Update

I've been told I need to update my blog, which I guess is true.
Not a very eventful break, I've gone to the Victoria & Albert museum, science museum, natural history museum, and the dinosaur exhibit on Oxford street. I've been sick off and on this whole time, it will last a day or so, then go away and I'll think I'm fine, then come back with some new and exciting symptom. I finally went to the doctor today, who said I have "tonsillitis or strep or something", and put me on LOADS of medicine, 2 penicillin every 6 hours, 2 paracetamol every 6 hours, and 2 ibuprofen every 8 hours, yes, 22 pills a day. If this doesn't work I'm afraid there's no hope.
I have a couchsurfer staying here, he was only supposed to be here 4 nights but he's stuck because of the volcanic ash, it's already been 2 nights extra, we'll see if his flights leaves tomorrow.
I got a picture of the sunset after the eruption with tower bridge in the foreground, it was quite the expedition to get this shot. I went to London Bridge station, practically ran until tower bridge was behind me, realized it was a bad angle and I needed to be on the opposite bank of the Thames, gunned it back, across tower bridge, and ended up behind an apartment complex where no one else was JUST in time.
I've done a couple walks in the countryside I'll post some pictures from them as well, it's been beautiful. The next one is this Saturday by the seaside.
Essay due next Thursday, technical test on sax the following Friday.
I put an ad on craigslist for babysitting, only one response. I'm babysitting 3 year old Samuel and 6 year old Thomas next week. Their mum used to live in London and they're back visiting, but they live in Paris. I'm curious what accent they'll have, and if they'll speak to each other in French.
I've been here 7 months, my sister visits in less than 5 weeks, and I leave in 9.


Pictures don't seem to want to upload right now, I'll try again later.

Week One

Week one of break, not completely alone, one other person in the flat, and not all the Americans are traveling. I'm still not sure what to do with myself this entire month, I watched back to the future around 1am, went to sleep, got up and watched back to the future II, had dinner, then back to the future III, it's been a very productive day. I recently discovered I had a sudoku book from this summer, I've completed all of those, finished reading 'Persuasion' as well. I finished 'Peter Pan' awhile back, but there's a part called 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens', so some time next week I'm going to go to Kensington Gardens and read it there, it seems like a walking tour of the gardens from a child's point of view, we'll see. I'm also reading 'David Copperfield', I want to finish it before break, but I'm a terribly slow reader so again, we'll see. I'm thinking of climbing the highest peak in England at some point, but that has proven to be a lot more planning than I anticipated. I'm going to go into central tomorrow to the dinosaur exhibit on Oxford street, and possibly the natural history museum, should be a fun and childish time. I want to see 'I love you Philip Morris' but I can't find anywhere playing it tomorrow.
I'm sure my constant struggle this holiday will be when to get out of bed, if I've got nothing planned, it's hard to see a reason, today it was 12:30, yesterday 1:30, again, Twain has all the answers....
'Rise early. It is the early bird that catches the worm. Don't be fooled by this absurd law; I once knew a man who tried it. He got up at sunrise and a horse bit him.'

Spring Break!

I have a break March 26th to April 26th! First the plan was to do a trip from Prague to Norway, then it was to hike in Norway, then discovered the trails aren't open until June, so I decided to go somewhere warm, the Azores, for two weeks, then realized I don't have the money so I'm staying here. I guess it's a good thing, I need to do some intense practicing. I might visit a couple friends to see where they come from, maybe go to Cambridge and/or Manchester, do some more walks out of my book, be a tourist in London more, since I still haven't done that many touristy things.
After break there isn't much going on, my Friday morning class continues along with private lessons, I have an essay due right when I get back, and a rudiments assessment on sax, then an ensembles performance assessment later on, and that's it for two months!

I thought this was a rather appropriate Twain quote for this entry, I had a meeting with the departmental board (for the music department) the other day and I was not impressed with them in the least...[there are a couple people on the board I really like, and some not so much]
"In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made school boards."
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar


And another (from Pudd'nhead), because his wisdom is infinite...
"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but Cabbage with a College Education."

hi

Not much going on, the usual. Playing in a variety show tonight and tomorrow night. Lovin my Latin rhythm course, and private lessons, what do you know I actually improve when I'm allowed to do stuff I enjoy! Playing rock-ish music Friday mornings for a class, really weird, I'm not really sure how to approach it, pretty simply I guess, just blasting the root of the chord as loud as I can most of the time. I think the song we do next week will leave me a bit more room to fool around with though, hopefully.
I've come to the conclusion that I feed off other people musically, my improv really isn't bad in Latin rhythm class, but stick me in a tiny room with someone at a piano and I can tell you now that nothing decent is going to come out.
Going to see Harlequins vs. Worcester (rugby) tomorrow.
The weather has been amazing, I would take off this weekend if I weren't busy, maybe next weekend I'll find somewhere to go walking in the countryside. Haven't found how to go about hiking in Norway yet, gotta find out soon cause if I'm going hiking I gotta get in shape first.



'There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.' -Mark Twain

American Food Night

American food night was last night, mum brought lucky charms, peanut butter captain crunch, a sampler of mini boxes of cereal, smarties, cow tales, bulls eyes, reeses pieces, maple sugar candy, honey sticks, ring pops, tootsie pops, nemo gummy snacks, operation gummy snacks, craisins, boston baked beans, spiderman and scooby doo mac n cheese, and confetti cake mix/frosting (I made cupcakes), I think I got it all. It was hilarious, the ring pops were a hit, and I think the reeses pieces were the favorite, and they just found the peanut butter flavored cereal hilarious.
I asked a friend of mine who plays sax if he wants to meet up once a week to practice, he's really good with his ears but wants to improve his reading, and I'm way too much on the page and need to use my ears more, so it will be a good trade off.
Off too latin rhythm ensemble soon, 3 hours long, good class, really glad I'm taking it. For my project I'm taking 'Mann im Mond' by die Prinzen, translating it into Spanish and putting it in either an Afro-Cuban or Brazilian feel, haven't decided yet, but I'm pretty pumped about it.
Oh and I got an email from the honor society I'm in at UMass asking me how I'd like to study in London this summer, haha.

Typical Wednesday

sleep.food.exercise.practice.food.practice.skype.pub.film

good day

The Superbowl in facebook status updates

Meaghan Bertrand: GO COLTS GO COLTS GO COLTS!!!!!!
{[following comments] boooooooooo --- does your dad know you're talking like this? --- rooting for the favorite takes no guts, just ask a yankees fan --- NOPE GO SAINTS!!!!!! --- LOL *roots with Meaghan* Go Colts! Not like I'm watching the game anyways. --- Go commericals! --- "DISLIKE' --- likes Anthony Gozzor's "DISLIKE" --- dislikes jon's like of anthony's dislike}
Shawn Decker: Super Bowl prediction: Colts 27 Saints 17. Pass the chips. Oh, and today is Black AIDS Day- I know, bummer, but I'm a positoid that cares.
Valentina Brown: omfg BBC doesn't play the commercials!
Valentina Brown: Sitting in my little room in a country that doesn't care about American football, watching the superbowl on BBC and eating biscuits.
CJ Ferola: french onion SOUP during the SUPER bowl. haha get it
Valentina Brown: 'It's almost like watching ballet performed by elephants.'...omg the commentators on the BBC suck!
Paul Maillet: WHAS DAT!!.......an onside kick hahahahaha.
Gordon Walters: just saw peyton manning cry and i've never smiled more
Anthony Kelley: Anyone else smile when they saw manning cry?
Jeremy Eicher: COLTS LOSE! Gold team wins.