Chad, Dan, Molly, and Kimberly (above) and a bunch of others like Jessica, Adam, Adrian, and Charlie (not shown)are part of a new group of friends that have taken me in and shown me some good times. They are all welcome in Atlanta if they take me up on the offer. They
are also ready to meet Jen when she comes in a week. I can hardly wait!
Bruce played Roselita, Badlands, Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freezeout,
Glory Days, and Born to Run but did not do Born in the USA.
Yesterday after work I visited my friend and colleague Andrew at his lovely home in Collier's Wood. He has this amazing collection of Star Wars memorabilia, including all the figurines ever produced, several Darth Vader helmets, a few functioning light sabres (such as the one wielded by his son Adam) and countless other items. Very cool! He also has a treasure trove of World War I collectibles.
After checking out these collections we went to the local pub and watched the UK beat the USA 2-0 in a "friendly" football match in Wembly Statium. Despite the loss, we didn't look all that bad out there, and apparently some Americans play in the English Premier league and other European leagues.
You just don't see too many women playing jazz/funk saxaphone, but these two ladies did it quite well. The band is called Odd Job, and they played a high-energy set at the Notting Hill Arts Club. I found the band's myspace page if you're curious: http://www.myspace.com/oddjobworldfunk
Here I am pictured at the front of Windsor Castle, which is the largest and oldest continuously inhabited castle in the world. Queen Elizabeth II still stays here on weekends - including last weekend when this photo was taken. The Castle was built in the 1100s, but has had many expansions through the years. There is a quaint town that surrounds it, which runs down to the Thames. The prestigious boys school Eton is also nearby.
My Austrialian co-worker Donna and her English husband Ken took me for a nice drive in the country yesterday and we stopped at this pub in Marlow, which is where Mary Shelley wrote Frankinstein, about 25 miles west of London. Ken and I both had the "mixed grill" plate, which included sausage, steak, pork, chips (fries) and "black pudding", which is pig's blood mixed with pig's brains, or something like that. They intentionally (and wisely) didn't tell me what it was until I had some. I can't say I loved it, to be honest, but I didn't hate it either. The whole plate went well with the locally brewed ales we had.
Last night after our softball game some of my teammates and I went to this pub called Edinboro (not spelled exactly like the Scottish capital), which had this fantastic outdoor area with picnic tables, bars, and grills. Although obviously English, it kinda reminded me of some of the outdoor patio bars we have in Atlanta, like The Brew House, 97 Estoria, U Joint. My teammate Vicky, on the table facing the camera, bought me my first cider on ice, Magners, and I really liked it.
Can anyone tell me if its available in Atlanta?
Might become my summertime drink this year!
Last night, for the first time ever, two English teams played against each other in the European Championship Cup - Manchester United against Chelsea. The game was played in Moscow and something like 50,000 Brits flew there with tickets in hand. That left millions behind to watch it in the pubs, such as the Sussex Arms, pictured above, which near my flat. The game came down to penalty kicks, and it was quite tense. At one time Chelsea (the team I was pulling for) pulled ahead when Ronaldo's shot was blocked, but then Manchester turned it around and won. The place was split fairly evenly between the two teams: Chelsea is a London team, so there were many supporters, but the other London teams (Arsenal, Tottenham, and probably some others) all hate Chelsea, and there are also lots of Northerners in the area, since its near the train station. The place simply erupted at the end of the game, and this was the best I could do to capture it.
This is a fairly common thing to do - getting yourself photographed crossing Abbey Road as the Beatles did on the album cover back in 1969 - but its not easy. There is almost constant traffic and you need it to be fairly clear both ways. I took about 6 shots for this Mexican family until we got it just right (in full stride, equally spaced) and on the last try this driver yelled at us for slowing down traffic. I yelled back, "Hey man, all we need is love!" with both hands waving the peace sign, which didn't seem to go over so well with him.
Anyway, unfortunately the teenage girl that took this photo was not as careful about getting my stride right. In fact, she may not have known what the album cover looked like, or even why we were taking these photos in the street. Seemed the mom was most interested in the project.
You can't see much of Abby Road Studios (where the Beatles recorded their entire output) because there is a closed gate, but I could see some people in the lobby through a window so its still a functioning studio. The white pillars of the gate (you can see one of them at the far left of the photo) are covered in scribbles from people expressing their enduring love of the Beatles, and of John and George particularly. Its in a really nice, seemingly residential section of London a few miles from the center, not far from Regents Park.
After taking these photos I had my first-ever Iraqi meal at a nearby restaurant, which consisted of lamb and chicken , some tomatoes and pickles, and some crusty nan-style bread. It was pretty good and quite filling.
We spent a good part of the afternoon in Bath, England bathing in the same natural hot
spring mineral water that the Roman's did 2000 years ago. No shrinkage!
Later on we ate a fantastic meal at Dower House, which is in a section of town called The Royal Crescent, a huge 18th century half circle on a hill overlooking all of Bath. It was quite sublime.
I went to see this band, The Whip, last night with Mark, Aurea and new friend Michelle. The Whip is an up-and-coming electronica/pop band that sounds like a mix between Depeche Mode and the Psychedelic Furs. This is not a style I usually go for, but they were quite convincing and they won me over quickly. The crowd really ate it up as well, which made for a good vibe. The club, 93 Feet East, is on Brick Lane in the East End, and in addition to this 500 person room also has a nice outdoor patio and lounge area. I saw that the Southeastern band, Lucero, had recently played here as well.
Got back into London just after lunch local time after a long overnight flight that got delayed with an unexpected landing in NYC due to mechanical issues with the landing gear.
The weather here is beautiful and the Brits are not letting the opportunity for sunshine pass them by. All the parks and public spaces are full of folks basking in the sun.
I took this picture on the way to work just a few hours ago. There is a nice long horse path in Hyde Park and the stables are just accross Bayswater Rd very close to where I am staying. They keep this section of the city (and most sections for that matter) spotless and so I've not yet stepped in any horse shit - a significant point of pride for me.
It felt good to be home and to see Jen, Stella, my bandmates, and a
few random pals (you know who you are). The recording took up all my
time so I was unable to see many close friends, in fact I made a
point of not arranging anything in advance.
I'm not sure whether it was the 6 weeks in London, or because it
was Mother's Day weekend, but Atlanta seemed sleepy and mellow to
me. Hardly anyone walking around, and not much auto traffic
either. In London there is constant buzzing in the background -
Atlanta is mostly quiet except for the wind whipping through the
trees and the occasional booming car stereo. They are two very
different cities, that's for sure. Love 'em both!
