Covert Garden - Hyde Park - Vengaboys - Job!
The first four photos are from last weekend [as always, click to enlarge, right-click to save, OPTION KEY ON THE MAC. SketchUp Tutorial anyone?]:
This is an insane footbridge near Covent Garden Market. I would like to walk across it. Also, if you're ever planning a trip to Covent Garden, use any other tube stop. The only way out of the Covent Garden tube is by a talking lift [everything talks in London: lifts, trains, supermarket queues...]. That means cramming in with all the damn tourists with their damn cameras! :)
The market in all its glory. There are a multitude of little kiosks and vendors and gift-type items. I liked the tshirts with names of London neighbourhoods. I thought about buying 'Soho' but it would only be cool in another context, ie: Toronto. If they had 'Docklands' or 'Eastender', I probably would have given in.
At UofT, I studied architecture with two very cool girls: Mel Copping and Kristine Joyce. Naturally, when I saw this letting office, I had to take a photo.
We were out of eggs for Sunday brunch so I went to the store down the street and bought the world's biggest package of eggs. I got THIRTY eggs for 1.79. For those of you who shop at big box stores, this might not be shocking, but I come from the Annex! This is HUGE!
I spent a couple of days last week in Hyde Park lounging, tanning and reading The DaVinci Code [Thanks Bren!]. The park really is the Brit's beach. There were so many people there in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. There were lounge chairs, row boats and paddle boats for hire, a horseback riding track, restaurants and food stalls. It was stunning. I'm thinking about checking out Hampsted Heath this week. It's a large park in the north end with swimming ponds!
This photo explains the demographics of my neighbourhood: Where 'poverty' meets 'bling'! There is so much social housing in Poplar [and in London in general] and it's immediately adjacent to the lavish Canary Wharf. However, I suspect Bren and I are much poorer than those living in social housing. We don't drive a BMW or Mercedes, which are common sights on Poplar High Street.
Everyone already thinks my mom is cool. But this photo represents more evidence: Model Doug Stiles, Cut by Eleanor, Style by Nik, Wardrobe by Top Man, Funded by MOMMA STILES! I was feeling frustrated by life and my job situation so my mom bought me a haircut and a new outfit. This was the result.
On Saturday Night, Bren, Nik and I [above in the kitchen of the 'Canadian Embassy'] met some deaf girls and their non-deaf [what's the opposite of deaf?] friends on the Central Line. My sign language lessons from grade six finally served a practical purpose! They were fun. We drank, exchanged names and chatted as best we could. Since I don't feel as though I've seen enough live performances, we all went to see the VENGABOYS at the Astoria on Saturday Night. What is this, 1998?! No, it's 2006 but I can't explain how they ended up playing in London. It was a fun show. Everyone got really into it. 'Spice World' was playing on the big projection screens [that's the Spice Girls Movie]. Girl Power! Wow, talk about camp! Copy and paste the link below into your browser to see a Vengaboys clip courtesy of Nik's mobile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aeHFNvnu6Q&search=vengaboys%20g-a-y
We think it was a late night because while we were at McDonalds, Nik asked the time. We realised it was 4:10 and his day pass was only good until 4:30. We ran to the bus stop and assumed our positions on the upper level of the double-decker night bus. After a few stops, who should appear, but the deaf girls and their friends! We chatted for a bit. They were from Romford and Chelmsford. But this doesn't mean much to me. Apparently that's in Essex, just outside of London. They invited us to Romford to party on Tuesday. I don't think I'll be going. Then all of a sudden I thought I smelled ganj [marijuana]. I looked around and the deaf girl lit up a big, fat joint on the bus! It was too funny.
With respect to my job situation, the Research People never called today so at 4:45 I called the Aussie to accept the job. It was a little awkward because he thought I was supposed to call on Friday [but I definitely told him Friday OR Monday... twice. I have been stressing about if all weekend, after all]. Anyway, the job is mine and I start on Wednesday the 26th. Tomorrow I'll have to quit the library and break their hearts. I emailed IBI on Friday night at 10pm just saying 'I assume there's been no change in your staffing needs, but do you have any contacts who might be able to use my skills?' Shockingly, I got a reply FIVE MINUTES later. He said he had no change in staffing needs and he'd think about contacts and get back to me today [Monday]. I'm pretty sure I'll never hear from him again. What a bizarre experience! Tonight, I made a delicious dinner for Bren and I consisting of salmon with green onion, tomatoes and lemon, and a garden salad with celery, cucumber, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. It was delicious. Afterwards, we enjoyed an ice cold vodka and malibu 'dessert' on the terrasse as the sun went down.
This is an insane footbridge near Covent Garden Market. I would like to walk across it. Also, if you're ever planning a trip to Covent Garden, use any other tube stop. The only way out of the Covent Garden tube is by a talking lift [everything talks in London: lifts, trains, supermarket queues...]. That means cramming in with all the damn tourists with their damn cameras! :)
The market in all its glory. There are a multitude of little kiosks and vendors and gift-type items. I liked the tshirts with names of London neighbourhoods. I thought about buying 'Soho' but it would only be cool in another context, ie: Toronto. If they had 'Docklands' or 'Eastender', I probably would have given in.
At UofT, I studied architecture with two very cool girls: Mel Copping and Kristine Joyce. Naturally, when I saw this letting office, I had to take a photo.
We were out of eggs for Sunday brunch so I went to the store down the street and bought the world's biggest package of eggs. I got THIRTY eggs for 1.79. For those of you who shop at big box stores, this might not be shocking, but I come from the Annex! This is HUGE!
I spent a couple of days last week in Hyde Park lounging, tanning and reading The DaVinci Code [Thanks Bren!]. The park really is the Brit's beach. There were so many people there in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. There were lounge chairs, row boats and paddle boats for hire, a horseback riding track, restaurants and food stalls. It was stunning. I'm thinking about checking out Hampsted Heath this week. It's a large park in the north end with swimming ponds!
This photo explains the demographics of my neighbourhood: Where 'poverty' meets 'bling'! There is so much social housing in Poplar [and in London in general] and it's immediately adjacent to the lavish Canary Wharf. However, I suspect Bren and I are much poorer than those living in social housing. We don't drive a BMW or Mercedes, which are common sights on Poplar High Street.
Everyone already thinks my mom is cool. But this photo represents more evidence: Model Doug Stiles, Cut by Eleanor, Style by Nik, Wardrobe by Top Man, Funded by MOMMA STILES! I was feeling frustrated by life and my job situation so my mom bought me a haircut and a new outfit. This was the result.
On Saturday Night, Bren, Nik and I [above in the kitchen of the 'Canadian Embassy'] met some deaf girls and their non-deaf [what's the opposite of deaf?] friends on the Central Line. My sign language lessons from grade six finally served a practical purpose! They were fun. We drank, exchanged names and chatted as best we could. Since I don't feel as though I've seen enough live performances, we all went to see the VENGABOYS at the Astoria on Saturday Night. What is this, 1998?! No, it's 2006 but I can't explain how they ended up playing in London. It was a fun show. Everyone got really into it. 'Spice World' was playing on the big projection screens [that's the Spice Girls Movie]. Girl Power! Wow, talk about camp! Copy and paste the link below into your browser to see a Vengaboys clip courtesy of Nik's mobile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aeHFNvnu6Q&search=vengaboys%20g-a-y
We think it was a late night because while we were at McDonalds, Nik asked the time. We realised it was 4:10 and his day pass was only good until 4:30. We ran to the bus stop and assumed our positions on the upper level of the double-decker night bus. After a few stops, who should appear, but the deaf girls and their friends! We chatted for a bit. They were from Romford and Chelmsford. But this doesn't mean much to me. Apparently that's in Essex, just outside of London. They invited us to Romford to party on Tuesday. I don't think I'll be going. Then all of a sudden I thought I smelled ganj [marijuana]. I looked around and the deaf girl lit up a big, fat joint on the bus! It was too funny.
With respect to my job situation, the Research People never called today so at 4:45 I called the Aussie to accept the job. It was a little awkward because he thought I was supposed to call on Friday [but I definitely told him Friday OR Monday... twice. I have been stressing about if all weekend, after all]. Anyway, the job is mine and I start on Wednesday the 26th. Tomorrow I'll have to quit the library and break their hearts. I emailed IBI on Friday night at 10pm just saying 'I assume there's been no change in your staffing needs, but do you have any contacts who might be able to use my skills?' Shockingly, I got a reply FIVE MINUTES later. He said he had no change in staffing needs and he'd think about contacts and get back to me today [Monday]. I'm pretty sure I'll never hear from him again. What a bizarre experience! Tonight, I made a delicious dinner for Bren and I consisting of salmon with green onion, tomatoes and lemon, and a garden salad with celery, cucumber, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. It was delicious. Afterwards, we enjoyed an ice cold vodka and malibu 'dessert' on the terrasse as the sun went down.
posted by Douglas J. Stiles, BA Hons, MES! at 7/17/2006 02:35:00 p.m.
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