So, I was gonna blog while I was in England some more, but then the internet got shitty, and then I was gonna blog right after I got back, but then things got busy and stayed that way, and then it turns out it had been a fortnight since my last post. Thus, I present to you a post about the time I spent in an England, in an uncharacteristically concise manner. sort of.
I got to hang out with the friends I mentioned in my V Fest post a couple times. I think they're the only family I know where the term 'family friends' really applies.I went round to their house and played weird video games. Then, we drove to this park near where they live. It's all play equipment, but it's great, really dangerous in a way you rarely see anymore. trust me, it's cool.
We went to the zoo for my sister's birthday. god, that was tedious. I don't like or understand zoos in the slightest. Since it was cold and rainy, rather than unbearably hot, the animals were pretty active, which I guess was cool. despite this weather, the people there didn't seem particularly perturbed. that's the ultimate problem with zoos for me, as it is, unfortunately, for many public places. I suppose that's to be expected.
My splurging on whatever CDs and DVDs tickled my fancy continued throughout the remainder of my time in England. I'll say it once I'll say it again; HMV is an amazing place. I bought Tim Minchin, Metronomy, the Horrors, and finally--finally!--the new Wild Beasts record. All I would highly recommend. oh and speaking of music, congrats to PJ Harvey for winning the Mercury. She wasn't my favorite but Let England Shake is a good record, she totally deserved it anyway.
I bought new brown Wellingtons for V! I got to wear them in the end, which is odd because I was sure I wouldn't have to, and was buying them just to be certain, as I do so frequently. They were good quality, too, so it was worth it. This was done the day before V, which was extremely cold and wet. In the mean time, we got texts from our mad friend going out and buying baby clothes for a baby that isn't hers. We saw those guys again in the morning, too. we went for a walk and talked about crazy costumes for the festival.
After V died down, we took a trip to the town I used to live in. It's a little English village so yeah, it's basically the same as it always was. We went to the post office and down this country walk that was right by my house. And my old school! Which has gone to hell, as it's under new leadership and stuff. I find it rather unnerving going round where I used to live, as I sort of feel like I don't belong there at all, crazy as that may or may not seem. I feel intimidated. Also, I hate seeing people I know in public, especially people I haven't seen in ages, which is very likely to happen there so I was in a panic for a lot of that. I still sort of miss that place, but it's getting better every year. The people in our old house haven't changed it too much, too, which in itself is very comforting. We tried to get into the V site, but it was blocked off for more than a week after the fest ended. We ended up just driving around little villages, and I listened to Cat's Eyes. And oh yes, clothes! I'm judgemental so I like to compare the clothes in America and England, like I did last year, even though my fashion knowledge extends to oversized t-shirts and going "ooh look at that picture! Miu Miu shoes!". Last year I recall saying I liked England's clothes more; this year I side with the States. English girls like to wear floral patterned everything at the moment. I got a weird top with a swan on it that made me feel like the girl in Crystal Castles. And then I got stripy skinny jeans! Oh god, stripy skinny jeans. I shouldn't be let near clothes, I just can't be trusted to make good decisions.
I didn't see many old friends while over there, but I did get to hang out with these two girls I used to know. One I went to school with, and was friends with, the other I saw only a few times a year but we always got on well. I hadn't seen the latter for three years. She is now that most endearingly gregarious of people: a drama kid! I had to try to talk musicals. Although actually the worst bits were talking school, particularly cause I felt so distant from all of the stuff they do. Not that I want to do GCSE's, big tests scare me to the extreme, last week my mom proposed the idea of my taking the PSATs in October and I went off on a teenage Temper Tantrum for most of the day. but all of the stuff that goes with the GCSEs, with being in the last year before Sixth Form, all of the menial elements of British school life...I wish I was part of it. It works, to some extent, the other way round too, though. They seemed to love the fact that I actually take "one of those yellow buses" to and from school. Also, we did this weird hippie thing involving the special powers of particular stones. I was surprised by how well us three got on, considering all our differences. Overall, a good day.
Spent one day in London. Train ride in listening to Elbow--beautiful record, though has obtained some scratches, god knows how, I've been careful with this disc. The old London rooftops are great. Because of the Olympics next year, they're doing all these renovations so London's tricky to move around in. I went to the Natural Science Museum! I haven't been in about ten years, we looked at crystals and stuff about space. Then, we hung around Harrods, and I looked at magazines, vintage movie posters, and the crazy expensive clothes they have there. Then, I went to the hard Rock Cafe! Which in itself isn't that great a place but I'm a stupid music geek. Lastly, my sister dragged us to Hamleys a half hour before closing time, and I lay in a heap in a state of semi-consciousness in the teddy bear section.
Here's something I like almost to the point of a fetish; historical reenactments. and a less edgy fetish there never has been. There's this manor house round where I used to live that does those circa Tudor, Elizabethan, and WWII at various points during the year. They have people dressed up inside the house, and then stalls and shops--making cheese, beer, etc.--in the surrounding area. This time round people were getting their Tudor on and there were about 150 of these actors wandering around. It's not like their big Elizabethan reenactment, where they have 250+people and it's amazing, but still it was pretty damn cool. Best people were the minstrels who wandered around the grounds, creepy alchemists in the woods, and the drunken layabouts having a party in the small brewery who attempted to slur some innuendo at us as we wandered past. I know, I know, romanticizing medieval Europe is all too easy when the sun is shining and you're just watching people play weird string instruments and such, but in reality those times weren't good, we've established all of this. Still, I just love the idea of being a Tudor for a day, you know? I could picture myself getting involved one day, if at the ridicule of everyone I know, except you basically have to talk to the general public, which is hardly my forte, is it? Damn my vacant social skills! And damn you, 2011. I just wanna pick herbs and bake bread and wear weird clothes all day.
I finally saw the Inbetweeners movie! Overall, pretty good. The Inbetweeners is very lovable, even when it's not at it's funniest. It's all about capturing a teenage sense of humor, and in this they did it brilliantly. the ending was very cliched, though, which is my main complaint. much as I love the Inbetweeners, a sequel would be awful.
Our last day wasn't good. Heathrow was hell. Yesterday's flight was cancelled cause of Irene, so they were trying to get twice as many people in. Tickets were a mess and it took an hour to check in, even though there were five people in front of us when we got in line. Also, I'd been quite sick for most of the week and was getting very anxious at everything. Not Heathrow at its best. The plane ride was okay though.
I know these posts are very late, I've written stuff already and I'll get that up soon.
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