Free-Spirited Acts #15-20; Strange day indeed

This has been a strange, strange day. It started with the Olympic torch relay, which as noted in my previous post, was very strange. What I didn't mention was on the way home from the relay I was crossing the street (J-walking I admit but that's not illegal here in London) and there was a car backing up in the street. I made eye contact with the driver and thought that she realized that I was going to walk in front of her car . That would work in San Francisco where pedestrians have the right of way, but not in London where pedestrians are unfortunate bumps in the road. She drove forward. I was furious and smacked the passenger window. Not very British of me. (free-spirited?) The driver's boyfriend got out and started yelling profanities at me, so, I said that I had made eye contact and yet she almost drove over my foot. "But she f$%#*ing didn't did she!" was his response. I just walked away.

Later in the day I was heading home from taking a London Walks tour. It was a fantastic tour of Little Venice which is one of the canals I love so much. As I smiled to myself thinking about how good the tour had been, I passed four children who seemed to be between the ages of 8 and 10. As we passed each other they screamed at me at the top of their lungs. Yes, screamed at me. I was so shocked (and a bit caffeinated from a Venti Chai Latte) that I said, "F-off! That was not OK." to them. This made them laugh and then say that I was a f-ing bitch and that everyone else thought it was funny. I looked into their eyes, which were covered with metallic green eyeliner and said again that that was not OK. As they walked away I said that some day that would happen to them and they wouldn't think it was funny. They kept pretending that they couldn't hear me as they giggled and inched forward - holding their ears like I was making no sense. Finally we were face to face. I looked at them good and hard and said it again. Of course they laughed and called me a c-nt. The whole experience left me shaky. Was this harassment? Bullying? Are these kids the future? (Read my recent post on bullying on my other blog Career Goals: Take the Lead).

I share these two scenarios because I have to wonder - is there some kind of different vibe I'm giving off lately? To balance these situations out I've also had many pleasant interactions today, more talking with strangers and making eye contact than my entire stay in London thus far. Perhaps I'm making myself more accessible? Maybe I'm preparing for my return to the States in May and am becoming more American in my behavior? Is it that I'm starting to become extremely free-spirited? Probably a combination of all.

Free-spirited acts 15-20

15. Danced around the flat when I saw the snow this morning.
16. Went to the Olympic torch relay and took photos.
17. Smiled and chatted to people at the event (again, not-British behavior).
18. Waved at the relay participants despite the overwhelming police presence and the fact that everyone else was waving protest banners.
19. Spontaneously participated in a walking tour of Little Venice canal.
20. Chatted with the tour guide and other participants and even learned some people's names (un-British to the extreme).

What I've realized in doing these 20 free-spirited acts is that I am already a very free-spirited person and everything I've done since Thursday are things that I would normally do anyway. However, I've become more aware of them and at times even a bit uncomfortable with my free-spiritedness. I'm certain this discomfort is magnified being here in Britain. In San Francisco I would just blend in with the street furniture.

New Orleans Replay in England

Watching TV coverage of flooded communities in England and listening to the stories of displaced people is like a replay of New Orleans. As when we were in Houston, the natural disaster is distanced from our London home but still feels too close for comfort.

Since moving here many American friends have asked me if England is always rainy. Up until about six weeks ago my answer was, "no, it is beautiful, warm and sunny." We had summer in April. Now that has all changed. The weather is unseasonably rainy and cold in contrast to last summer which was hot and muggy in London.

Is this global warming or a natural cycle? Weather reporters say that there were floods like this forty and sixty years ago. Is it that housing keeps getting built on flood zones, too close to flowing water? Is it over farming of the land, raising the water table and making it impossible for the ground to soak up any more water? Is it because rivers are damned, diverted or clogged? I suppose a combination of these factors.

No need to worry about our flat as we are on the first floor - which is really the second floor in American English terms.

Two Wheeling

Check this out - I won a folding bike from Time Out London magazine. I didn't want to reveal it until the bike was actually in my hands. Here it is - a Ridgeback Emmisary. Seven speeds, came with a rack and has its own bell. Would you believe the contest was sponsored by British Gas? How ironic.

Rode the bike home today along the Canal from Kings Cross to Paddington. Took me 50 minutes door to door including 10 minutes of walking the bike from my office to the canal. That's much better than the two hours it takes me to walk. Now that the Tube is getting steamy, no air conditioning and it seems to be facing constant delays, the bike is a super alternative.

Quick lessons learned include braking is opposite to the US. Left is back and right is front. Plus, I immediately learned to ride on the left as I nearly caused several water crashes. Also, ring that bell. Going under overpasses takes some care as well - they have low head room.

The best part is that I feel free for the first time in London - and - people smile at me. Some even said Cheers when I let them pass. I am happy as a lark. The bike rides like a dream.

I'm thinking of naming it Ike the Bike although am tempted to call it George like my Houston Scion.

Catering American Style

Americans know how to cater a party. At least that’s what me and David, our American intern at work, proved yesterday at a reception for our organisation. Of course, being a non-profit, we had a very limited food budget (drinks were already covered). What can you get for 100 pounds ($200 +/-) to cover 60+ guests at an evening reception during the dinner hour? Leave it to me and David.

We hiked up to our local Sainsbury’s, with a side trip to show David the nearby canal, of course, and did a whirlwind shopping spree an hour before the event. Prior to our departure our work associates daftly advised us, “don’t do it American style with lots of sweets, only savouries.” Taking this as guidance and not an insult we kept their words in mind as we dutifully wandered the isles of this grocery superstore.

Finding the most economical veggie, dip, cheese, olive and crackers (aka biscuits) options, we took bets on the tally. I was certain we were over budget but David kept on insisting we didn’t have enough and were definitely under budget. He’s a finance person so I think he had a clue.

As we shopped we threw all British etiquette to the wind and wandered the isles, loudly commenting on prices, randomly asking staff for help and generally being menaces. Did you know that toothpicks are called something else in the UK? I think they're cocktail stabs or something. Now that I think about it toothpick is not an inviting term.

As I gesticulated with a staff person trying to explain toothpicks David had gone all California on the “ghetto style” grocery cart (his words not mine) for which we had to pay a 1 pound deposit. He cleverly tinkered with the coin holder and got his coin out.

College Advisor: David, what did you learn on your UK internship?

David: How to finagle my deposit money out of a ghetto style shopping trolley.

College Advisor: Good man, you’ve made our country proud.

David: Oh yeah, and how to cater a party on a shoestring budget

College Advisor: I see a future for you in non-profits.

We get to the checkout and boldly inform the checker that we’ve taken bets on the total. At first she is not amused but as we cheered each item as she rang them up I think she felt the power of positive thinking. By the end she too was taking bets. Grand total: 51 pounds. Great news, we’ll go back for more. And so we went back into the bush to scavenge more grub. We finally topped out at 81 pounds. That's the American spirit.

Preparing the spread and placing it on the buffet table, for now it was a buffet in our minds and not some simple finger food gathering, our associates were impressed. Of course we had the one plate of cookies aka biscuits (why are both sweet and savory biscuits called the same thing and not cookies and crackers which makes so much more sense?)

All night the guests commented on the quality of the catering. We had only one black mark against our spread, no butter for the biscuits. Well, frankly, that’s plain weird. So with that one criticism aside we felt very satisfied with ourselves. Even the little pickles were munched up and that was our one risk item.

I will admit that the only plate that was full at the end was the sweet biscuits selection.

Darling, Want to See My Etchings?

My creative juices need some inspiration so I've signed up for an Introduction to Etching course at the London Print Studio. The course began last Wednesday and I knew instantly that it was a good fit as the studio is located on the Canal that I love so much. Doors open out onto a patio and we can stand out over the water and watch the wildlife.

I'm finding etching to be very exciting. It is one of my favorite art forms because it is so moody. Yesterday Stephen and I went to the London Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy of Arts to view classic and contemporary prints. What I realized - and this is very opinionated of course - is that prints are so much better than contemporary painting. Most likely its because you have to take your time to prepare the etching plate, work long and hard to create the image and then spend a good amount of time printing. The press is something that you have to share with others since they are so large and expensive and not something you can do in your own home. You have to really love your image and believe it is worth printing.

We made two practice plates and started printing in the first evening. The works are drying. I'll scan them in and post to the web later this week.