Christmas Greetings and Great News

Hello all,

Am sitting here, finally on holiday with most of my Christmas shopping done. I have been crazy busy this past term trying to get a lot of my QTS, qualified teacher status, stuff done and trying hard to impress the school with my teaching skills. I am about 2/3 of the way there in the QTS department. But, the best news is . . . . .


I have been offered a teaching contract for three years starting next school year at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary in Barking. I like the school, the staff are lovely and the curriculum is very challenging to teach. The borough is going to pay for my new work permit and sign me up for three years, all the way to 2012. After that I can apply for 'indefinite leave to remain' and sign a permanent contract with the school. This means that starting in the fall I will have sick days, holiday pay, a raise in pay and can start a pension! Woohoo!

It has been really rough, I am not going to lie, but the experiences I have had have been worth it. I love it here so much and want to stay. I know some of you are waiting for me to come back to LA, but well, I think it IS just going to be for visits from now on ladies and gents.

Yesterday I was walking down Oxford Street doing some Christmas shopping with John for his family. The chestnut sellers were out, along with carolers and metal drum bands playing classic Christmas songs. There were cider and mulled wine stands about for the warming of the tummies. The decorations on the street were amazing and I even got to see Santa. Once we were done, we met up in a pub with all of our friends who were also doing their shopping on Oxford Street as well. We sat right by a coal fire and chatted, showing off presents and just sharing our time with each other. It was good fun. After that we went to a bar in Soho that played classic rock and roll and danced our night away to Elvis and Run Around Sue.

Today was wrapping presents, having breakfast burritos for breakfast (What?? You can take the girl out of California, but you can NEVER take California out of the girl!) and just enjoying a warm cup of tea by our Christmas tree as the cold wind blew outside.

I have come to appreciate winter and the coldness here as an integral part of the season. I think it was just the massive amounts of snow, mean people and gray skies that always bothered me in Montana. Here it can be gray as well, but somedays, it is just so beautiful and clear. It hardly snows at all and never sticks for more than a few hours, if we are lucky. Transportation or difficulty walking are not an issue. Not only that, but England knows how to do cold weather right. They have warm cider, tea and mulled wine to drink. They have hearty dishes like roast lamb and duck that taste perfect while sat next to a coal fire. I am really starting to enjoy the tea in the afternoons and it is truly amazing how tea CAN sort out a bad mood or most other problems. It is MAGIC I am telling you! I still have my coffee in the mornings . . . . oh must start morning off with coffee NOT tea, but in the afternoon tea is the perfect pick me up.

All TV shows and music do eventually come here. I am pretty much caught up on all TV shows by the end of summer. The CSI's will run starting in January, then when they are done in the spring Criminal Minds, NCIS and Ghost Whisperer start; as well as Cold Case. Heroes runs the same time as it does in America, Arthur Patrelli just died . . . . again, for those that watch the show. I do miss 'The Amazing Race' but can catch reruns of previous races, so eventually ones that I haven't seen will pass me by.

John is fine, wonderful, the best thing to happen to me ever. He is realising he is getting old as his 30th birthday approaches, 17th of January, and he is starting to ache. He is still working for Harper Collins and still enjoys being creative with the books and clients he is in charge of.

In the Spring John and I are most likely moving to a new home in Muswell Hill, further North. Our friend Dan is looking to get a job for two years abroad and needs someone to look after his house. It is a simple row house, with a small garden patio area, two bedrooms, etc. He is having the kitchen, bathroom, and carpets all redone as I write this so the house will be decent when we move in. The only downfall is that it is in a residential district and not that close to public transportation. I am just excited at the prospect of a garden area!

Gidget is getting fat. Actually, she is just looking healthy for a change. Ever since the doctor put her on this dental food she has been eating like a pig and developing a really good coat and body. Not only that but she is a lot more lively than before. She never use to mess with the Christmas tree but suddenly this year she is fascinated with it. She hasn't knocked it over yet but is loving the lower ornaments and playing her usual hide and seek behind it. Yes, Gidget plays hide and seek, you have to see it to believe it, but really, she does do it. Our friends are fascinated by her and love to come and visit just so they can play with her. She has lots of aunties and uncles to play with now. ;-)

The one thing that still throws me off is the amount of daylight we get in the winter. It literally is full on dark by a quarter to 4 to 4pm. I am not joking, I dismiss the kids at 3:30 and it is dusk. John encourages me to learn to be nocturnal but still, I can feel it getting to me sometimes, all the darkness. My boss Jim said to me the other day, "You and I are like moles, we come to work in the dark and leave for home in the dark. That is why I am very VERY happy that today is the shortest day of the year. After today I know that the days are going to be getting brighter and brighter.

Anywho, am off to Colchester, the oldest city in England, on Tuesday to see my friend Natalie. She just got a new job at her newspaper, the Telegraph, in the travel department, and promises to take me on some of her work adventures. Then on Wednesday we are taking the coach out to Winscombe for Christmas revelry as John Sr. and Janet Rivers throw their annual Christmas Eve bash at their house. Lots of our friends will also be in the neighbourhood over Christmas and plan on attending the party as well. Hopefully I will NOT have the flu this year over Christmas. FINGERS AND TOES ARE CROSSED! Then I will awake Christmas morning to the sound of church bells being rung from Winscombe Chapel in the village centre. The 27th will find me singing keraoke for Matt's birthday bash again and the 28th will find me back home in London with my kitty and my man waiting for the New Year to arrive.

Oh well, that is enough of an update now. Happy Christmas as they say and Happy New Year's too!

Wishing you all the best and sending my love,
Cory

Train Attack

First of all, I am fine, safe, and mostly injury free. Second of all, I see it as a blessing in a lot of ways.

On Tuesday I was staying late at work to catch up on my marking before the end of term. I usually take the London Overground train directly from Barking station, about a 10 minute walk from work, to Gospel Oak. I usually get off at Upper Holloway, walk up to the Archway Underground station and take that one stop to Tufnell Park station, where John and I live. Anywho, I took the 5:34 train and usually I turn to the right and get one of the seats with the heater under it, but that evening they were taken and I had to turn to the left. Immediately I knew I had made the wrong choice, sitting across the aisle from me were three boys, between the ages of 18 - 24, all with hoodies on, rapping loudly and obnoxiously to their hearts content. My first thought is 'Oh God, not again, because there is a real bad problem over here with wild youths like this doing whatever they please on public transportation. People just ignore them as the disrupt, harrass, and sometimes get into flat out fights on buses and trains. I have seen the police pull one of them off a bus myself. Then I overheard them say they were taking this train all the way to Upper Holloway. My second thought was 'Ah man, I have to sit by them until then, I'll just move later then.'

It has been very cold this past week and was about zero degrees celsius that day. I had spent ten minutes on the platform waiting for the train so of course my nose began to run once I was inside the warm train. I took out my trusty pocket tissues and was about to wipe my nose when one of the boys screamed out, 'Big Boogers!' I blew my nose lightly, and just tried my best to ignore them while they laughed. I turned up my ipod and took out my phone to play my monopoloy game. This must have aggravated them even more because they continued to talk and say things on purpose they thought would annoy me, look over, waiting for a reaction I refused to give. I just turned my ipod up more and continued playing.

Finally, about half way through the journey, they threw bits of rolled up paper at me and laughed as one landed on my chest. I turned, fully annoyed now, and said, 'I don't think that's funny.' One of them said, 'What, you talking to me?' Another more agressive one said, 'Turn around, don't talk to me like you know me! F-you . . ' and continued to cuss and make threats. At that moment the train had stopped at a station and a family got on to sit on the seats around me. They started to complain to the boy that there were children present and I felt I was aggravating the situation by staying. So I got up, walked to the front of the train and told the drive what was going on. I explained to them that they were unknowingly getting off at the same platform as me. He said to get on the front of the train and to make sure when I got there that someone on the platform could walk me to safety. That was it! That was all he did. He did not radio ahead, or have them thrown off the train. So I waited impatiently for the train to reach my destination.

As we approached Upper Holloway the boys had walked themselves from the back of the train to the front of the train where I had moved. I overheard them say 'There she is!' and later on a witness that stayed to help me report the incident to the police said that they were walking up and down the aisles looking for me. I got off, walked up to the driver and pointed out the boys. I am so annoyed with the attitude of these punks on public transportation that I refused to let these boys get away with it. They had been watching me and saw what I was doing. The one that was really agressive earlier walked over and got in my face, almost close enough to touch my nose to his, and said, 'What are you saying?' I have to say all I felt at this point was supreme annoyance and determination. I looked him right in the eye and said 'I am not afraid of you, keep walking.' That just aggravated him worse, I could tell by the crazed look in his eye he was on something, and he said, 'What'd you say, huh? What'd you say?' And puffed his arms out in a challenging fashion. I crossed my arms, again looked at him straight in the eye and said again, 'I am not afraid of you, just keep walking.' He then said, 'What, you aren't afraid of me? Huh? Huh? What'd you say? What'd you say to me?' I just looked at him, wanting to say, are you deaf, but I didn't. I just said, 'What are you fourteen?' All the time I was standing by the driver and he was trying to keep the guy back from me. Everytime he did the boy pushed him back and shoved him. The driver finally got back on his train and left me there, with the three boys coming after me. Oh, trust me, the police had a field day with that and asked the station manager to find out his name as soon as possible.

Anywho, by this time his two friends realised that their friend was getting way to agressive and were ready to let me go, but he wouldn't. Seeing the train go I decided to walk away. I did not run, I walked purposefully away from the platform and around him as his two friends tried to hold him back. He came after me and pushed me, shoved me, and pulled my arm to turn me around to face him. I walked to one side of the stairs, he blocked me. I walked to the other side of the stairs, he blocked me again. He seemed to think that I had called him a name, 'Dickhead' and that proceeded to make him even angrier. I can swear to you now that I did not say anything to him at that point and as most of you know, I never use that word in my vocabulary. If I had said anything to him it would have been the word 'ass' because that was the one that was coming up in my mind at the time and is my usual tag name for people like him.

Finally, his two friends came at him again and got him down on the ground. He was still screaming threats and profanity continuously throughout this ordeal but I tuned it out and really couldn't tell you what he said. I walked up the stairs and was heading towards the station. I could see a man, the only one of the people who had gotten off the train and stayed, watching and I thought if I could just get past him I would be fine. I was walking past him when all of a sudden I heard glass shatter and felt some of it hit the soles of my shoes. The boy was still coming after me but just then the station manager had come around from the other side of the station and a woman who had been waiting on the platform for someone surrounded me, along with the man I had mentioned before. Apparently, according to the two witnesses and the station manager, the boy was coming after me with a broken vodka bottle.

Seeing that I was surrounded the two boys grabbed their friend and dragged him away, heading towards Archway station. Only then did I break down and cry and start to shake. The two witnesses stayed and gave statements to the police 40 minutes later when they arrived. The girl witness actually answered the phone for me when John called. I had texted him earlier, after the paper incident, saying I was being harassed on the train. I had also called him and left a message saying that the boys had attacked me and that I was waiting for the police. He came and got me and listened as the witnesses talked to the police and heard me tell my account of the event. He also walked with me as the station manager and I showed the police where the bottle was. He never let me go.

I don't remember much from the trip home. I know I clung to John for dear life and kept my eyes closed for a lot of it. When he got me home I felt ice cold and numb. He gave me a shot of whiskey and I think had to encourage me to drink it because I was just sitting there keeping my arms crossed around me. The next day I went to work and everyone wondered why I came? The group of people I work with are so loving and protective. They found me alternative routes home and walked me part of the way to the station. They even offered to come sit in my class and help me teach if I needed it because I refused to go home. Part of me wanted to, but part of me thought I should get back to normal as soon as possible. I think that I did the right thing, my students could tell something was very wrong and took care of me that day, making me laugh and being really good. I also am not allowed to work late, this comes from both my boss Jim and my boyfriend John. Looking back I think I was still in shock when I went to work. I had hardly slept all night because of nightmares and looked like a zombie when I came in. Not to mention the soreness my body felt from the stress and shock.


Ultimately though, I stood up to them, they never saw me cry or be frightened. I kept thinking 'I'll be damned if they see me scared!' I thought John would be angry with me for standing up to them, but he pointed out that if they had been searching for me on the train they obviously weren't going to stop, nothing I could have done otherwise would have made it turn out differently, it actually might have been worse if I had shown fear. It's funny, at the time, I wasn't afraid or felt that I was in danger. I was just extremely annoyed at the boys and how dare they think they could harrass me and take advantage of me after I had been up and working since 4:30 that morning. Dammit! ;-) The two witnesses kept telling me that part of the reason they stayed was because they were amazed at the fact I stood up to them. And as Diane, my beloved teaching assistant said, 'Look at it this way, most people have no idea how they would hold up in a situation like that, now you do, and you should be proud.'

Anywho family and friends, I am safe. My legs shook the entire journey back to work the next day but now I am fine. Hope you all are well and take care of yourselves. I miss you.

Munich and Steve's 30th

Okay, so I was just about burned out for 30th birthday parties. This was going to be my fourth one since September. Not only that, but I was going to be flying, in a strange country, small plane, and well, yeah, not an American pilot! So . . . needless to say I was terrified. Well, Chris and Dee, two lovely people and Chris is John's oldest friend, came and spent Friday night with us so we could get up and leave for the airport Saturday morning. We got to the airport, Stansted, and everyone was there. Matt and Angela, Sarah and Kev, Nick W, Steve and Nat, and about nine other people. I think we were over 20 in all. It was incredible. There were a few hiccups through security, they thought my medicines were liquids and searched my bag. They were also quite rude about it too. Didn't say anything just took my bag and put it to the side. I said to the guy, "Excuse, me that is my bag over there?" and all he said was, "Oh dear." and kept working. What an ass! That's okay, I wasn't the only one they ended up searching so it made me feel a little better. Anywho, we got on the plane and I survived, hated it, but I survived. It was an hour and thirty-five minutes to Munich and when we got off . . . wow was it beautiful.

I have come to appreciate autumn while living over here. I love the crispness the air gets and the rainbows the trees make with their many colours. Seeing it from the air makes the colours even more beautiful. The most amazing thing though, is that the grass stays green year round. So you have green grass, rainbow trees and crystal blue skies. Can you picture the beauty? We moved through the airport with some speed, except when everyone but Sarah and I went through the European Union passport line. She and I, she is from Tasmania, had to go through the non-EU line, which turned out to be quite busy. Everyone was very patient, making faces and waving, from the other side of the 'border'. Once out of the airport we all bought train tickets and took the train to the center of town. It took 45 minutes from the airport, just like Heathrow! Once we got out we all went to a local beer garden. Hey, the boys were crying for their beer and us girls were outnumbered! So we get there,





sit outside at about 4 different tables, again 20 people with rucksacks on their backs, and the woman, dressed in a traditional Bavarian peasant dress asks us, "How many steins?"

Stein? Is that German or Bavarian for beer? That is what I ask, and all I get is a big smile. Soon enough I find out. Yeah, you can tell I am quite surprised.





The thing is, I am not a beer drinker. Beer gives me a balloon belly so I normally don't drink it. But this beer, bier as the Germans say, didn't upset my tummy at all. Not exactly a good thing, . . but . . I was on holiday!!! So we are sitting there, drinking our steins, when they bring out pretzels. Yep, huge, soft, lovely Bavarian pretzels. They bring them out like Mexican restaurants bring out chips and salsa. So right and left the pretzels are going.



People are ordering sausages, sauerkraut and potato this and potato that. Steve says to us, um you are going to be eating at a buffet later, so I order a small bowl of soup. But that does'nt stop me from tasting some sauerkraut and sausages here and there. Thanks Helen! Oh man, Dad . . . you would have been in heaven! So here are a few pictures we took that afternoon. Helen and I with Gid in the background.
And here is one of most of our fearless crew. I couldn't fit my table in the picture, sorry guys.


That is Kevin being funny. Miranda is to the left, Dan is to the right with Dee in the background looking at me like, "Why are you talking this picture?" I believe that is Matt all in white.

Anywho, so we have our lunch and then walk around Munich as we head to our hotel. We hit a local sports bar and lo and behold, there is English football on. Unfortunately for us girls the boys realised this straight off and we were stuck until the game was done. Finally, we were able to head to the hostel/hotel we were staying at.

It was really nice, simple, and clean with breakfast served in the mornings. I was quite impressed. There were two groups leaving for the Hofbrauhaus, one of the oldest and most famous beer halls of Munich. http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/index_en.html

Since John and I were only going to be there for one day we decided to leave with the first group at a quarter past five. It was a half hour walk through Munich and we got to see a lot of sights and sounds. The architecture is very different than England, and even Paris. It is sort of a cross between. It is like Paris in that it is not brick, but it doesn't have flowerbeds outside every window or a lot of wrought iron. The streets are narrow, but they are also that way in the old established streets of London. I know, although they are the streets I grew up on,
I am going to be terrified of the large streets of LA when I visit next summer. Everywhere there were street vendors selling pretzels, it was amazing! Yeah I know, I love my pretzels!!!

So we get to the Hofbrauhaus but our eating reservation isn't until about 7pm. So we sat in the Beer Garden area listening to the band play and just enjoying the warmth in the air. It was actually very good weather while we were there so we were lucky. Here are some pictures from that evening. My girls and I . . . Natalie, Nicola and Helen


And I took this lovely one of some of the boys. This is

Dan, Nick and Gid. Some of the boys that were craving their beers and whining like girls. Just kidding boys! That was one of the more amazing things, how well we all get on. It was surreal walking through Munich, over 20 of us, or sitting in the beer halls, there was never any tension, only good times and good friends. How lucky I am!
Well after a few steins there, actually I only had one, we headed up to the beer hall. Wow! What an incredible place. To me it looked like a Medieval great hall.










Here is a couple of pictures to give you an idea!



The place was massive! Anywho, as you can see it was an all you can eat buffet of German/Bavarian food. I had the best potato soup! I also had Weinersnitzel, which is veal not hot dogs people, sauerkraut, sausage after sausage, and potato salad that was to die for. Then there were the roast meats. As Steve said and checked all of our plates to make sure we were having a sufficient quantity of meat, "It is a meat fest!" Here is a picture of the birthday boy with his Bavarian peasant hat we made him wear.


But not only was there food, there was an umpapa band and dancers, singers, etc. It was amazing! I actually heard a woman yodel! It was so beautiful though, nothing to laugh about I assure you! There were also drinking songs they would sing occassionally/frequently in which we had to sway and drink our steins to. The dancing, singing and antics were incredible. Here are some of the things we saw. This is the girl that I saw yodel, she is singing one of the drinking songs.



We also saw them play music to whips, sawing wood, and chopping wood, some of which I have video of as well.







We also heard the traditional long horns, no this is no Ricola commercial!




And we also heard them play Edelweiss to cow bells. It was very beautiful. Here is a sample of them playing a song to cow bells.



There were also thigh slapping dances from men in leiderhosen, folk dances and a conga line at the end! It was an incredibly fun evening. I only ended up being able to drink 3 steins, but even then I ended up having two full steins of just pure water to counter it.



As we walked back through Munich I noticed and took some pictures of the architecture. I apologise for the night vision, but it was about midnight. The next morning we got back on a plane, flew home, and were greeted by raindrops that told us we were back in England, home. OH well, I definitely plan on going back! And since John's parents have very good friends that live near there, I can forsee it might be more than once! Onto Germany . . . . again!!!!!!!!

Stella Godek Arnold

My Grammers was a very lively woman. That is how I will always remember her. When I was little she would always be ready to go, determined to try something new or to have another adventure. Once we met her at the LA airport during her layover to Australia. At the time I was thinking, "You do realise that Australia is VERY far away?" But Grandma didn't care, it was another place to see, to experience.
My Grandma danced through life that way, sometimes literally. I recall her once telling me, while trying to teach me to ballroom dance in my Dad's kitchen, that she had many different dance partners at her club and that was how she liked it. If one person was better at one dance than the others she would choose to dance with him, and too bad for the other guys. She valued her toes too much!
That is just the way she was. Not afraid of expressing herself or her opinions. Often she expressed these opinions in a very determined way that some people couldn't understand, but ultimately, we all know she did it from a place of love. Where Jenny and I were concerned, she was the best Grandma anyone could ever have. She cooked fresh Polish food for us, taught us to dance, took us to the beach, let us experience all sorts of things with her, and defended us when she felt we needed defending.
She was always my advocate when I needed my father to understand a girl's point of view. For example, I remember her saying one time, yes Richie, your daughter needs to spend that much on a prom dress for her senior year. Leave it to Grammers to understand what a pretty dress does for a girl!
Memories come flooding back to me as I think of all the times I was lucky enough to spend with Stella. The last time I really spent time with her alone was when I had the chicken pox at 19. She nursed me back to health, banging around in the kitchen to make me homemade chicken soup and fresh strawberry jam. During that time she told me tons of stories about my Grandpa Buddy, cheering me up with his antics, even though I felt miserable.
Through her I first learned what a crazy and zany grandpa I had. She really loved him, despite how exasperated she seemed to get with him, she always had a smile on her face, and a glint of laughter in her eye as she told his stories.
She would always giggle when she saw Jenny or I because she was so excited to see us. I remember her dog Cleo and the way she would talk to her as if she were a very good friend. I remember how she loved cardinals because they were such pretty, cheerful looking birds. Stella was a very proud, independent and determined woman. Some people saw it as stubborn, but hey, she married an Arnold, and knowing them and that stubborn streak of theirs, she needed to be able to keep up.
Lastly, and I think this memory sums up best what Stella represented to me. My favorite memory of her is when Jenny and I were very young, staying with her one summer in Rhode Island. One day she told us to get our suits on and get ready to go to the beach. As we were getting ready, Jenny and I heard a bouncing sound. Anxious to find the source Jenny and I ran into our Grandma's room. And there Stella was, bouncing up and down on the bed, looking at herself in her large mirror to see how she looked in her swimsuit. That is how I will remember her best, full of life, ready for what the world had to offer, already onto her next great adventure. Go for it Grammers, you will always be in my heart.

Must See Movies Part One-Musicals!

Well ladies and gentleman . . . . a few months ago some friends asked me to make up a list of black and white movies that are worth watching even today. I have finally come up with lists and summaries of my favourite classic movies. The largest list is black and white classics, but I also put in some older colour classics and musicals that I believe are worth seeing as well. I tried to pick most of these movies from the sixties or before. Some of you probably will disagree with some of my choices, that is fine. Others will notice that certain movies, such as 12 Angry Men, aren't present in my list. I chose movies that I can watch, and have, time and time again. 12 Angry Men isn't one of those movies, sorry Mom. I chose movies that no matter how many times I have seen them I still laugh or cry. These are my must see musical flicks . . . .

Musicals

Singing in the Rain
Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds
Gene Kelly is a famous silent film actor ready to make his big break into sound movies. Unfortunately, his usual costar in movies has a voice like nails on a chalkboard, not kidding at all. But thanks to the help of his trusty best friend and sidekick, Donald O' Connor, he finds a dub over replacement in Debbie Reynolds. This movie has some of the best musical numbers and comedy ever created in the golden age of musicals. On the AFI and Imdb lists it is number one for musicals. Make em laugh baby!

Oklahoma

Oh the sounds of the Earth are like music! One of my favourites. . . I have seen both the movie and the stage play. Cowboy Curly loves stubborn headed farmer Laurie but can't seem to get up the courage to ask her to the next dance in town. Unfortunately, her shady field hand, Jud, beats Curly to it and then all kinds of comedy, great dancing and drama happen based around the stubborn lovers. Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones also appear in Carousel further down on my list.

The Music Man

This is one of those movies that is just good fun to watch. You have Robert Preston playing a sleezy traveling salesman, whom you actually come to love, as he swindles a town out of their money by promising a boys band. Buddy Hackett plays his great sidekick, and young Ron Howard plays the little boy whose unconditional faith in Preston's character turns him around, not to mention his hot sister, Shirley Jones. Trust me, the dances and music are top notch!

Carousel

Ahhhh, one of the best stories and the saddest story ever. Brilliant! The scene opens with Billy, Gordan MacRae, in heaven cleaning stars. Someone comes up to him and says he has a chance to go back and visit his loved ones, cause they're in trouble, but he has to tell his story of how he ended up dying and leaving them first. He is rough around the edges, but soon you discover he really did love his wife Julie and wants to truly help his daughter Louise. At the same time, he blames himself for their situation. 'If I Loved You' is one of the best songs ever written and will give you goosebumps everytime you hear it. I cannot recommend this one enough!

Calamity Jane

Loosely based on the story of the actual Calamity Jane, Jane Canary, this is a great classic musical with Doris Day at her comical best and Howard Keel as Wild Bill Hicock. There are plenty of great numbers such as 'A Woman's Touch', 'My Secret Love' and my personal favourite, 'I Could Do Without You!'

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Another one with Howard Keel . . . lets just say I had a crush on him and probably always will. He plays Adam, eldest brother of seven young men living alone up in the mountains. Once he convinces Jane Powell to be his wife thing change for these scruffy wild young men. First she cleans them up, then she teaches them manners. Unfortunately the men of the town don't like the competition when it comes to the single women in the town. I think, that this has one of the best dance numbers EVER as the town men try to outdo the brothers at a barn dance.

Show Boat

Kathryn Grayson plays the naive daughter of a show boat owner who falls in love with a slick gambler. Luckily for her, a guardian angel in the form of Ava Gardner helps her through the ups and downs of loving a gambler. Great classic songs such as, 'Can't Help Loving that Man of Mine' and 'Make Believe'

Meet Me in St. Louis

Classic story of a turn of the century family as they and all of St. Louis get ready for the World's Fair. Judy Garland is gorgeous and timeless as she tries to woo the boy next door. Her younger sibling, Tootie, is hilarious as she tries not to be treated like a small fragile little girl. Great music, 'The Trolley Song' and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' make this a classic.

White Christmas

This is probably one of the few show musicals, musicals whose stories are based around a show, that I actually like. Two showmen, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, who met while serving in WW2 try to save their commanding officer's ski resort by throwing a show right at Christmas. The only problem, no snow. How can they have a white Christmas without snow? There is a great number where Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby dress in drag . . . not kidding at all!

Silk Stockings

Fred Astaire plays a showman who is trying to put together a movie about Napoleon in Paris with music written by a famous Russian composer. Only problem, Russia wants their composer back. They send the beautiful, but VERY strict, Cyd Charisse to fetch their wayward artist. But what happens when she starts to realise that a capitalistic life isn't all that bad, especially if Fred Astaire is going to be in that life?

Brigadoon

Out in the highlands, the highlands of Scotland . . . legend has it that a town called Brigadoon only appears for one day out of every 100 years. Fortunately for Gene Kelly and Van Johnson, two hunters from New York, they stumble upon the town on one of those very rare days. Not realising the town's unique history, the men are confused by the daily life and chores of the people and charmed, or at least Gene Kelly is, by the beautiful Scottish beauty Fiona, played by the late and great Cyd Charisse. When the two dance together you see why she was nicknamed, 'Best Legs in Hollywood' I wanted to be like her when I grew up because she was just so beautiful and graceful.


Guys and Dolls

Fun musical with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, and yes he actually sings very well. They play two gangsters with women problems, police problems and conscience problems as well. Great numbers such as 'Luck Be a Lady Tonight' and 'I Got a Horse Right Here'. This one actually is more of a guys musical if ever there was one.

A Year in England and Language Lessons

Well, it has almost been a year since I moved across an ocean for a dream come true. Have I learned anything? Oh yes, loads. I have learned how to transfer money internationally to pay my student loans, pay taxes from a different country, and get my license renewed through the mail. I have also learned how to cook curry, transfer cat records, and travel by train by myself across the country. I have learned what it is like to make friends from all over the world and try to understand their different quirks and customs. I have learned how to speak an entirely different language, and I DO mean English! I have learned how to have a long term relationship with someone and how friendship definitely has to be at the heart of it for the whole thing to work. But the most important thing I have learned is that if you want to make your dreams come true, the number one person that is holding you back is normally the person you see in the mirror. Once you get that person out of the way dreams are a snap! What do I mean? I mean I always kept telling myself I couldn't do it, listened to others who said the same, therefore I believed it. Once I started telling myself I could do it and only listened to that one little voice (and brought out some long suppressed Arnold stubbornness), well here I am a year later. I have now seen Paris, climbed the Eiffel Tower, seen the Mona Lisa, seen the Stone of Destiny, seen the great expanse of English moors, seen the haunted gallery and the maze at Hampton Court Palace, touched Queen Elizabeth's tomb in Westminster Abbey, and been in two rooms where kings were born. I have dined or had a pint where great works of literature have been written, seen Eloise and Abelard, walked in the footsteps of Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

This coming year I hope to see Ann Frank's house, where Horatio Nelson died, Pocahontas, walk through Munich and see where Jesse Owens ran, possibly go to Portugal, and bring the love of my life home to meet my father and mother.

People still ask is London everything you ever wanted. The answer is still Oh Yes and MORE! Everyday I still pinch myself and think how blessed I am. I love England and don't ever want to leave. I have a feeling that I think of it the same way Dad feels about Montana. Maybe that is why he is so understanding about it. Thanks Dad.

Well, I have been promising you a list of some of the language barriers I have had to cross this year. Here are a few of them. . . .

fanny-pretty much not a good word to say around here, means pretty much the same as the c word for female parts. We don't say fanny packs over here, we say bum bags . . . Mum take note.
pint-beer
tube-underground
boot-trunk of a car
garage-pronounced almost like garrish
mobile-cell phone, they don't say cell, they say mobile
cooker-oven
lift-elevator
coach-bus for a long journey
tights-panty hose
chemist-pharmacy
tyres-this one is so hard to explain I will leave it up to Steve when you meet him
nappy-diaper
pram-stroller
jab-a shot from the doctor
kicking off-throwing a tantrum
grass-to tell on someone
bag-purse
rucksack-backpack
coat-jacket
sofa-couch
quid-pound
trousers-pants
pants-underwear
cash point-ATM
that's sick-that's cool!
midges-mini mosquitoes that don't really bite too bad
stag do-bachelor party
hen do-bachelorette party
disco-dance night at a pub
curry-anything Indian to eat, not necessarily with curry in it
jalapenos are pronounced halapino, with no yo sound at the end. It is quite funny. Tacos are almost pronounced with a long a, as is salsa. Trust me, I am correcting as I go.


I also would like to see more of you coming to visit me. I miss you and would love to show you my new home.

Lastly, thank you Parnell. Without you, none of this would be possible. You changed my life and made all my dreams come true. Everything I have now, I have thanks to you. God Bless.

Love,
Cory

Independence Day!

Hello everyone!

I am wearing red, white and blue today as I work on 4th of July. What? The English don't celebrate it? ;-) Well tonight I thought you might find it ironic that me, an American, will be celebrating it exclusively with the English I consider my friends. A lot of our friends are coming out to party with us as I celebrate 4th of July. No fireworks I am afraid, that might be a little over the top.

Anywho, hope you all have a wonderful, relaxful day. Enjoy the barbeque and fireworks. Stay safe and remember I think about you all with love and fondness.

School Trip in Wales

Well I survived! I don't know how, but I did.

Last Sunday I went on an adventure with the school I am currently working for, namely a week long school trip into Wales. There were 12 of my students and 19 of Year 5. I was second in command to the headmaster, Jim, and had lead responsibility for the girls. Wow, first off, lots of medications going around for asthma and hay fever. As a sufferer I am familiar with them, but have no memory of that many students in LA having allergies, nor that many children in my own childhood having any either.

Well, I grabbed my gear, mainly old sweats, trainers, and t-shirts and headed towards the train. These are the only times when I miss a car. I hate dragging suitcases through buses and trains and WALKING with the darn things up and down London's hills. Anywho, somehow I made it to Barking, where my work is, and got on the bus with the students and three Year 5 parents. The trip took 6 hours and luckily no one was sick on the way. One little Year 5 girl, Jessica started to just before we got there but I talked her out of it and distracted her by having her sing "High School Musical" songs to me. Hey, it worked!!!!

Trewern House is an old estate house turned into an activity centre for learning run by the borough I work for, Barking and Dagehham. It is approximately 200 metres from the Welch border near a town called Hay on Wye. It has several wings and tons of fields and forest around it. Absolutely gorgeous!!!!! I had been prepared by Kathy Judge, the deputy head, as to where I should look for a room. I found a nice one at the end of the upper hallway, where the girls were located. I was winging it as I took control of the unpacking and moving of belongings, but fortunately many of my girls had been the year before and coached me as to what to do next. Thank you my ladies.

After the initial dinner, goals, etc, I had to put the girls to bed. Try putting to bed 16 ten and eleven year old girls on their first night away from home. . . it is not easy!!!!!!!!! I actually resorted to telling bedtime stories from Grimms . . thank GOD for my memory! Even then I had to sit outside in between both doorways in the corridor reading my Slash Autobiography until they went to sleep. Great book by the way, for all the G N R fans! Anywho, after that we, the parents, met downstairs to enjoy a bottle of wine and recuperate from the journey. It was nice to get to know the parents, they were very kind and disappointed to learn that I will be teaching Year 5 next term. I however, am not, no pressure for the SATS!!!!! Yes!!!!!

The next morning I had to get the girls to rise and shine by 7 and downstairs by 8 for breakfast. All the students had chores assigned to them on a rotating schedule. It was very summer campish and I felt like I was living my dream of being a camp counselor. It was funny to see the girls scrambling for the shower and then trying to get away with messy rooms and unmade beds! Ha . . . as if I would let them do that! It was also interesting to see which girls and boys were pampered at home . . . Jessica obviously was after it took me three times to get her up and she forgot many things on her way to the shower. She also turned to me at one point and said, "I don't know how to make my bed." Oh boy!!! Thank you Mum and Dad . . . I think you know why.

It was very good that there were two mothers there that week. They were mothers of the boys in Year 5 but still, they were definitely more motherly and patient than me. I am all about getting on with it, I guess I get that from BOTH my parents, but when the kids needed comfort both Michelle and Debbie were there. Thank you to you both as well.

My first day my 12 students and I were going down into a cave. I had been terrified all week since I found out I would have to go through a small small SMALL space called the Post Box. You literally have to be pushed through because it is that tiny. Most of you know . . I AM CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!!!!! I hate tiny spaces and crowds. That is why I always left for work early, avoided traffic, crowded elevators and don't enjoy flying. I can control it. I have learned to get through it for the most part, the London tube has certainly helped, but oh man, I was stilly very scared. But, the moment we got in the cave, Porth yr Ogof in Wales, one of my students freaked so I didn't have time to freak myself. I had to stay strong. It was amazing. My class is very agressive towards each other usually, it comes from their backgrounds. But they helped each other through this whole cave system. The guide was even impressed. One difficult space was called the washing machine. You went down a tiny hole into darkness, found the tunnel and crawled halfway in water until you were out at the base and then crawled back up to the top of the hole. Most of the kids had no problem. But Kamile freaked out when Lisa crawled too far ahead and there was no light to guide her. Barry and Shamari, two of my agressive but saveable boys convinced the hysteric girl to go down in between them. They were so encouraging and selfless that I was in shock and teary eyed. The rest of the cave was one tight crawl space after another. There were so many times I banged my head that I was really glad to have a helmet on. OH, and did I mention the caving suit from heaven! We went down natural waterfalls in those things. Still got soaked, but not too bad. Well, Theo was pouring the water out of his Wellies but that is my Theo after all. He is loveable, but well, I think you get it when I say . . . simple.



Once we got back up to civilization the kids were stoked that they had survived their tight corner and started singing High School Musical songs. Good LORD, even the boys were singing word for word! Then they started singing Old MacDonald and were all fired up. Suddenly my Barry starts improving by saying, "Old MacDonald had a teacher . . . . with a detention there, a detention here, there a detention, here a detention, everywhere a detention!" It was hilarious. He came up with a few more that were really funny, on the spot!

Well, another evening of dinner, games, and trying to put the girls to bed on time. At least afterwards all the adults met downstairs for wine and snacks. Majel's father, the only male parent, played opera, blues, and jazz which was sweet for that time of night. He ended up burning me some CDs so I now have it on my laptop as well. Once we were all tired we went back up to bed and tried to sleep. I had my trusty little mini-DVD player with me, thanks Mom, to help me fall asleep at night.

Next day we were hiking up a mountain. Now I had already had issues getting Lisa up and down the hill from the parking lot to the cave the day before, so I was not looking forward to this day. I couldn't believe I had never realised how babied she was. Fortunately the house, Trewern house, provides boot and other hiking gear for all students and staff. You should have seen their room of boots! Well, we were climbing a place called Hay Bluff, but not only climbing, we were doing a circular climb around, up, and down onto it, which meant we were going further up because it was supposedly easier. Yeah . . . . . easier, (hear the sarcasm in my voice).

We climbed 703 metres, at some points almost vertical, I mean I was crawling up that darn mountain with feet and hands because it was so vertical. AND yes, I did say mountain! I know from watchng that stupid movie, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain" that a mountain is anything over 1,000 feet. 703 metres is 2, 306 feet to be precise, so I am now officially a mountain climber! No, this is not a painting ladies and gents, this is the top of Hay Bluff!



What was really nice was how the kids helped each other, except Lisa, I was a little disappointed in how they didn't really help her. It was like they sensed weakness and did not want to be near her for fear of catching it. So . . . I was stuck with her, being mean, not babying her, punishing her if she sat down, and she sat down quite a lot ladies and gents. She sat and wailed, it wasn't pretty. Teaching has definitely gotten rid of all my mothering skills let me tell you. I felt very much like Mum when one of us is ill . . . " Go take care of yourself and quit bothering me!" Instead I said, "Get up Lisa and quit your wailing, you're annoying me and you can't stop!"

The greatest fun was when we were almost to the top and we saw a sheep on its back. At first we thought it was dead and kept climbing. But then one of the kids saw it move its legs. Our guide, Andy, said that once a sheep gets on its back, it can't get up and it will die. Majel's dad, Cash, walked down to where the sheep was, all the kids following him, running back down the mountain they had just struggled to climb up, screaming, "We are going to save a sheep!!!!" Cash kicked it over as gently as he could and it went running. Only then did we realise that next to it was a small baby lamb who was waiting patiently for someone to help the adult. She ran after her mother and we all realised that two little lives had been saved that day, not just one.
Anyway, we had a good day overall and the hike was a lot of fun, after the huffing and puffing of course.

The next day we went to a mine. You should have seen the students faces when they thought, I was kidding by the way, I wasn't going down with them into the mine. They practically grabbed both my arms and hands and dragged me onto the lift with them. Then they all joined hands as the lift went down. It was neat, and REALLY cold down there. The hardest part was to hear about the horses that were born, lived, and died down there without ever really seeing too much daylight. They had to practically knock them out before they brought them back down into the mine after a holiday. The funniest part was when another boy, who was there with his parents, put a booger on one of my girls coats in the dark during one of the films. Now that was hilarious! The look on her prissy face! Still laughing, sorry, know it is wrong, but yeah, still funny! (laughing to myself yet again)

It was a great trip overall. The girls enjoyed their stories every night and the boys really became less aggressive as the days went on. The scariest thing of all was when we started to get back into London during our return coach trip. The baseball caps came on, the aggressive talk started to pick up and boys that had gotten along started to talk trash to one another. I asked Jim if I was seeing and or hearing things and he said no, that it happens every year, right about this spot on the road. How sad that city life can do that to these boys.

Hopefully next year, since I am staying with this school, I can go again and tell you about new experiences. I already told my boss, Jim, that I am ready to go again. Wales was beautiful! Beautiful! I actually woke up on the coach guiltily disappointed that I was looking at the English hills I have come to love rather than the rolling hills of Wales. But as I said before, on to next year! After all, I didn't get to go canoeing or go along the waterfall walk. Who knows . . . . new adventures await!

My Uncle Ted

Thank you to all who have sent condolences regarding my uncle. The news is sad, but at least he is at peace. I have been thinking a lot about him the last couple of days. Today is the funeral, so I thought a memorial blog appropriate.

My first memory of Uncle Ted was that he was the one that took my father, sister and I in to his home when Dad was going through the divorce. I have always loved roses because of his collection of over 50 types in his yard in California. Even after we moved out, I enjoyed visiting him and his tasty healthy cooking. No really, it was tasty! During one of those pleasant visits, he was the first one to introduce peirogies to Jenny and I. What was really special to me was how he would get so excited whenever he saw Jenny or I approach that he would always giggle. I will remember that lovely giggle the rest of my life.

He was also very generous. As a child he would give me books for my birthdays, encouraging my love of reading. I still have some of them and will cherish them always. As we grew up, he continued to keep giving us gifts. Jenny and I received a large amount of money each, once we had graduated from university, to pay off student loans and any other debt we had.

I never got to tell him how I always looked forward to his birthday card every year. I remember the first one I received after his stroke, the writing was very scribbly, but he simply wrote, I still didn't forget. It always makes me smile when I think of that card. He was going through so much, but didn't forget me. I knew something was wrong when I didn't get one this year, even though I am now in London.

I never got to tell him how much I admired him for scuba diving like he did, with only one leg. That is just the kind of person he was . . brave, adventurous, and
caring. When we were little, Jenny and I had a name for him, Uncle Teddy Bear. That is exactly what he was to us, a loveable, huggable teddy bear. We love you Uncle Ted, always.

Love,
Cory

John

Well, I have been here almost ten months now. It is hard to believe that my work permit is already half done. I have had so many wonderful experiences so far . . . it is staggering to think that I can do this again for another year! Not that I am going back to LA. Home is London. Home is John. Sorry family, but that is the way it is. I have already looked into renewing my work permit and there are a few agencies interested in me, should TimePlan not renew my contract. I don't think there will be an issue with that, but just in case . . .I am prepared.

Sure the teaching is definitely tougher. But when I get home, I have John to talk to, take care of, go out with, and he takes care of me. It actually gets on my nerves how protective he is sometimes. When I was in LA, I was great at teaching, it was easier, but I didn't have John or his friends. I am so fortunate to have him AND them. I make his friends' girlfriends jealous with the many things he does for me, most recently my spa day and my birthday. I am going to Cabaret on Thursday by the way!!!

Recently I discovered that a few of my elderly relatives may be dying. It got me thinking that maybe they might want to know that I am taken care of. I did kind of spring our relationship on the family all of a sudden without explanation. I know some of you have questions as well, I haven't really informed all of you how we met. So . . . here it goes.

It was my last night in Dublin in June 2005. I had been walking all day with the family from Hope, Indiana that had taken me under their wing. We were to all meet in the hotel pub for a few drinks before the night was over. As we walked into the hotel and went our separate ways, Jimmy, the tour guide, pulled me aside in the lobby and told me that I had to be on the 6 am shuttle. My flight left at 10:3o but the next shuttle after 6 am was a 10 am, and that wouldn't work for an international flight. Well, I still went up, got ready, and met the family down in the pub. I talked with Erin, who was a woman my age in the family, and then went over to hang out with the rest of the family. They were talking to some guys at the edge of the bar. Lo and behold once I began speaking with them I discovered they were English and had just arrived from Bristol on a business trip. Now most of you know, I have always admired the English culture. I consider Jane Austen and Queen Elizabeth I my heroes. So I immediately began talking with one of them about English literature. The conversation went something like this.

Cory: "Oh you're English, I love English literature!"
John: "What, Harry Potter???"
Cory: "No . . . Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Shakespeare, and Henry Fielding!"
John: "Oh."

After that, John knew I wasn't an ordinary American girl. We discussed many books, movies, and TV series, including the new Lost series. I really enjoyed talking to him. He clumsily flirted with me and I turned him down, but he still kept talking to me, which I gave him props for. It also probably helped that he kept buying me Jameson and Cokes. ;-) Finally, I had to go to sleep if I was going to get up for that shuttle. I told him goodbye, not planning on seeing him again, and he not so smoothly handed me his business card. He says at this point, he didn't plan on seeing me again either, I mean, what are the chances of an Englishman and an American meeting in Ireland of all places, . . . but he thought about me and my smile days after we met.

Anywho, went to sleep, woke up, packed, ate, got on the shuttle, and made it to the airport. While on the airplane I met two more men, Irish students, who were staying in America for three months. We talked for hours and exchanged phone numbers, but they only ever called me once. Meanwhile, I had finally gotten back to my apartment and started to unpack. While preparing my laundry I found John's business card in my jean pocket. I remember thinking, oh he was nice, wouldn't be a bad pen pal. So I wrote him and said that I had a good time talking to him. When he got back from his business trip he wrote me back too. The thing that struck me, was how much he remembered from our conversation. He even remembered that I was a teacher and asked how the kids were treating me.

As we continued to write we became really good friends. John was sort of smitten with me, but I was not with him. First, he wasn't really my type. Second, he was 6,000 miles away. I had just gone through hell and high water with Mike and did not want another impossible relationship. He was always faithful in writing to me but I would sometimes go weeks, even a month before writing him back. Yet, when he came out to visit, I questioned whether I should get into a relationship with him. But again, I didn't. We drove around everywhere, Disneyland, Hollywood, Long Beach, I tried to show him everything. He didn't make a move on me, which I was pleasantly surprised with,a perfect gentleman. I would take his arm occasionally but that was about it. But even then, when my arm was through his, I have to say I did start to feel something. Then he was there when I bought Gidget. I joked with him that it was our cat, because he was there when I got her. After that he would always e-mail me asking how our baby was. Did she eat enough, etc. It was cute.

The two things that really began to sway me in his favour did not happen close together. Basically, I dropped him off at LAX at the end of his visit in February and drove off. But by the time I got home, I realised I missed his company. I even wrote him an e-mail right then and there saying how I missed him and that I had had a really good time hanging out with him. It surprised me how much I missed him. The next thing that happened was when he sent me a birthday present in May of 2006. He gave me a beautiful necklace and a book, but what got me was the book. It was a book on dragons. I love dragons! Yet again, he proved how well he paid attention to what I said and felt. Mom was there when I opened his gift and said he seemed like a nice guy. I said dismissively he wasn't my type, and she said so . . neither was James for Jenny at first. But . . . since Jenny is now Mrs. James Casey, we all know how that turned out. It got me thinking Mom, thanks!

Anywho, about September 2006 I threw myself into therapy after my last failed relationship with an English professor. I also read a quote that said something like I would rather be a young person in therapy and the rest of my life to look forward to rather than an old person in therapy looking back on the life I could have lived. During that time I went through a lot of changes and saw myself a lot differently than I use to. I healed a lot of my hurts and started to break many of the emotional chains that had held me in place for so long. I thought again about my dream to live in London, a dream I hadn't pursued since 2001. I started to look into it, not really telling anyone except my therapist, because I was afraid of discouraging remarks. I figured I had a friend in England and that might make it easier. At the same time, John's company in Bristol was in trouble and he was looking for a new job. He ended up looking for jobs in London and got one with Harper Collins. All the while we were still e-mailing each other as friends. but he would say things like, 'there is no man for you on that side of the Atlantic' or call me beautiful, his American princess, and gorgeous when he addressed me in e-mails. He also listened when we talked, was a great friend, and was always positive about me and my changes. He finally wore me down. I started to have feelings for him.

I didn't really say anything until one day in January when someone from high school found me on my MySpace. This person was extremely annoying back then but I knew he ran into my friend Marsi quite a bit and didn't want to make things difficult for her should she run into him again. So I decided not to block him from my account and added him as a friend. Before I did so, I changed my account to say that I was in a relationship. John noticed and waited for me to announce that I was seeing someone else again. Apparently he hadn't handled the last guy to well, according to his friends. Finally I explained on my own the situation and he acknowledged that it bugged him a little. That is when I bit the bullet and e-mailed him that actually, scared as I was of spoiling our friendship, my heart belonged to him. He e-mailed me immediately from work saying that he felt the same way.

The rest is history. We were pretty much still just friends until I arrived in London last year. Here we are today, still together in London. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I haven't once regretted the day that I turned around and gave him a shot. I do regret that it took me so long to come to my senses, but John keeps telling me that it happened when the time was right and I shouldn't feel guilty.

I come home and there are little gifts waiting for me everyday. Be it a book that he thought might pique my interest, or a meal he thought I might enjoy, he always has something for me. During my last holiday he went out and bought me bagels for breakfast every morning before he went to work. There are so many things that he does for me that I cannot list them all. But I want you to know that I am well taken care of over here. His family and friends sent me numerous cards and gifts for my birthday. I am hardly ever alone, unless I desperately choose to be. John gives me my space, yet will always tell me when he is on his way home, when he has arrived at a work location somewhere in England safely, or when he is going to be late. When we clean house, WE clean the house. He doesn't just sit around and wait for it to be clean, he helps me. When I cook, he does the dishes. When he cooks, I do the dishes. When I start laundry, he finishes it. When I have to take Gidget to the vet, he carries her the whole way on the tube and down the streets.

He will huff and puff when he reads this e-mail, like the traditional English gentleman he is. But, he is so much more than that underneath and I am glad to share that with you. Anywho, hope this answers a lot of your questions.

April in Paris Day

When I was reading 84 Charing Cross Road the author once asked someone who traveled to England a lot if literary England was still able to be found. The man commented, "Oh it's there, you can find it." I myself can vouche for this since moving here but I wondered if something similar was true about Paris. Can you still find traditional, cliche Paris? After my visit there last month I can safely say yes. You have to look for it, but it is there.

John and I took the Eurostar from its new station at St. Pancras International Train Station. For those of you who aren't aware, the Eurostar is the train that travels under the English Channel to Paris via tunnel in two and 15 minutes. It was really amazing, the tunnel under the channel, 26 miles, took no more than 20 minutes to get through. Checking in was like checking in to an airport, having your passport checked and our luggage x-rayed. The seats were incredibly large and the space to spread out was expansive. We weren't served food but could go and buy stuff from the food carriage, just like a regular train. When we arrived in Paris my first view was of the Sacre Cour Church, it almost looks like a middle eastern temple.

We got ourselves some tickets for the Paris metro and made our way to our hotel. The Paris metro is very different from the London metro/tube. First, the trains don't actually have metal wheels. They have huge car-like rubber tires. The trains also don't sit people along the side in one long row facing each other but in seats of two on each side facing the front or back of the train. The metro was also dirtier than the London tube. Everyday the tube has minimal rubbish that is gone by the morning. I have never seen graffiti in the tunnels and only rarely on the actual trains. In Paris, the metro tunnels were covered end to end with graffiti, as were the trains. It was very grimy all over as well. There were also constant beggars and performers who would shanghai trains with small kareoke machines trying to earn a few cents and Euros.

Our hotel was small but very nice and smelled all over of mojitos. I loved going out into the hallway everyday just to smell mint and lime. The nice thing about it was that it was three metres from the metro station. We were able to come and go with ease.

The first stop on our tour of Paris was Pere Lechaise Cemetery. Not that John and I are morbid or anything, it was just the furthest out from the center of the city so we decided to get it over with. We were able to visit Heloise and Abelard, the famous medieval lovers who were separated by Heloise's uncle, who had Abelard, considered one of the founders of the Sorbonne, castrated. He became a monk so that she might marry again, but Heloise became a nun rather than be separated from him. They wrote letters during their religious travels until they died and were buried together in Pere Lechaise. I have always thought their story was an amazing testament to the power of true love.

Next we decided to visit Jim Morrison. I always swore I would never visit him should I come to this cemetery, but with all the little graffiti arrows on other graves pointing the way to Jim, see my pictures on MySpace, I couldn't resist. He is tucked away in the middle of three small mausoleums. Next, we visited some of the other famous graves Chopin, Moliere, Proust, and Oscar Wilde. Now Oscar's grave was definitely wild. There was so much graffiti all over it that it was hard to make out his name. There were also numerous lipstick kisses covering the tomb that it looked like one big pink pocked rock. The cemetery had many more famous graves but John and I wanted to get more done that day than visit dead people.



After visiting the dead we decided to go to the spot where the Bastille stood. Apparently there use to be some ruins left of the old prison, but now there is really nothing but a monument left. We took a picture of the monument and headed for the Paris Opera. Actually, it is known as the Opera Garnier, after the man that built it, but it is the actual opera house where Gaston Leroux based his novel, Phantom of the Opera. The opera house was amazing, unfortunately we got there ten minutes to closing so we didn't go in, but even the outside was incredible. The front was made up of numerous monuments and statues dedicated to different composers, including Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. While in the neighborhood we spotted a crepe stand. There are tons of them all over. I decided I wanted to have a crepe. While in France do as the French do. All I have to say is . . . . . .wow! It was fantastic!

After that we went to the Place de la Concorde. This was the actually place where a statue of Louis XIV was torn down during the revolutions and then the guillotine stood. It was where thousands sat and watched executions all day during the reign of terror. Apparently at one point there was so much blood in the streets that cattle being driven through the town refused to cross the way. Now there is an obelisk from Ramses II of Egypt on the spot. It was put there because the government thought no one would remove it should there be another revolution. Looking down from the Place de la Concorde you can clearly see the Champs Elysees and the Arc du Triomphe in the distance. You could also see the Eiffel Tower in the distance standing proudly over all of Paris.

At this point I was a little tired of being on trains so asked John if we might walk to the Eiffel Tower. We walked past the American Church in Paris, down cobbled streets, across busy intersections directed by police, and finally reached the Eiffel Tower. There is a beautiful garden that surrounds the base of the tower and I couldn't help but take pictures of it. So far, April in Paris was everything I had imagined and more. The weather was perfect, the trees and flowers in bloom, and John by my side. And yet, when I said I was heading to the top of the tower, John said he was only going halfway up. I said that if I was going to go up, I might as well go all the way up, . . . . darn it! So we separated and I headed up the elevators.



I met a few Americans from Georgia on the way up, a couple from Atlanta. The woman and I spoke about our teaching careers on the last elevator trip up, constantly, keeping eye contact to avoid looking down. We walked around and looked at the different views. The only problem with the Eiffel Tower are the lines. Lines to get on the elevators to go up, and lines to go down. We finally got tired of lines, and the noisy Italian rugby players singing songs such as Volare, and took the stairs from the second level down. I met John at the bottom and we decided to walk back to the closest tube station and have dinner.

There were two restaurants on either side of our hotel. We decided to go the smaller of the two. I remember hearing once that if you try to speak in French to the French they are much nicer to you. Having taken French for several years in high school I was a little rusty, but tried my best. The waiter we had was great. He was humourous and helpful. We had a smoked salmon salad with a great sauce. Then came our steaks with gorgonzola sauce. I LOVE gorgonzola now, let me tell you. But the steaks . . . well, just be prepared that when you say medium rare in Paris, . . . it is a VERY different medium rare . . . more like rare rare. We ate it anyway, not too bad really and then ordered a creme brule for our dessert. Now most of you know, creme brule is my favourite dessert. I can say without a doubt that in that little French cafe, I had the creme de la creme of creme brule. It was sooooooo rich and creamy, the right temperature, and don't even get me started on the taste. YUM!

After that, as we were exiting the restaurant, such friendly people inside by the way, some three young adults with backpacks ran past us. They were speaking French and seemed to be in a rush. No sooner did we see them turn a corner when all of a sudden a waiter and host from the other restaurant ran out after them. I indicated to the two men quickly to turn the corner rather than go straight, realising that I was witnessing the classic Paris cliche of running out on a check. We waited a few minutes, but did not find out whether they were ever caught.

Next day we got up early and made it to the Louvre around opening. The Louvre is amazing. Not just the works of art, but the building itself. You have to remind yourself that it was a palace at one time. It still maintains that regal quality every time you look up at one of the magnificent ceilings or walk through one of the glamourously decorated doorways. We are talking statues and paintings in every nook and cranny that have nothing to do with the collections, they are part of the architecture people!


It was funny, I hadn't planned on going on a Da Vinci Code places of interest hunt, but I ended up doing it, just because I was there and why not. We found the inverted pyramid. We even found the other 'Madonna on the Rocks', I have now seen both since the other one is in London's National Gallery. I could have walked around the Louvre all day. Seeing works of art I have dreamed about my whole life was one of the most amazing experiences. I cried a little when I saw the Mona Lisa, just because, there she was, right in front of me, finally. And don't even get me started on the Venus de Milo. She is huge, but so breathtakingly beautiful. I am only sorry I could only show certain pictures of her on my MySpace, but well, I understand their rules on nudity and respect that. She was perfect.

After that we walked along the streets of Paris to the Cite, the oldest part of Paris. It was there that Abelard instructed young scholars and is considered one of the founders of the University of Paris. It is also where Quasimoto lived, which brings me to our next major landmark, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. What an amazing bulding! Not only outside, but inside as well. I am the only I know of who has been to Paris and bothered to see the inside. Let me tell you, John is not overly impressed much by cathedrals, having lived near York, Canterbury, and Westminster most of his life, but I heard a sharp intake of breath from him to match my own as we walked inside. It just goes up, and up, and up. Beautiful! It is the same size as Westminster in width, but is much taller in length. It also does not have many memorials, or tombs on the inside like Westminster. This gives it the element of space and vastness which left both John and I in awe. We did not have time to climb up the towers, that will have to wait for the next trip.

Once we did the inside, we decided to walk around the outside. I wanted to get a picture of one of the many gargoyles, but John by far took the best picture.

Once John had perfected this picture we decided to head for the University of Paris. When I was a young teenager and first studying French, I seriously dreamed of going to the Sorbonne and living in Europe. Actually, I think that is where my dream was first born. Right around that same time I started reading a lot of English classics like Wuthering Heights and Lorna Doone, not to mention Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. I think from an early age, my heart was not in LA, but in Europe. Anywho, enough of a tangent, for the above stated reasons, I wanted to see the Sorbonne/University of Paris. Unfortunately, due to security reasons, you cannot enter and walk around unless you are a student. So . . . I took a picture of the doorway and the Place de la Sorbonne. Oh well. I was there darn it!

After that it was one landmark after another, don't even get me started on my feet. We saw the Pantheon, burial place of Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, who I did my 9th grade biology report on. We also visited the Palace du Luxembourg and its beautiful gardens. Next was the Church of St. Sulpice, we literally were walking somewhere else when we spotted it. Yep, another trip down Da Vinci Code lane. I have stood on the Rose Line people! But the cathedral itself was beautiful. It actually had a statue of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus riding in on a stone cloud that billowed over the edge of the nave of the church.

Next we went to the Musee de Orsy. It is a museum converted from a train station. All the major impressionists and post impressionists were there. I got to see more Van Gogh, Seurat, Monet, Manet . . and many others. I also got to see Toulouse Latrec and Whistler's Mother. It was incredible. I would love to go back again.

Finally it was time for our grand walk down the Champs Elysee. Yep, a grand walk it was, took FOREVER from the Place de la Concorde. But, we enjoyed it. At least John did, catching a not so funny pic of me looking in the Cartier window. Still quite haven't forgiven him for that. Men!

Nope, didn't put it up, we all know this is what you really want to see a picture of, isn't it? ;-)

Next we headed over to the Red Light district of Paris, in order to see the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere. It was very uncomfortable to walk down the street, I guess I still am a sort of prude, but I have seen Moulin Rouge! I just wish Amanda, who loved that silly movie with me, was there to see it with me as well. I even took a picture pretending my arm was around her. I hope she knows that I have prayed for her in Westminster, St. Paul's, St. Sulpice, St. Martin in the Fields, and Notre Dame. I will continue to pray for her through all the major cathedrals of Europe if that is what it will take. I love you baby sister.



Around this time it started to get dark so we decided to head over to the Eiffel Tower again for a river cruise. We made it on to the boat and got to witness the light show the Eiffel Tower puts on every night. The first ten minutes of every hour, the tower sparkles like champagne. Sorry about the angle . . .




The boat trip was very cold, but worth it. To see the city in lights was an experience. It truly is the city of romance. John and I decided to keep it simple this night when it came to food. I wanted all the cliche foods, bread, cheese, wine . . . and so did he. We simply went back to our hotel after purchasing these in a local shop, and had a french food snack. The bree was almost too rich but soooooo delicious. We had french chocolate for dessert, which was also lovely.

Next morning we had a while before we got on the train so we decided to just sit and enjoy Paris for once, instead of walking our very sore feet and bodies from one spot to the other. We walked along the Seine and talked, held hands, . . . did all the romance stuff. Along the banks we looked a the different art works that were for sail and observed a few painters at work, another cliche checked off the list. We then went to the Trocadero and sat out on a bench. We finished off the bread and cheese while kids played in the gardens and people sat enjoying the weather. John and I discussed what we had seen and admired. I really loved visiting Paris, I checked off quite a few of dreams on my list, but I decided that London was the place for me to live, not Paris. London is home, Paris is just a fun place to visit. I can't really pinpoint what about Paris made me not want to live there, maybe it was the traffic, the beggars, or maybe it just was that French people don't believe in escalators on their underground system. I was cussing like a sailor every time I saw stairs on the third day!!!! :-) I know, I am teasing. I am a Londoner after all, I walk EVERYWHERE!!!!!

We just knew we wanted to get home to London and our cat. We do plan on going back, taking side trips, we have pretty much done all the major points of Paris. Now it is time for Versailles, Mont St. Michel . . . oh lots of French places! Look out France . . we will be coming back!