A View From The Hill

Movin' Time.

2009-12-03T00:10:00.002Z

I'm very sorry blogspot, but I'm moving.

I've been whisked away in the romance and delight (and awesome features) of wordpress.com

It's been fun, and many memories were had by all.

Find me at:

mmkwrites.wordpress.com

It's 8:44AM Tuesday, December 1

2009-12-01T09:17:00.000Z

Many new insignifica to report.

1. It's December. OH YES. I freaking love Christmas time. Lights, trees, decorations. cheery, holly, etc. JOY!
2. We got a new washing machine. Wohoo! In fact, our favorite handy man is installing it right now. He is so cute (the handyman) he is very short and nice and polish and cute. :) Always smiling and saying hello. ANYWAYS. That's besides the point. We're getting a new washer, which we are really hoping will actually wash AND dry things. The old one was I think close to ancient, and needless to say worked as well as washing it by hand in the sink. I'm not really sure anything really ever got clean. Eli is now reading the manual and pointing out all the things I did wrong during the test cycle.

Eli aquatinting himself with the new washer:

3. I have a four-day week this week and that makes me happy. :)

4. I am (slightly) considering moving to wordpress.com . They have many cool features and its nice and I'm being totally taken in by their mad marketing skills. No offense blogger, but you really need to catch up a bit.

5. It's officially winter here. It happened yesterday. All of a sudden it was cold. This morning 32 degrees! Seriously. I love winter.

Alright well, I'm going to go, because I have to prove that I am woman enough to handle the washer situation. More later.

Seeing More.

2009-11-28T00:45:00.002Z

Has Been a really good, busy, fun week.

On Wednesday we wanted to get some good chinese food, and thought about going to China town, but looked up places at Time Out and found a well-reviewed place just around the way from us on Queensway. The food was excellent. Great spring rolls, lovely hot & sour soup, my main was so-so, but Eli's was by far the winner. He had crispy pork & duck with rice. Scrumptious, tasty, savory and deeeee-lish. It was a small place called The Gold Mine. Upon entering there is a man with a small machete chopping crispy duck in the front window. The place was filled, which says something, because there are probably 5-10 chinese restaurants on the same street, and this was the busiest.

Thursday my two Aunties Susanna & Dorothy arrived in London, so we all went to grab a quick lunch on Thursday before Eli and I had work and class. We had lunch in the Carnaby st. area, which I had never visited. Great area, lots of boutique shopping, cute pubs. Just south of Oxford Circus, I definitely want to go back and explore more of that area.

Thursday evening went out with some friends from Uni. and another american friend. Tried to go to a few different restaurants in Soho that were recommended, but all were packed, so we settled on a Lebanese place that had a table open. Soho is such a spectacle, everyone out to see and be seen. Soho is home to sex shops, and just around the corner to the west end theatres. It was a busy night out, but luckily we had a seasoned Londoner to guide our way. Food was good, but we were all enjoying wine and conversation too much to really care. Some mojitos and three bottles of white later, we were basking in the beautiful evening while stumbling our way to the tube. There's nothing better than coming home after a fun night out.

Friday. Surprise, surpise, a little worse for the wear from last night, but it's haircut day! I found a salon online that had a good review so I booked an appointment. I booked with a 'junior stylist' as my hair is not colored or really complex, so I'm not going to pay 60 quid for a trim, ya know? you know. So, I had my appt. set for this AM, and lucky me (!), they called yesterday, and said that there were no 'junior stylists' available at my appt. time, so I would be with the salon director, but at the 'junior' price. yipppeee. The salon, TaylorTaylor, is an uber-glitzy little salon in east london, about a mile from Liverpool st. station. East London is really a great area. The spitalfields markets, boutiques, with a hipster-vintage vibe. Definitely another area I want to explore. Perfect way to start the morning, gave me coffee, massaged my scalp and left feeling totally refreshed. Had a class to go to, then got a quick nap in before meeting my aunties for dinner.

Got home a couple hours ago after a wonderful meal at Gaucho just off Picadilly Circus. Gaucho has posh, glam interiors with lots of cow-hide and and vintage looking (you know they're really not) chandeliers. Food was superb. Really, it was good, melt-in-your-mouth steak with sweet potato fries and a lovely chocolate & orange cake with coffee cream for dessert. Yumm yumm yummmmm. Only downside was it was on the dim side, and there was a dj playing techno music (? totally unnecessary) which was not fitting for the dining atmosphere. However, the good food and good company made up for it, and a lovely time was had by all. Seeing family was reallllly good. It's such a nice, warm feeling to be with people you know. Familiar faces are always comforting in a far off place. After a nice stroll home from Paddington station, we are lounging lazily and recovering from eating a bit too much.

This week it has really been a treat to see some parts of London that I hadn't seen before. The more I see, the more I realize there is so much still to see. I love it. There is a rush of seeing new places that I hope never goes away. What a thrill.

The photo below is one I took tonight on the way home. I know it's dim, but for some reason it's my favorite London-photo yet. Enjoy.

Lazy Saturday Mornings

2009-11-21T12:20:00.002Z

I am convinced my head no longer wants to associate with the rest of my body.

It probably had something to do with what toxins may (or may not) have been consumed last night. My eyeballs feel like someone is hammering on them from the inside. And for some UNGODLY reason, drunken me feels it NECESSARY to smoke ciggies. WHY, I don't know. But sober me hates drunk-smoker me, especially in the morning time. This morning after chugging water and 2 ibuprofen, and groaning for a bit, the wonderful and magnificent Eli offered to go to Starbucks to get some nourishment (preparing it ourselves this AM seemed somewhere close to astrophysics) in the form of espresso. Thank.God. Eli has now gone back out into the world of the living for thai take-away. Yes, I know, he is the best-est.

Last night we went to a bar called All Bar One . Right off Oxford Circus on Regent & Margaret st. Great wine selection, but we stuck with the house Rose. They keep the house wine in large vats which they use to fill reusable bottles. It's like buying a pitcher of beer, but wine, good too (and cheap!). After closing, we went to Moose a club off Oxford Street. In London, the pubs/eateries etc. close about 10-11, and then everyone goes to a club to continue drinking and let loose on the dance floor. Moose is pretty popular, so it was busy, but I had a great mojito, and Eli and I got to dance like wild drunk animals before heading home. Oxford street is all dressed up with christmas lights, and it was warm last night so it was a beautiful night for walking around. All in all a great time, but feeling it today sadly.

I promise to write a more intelligent and culturally significant post sometime soon. Seriously.

Interesting Article

2009-11-17T23:29:00.001Z

Well not really an article, but for all you people out there in blog-land! Enjoy:

1000 Awesome Things

Interesting Article

2009-11-16T09:54:00.000Z

Story from NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/world/americas/16mexico.html?_r=1&em

I found this article really interesting, and it shows a different side of how the recession is affecting migrants in the USA and in Mexico.

I should be writing an essay. Typical.

2009-11-15T12:12:00.001Z

Obviously, instead of doing this (writing a blog post) I should be working on an essay for International Organizations. However, I don't want to write an essay right now. It is entirely too beautiful out to be quiet and focused in my little flat. .....I did spend...like.. an hour....ok...45 minutes (maybe..between reading the news and fbooking my life away) finding articles on JSTOR for said essay. However, I now have a topic, want to hear it? It's totally fascinating (sarcasm)!:

Assessing the relative importance of the political and the legal in the operations of UNESCO. I'm going to use Afghanistan as a case study I think, because it has been ravaged from war and all of these historically important cultural objects/sites/etc. have been..um..well...F*cked up for lack of better terminology at the moment. Hopefully my essay will be a little bit more developed than that. Maybe not, who knows. I figure the term "relative importance" gives me a little room for creative license.

SO THERE. It's sunday, give me a break. I had a week off of school, and I have to go back tomorrow. I'm relaxing (even more, as if I've been SO productive this week, jesus.) before it all begins again. On a much better note, Eli has made a full recovery and has a full day of watching the chillins (there are 4 of them in total, and the other full-time nanny is there as well because the parental units are out for the day). I am going to go over and visit in a bit. Glad Eli feels better, he NEVER gets sick, so when he says he doesn't feel well I know something is majorly wrong.

Saturday: I was trapped inside all day doing basically nothing (by trapped I mean lazy), also the weather was totally shit. It kind of felt like dusk all day, not like it really even got to be daytime. And it was raining and seriously windy. However, in celebration of Eli's good health we decided to go out to dinner to this pizza place that we have been eyeing on Westbourne (google maps: Westbourne Grove, London W2) which is oh so originally titled, Italian Pizza Connection. We kind of thought it was like a beer/pizza/sports type place, not so much. Cheap, but more upscale than we really imagined. Oh well. The Pizza = ROCKIN. WOW. it was so good. really. It was GOOD. Our waiter tried to speak to us in italian. Genuine italian thin crust, so molto benne. They kept saying "prego, prego". It was such a good time. We took half the pizza home too. It was so big. It says 16", but its more like 2 feet long and a foot wide. Huge (and cheap!). I'm excited to take my dad there, he will love it. Yumm.. I need to get a picture next time I walk by.

Ok back to being (moderately) productive.!

Interesting Article

2009-11-14T12:03:00.001Z

Story from NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/world/asia/14beijing.html?_r=1

Interesting Topic. I find China's comparison inadequate and overly convenient and...well. wrong. Not even mentioning that the American Civil war was in the late 1800's, and the attacks against the Tibetan people were in the 1950's, and are basically still going on in some places. Oh, and now they are having territorial issues with India. This is an overly simplistic argument that isn't applicable to the current day and age, especially with the development and participation in current global governance regimes. I think Obama is doing the right thing by meeting with Japan, Taiwan and HH Dalai Lama. It's a quiet method of balancing against China while quelling the idea that he is doing just that.

Sicky Sick Sickerton

2009-11-13T14:02:00.000Z

Eli is sick. :( sad day! He started feeling ill last night while we were out for a few drinks in Notting Hill. We came home and he proceeded to stay up all night puking. It was hard to see him sick. I tried to help as much as I could, but he had such bad nausea that there wasn't much I could do. Its tough because he is always the one that helps me when I feel bad. Also, there is no substitute for not being at home. It always seems like being sick isn't nearly as bad when your at home with your mom.

I asked Eli (after several hours of running to the toilet) "What would your mom do?" He said, "She would go get me some 7-uppppp..ughfjakdjfakdjf(stomach gurgles)..."

If I thought any store would've been open at 1:30AM I would gone in an instant, but we haven't found a 24-hour store anywhere close to here and not even tesco or sainsbury's is open 24-hours. So he finally got a few hours of sleep and I went to sainsburys this morning in my pj's to get 7-up, something to calm his stomach down, and an air-freshener (small apartment, not good smelling when one inhabitant is sick). He finally got into a deep sleep this morning after taking some meds. He is now asleep again so hopefully will feel better after a good snooze.

(I have been washing my hands like a crazy person, and am thinking about sending the laundry out, and disinfecting the entire apt.)

Something about being away from home always makes being sick worse. It's the worst. I know I did everything I could do to make it better, but there is no substitute. I remember when I got sick in India (both times I visited), it just felt like no one could possibly care as much as your parents could. Something about being in a clinic in a city of 20million, on a 110 degree day and your freezing your ass off because your ill really makes you miss home. I hope Eli feels better than that, although I'm no replacement for Dr. Mom.

Manksgiving. (Mock + Thanksgiving)

2009-11-12T15:03:00.000Z

Nothing is more joyous than cooking and baking and drinking wine.

My lovely friend Katharine offered her home up for cooking our thanksgiving feast (Which works out well, because at our flat one can be in the fridge while simultaneously lying in bed and doing the laundry. Really. SO, needless to say our place is a bit small for such a feast). We went to Sainsbury's and got supplies but had to take the jaunt to Waitrose to find specialty items. Unfortunately, no one seems to sell turkeys here until, like, the day before christmas, because (not surprisingly) nobody really eats big-ass turkeys on non-holidays. We settled on a nice big chicken instead.

We made (in particular order of importance):
-Pumpkin Pie
-Apple Pie
-Roast Chicken
-Stuffing
-Cranberry sauce
-Sweet Mashed Potatoes
-Broccoli
-Green Beans

Oh and we drank white wine, red wine and mulled wine. :) Yummmm. They sell mulled wine by the bottle here, which is really one of the better ideas I've ever come across. Perfect winter drink.

NO! I did not mean to burn the pumpkin pie! K. has a convection oven which I was not used to! All made from scratch except the pumpkin which came from a can.

All in all a very successful evening. Who can complain with eating, drinking and being merry? I love the holidays.

On another note:
Since moving here, we have taken up a much more active lifestyle (mostly because we walk everywhere). I also run, try to eat healthy, and am currently trying to lose that last stone. Eli, on the other hand, by simply walking more and eating out less, can no longer keep his pants up because they are all too big. He just had to put in a new hole in his belt. Seriously. Not. fair.

The Hardest Things.

2009-11-09T20:15:00.000Z

It takes me a long time to fall asleep, as always. Last night, waiting to fall asleep, I was thinking about my friends at home. To me, I am finding that the hardest thing. As adults, or something of the sort, I feel like Eli and I know who we are, and know who we are comfortable hanging out with. Finding a new group of friends is like going on a blind dates, or to an audition. Meet. Drink. Try to be yourself, not offend anyone, or say anything too blatant, honest, or obscene. Go Home. Next Day: "Should I text her/him?" "oh god, why did I drink that much? Did I embarrass myself?" "I hope they like us!".

You have to learn about views, life, family, background, etc. Often, as you would guess, views clash or differ. Not that it's a bad thing, but... There's no replacement for friends you got. So, to our dear friends, weeeeee miiissssss youuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!

Went on my usual run today in the park. Mistakenly, I left at 4:15pm. One would think, 4:15pm, alright, definitely enough light to go running before it gets dark. Wrong (as usual). Dusk..in Hyde Park....no lights...minimal people. I kind of assumed there would be other people...not so much. Rather frightening...I ran preeettttyyy quick. Despite my pace, the guy was still coming round to lock all the gates shut, so I had to basically sprint to the one he was locking to get out. Apparently there are exits for people in the park after the gates are locked, but as I mentioned, there are no lights, so easier said than done. Have I mentioned the park is big? 625 Acres big (smaller than Central Park, in case you were wondering). So finding the few dark, sketchy, exits not the most fun task I imagine.

Have I mentioned I'm excited. OH MY. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow from some friends from school. SO excited. Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, potatoes, apple pie, pumpkin pie, DELIGHT! I loooovveee cooking and baking, and I'm going to be doing it in a proper kitchen. I'll post some pictures! Eli and I are off to buy chocolate soy milk!

London Lesson #1

2009-11-07T17:35:00.000Z

I might have been a little (or a lot) grouchy this week. However, it's now the weekend and my sweet, sweet boyfriend has bought me breakfast, and organised a trip to Paris in February, over Valentine's Day surprisingly(!), and planned a night out for us. Totally makes for a great start to reading week.

Went running in Hyde Park, beautiful cloudless day. I start my run in Kensington Gardens, and today could see all the way to the City. Shaping up to be a great week!
______________________________________________________________________

London Lesson #1:
When in London, and referring to "The City", one is referencing the financial district in East London. Eli and I take the Hammersmith & City tube line, which runs east and west, and connects Hammersmith (West London) to The City (East London).

Remember, Remember the 5th of November!

2009-11-05T16:23:00.000Z

WELL! Happy Guy Fawkes day! One more class until reading week. :) . Joy.

I apologize to all those who have had to hear my b!tch about school (especially Eli! Sorry honey, I love you! Thanks for listening, I know it makes me a grouchy-bitch). However, I do appreciate it. This past week, I have really began to understand that I need to study and do what I'm used to. I did well during my undergrad, and need to keep my same studying habits, and remember the ways I learn best, and NOT stress out about the little things. Keep it simple. People tend to over estimate things. Simple. :)

OH PRAISE GOD. The wonderful Mrs. Efird sent us a care package with Pumpkin H'ween sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies (and also apparently coffee, but I have been so distracted by the cookies, I haven't even seen the coffee yet.....don't judge.) Wonderful. I may, or may not, have already eaten b/w 1-4 cookies. And a hot chocolate. Whatever. I ran 5 times this week. hehehehe....

Oh the wonders of the British Schooling System.

2009-11-03T09:30:00.001Z

So, luckily, half-way into their grueling 10 week terms (apparently undergraduate terms are 8 weeks), the british decided that us students have just been working so hard, so we get what's called "reading week". Wonderful. I.love.it. A week off of school to "read". Brilliant. Unfortunately, I still have four more days to go until then, but I'm not really feeling the love yet this morning for IR Theories. Oh well. Happy November. :)

UPDATE:

I have just found the 'graduate common room' at the main quad. awesome. totally makes up for the fact that i'm about to go to ir theory and understand about 30% of the readings. great.

1 November

2009-11-01T17:31:00.001Z

Such a beautiful weekend here. The leaves are all changing. I just got back from a nice run in Hyde Park, and I love how it reminds me so much of home. Running on the paths reminds me of N. Washington, and how all the leaves fall on the street. All the leaves fall and it just looks like a blanket covering the street and walkways. Because Hyde Park is so big, there are no cars or buildings, just trees and space to enjoy, which is such a relief sometimes in such busy city.

(Image Compliments of: http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/images/big/autumn.jpg)

Halloween

2009-10-31T19:20:00.001Z

Another wonderful day in London.

Went to a cute little bar last night called MauMau that has a casual relaxed feel at night and sells caribbean food and coffee during the day. Had a (uber tasty) mojito that cost an arm and a leg but whatever. It was in a very large glass and I love anything with mint in it. Fun friday night all around after a kickin week at school.

Today, the usual. Wake up, mint latte, go to portobello.

As you can see, we ate pretty well. I had to document Eli eating a vegetarian stand though, never thought I would see the day.(!)

We bought some gruyere cheese that has roasted tomatoes in it, and a loaf of raisin challah (which is one of the best things that I have ever experienced, truly).

Dropped food off at flat, then went to the British Museum to take in a few exhibits. We donated by buying a nicer map of the museum, we know we will be back, and there is no way to see it all in one day. Beautiful space, and really, wow, so much to see. Way to go British archaeologists with all that looting of other people's countries in the early 1900's!! Colonisation did the British art scene good!

After the museum, we trekked down to Borough Market and proceeded to consume MORE food, i.e.: fresh squeezed juice, brownie, burger, fries, oh and we got some free pasta to take home. Not the most diet of days, but hey whatever. We walked a lot.....i guess....

Just got home about 6pm and Eli is taking a snooze before we get ready to go meet some people from my program for some halloween drinks. Our h'ween costumes (cost less than 3quid combined!) are: an orange shirt (inside out) with black tape to make a jack-o-lantern (eli), and bunny ears & tail that I got at accessorize for 1.70! Should a great halloween!

Tuesday-Loseday.

2009-10-28T11:09:00.001Z

Made it through the nightmare that is monday and tuesday. It's like getting an ass-kicking. I have never been in a situation where I had a problem comprehending, analyizing and criticizing issues but IR theories really pushes the limit. I read the articles and (naively) think that, "oh yeah, I totally get this", take notes and move on.

WRONG.

During seminar it is amazing to see the alternative interpretations of these articles. I have such a minimal comprehension when it comes to discussing them. It is really the only time that I feel my undergraduate education has let me down, BUT I am definitely not blaming it on that. I realize that I need to push my brain into a new way of thinking (despite it being boring and difficult). After seminar yesterday Eli met me for a quick dinner, which was lucky as I was feeling VERY overwhelmed and almost lost it (panic-breakdown-mode) while walking down the street. Oh and then after that I get to go (attempt) to speak in french for two hours. joy.

E. is having a nice vacation week because the kid (1/2 boy -1/2 wildchild) he is nannying has a fall break. Tonight we might go the Science Museum for 'Adult Night' which should be really cool (However, we would miss True Blood and that would be tragic). But the week has calmed down a lot now after getting pass the first two days and I can get most my studying done while Eli sleeps in the morning which is pretty convenient (despite having to get up at 7:30AM).

What I Learned This Weekend.

2009-10-26T11:28:00.001Z

Because my name (Marguerite) means 'Daisy' in french, it is a popular name for cows in France. F#cking seriously. God. As a young woman, I have enough issues with my body, now I have to worry about all the francophones comparing me to fat fucking livestock.
By now, We should know that going out for 'a few drinks' rarely is just that, and will probably end up with me eating a lot of hummus at midnight and seriously black coffee in the AM. Holy.hangover.batgirl.
Blisters are the new black. Okay. I get it. European/British/big city/whatever women are fabulous. Somehow they trounce around all day in their cute little shoes and don't seem to bitch about their feet Aching. I can only imagine the bonzer callouses their feet must have built-up. UGH josie-grossie.
Life in london would be a lot more fun if I could learn through osmosis. fuhhhhhhh. i'm hungover and don't feel like reading about complex things today. blegh.

Sunday-Funday.

2009-10-25T16:16:00.005Z

Went to Camden market today (of course the northern line wasn't going through king's cross so of course we had to make a detour back to Euston, and then obviously, the Camden town station is closed to outgoing passengers on Sunday because of congestion). Although, Camden was quite incredible, the shopping was AMAZING and CHEAP. Eli got a gi-normous piece of pizza (yummmm) and I got a latte with mint (horribly typical). Lots of dirty hippies, italian tourists and vintage clothes with a hint of grunge-alternative-edge. Too many piercing/tattoo/leather shops to count. Costa Coffee was down the road from a place that specialized in dread locks, and on the other side a deeeeeeply discounted designer shoes -brilliant. However, it was incredibly busy, and made me realize why our neighbourhood (Westbourne), is the best.

In our little Wesbournian home, we are far enough from Queensway for it to be quiet, and also far enough from Portobello to avoid the other masses invading Notting Hill on the weekends. I love our neighborhood. I love all the smells, sights and grocery stores. I love that there are skate parks for Eli, italian, sicilian, lebanese, persian, mexican, french, chinese and too many halal & kebab shops for one lifetime. Walking home at night, we smell the hookah smoke from the men at the persian restaurant and fresh falafel.

_______

We walked from Camden down to Euston sq., and it just floors me that I am here, seeing this beautiful city and all its sights. Seeing new places and aspects of this city everyday is such a wonderful feeling, that I am lucky to have.

H'ween.

2009-10-24T17:57:00.003+01:00

MMK: "O00hhhh halloween, Can I get a pumpkin and carve it?"

Eli: "No."

thanks. DEBBIE-DOWNER.

(Compliments of: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/images/2006/10/27/four_pumpkins_470x353.jpg)

MEP mmk

2009-10-24T12:03:00.003+01:00

Went to Brussels this week for EU Moot Negotiation. Thursday was dedicated to a negotiation simulation in Parliament, and Friday in the European Council.

Left on Eurostar on wednesday night, got to Brussels at about 8:30, arrived at hotel about 9ish. We were then assigned to political parties (there are seven political parties in the European Parliament). I was in the Alliance of Liberals & Democrats of Europe (ALDE), we only had 10 MEPs (members of European Parliament), the largest parties had 20 votes (S&D) and 30 votes (EPP). We were up until 2AM wheelin & dealin with the oppostion. It was very Josh Lyman-west-wing-ish. Up at 6AM the next day, we were in a good position for negotiation, we were able to bargain to get the priorities are party was looking, unfortunately this meant kind of screwing some of our alliances and coalitions, but hey, that's politicians for you. Our team ended up with second most points for the day, and one of team won the individual competition. Good day!

At the end of day two, we divided up into our member state teams. I was on the Romanian delegation and we had pretty moderate views on the whole mobile roaming topic, so were in a good place for negotiation as well. Our attack-dog negotiator did awesome finding the best coalitions for us, and our team ended up getting 2nd place! It was awesome. We worked really hard on the position paper and we got full points for it, it was a good feeling. The German team got first, and a girl from UCL was on that team as well. Neither of us were from EU member states either. :)

It was a good learning experience and a whirl-wind few days, but now I'm glad to be home being lazy on a saturday with Eli. :)

New lease on life, maybe not life, but at least this morning.

2009-10-21T10:33:00.003+01:00

By Tuesday evening I usually feel as if I have gotten my ass-kicked and have to get Eli to reassure me that I was NOT crazy by signing up to do this, and that I AM smart enough to do this, and WILL finish my master's degree, despite not really feeling like it at certain points in time. I wish I could just live in London for a year and then someone would just throw a diploma at me. That seems like a viable way to get a degree, right?

Tuesday is International Relations Theory lecture and seminar (2hrs) then followed from 7-9PM French class. Let's just say they set the bar pretty high in these classes. By the time I finish with French I want to come home and watch CSI: NY and look at failblog for hours, NOT think about anything, because my brain HURTS. I get neo-classical realism theory mixed up with If-then clauses in the imperfect & conditional tense. BAHH i don't evenwanttothinkaboutituntilnextweek.

ANYWAYS. I'm off to Brussels today for Model EU and I'm very excited! It will be a great chance to get to know more people in my program as well as people from other schools in Europe. Last time I went to one of these type of things it was a great time and us nerds really got to let our nerd-ness shine bright. Our team has prepared very well so I really think we will do great, maybe we will even win and then they will say, "hey, you should quit grad school and I will pay you 500,000euro a year to come be the president of the EU."

I can dream. bye.

Woo Pig Sooie - London Style.

2009-10-17T18:14:00.010+01:00

Busy week with school, going to Brussels next week as well, very exciting, but have a lot to work still to do. Eli got a job this week! Starts on Monday, SUPER awesome! :-) He will be a part-time nanny for a boy that lives in Notting Hill. Should be fun for him and a good way to make some cash money(!). He starts on Monday and will work 4ish days a week.

Had our typical Saturday morning/afternoon time at Portobello market, this time we got Paella, a spanish dish ( I think) that has rice, veg, and meat. It is cooked in a huge flat skillet starting with rice and stocks and whatever you want to add. It starts as a kind of stew then gradually the bottom layer of rice burns together, the liquid cooks off and then it is mixed up so you get a little crunch when you eat it from the slight burning of the rice.

The paella was very good this morning as were super hungover from last night! We were going to go out to some different places because we had only been to a couple bars in the area. We started out at Gooch which is around the corner from us, and met Bruno (nice italian guy who Eli has met before). We told Bruno we wanted to go see some different places and he sprung into action, and let me tell you I had no idea what we were in for! So, we had some drinks and then started our adventure. Mistakingly we tried to go the tube, but Bruno corrected us and shoved us into a cab to show us a real night out in London. We went over Covent Garden and went to this umm..club? bar? club I guess, called The Roadhouse. Wow. I have definitely have never been into a place like that. Ten pounds (per person) to get into the door, bag searched, metal detectors, crazyness. Walk downstairs (which I later fell down and was laughed at but whatever) and HUGE with people everywhere, live DJ, 2 or 3 bars. It was crazy, flashing lights, bumping bass, and their well vodka was Stoli (happyhappy).We danced our asses off for like an hour or so and then were informed it was time to go elsewhere. We were going to another bar which was a ways away, so Eli, Bruno and I climbed into a RICKSHAW for a quick ride down the road. I was a little buzzed by this point so was sticking my head out to catch the wind in hair. Hi-lar-eeee-us. So we get to this other bar where the cover is only five pounds (eeek) and vodka shots are 1 pound (trouble). We dance, dance, dance. Seriously, I think we heard Poker Face (techno version) like 5 times, Eli woke up singing it this morning. After deciding it was time to leave (too much vodka) we thought it would be a BRILLIANT idea to go eat some chinese food/kebabs or something. UNFORTUNATELY, everyone and their dog was trying to get a cab at the same time, so that took FOREVER. There are so many people. I just am still surprised how many people live here. The bars were all packed and the buses were full at 1:30AM taking people home. Anyways, we totally failed at getting late night food but had a FABULOUS night out clubbing in London. :-)

Tonight we are going to have an equally good night! We are going to a BBQ place (yes, really) that is showing the Razorback football game tonight! Woo Pig Sooie! We are looking forward to it, and are hoping there might be some other razorbacks living in London. Even better, it is less than 1 mile from our flat so a quick walk. WOO PIG!!!! I hope Tim Tebow breaks his leg.

Well, I must get ready, Go Hogs!

Well

October 10

2009-10-10T10:51:00.003+01:00

Beautiful Saturday morning here in London!

The weather really has been great since we got here, only a few days of rain. Going to walk down to portobello road market in a bit to have a couple bites to eat! So yummy! Such a wide variety of food and everything. I need to take more pictures, I know this year is going to fly by.

Eli has had a job interview which seems to be pretty promising and I really hope it will work out well for him. I have a good feeling it will, but nobody likes to wait around for answers! (Especially in an expensive town) On the bright side, he has successfully seen much more of London than I have because of skateboarding. He has checked out 5 or 6 parks, a couple of events and other places all over which I think is great, I haven't seen that much yet.

We went to the movies the other night to see The Invention of Lying. It was cute, we liked it...maybe 2 or 3 stars. ha. Anyways, we went to a theatre in Notting Hill and it was so cool! It was way old and here was all this baroque looking architecture, and a balcony and little opera type boxes, the red velvet curtains were still hanging. It was a great way to see a movie in my opinion!

School is good. Different, but good. Going to kick my ass, but good. I love that my brain is getting a good work-out. Its a different way of learning that I like, but that I will need to get used to, and I will have to stay very organized!

Well I'm going to try and wake Eli up so we can go to Portobello and eat some good food, it's too beautiful of a day not to be outside (i will take pictures!!!)

Love---mmk

London Town

2009-09-20T18:28:00.001+01:00

Arrived yesterday AM in London, got into apartment and got everything set up no problem. So, no I am attempting to organize everything so its not a TOTAL disaster when Eli gets here this weekend.

I love our neighborhood it's so great. It has a ton of different shops, bakeries, markets all with different ethnic orientations. There is a thai take-away place just around the corner and the supermarket Waitrose is the best!

Apparently I am in the city of Westminster, about 3/4mile north from Hyde Park. Beautitul!

More news later! Here is a pick of the shoe box that is our apartment.

I'm the worst blogger EVER.

2009-03-29T21:23:00.000+01:00

SO, my apologies for being the worst blogger who has evidently not had an update in over a month. :(

We are coming up to the beginning of April, and it's time to dig in. In one month's time I will almost be done with my time at Universal and with being a full time student at the U of A. I am fervently checking the mail in hopes of my grad app acceptance (or decline) letters arriving! I am excited to hear about what this next is going to bring my, and Eli's, way.

Beautiful day here in Fayetteville, and I am about to go to Stella's for dinner and "social intercourse" as my dad would say. I am still trying to get caught up from being out last week, and these next two weeks are going to be rough, but take me one step close to being done w/ school. :)

Weekend mornings are my favorite!

2009-02-22T16:53:00.000Z

Eli started his new job this week. He is now a full-time tutor at Springdale High School! AWESOME. Great start which will definitely help him get a job as a teacher! Very exciting, and I am so proud of him.

It has been a busy couple of weeks, b/w school, work, etc. Just now being able to balance everything going on. HOWEVER!!! I have finished my grad school apps, and sent them off. Now, i'm just waiting for my references to upload their rec's and hopefully they will let me in!!! The QWC is the best thing ever. My tutor at the Q-dub totally helped me pump up my personal statement essays, and I told her if I get in, she is totally getting some flowers delivered to her in thanks!!! Eli has also talked to a couple different groups in London about routes he can take to become a certified teacher in the UK. Turns out tuition might be cheaper than doing the master's program here.
We are running off to London next month (hopefully to interview/visit schools we applied to), very exciting, Eli's family is also going too! I think it will be a great family vacation, and I am hoping they will have a wonderful time.

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Sunday AM-
Woke up this AM, cooked Eli some bacon and eggs, yyyumm..I had raisin bran (something a little wrong about that, but whatever). Being a little lazy and enjoying the weekend. Eli is about to leave to go to the baseball game. It's a litte chilly for me to just go and stand outside somewhere, so I'm opting out. February is almost over, and I'm glad that my undergraduate career is almost behind me. I'm ready for some change. I'm very happy here, but am ready for something new.
_____________

GRAD SCHOOL.

2009-02-07T17:04:00.000Z

So, I've officially decided to apply to grad school. Scary thought.

However, the thought of graduating with no job prospects is even more frightening. Especially when the only job prospects involve something I"m not really sure I even want to do anyways. UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Joy. Anyways.

I am applying to grad school. Officially. The only thing that is going to stop me is if a job literally FALLS into my lap. Lucky for me, the economy is shit and no one wants a fresh college grad. SO, the schools I am applying to are:

1. King's College London

2. Sciences Po - Paris

3. A yet-to-be-determined school in NYC. (Any opinions or ideas?)

Now, I just get to stress about getting in (Kelly- now would be your time to chime in with words of support). I don't really think I look good on paper, which SUCKS, so who knows. BUT, I have started the application process, and that is the first step! WOOp woop!

Anyways, yesterday, Kelly texted me about a plan-in-the-works to go hiking nepal, needless to say, I would be SO down to go. In fact, I was talking to Neralich (the person who planned the first two trips I made to Asia) about going back the other day. He is looking into a hike in the Dolpo region of Nepal, which is one of the most untouched places there. Visas are scarce and expensive as to preserve the area. The book "Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiesson gives a wonderful description of the Dolpo in the 1960's (or 70's, can't quite rememer). Here is a picture I took in Nepal in 2006 (as if anyone really needs anymore reason to go).

Doors, doors, everywhere.

2009-02-03T00:44:00.000Z

SO..
Surprise, surprise, I will probably be writing on this more than my cohort, mr. efird. No biggie, this was my idea, and I kind of coerced him into blogging along with me (he did pick out the colors and layout however).

SO..
I have the best boyfriend ever. As graduation (for me) approaches, Eli is HELPING and SUPPORTING, and ENCOURAGING, and any adjective in between you can think of, when it comes to helping me decide what the hell I am going to do. We would both like to move, BUT as we all know that with this economy, I will probably have a hell of a time finding employment. No surprise there. Eli wants to be a teacher, and luckily those are in demand everywhere. ANYWAYS. This whole graduation thing has been causing me ridiculous stress which leads to anxiety and complaints, etc. ENTER -> BLOGGING. A way to vent AND get advice without BITCHING to every single person I talk to.
Needless to say, the guy in front of me at starbucks doesn't give a shit that I haven't found a job, he's just glad he hasn't lost his.

Eli & MMK vs. The WORLD. Round 1.

2009-02-02T04:04:00.000Z

As recent (and soon to be) graduates from university, we are still deciding on whether or not to go look for jobs, go to grad school, become hippies and move to a commune, or just work in restaurants for the rest of our lives. There are many things we want to do with our lives, and we're just getting started. woop woop!!!!