Don't Worry 'Bout a Ting- Notting Hill Carnival

Lisa, Kate and I woke up at the crack of dawn yesterday on one of England's bank holidays (aka there is a big event going on, and no one wants to travel around the city because of it). Bank holidays are absolutely the BEST around here- everyone goes to the nearest beer garden and soaks in the sun and enjoys life for the day. People in England seem to generally take things much easier than in the States, and I totally dig it. Anyway, I digress.

We woke up at 8am to pop a bottle of champagne (aka cheap bubbly white wine- we're students, we're poor- sue us.) We made some mimosas and ate some muffins (that we hadn't made... lol ain't nobody got time fo dat) and jammed the early morning away to some reggae. We left for Notting Hill and when we arrived it was already packed! 
We bought whistles and composed a tune so we'd be able to find each other incase we got separated.. (*long, long, short- short, long*) It actually came in useful a time or two! 

We started walking and found several streets set up with gigantic speakers, street food, and venders selling reggae wigs and t-shirts. There were also dancers of all sizes dressed in feather and jewel adorned bikinis. I LOVED that all the girls were ROCKIN' their costumes, no matter what their size or shape. Girl power. 







We ate a few lunches- why? because we could- and the jerk chicken was DELICIOUS... both times. We also found tasty drinks that got progressively smaller and more expensive as the day wore on. Those first big pint glasses were to die for, though! Cheers!




A parade was moving through the streets the entire day, I don't know how the girls kept dancing. The floats were so colorful and alive. 

Each street we walked down was so unique from the last. One of my favorites had so many cool street art boards. All of the residents and shops in the area had boarded up for the event. Apparently, it can get pretty rowdy with fights and riots? We saw a little bit of that when we were in line for the portapotties and a group of people got in a HUGE fight over who was next. You haven't lived until you see a large dude punch another large dude out over a portapotty. Good Lord. 

Kate & Liis
in the streets!
Put the lime in dat coconut, girl!







By 2pm you literally couldn't move on the streets. We met up with our friends, Tom and Lilly, and it was a miracle we found them. By 5pm we couldn't stand the rowdy crowds, and I was stepping on bottles of Hennessy more often than I was asphalt. However, I will never forget the experience, or the sense of community I felt from the Afro-carribbean peeps. I'm glad we were able to join the party. If you want to see more pics from the day go to my album on Facebook. 

Cheers, y'all!

Carly 

Day in the Life of a Writer: As Told By Cats

Most of my days lately have been dedicated to getting this dang thesis FINISHED. 

I roll out of bed early in the morning (lol.. okay, maybe like 10 or 11am, but Stateside that is like 5am!)

Drag myself down the stairs...

Get some breakfast

...and start reading or writing on my dissertation.

Writers block IS a real thing, and I have gotten in a few tight spots.

Okay. A LOT of tight spots.

I've found that with writing, it's all about thinking outside the box.

But it doesn't take much to distract me, as many of you know from my consistent Facebook posts.

Most of the time during my dissertation research I felt pretty lost.

But somehow I've finally completed 60 pages- now for the edits!

Progress is progress, y'all- pound it!

The ladies of 170 do more than just write. We have a lovely park right around the corner, Clapham Common. On sunny days we go and sit on the lawn with some wine and cheese and try to look as posh as possible. 

Sometimes at the end of the day I bathe...

..buutt some days I'm like.. meh, maybe not.

Cleaning is usually a pretty good distraction from writing..

So is eating :)

Kate and Lisa try to get me to go on long leisurely walks, but I'm usually a "view from the backporch" kinda gal.

We end our days with a glass of wine or two, but usually fall asleep in between. PARTY ANIMALS!

At the end of the day, whether we were productive or not, we're still bad A cats.

Cheers, y'all!

Carly

Tips for the London Traveler

Many of my friends from home have asked me whether or not I've learned how to be a true Londoner, and the answer is- I hope so?
It is pretty obvious when you're out on the streets of London who the tourists are, and Londoners aren't exactly known for being the friendliest bunch 

(to all of my London friends apologies, you're lovely, but I know even I can get really snarky when its 40 celsius on the tube and you just want to get home from work)

So, I've devised a list of things travelers need to know before making the leap over the big pond. 

1. Know where the queue (line) ends and where it begins and NEVER cut it- if there is one thing you can do to piss off some Londoners, it is to try and skip the queue. No exceptions! You've been warned. 

2. When you're walking on the sidewalk, pull left not right when someone is walking towards you. This has become second nature to me now, but at first it was really weird.

3. When you're in the Tube stations, stand to the right on escalators, people continue to walk on the left! People who want to get to work or home quickly will be speed walking on the left side and aren't too happy when they have to ask by.

4. There is no ice- like... ever. It is rarely served in water or sodas. So, if you want ice ya gotta ask for it, and lots of places don't even consider keeping it, so you might just be SOL.

5. People are genuinely helpful most of the time, so if you're lost just ask someone who looks like they know where they're going.

6. Unspoken rules of the tube are don't stare at someone for more than two seconds, don't talk loudly if you're with another person or a group, if you're standing super close because it is crowded look down at your feet so people don't feel uncomfortable. These are dumb rules, but you're trying to fit in, right? 

7. ALWAYS let people OFF the tube before you try to get on. This is what I most commonly see people getting told off for. If you're blocking the doors and not giving a clear path, you might get yelled at and no one wants that scene with fifty other people around you.

8. Walk briskly not leisurely on sidewalks.

9. Tipping at restaurants is different here- 7-10% max is given, sometimes they automatically include 12% into your total. Don't tip in cabs unless they were especially friendly or efficient. You're going to feel like a jerk, and that never goes away. I still haven't gotten past it!

10. Adapt  your vocabulary:

UK                                 vs.                 US

Where is the 'toilet'?--------->  bathroom?

going on a 'bender'----------->we're 'partying' hard 

A 'bobby'-------------------------> Policeman

Look at those 'birds'!---------------> 'cute girls'

I'd fancy some 'mash'------------>mashed potatoes

"How have you found London?"--> How do you like it

'mobile'------------------------------->  cell phone

'Cheers'------------------------------->'thanks'  

chips---------------------------------> fries

crisps-------------------------------->chips

Pint of cider----------------------->hard sparkly apple cider, it is as popular and well stocked as the draft beers

Pint----------------------------------->beer, they don't use the word 'beer' here at all

cab------------------------------------->taxi

cabbie------------------------------->taxi driver

lift---------------------------------->elevator

flat----------------------------------->apartment

biscuit---------------------------------->cookie

diary------------------------>pocket calendar/planner

trousers-------------------------------> pants

Pants--------------------------------->underwear
(I learned this one the hard way when I told a girl at church that I liked her pants...ugh. Shoot me.)

Pudding----------------------------> dessert

fag---------------------------------> cigarette

"would you fancy"-------------->would you like

first floor----->one above ground level, aka 2nd floor

"Its 40 degrees out!"--------> really hot, boiling

"Its 25 degrees out!"---------> perfect weather

"Its -2 degrees out!"-----------> cold

Holiday-----------------------> vacation



11. You're gonna want to have this map with you at all times until you can memorize it...

12. London runs on military time, might as well get used to it, or risk missing ticket times...
13.00= 1pm           
14.00= 2pm
15.00=3pm
16.00=4pm...
You get the idea.

13. Americans care WAY more about the British Monarchy than the British do. I'm guessing this has something to do with our obsession with a fairytale ending. Meanwhile, this picture about sums it up..

14. And finally, a lesson on how to make a British person a cuppa (cup of tea) for teatime.

1. Turn on water boiler
2. Put tea bag in cup
3. Once water boiler has clicked off, pour water slowly over the tea bag (this allows for more teabag contact and therefore more caffeine)
4. Stir with spoon and let the teabag sit for a minute or two
5. Once it has been allowed time to sit, take out the tea bag (unless requested to leave it in) and add sugar and milk or cream per request. 

This is an important step process for the English! They find that Americans usually don't do it right (myself included before I was taught) and there is NOTHING worse than a bad cuppa!!

Cheers, y'all!

Carly 

Art on the Underground: I'm a Professional, Y'all!

A few weeks ago, I started my new placement at Art on the Underground. For those of you who don't know much about the London Underground or why someone would want to put art in a tube station, click HERE. What makes AotU cool is that many of these stations have been open since the mid 1800s, so there is so much history, and over 2 million people use the tube a DAY. The underground is something that connects the entire city together- anyone who lives here immediately recognizes the roundel (see picture above)

My first day, I had a brief meeting with one of the curators, Louise. She explained what her job was and asked if I would be interested in working close with her on the Mark Wallinger Poster Project and school Station Visits surrounding the Labyrinths. Mark Wallinger is a VERY prominent artist in London (he is known globally as well). He has become the first artist to put in artwork that connects a citywide railway system- all 270 stations in the city! 

I will be acting as assistant to the curator, talking with schools about submitting their posters for the Poster Contest. I was also excited about meeting with Mark Wallinger to judge the contestants (gasp, excitement, gasp!). If you want to learn more about the Labyrinth project, click here! It is very exciting to finally be doing what I’ve wanted to do all year. I’m really looking forward to learning all the odds and ends of what makes a program like AotU work.

In front of the Woodside Park Station Labyrinth

I will also be assisting on school group Station Visits. On Wednesday we went to Woodside Park Station to meet up with a group of 11-13 year old special education students. We asked them to present work that they brought with them- they had drawn their own Labyrinths and colored them. Many had very clever things to say about their work like, “Then I got off the tube and saw a dragon, and slayed it with a sword,” or “I went on the tube, saw a spotted blue dog, and then decided to get off for a spot of tea.” (a ten year old actually said 'spot of tea')  

Speaking of tea, I thought it was funny that my office has a tea station! There are thousands of tea bags, a fridge full of milk/cream and three water boilers. I've been drinking about six cups of tea a day- its an obsession. The funniest part is that next to the station they have tube seats for a sitting area! People of London, you know exactly what I mean, but for those of you back home I've posted a picture. 

This week I have been heading the School Poster Competition, which is a pretty big deal! Lots of responsibilities. I've been contacting teachers with inquiries, keeping track of schools on the registry list who have uploaded successfully, and at times uploading images for teachers myself when they are unable to.  I have learned a lot about using Word Press efficiently, which is the system that uploads information and images onto the website.

 As we have had almost 800 entries from 50 different schools I’ve had my work cut out for me. Of the 15 different teacher/headmaster inquiries/technical difficulty reports I received, 13 uploaded images into the contest successfully. I also designed a system for how Mark judged the posters.

Mark Wallinger in his studio judging the Posters! 
I went to Mark's studio today with Louise, and I was COMPLETELY prepared with a huge box full of entries! Mark was so friendly and welcoming to me as a new face on the project, so I really enjoyed it (and, lets be real, I was SOOOO excited to meet such a well known artist and get to pick his brain). The process could not have gone more smoothly. We now have 12 winning images: first, second, third, and runner up for each age group. The winners won't be announced until October, so I'm a little bummed that I won't get to see it through. 

Afterwards, though, Louise told me that I had done "brilliantly", and that  she wished she could hire me on for another year! I have been working really hard, and more often than not I'm the last person in the office at the end of the day, so having all of it pay off felt amazing! 

I've been a very busy girl and working really hard. I think cubicle life suits me :)