Rest in peace, johnthecamera. I enjoyed your wonderful photos over the past few years, thank you for sharing the beauty.Read more here.

Today is our 5 year anniversary of being together as a couple. 5 years. wow.

A couple of days ago we made fresh pasta for the first time. We borrowed the pasta maker (used for pressing the dough out flat) and it was surprisingly easy. First we made ravioli filled with gorgonzola, ricotta, parmesan, thyme, and basil. We drizzled them with some of the fruity-peppery Milanese olive oil and wow, they were beautiful (washed down with a bottle of Sangiovese). Whenever we buy ravioli I always wish they were bigger so I could taste the filling, but now we can make them as big as we wish! The only thing we would do differently next time is press the dough out even thinner. The next night we used the leftover dough to make parpadelle. I cooked a quick fresh tomato sauce to accompany it. It's hard to consider going back to store-bought pasta now that we know how easy it is to make it fresh (and how much better it tastes). We're going to start drying and storing it for future use. In other news we think the sale of our flat has fallen through. They've removed the sold signs and we've had no calls from the estate agents telling us we have to be out, so we may be here for longer than we thought. Two of my favorite images today: Dies Ira in Geneve, SwitzerlandKurt Wenner creates incredible 3D paintings right on the streets. He uses special pictorial geometry that corrects the distortion caused by viewing his monumental images on the pavement form an oblique angle. Wenner's unique and innovative use of anamorphic perspective creates unforgettable images that combine the painted surface with its surroundings into a single composition. - via blogus

I'm trying to get all my Livejournal friends' locations plotted on a map - please add your location starting with this form.Username:(Then get your friends to!)

Sunday morning. Richmond Hill and Richmond Park... On Saturday we wanted to talk a walk on Richmond Hill, but by afternoon it was cloudy and rainy so we ended up driving around neighborhoods to check out places to live. We made it to Roehampton before we were bored, so we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few things. While in the store we came across the slightly surreal sight of three Indian girls performing a dance for Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. That eve we watched Das Experiment, based on the true story of the Stanford Prison Experiment. I saw a documentary on the experiment 8 years ago so I was excited when I heard there was a new German film version. They stretched the truth towards the end for dramatic effect, but I was surprised at how relatively accurate it was. It was one of the better psychological thrillers I've seen. Since it was sunny we decided to get out earlyish on Sunday morning and drove 10 minutes to Richmond Hill. We wandered around Richmond for several hours until the clouds rolled over so we drove back home through Richmond Park where the herds of deer were in full force. That evening for dinner we prepared serrano ham with melon, sundried tomato ciabatta, and mussels in herbs, white wine and cream, which we drank with a bottle of Portuguese white. We watched the director's cut of The Wicker Man, which I had never seen before. That movie is hilariously cheesy, but I'm not sure if the dated 70s appearance detracts from or adds to the overall sinister creepiness of the film. It reminded me of mittenstein's scanned pages of the 70s Scientology book he found at the library.

I think what I'll miss the most about this flat is our view. My pc is next to a low skylight that faces west and nearly every evening there are incredible sunsets. I can also see the flight path for Heathrow, although we're just far enough away that we can barely hear the jets. Except for the Concorde which rattles the windows when it passes over a few times a week, but it won't any longer after today. Some days I can see as many as 10 planes in the Heathrow "stack" (the line of planes waiting to land) and one takes off every few minutes, usually banking in different directions according to where they're headed and as an anti-terrorism precaution. Sometimes dozens of their contrails crisscross the sky, lit up by the setting sun. I love planes, I think they're beautiful works of machinery. They have also played a large part in my life, frequently taking me to and from the people I love in the past 5 years. Even since I was a child I used to take comfort in the distant hum of a jet or Cessna engine. Often people around me would complain of the noise, but I couldn't help feeling a strange sense of contentment. Today is Concorde's last day of flight. Three Concordes departed from Heathrow this morning; one to Edinburgh, another is flying a loop over Bay of Biscay, and the third to New York. All three are due to land in Heathrow at around 4pm today, I am going to keep an eye (and ear) out. Since we moved into this flat in March I've taken photos of the sunsets nearly every evening - I have hundreds now. They are my mementos of this flat and my happy solitary time spent simply watching planes pass by.

Anyone on my list on Tribe.net? If so, my email is "jade @ snarg .net"I'm finding it much more useful than friendster and considerably less annoying. :)I also created a warp records tribe, for anyone interested.

This makes me terribly sad, but I take some heart in their determination:In feathers and paint, Amazonians sue U.S. oil giantIt reminds of a documentary I saw a year ago about the Baka tribe in Cameroon trying to save the rainforest they depended on for a home and their hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The Baka tribe gathered together a group of 5 of their tallest men (as they are "pygmies", although that's a term they do not like), had someone find them suits, and made the long trek to the town where the president (I believe, or another high ranking politician) of Cameroon had his offices. They stuck out in the town because of their height and oversized suits and were heckled and had things thrown at them, but still they persisted. The president made them wait for hours before he would see them and when he did they pleaded with him to save their home, their rainforest. The president gave them a few false promises and ushered them out. They made their way back to their village, dejected and helpless. They had to watch more and more of their trees being pillaged by loggers, even in areas where the loggers supposedly weren't allowed. I think it was one of the most gut wrenching things I've ever seen (it was also one of the most beautiful as the Baka tribe play instruments, water drums and sing constantly, their music was incredible). "Korinna Horta of the Environmental Defense Fund says that the road opens up the area to logging and represents "a direct threat to the Baka pygmies of Southeast Cameroon." Pygmies in Cameroon who have already been forced into dangerous, low- wage work at logging sites are suffering from alcoholism and disease in the camps, Horta says, and some Pygmy women in lumber towns have been forced to turn to prostitution as a means of making a living."Now they also have to contend with oil exploitation:"The so-called "pygmy" peoples - the Baka and Bakola - and their home, may face an even more serious, long-term threat. One of Africa's most promising untapped petroleum basins lies under the majority of their homeland, deep in the Congo basin, under Africa's last intact frontier rainforest ecosystem. New exploration in this area would be devastating. "

I posted some older photos from my archives onto The Mirror Project today (they were remarkably quick updating, it usually takes 3 days):I noticed someone chose one of my photos to be in the "cities" theme.Tonight I cooked potatoes with Spanish paprika and flat leaf parsley with poached eggs and serrano ham. I made the recipe up and it came out beautifully. With it we drank a bottle of Bordeaux (should have had the Portuguese, really, but the Bordeaux was calling to us). After dinner we watched the sweet and moving Indian Dream and The Office. "The idea of a new wave of Asian drama has been greeted with some suspicion by Asian writers and actors who fear pigeonholing and tokenism, yet hot on the heels of Channel 4's Second Generation and Avie Luthra's The Sea Captain's Tale comes BBC2's Big Dreams season, focusing on Asian culture in Britain. Luthra's Indian Dream is, however, notably different in both its concerns and context, swerving gritty urban realism and crosscultural angst in favour of this gentle fable that nevertheless manages to make a piquant political point. Christopher Bisson plays Surender, an Indian English teacher who visits England on the holiday of a lifetime. Unfortunately, a passport mishap sees him sent to a detention centre under suspicion of being an illigal immigrant. Terrified that he will be forced to stay there for a year, he runs away, winding up in Sedgton.Here, he auditions for the part of Puck in the village's forthcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, pretending to be the local doctor's cousin and quickly charming Sedgton's inhabitants.With the exception of the romantic Penny (Doon Mackichan), however, these people are the very embodiment of Little Englanders, and Surender quickly learns that the magical faries and sylvian scenery that he delights in on his arrival fail to hide the realities of everyday British life. Nitin Ganatra also brings an additional poignancy as Dr. Rajiv, desperate to be part of village life and unable to understand how Surender's "exotic" ease enchants the village more effectively than his entry into the Best Painted Gnome contest. Sweet and subtle, Indian Dream makes a clearer point about British attitudes to immigration than a hundred hard-hitting documentaries, the magic of midsummer casting new light on everyday nightmares of prejudice and alienation." - The Sunday Times

Our downstairs neighbor is also selling his flat. His is going for 259,950 ($425,589). It is in better condition than ours, but I still couldn't imagine paying that much for a 2 bedroom flat. London prices = crazy. - wave -1,250,000, 3 bedroom house, Chelsea2,395,000, 3 bedroom apartment, Knightsbridge1,150,000, 3 bedroom house, Kensington1,100,000, 3 bedroom apartment, Kensington3,000,000, 4 bedroom house, Kensington

Today was wonderful. Our good friends Paul and Rachael had their baby, Zander, 5 weeks ago. Paul's parents flew over from New Zealand last week to see the baby and to go to his blessing. Paul and Rachael are not religious by any means - in fact they're atheists - but parental pressures made them agree to a blessing and baptism for Zander and they asked if Max and I would be his godparents! We of course agreed and early this morning we drove to Ealing to meet everyone. Rachael is a physics teacher at a private all boy's catholic school, so the blessing was to take place at her school's church. The priest to perform the blessing was Father Thomas, who I've met before at Paul and Rache's wedding. The school where Rachael works is absolutely insane, as only a catholic school can be. Recently one teacher went missing and the chemistry teacher climbed out of the classroom window and down the fire escape - during class - because he couldn't take it anymore (he resigned). Despite the constant craziness, everyone likes Father Thomas. As Rachael put it today, "Even though I'm not religious I've always thought Father Thomas is how a man of religion should be." I agree. He's very jovial and charismatic, a good listener, well travelled, and he really knows his wine. ;) The only people present for the blessing were Father Thomas, Paul, Rachael, Zander, Paul's parents, his brother David, and us. We were honoured to be included in such an intimate family affair. Father Thomas gave the blessing and afterwards we all went out to lunch at Gilbey's. Lunch was excellent and incredibly cheap for what we had. They have a lunch deal of 7 for a 2 course set menu. My starter was the Smoked Mackerel Salad with Chive Aioli and my main course was the Seafood and Saffron Risotto with Herbed Olive Oil. My dessert was the Grand Marnier Panna Cotta with Roasted Figs and a coffee. There were several bottles of good Sauvignon and Muscadet, of which Father Thomas drank several glasses despite having another christening to go to straight after lunch. "I'll down a few glasses of water and I'll be fine.. " We talked to Father Thomas about his travels to Italy (Florence recently) and when I told him I was from the Seattle area he said that he had visited Vancouver, B.C. a few years ago. He took some boys from the school on a trip there and they told him they wanted to go to Hooters. Not knowing what it was he asked an elderly lady - while in full priest dress - the directions to Hooters. He said it wasn't a high point in his career. We were sleepy after our long big lunch so we went back to Paul and Rache's and I half napped while they watched the England vs. South Africa rugby game. We then gave David a ride to his friends house and settled in to watch movies at home for the rest of the evening. The first was The Thirty-Nine Steps and the second the French film L'Emploi du Temps, or Time Out on BBC4. "Vincent Renault is a middle-aged, middle-class Frenchman who persuades his family, friends and arguably himself, that he retains a job despite being unemployed. Each morning he dons suit and tie and leaves home ostensibly to attend meetings. In reality he drives around aimlessly and voyeuristically peers into offices and other work places, as if reminding himself of a past he attempts to construct through deception. It's clear Vincent could get another job, but he has become content with his fantasy life and its sprawling implications."I really enjoyed L'Emploi du Temps, the cinematography was beautiful, tension building, and atmospheric. Aurlien Recoing as Vincent slightly reminded me of Kevin Spacey in both his acting and appearance. The way he subtly portrayed Vincent spinning an increasingly intricate web of lies and his emotional downfall was impressive. The beautiful Karin Viard's performance as Muriel was also excellent and convincing. The ending wasn't at all what I expected, and for that I am grateful (I won't give it away).

I thought the `what's under under your sink' question was boring, so I changed it to `cupboards':1. Name five things in your refrigerator.- fois gras (I'm not actually a big fan of fois gras, which is why it's been sitting there for almost a year now)- Frontera habanero salsa- Patak's Indian lime pickle- St. Dalfour raspberry jam- this stuff. 2. Name five things in your freezer.- duck for chinese crispy duck pancakes- dim sum- mussels- prawns- box of unbaked Yorkshire puddings from Sainsbury's (shameful)3. Name five things in your cupboards:- harissa (Tunisian chili paste) - various Indian spices- Annie's mac & cheese (you can take the girl out of America...)- masa harina (for making fresh corn tortillas) - PG Tips tea (cuppa?)4. Name five things around your computer.- mix cd from Ben. - my geisha mug (jasmine tea.. mmm)- stacks of archived mp3 cds- router, etc. - French/English dictionary5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.- almond oil- Tigi haircare stuff- paracetamol- Max's stuff- tampons! woo!And just to get all my memes out at once:







quent

74%











forestwalker

69%











springheel_jack

66%











interimlover

60%











forioscribe

55%











ivan_durak

54%











courier_iii

53%











ogonzoo

52%











scottobear

52%











pistorius

51%











kamakhai

47%











fluxbox

45%











andyroyal

43%











holyloki

42%











closethipster

42%











brightwyrm

42%











m00t

39%











hobbitblue

38%











libertango

37%











mrnvisible

36%











sweetdelirium

27%











keith_london

26%











scarfboy

25%











eyean

24%











weetanya

23%











absolution

22%











carmelite

22%











jul3z

19%











mrbad

17%











scandal

15%











vizzygoth

12%











juliabee

10%







How sexually compatible with me are you?Take the NEW sexual compatibility quiz at LJMatch!

I've created a London friendster "community" since the other existing one kind of sucked. I don't know if it will take off or not, but we'll see. If anyone is interested in joining here is the relevant info:name: London UKemail: londiniumuk @ hotmail .com Also, if anyone else wants to add me, my email is: jade @ snarg .net :)At first I thought friendster was pointless (especially for someone married), but I've ended up having really interesting conversations with strangers about artificial intelligence, Gdel Escher Bach, Bollywood, etc. and made a few connections with people in London that I wouldn't have otherwise. Plus, I've made connections with a few old friends through it. Still it's not as useful or interesting as it could be and I heard a rumor that they may start charging soon, in which case I'll probably stop using it.

As I was talking to my mom on the phone last night I realized that I was starting to get a cold. Probably some bug that Max is immune to, but brought back for me via the tube or train as per usual. I really really don't want to be sick for our trip next week so I've brought out the big guns.. many glasses of pure juice, ginger tea, green tea, vitamin c tablets, and at least 2 litres of water a day. I'm eating simply and healthily - a Japanese pear for breakfast and miso soup for lunch. I've read that the benefits of vitamin c during a cold have been debated, since it's an immune-boosting vitamin that may help with prevention and nothing else, but I'll try it right now just in case. It seems to have helped me in the past, but whether that was a placebo effect or coincidence I don't know. Thankfully I'm not working this week so I can cuddle up and stay warm. I was going to go out and buy gifts for my family and friends back home, but I think it best I stay in today and go out tomorrow. I may make Gael's fresh ginger tea later and Ginamoog's laska recipe tonight.On the plus side it gives me time to read some of the interesting links I've come across recently from some of you and a few of my favorite sites: The Futile Pursuit of HappinessSilent sounds hit emotional chordsMolecules of life come in wavesWhy do so many scientists believe in God?Venus possibly habitable for billions of yearsSuffocation suspected for greatest mass extinctionHearing Colors, Tasting Shapes (an old article, but I just came across it and synesthesia has always interested me.) Space theorist posits unusual life on Mars: '2nd genesis' on Red PlanetBacterial Battery Converts Sugar into Electricity'I became the profane pervert Arab blogger' (Salam Pax)Galileo will hit near the equator on Jupiter's far side.The Man Who Mistook His Girlfriend for a RobotBBC - Food in Season - SeptemberBBC News StyleguideAccents have advantages & the entertaining Speech Accent Archive.

I forgot to write about the weekend before last, I was distracted by writing about Mustafa's visit. It was fairly low-key, Max offered to cook a nice dinner on Saturday night as part of our anniversary celebrations. We opened our bottle of 95' Veuve Clicquot, which was incredible. For dinner we started off with pacific northwest smoked salmon with gherkins and a baguette, then Max coated two ahi tuna steaks with lavender and black pepper and pan-fried them (which was even better than the Silverwater's). He served that up with a roasted garlic and potato pure. With dinner we drank a bottle of Vouvray and for dessert I made fresh blackberry ice cream. Last weekend we spent partially running errands for our trip to the states next week. We also stopped by the giant Chinese grocery store near us, Wing Yip. It's much bigger than the one in Cricklewood and Hoo Hing near Hendon. A kind English man married to a Chinese woman pointed out some of the best deals to us. We ended up buying a ton of supplies. conjoined duck twinsThis week we're going to Rachael's birthday party which is now easy to remember since it's on September 11th. We're also finalizing the plans for our trip, getting a discount on a car hire from a friend, and deciding how to divide up our time. It seems it will be about 4 days each in Port Townsend, Anacortes, and Spokane, and 1-2 days in Seattle. It's difficult to divide time up between families in a way that will make everyone happy. We're going to try to squeeze in seeing a few friends in Seattle and a friend from Vancouver may drive down to meet us since there's no way we can visit him in Vancouver this time around (as much as I'd love to). It is going to be so hectic, but I am really excited to see everyone and to be back home for awhile.

I had a very fun and interesting Monday night meeting Mustafa. It was fantastic meeting him, but it wasn't so great being pick-pocketed for over 60. Mustafa has been an online friend of Max's for the past 6 or more years. He owns a website hosting company in Houston, Texas and would often pass work on to Max (some of which went to pay for part of our wedding and honeymoon). Max helped him out with problems in the past so he hosted our domains for free. I only ever knew him through brief chats on irc. Neither Max or I had ever met or even seen a photo of Mustafa, so we had no idea what to expect when we arranged to meet him at The Moon Under Water Pub on Charing Cross Rd. I met Max at Waterloo station and as we were walking towards the pub we saw a black cab drive by with a man peering out and Max said, "That's Mustafa, I'll bet you anything." Sure enough when we arrived at the pub the same man was waiting for us outside. He asked if he could buy cigarettes anywhere, so we wandered through Soho a little to find a newsagents and then walked back to the pub. I liked Mustafa instantly. I have good intuition for people and I knew I'd get on well with him. He is unpretentious, has an easy smile, a good sense of humor, and we had a good rapport. Like us he likes people who are genuine, jovial, easygoing, and sincere and he was pleased that Max, "wasn't an asshole, like he is online." He apparently felt nervous about meeting him and our friend Paul because they're both quite intelligent and can be abrasive and abrupt online (Paul is actually like a big cuddly teddy bear in person). Mustafa is about 25 years old and from Karachi, Pakistan. His wealthy father in Pakistan sent him to Houston, Texas at age 19 to go to university and he decided to stay in order to start a business. His mannerisms and wording have become very American, but he still has a slight accent. He had just arrived in London from his mother's funeral in Pakistan and was a bit bewildered as it was his first ever visit to London (his father wants him to move here). His father has been trying to arrange a marriage for him for the past few years and told Mustafa to come to London to meet a good Muslim girl. His father also sent him to Dubai to meet another Muslim girl, but Mustafa wasn't very interested in her. Mustafa laughed nervously when talking about his prospective arranged marriage. The girl in London was going to show him around the city for next three days and there wasn't any debate about it, he had to go. He at least sounded more interested in her than in the girl from Dubai and apparently the girl's father is very keen, even though Mustafa hinted towards the father being "much more religious" than his own family. He talked about his family in Pakistan. They're Muslim, but not as strict as many. His mother wore the hijab, but was a huge fan of Formula One racing. He said she once opened the door and even before greeting him she would complain about Michael Schumacher wasting time in the pit lane. Apparently she would pray for Schumacher to win every race (and he did). Mustafa's whole family are fans of Formula One, which is how he came to meet Max on a F1 channel on irc. He said he has no plans on ever living in Pakistan again. He didn't know if he had become too accustomed to the Western way of life, but he couldn't envision himself living in Pakistan, especially with the general lawlessness there. He said, "In America if you have a small accident with another car you both get out and exchange insurance numbers, in Pakistan people often get out of their cars and shoot each other dead in the road." However, he is very entrepreneurial and has plans to start a few businesses in Pakistan. He offered me a cigarette and I accepted telling him I quit years ago, but I still smoke on occasion when drinking with friends. He said he quit years ago too, for about 6 months. I asked when he started up again and he said, "On September 11th. I looked at the tv and said `oh fuck' and lit one up." That turned the conversation towards the current discrimination faced by Muslims in America. He said he hasn't had any problems himself living in Houston, Texas, but he had friends and acquaintances who had been targeted and told a few of the horror stories elsewhere in the states. He said his local Pakistani restaurant sign mysteriously dropped the "Pakistani" on it and the same went for other Middle Eastern restaurants. He spoke of Muslim girls having rocks thrown at them and even Indian sikhs being targeted because of their turbans. We talked about religion and agreed that fundamentalism in any religion can be a dangerous thing. He talked about "honour killings" in Pakistan which also happen in Britain frequently, but are rarely prosecuted. He kept asking me about married life, perhaps in anticipation of his own possible marriage. He loves computer games and thought it was funny that Max and I met through the game Half-life. He said that perhaps married life wouldn't be bad if he could be as happy as we are. After several drinks he asked if I knew of a "pool hall" nearby to shoot some pool. I laughed and explained that pool isn't a big thing in Britain and it's not like in America where there's a pool table in nearly every bar (which is a shame because I like playing pool). We knew of a possible pool table in Camden, but everyone thought it best we ate first. (These high-resolution photos are from the hotel website. I only took 3 photos all night, one was of Mustafa and I promised him I wouldn't post it. :)Mustafa and his father are staying in a hotel called The Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park, which is across the street from Harrods. Slightly embarassed he said his father first booked a highly expensive suite at the hotel, but complained that the "room smelled" (Mustafa said he couldn't smell anything) so now they're in a room that's 200+ a night. Mustafa offered to buy us dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which we immediately declined, but when he insisted and said he'd charge it to his father's business and no one would care, we accepted. I was relieved I was at least dressed well enough to be let into the bar and restaurant. The hostess, who was groomed and manicured to within an inch of her life, showed us to the Mandarin Bar where we could wait for our table. Mustafa only ordered mineral water, for fear his father might come in and catch him drinking (a big Muslim no-no) but encouraged us to try the bar's cocktails, despite their being 10 each. I ordered a Melon Martini, which was incredible, one of the best cocktails I've ever had (and it better be for 10). When I went into the restroom had a shock when I opened the door. Standing before me was an immensely tall, svelte, and gorgeous black woman. She had on the tiniest of black dresses and a very high heeled pair of Jimmy Choos. I had a feeling I had seen this woman before and when she started yelling at someone down her cell phone it clicked: Naomi Campbell! Mirror Project attempt: A blurry Naomi, but not Naomi Campbell. After we were seated in The Park restaurant Mustafa's father showed up, he was dining in another part of the restaurant with some other businessmen. He looked very serious and gave us a very quick handshake each. He then talked to Mustafa in Urdu for a few minutes and when he left Mustafa said he was inquiring if he'd be leaving the hotel again after dinner. He likes to keep a close eye on his son.We had more cocktails, the La Vien Rose for me. The polite and proper waiter who doesn't walk, but glides, ended up spilling part of it onto the white tablecloth while pouring. The hostess rolled her eyes and showed him how to strain it through a fork. It was somewhat reassuring to know that even these guys fuck up occasionally. The menu was a strange mixture of Chinese, South East Asian, Italian, Asian (Indian and Pakistani), British, and French which was initially worrying. I ordered the starter, the Peking duck roll with plum chutney, spring onion and cucumber, which everyone ate and it was delicious. My main course was the Hazelnut crusted red snapper fillet with plum sauce, bok choy, and tempura vegetables. Max had the Malaysian laska and Mustafa ordered the lamb curry since he was tired of ordering his "usual", the Singapore noodles. Everything was cooked and presented perfectly. For desert both Mustafa and I ordered the Pistachio parfait with white chocolate ice cream. I loved it, but Mustafa said it was too sweet for him. We finished off the meal with filter coffee when we suddenly realized how late it was. We all got on so well and the conversation flowed constantly that the night flew by. We made plans to see Mustafa again (possibly tonight to play pool), but he will be back in London next month so we'll definitely see him then. We rushed into the cab where I suddenly realized my wallet was gone. At some point during the night someone had stolen it out of my handbag, although I have no idea where or when. I'm always extremely cautious and keep my bag near me at all times, plus I had Max and Mustafa around me constantly. It had over 60 in it, an old expired Washington State ID card, and my travelcard. It could have been worse. I at least didn't have any credit cards in it and if they had stolen my whole handbag they would have gotten the digital camera and my new glasses, which I would have been more upset about losing. Still, it felt violating, and I'm not exactly in the best financial position right now so 60 makes a difference. Perhaps it was karmic payback for getting such a fantastic meal essentially for free, even though we told Mustafa we'd take him out to dinner next time. We went back into the hotel and searched, just in case. We found nothing and neither did the staff, so we caught a black cab to Waterloo where we ran to catch the last train of the night. Because of delays earlier in the day it only took us to Wimbledon and when we got off we prayed no one would ask to look at my travelcard (10 fine if they discovered I didn't have it). The last night bus from Wimbledon had already left so Max called directory inquiries for a minicab office. The minicab office said they "only do home pick-ups" and wouldn't pick us up. I had visions of us either curling up on the sidewalk all night, breaking into Max's new office in Wimbledon, or walking the 3+ miles to Kingston. None of those sounded very appealing - or safe - at 2am. Finally we found a black cab willing to take us, so we shelled out the 17 fare and finally made it home.

Mustafa just called, it was the first time I've spoken to him on the phone and he has more of an accent than I expected. We're going out to meet him tonight (I'll post about that and my weekend tomorrow). Updated calendar. I'll be in the states when most of these end so I'd better get cracking these next two weeks. only September 6th - 8th - UNKLE SIGHTS ICA, London (charting the graphic evolution of James Lavelle and Mo Wax)until September 6 - The Distance Between Me and You - Lisson Galleryuntil September 6 - Hamlet (in Japanese) - Sadler's Wells, London until September 7 - Cruel and Tender - Photography Realism - Tate Modernuntil September 7 - Painting Light: Italian Divisionism 1885-1910 - Estorick Collection, N1until September 7 - Enrique Metinides - The Photographers' Galleryonly September 9 - The Guts of Shadows - Art First, First Floor Gallery (Private Viewing)until September 11 - Peter Blake: Commercial Art - London Institute Gallery, W1until September 13 - American & British Pop @ Robert Sandelson Galleryuntil September 14 - Julia Margaret-Cameron at the National Museum of Photography (5)until September 14 - A Private Passion (Renoir, Delacroix, Van Gogh, etc.) - National Galleryuntil September 14 - Arrangement - Rhodes & Mann Gallery (explores different uses of floral imagery through the work of contemporary artists and historical objects). until September 21 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Expressionism and the City - Royal Academyuntil September 21 - BP Portrait Award 2003 show at the National Portrait Gallery until September 28 - Restoration Lives: Samuel Pepys and His Circle - National Portrait Gallery, WC2until September 28 - Bridget Riley - Tate Britain</b>until September 28 - Editions Alecto: A Fury for Prints - Bankside Gallery, SE1until September 28 - Paradise - National Gallery (explores ways in which artists have reinterpreted the visible world to create images of paradise itself, to recall a lost Golden Age or to show the world idealised, as in the paintings by Claude, Poussin, Watteau, and Constable. Also included are pictures by Monet, Gauguin and Stanley Spencer)until October 1 - Delhi in the 1840s - British Library (last mughal emperor)until October 9 - Turner and Venice - Tate Britainonly October 10 - Mr Scruff - Forum, Londononly October 15 - Amon Tobin - Scala, Londonuntil October 19 - Shakepeare in Art - Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE21only October 25 - Carmina Burana - Royal Albert Hallonly October 28 - Goldfrapp - Carling Apollo Hammersmith only October 29 - Nitin Sawhney - Ocean, Londonuntil 9 November 2003 - Leonardo da Vinci: The Divine and the Grotesque - Queen's Gallery (buckingham palace)only December 22/23 - Eddie Izzard "Sexie" - Wembley Arenauntil January 4 - (starts Oct 22) Bill Viola: The Passions - National Galleryuntil February 15 - (starts Nov 12) Thomas Jones in Italy - National Galleryuntil April 4 - (starts Jan 24) Bosch and Bruegel: Inventions, Enigmas and Variations - National Galleryoh, and check out the new Selfridges building in Birmingham..

There's a slight autumnal nip in the air today and it's back to typical rainy London. It's one of those hotcupoftea and curlupwithagoodbook days, not to mention listen to plenty of ambient music. Here's a small sample of what I've been listening to today..Brian Eno - Moss GardenFuture Sound of London - Essential mix (1994 with Robert Fripp) Part 09Future Sound of London - Essential mix (1994 with Robert Fripp) Part 10Miasma - Settled StormPete Namlook & Dr. Atmo - Santur

Saturday afternoon we met Paul and Rachael at Patisserie Valerie in Soho. They decided they really wanted to go to Belgos, so we went to Centraal and ordered the 6 lunch special. Mine was the Galette de Tomate with goats cheese and it ended up being poorly cooked. Plus the service was bad which further solidified my opinion that Centraal usually sucks and the only Belgos worth going to is Noord. After I finished my Leffe (the waitress brought my beer 15 minutes after she brought everyone else's) we moved on to The Porterhouse where I continue drinking Belgian (I get it when I can..) by ordering Kriek (it was Boons this time, can't a girl get a Lindeman's in this town?) After several drinks Rache wanted some ice cream so we stopped by the tourist-ridden Haagen-Dazs in Leicester Square then wandered up to the Trocadero, an immense four story arcade, to play a few video games. On the way there we stopped in the Tin Tin shop where I bought a postcard. Paul wanted to continue on with us, but Rache - being 8 months pregnant - was exhausted so we parted ways. We thought we'd only be with Paul & Rache for a few hours, but by the time we separated it was already early evening. I had wanted to catch the Cindy Sherman exhibit at the Serpentine Gallery since it ended Monday, so we walked from Soho down Picadilly and through Hyde Park along The Serpentine to the gallery, but we didn't make it before closing time. There is a large Arab population in the Hyde Park area so nearly everywhere there were women in burqas sitting on benches, strolling, and in paddle-boats.A very dapper lobster. I was disappointed about missing the show, but on our walk to the South Kensington tube station we came across the Earth From the Air outdoor exhibit in the gardens of the Natural History Museum. We both forgot it was there, even though we've wanted to see it for months. We saw an interview with the French photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, on tv awhile ago and I really liked his philosophy. The exhibit was fascinating and moving, with informative facts about humanity interspersed throughout the photographs. We caught the South Kensington tube which passed through Gloucester Road tube station. There was a show of several billboard-sized Cindy Sherman photographs as part of the Platform Art project. I felt taunted. photo from bbcWe caught the train from Wimbledon where a group of extremely drunk loud men got on and acted like idiots. I was immensely grateful I wasn't on the train alone since they were harassing every single woman on the carriage. To make matters worse we were on one of the old decrepit trains from the 70s that always feel like they're about to explode in a flurry of bolts and wood (the brakes of some older trains on the Northern Line have caught on fire in the past). The lights were flicking on and off constantly like a slow strobe light. I was extremely happy to get off that train, unfortunately the drunk men got off at our stop too. We took it easy on Sunday, only walking to the grocery store and back. We watched one of my favorite films, Gandhi, on tv and Max cooked us a delicious curry with the recipe our Indian friend from the Punjab gave us. He also made the perfect accompaniment - fresh naan bread.Monday was a bank holiday so we headed out in the afternoon to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit. She's one of my photography idols so it was a treat to see some of her works in person. I was a little disappointed at the size of the show, I didn't realize how small the Serpentine Gallery was. For the amount of effort it takes to get there I won't go back to the gallery again unless they're showing something I absolutely have to see. I was happy they had several works from her History series, which is one of my favorite series of hers. It took us only 30 minutes peruse all the photographs and look through the gallery's bookstore so we walked to the Science Museum and wandered around it aimlessly for an hour. Admittance is free for most of London's museums and galleries. Back at home we watched The Italian Job (the original, thank you) and The South Park Movie which disturbingly has made me have the song "Uncle Fucker" in my head for the last few days.

I especially like being played by Bruce Lee.My LiveJournal Sitcomnomi at a homeless shelter (FOXFAM, 4:30): nomi (Bruce Lee) nixes atlaz (Sam Neill)'s picnic plans. Meanwhile, whorlpool (Claire Danes) invents a new kind of armchair and gets science (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) to sell it. Soon afterwards, cmyk76 (John, Olivia Newto) misinterprets an email from fluxbox (Vanna White) and tries to get into a bodega for free. That same day, carmelite (Kim Cattrall) makes lots of money playing guitar on the street and makes gracejustis (Ashley Judd) jealous. Afterwards, banshee (Shirley Temple) hits on nomi (Bruce Lee)'s co-worker. (Series finale.)What's Your LiveJournal Sitcom? (by rfreebern)My LiveJournal SitcomI Love nomi (FOXFAM, 4:30): nomi (Bruce Lee) and scarfboy (Jason Behr) try out for a volleyball team. Afterwards, brightwyrm (Crispin Glover) oversleeps and misses lunch with womanonfire (Raul Julia). That same day, whorlpool (Claire Danes) claims to be atlaz (Sam Neill) in a job interview. Later, banshee (Shirley Temple) teaches sari (Denis Leary) about the Coriolis effect. In the next town over, ogonzoo (Robin Williams) hits a fork with larissa (Vince Vaughn)'s dental pik. Hilarious results follow.What's Your LiveJournal Sitcom? (by rfreebern)My LiveJournal Sitcomnomi at the office (FOXFAM, 4:30): nomi (Bruce Lee) makes whorlpool (Claire Danes) look stupid in front of a large crowd at the university. Nearby, libertango (Colin Farrell) cheats on a test, and keith_london (Lee Majors) finds out. That same day, viejagloria (Bob Hoskins) accidentally scratches t_pot (Edward Norton)'s favorite PDA. The next day, quent (Ashley Olsen) teaches socialismnow (Ethel Merman) about Scientology. Upstairs, eyean (Rick Moranis) learns a card trick from deus_x (Keri Russell). (Season finale.)What's Your LiveJournal Sitcom? (by rfreebern)My LiveJournal SitcomNomi's sweatshirt (FOXFAM, 4:30): Nomi (Jamie Kennedy) accidentally throws away somabrak (Brigitte Bardot)'s shampoo. That night, jaarronn (Catherine Bell) nixes kontessa (Valerie Bertinelli)'s picnic plans. The next day, cris (Heath Ledger) likes ice cream cones, but boofany (Dick Van Dyke) thinks they're disgusting. Afterwards, kricker (Tracey Ullman) is allergic to snej (Matt LeBlanc)'s wristwatch. That same day, thelonious (Richard Gere) misinterprets an email from beatnikside (Katharine Hepburn) and tries to get into a bodega for free. Hilarious results follow.What's Your LiveJournal Sitcom? (by rfreebern)My LiveJournal SitcomLiving With Nomi (FOXFAM, 4:30): Nomi (Jamie Kennedy) can't find pistorius (Peter R. de Vries)'s car and pretends it was never missing. Then, ogonzoo (Robin Williams)'s new shirt bleeds in the wash and stains all of beatnikside (Katharine Hepburn)'s underwear pink. The week after, mrbad (Beverley Mitchell) gets lost on the way to ginamoog (Drew Barrymore)'s house and spends the night in a preschool. In the next town over, vizzygoth (Laura Dern) cleans celie (Sal Mineo)'s apartment and ruins the television set. On the other side of town, gulch (Viggo Mortensen) lets magpiegeese (Anne Heche) borrow a t-shirt to impress a professor. Zany antics ensue.What's Your LiveJournal Sitcom? (by rfreebern)