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oh yeah.

and we got painted.

no big deal.

just something we did.

(which we are wicked excited about.)

[all artistic credit due our friend jakub]

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installment no. 1894389763464 of things bethany absolutely needs.

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this is quite the interesting read.

especially to one currently in their late middle 20's.

I've done the 'modern' 20-something things.
*left home
*traveled the globe (ish)
*going to grad school
*etc

but you better believe I needed to ask mom and dad for a loan to buy my airfare back to the states for the end of the month.

financial stability, what?

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it is apparently 'videos of people on the news from the states' week!

my friend heather brought this one to my attention.
good to see there are still level-headed people out there who realize discrimination of any kind is inherently wrong.




good on you keith, good on you.

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awwww hell yeah.



bout time a conservative type came round and crafted an intelligent argument as to why banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

that THAT fox news!

booyah!

(ps, can't get the video screen to shrink to fit the blog's formatting, so you may need to click through to see the whole image. then again, you may not, as it is all talking and no graphics.)
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already gushed extensively about this in my the other blog, but

check.

this.

out.


dudes.


you can muppet-ify yourselves.

muppets!

get on it.

casual new england bethany

trendy london bethany

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WANT.

it's a hoodie and a bag!
(and some other type of top thing, but I am focusing in on the hoodie/bag portion of the awesomeness)

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driving is why you're fat

ha!

love it.

and glad to see CT doing so well!
(actually kinda surprised bout that one...who knew so many nutmegers cycled?)

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today marks the beginning of my last week of work here in london (at least for now) before we fly back to the east coast at the end of the month. (by the way, you have no idea how happy the phrase "last monday I have to go into work for a month" makes me.) and even though next week marks the very last week here in london, I am kinda of looking forward to it. for one thing, there will be no alarm clocks, things will be done on my schedule and I don't have to deal with any tourists at baker street. (going to gloss over the whole have to pack up two years work of stuff into two bags for the moment.)

we haven't had a proper holiday in quite a while. the last time we left london, it was to fly back to the states for a family wedding, and even though we were over there for a week, any trip that revolves around family and trying to see as many friends as humanly possible in the insanely short period of time you have is not exactly relaxing (no matter how much you love them).

which is why I am going to ask, nay, insist of ben that we spend at least one of the days we are going to be in northern nh with his folks be spent sleeping on the rocks by the river.

[forgive the stock photo. results were surprisingly scarce in the whole 30 seconds I devoted to googling "sleeping on a rock by the river"]

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this is just about one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time.

read about the unbuilt architecture award winner here.

I must find a way to make this closet mine.

I mean, look at all those shoes!

(I suppose this is easier when you are the creative director for j crew...)

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I am fed up with the following things:

1. people (co-workers) who talk horribly about other people (consultants) and then try to defend it because another person (client) is also very horrible and they are getting pressure from them regarding something (the project).

2. people (co-worker, singular) assuming because I have not been in an office long, this means I have little to no experience and don't know anything.

3. also, "when you get older, you will see" drives me absolutely nuts, especially when applied to attempted justification of above mentioned horrible behaviour towards people.

4. complaining about a situation without either a. making the effort or b. having the balls to try and change said situation. (both points 2 + 4 apply to multiple offices. especially point 4.)

5. this all hell-fire and holy approach to architecture. the architect is not god. the architect has to work with other people. and even more importantly, the architect has to, and should, play nicely with other people. deal with it.

6. point 4 again.

7. people not freakin' talking to each other, and then complaining about the situations that arise as a direct result of the lack of communication.

8. point 4 again.




sorry, don't usually use this blog to rant.

my chocolate levels must be dangerously low...

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work?

what work?

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I fail to see how this is can be called a "walkable city".
do you seen those 5 lane motorways? not pedestrian friendly.



this, however, is wicked awesome.

if you're a kurt vonnegut fan, or just want to read an interesting take on hamlet, head over to here and read this.

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wicked awesome things about returning to the states for a year:

*family
*friends
*[american] football (go pats!)
*baseball (go yankees!)
*sam adams
*longtrail
*shipyard, specially of the pumpkinhead variety
*other things having to do with beer
*shops that are open past 9pm (some even 24 hours!)
*french onion dip
*chinese food of the new england persuasion
*lobster
*the straight-forward and easy banking system
*american holidays
*properly toasted bagels and cream cheese with delicious stuffs (read: olives) in them (reminded of this by the wonderful becca)
*that feeling of 'home'


wicked sad things about leaving london for a year:

*having to say goodbye (for now, anyways) to new friends and a city I have grown to love
*re-entering a car culture (booooo)
*not being able to take my alcoholic beverage outside (booooo)
*pear cider (apparently available in the states, according to jen)
*pimms
*other things having to do with booze
*the royal parks
*city life
*halloumi cheese
*smoked red leicester cheese
*other things having to do with cheese
*tipping
*that feeling of 'home'

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yesterday evening ben and I were walking from baker street (office location) to angel to meet some friends at the cinema to see Inception (movie was sold out, so didn't actually get to see it. booooo).

bout half way the walk, just beyond king's cross, it started raining.

hard.

in typical london fashion.

and in about 6 or 8 minutes it had ceased.

full stop.

in typical london fashion.

by this time we had heard from our friends that the 8pm showing was sold out so turned around to collect the stuff we had left at my office and head over to kensington where we are cat-sitting for some friends.
we rounded the bend by the british library and came upon one of the more full, complete and beautiful rainbows we had ever seen. it started just above a church steeple down a side street, made the full 180 degree arc and ended just above st pancras.

I wish we had a camera on us.

it was quite the sight to see.

and so, while I appreciate the fantastic send-off London (you even threw in some thunder earlier in the day just for me, thanks!), we are not leaving quite yet.

could we get an encore performance in three weeks time?

and I promise, this time we will have our camera on us.

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bout damn time california!

(really didn't want to be disappointed with you again.)

WOOHOO!

this is most definitely going to be contested by the opposition of same-sex marriage, and most likely brought all the way up the supreme court, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

nobody should have their basic rights denied simply because of their sexual preference. it is practically no different than denying rights based on skin colour or ethnic background.

it is archaic, and it is time for society as a whole to advance on this view.

so come on you remaining states! join the bright and accepting folk of massachusetts, connecticut (woot!), vermont, new hampshire (woot!) and iowa and legalize same-sex marriage!

'tis the democratic thing to do.

equal rights for all!

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recently rediscovered one of my old website haunts: inhabitat.

their motto?

"green design will save the world."

a couple things I can across in my mass blog stalking that I found rather neat:

a re-usable, flexible and foldable water bottle!
save space, save the planet!

the Chicago El is getting it's very own art gallery! one train will circle the tracks filled with art installations, performance pieces, artists and curators.

what a fabulous idea.

a handy dandy little poster.

"don't throw anything away. there is no 'away'".

wish I could impress this on the guys in my office...

Chicago is dispensing with the nicities and bringing the realities into stark relief.

in the form of pretty cloud sculptures.

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ummmmm, yeah.

want need these.

too bad there are $158...

but they are brilliant.

just brilliant.

and I wanna play with them.

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this is one of the sexiest staircases I have seen in a long time.

and the fact that it's in the new salvador dali museum...well, now.

that's even better.

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and speaking of returning to home states...

oh yes.

the way I always used to remember how to spell connecticut when I was little (and let's be honest, it's how I remember how to spell it now) was to break it up into [you] connect. I cut.

so a cutting board in the state's outline?

perfect.

and bonus, it's made out of bamboo!

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oh man, has it been a busy couple of weeks.

deadlines to be met in the office, late nights spent in front of the computer, old college roomies in town to be stalked hung out with, life plans to be re-planned because operation "get ben and bethany a new work visa so they can stay in london" was an epic failure.

buh-zee.

so, yeah. we will no longer be flying back to the states at the end of august, kicking around for a month while we wait for our brand spankin' new visas to be sorted and then jetting back to London for the next couple of years.
nope, we will now be flying back to the states at the end of august, attempting to find a job and a means of living for the next year, getting married early next september (that one would have happened in previous scenario as well) and then jetting back to london just in time for my masters course to start in late september.

kinda did a 180 there.

but these visa things. they be not easy to come by in today's economic climate. 'specially for non-EU folk like us. (actually a redundant statement, as EU folk don't need visas...bastards.)

but as sad as we will be to say goodbye to ol' londontown for 12 months, we are wicked excited to be back closer to family and friends.

and beer with hops.

sam adams, watch out. I am coming for you.

I am currently drafting a list of all the things we are really looking forward to about relocating to the states for the time being, and the things we will be sad to see go until we meet them again some rainy london fall afternoon (or more likely, ever so early in the morning)

will be posted soonish.

and not like those recipes I promised you would be posted soonish.
this will actually be posted.

I wouldn't hold your breath about those recipes...

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I kinda sorta maybe wanna live here.

not forever.

but for a little while.

and I kinda sorta really want this kitchen.

and not for a little while.

forever.

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