We packed a lot in the bit over a day we had there. It was a quick trip, but a successful one. We got lost walking around that city enough for me to get a fairly good feel of Dublin, and we saw a good handful of the sights. Here are the links to the photo albums I just put up. Hopefully the pictures and the captions will give you a fairly good idea of my trip.
A Day In Dublin Album
A Day In Dublin (cont.)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Dublin Ho!!!
Well I'm pooped and I'm packing. The last days of class have been crazy with all my teacher apologetically demanding work from us so that they could grade us for mid terms. Papers are written, projects completed and plays seen. I'm....
(at this point Julia comes in and very nicely reminds Allie that she is a bum and needs to help plan our Spring break given that it's days away. The next morning...)
Well then! I'm awake! Not that much sleep, but I can sleep when I'm dead, right? Har har har. But seriously folks, I'm going to Dublin... like... now-ish. I'm cramming the British version of oatmeal down my gulper and tugging on my socks. This is gonna be fun.
Last night I got to talk to Joey finally. He's all safe and sound in Ohio once more. Thank goodness. It's been awesome hearing about his adventures, but I've missed being able to talk to him on a regular basis. I get to hear about him chilling with all the people I love and it makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast here. I'm sure you can tell, but talking to him as he walked down the street in Shaker and hearing the Cleveland wind from so many many miles away... It won't be all that bad to go home after this.
Meanwhile, however, Dublin. Dublin then Cardiff, Wales, then two nights in Bath, then a couple on the Isle of Wight then Dover and then back home. Spring break never sounded this fancy.
Well I should get moving. Got a plane to catch! Love to everyone! Toodles!
(at this point Julia comes in and very nicely reminds Allie that she is a bum and needs to help plan our Spring break given that it's days away. The next morning...)
Well then! I'm awake! Not that much sleep, but I can sleep when I'm dead, right? Har har har. But seriously folks, I'm going to Dublin... like... now-ish. I'm cramming the British version of oatmeal down my gulper and tugging on my socks. This is gonna be fun.
Last night I got to talk to Joey finally. He's all safe and sound in Ohio once more. Thank goodness. It's been awesome hearing about his adventures, but I've missed being able to talk to him on a regular basis. I get to hear about him chilling with all the people I love and it makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast here. I'm sure you can tell, but talking to him as he walked down the street in Shaker and hearing the Cleveland wind from so many many miles away... It won't be all that bad to go home after this.
Meanwhile, however, Dublin. Dublin then Cardiff, Wales, then two nights in Bath, then a couple on the Isle of Wight then Dover and then back home. Spring break never sounded this fancy.
Well I should get moving. Got a plane to catch! Love to everyone! Toodles!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I have no shame...
My most recent video project for your viewing pleasure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCrgnugv9tw
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCrgnugv9tw
Enjoy!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Little sleep and river slime
Well, I got one midterm in the bag. My multiD project got done with a bit of craziness involved and very little sleep Sunday night into Monday morning, but overall, the experience was a great one.
The other two members of my group were in Paris over the weekend, which kinda put a damper on our getting things done in a timely fashion. Still, as soon as they got back, my fellow designers really kicked it into high gear until it was done... at about 8:10 the next morning... for a 9:00 class. We camped out at my dining room table with some snacks and our computers, tossing flash drives around like we were juggling. It was super fun to work with a team of designers from different backgrounds, though. I learned a ton, and I felt really good about teaching a couple things too.
Unfortunately, I only got 45 min of sleep. Then I had class, with a guest speaker that I really had to fight to keep myself awake for, and then I had a lovely time working on my video midterm project with Haley. Our assignment was to make a video with the prompt, "on my way to Faraday." Faraday being the name of our school building. However, we didn't necessarily have to have it take place on the way to Faraday, have it involve Faraday, or be anywhere near Faraday. This leaves the assignment pretty free to interpretation.
Now, as you know, I have no shame... and Haley likes to be behind the camera, so our video ended up involving the two of us wandering around the neighborhood between our school and the Themes river finding places for me to dance like an idiot. The rough cuts are looking promising. I look like an idiot, but a happy idiot.
After making a fool of myself and accientally getting Themes sludge (ewwwwww) all over me we decided to call it a day. I was able to go back home, throw my clothes in the wash and take a very long nap.
The rest is not too interesting. I did some research for my CMD project (get pumped people. this is gonna be fun!) and talked to my family and Joey's mom. Joey got stuck in an air port last night due to nasty weather. He should be home soon though! It'll be nice to hear about him chilling with a lot of my favorite people in Ohio!
Well that's the story. Gotta down my rice crispies and tea and skedaddle! Hope all is well with all of you! Cheers!
The other two members of my group were in Paris over the weekend, which kinda put a damper on our getting things done in a timely fashion. Still, as soon as they got back, my fellow designers really kicked it into high gear until it was done... at about 8:10 the next morning... for a 9:00 class. We camped out at my dining room table with some snacks and our computers, tossing flash drives around like we were juggling. It was super fun to work with a team of designers from different backgrounds, though. I learned a ton, and I felt really good about teaching a couple things too.
Unfortunately, I only got 45 min of sleep. Then I had class, with a guest speaker that I really had to fight to keep myself awake for, and then I had a lovely time working on my video midterm project with Haley. Our assignment was to make a video with the prompt, "on my way to Faraday." Faraday being the name of our school building. However, we didn't necessarily have to have it take place on the way to Faraday, have it involve Faraday, or be anywhere near Faraday. This leaves the assignment pretty free to interpretation.
Now, as you know, I have no shame... and Haley likes to be behind the camera, so our video ended up involving the two of us wandering around the neighborhood between our school and the Themes river finding places for me to dance like an idiot. The rough cuts are looking promising. I look like an idiot, but a happy idiot.
After making a fool of myself and accientally getting Themes sludge (ewwwwww) all over me we decided to call it a day. I was able to go back home, throw my clothes in the wash and take a very long nap.
The rest is not too interesting. I did some research for my CMD project (get pumped people. this is gonna be fun!) and talked to my family and Joey's mom. Joey got stuck in an air port last night due to nasty weather. He should be home soon though! It'll be nice to hear about him chilling with a lot of my favorite people in Ohio!
Well that's the story. Gotta down my rice crispies and tea and skedaddle! Hope all is well with all of you! Cheers!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Unobserved
When you live in a city you can never be alone. Maybe indoors, but not really. There's always someone upstairs or downstairs, next door or across the way who is always close by. In my case, there are seven other girls, SEVEN! in my flat. Alone doesn't happen very often. Outside... you're out of luck. If you do manage to find yourself alone, you're probably somewhere no sane person would want to be.
Tonight I found myself "alone" for a few minutes in the Goldhawk Rd. tube station. I put the word in quotation marks because you are never alone in a tube station or anywhere else in London for that matter. With CCTV, their video surveillance system, there's always someone watching.
Anyways, the train going the opposite direction I was going had departed, taking with it all the other separate souls who were previously keeping me company from the other side of the tracks. It was 9:00 on a Thursday night in a not-particularly-hopping part of London, so the people in the station were just individuals. Unattached. Like me. Still, though they didn't speak a word, they were there, observing. Everyone is an observer in a city.
Now before I arrived at station I had been whistling to myself, I was in a whistling mood, but before climbing the stairs up to the train tracks I had stopped so as to not annoy any of the silent observers on the other side. I'm not that great at whistling.
But then that train came, and then the train left, taking with it every other soul in the station. I found myself left alone, alone! on the platform. Suddenly I felt something, a relief from a pressure that I didn't even realize that I was under. I felt the joy of solitude, a kind of solitude I hadn't felt for months. The kind you don' get in the city.
You see, in the suburbs, where I have always lived, it's easy to access this solitude, and I did. Often. Or at my university. I love experiencing a public space that, in the daytime, is always populated, but, in the night time is deserted. It belongs only to me. In the same way I love a place that the general public generally visits in fair weather, but they abandon in the rain and cold leaving it just for me.
This is the feeling that suddenly came over me in the Goldhaw Rd tube station. I let out a whistle. A loud one. I whistled a tune. And then... I started to sing. Not word. I kind of sang-whistled, going doo-doo-doo to the tune in my head. To tell you the truth, I felt like dancing, but that security camera, though deaf, still had eyes somewhere behind it. Instead I paced to the music.
I guess this might not sound like much, humming and pacing, but I can't describe... it felt like much. It felt good. It felt like freedom. It was straight from the soul without any observers to judge. I filled the station with me. I was the only person to be that moment in the long history of that platform. It was all me, and all by myself. I don't know how long I was alone, but it could only have been a couple minutes. Soon a man with a cane emerged from the stairwell. I stopped whistling and pulled myself in so that I only filled a couple feet around me instead of the entire station. The man with the cane sat down and another person ambled in. And there you have it. It was so quick, but I had found something that I didn't know I had missed. I didn't even know it existed.
Now I'm sitting in another tube station, the one near my flat with seven other girls, and I'm writing this all down before the moment leaves me. trains arrive and depart. People pass around me. It's not normal to see a girl sitting writing in a notebook with no intention to move in such a temporary space as a tube station, but there you have it. I haven't since been alone again, and I know I'm being observed. I have the same song in my head, but G-d save me if it gets any further than that. Besides, it's about time to go home.
(Typed up from my notebook. I thought you might like to read it.)
Tonight I found myself "alone" for a few minutes in the Goldhawk Rd. tube station. I put the word in quotation marks because you are never alone in a tube station or anywhere else in London for that matter. With CCTV, their video surveillance system, there's always someone watching.
Anyways, the train going the opposite direction I was going had departed, taking with it all the other separate souls who were previously keeping me company from the other side of the tracks. It was 9:00 on a Thursday night in a not-particularly-hopping part of London, so the people in the station were just individuals. Unattached. Like me. Still, though they didn't speak a word, they were there, observing. Everyone is an observer in a city.
Now before I arrived at station I had been whistling to myself, I was in a whistling mood, but before climbing the stairs up to the train tracks I had stopped so as to not annoy any of the silent observers on the other side. I'm not that great at whistling.
But then that train came, and then the train left, taking with it every other soul in the station. I found myself left alone, alone! on the platform. Suddenly I felt something, a relief from a pressure that I didn't even realize that I was under. I felt the joy of solitude, a kind of solitude I hadn't felt for months. The kind you don' get in the city.
You see, in the suburbs, where I have always lived, it's easy to access this solitude, and I did. Often. Or at my university. I love experiencing a public space that, in the daytime, is always populated, but, in the night time is deserted. It belongs only to me. In the same way I love a place that the general public generally visits in fair weather, but they abandon in the rain and cold leaving it just for me.
This is the feeling that suddenly came over me in the Goldhaw Rd tube station. I let out a whistle. A loud one. I whistled a tune. And then... I started to sing. Not word. I kind of sang-whistled, going doo-doo-doo to the tune in my head. To tell you the truth, I felt like dancing, but that security camera, though deaf, still had eyes somewhere behind it. Instead I paced to the music.
I guess this might not sound like much, humming and pacing, but I can't describe... it felt like much. It felt good. It felt like freedom. It was straight from the soul without any observers to judge. I filled the station with me. I was the only person to be that moment in the long history of that platform. It was all me, and all by myself. I don't know how long I was alone, but it could only have been a couple minutes. Soon a man with a cane emerged from the stairwell. I stopped whistling and pulled myself in so that I only filled a couple feet around me instead of the entire station. The man with the cane sat down and another person ambled in. And there you have it. It was so quick, but I had found something that I didn't know I had missed. I didn't even know it existed.
Now I'm sitting in another tube station, the one near my flat with seven other girls, and I'm writing this all down before the moment leaves me. trains arrive and depart. People pass around me. It's not normal to see a girl sitting writing in a notebook with no intention to move in such a temporary space as a tube station, but there you have it. I haven't since been alone again, and I know I'm being observed. I have the same song in my head, but G-d save me if it gets any further than that. Besides, it's about time to go home.
(Typed up from my notebook. I thought you might like to read it.)
I'm Back Again!
Geez, I'm not doing so well at keeping you guys updated. So much is going on so fast, and midterms aren't helping. That's right, I'm already mid-term. Crazy, huh? Time flies when you're not being oppressed by one's major. Just kidding. But seriously, folks. This trip is flying by.
I think I'm gonna cop out like I did last time and give only a brief bullet point overview of things. I think the biggest event to take place over the last week was a visit to London from my brother. Rick came up to see me and a bunch of his buddies during a week vacation he had from work. It was really awesome to chill with Rick in London. I got to show him around a bit, and he brought me along to see a couple things I hadn't before. I had never been that close to Buckingham Palace, taken a boat down the Themes or visited Abbey road before he visited. It was also really cool to see his buddy from high school, Jussi. I got to see their little ikea infused flat, and meet his lovely fiance. Good times.
Other than that I've been out a couple times, gotten a pair of really attractive boots, and worked a lot on school work. Well, in chunks. To tell the truth, I haven't devoted as much time as I would usually think fit for my design work, but the academic expectations for us here in London are kinda skewed. They don't expect us to put as much time into things... it all spells out for a busy summer catching my CMD work up. I want to handle my next couple of projects a bit more gracefully though.
This week my first real multidisciplinary project is due. I have a lot of stuff to do for it this weekend. I also have a couple treats planned out for myself. I'm seeing a concert tomorrow night, and I'm going to a cool Byzantium exhibit on Sunday.
My next CMD project should be fun. We're asked to pick an issue in the community to focus on. Lots of people are doing drugs, or smoking or sexual health and the like. I decided to be a bit more upbeat. I took up boredom. I want to create a campaign to inspire people to exercise their brains and keep their minds spry. I have to do research and initial ideas and sketches this week. I'm excited.
Well. That's a bit about my recent past. I know I've been on and off at posting, but keep checking in on me. Also leave comments if you think of something to tell me. I hope you're doing great and that life is treating you well. Thanks for reading! Toodles!
I think I'm gonna cop out like I did last time and give only a brief bullet point overview of things. I think the biggest event to take place over the last week was a visit to London from my brother. Rick came up to see me and a bunch of his buddies during a week vacation he had from work. It was really awesome to chill with Rick in London. I got to show him around a bit, and he brought me along to see a couple things I hadn't before. I had never been that close to Buckingham Palace, taken a boat down the Themes or visited Abbey road before he visited. It was also really cool to see his buddy from high school, Jussi. I got to see their little ikea infused flat, and meet his lovely fiance. Good times.
Other than that I've been out a couple times, gotten a pair of really attractive boots, and worked a lot on school work. Well, in chunks. To tell the truth, I haven't devoted as much time as I would usually think fit for my design work, but the academic expectations for us here in London are kinda skewed. They don't expect us to put as much time into things... it all spells out for a busy summer catching my CMD work up. I want to handle my next couple of projects a bit more gracefully though.
This week my first real multidisciplinary project is due. I have a lot of stuff to do for it this weekend. I also have a couple treats planned out for myself. I'm seeing a concert tomorrow night, and I'm going to a cool Byzantium exhibit on Sunday.
My next CMD project should be fun. We're asked to pick an issue in the community to focus on. Lots of people are doing drugs, or smoking or sexual health and the like. I decided to be a bit more upbeat. I took up boredom. I want to create a campaign to inspire people to exercise their brains and keep their minds spry. I have to do research and initial ideas and sketches this week. I'm excited.
Well. That's a bit about my recent past. I know I've been on and off at posting, but keep checking in on me. Also leave comments if you think of something to tell me. I hope you're doing great and that life is treating you well. Thanks for reading! Toodles!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday Wandering
Happy Valentines Day everyone!
This is my effort to not keep you waiting another week for a post. Lots of little posts sounds like a better plan. Also I apologize to all my grammatically, punctuation-ally and overall-decent-writing-ally sensitive followers. I obviously don't (and will continue not to) review and edit these posts before publishing them. I sometimes read them again later and feel sorry for you guys trying to figure out what I'm saying, but overall you get the gist and that's what's important.
My newest project in my multi-discipline class (from here on known as multi-d) involves trying to eliminate wasteful packaging from a band/store found in London. My group, consisting of an industrial designer, interior designer and me, have decided to try and re-think packaging for cosmetics. We're still picking the specific brand. To get a better feel for our subject, the ID kid and I did some field research. We went to a place in London called Seven Dials ( http://www.sevendials.co.uk/ ). It was wonderful. The shops were so much fun just to go in and look around. After we bothered the ladies in a ton of cosmetics store we did some more exploring. There was this awesome store where everything was crazy patterned, and another with amazing so smart toys and trinkets and beard hats and a mirror with a mustache built into it. OMG. It was my favorite ever. I have to go back. Too bad the beard hats were L60 (that's my lazy british pound symbol).
After that outing I went to meet Haley at Leicester Square tube station. I got there early and walked around the neighborhood checking out what the stores and street vendors were selling. I even sat in the square with the pidgins and sketched a bit in the watercolor book my mom bought me. There was only one problem with the whole situation. I wasn't supposed to be meeting Haley at the Leicester Station... it was the Liverpool one. Oops. As soon as I realized my mistake I scooted my way across London as fast as I could to meet up with poor Haley. Julie also scooted from another part of town. Finally, the whole expedition party was assembled. We hopped on a train to one of London's suburbs so that Haley could do some research for her CMD project.
The train ride was ridiculous. The entire cabin was packed with people who were not talking. Seriously. I was only whispering to Haley and I was being too loud. It was bizarre. When we got to our destination we happily skipped off the train and into the 'burbs (where we were allowed to talk).
Pretty much we proceeded to have such a suburban night. We window shopped and played in Primark (the British Target) and tired on ridiculous things without buying anything. Reminds me of the good ole days back home. After getting bored of being ridiculous we went to a local pub and got super cheap pub food and drink. I got a lamb mint burger and a pint of Guinness. Yum!
A bit less oppressive train ride later we ended up back at my apartment where we drank tea and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and other fun things on YouTube.
This morning Bri and I woke everyone else with lovely music and our even lovelier faces so that we could make them a fancy French toast breakfast for Valentines day. The rest of the day is still in the making. I'll keep you posted. Take care everyone! Love!
This is my effort to not keep you waiting another week for a post. Lots of little posts sounds like a better plan. Also I apologize to all my grammatically, punctuation-ally and overall-decent-writing-ally sensitive followers. I obviously don't (and will continue not to) review and edit these posts before publishing them. I sometimes read them again later and feel sorry for you guys trying to figure out what I'm saying, but overall you get the gist and that's what's important.
My newest project in my multi-discipline class (from here on known as multi-d) involves trying to eliminate wasteful packaging from a band/store found in London. My group, consisting of an industrial designer, interior designer and me, have decided to try and re-think packaging for cosmetics. We're still picking the specific brand. To get a better feel for our subject, the ID kid and I did some field research. We went to a place in London called Seven Dials ( http://www.sevendials.co.uk/ ). It was wonderful. The shops were so much fun just to go in and look around. After we bothered the ladies in a ton of cosmetics store we did some more exploring. There was this awesome store where everything was crazy patterned, and another with amazing so smart toys and trinkets and beard hats and a mirror with a mustache built into it. OMG. It was my favorite ever. I have to go back. Too bad the beard hats were L60 (that's my lazy british pound symbol).
After that outing I went to meet Haley at Leicester Square tube station. I got there early and walked around the neighborhood checking out what the stores and street vendors were selling. I even sat in the square with the pidgins and sketched a bit in the watercolor book my mom bought me. There was only one problem with the whole situation. I wasn't supposed to be meeting Haley at the Leicester Station... it was the Liverpool one. Oops. As soon as I realized my mistake I scooted my way across London as fast as I could to meet up with poor Haley. Julie also scooted from another part of town. Finally, the whole expedition party was assembled. We hopped on a train to one of London's suburbs so that Haley could do some research for her CMD project.
The train ride was ridiculous. The entire cabin was packed with people who were not talking. Seriously. I was only whispering to Haley and I was being too loud. It was bizarre. When we got to our destination we happily skipped off the train and into the 'burbs (where we were allowed to talk).
Pretty much we proceeded to have such a suburban night. We window shopped and played in Primark (the British Target) and tired on ridiculous things without buying anything. Reminds me of the good ole days back home. After getting bored of being ridiculous we went to a local pub and got super cheap pub food and drink. I got a lamb mint burger and a pint of Guinness. Yum!
A bit less oppressive train ride later we ended up back at my apartment where we drank tea and watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and other fun things on YouTube.
This morning Bri and I woke everyone else with lovely music and our even lovelier faces so that we could make them a fancy French toast breakfast for Valentines day. The rest of the day is still in the making. I'll keep you posted. Take care everyone! Love!
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