, Czech Republic. I had just finished my first Quarter Away location for my school in London (Oct-Dec) where I interned at Saatchi & Saatchi. While in London I took a few side trips to Paris and Amsterdam. After London I went to Italy. I spent Christmas of last year in Rome and then went to Florence. After that I arrived in Prague. I lived in a 2 bedroom apt with my partner and fellow Ad School student Eric. I arrived at the housing before he did, so I snagged the room with the TV. Although there was only one station in English, and that was only for select hours in the day. We were going to be interning together at an advertising agency there called Mark/BBDO.

My favorite pics of London:

The lady from BBDO contacted me and got me in touch with someone from the agency so I would have something to do on my New Year's Eve. I met Paval (Paul in English) at the Metro and we went to these snow covered hills and hiked to the top to watch the fireworks begin set off all over Praha (Prague). It was quite a mix of people. There was me, the American, Paval and Lucinka, the Czechs, Paval's friend, his girlfriend and their friend, the French, and then two random Russian dudes. Broken English was the communication method of choice. Mostly due to my not knowing any other language. Or so I thought. After we passed around the champagne and yelled Happy New Years! it was time to walk down the snow covered hills.

Now as you all know, I grew up in San Diego then went to Miami. No snow or winter-type weather in either of those places. So being in snow was new to me, let alone walking in it, walking down hill in it while a little tipsy on champagne. Needless to say I lost my group. I was too busy arguing with the French guy (in French mind you) because he had made some comment saying that women would never be able to reach the peak of men. Yeah. Really. So you see why I felt the need to break out my dormant French and defend women everywhere.

So I get to the bottom of the hill and realize the only person I know is this loser French guy. Great. Then this other random guy comes over and asks me if I'm lost. In English, without an accent. Turns out he is from L.A. and owns a bar around the corner. He brought me there and introduced me to a bunch of young Czech, American, and Australian people - all of whom spoke English. I met my good Czech friend Lucie there.

My 3 months in Prague were wonderful. It was cold, but seeing the snow on all the gothic buildings was an awesome sight. My partner Eric turned out to be a guy from San Francisco, so we complained about the snow together. We ended up getting a TV spot produced from our time there, and also helped the agency win the Pepsi Light (Diet Pepsi) account.

Some favorites from Praha:

I also visited Amsterdam for a second time while I was in Prague. My two good friends came to visit me in Prague and then I decided to go and visit them in Amsterdam. The beautiful thing about Europe is that traveling is so easy and relatively fast. I was able to just go to Amsterdam for the weekend.

Amsterdam:

After my internship in Prague was over, I decided to travel some more before returning to the US. I went somewhere where I ALWAYS wanted to go ... Greece. I stayed in a hostel in Athens for 5 days. I ended up going to the Acropolis twice, I loved it so much.

My favorite pictures from Athens:

It is now March, and my next qtr for school starts in April. I told my mom that I was going to go to Spain and then be home around March 20th. Little did she know that my sister and I were planning a surprise for her birthday - March 17th. I flew home from Europe on the 16th and my sister picked me up from the airport. Neither of my parents knew I was home. So first we decided to trick my dad, because my mom was at work. So my sister drives over to my parents house and takes Dixie (our dog) on a walk. She rounds the corner, then I return home with the dog. My dad was like, "Hey, you're not the one who took the dog out of the house!".

Then it was time for my mom. My sister parked her car out front and my dad got in on the action and called my mom telling her that Christy was over and upset about something. So my sister hid in the bathroom and I hid under the covers of my mom's bed. Sure enough she came in and thought it was my sister under the covers. Let's just say she was shocked when I lifted the covers off and yelled SURPRISE!! It was a good birthday :)

April-June - Minneapolis, MN. I was interning at Carmichael Lynch. I'm just glad to have been in Minneapolis in the summer and not the insane winters they have. I must say, they do have the whole downtown fixed up so that you never even need to go outside. It's like one giant hamster cage full of tunnels and mysterious food courts that seem to appear out of no where. We did make it to the lake for a Memorial Day picnic though.

Minne pictures:

June - Key Largo, FL and Miami, FL. My sister and I went on what is becoming our annual South Florida trip. First we went to Key Largo for some snorkeling, then we hit up Miami Beach (my old stomping grounds) for some shopping, beach, and fun.

July-Sept. Chicago, IL. This was my 8th and final qtr at Miami Ad School, and I was interning at an agency called Hadrian's Wall in Chicago (now Zig Advertising) with my friend Beau. Chicago in the summer is *perfect*. It was really a great city. We lived in Wicker park, and there were plenty of cute places to eat and hang out just a short walk (or train ride) away. We went to the "beach" a couple times, and to The Bean (mirrored sculpture below) almost weekly. There were so many food and music festivals going on that we were never bored on the weekend. Although the El is not as efficient as you may think. We went to the movies one night and then waited an ungodly amount of time for our train back to the house.

ChiTown pictures:

I graduated Sep 9th, then Beau and I flew out to Boulder, CO to have one last week with the rest of our classmates. They were all in a program for the school that was stationed in CO. We drove by the Ramsey house, went line dancing, were extras in some ads. All in all good times.

Boulder sunset:

After that I moved back home to San Diego to start the (what seems to be never ending) job search. My school hosted a portfolio review in NYC in October, so I went to that. I have a few friends that live out there so finding a place to crash wasn't a problem.

After my birthday in early December (26 yrs old.. yikes!)

I went up to San Francisco for most of the month. I was meeting with advertising people and showing my work around, getting myself known. The job market in December is just hard. I did attend a Holiday party though. My friend Eric, my partner in Prague, lives in SF and is freelancing at an agency up there. He invited me to go with him, so we went and ate plenty of the free McDonald's burgers that they were disguising as hours d'oeuvres.

I am now back in San Diego with the family looking forward to a nice Christmas.

I hope you all have Very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!

My fav pictures from Rome:

Favorite pictures from Florence:

Ahh Paris:

Life is a Waiting Room

2006-10-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

So now I am back in San Diego. After graduation in Sept I went to Boulder to visit some MAS friends, then cam back to my home base to print and finish my book. Then I went back to Chicago and then to NY for meetings and book reviews in my attempt to get myself out there and known in this Ad world.

And you know what I have found out? Life is just one big Waiting room. You submit your name and your forms (aka your book) and you wait for your number to be called (aka your cell) or for some form of written acception (aka email). And there is not much you can do in between the submission and their response. Sure, you can submit to even more places but then that means even more places to wait for a response.

And I for one don't like waiting around.

They teach you in this biz you get out of it what you put into it. So all through school you are left up to yourself to work through the crap and the bad partners and the crazy assignments to get a good book for yourself in the end. Sure you listen to the teachers to turn in the final at the end of the term, but if you don't agree you can always change it and make it what YOU want for YOUR book.

Not so in the waiting game of getting your first job as a creative. You send them your book and that's that. You wait.

You may glance at the tv while waiting (we all know the tv lineup this Fall is actually pretty good) or pick up a magazine or two, but you can never really fully shut off your mind and train of thought. You run back to the computer every 30 min and refresh your email, hoping for something other than Spam. You sign onto ichat to complain with your fellow waiting room companions. You check MySpace for anything new, a comment a message a blog, even a bulletin. But ultimately you wait.

They all tell you it takes time, anywhere from 3-6 months usually. But in this waiting room 2 weeks feels like a lifetime.

Moving Around like Dust in the Wind

2006-10-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

So since I last posted I have *graduated* from Miami Ad School. I am a bonified Art Director now :)
I moved back home to San Diego, and realized how much I LOVE the weather there.
I worked my bootie off and made some books and way too many CDs of my portfolio.
I set off again to hit Chicago and NYC for portfolio reviews.

So yep, I am in the middle of the trip right now in Chicago.
And yes it is Friday the 13th. But I promise, no broken mirrors for me this time. Or walks through cemeteries. (*ahem* Prague)

And I was also lucky enough (if you can call it that) to be in Chicago for some HISTORY!
That's right, the earliest snowfall in Chicago recorded history of 0.3" on Thursday October 12th, 2006.
And I was here - in all of my FROZEN glory.
Seriously, I leave So Cal and it's 70 degrees. I wake up in Chicago to snow.
Needless to say a trip to H&M for a scarf and gloves was necessary.

I am staying in a comfy hostel in downtown Chicago, and going across the street daily to Panera for free internet :)
I leave the Windy city (they aren't lying! The freezing wind is brutal!) tomorrow for New York City!

Reunions and Reviews await!

Over 1/2 Way to nowhere

2006-08-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

That's right - I am over 1/2 way done with my last qtr of school!! Then the job search starts. I am looking forward to finally getting a pay check for my creative thinking, and getting my own apt and my own stuff, and a place to unload my suitcases for more than 11 weeks at a time. Imagine that!!

So now it's getting crunch-time like time has never crunched before. I am starting the many book reviews/interviews and am ready to hear what people out there really think of my work. *shudder* If I have learned one thing, it's that this biz is sooo subjective. I mean, one person can love one campaign, while another person just doesn't get it. In the end I just have to have stuff in my book that I love and that represents me. (but I also want a good job..)

On another note, I am loving my new haircut. It's surprisingly easier to take care of than I thought. All I really have to do is blow-dry it after the shower and I'm good to go. And if I want a little extra sass I can straighten it. Not too shabby, looks like a winner to me!

This past weekend we went to the top of the John Hancock building to the bar there - The Signature Lounge. It was pretty awesome, despite the $10.50 martinis! Apparently the cost goes up the higher altitude you're at. It was on the 96th floor and the view was awesome. You could see both Lake Michigan and the downtown Chicago lights. Here is my attempt at an artsy shot of the lights..

Here is a pic of Beau and I at the top. We decided to get all fancy, since we usually are just in jeans and a t-shirt.

Fall on the floor

2006-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Quick update on me and my Chicago antics.

I went and got my hair cut last night!!
The last time that happened was when I was in London .. and that was in November of 2005!
Wow, talk about procrastination!
Or it could have just been that I was broke, haha.

Whatever the reason, I chopped off the long dead stringy ugliness.
Now I have a cute sassy layered cut!!
Yay!

This past Tuesday night we (Beau and I) went to a music show to see Wolf Parade at the Metro. Here is a shot of the stage:

And here is Beau and I enjoying our beverages. (before my haircut)

We heart Animals

2006-08-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Beau and I ventured out to the Lincoln Park Zoo here in Chicago. This is a free zoo, and it is pretty darn good. This coming from a San Diego native at that. The Zoo is located in the famous Lincoln Park with numerous entrances around the whole park. Here is the entrance we found:

Then it was off for some animal viewing. First stop, the air conditioned underwater viewing for the Sea Lions!

Then some turtles, um, enjoying themselves.

Then off to the Monkey House!! This lady was RIGHT up against the glass. Were we looking at her or was she looking at us?

Then this big Silverback was sitting there angry and staring at his hands.

Then he shot us a glance of DEATH, that I sadly did not capture on film. But Beau was nice enough to reenact for us, shown here:

Then we went to the Lion house, and it was feeding time!! I can honestly say that I have never been this close to a lion as it tore into a meaty chunk of flesh!

After the zoo we went into Wrigleyville for a post Cubs game happy hour. And it was happy because they won that day :) Here we are with Chicago's own Old Style beer - notice the can wearing a jersey?

And I close with a fine example of the usage of puns in today's world. A crappy Chinese food place near our work called ... Wok's Up.

Picture essay of Chicago

2006-07-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of Chicago - the parts that I have seen so far.

The Buckingham Fountain
(also known as the Married With Children fountain)

Street performers!

The Pritzker Music Pavilion - designed by Frank Gehry.

Part of the downtown skyline from Millennium Park.

One of the lake beaches - right next to downtown.

Me with my new towel.

All the pretty boats, kind of reminds me of San Diego.

Beau on the art/bench.

Me on the same thing.

A mall that we stumbled upon that looks to be made all of glass.

Art in front of the mall. "Monument with Standing Beast" by Jean Dubuffet (1984).

The Sears Tower! So high!!

And here are some pics of the people that I live with and the people I work with.

Me with Nina and Anna - our German roommies.

My partner Beau, our co-worker Geoff (he's Canadian) and me. Representing Hadrian's Wall ad agency!

Nina and Anna

Me and Geoff

Beau and Adam, another of our roommates.

Me and Adam.

Last Tuesday night our boss got us tickets to go see a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, it was awesome. We had seats under the level above us so we were in the shade, which was very nice. Here is our view of the field.

And we had to get the famous Chicago Dog - a hotdog on a poppyseed bun with grilled onions. Mmmm, actually really REALLY good.

And the famous Wrigley Field sign - Cubs Win!

Artsy shots of The Bean!

2006-07-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

You may remember some other artsy shots of The Bean art piece here in Chicago from my trip in April. But it was raining then, so this weekend I went back with a Bean first-timer - Beau!

We took plenty of cool artsy pics in it's glorious reflective surface.
So *pertty*

Then we went to what I like to call the "Spit Fountain" art piece.
It cools off the hot Chicago-ites on warm summer days.

Partnerz

2006-07-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

It is almost the end of my first week in Chicago - and so far so good.
Here is a pic of Beau and I. He is my partner for our internship at Hadrian's Wall.

That pic was taken on July 3rd after we went to the beach to see the fireworks. The city of Chicago does their 4th of July stuff on the night of the 3rd, while the neighborhoods of Chicago do their fireworks on the night of the 4th.

It was pretty cool to walk out on the street and see people out and fireworks going off in all directions. I also saw lightning bugs! We had to make it an early night though because the next day was Day One at work.

Tomorrow we will join the guys from the agency at the Wrigley Building to record stuff. Fun!

I Can See Clearly Now

2006-07-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a couple of the beautiful pictures that I took from the plane on my flight from San Diego to Chicago.

I am not sure where in the country this is, but I just woke up from a snooze and glanced out my window and saw this.

Amazing.

Beware of the Crazies

2006-07-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is the infamous "Fence" in my parent's front yard.

Yes, it is striped, and yes it is ugly, and yes the man who had it done suffers from Little Man Syndrome.

*the opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author only.

Last Stop - The Windy City

2006-07-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

That's right, on Monday I move to Chicago!! It is here that I will intern, take a class, and finish my book! My 8th and final qtr of MAS ad school. I'm excited, I think Chicago is going to be an awesome city. Plus I am ready to do some great work and build myself a great book, which will lead to a GREAT job! (*fingers crossed*)

I'll be living in Wicker Park area in a house with 6 other students. We will all have internships and a weekly class. Our house is pretty cool - I saw it when I visited Stef and Annie in Chicago in April. It is two stories and has 5 bedrooms. Hopefully I'll be able to snag a single room. Hoping that maybe seniority will be a factor ... but who knows. It'll probably be first come first serve.

The agency I will be interning at is Hadrian's Wall. My friend Stefenie was there last qtr and my partner in Prague (Eric) was there at the end of 2005. They both loved it and said the people there are the best, and everyone will be jealous of us for working there. Haha, can't wait!

Here's to 3 more months of living out of a suitcase! *clink*

A Minne Goodbye

2006-06-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

We had our "goodbye" party at Carmichael Lynch on a Thursday (since fridays were part of the so called summer hours and no one was at the office past like noon). They brought in Fritos and M&Ms, and a bowl of beer, water, and soda. Here are all of us former CL interns:

Jon, Anna, Me, Lauren, Jon, Nora

And here are The Jon's.

They gave us these really cool bags as a parting gift... and Lauren and Anna demonstrate.

Then Anna and I decided that these bags were so huge that we could stuff them full of all sorts of goodies. So we started by raiding the CL fridges that were on the walls displaying all the very cool CL work.

Ok, just kidding. We didn't really take anything. But we did step on a fallen Frito.
So that made for a perfect picture opportunity (in our minds at the time) to model our new shoes.

After the office party the 7th floor (ie the Creative floor) moved down the street to a bar called Mckenzies. Long Islands were bought and all in all it was good times. Here I am in front of the "Creative" sign.

After the bar we decided to go out to a place called Jet Set with the MAS peeps. (after we watched the Heat game of course ... GO HEAT!) This was Bryan's last night in Minne so we decided to go out with a bang. After he left it started the domino affect of everyone leaving one by one. *tear

Anna, Brad, Bryan, Lopez, Cannova

Anna, Bryan and Me

After Jet Set we decided to go to The Saloon. It's a gay bar on Hennepin (which is the main street in downtown Minneapolis). Things got a little crazy...

Let's just say that was the most tame picture of the night. Haha.

After I left Minneapolis I came back to San Diego only to pack up and head off towards Miami with my sister!! That posting coming soon. :)

I am now back in San Diego till July 3rd when I fly to my next and final location for school. I am off to Chicago, to intern at an agency called Hadrian's Wall. Can't wait!

Green Grass and Lakes

2006-06-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

When I flew back to Minneapolis on Memorial Day, I called up the peeps in student housing and was told that a BBQ at the lake was in the works. I patiently waited for the Light Rail to take me from the airport back into downtown.

The walk from the Light Rail station to the parking garage was oddly quiet. There was literally no one else on the street. Maybe one or two cars, but no one else. Very strange. All I could hear was the sound of my rolling suitcase wheels on the sidewalk. I deposited my luggage into my trunk and walked over to 303.

Inside I found Anna and Nora happily cooking away for the "sides" of the BBQ. There was fruit salad, cookies, and the most potato salad you have ever seen. Ok not EVER .. but there was a lot. Here is Anna showing us the proper way to mix it all together ... with your bare hands!

There was one little thing missing ... a grill. So Cannova went to the store and found one for $10 - called BBQ in a Box. Sounded about right for our needs. The burgers and dogs could now be cooked and enjoyed.

Now at the lake I copped a squat and gazed out over the grass out onto the water. Dayna was standing there looking very pensive and knowledgeable about the meaning of life ... so I decided to capture her in all her pensive glory.

This whole going to the lake thing is a little strange to me, since people from here treat it the same as I would treat going to the beach. They have on bathing suits and walk around strutting their stuff (and sometimes their "extra baggage") and playing "beach" volley ball. Yep, the only sand I saw was in the volley ball court. This I guess is what people do when a coast and an ocean are not available.

Time for some pics ... Anna and Dayna!
Wait, was this an attitdue shot or a nice smile shot?

Attitude it is! (sorry for the fuzziness... i don't know what came over me)

And of course I had to take a cool artsy pic.

We did bring something to join in on the BBQ at the lake fun ... a Frisbee!!
Notice how Cannova can not only play, but ALSO drink and smoke all at the same time. (*this blogger does not condone smoking)

So now I can say that I have seen one of the 10,000 lakes that Minne has to offer.
And it was quite nice.

Apple and Tonic

2006-06-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I, Jenn MarTONIC went to New York - the Big APPLE over Memorial Day Weekend. It was nice to get out of Minneapolis and away from work for a weekend ... and best of all I got to see Anne!! And Vahbiz!!

Ahh New York ... no city quite like it.

I got there on a friday evening and braved the subway with my suitcase into Brooklyn to meet up with Anne. We had a nice Tai food dinner then cruised some of the very chill bars in the area. We ended up meeting these guys who were in town from LA and played the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game. If anyone can tell me movies that Mary Stewart Masterson is in AND another star in said movie it would be greatly appreciated. :)

Saturday day we walked around and saw M:i:III in Times Square. Pretty good movie, despite the fact that Mr. Crazy stars in it. Then Sat night was a little MAS reunion. We first went to the Chelsea Pier to this bar called The Frying Pan. It was nice to be outside and be with friends *aww*.

Here is me and a drunk Josh (Anne and I were running on Anne & Jenn time which is about an hour later than everyone else, so by the time we got there Josh and Danny were pretty wasted. It was Danny's birthday weekend after all)

And here is Josh demonstrating his heightened sense of animation.

He also wanted to pose with everyone... so here are some pics of him and Anne. They work together in NY.
Can't you see the creative love!

And Vahbiz!!! It was so nice to see her again. Here she is hamming it up for the camera.

Aww, aren't we cute.

It's the BLH - together again!!

On Sunday Anne and I had a leisurely brunch out on a pier near downtown. It was such a beautiful day outside we decided to go out onto the pier and do some people watching. Blue skies!

It was also fleet week in NYC - meaning there were ships and tons of sailors all over the place. And if that's your thing, you would be pretty happy. Unfortunately for me ... it's not my cup of tea. Here is a pic of one of the older ships against the skyline of the city.

There was a balloon man making all sorts of things for the kids - and I saw these two cute little boys having a sword fight with their new balloon "weapons".

The Brooklyn Bridge!

We did some shopping and then had dinner at a great place called Lil Frankies. I recommend it if you are in the city. Italian food - mmm mmmm good.

Then on Monday it was time for me to fly back to Minne. Here is my last shot of the trip, in the JFK airport awaiting my Sun Country flight back...

Fancy Pantz

2006-05-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the thing I am most proud of making this week has got to be my little random "Fancy Pantz" logo.

It all started first quarter in Brainstorming (hi ronny) class when I was partnered with Beau and we had to come up with new fashion trends. We came up with some hott ideas - Miner's Hats anyone?? But our most catchy one was PANTZ. That's right, pants with a "Z".

These Pantz solved a very important problem. Do you ever feel embarrassed when you sit down and your pants rise up and show your socks to the world? Well with Pantz you needn't worry anymore! They have an extra piece of fabric (matching that of the original pants) that is normally hidden inside the pant leg and attached to the shoe. Then when you sit, the pulling action activates this extra lifesaver fabric to hide your socks. *Voila* no more embarrassment. And Pantz were born.

The MAS judges overlooked it (bastards), but the dream did not die. Pantz eventually gained extra "z"'s to make it Pantzzzz. People were just saying it because it was fun to say!

Then it was discovered that an old video game from the 80/90's called Maniac Mansion (made by LucasFilms) had a character in it named Sandy Pants. This got us thinking.

What do you call someone when they do something extraordinary and go above and beyond? A Fancy Pants of course! So we coined that phrase and changed the spelling to Fancy Pantz! Create a rocking visual to go along with it, and you have:

Look for it on a MySpace page near you.

*for special request of a Fancy Pantz logo leave a comment and evidence of your fancy pantz-ness.

Good Times in Chicago

2006-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is the slightly delayed follow up Chicago posting. Last time we went through the city, this time we hit up the bars. And not just any bar - a karaoke bar! Oh yeah.

We got up from our naps on Saturday evening and let the sexifying begin. Damn good results I would like to say! Here we are with our "We're so hott we gotta wear shades" pose.

And here are some nice group shots of the gang.

Me and Anna

Annie and Anna

Me, Annie and Dayna.

Me and Stef

Anna, me, Annie and Stef

Dayna, me, Stef, Anna

Time for the most delicious shot EVER! The B-52. Mmmm

Ok, now I am going to show you some bathroom pics because - well they're hilarious. There was this hand written sign (if you can call it a sign) placed in a plastic sheet then taped up by the toilet that said "Please flush gently". Now, I can't even imagine what had to have happened for them to put up this sign. Were girls taking out their anger on the poor toilet handle? So Anna and I decided to demonstrate the proper ways to Flush Gently.

After this it was about time for us to get our sing on. And by sing I mean drunken yelling into a microphone. Our songs of choice? Annie and Stef opted for the Cher classic "Turn Back Time". While the rest of us joined in with "Sweet Caroline". Some shots of the singing action:

Annie wants to give all the stars to me.

Oh yeah, we are SO into it.

Feel the music ladies!

Wow, my eyes are closed and my Miller Light is doubling as a microphone.

SWEET CAROLINE!! *bah *bah *bah Good times never felt so good (so good, so good, SO GOOD!)

Anna then decided it was time for her solo and took (well, stole depending on who you ask) the mic from Annie.

Dayna then felt the Whitney Houston vibe, and it took control of her soul. No mic needed!!

After our performances, we decided it was time to take MORE pictures!! (please note that the day totaled about 155 photos. I had to do some serious editing here.)

Me, Anna and Stef

Stef, Me and Geoff (from Hadrians Wall)

Me and Stef

Awww, hugs!

All in all the night was a GREAT time. I give it the Thumbs Up. :)

Roadtrip to Chicago

2006-05-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I made the 6+ hour drive to Chicago with Anna and Dayna. Thank god for iPods and car adapters, cause we couldn't listen to country the whole way there.

I did see a couple firsts on the road though. My first dead deer by the side of the road (so sad), and my first Cracker Barrel restaurant. They had rockingchairs on the "porch" of the restaurant. Very country.

I also got to drive through, and stop for a quick bite in, the state of Wisconsin. Not really much there. Got some weird postcards though. Apparently one of the cities we drove through is considered the Go Cart Capital. Huh.

We got to Chicago friday night and just hung out with Stefenie and Annie and had a nice girl talk session. How I miss those! We woke up on Saturday to a rainy day, but that wasn't going to stop us from going to Dayna's favorite place.... the Oprah Studio!!

Next we went to The Orb (or at least that's what we called it. But look at it, wouldn't you agree?)

Here I am in the rainy reflection of it.

And here we all are!

But don't worry, the rain didn't bother us too much because Dayna had the world's biggest umbrella to keep us dry with.

After that we picked out one of the tall super fancy buildings and decided that THIS was where Oprah had a flat.

Then we proceeded to take artsy 1950's style "LOOK!" photos as we gazed up and pointed at the building.

After this we got hungry and decided to go to Ed Debevicks for lunch/dinner. If you don't know about this place, they are infamous for their bad and rude service. When we walked in the door some dude put his hand in Stefenie's face, then did the high-five fake out to me. That made me mad so I hit him on his back as he walked away. hehe

They threw these paper hats at us and demanded that we put them on, so we did then decided to ask the nice people at the table next to us to capture the moment for us.

Some city shots (sorry they are a bit grey, it was rainy!!)

After that we went for a little shopping before the food coma took it's full affect and we went home for a nap before we went out for karaoke!!! I'll save those pics for the next posting, but here is a preview!

We're so hott we've gotta wear shades ;D

Eye Candy

2006-04-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

I was doing a little visual research at work (aka procrastinating) and found some cool things that I would now like to share with you. Won't you be my neighbor? That's right, it's sharing time kiddies. Get out your favorite blue button front sweater, and don't forget to take your shoes off please.

First up - www.eatpes.com

I know a lot of you have seen the "Roof Sex" video of chairs .. um personified.
But also check out his pictures.
This one is Frogger. I *heart* it.

Secondly - www.gamekillers.com

This is the Axe site that has hilarious little videos of classic "Gamekillers".
I love the Sensitivo guy.
"She'll never love you. I won't let her love you. You're dead to me."
"You don't know her. You don't know her like I do. And you don't love her. No you don't .... no you don't."
HILARIOUS

Thirdly: 4th and Hennepin

We have started our own show here in the MAS Minneapolis Student Flat:
4th and Hennepin
(think MTVs 8th and Ocean with some ghetto flare thrown in)
Bryan is the star so far, and here is a link to the latest episode: "That's My Shit"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BReRV_asqd0&search=ikelove98

Be sure to read the episode recap before viewing for complete experience.
Once there be sure to check out the first episode: Devlin on Devlin

Lastly: Blast from the South Park Past

One of my fav episodes of the show is the one where this character makes his apperance.

That's right - it is the "talking taco that poos ice cream"
This character *Cracked* me up when I saw it. I mean, it's just sooo random! And the ice cream "poops" are perfect scoops of ice cream, in alternating flavors. Love it.

Ok - that's all for now. Let me know what ya think.

Minne Style

2006-04-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is how we do it.. (this is how we dooo iiit)

This is gonna be a fun little posting of par-tAy pics from the first 2 weekends in Minneapolis.

Weekend #1: The Meet and Greet at the MAS Minneapolis school flat.

Adam, Lopez, and me. Miami represent!

Me and Becca

Dayna, Bryan, and Stephyne (ok, I just added a y in Stephanie becasue it seemed to be the trend)

Group time! Get Sassy!

Aww, mini group. For some reason we felt the need to squat down.

Jon and Lopez - BFF!

Smoozing it up, aren't we hott?

Jon's sleepy...

...because he was busy drawing naughty pictures on the house!

Bryan in his serious "opening a wine bottle with a yamaka" picture.

Weekend #2 - Easter weekend. We had to work at the Lynch all day Sat. So when Sat night came around.. Anna, Lopez, and myself went out on the town.

Anna and Lopez

Cool artsy shot (thanks Anna!)

Anna and I on the moped that you could win. I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to be on it.

Classic

Say What?!

Mike wanted a ride too...

but he gets forcefully removed!

No worries though - we made friends with the Police.

And there ya have it - the re-cap of the first two weekends.
This past weekend was more of a video capture .. stay tuned for that!

It's Gettin' Hot in Here

2006-04-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hot in .... so Hot in Here!!

That's right - Minneapolis is HOT in April! Well, today at least. It was 82 today. Hot and humid. And what did I pack?? Sweaters and socks. Looks like somebody needs to take another little trip to the Mall of all Malls and get some new footwear. And a pedicure.

Up next: tan.

I seriously lost all color when I was in Europe over the winter. That's what those things called seasons will do to you I guess. Living in San Diego and Miami they were new to me. As well as their affects on the body. haha.

But I did get this new lotion - Jergens "Natural Glow". Supposed to gradually make you darker. We'll see.

Land of Skyscrapers

2006-04-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Downtown Minneapolis, where I am pretty much everyday because I work and have classes there. And all of my friends live there. I will say that it is a little scary walking down the street, and I never go alone at night (god forbid). Has anyone seen the news here in the past two weeks I have lived here? Shootings. Yep, seriously.

But don't be scared, I wasn't near them. I do get constantly asked for money from the MILLIONS of people on the street (nice way of saying bums). And I even got dice thrown at me - not thrown as in they wanted to hit me with them, but more like rolled at me. As I was walking. Down the sidewalk. With Anna. The guy then yelled after us ... "What'd I get?" I looked down and saw that one was on the crack so I said, "Nothing, it's on the crack".

Big mistake. They proceeded to yell after me to come back and play with them because apparently by my saying that they came to the conclusion that I know how to play. Humm.

So I haven't had time to dork it up yet (that or I am still trying to find the courage to wander outside with my big camera) and take photos of the area. So here is one I took while doing a class assignment with my mini Nikon. Oooo, tall buildings.

The peeps in the MAS school flat smhoozing it up.

Gotta go back to work now. Anyone have any insights (positive only please) about MySpace?

Blog ya later...

H2O

2006-04-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

It rains a lot in Minneapolis. And by a lot I don't mean frequently... I mean quantity. Driving home from work today was insane. I've never really had to slow down that much on the freeway because it was FLOODED. But it did give Anna and I a chance to wonder the miraculous Minneapolis Skyway. For those of you who don't know, the Skyway is pretty much a giant food court that connects the entire downtown Minneapolis by little walkways (looks a little like a hamster cage). Pretty much any food you could ever want you will find. And you never have to go outside!

We entered the Skyway from work, then went to the YMCA to get a tour (I think I am joining that gym), then to the parking garage. All without going outside!! So that means... not getting wet! Whoo hoo!

I think we will all start to grow hair and run in wheels..

It's so hard..

2006-04-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

..to say goodbye. That's right - I had to say goodbye once again to the Pacific Ocean and the wonderful Pacific Beach. I was ok with it till I got a picture from my friend. We went there for lunch when I was in San Diego and hung out, inhaling the ocean fumes and feeling the warmth of the sunshine on our faces. Damn it Jen, now I wanna be back there!

On another note - it's been raining all day here in Minneapolis. I drove downtown to check out the school and CL (so I won't get lost tomorrow) and I almost hydroplaned across the freeway. Now I know what you are all gonna say, "People from California all freak out when it rains and don't know how to drive," ... well damn all of you!!

Also, what's up with the stop lights in downtown Minneapolis being on the SIDE of the street? Who looks there while driving, seriously? (except for a lost Californian looking to name every street)

Mmmm, Greece.

2006-04-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

The time has come to make my final posting with some last pictures from Greece. These are a little bit more random - so I am just gonna post them without any big stories or anything. I know, I know .. you are so disappointed. HA!

And here they are (in no particular order):

The Greek people are very proud - and there are Greek flags just about on every house and building. Here is the "mother" flag at the Acropolis.

A Greek street - notice the flags.

And apparently "Art is Dead". I guess all us Art Directors better find another line of work!

Another Greek Street..

What I called - "The Arch". Served to be a life saver to me.. cause when I saw it I then knew how to get back to my hostel.

So that's about it - I have loads more on my computer... and I would be happy to share :)

Now I am in Minneapolis, MN. Time for the next leg of my year of traveling. I got here on Friday night - and my new roommates took me out to a sports bar. We all shared this appetizer - a 6 cheese dip. Oh yes, SIX CHEESES. Delish. It's raining today, but that's cool cause it's not like I would really know where to go anyway. Haha. My friend Anna arrives tonight, so maybe we'll go out to dinner or something. I start work and school tomorrow... time to get crackin'!

The Gods Must Be Crazy: 2

2006-03-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

Now it is time for Part 2 of the Athens, Greece posting. The Athenian Agora!! (the site of the original bumping and happening part of town for the ancient Athenians).

First up - the dogs. I thought Greece was known for having a lot of cats running all over the place (which they do), but I wasn't prepared for the plethora of dogs all over the place! They are smart too. I had one follow me across the street. He waited till I started crossing then he knew it was safe (aka he wouldn't get hit by a car) and followed me. It was kinda funny. But anyway, they sleep all over the place. How many can you spot in this photo?

The most important street in ancient Athens was most probably the Panathenaic Way. It was the route the citizens took in the celebration up to the Acropolis to honor Athena every 4 years.

Statue of a bull - one of the gravestone markers.

Statue outside what they think was a gymnasium. The first motivational poster!! (j/k)

This is the Temple of Hephaistos.
Once known as the Theseum (temple of Theseus) - now generally agreed to be the Hephaisteion (temple of Hephaistos), where Hephaistos, god of the forge and Athena, goddess of arts and crafts were worshipped together. It was built between 460 and 420 BC (delays because of building programme on the Acropolis, and the Peloponnesian War) of Pentelic marble, and is the best-preserved Greek temple. The sculptural decoration showed labours of Heracles, labours of Theseus, and battle of Lapiths and Centaurs, and inside were statues of Athena and Hephaistos.

Theseus, as you may or may not know, was the one to defeat the Minotaur. He was supposed to change the flag on his ship from black to white on his return home if he was successful. He forgot, and his father Aegeus saw the ship returning with the black flag flown. He got so upset, thinking his son was dead, and threw himself into the sea. That is why it is known as The Aegean Sea today.

See, I really was there!! Although it looks a little more like Miami Beach than Greece with the palm trees! haha
This was taken in the Kerameikos.

And you can't leave before paying your respects to the dead.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

2006-03-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Much overdue, I am now doing Part One of my Athens, Greece post. I am pretty interested in Greek myth and architecture, so there will be some fun and interesting facts to go along with the pictures :) Enjoy!

First off, my view from the plane. It was raining when I landed, so my first glance downward was that of... Clouds!

Ah, beautiful... the color of the water is breathtaking!

So I land and get my luggage and make my way to the Metro. My hostel is right near the Acropolis, so I ride the Metro to the Acropolis stop. When I surface, it is raining and I have to maneuver my rolling luggage on the "sidewalk" dodging holes and trees and oranges. Yes, oranges. The streets are lined with orange trees, and there are fallen fruits all over the place. Some cars are even dented by them! I find my way to the hostel and finally get all checked in. I then find out that everyone is going to a near by bar to hang out. It being a Saturday night, I join them. I met some girls that were on spring break from SDSU (small world) and a guy from Canada. (whom I release my charm on and he bought me all my drinks for the evening, hehe)

The next day, a Sunday, and all the attractions and museums in Athens are FREE!! Being the student that I am, I can't wait to take advantage of this great deal. But there are just a few problems. 1) It's raining out. 2) I left my umbrella in the office in Prague. So I put on my jacket with a hood and figure that it can't be raining THAT badly and that I'll be ok. WRONG! I get to the top of the Acropolis and I am soaked to the bone. Seriously. And it's raining so I can't get any good pictures because I have water spots on my camera lens. NO! So I go back to the hostel and peel off my clothes and lay them on the heater to dry. I guess I'll have to try again in the morning.

The next morning is beautiful - and I am off to the Acropolis again!

I had to pay this time, but whatever. Twelve euros for 5 archaeological sites. Not too bad. Plus, now I have a cool looking receipt that I can cherish forever.

The Acropolis!! (acropolis means upper city)

The entrance to the Acropolis, the Propylaea. Built in 432 BC. (And all the other people that got soaked the day before):

This structure is the Erecthion. It marks the spot where Poseidon and Athena had their contest over who would be the Patron of the city of Attica. Each god would offer something to the city, and then the citizens would choose which god gave the better gift. Poseidon thrust his trident into the rock and a spring burst fourth. Athena touched the ground with a spear and an olive tree grew. The citizens chose Athena - where does the best olive oil come from??

These figures are called "caryatids" - maidens that are holding up the structure.

The Parthenon!
Built in the 5th century BC - the Parthenon is probably the most recognizable structure in the world next to the golden arches of McDonalds. (darn you Ronald!) It was built to give thanks to and honor Athena - the Patron Goddess of the city.

This is the Theater of Herod Atticus. It was built by the Romans in 161 AD, and it is still used today.

And this is the ancient Theater of Dionysus. The first stone theater and home to Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes.

The city of Athens - view from the Acropolis...

So ends part One - stay tuned for the Ancient Agora!!

Everyone Loves..

2006-03-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Puppies!!! Yes, it's true. You can't help but to raise your voice 10 octaves and talk in "baby talk" when you see a cute little puppy. So this post is dedicated to my sister's new bundle of joy. She (along with her 2 new roommates) just got a puppy this past Monday. So needless to say I have been over there visiting and getting in as much puppy time as I can before I move to Minneapolis. (sorry Dixie, you're cute too!!)

But there is just one little problem, they don't have a name for her yet!! Maybe after you look at these adorable pictures you will think of the perfect name for her. Let us know!! Just a little guideline for you though, I don't think they want to name her a "people name".

Enjoy, and get your high pitched voices ready to say "Awwww" :)

Back in Cali

2006-03-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm Back!!! That's right, I am now back in San Diego. I will be here for a couple weeks - then I move to Minneapolis in April for my next internship and "agency experience" for school.

I am looking forward to just relaxing for a bit and not having to lug my luggage around for a couple weeks! I arrived late Thursday night and my sister picked me up from the airport. I stayed with her that night and the next day (St. Patty's Day) we surprised my parents. They didn't know I was back home yet.

First up was my dad. My sister went home and took the dog for a walk, then I came back with her. We wanted to fake steal his truck, but he was outside so that wasn't going to work. Also, we may have given him a heart attack, and that wouldn't have been good.

Then it was time to surprise my mom. I hid under the covers on her bed so when she came home from work she would see my sister's car in the driveway and think I was her. Then when she said "Christy, what are you doing?", my sister would say "What?" and walk out of her bathroom. At which point my mom would be confused, and I would throw the covers off and yell "Happy Birthday mom!!". She was so shocked! It was great. She couldn't believe that we pulled it off. We can keep a good secret :)

So we went out to The Red Lobster (mom's favorite place) for dinner. I got the coconut shrimp, yummy. Then we came home and had a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. My sister and I got her a massage for her birthday. She got one on her cruise and loved it, so we thought she deserved another one.

Now I am trying to get my bearing back on what day/time it is. I gained a day flying back here from Europe. For me right now it is about 6:30pm, and in Cali the actual time is 10:30am. Hopefully in the next couple days I'll be back to the norm.

Here are some pictures from the weekend in the Czech Mountains. I tried the giant inner-tube, the snow mobile, and even made my very own snow angel!!

Last Week in Praha

2006-03-07T02:31:00.000-08:00

It is here - my last week in Praha. I am trying to get all my ads executed and hopefully in to the school on time to be entered into the competition (darn One Show, you haunt us all!).

There is still snow on the ground, and I am looking forward to the almost 60 degree weather of Greece in a few days. Never thought I would say that 60 was warm!

My next location will be Minneapolis, MN. I will be "interning" at Carmichael Lynch there and taking two classes at the Miami Ad School location there. After that (if all goes as planned) I will be in San Fran to finish my book and *gulp* get a job!

It's hard to believe that I have been in Europe since October of last year. It has all gone by so fast!

I will try and post some pictures of this past weekend (we went to the Czech mountains with the agency and had good times. I even made my first snow angel and rode down the snowy hills on a giant inner tube!)

That's the update for now, more to come soon.

Hi Mom - I'll see you soon!

Why "French Kiss"?

2006-03-02T01:53:00.000-08:00

I found this online and thought it was funny.
Do people actually think their "souls intertwine"??

What's the origin of the term "French kiss"?

A French kiss may feel like a sexy maneuver (especially to hormonal teens), but it's not very romantic to watch. Ever witness a couple playing tonsil hockey in public? Unless someone's going off to war the next morning, there's really no excuse.

So how did this slobbery smooch get its name? As far as we can tell, it stems from the stereotype that the French are a morally casual people. Wordorigins.org, which specializes in these sorts of questions, says the term dates from at least the 1920s but doesn't know exactly who coined the phrase. The site goes on to draw parallels to other adult-only phrases like "pardon my French" and "French postcards." Ooh la la!

IdiomSite.com says a lot of the same things (i.e., the phrase comes from uptight prudes who believed the French were promiscuous). Several sites and dictionaries mention "soul kiss" as a synonym. Apparently the act of sticking your tongue into the mouth of another person is so intense, your souls intertwine. Hmm, we must be doing it wrong.

11 days and Counting

2006-02-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

That's right. I am done with my internship in Prague on March 10th, then it's off to Athens, Greece on March 11th. How I long for the 60-70 degree weather my widget tells me they are having there. Maybe I can even NOT wear three layers for once! Joy!

But really, I have loved Prague. Ever since I started at the Miami Ad School in Fall of 2004, I knew I wanted to make it to Prague at some point. The city is beautiful, and they serve fried cheese on the street corners. The beer is seriously cheaper than the water, and it's delicious at that.

The people are hot and cold. We went into a souvenir shop in the touristy part of town and the sales people would NOT smile at us. It creates a rather uncomfortable environment. Especially when you smile at them and are returned with a Stone Cold Stare. If you're ready for some friendly interaction around here give he a HELL YEAH!! (ok sorry, wrestling reference there).

I was able to try some different foods and actually didn't hate all of them. They are really big on meat and gravy here, which is not all bad. Unless you are craving some salad. It took me till end of week seven to finally find some lettuce for sale in a grocery store. Speaking of grocery stores, they have a funny little system here. You bag the fruit and veggies you want, then you have to go to a scale and punch in a number and get a ticket printed out to stick on the bag. Kinda fun actually. When Anne and Anna came to visit me they each got to do it. :)

We made some friends along the way. Lucy the Czech girl I met on New Years. Beast - the nice German guy we met from MySpace (actual name Sevan), Karoline the nice Canadian/Czech girl studying medicine with the low down on student friendly (read - cheap) places to go, and Danielle and her boyfriend Cliff - fellow expats from Cali who moved here for his job.

Now I am into the *crunch of all *crunch times. So excuse me if I don't have another post before I leave for Greece. But you can bet your buns that I will have pictures to show you from that. Oh, I almost forgot. We are supposed to be going to the Czech mountains this weekend as a part of an agency weekend. Should involve karaoke, giant balls, and snow. I'll keep you posted.

bet your buns
cheers

My Blue Heaven

2006-02-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

This past weekend here in Praha the sun actually came out and I was able to see BLUE SKIES!! That's right folks, blue skies are here again! At least for the weekend anyways. (they have since disappeared and now I am told it is gonna snow today). So I went out like the photo happy gal that I am and snapped some pictures of Prague in the sunlight.

The sun brought out all the tourists too! I must have taken a dozen pictures for people. I guess they see my huge Nikon around my neck and assume I am safe to trust with their cameras. This is on Charles Bridge.

The Old Town Bridge Tower at one end of the Charles Bridge.

Some cool statues on and around the Charles Bridge.

This pic is for Stef - a VERY cute old man and his one-man-band-stand. Complete with Curious George monkey (for Anne).

A cute little town fair type thingy right at the other end of Charles Bridge.

They had a bunch of little booths set up where they were selling everything from hand made iron figures to stuffed sheep (stuffed animals that is, not actual sheep - that would be gross), to baked goods...

And candy!!

Some views of the Vltava River

Then I went to the Lennon Wall. During the 1980's this became a place of pilgrimage for the city's hippies, who dedicated it to their idol and scrawled messages of love, peace, and rock 'n' roll across it. The secret police painted over the graffiti only to have John's smiling face reappear a few days later. This continued till 1989 when the wall was returned to the Knights of Malta who were about to whitewash the graffiti when an unlikely Beatles fan (the French Ambassador) came to the rescue.

Now off to Wenceslas Square!

The National Museum

A nice contrast of colors - the yellow building with the blue sky!!

So there you have it, Praha in the sunlight. It's back in the gloom for us now but I can only hope that the sun will come out... tomorrow.

Playtime in Prague

2006-02-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

The weekend of February 3-6 Anne and Anna came to visit me here in Prague from Amsterdam. It did snow on Saturday when they were here, but that didn't stop us from going out on the town and taking PLENTY of pictures. Here are just some of the highlights of Pretty Prague.

Here is a puppet from one of the many marionette booths at an outdoor market.

I love lamp.

Cool night shot of one of the streets leading into Old Town Square.

Towers you can see from Old Town Square.

Interesting graffiti art.

This building was awesome. It's whole front was painted with cool designs.

The Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square. Every hour it goes off and the skeleton rings his bell and little faces appear on the top and rotate around. Kind of like an eerie "It's a Small World".

Sunday we went to Prague Castle. It's a long walk up a steep road, and even harder after only 5 hours of sleep and a walkway covered in ice.

Inside the castle walls. This is the main church.

Other building inside the castle walls.

Church again.

This is the "Golden Lane" inside Prague Castle. It is a cute little row of houses that are now shops. Franz Kafka lived in one of the houses here.

Look how small the doors are! (or are we just incredibly tall?)

There is also a toy museum inside the castle walls, and this time they had a special Barbie show going on.

But once you walk up the stairs and get to the museum they tell you it costs 60 Kc, and we didn't feel like paying that so I just took a couple shots in the stairwell of the 'teaser' toys and we were on our way.

After a much needed warm up session in a cafe (mmmmm soup) it was night and we got some pretty nice shots of the castle grounds.

The big open square inside Prague Castle. That's Anna standing there..

The castle is up on a hill so you get great views of the city.

Then we walked over to Charles Bridge.

Shadows are cool!

Some cool posters up around Prague.

Ok, we saw this car on Friday night when we were looking for the M1 Secret Lounge (it's not so secret, we found it). Someone must have gotten mad at this Mercedes driver for some reason, so they wrote in the snow and drew, well, just have a look...

And I will end with a couple pictures from our night at the Biggest Club in Europe. Five floors of fun!

Coming soon - my weekend getaway to Amsterdam!! :)

Throw me a Bone.

2006-02-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to a church about 70 miles outside the city of Prague. It is called Kutna Hora, or as I like to call it The Bone Church. Why call it that you ask? I will show you... all in good time my dears, all in good time. First we had to wake up ass early on a Saturday, which I was not a fan of. Eric met some people on expats that were from CA but are now living in Prague (hey, that's just like us!). They said they had a car and were going to this church and asked if we would like to come along. Sure, a 70 mile car ride with people we never met in a country where we don't speak the language to go visit a place called The Bone Church - FAB idea! We're in.

The car ride was long, and being as it was early I fell asleep for most of it. But that's ok because this is pretty much all there was to see, give or take a few mini forests.

We then pull into the small town where the church is located, and it looks normal enough.

We spot the church. Your pretty average looking gothic church. From the outside anyway.

With your normal looking graveyard surrounding it.

With a pretty low key looking front door.

So we enter and pay our $1.25 entry fee and turn to walk down into the church, when we are greeted with this view

Where the fuck am I? Is there an Indiana Jones IV in the making that I don't know about?? Seriously creepy. These are REAL HUMAN BONES here people.

Even the lighting fixtures are bones! Check out the main chandelier,

And this candelabra

Even this Coat of Arms is made of bones.

Detail of the C of A - a bird pecking out the dude's eye? All made from human bones none the less.

Close up pics of the decoration:

They had four of these Mass Graves, one in each corner of the church. Damn - that's a lot of bones...

I feel that a little piece of myself was taken from... myself - see what I mean?

So there you have it. That's what a plague that kills way too many people will make people do, decorate the insides of churches with their remains.

Teaser

2006-02-01T00:45:00.000-08:00

This is the latest teaser ad over here in the Czech Republic. And it is EVERYWHERE! No explanation. Just this.

So being the curious ad students that we are - we asked our teacher Jaime what the heck it was. Turns out his agency was the one doing it! I don't know if I am really supposed to tell what it's for.....

I Wonder...

2006-01-30T03:59:00.000-08:00

What would I look like with feathered hair? Better yet, what would my senior picture in my yearbook look like if I had feathered hair?

In Annie's words - Hot.

*Special thanks to Shelley and before her the Amsterdam crew for turning us all on to the world of bad hair and photoshop.

Carneval '06

2006-01-25T03:55:00.000-08:00

This past weekend there was a strange event going on in Prague. It involved bands from around the world coming here and dressing up strangely and painting their faces. Then they would randomly play music around the Old Town Square. On Saturday there was even a stage in Old Town Square. And when I say bands I don't mean garage bands or rock bands or even boy bands. I mean marching-type bands, but without the marching.

On Thursday night my partner and I met a Canadian who is now living in Prague studying medicine. She took us around to a couple bars and we ended up at a chill Buck 15 type place called something like "Popo Cafe Pato". When in comes a group of people with white face paint, black lips, and black tears. They are from Switzerland and members of the band group called Gloggereschranzer Buttisholz.

We got conversation going (sort of) and our new Canadian friend even put on some black lipstick to be part of the group.

The next morning we wake up for work, a tad hungover, and my partner finds stickers on his shirt. I find a wooden spoon on a string with the Carneval name on it. (see pictures below, one guy is wearing two of them in a shot) Not sure what a spoon had to do with the whole thing, or why it was on a string, or why there are bite marks on it...

All in all it was an interesting weekend in Prague - finding music and weird costumes wherever you went. Here are some pics of the people we met.

Are you ready for this?

2006-01-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time coming, but at long last it is here. What am I talking about? The pictures of my flat here in Prague of course!! Prepare to be green with envy...
Here is our front door, which after we open we have to *click* on the lights and prey they stay on for our walk up to the 4th floor (see stairwell below)

When you finally reach the top and open our front door, you see the hallway. Nice 70's style lighting don't you think? Then immediately to your right you have the kitchen.

All of our cupboards and closets in the flat don't have what you would call "handles". Instead we have these keys. You have to lock and unlock them every time you want to open and close anything. Or you could fuck with your roommate and lock everything and take out all the keys so they can't open anything. Then watch them sit there and cry because they just want to cook some food. (just kidding, I would never do this)

This is what I like to call our "adolescent fridge". It's bigger than a mini fridge, and not yet a full size fridge. (Britney reference anyone?) Also note our trash can next to it... only one in the flat.

And here is our stove/oven. It's gas, AND we have to light it each time we want to use it. This took some getting used to as far as the oven goes. You have to turn the gas on, stick your hand in there with the lighter, light the gas, then you have to sit there and HOLD the gas on while you count to 30. If you don't do this the gas will not stay on and you will not be able to cook anything. Apparently it is some sort of old-school child lock. I guess kids back in the day also suffered from ADD.

Ever wonder what happened to the Great Greek hero Herkules? We eat him here in Prague.

This is our wonderful it-takes-3-hours-to-do-one-load-and-the-clothes-still-come-out-wet washing machine. We have to plug it in and turn on the water every time before we use it.

Alright, this is just ridiculous. The world's smallest ironing board. Check out the water bottle and my cell for a size reference. Geez, as if ironing wasn't painful enough before... now it takes 3 times as long!

This would be a picture of our ONLY "sharp" knife. All the rest are butter knives. Note the wood handle that is splintering at the top. And also see what happens if you put too much pressure on it... uh oh! Did you really need that finger?

And next we come to the bathroom, or really the shower and sink room.

I don't know if you can tell from here, but the shower is an insanely high distance from the floor. My first shower I almost fell and killed myself as I was getting out. Take these facts into account: 1) I didn't have my contacts in so my depth perception was already bad 2) It was slippery!! 3) No where before have I had to step THAT far to get out of a shower so I wasn't prepared for the mini free-fall I was about to experience.

Ahh, the icon on our toilet room. Just in case you forgot what to do in there...

And here is the toilet room. Literally what they call here a "Water closet".

And how do we flush?? By pulling the cord or course!

Then we are in hall #2 which leads to the door to my room.

This is my door. Anything seem a little strange to anyone? It's glass! Both room doors and the kitchen door are like this. Not really sure why.. I mean a room has a door to give you privacy right?

My room! Pink anyone? (another room lit by a chandelier)

And I will leave you with the nice serene mural that covers one side of my room. I get to fall asleep looking at it everynight. Does it remind anyone else of being in a bank?

A Snow Day

2006-01-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

We decided to walk to work yesterday seeing as it had snowed the night before and everything was covered in a nice white blanket of purity. As I noticed walking home two nights ago, as it was snowing, snow sparkles in the light. This lead me to call snow Nature's *bling *bling - or the original *bling. I mean, think about it. What do people call a bunch of *bling? Ice! They even go so far as to write a song about it calling themselves "So Icey". Don't believe me? Just ask and I'll drop you the mp3.

So on our walk to the agency we dorked it out and I brought out the D70. Here are some pictures of Prague covered in Nature's *bling *bling:

In our hood on the way to the Metro.

Snow perfectly piled on the bushes, so pretty.

Jenn: Look at those steps.
Eric: Yeah, I kinda want to climb them.
Jenn: Ok, lets do it.
Eric: Ok

Roof of a building in a park on the way to work.

Yes, this is the Czechy Yacht Club - for all you yuppies out there wondering.

Walls of the old fortress at Vysehrad

We're going in the tunnel!!

Ahhh yes, the beer truck stocking the local bar at nine in the morning.

Do you think they have heard of Coca-Cola here?

View of the city (from the top of those steps you saw earlier)

Lamp at night in the snow

My mark

Coming soon - our flat!

Bird on a Wire

2006-01-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

This is the game that we "Amici" (Americans) play in our little area instead of joining the intensely serious games of fooseball. It was invented by former MAS interns here at MARK/BBDO. What do you need to play? Only these:

1. A Sharpie (with the pen clip bent out)
2. A wire (what is hanging above our work station holding up the cute little bamboo separators)
3. 2 chairs - preferably on wheels.

Object of the game:
Throw the Bird (Sharpie) onto the Wire.

Result:
Hours of mindless fun, which ends in a shout of victory.

We have only played once so far, but man - it was fun.

Score so far:
Jenn - 1
Eric -0

Help

2006-01-15T03:53:00.000-08:00

I was at work researching for pictures to show for a campaign we are doing, and I found this:

Does this picture make anyone else feel sad? This poor old man - he seems confused and totally lost. Trapped in a corner with four red doors.

Anyways - it was so sad/funny that I had to print it out and now it is up on my wall at work so I can look at it everyday when I need, umm, inspiration or something. Don't be like the old man - just pick your door and go through it! Or pick up one of the nearby rocks and throw it at one of the doors. Whatever.

It's Friday the 13th!!

2006-01-13T01:09:00.000-08:00

It is that fateful day - Friday the 13th. What does that mean though, really? Did you know that there is actually a term for being afraid of today? Yep, there is - Paraskevidekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th.

(in)Famous Number 13's:
Apollo 13
A coven consists of 13 witches
Some believe that if 13 people sit down to dinner together all will die within a year
Fridays were the traditional days for hangings and there were 13 steps leading up to the noose
Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday
Buildings avoid having a 13th floor

Myself - I have had a black cat crossing my path as I was going into a cemetery this morning...
But as Groucho Marx says "A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere."

The Pretty Pictures from Prague Post

2006-01-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

I decided to go with alliteration for the title of this post, for what reason I am unsure. It sounded fun :)

Views from our flat

So much snow!

View from my room

Havelska Market

Humm, do you think they serve beer here?

Pretty fountain

One of the many clock towers around Prague.

Nove Mesto

A really old Church

The National Museum at the end of Wenceslas Square

Mixture of old statues with neon Chinese restaurant signs.

This was me all bundled up for New Years

That is just the beginning, more pretty pictures from Prague to come...

SouthPark version of me

2006-01-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

Here I am in Prague enjoying a nice Czech beer. Mmmm

Wanna do one? Go here:

SP Studio

Then let me know so I can check it out!!

The Cows Have Come Home

2006-01-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Or at least they have come to Florence. Yes, Cows everywhere. There was some art festival going on that consisted of getting one of the 3 versions of a cow and decorating it to your heart's content. Here are some of the more memorable and just plain weird ones for your viewing pleasure.

The actual titles are in Italian, and in the parenthesis I have included what I like to call them :) Click on the pic to see better detail in a new window.

Mucca in Citta (Cow in the City)

Eccentrice (Blacklight Art Cow)

I call this the Butcher Cow - couldn't find the actual name of it but I think I am pretty close.

Galattofonte (Boob Cow - the face. Love the lactating action)

Boob Cow, the body.

In Love (Hand & Butthole Cow)
Apparently this one needed protection from the Italians ... not sure why exactly.

Moo Jeans (They hit the spot with this name)

Caro Mucca (Road Sign Cow)

Again, no name for this one since it was blown off of it's stand by the freezing arctic winds.
I call it Muscle Cow.

Muzzz....le (Puzzle Cow)

Newgenetic Cow (Twin Fetus Cow)

No name for this, but come on...
Cheese Cow!!

At this point I was freezing so I snapped a picture of all three of these and didn't get their official names. But I call them Day of the Dead Cow, Radioactive Cow, and Landscape Cow.

The End

So as you can see, the cows have clearly come home. Weather we wanted them to or not.

Ahh Florence

2006-01-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

After Rome I was off to Florence. With a little bit more travel time than I had hoped. I think this break has been the traveling of complications. It was supposed to be a quick train ride to the Rome airport, then a nice fast 55 min flight into Florence. At first all seems to be going well. I get to the airport and check my bag and proceed to the gate. We get delayed one hour - no biggie I thought. We get on our plane and are off on the flight to Florence. The captain comes on and says we are about to begin our decent. The plane starts to go down ... then it levels off ... then it starts to go UP! Wait, wrong direction! I'm no pilot but I am pretty sure decent means down.

He comes on the radio again and says that the Florence airport is too foggy and that he can't land. So he is going to go to the nearby Pisa airport and try to land there. Ok, so I'll just catch a train back to Florence I thought. Well when we get above the Pisa airport he comes on the radio again and says that we can't land here either because the airport is too full - there is no room for us. Everyone else who was supposed to fly into Florence also went to Pisa, and now we are just SOL. So what do we do?? Fly back to Rome, yes, back to the "point A" of this whole thing.

We get to Rome and have to all go and get our bags (after waiting forever for them to come out on the baggage thingy) then we have to go to the ticket counter and all get our tickets refunded. After that long ordeal of waiting around and starving I finally break free to get a bag of chips. Then they load us all onto a bus bound for Florence. It is a 3+ hour bus ride, which started off with a little kid throwing up in the back of the bus. Just lovely.

I get to my hotel and get my room key and am expecting the little single room with a twin bed that I booked online. But to my surprise I get a suite! A California King bed, a chandelier over the bed, a huge bathroom (esp by European standards) and each in a separate room with a little hallway in between. Very nice. Needless to say I was exhausted and just crashed there for the night. But the next day I went out into the city and saw..... these!!

Fiume River

Bridge over Fiume River

Statues at end of bridge

Fiume River with Ponte Vecchio bridge in background

Ponte Vecchio

Scooters!

Palazzo Vecchio

Church towers from top floor of Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi Gallery with Palazzo Vecchio at end

The David (well a copy of where the real one once stood. I did see the real one and it was amazing ... but they didn't allow cameras. And I couldn't sneak a pic with my huge D-70)

Close-up shot of horses in a fountain sculpture in front of Palazzo Vecchio

Street in Florence

Duomo

View from the top - I had to climb 400+ stairs for this one! No elevators.

Ahh, the view.

S. Maria Novella church

Snow over the city! It started snowing when I was out seeing the sights. This view is from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Snow and a Mini behind an even minier car along a street next to the Arno River.

View of Florence - Bella.

These are pictures of my fabulous hotel room.

And as you may know of my troubles leaving Florence from a previous blog entry... here is a pic of the snow in Florence out of the train window to Rome.

Coming up next is a real specialty. There was an art exhibit going on throughout the city of Florence when I was there and I captured some of the most interesting pieces on film. What is it you ask? Well stay tuned to find out... I will just say it involves an animal. hehehe

When in Rome

2006-01-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

As you may know, I went to Rome over this past break for five glorious nights. I stayed in a very cool hostel - Yellow Hostel. I recommend it to anyone traveling to Rome. Each room has a theme and is accented accordingly with funky air-brush style graphics. My room was The A-Team, complete with Mr.T faces all around. I pity the fool!

And yes, it was here in this glorious city that I spent my Christmas. Here are some of the Christmas trees that were up around the city.

On Christmas the hostel held a little party - complete with a California King Sized (that's bigger than a regular king ya know - us California peeps have to one up everyone) game of Twister. That's right, everyone's favorite party game. I didn't actually partake in the games, but I was a caller at one point. But then again, everyone was really a caller, all you had to do was shout out a body part and a color.

Ok, now on to the good stuff - the pictures of Rome! Seeing as I took WAY too many pictures to post on here, I have painfully narrowed them down to the best (or at least the ones I think are the best). Enjoy!

The Colosseum

View of the Roman Forum (ruins) from the Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Wall of the Colosseum against the sky (what a beautiful day huh!)

The Roman Forum

A column

Detail of a flower that was once part of a column

Statue in the Roman sunset

The Pantheon

Not sure of the exact name of this bridge, but I call it the Bridge of Angels. If you have read Dan Brown's book "Angels and Demons" it is the bridge leading up to the Illuminati secret meeting place.

The Vatican and St.Peter

Square in front of St.Peter and fountain

City of Rome in the sunset

View down on the St.Peter's Square

The top of St.Peter's (I climbed the stairs to the top, all 350+ of 'em)

Fountain at night

Part of Rome near the Spanish Steps. Nice palm tree, kind of reminds me of home :)

That's it for the pics, if you want to see more then hit me up in March when I return to San Diego. I also have many stories - including being hit on by waiters, getting free wine from waiters, being stared at while I ate my whole meal by waiters, umm did I mention the waiters??

Still to come, my pictures from Florence...

Finally Arrived!

2006-01-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

Well I finally made it! I am now here at the agency getting my bearings straight and trying to remember the locations and names of everyone that I just met. Knowing me it'll take me a little longer to commit them all to memory. We got our first two briefs and are ready to start on cranking out some ads!

New Years in Prague was fun. They really like their beer here, and their fireworks. I went to a pub with some people from the agency. Then we walked up to the top of a snowy hill (which was harder than it sounds being as though I didn't have any snow shoes yet and that uphill climb on slippery snow is actually pretty hard) to watch the fireworks from everywhere. Everyone had their own stash and sets them off. We popped some bottles of champagne and celebrated the start of 2006.

Then we all headed down the hill back towards the bars. And by "we all" I mean EVERYONE on the hill. So of course I got separated from the group I was with because I was arguing with this French guy (in half French and half English). He said something about how I couldn't reach the "Top Level" because I was a woman. Well needless to say that was not a good thing for him to say and we had a discussion. I then noticed no one I knew was in sight. So I ran into this guy on the street who turned out to be from LA and he owned a bar. He took me inside and introduced me to some other English speakers, and I hung out with them the rest of the night. I even made a new Czech friend to show me around town, Lucy.

Well I guess I better get started on some work or something now. More to be posted soon!!

Much Love.

Snow, pretty yes but it's a bitch for traveling...

2005-12-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, I will wait for all the "Oooo" and "Ahhhhh"ing to pass as you look at the lovely white blanket of snow draped across the trees of the rolling countryside.....

Done? Ok, now I too would enjoy this beautiful view if it were not for the fact that today was the day that I was supposed to do a whole lotta traveling. I started in Florence, then was supposed to go to Rome, then to London, then finally to Prague. Right now it is 8pm and I am sitting in the London airport. Things got a little knocked off course, and there were no dancing and singing snowmen to help me on my way (where were you Frosty??)

Turns out the Florence airport was closed - because of the snow. Then there were no taxis running to take me to the train station - because of the snow. Then the first couple trains out of Florence were canceled - because of the snow. And I missed my connection in Rome to London - because of the snow. Then I missed my flight from London to Prague - because of the snow. And now I am waiting for my flight which has been canceled - can you guess why??? *all together now ... Because of the snow!

But no fear, I am sure as soon as I get to Prague and get all settled and "stuff", I will go out and frolic in the snow. Maybe even lay down and make a snow angel. Maybe. If you're lucky.

Is that Billy Joel I hear?

2005-12-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

I went to the Changing of the Guards on Wednesday. Anne and I decided that it was a must do before we each headed off to our next locations. Being the winter time, they only do the whole ceremony thing every other day. So we take the Tube there and walk through the park to the palace.

Here is the gate that the guards walk through. They do the whole ceremony behind these gates, so you may see some bars in some of the pics.

Here is a pic of one of the sculptures on the outside of the gate.

Here are the guards in their, what I am guessing, winter attire. No red coats, just a drab grey. But hey, they still have the tall funny hats on!

They had a band that played music during the changing of the guards. And what else would one play during such an event but Billy Joel?

There were tons of British cops around to keep all us tourists moving along. They are very easy to spot, because they wear bright neon yellow/green. And they have the neatest hats! Check out this bloke.

Here is a shot of the front of the palace after the ceremony.

Afterwards we walked through St. James Park. It is a very pretty park with lots of birds and squirrels. We watched the "Squirrel Men" for a while. It seems like they come to the park everyday with a bag full of peanuts and just feed the squirrels. And the squirrels know this too! We watched them come right up to these men and take peanuts straight from their hands. We even saw one run up the pants of one man to get a nut. (hehe) Then we came across a lake/pond with some black swans and white pelicans. For you animal lovers out there, here they are.

My next adventure will be the Tower of London and the London Bridge (is it indeed falling down??) Stay tuned..

Abbey Road

2005-12-15T03:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the street made famous by the Beatles. Mom - this one's for you!!

Me crossing Abbey Road.

People left lots of mementos in front of the recording studio.

Erica and I crossing Abbey Road.

Tea Time

2005-12-15T03:14:00.000-08:00

As a last farewell, all the remaining London girls decided to go out with a bang and go to a traditional English high tea. It was Anne, Stef, Sara, Erica, and me. We went to a beautiful hotel called the Park Lane Hotel. The room we had tea in was decorated in a 1920's style. Very pretty, and very suitable for tea. We had very comfortable seating - plush couches and chairs. (could I say very one more time?) There was supposed to be a guy that came around and filled our cups with fresh tea for us, but he didn't come often enough for us! We just ended up doing it ourselves, and he "caught" us once and told us we were doing his job. Haha, oh well!

I had the Pear and Vanilla tea - highly recommended. We ate a tray and a half of mini sandwiches, a tray of scones, and then we each had two little desserts. All in all a very good experience and a nice way to catch up on our last night all together. *tear

The Hotel front, all decorated for the holidays.

The delicious sandwiches.

After tea we wondered outside to catch a bus home and we were hit with the quintessential London evening. Foggy! I looked down the street and I saw the fog, a classic red phone booth, and a black cab. All very London, so I snapped a shot.

Then I decided to be a bit goofy and take the "I'm in a phone booth pretending to talk" shot.

But was surprised with all these "flyers" that covered the inside of the traditional red booth.

Cheeky ole London!

Saatchi's Christmas Party

2005-12-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it - we went to the Saatchi & Saatchi Christmas party in London. It was pretty cool, they gave out these scroll invitations where everything started with an "S". It ended up being at a club in London called Tantra. When you walked in you got your pic taken in front of the "Saatchi" wall, then you ventured inside to the madness.

It was an open bar - and I don't think anything else needs to be said :) Here are some memorable fun pics from the night.

A group of us.

Anne Stef and Erica. Nice height line!

Erica me and Sara.

BigLittle Head

Me and Stef

Me and Stef being silly.

Our group at the bar.

Me and Jenn Chen.

Yummy, nothing like some Fish-n-Chips!

Where Do I Belong?

2005-12-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city girl with a small town heart
Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome
Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand
And gorgeous Italian men - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

I got this quiz off of Jenne's blog - I guess it's a good thing I am going there for Christmas! I would love to know where everyone else gets!

A Big Thank-You!

2005-12-09T03:33:00.000-08:00

I would like to just say a big THANK YOU to all my family and friends out there who wished me a Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas. It will be hard being away from family this holiday season, but that will just make next year even more special (awww).

If you didn't know already - I will be spending this holiday season traveling. I will be in London till Dec. 21st, then I fly away to Italy. I am staying in Rome for 5 days in a hostel. And yes, I will be there for Christmas. Christmas in Rome! Can't wait. I can't wait to be a part of the huge crowd gathering to see the Pope. After Rome I fly off to Florence for 3 days. I am staying in a cute hotel there. Can't wait to see all the beautiful architecture and art all over the city.

After that I am almost positive that I will be heading off to Prague for my next qtr. away for school. I will be interning at MARK/BBDO there. I have heard the city is beautiful, almost mythical. Can't wait. I will be having to buy some layers though, as I am told Jan and Feb are the coldest months there with an average temp of -4 C per day. Burr!

Thanks again and I miss you all back in the States!!

Happy Holidays!

The Quarter of a Century Celebration

2005-12-05T05:14:00.000-08:00

OK - so my other birthday blog was a bit premature before. We ended up going out for sushi at about 8:30pm on friday. It took a little finding since it was IN a Tube station. We kept wanting it to be outside near the ice-skating rink, but alas it wasn't. We finally found it and went inside and sat in this awesome table that made us feel like it was US inside the sushi roll.

I ordered a flask of warm sake and Stef and James were the only brave souls that would try it in a sake bomb with me. Here we all are at Sushi. Me and Erica
Stef, Anne, and Patrice

After our wonderful dinner we decided to go to a club called Sahara Nights. James' flatmates were there and they said it was free to get in and that they had a dance floor. We were sold! We got in and were immediately bought a round of drinks by an intoxicated man at the bar. Stef chatted him up and told him it was my birthday so he bought us all a round. After that the girls bought me a shot and we all did a birthday cheers. My first B-52 shot, quite tasty. Yay for the free drinks. :)

Me and James

James doing his famous fire-in-the-mouth shot. Ooooo, Ahhh!

Me and Anne ... I think I am singing along to a song or something.

The music at the club was AWESOME! So not a European playlist. We had a great time of dancing and singing along. I ended up losing my sweater that I was wearing, and "gaining" a belt. A pretty cool belt at that too. But no worries, I went back to H&M yesterday to replace the lost sweater.
Peek-a-boo, I see you.

I couldn't seem to get with the theme of the following two pictures...

Much thanks to Momma Stef for tucking us all in that night. We love you!

It's my Birthday?

2005-12-02T02:15:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday! The big 2 -5. The quarter of a century mark. Half way to 50. Umm, and whatever else.

And what are we doing to celebrate .... nothing! Yes that's right. I have the unfortunate luck of always having my birthday on or around finals. So that means everyone is all stressed out and I get a few "Happy Birthday!"'s and then it is back to the grind. I guess I am used to it, but I miss my family. They understand the annoyance I feel about being A) brushed aside and B) having my birthday combined with Christmas. All you December babies out there know what I am talking about here.

With or without anyone else I am planning on going for sushi and sake tomorrow (Saturday) night. I haven't had it since San Diego before I left the States. I miss it, strangely enough. I didn't even like it really till Miami. Funny how things change. Maybe when you get older you start to like raw dead things more. Next thing you know I'll be eating mushrooms or something! Haha, probably not.

Happy Birthday to me!

A Weekend in the City of Love

2005-11-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, last weekend Stef and I traveled to Paris. And to put your immediate questions at ease, there was no rioting going on and it wasn't scary at all. We even bought tickets and braved the Metro system - which is pretty easy to figure out once you pass the obstacle of buying the ticket. If you are 26 or under you can get a discounted ticket for the weekend, and you can also get into the Louvre for free on Friday nights! Which is exactly what we did when we arrived on Friday night, after a little drama of figuring out where we were going to stay.

We had originally planned on staying in a hostel, but of course their online booking didn't work and they didn't take reservations over the phone. So they said to just come there when we arrived, which we did - and of course there were no beds available. So we took our little suitcases and walked the streets of Paris looking for a hotel with an open room for 2 nights. We struck out at the first one, and the second one .. then we finally experienced the true meaning of "Third Time's the Charm". We got a room on the top floor with a mini balcony with a view of the top of the Eiffel Tower, shown here at night...

After our visit to the Louvre we found a cute little cafe and had some very yummy food. We shared a cheese plate, each got a glass of wine, and I got a french baguette with french ham and Stef got an omelet with cheese, ham, and potatoes. After we were full we took the Metro back to the hotel and witnessed a couple kissing to the sound of jazz echoing in the tunnels. A cute reminder we were in the City of Love.

We woke up on Saturday morning to a surprise - SNOW!! It was snowing in Paris! Here is the view from our hotel window...

We decided that for our first stop (after a lovely lunch of yet another cheese plate and glass of wine) we would go to the Eiffel Tower. I still could not get enough of the snow, being as this was the first real time I had been in the snow. Just look at it!

The Eiffel Tower looked awesome with a light layer of snow upon it.

The snow did however cause the lifts to freeze, so the tower was closed. There were also a lot of guards with guns standing around, and these middle eastern girls would walk around and pick out people who looked American (by the huge cameras around their necks or by their faces glued to huge fold-out maps) and ask them if they spoke English. Of course your first natural response is to say "yes", at which point they hold up a card they had written in English claiming that their brother or son was back home with leukemia and they needed your money to save him. The weird thing is that they held up a card with this on it. When they spoke perfect English to start with. We quickly became aware of their schemes and the next time we were asked if we spoke English Stef quickly replied "no", and they left us alone.

We next went to various other Paris sights. The Arc de Triomphe and The Champs Elysees
Notre Dame

Then we decided to make our way back to the Eiffel Tower in hopes that it had thawed out (since it had stopped snowing) and we would be able to ride to the top. When we got off the Metro we were struck with how beautiful the lights were on the Eiffel Tower at night.

We finally made it to the summit (and almost froze to death). These are an attempt to capture the view of Paris in the nighttime. It was eerily quiet in the city, maybe due to the recent violence that had occurred just weeks before.

After we conquered the sights of Paris we were famished - so we found a nice cafe near the Eiffel Tower to enjoy a dinner at. This time we got a bottle of wine. We sat there for 2 and a half hours just eating and drinking. It was great. And of course we got our new favorite cheese, Cantal, to enjoy at the end. After this it was off to our last night in our room, as modeled here by Miss. Stefenie:

We had planned to make Sunday our day of shopping, but were unaware that literally EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday in Paris. We were lucky to find a cafe that was open! We had a glass of wine and our last meal in Paris. We then decided to just head to the train station to wait for our EuroStar. During our wait we got to see a real-life documentary of Paris bums in the train station. It involved gift giving of some early 90's Nike shoes (sans laces), and the potential bribing of a young child with a piece of stolen candy. I was able to buy some cantal cheese from the station before we left, my last memory of good ole Paris.

Thanksgiving in London

2005-11-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

So here is a short re-cap of our American holiday in the UK. We were granted the day off from Saatchi, but everyone went in to work anyway while I stayed home to "watch" the turkey. I have never cooked a turkey before, so I did NOT want the responsibility of cooking it on my shoulders. It was put in the oven at 9am, and it was about 14 pounds so we figured it should be done around 2 or 3pm. At that point everyone was supposed to be back from Saatchi.

Turns out that Dave Dawkins, one of our main contacts at Saatchi, took everyone who was there out for some beers. And not just to the agency pub, but out to pubs in the neighborhood. So they all got tipsy while I freaked out at home because I didn't want to ruin the turkey (which I did, but more on that later). I also managed to lock myself IN our flat. Pure comedy in a time of needless over-reaction on my part. See, our flat has no real door knobs. And in order to lock and un-lock the door you need to use the key, from both inside and outside the flat. I had given my keys to Erica to use because she doesn't have any. And I didn't even realize till about an hour after she left that I had been inadvertently locked IN the flat.

So you can just imagine me in the flat, alone, worried about ruining the turkey (because I hate pressure) and downloading Christmas and jazz songs on Limewire to cheer myself up. Haha. The peeps finally call around 3:30 or so and tell me to cut into the top of the turkey to check if it is done. *GULP* God save us all, we are relying on Jenn! I cut into the top of it and to me it looks all white and cooked. So as told I take it out and wrap it in foil and leave it on the top of the stove and shut the stove off. Needless to say it wasn't all cooked. -slap forehead- *doh (in true Homeresque style)

We had enough ecoli-free (aka cooked) meat to enjoy for our big feast, but the chefs then took over and placed the remaining bird back into the oven and cooked it into the night. Long live left-overs! Word to the wise - keep the Jenn away from the kitchen...

Ice Bar London (and ice cups, ice seats, ice bowls, ice walls...)

2005-11-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

We went to the Ice Bar London and their restaurant Below Zero on Sunday night to celebrate Stef's birthday. It was very cool. Haha, no pun intended. The Ice Bar is linked with Absolut Vodka, and that is all that is served in there. But that's OK since it is good vodka. The lobby area and the restaurant Below Zero were very well designed. Very clean and modern. There was even a girl "polishing" down the floor as we were looking over our menus. After we ate the bread we all felt like we had to keep the table clean and wipe up our crumbs! But seriously, very cool place.

Lobby of Below Zero

My dessert that came in an actual bowl of ice! Yes, that is ice! For reals!

Inside the Ice Bar

Stef and Anne inside the giant ice Absolut bottle.

Ahhh, they made it out!

Shot of everyone in the cool silver capes inside the Ice Bar.

Stef's Birthday Fun!!

2005-11-21T04:22:00.000-08:00

It was Stef's 24th birthday on Saturday so we decided to have some fun and invite people over to our place for some games (of the drinking sort) and then we went out for some dancing.
Here is the group!
Stef, do something funny!

Stef likes that Mars Bar...
...and I like my beer.
Me and James
Stef turns a bit Jack the Ripper when given a large knife!

Don't remember what we were shushing about but it must have been important enough to capture on film.

Stef filmed some of the evenings festivities as well. All in all it was a very fun night. We got a Red Bull alternative here called Blue Bolt. Only 99 pence for a big bottle! Happy Birthday Stef!!

View from the Top

2005-11-21T04:16:00.000-08:00

We finally made it out to the London Eye this past Saturday - that is the big ferris wheel looking thing. It was pretty cool, and we went on a day that was nice and clear! Here are some pics of London from above.

A New Me

2005-11-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

I have decided to make a drastic change .... and get my hair cut. I have been growing it out ever since I started Miami Ad School in October of 2004. That's a heck of a long time. So now here in London I have decided to give myself over to the Vidal Sassoon School of Hairdressing. This basically means that I get a new cut and style for free and that it takes over three hours to do it.

I have taken my inspiration first from Beau, and his momentous head shaving last year. We all remember his terrified looks and death grip on the balcony railing of Rich's apartment. But just in case we forgot, here is a little reminder:

And secondly from Anne. She braved the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Miami. She did hate it at first, but she grew to love it and now looks fabulous!

Here are my BEFORE and AFTER looks:

Hopefully now I will stop getting carded to enter an 18 and over club! Ha!!
Let me know what you all think :)

We Got Rocked!!!

2005-11-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight our Leo class was cancelled (yes, again) so we decided to make the best of the night and go see a musical here in London. We went to We Will Rock You. Yes, complete with Queen music.

It was awesome! They used lyrics from all songs in the dialogue and broke out into popular songs. It makes you want to sing along with them! One of my favorite numbers (aside from the ending of course which ROCKED!) was for the song "Another One Bites the Dust". They make fun of Boy Bands and there was a male character who called himself Britney Spears. Haha, funny.

I highly recommend this musical to anyone who has the chance to see it. You will fully enjoy yourself and you will feel like you are at a concert at the end when everyone is clapping along, waving their arms, and singing at the top of their lungs.

Overall good times for you and your mates. :)

Help me I'm falling...

2005-11-16T03:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have been having a high number of falling dreams lately. The other day I was up in my bunk and Stef was doing something on her computer. I was falling asleep and I jerked myself awake not once, but TWICE due to a falling dream. The second time I even let out a little whimper. What is up with these dreams? After we finished laughing at me Stef and I went on a web site to see what it meant. www.dreammoods.com

Apparently falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities, and anxieties. It says that I am feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in my waking life. When you fall, there is nothing that you can hold on to. You more or less are forced toward this downward motion without any control. This loss of control may parallel a waking situation in your life.

Umm hello - QUARTER AWAY!! I must be so caught up with this whole thing that my mind is even thinking about it when I'm sleeping. It even says that falling dreams are often accompanied by muscle spasms of the arms, legs, and the whole body. Yep - that is so me. These sudden contractions are known as myclonic jerks. They often cause you to wake up from the dream, and also serve as a comedy show to anyone else in the room.

But I did find out that you will not actually die if you do not wake up before you hit the ground during a fall. So I guess I will just keep on fallin....

A Weekend of Sin

2005-11-14T03:48:00.000-08:00

Well ok not really, but it sounds cool. Stef and I went to Amsterdam this past weekend to visit Annie and the other MAS peeps there.

We left on Friday morning and came back early Sunday morning (TOO early). So we get there on Friday and Annie takes us to a Pancake place for lunch. Very yummy - it was like a thin pancake with any topping you could imagine. I had one with Motzerella, pesto, tomato, and basil. After that we biked by the Anne Frank house (yes, I did say biked) and decided the line was way too long and it was way too cold outside to stand in it. So what are three girls to do?? Go shopping of course! I ended up getting a nice pair of tall brown leather boots and Stef and Annie got some cool sweaters. After shopping we stopped by the grocery store and got some goodies to cook up for dinner. After dinner it was off to the Miss Pole Dancing Finals Competition 2005. The first ever, so we were witness to history in the making.

These girls were amazing (well, most of them). If I can figure out how to post video on this thing I will show you the American doing some crazy stunts. And sorry boys, this was a clothed event. After the competition we stayed at the club and got our dance on with the Amsterdam kids.

All that dancing worked up an appetite and we decided that a trip to Burger King was in order. But not before Annie accosted a bum lady and her dog outside the club.

A cab ride home and we crashed for the night.

The next day Annie, Stef and I went to a cafe called Goodies for a late lunch. The Dutch run life at a slower pace, so it took us a while to get waited on. That and the fact that we were American I think - but it was all good. Stef got a bit impatient, but she got her Coca-Cola Lite and was happy. Happy that is until she tasted her goat cheese. She had to order another sandwich :( After the cafe we walked around a bit then went to a bakery and got some goodies. It was starting to get dark now so we thought it would be a good time to check out the Red Light District.

Not as skanky as you would think. The girls were actually dressed (in underwear, but hey) in their windows with the red neon highlighting their bodies. Some were standing and dancing, some were sitting. Some would even bang on the windows to get the attention of passing guys. It was fun to stand there and watch a group of young Brits egg each other on to see who would go in with the girl. A little immature, but entertaining none the less. After that sight we decided it was time for some beers. We found a nice warm bar and just chatted it up for a bit.

After that we figured there wasn't much else to do in the RLD but go to a live sex show, of course. So we got our tickets and a drink and went inside. The "theater" was surprisingly small with pew-like seating. We tried the front row at first, but freaked and moved back to the 3rd. The first couple was nothing too great, but the stripper in the second act had a little surprise for us at the end! We got to talking to a group of guys around us (yes, in the sex show still) who had driven there from London, but who were all from New Zealand. There are actually 2 audience participation sections in these shows, and with Annie's coaxing we got 2 of our new found friends to go up on stage. Lets just say the show ended with a person dressed in a gorilla suit with a black strap-on up on stage... pointed at Annie, reached down and squeezed ... and shot some substance of water mixed with something all over Annie's face! She dove into my lap as we were all laughing hysterically. Ahh, good times good times.

After the show we went to a coffee shop and got some more drinks and hung out with our new friends for a bit.

After a while us girls decided it was time to bike home. But not before stopping for a nice rolled pizza for a late night snack. Stef and I had to get up at 5am in order to catch the transportation back to the airport for our flight back to London. Lots of traveling - and those darned British Passport Control dudes. Do I look like I would cause any problems?? Just make sure you have your school letter if you want to come here. Trust me. Unless of course you are Anne or Stef, then you'll have no problems. Go figure.

I Have Found the Best New Candy Bar!

2005-11-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ok - Cadbury has a very tasty candy bar over here in the UK called Double Decker. It is Milk Chocolate with smooth Chewy nougatine and Crisp, Crunchy cereal filling. Comes in a festive orange and purple wrapper. Check it out if you get the chance, I recommend it. :)

Stonehenge - Finally!

2005-11-07T03:54:00.000-08:00

We finally made it out to Stonehenge this past Saturday! And it was pretty cool. We ended up taking a bus tour that took us first to Salisbury where we saw the Salisbury Cathedral.

We had to catch the bus at 7:40am - and it was freezing! We all passed out on the way there though and the bus driver commented to us when we woke up. At one point the tour guide lady even said over the speaker "You awake back there?", because we took over the back of the bus. Haha

After the catherdal we went to a cute pub called The Kings Arms. I had the salmon which was pretty good. Anne had the pasta and she was annoyed because she felt like it was something her younger brother would have made. Check out her blog for a picture or her half eaten plate. (hehe) After lunch we got on the bus again and were on our way to Stonehenge. We got there and after about 5 minutes it started to rain. We could take it though! Note the colorful umbrellas and furry hoods.

(Photo e-props to Anne for this one)

So after Stonehenge we were walking back to the bus when Stef decided to stop and help out the acients erect some more stones...

This worked up quite an appetite (as you can imagine) so some Stonehenge treats were in order.

After our tasty treats we got back on the bus and were headed towards Bath. First stop was the Bath Abbey.

After that it was on to the Roman Baths. Very impressive that the plumbing put in when the site was created is still working to this day!

You can also learn a bunch of facts on the handy-dandy radio guide...

We also were able to drink some of the Spa Water. Don't worry, it was semi-treated. No tapeworms or weird one-celled organisms floating around in our stomachs.

After our day trip we headed back home to look for a hip-hop club in London. Not very easy to come by on a Saturday night.. but we finally found one. It was called Rainforest - and yes it had a huge fake hairy gorilla inside.

Halloween in London

2005-11-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

I got used to the fact that we weren't going to dress up this year, and I got used to the fact that there were no parties to go to, and I even got used to not eating a bunch of candy in the shapes of ghosts and bats and pumpkins... but I still expected to have some sort of scary celebration. Instead, this is what we did:

Stef and I left work early to go back to the flat to concept. We had made a plan to meet everyone at a bar called The Duke of Wellington around 9pm. So we decided that we should get some work done, which then turned into fixing the tv (thanks to help from Aussie James) and watching episodes of The Simpson's Halloween Specials. Very fun. Then we decided it was about time to get dressed and head out towards the bar.

It was cold and kinda raining - so instead of walking we decided to take the bus. We weren't exactly sure where to get off, but we thought we had the general idea (well Stef thought she did..). So we end up going too far, getting back on and riding the other way, again too far. So then we try and get a cab, but the driver didn't know where to go. So then we end up in a random corner liquor store to ask for directions. We walk in and are immediately engulfed in smoke (despite the fact that it was a store with FOOD in it). The guy doesn't know what we are talking about, but decided to make up directions for us anyway. And like the naive Americans that we are, we decide to follow said directions.

We go off in the opposite way from the bus (mistake #1), then turn down an alley (mistake #2) and end up at the wrong bar. We turn around and continue walking and find ourselves in Hoxton Square. (Not close to where we want to be at all). We are on the phone with Anne at this point trying to figure out where this pub is, when it starts to rain. I freak and Stef yaps back at me (in a loving way) that it is only sprinkling. We start laughing and break out some Anchor Man humor "I'm not even mad, that's amazing!". Then Stef notices that a bum is heading straight for us ready to pull at our arms for money. We freak and she grabs my arm and yanks me into a random pub (mistake #3). Inside I am still on the phone with Anne and still laughing and not making any sense. The people at the pub look at Stef with a "what are YOU doing in here" glare, and we try to explain but just give up and leave because we saw the bum walk away.

So we get back on the bus (yes, the SAME bus as the first 2 times) and finally get off on the right stop, thanks to the wonderful direction of Anne. We make it to the pub only to see that it is filled with old men getting drunk. We are all off at a table to the side, 7 girls. The music playing is calm Sinatra type music. Then about 15 minutes in the song changes drastically to Chingy - I Like That. What the??? Did they expect us to start dancing or something? It was pretty funny. Then next came on What a Wonderful World. Haha.

So that is the story of our Ole Halloween in Jolly London Town.

The Worst Bus Ride Ever

2005-10-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

Oh my god - I jut spent WAY too long trying to get home. I get on a bus, bus number 55. We go 2 stops then I realize that we are stopped at a stop and that the driver has turned off the engine. The bus is full and everyone is wondering what is going on. I am sitting on the top because I have a while to go on the bus and the view from the top is way better than being smushed and grasping for you balance on the bottom.

So this chick comes up the stairs and says that the bus driver isn't moving till one of the boys who just got on pays his fare (he had tried to sneak on without paying and apparently this driver wasn't gonna have it). She goes back down and the group of misfit London boys in the back of the bus start to argue with everyone. Then the driver comes up and says he isn't moving till they pay, and that he called the police and they were on their way to escort him off.

Oh my god!! It costs 1 pound 10 pence for the love of god!! We end up sitting there for EVER - and they boys finally get off the bus. So I am thinking that all is well and good and I am finally on my way home again. But no, about 4 stops up the driver pulls over then comes up saying that he is in trouble with his boss and he has to ask us all to get off and transfer us to another bus. Are you kidding me?! I have NO idea where I am, and those of you who know me know that I suck ass with directions and that I sorta freak out when I am lost.

So there we all are, standing out in the now-starting-to-get-cold weather waiting for another 55 bus to come along. And wouldn't you know it, the first one that comes along is totally packed and can't take any more people. So we all stand around for a good 20 min then some other bus comes and the majority of the people get on it. I don't, however, because I don't know where it goes and I don't want to get even more lost. Luckily there is another girl still standing there as well. Our old driver says he can drop us off at Angel Station (sorta near my house) but that he isn't doing the route so he can't bring us to the exact stop we need.

I say ok and we get on. I am dropped off at Angel, at a stop that I wasn't familiar with. I followed my instincts (which are sometimes right, surprisingly enough) and make it to the tube station. Of course the line I need is out of service for the weekend, and I have no idea what bus to take to get going the right way. So I decide that now is a good time for a hot chocolate. I go to the Art to Zen Cafe and warm up a bit. The only way I really know for sure how to get home from Angel is to walk along the canal. So I head in that direction. It wasn't that bad - seeing as it wasn't too late yet. I finally make it home without accomplishing 1/2 of what I was planning on.

What a day!

An Outing with Stef

2005-10-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

So today Stef and I decided to go shopping at Oxford Circus. The Northern Line for the Tube is shut down all weekend, so we took the bus. It's kind of nice sitting on the top and being above ground. At least my boogers won't be black today, haha.

OMG! It was SO crowded there. It gets to a point where you can't even breathe without running into someone or having someone stop short right in front of you. Ugh. But the trip wasn't for nothing - Stef got some cute jeans and I got a warm jacket. :)

As we are waiting for our bus for our return trip - the delirium sets in. We are waiting for the bus and start to sing.. "Due due, due due due", because we want the bus to be due - obviously. At the bus stops here they have an electronic sign with the wait time for each bus, and when it should be there it says "due". Anyways, as we are waiting and singing we notice a guy across the street. He walks up to a bunch of tied, full, black trash bags on the curb. They are obviously out there waiting to be picked up by the "rubbish man". But this guy goes over to them and proceeds to feel up the 3 bags nearest to him. And yes, I do mean feel up. Both hands, grasping and caressing the black plastic. He then stands up for a second, shifts from one foot to the other, then picks up not one, not two, but THREE of the bags of trash. He carefully positions them in his hands and walks quickly away.

When Stef and I finally got on the bus we had to endure the most annoying high pitched ringing you have ever heard. Ok, well maybe not ever - but it was pretty darn close. Then as we were walking home we saw some cute little Brit kids dressed up for Halloween. And as we were walking by we heard one of them say "I'm American!"

Chips vs Crisps

2005-10-26T02:07:00.000-07:00

Alright, so in the UK when you say "chips" you are referring to what Americans know to be fries. And when you say "crisps" you are referring to what Americans know to be chips. Confused yet? Well get ready to be perplexed and maybe even a little weirded out. In the States we have a chip brand called Lays. Everyone knows Lays, the yellow circle with the red swoosh through it with the word Lays on top (Lays, Get Your Smile On!).

Anyways, here in the UK they have a crisp brand exactaly like Lays, except it is called Walkers. They have your 'normal' flavors like Barbecue, Ready Salted, and Salt & Vinegar. Then they also have some questionable flavors that seem a bit odd but still may be considered intriguing to try, like Cheese & Onion. But then they go off into weirdness land with these following flavors (and no, I am not kidding.):

Beef & Onion
Heinz Tomato Ketchup (yes really, the bag really says this)
Marmite Yeast Extract (I have no idea what this means)
Pickled Onion (just eww. And Anne actually tried this one and almost tossed her cookies)
Prawn Cocktail (another one Anne has tried, but she said this one was actually alright)
Roast Chicken
Smoky Bacon
Worcester Sauce

(Check out their web site if you don't believe me http://walkers.corpex.com/cr15p5/products.asp?snacktypeid=26. The flavors are on the left hand side)

They also have a meal called - Bangers and Mash - which is sausage and mashed potatoes.
And bacon here is what we in the states know to be "Canadian bacon".

Just some food fact fun for you straight from the UK!

Dungeon Day

2005-10-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, we just got this group pic from the London Dungeon scanned, so now I can post it! Isn't it great! I'm not quite sure how we decided that Anne was to be the one we all killed ...

Being a tourist is fun!

2005-10-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Ok- so I have decided that it is time for one of those touristy blogs. But don't worry, it'll be mostly pictures and not a lot of boring commentary...

This colorful bloke is one of the many merchants at the Portabello Markets in Knotting Hill.

A stand selling horns at the Portabello Markets.

Me in front of the bookstore in the movie Knotting Hill - you know the one, with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Yummy, fresh baked bread!

It's the Antique Road Show!! He made the switch, was it a good choice??

Even the bikes get a green light here.

Big Ben

Keychain or magnet anyone?

The London Eye. I have yet to go on this, but I will soon!

Notice the words... "This is not a photo opportunity"

The classic red double decker bus.

Sign for the London Underground- the Tube.

Me in the London Dungeon.
That's all for now!

A Williams Weekend

2005-10-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Annie ventured into London to kick it with us. We had so much fun! It all started with an early end to the day on Friday with all the girly catch-up one could dream of. Then it was a quick change into our professional attire and off to the tv spot that we were all volunteering to be in. It was for an awareness campaign for the UN for a condition call Fistula that happens to women in underdeveloped countries. It was a long night of sitting there listening to "professional extras" flirt with each other and think they were cool. (yes, they were really extras for their job. That's all they do)

Afterwards Renetta met us and took us out to dinner - fabulous! I decided to go into the world of seafood and got the Salmon, and it was fantastic! We had some good Australian wine and of course some good times. haha I got the cheesecake for dessert, and it was alright ... but those of you who know me know that I am some what of a cheesecake snob, and I have had better.

Saturday we went to the London Dungeon... for their Halloween Spectacular!

Despite the long wait in line - it was worth it. Hey Annie, what do you think about waiting in lines?

And not to worry - for those of you who remember Annie's Halloween costume last year ... she was welcomed at the dungeon's toilets!

Quite funny

After the dungeon we decided to do what any normal person would... go shopping! We went to Oxford Circus, which is a big area with more shops than you can count (even if you use your toes). We caught the bus back to Islington (our hood) and rode on the top deck. I recommend it to anyone who has he chance, riding on the top is relaxing and fun. We stopped off and got 7" pizza each for only 1 pound! (that's almost $2 for you Americans, haha). We then headed home to get ready to go out and celebrate Annie's last night in London.

We ended up playing some drinking games at home and some of our Australian friends came over to join us. The language differences came out and being that we were all wasted, it was quite funny. For instance, they don't say "period" for that little dot that ends a sentence. Instead they say "full stop". Bonkers isn't it?

We met up with one of Beau's friends at the club called Livingroom. Here are some memories in the making...

Toilets

2005-10-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Ok - quick random rant about the bathrooms here, or as they like to call it "toilets". Don't you think restroom or even bathroom sounds so much better than toilet? To me toilet seems so, gross almost. I mean, why do you have to name the item that you are about to go and use? It leads one to paint a not-so-nice picture in their head.

Also, what is up with the whole double door thing here? You go to the "toilet" and you go through the first door and enter the world's smallest (and most pointless) room in which you have to open another door before you actually reach the toilets. I asked a friend of mine and he suggested that that little room was perhaps a smell-trapping chamber. Gross thought, but interesting.

From Wagamama to House Parties

2005-10-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we were all just about as fed up with the London transportation system as we could be. We had to travel over to Leo for our last class of the week and two of the major Tube lines were closed. So we had to squeeze ourselves into buses and tubes like poor little sardines to get there. Then class lasts a big hour and a half. So we decide we are hungry and begin the neverending (seemingly so) journey back to Angel Station. I timed, and it literally took us an hour and 13 minutes to make it back to our flat from Leo. Good Lord!

We head over to Angel and go to this awesome Asian Noodle place for dinner called Wagamama. We try to look for this pub/club called Living Room, but can't seem to find it so we end up at a college feel pub called Smile (i think). Here is a pic of Stef and Anne with one of their weird beer flyers...

Yes, those are kittens on that beer pitcher ad.

On Saturday night Stef, Erica and myself make our way to a house party. Again, the commute there was anything but fun. We did have a few shared beers on the way though to ease the pain. No one cares if you drink on the Tube, how brilliant is that?!

This is Erica and I at the party - which was awesome. They had a real burning campfire in the backyard, complete with logs to sit on and everything. There was even a Dj inside with lights and a fog machine, and this guy..

Yes, that is Erica's hat he is wearing and no, I have no idea what dance move he is attempting. But it was his birthday, so I guess he is entitled to do whatever he pleases.

Then the mic was overtaken by London's very own version of Kanye West... complete with Viking horn hat.

And the night closes with this classic shot of Stef and Erica ... is that a Carlsberg in your hand?

Overall, I would say that it was a sucessful weekend in London. :)

The Miami Girls in London

2005-10-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Stef, me, and Anne chilling at one of London's nightclubs - Fabric. I've noticed that club names here are quite odd compared to names in Miami. I walked by one called Medicine the other day. Brilliant.