Ryan Gosling gets it.

Oh, Ryan Gosling, you always know the right thing to say. 

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. ♥monica

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Inspiration

voyages of the creative variety

Busy, Busy, Busy

I'm so busy these days and I don't have time to blog regularly.

However, every needs to take time to laugh. I get my regular stress relieving laughs in on reddit usually, but I was recently shown this video and it always makes me smile. So take a gander. It isn't entirely safe for work. It really depends on how cool your job is and if your boss looks over your shoulder.
I present LMFAO's song Sexy and I know It. 

Enjoy, have a good laugh and I'll be posting pictures from my Paris day trip in about 2 weeks. 

♥monica

Moog

For the past several years I've had friends go to MoogFest. I would love to go, but I've never had the opportunity. But this isn't about me talking about music festivals I would go to, but just sharing the photo a friend of mine took. This quotation really resounded with me and I just want to share it. 

"To be human, to be fully human, is to need music and to derive nourishment
from the music you hear."

I hope you all had a great week and the next one is looking just as well for you all. For everyone back in Georgia, I look forward to seeing you all again, but first I have to bust my hump for a few more weeks before we can catch up. 

Be kind to yourself. Cheers! ♥monica 

Bonfire Night: November 5

Last night was Bonfire Night/ Guy Fawkes Day. I went down to Battersea Park to view the bonfire and the fireworks and it was incredible! There were so many people there it was pretty intense for me, it's estimated that there where 40,000 people there! Yikes, but I am getting better with crowds. I have to living in a city like London. Here's my first attempt at making a gif. I thought it would be nice if I could share the spectacular fireworks from last night with you all. 

This is was my first attempt at making a gif and it's a little slower than I would like, but much better than the first I made. It was so fast I was afraid it could trigger a seizure. (I'm only half joking about that too!)

 Have a great weekend and remember to be kind to yourselves. ♥monica 

Photo Drop: Italy

I'm too busy these days, but I want to get you all up to speed on  my adventures.

Last week was reading week, essentially spring break in fall, so it goes without saying that there was not much reading done. I do however have a mass of photos to share, so without much further ado

....Italy Pictures!

Venice: How perfectly Italian!

Canals 

Venice Biennial 

Great Britain's Pavilion at the Biennial

Biennial- I forget which pavilion. 

The Colosseum 

The Colosseum

The Pantheon 

Trevi Fountain- Yes, I did make a wish. 

Rome at Night

Self Timed and Auto-Focused- This is what I got.
Haha, brilliant photobomb!

The School of Athens: Raphael

No Pictures in the Sistine Chapel?! Ha! I didn't have my flash on,
so no harm was done to the fresco. 

St Peter's Basilica 

Mt Vesuvius and a derpy jumping picture of me in Pompeii.

I hope you all enjoyed my pictures. The trip was incredible and exhausting. I'll try and go through and post my iphone pictures sometime soon. I don't always have my Canon on me, so I don't get nice pictures of everything. I do,  however, always have my iphone so I always have picture from it and the pictures are surprisingly good. I hope you all have an incredible weekend. I'm off to do some school work and reading before Bondfire Night and the fireworks. It is the 5th of November and I am in London, so I'm going to do this properly tonight. : )
Be kind to yourselves. ♥monica 

Buon Viaggio!

I've been a terrible blogger this month and for that I've very sorry. I'm going to try and do better in November. This past month just really got away on me. School papers and presentations where due and I was have a lot of trouble with homesickness. I found myself moping in my flat for weeks at a time, when my time would have been better spent reading and writing. My days where spent much like this: wake up, go to class, get a coffee, wander around Kensington or catch the tube out to Camden Town, SoHo or Piccadilly Square and wander around there, coming home around 7 or so, then I would reddit my little brains out or otherwise waste time and not read which is very important in grad school. Since I was so miserable I couldn't work up enough give-a-shit to blog, much less act like everything was sunshine and rainbows. Because honestly, who wants to read a depressing blog? No one! And I don't want to make everyone back home worry about me, just not my style.

I'm hoping that I've learned something about myself and I can better deal with homesickness and come back from fall "reading" week and really focus on school. I'm headed to Italy for reading week.(I think the name 'reading week' is wishful thinking. I might get some reading done, but I'm going to be in Italy. Which means my focus will be everywhere but school.) The first three days I'll be in Venice with most of the people in my MA program and one of our professors, Charlotte, then after we're done at La Biennale, Kate, Katie and I are off to see some more of Italy. Since we'll already be there, so we decided to see Rome and the Vatican City, Pompeii and Naples. Then at the end of the week we fly back to London. We're taking trains through Italy, which should be a great way to see the country side. I'm so excited! I've got my camera packed and my iphone too, so there will be pictures. I'll try not to delay sharing them as much as possible. 

Have an incredible week and be kind to yourselves. ♥monica 

Guilty Pleasures

We all have them. I took a break from cleaning my flat and thought I'd type up a quick post sharing a few of my guilty pleasures. Here they are:

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I really love Blink 182's last album. I didn't listen to it immediately when it came out, but a friend of mine got me to listen to it and it just sounds soooo good! I don't know that much about audio, just what I've learned from boyfriends, but this is a damn good sounding album. It sounds so analog and that is a beautiful thing!  

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Weheartit is an image sharing web site that you can have your own 'heart' and you store images that you like, from their feed or you can add images from other webpages. Unfortunately the images are exactly cited, so that isn't so cool, but it's great to just keep a heart to look through and get inspiration from. I have a link to my heart if you guys want to click the link in the link love column and see what I've found that I like.

Since I first tried digestive biscuits I really loved them, but I found Hobnobs at Sainsbury a few days ago and I just freaking love these things. They're oat biscuits dipped in dark chocolate and they are perfect dunked in chamomile or peppermint tea! I can't get enough of them. 

Groupon

I get daily emails from Groupon and the give you details and day long windows to cash in on highly discounted items. I just made my first purchase this evening. I bought a 1 hour aromatherapy facial, 30 minute choice massage and a manicure at Hair Divine Beauty, winners of 2007 and 2008 Customer Excellence awards for, (get this!) £33! I saved £98! I can't wait to tell you guys how it goes. : )

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I've been doing my best to not be a tourist because I'm living in London, but I'm just dying to go on a Double-Decker Bus Tour. It's so quintessentially London, that I feel like I have to! It's such an iconic thing that I can't not do it and I'm not the only one who wants to, so hopefully one day soon I'll do all the touristy stuff and get it out of my system.

My last guilty pleasure that I'm sharing is imgur. Imgur is essentially the image page of Reddit. I like to just browse though for good laughs and it's a lot less dense that Reddit and not nearly as scary as 4Chan. If you don't know what 4chan is, I recommend not finding out. Imgur is also an extremely effective way to entertain yourself if you're an insomniac and to procrastinate that big paper or presentation that you should probably be working on.

Well now that you know a few of my guilty pleasures I plan to share some of my not-so-guilty pleasures in about a week. In the meantime I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that the coming week is fantastic for you! I have my first assignment due wednesday and I'm in very nervous about it. It's from the class that my program director teaches, so it's very important to me to turn in something really great. I just need to focus on it and do my best. : )
Take care and be kind to yourselves. ♥monica 

Halloween

So Halloween is without a doubt my favorite holiday and I'm so stoked on it being in a month. I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to go as, but here are a few of the ideas I've been rolling around in my head. Tell me what you think! 

I have most of everything if I decide to go as Sally Bowles. 

I don't play video games, but I know a lot of people who do so I give this idea up to anyone who wants it. Get a orange hula hoop and a blue hula hoop and walk around like that for Halloween for anyone who really loves to play Portal. 

I thought about going as Frida Kahlo for Halloween last year and I'm debating it again this year. Do you all know what you're going as this year? I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and remember to be kind to yourselves. ♥monica 

Inspiration: Calvin and Hobbes

A few more, Don't you just love Calvin and Hobbes?

Last Calvin and Hobbes

Have a great rest of the week! I may not have another post in a week. My first written assignment is due a week from tomorrow and so I'm really planning on devoting a lot of effort to making it a good as it can be. Be kind to yourselves.
Cheers! ♥monica 

Georgia on My Mind

I've had this song in my head for the past several days and I have to admit that Georgia certainly has the best state song, ever. I mean, Ray Charles wrote it and, it just doesn't get much better than that!
Also, peep the new look! Do you like it better? I sure do. I thought that the last look I had going was a tad bit on the stock/ off the rack looking. I'm not quite happy with my header/ title yet, but I think it's looking a lot better. Have an incredible week and remember to be kind to yourselves! ♥monica

Playing catch up: Sussex and Oxford

I've really been slack on my blogging lately, so my apologies and I'm about to dash out the door, so here are just a few pictures from last week's trip to the Cass Sculpture Park and a quick story about the trip.

Don't those raspberries and blackberries look delicious!

Last week we drove southwest of London, towards Sussex. It was my first time since arriving in London that I had truly gotten out of the city. It was incredible! Once we got out of the city the whole ride there was just idyllic English country side, parts of it reminded me of North Georgia and the Appalachian foothills, but it was mostly deep, rolling hills and farm land. It was quite funny when we where all loading up into the mini-bus the last seat (read: the one I was going to sit int) didn't have a seat-belt and so I ended up sitting in the front between Dr Wallis (my department head & professor) and Dr Seago (the department chair for the Humanities, Social Sciences and Communications as well as a Professor of Cultural Studies) Robert and Alex, respectively. Needless to say I was quite nervous; I talked sparingly and primary served as a cup holder for Alex's tea. I did get around to chatting with the both a bit, which is probably a good thing. Considering how nervous I get when it comes to starting conversations, it probably would have taken me a very long time to get around to talking to either of them casually.

Ace of Diamonds III, 2004, Lynn Chadwick, Stainless Steel (that's Alex, btw)

Tongue in Cheek, 2003, Tony Cragg, Bronze

This one was really impressive in person. It's made out of one solid piece of bronze that have been folded in on out of itself.

Diver, 2007, Eva Drewitt, Bronze

Loop, 2008, Eilis O'Connell, Carbon fibre and epoxy resin 

Alfa, 2010, Gerry Judah, Painted steel

You can see about half of my research colleagues in this picture along with Alex Seago (the one in the kentucky tuxedo) Robert Wallis (seen with his walking stick).  I feel a bit strange calling everyone my colleagues. I guess it makes me feel like I should be more engaged with everything right now, but I'm still getting my footing in everything over here. I do feel like I'm starting to settle in nicely though, even though I don't know if I'll ever really feel at home without my closest friends. I'm making new ones very well, but it it's quite the same, yet. I do feel certain that as the year progresses and we all get closer that I will start to feel more at home. I already love London. The things and the people and the accents and all the culture is beautiful and exactly what I have always wanted to experience. I do find myself lonely sometimes and strangely the one thing that always seems to cure me of that isn't going out with friends, but rather going out somewhere new by myself.
Have a fantastic weekend everyone! And remember to be kind to yourselves. ♥monica

Weekend Recap

Alright, so I promised a weekend post and it's tuesday, but I was doing stuff and I was a tad bit homesick this past several days and I really didn't want to write a post up for you guys if I was in a blah moody. It would be like a really long whiney facebook status, so I went out with some new friends from my masters program and let me mood go away on it's own time. So here I am, super chipper and ready to share some pictures and stories about my weekend with ya! 

The Natural History Museum: You ride and escalator through this behemoth!

When I say this I couldn't help but think of the y u no? meme Click if you don't know it.

A group of us went out to the Blackbird a pub right around the corner.

Sarah, Emily and Joseph at the pub.

Kari, Gry and Nick from the International Relations Program.

Dude! There's the TARDIS! Right on Earl's Court!

When my loan money came in I treated myself to a pedicure. 

Now that I've played a quick game of catch up I thought I'd share a stupid little video I made, but first, a little back story. Since I was in middle school my mum has always slipped a card or a letter into my notebook on my first day of classes every year. This has happened every year, without fail. So of course this year was no different! When I made it back to my flat from my first day of class there was a card from my mum waiting in my mailbox. : ) It said "Wear some cool boots. Cool boots make you feel like you can handle anything. (and on the inside) Or at least kick real hard."

I love Reepicheep! He's fearless, spirited and tiny. 

She also included this quote by Reepicheep from The Chronicles of Narnia,  "Extraordinary things only happen to extraordinary people. Maybe it's a sign that you've got an extraordinary destiny. Something greater than you could have imagined."(of course I got all verklempt!) 


Now that you have the back story, here is a video response that I made for my mum. Be warned....it's me dancing and note the intense derp face that I have. I'm sacrificing my dignity for humor, so enjoy and feel free to laugh at me. : ) Please also note that this is my first attempt at video editing, so sorry if it isn't well refined. Have a great week and be kind to yourselves. ♥monica

(herp-a-derp-derp-derp)

Week 2 in London & 1st Week of Classes Down

I've been in London for almost 2 full weeks and I've officially finish my first week of grad school. Honestly we didn't do much the first week, since I only have each class once a week essentially spent all of last week introducing ourselves and going over syllabi. However I'm very aware of the load of reading and writing that this program has in store. I'm intimidated by the course load and many of the other girls in the program have very strong backgrounds in Art History, me? Not so much. I feel a little like Julia Roberts in Mona Lisa Smile, except I'm a student or as Richmond calls us a "Junior Research Colleague"...fancy huh? 

I've spent this past week pinching pennies (a state of mind gained during my undergrad studies) and really learning to appreciate just how difficult it is to start all over somewhere. I have to admit that considering how difficult it could have been, I have had a pleasure cruise.

 Also, its incredible how many things we accumulate that we take for granted and also how many things we have, that we're certain that we can't live without. But when you are extricated from these possessions it's surprisingly liberating. I guess Tyler Durden or Chuck P said it best:  "The things you own end up owning you."  It has also made me particularly aware of my own taught consumer drive and has me harshly questioning my motivation behind my purchases. Try it some day. You'll be surprise and how much of you personal character you attach to stupid things and how much better you feel when you come to grips with the fact that you aren't the objects you own. Kill your ego a little today and let me know how it feels. 

Haha, I get it from my mum if you ever wanted to know
where I get my weird from.

I'm sure my mum will be thrilled to see this picture! I just couldn't help myself. I had to share it and I miss my mum and dad. They where the last people I hugged before going through security on my way to London and I haven't had a hug since. 2 weeks! I'm a big hugger so that's kinda lame, so I'm looking for a friend in England that gives good hugs.

Have an incredible weekend. If I get up to anything great I'll be sure and share it before next week starts. Be kind to yourselves. ♥monica

A Brief Tour of my Flat

I made a quick video tour of my flat and my building so you all know a little bit of what my life is like so far. I'm really enjoying it so far. I can't wait to decorate it up a little better so it's less spartan in feel, but that is probably just my inner interior decorator speaking. (When I was in middle school I wanted to be an interior decorator! I even did my 4-H DPA project on it...and won first place.) I'm sure that once school has start I will be posting less often, but for this first week I'll keep you all solid and in the loop. : )

 

*****

Before finishing this post I spent most of my day at the Natural History Museum, which is just a short walk down from my flat. There was plenty of traditional, but there was also a visiting exhibit called Sexual Nature and it was a frank exploration of sexuality in the animal kingdom. It was amusing and a tad awkward, but seeing as how I like awkward humor. It just made it even funnier to me. The most, um, interesting was probably the Green Porno videos that they had running around the exhibit. I included a link, but it's border line nsfw. It isn't obscene by any means, but it isn't really the thing that you want you boss or parents to catch you watching, unless they would find it funny too. Which they may! I'm off to do some reading before the first day of class tomorrow. Have a great week and hopefully by the next time I blog my loan money will have come through! woohoo! 

Be kind to yourselves ♥monica 

Sunny Saturday

Well hello there! I'm taking a reprieve from walking around all day to drop off a bunch of photos that I took today. I spent yesterday in orientation for classes that start monday! eek! I'm kind of nervous, but  that motivates me to do really well in school. Masters Degrees are no joke and I want to do well, so here's hoping for the best! Seeing as how I don't have much to say today. I'll get on with the photographs, if you  haven't already seen them on facebook.  

Albert Memorial in Hyde Park

I didn't even know that there was this gigantic memorial in Hyde Park. See what you find when you keep your eyes open and a willing sense of adventure to wander around! 

Detail of the gates surrounding the Albert Memorial

A beautiful day in Hyde Park

I have to admit it. I got couple envy seeing everyone with boyfriends and girlfriends in paddle-boats. It's really hard not to wish you had someone close to lay down with in grass that was so soft. And even more so when you see all the couples laying together and holding hands or with there heads on each other's chests. I imagine I will be coming out here all the time and hopefully having a picnic too. There where plenty of families having picnics in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens today. The English really seem to know how to take advantage of beautiful days like today. I could learn a bit from them.

I hope that you all have been having a great weekend and that maybe you're somewhere with a loved one in a paddle-boat or a park, or somewhere inside if that's more your thing! Take care, stay excellent and be kind to yourselves. ♥monica