November 2011
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If you’re in London for Christmas, go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I took photos, but they were woefully inadequate. It’s free, it’s packed, it’s way too much fun. That is all.
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September 2011
1 post
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July 2011
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Tadao Ando’s ‘Silence’ Unveiled in London’s Mount...
Mount Street is one of the hidden gems of our bustling city. Anchored by my favourite hotel in London, the spectacular Connaught, and lined with boutiques too chic for Bond Street, this enclave is typically overlooked by tourists. Tadao Ado’s Silence is a fitting monument to a street that seems blissfully apart from the chaos that surrounds it.
worldmanabouttownttown:
Mount Street, one of...
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Why I can't leave the UK
When I moved here from the US almost two years ago, many promises were made. I said I’d be back within a year, and I meant it. And then…then. There are many wonderful things about living here, but really if I can point to one thing that would definitively prevent me from leaving, it would be this:
Oh yes. You thought it was a museum or a bookstore, the friends I’ve met here or...
Howdy friends and neighbors
I know I said months ago that I’d be back, writing all sorts of crazy Britannia-related tips and posting silly photos, but this whole “writing a novel” business is a bit on the exhausting side. That said, the book is coming along really well, I took a couple of relaxing trips, went to my first NHS doctor, did a juice cleanse—I know, sounds nuts, but I feel like a new girl—and am...
February 2011
1 post
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January 2011
9 posts
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Good reading
For anyone interested in design, fine arts and architecture, Glenn Adamson of the V&A has created a fascinating blog—From Sketch to Product. His most recent article details the process of designing the interior space for the upcoming exhibition Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970 to 1990, but is only one of the blog’s many engaging articles.
In this recent article, Designing...
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Staying home blows
The Guardian has recently put up some useful interactive maps for travellers and locals alike. The first is a guide to Britain’s best budget eats, which they are continuously expanding. The second is the Enjoy England map—things to do throughout the country, with suggestions from readers. Some of the tips are quirky, but mostly it’s not the kind of stuff you’d find in a typical...
writingitout asked: I am thinking I may like to move to England someday, hopefully not in the too far future. Any advice?
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August 2010
6 posts
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Please don't be a griefer or I'll start to wibble
A graphic design student working on a university project was granted access to the ultra-secret Oxford English Dictionary vault of rejected words. Some of the candidate words are recent, while others date back hundreds of years, and there are millions of them. Some may one day be included in the authoritative OED, but most will sit in a filing cabinet, unused and ignored.
Here’s the list...
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What a disgrace. A drunken man at Canary Wharf tried to beat one male DLR Safety Officer and then push a female worker onto the tracks, all while yelling and being totally out of control.
Basically. Well, sort of. In the court hearing following the man’s arrest, things sounded a bit different. Let’s try this story again:
A deaf man desperately tried to get the attention of a DLR...
Is Ke$ha named Ke£ha in England?
(via meaneyedcat)
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Hi All! Sorry I’ve been away. I’ve spent the last three years researching and preparing my first novel, and am now in the writing phase—sometimes a self-imposed internets ban is essential, or I slack like nobody’s business!
July 2010
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“I don’t know whose wag she is, but I’m guessing she’s a wag.”
– BBC announcer, apparently confused as to why the cameraman was focussed on Charlize Theron.
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Why I'll be watching this one at home
Last week I went to Zeitgeist to see Germany vs. England. It’s not a huge place, and there were 800-1,000 people there, and about 30 police officers standing guard. Fun, crazy, wild, Currywurst, yes. Also oven hot, smoky, and exhausting.
It took me days to recover, and I have to work tomorrow.
A massive sweaty crowd of Germans yelling, “Sieg! Sieg!” is intimidating, even if...
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i-dont-know-what-i-am-doing asked: I meant to say this ages ago, but thanks for following me! I love your blog, it's always fascinating to see the perspectives of non-English people on English culture. Keep up the good work.
werthers asked: i discovered your blog today, and have found it really funny and enjoyable to read. i think i'm going to recommend you next week!! :)
p.s - i'm english and was gutted when you lot knocked us out the world cup! but i have a secret soft spot for germany after studying german in school!! so congratulations, the best team won!! i hope you go all the way! :)
p.s - i'm english and was gutted when you lot knocked us out the world cup! but i have a secret soft spot for germany after studying german in school!! so congratulations, the best team won!! i hope you go all the way! :)
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If tomorrow’s game is anything like that one, I might die of a heart attack.
(also, sorry! more posts soon, but swamped with work/football)
June 2010
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Expectations for the Day
A long wait for rail replacement bus services.
Above-average temps, so a really long wait.
Filthy looks from England fans and maybe a snarky comment or two.
My first German pub in London.
A big crowd several hours before KO (Germans go early everywhere).
Schlenkerla beer, leberkaes, more Schlenkerla. Maybe more leberkaes.
Singing/cheering/horrible comments about the English in German....
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Also, to everyone proudly posting all the horrible crap about what terrible fans Americans are, how racist they are, how they deserve to lose because they’re so arrogant, etc., seriously, go screw yourselves. I am not always proud of the terrible things people in my country do or say, but am shocked at your ignorance for perpetuating the stereotype.
The vulgar and racist displays...
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I love London, but...
Just back from a blissfully internet-free trip to North Wales, and it was spectacular. It’s a bit odd to me that virtually no one I know has been there. Whenever the subject’s come up, all my English friends have said exactly the same thing, that they’ve heard it’s nice, but have never been. Go to Wales. Trust me.
I went to the coast by train from Euston, and the Virgin...
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I heard that guy on death row in Utah got to choose his own firing squad.
He chose Heskey, Rooney, Lampard & Gerrard.
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The matches today are, uh, not going exactly as planned.
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Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance & The Camera
If you’re in London before October 3rd, check out this fantastic exhibit at the Tate Modern. When I first entered, the portraits of pedestrians in Manhattan seemed deceptively normal and nondescript. When I realized they had been surreptitiously taken at a great distance with a cleverly-rigged flash, things began to click. Spy cameras are on display, as are impressive examples of button or...
Why has Britain become so rude? →
givemesomethingtoread:
It shapes our humour, politics and even fine art – rudeness comes easily to the British.