Yes, I'm From America

As an American studying in London, I've encountered three kind of odd things:

1. People always ask, "Are you American" as if my accent doesn't give it away instantly
2. Deciding how exact I can be when answering the question "So where in America are you from?" It's very hard to gauge how good a person's grasp of American geography is when you're meeting them for the first time. Hence why I'm from the East Coast, DC, and Virginia.
3. Immediately being considered an expert in all things American.

The last one is particularly difficult because I've spent the last five or so years learning as much as I can about British culture while spending very little to almost no time concerning myself with American culture. Sure I know about popular trends in a vague sense (thanks AV Club and EW!) but it's not as if I've made a study of these things. This is especially true of American radio, which I had been ignoring long before I became obsessed with British radio. Except now, at least in my music radio class, I'm expected to pretty close to an expert on American music radio. I actually admitted in class today that I don't listen to American radio any more because I think it's crap (which was very liberating let me tell you.) It will be interesting to see how that goes.
The geography bit is difficult as well, largely because deciding where I'm from can be difficult. For instance, I'll decide to say "I'm from DC" and the have to modify it to "the East Coast." Or I'll say "I'm from Virginia" and then cringe a little bit because no one from NoVa every says they're from Virginia and the person I'm talking to doesn't know what the heck I'm talking about anyway. Also, you'd think people would know where the largest and most powerful nation's capital is. I'm just saying, even radio people should know that. It's just sort of bizarre because American's are pinned as not knowing anything about geography, but it turns out lots of Europeans don't know anything about geography either. Or at least not simple American geography. Like knowing where its capital is.
Still, it's not that bad really. I'm sure that British exchange students get the same treatment when they're in American. Except for the accent thing because I'm fairly sure every American can identify a British accent. When you're a novelty, it's should be expected that you're going to be poked and prodded and generally considered the ultimate example of your nation or culture. It's just a bit difficult when you've been spending years trying to assimilate into the country and culture you're visiting.
Finally I'd just like to say this to the people in my music radio class who, before class insisted they aren't scenesters/hipsters, but then said they listen to NME radio: You may not consider yourself a hipster, but you are because you listen to NME radio and dress like you shop exclusively at second hand shops and Topshop. However what you really are, are closeted hypocrites. It's time to come out of the closet and just admit that you're a hypocrite. Trust me, it feels good.

Something Terribly Clever

So it turns out that I can only think in bullet points. So here are more bullet points.

• I knew where the radio 1 station is located in London. I've now forgotten, but if I walk past there again, I'll know what I'm walking past (and why there are photographers there.)
• British weather is even more temperamental than I remember. One minute it's blue skies and freezing cold the next it's grey and freezing cold. The freezing cold doesn't change.
• Thus far my favourite radio shows are Fearne Cotton and Nick Grimshaw, though it's not necessarily for the music. In fact it's mostly for the personalities.
• Pret a Manger forces me to eat vegetables that I wouldn't eat under normal circumstances. This is a good thing.
• Oxford Circus is way too tempting for someone who could easily turn into a shopaholic.
• I'm getting better and discerning mixed accents. For instance one of the module leaders for my Art and Society has a mix of Australian and London. Granted it took me a half hour to figure that out, but considering how most people can't even do it, I'd say I'm getting better.

I've got Music Radio all day tomorrow (10am to 5pm is all day) and Friday and then I leave really fecking early for York on Saturday. Bottom line: In likelihood there won't be any updates for awhile. I've got postcards to put up from the National Gallery (which I went to today for my Art and Society class, more on that next week) now. Don't panic.

RIAA for the Win

Today I had my first music law class and there was a great moment when the discussion had moved into illegal downloading (the original discussion was on copyrights, so it does make sense.) The professor, Kienda, began describing how back in ye olde days, wars could have started over one kingdom playing another kingdom's music (not strictly true, but amusing nonetheless) and how in modern times this would be like someone coming around your house and shooting you for illegally downloading some music. He then went on to say that the US isn't far from doing that. He proceeded to describe the enforcers of RIAA law and how much they look like SWAT guys. One of my other classmates asked if RIAA guys busting into your house isn't some sort of violation of civil liberties and when the professor said no, I was just sat there thinking "All of you have it so lucky. You have no defined methods of dealing with illegal downloaders." As I said to the young woman who was sat to behind me, they'll bust into your house, take your computer and then fine millions upon millions of dollars. If you're now wondering why this was such a great moment, it's because I could just sit there thinking "Yup, those are my guys. All hail America."
So yeah, classes are going well thus far. More info once I've been through all of them at least once.

Radio 1

I've been listening to Radio 1 (the main and biggest radio station the UK) pretty religiously since I got here. The reason for this is because a) I have to listen to the radio for one of my classes and figuring out what shows I like will be helpful and b) it's a British institution, like cheese and Monty Python. Thus far the music has been...not horrible? It's mainstream and despite some of my own musical tendencies, I'm far less pop and far more rock than Radio 1 is. However most of the DJs I've heard are really enjoyable to listen to, so the crap music (so much N-Dubz, far too much) is undermined by the pleasant DJs. Every once in a while they'll play a song that I actually like or at least don't find horribly offensive to my ears (like N-Dubz or Ke$ha.) I just (like 10 minutes ago) had a moment like that.
I've always assumed the minute I started listening to British radio I would just continually be hearing songs I love and artists that I love. Of course this isn't true, but for every time I hear N-Dubz (I really don't like them, can you tell) I'll hear Kasabian or a not crap song by an artist I don't really know that well. Such a moment happened toward the end of Scott Mills' show, when the guest DJ, Sarah Cox, played Mika. I almost never listen to American radio and when I do it's horrible, so it's nice to listen to British radio and find out that while a lot of it is not very good, some of it is. And sometimes they play my songs.

My Weekend in Not So Brief

I have finally been able to put up some posters on my wall. It turns out scotch tape doesn't work and the walls must be made of cement because I couldn't make push pins work either. Today though, in a fit of efficiency, I got Blu Tack and finally got my posters to stay up for longer than 2 minutes. I'm use to having an insane amount of colour in my room, so not having any for a week was absolutely miserable and I'm quite enjoying having the vibrant colours of my newly acquired poster. One says "Keep Calm and Carry On" which I got from the V&A Museum. I also got a poster of the cover for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was acquired at the Beatles Coffee Shop near the St. John's Wood tube station. Of course I also put up my mini-poster from A Clockwork Orange. I've also put up some postcards on the pin board that the school provides, so I'm very slowly becoming more pleased with the appearance of my room. I also got a pillow case that's 100% cotton, which considering how everything else on my bed is a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, will be quite nice for my head. Now onto more interesting things.
Yesterday I spent the day in the city with a friend of my Mum's and got stay over at her house which was really nice. During the day though we went to Westminster Abbey which was really very beautiful. My only disappointment was that I couldn't take a picture of Handel's tomb marker inside the church, which would have been absolutely brilliant, but sadly no photography inside the church. The best part of the day though was that we took the bus everywhere and we sat on the top level so I got see parts of the city that I hadn't seen before. While the Underground is definitely faster than taking a bus, you don't get to see all the streets and houses and stores that you get to see when you're on a bus. It also helped that we were going along Regent and Oxford street which are the main shopping streets in London. So many big stores, so little time. After Westminster, we went back to her house where we preceded to watch the most recent episode of QI and episodes from the first series. It was actually really nice because I also got to call home and talk to everyone except the dogs (though I did tell Dad to say hi to them for me, hopefully he did that.)
This morning I had my glass of juice and nothing else (damn you stomach!). Marjie (my Mum's friend) finished knitting the hat she had started last night and then we headed out to Abbey Road which she lives really close to. She took some pictures of me crossing the street, which considering the weather came out okay. Then we walked back to St. John's Wood tube station where I got the poster I mentioned, a postcard to keep and a postcard I'm sending to my Mum, and a keychain of the submarine from the cover of Yellow Submarine (clever, I know.) Then began the long journey home.
As you may or may not know London is hosting the summer Olympics in 2012. Because of this various parts of what makes a city run are being renovated so that when even bigger groups of tourists come to London, they'll be impressed. This includes the Underground. So today the entire Metropolitan line (my line) and the northern bit of the Jubilee line (Marjie's main line) were closed for renovations. This will be an ongoing problem on the weekends, because for some reason London doesn't care about people who are outside of zone 1 (I'm in zone 4.) Today I got to see all the streets I manage to avoid by taking the Underground. I took about an hour and half to finally get back to Northwick Park which is where I am. Now I had music and found looking at the buildings very interesting but if I hadn't left around 1pm, or let's say I had left at like 2pm, I wouldn't have been back until 3:30 or 4pm and that's just ridiculous, especially considering how everything closes at 5pm on Sundays. Still, it was really lovely to see so much of the city that I will probably see again next weekend.
One last note: If you've ever seen the 5th Harry Potter movie, the night bus sequence, while fantastical, is not completely outside the realm of reality. Bus drivers are crazy. They drive incredibly fast, I don't know how they make the turns they do, I was constantly waiting for the bus to get into a horrible accident with the other cars on the road, and sides of the road are for other people. But then again, I think that's just how people drive here. Until next time, don't panic.

Equivalence Chart

Yesterday I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Along with tea, Digestives biscuits, pie, and cheese, the Victoria and Albert Museum is a tourist institution in London, which I somehow managed to miss the last time I was in London. I took a billion pictures at the museum, feeling a little guilty about taking said pictures but as there were no signs I guess it was alright. I also found out that Marks and Spencers closes at 7pm, which is a bit of a disappointment when you're expecting to get dinner from there, but I managed to get a sandwich, some milk and dark chocolate Digestives. All in all yesterday wasn't a complete bust and I got to talk to both my Mom and my sister.
Anyway, the point of this entry is that I've come up with an equivalence chart for some of the stores I've either been to or are planning on going to. What can I say, I've got a lot of free time on my hands and this is just the kind of thing I think about.

• Primark = Target
• Marks and Spencers = Macy's + a small grocery store
• Sainsbury = K-Mart
• Tesco = Any grocery store you've ever been to
• Asda = Walmart (they're owned by the same people, which is why they're the same)
• Pret a Manger = Starbucks (as in, they're every where)
• Starbucks = Starbucks (because Starbucks doesn't change from country to country)

Well that's it for me. I've got more orientation and a boat party to look forward to and I'll be doing something tomorrow. I don't know what, but something will happen. In a final note I finally got my Oyster card which is nice. Until next time, don't panic and carry on.

Ups and Downs

The bullet points are back people. The homesickness hasn't gone away, but I figure that you all deserve to know what's going on with me. So here are the highlights:

• As evidenced by my phone, I found St. Ann's. I went to St. George's, which is another shopping centre in the same area and while it doesn't have as many useful stores as St. Ann's, it's there and it's good to know how not useful it is.
• I added one more class to my roster, "Art and Society" which will give me the opportunity to see different locations and galleries in London. I figure that it will be edifying if nothing else.
• I have all of tomorrow free so I've come up with a small-ish list of places I want to go to that are in central London. One of the locations is a restaurant called Bar Italia which Pulp named a song after, hence the appeal. Pictures will be taken and posted on my Flickr photostream. Expect pictures of the Gherkin and various other things.
• I'd never admit this under normal circumstances, but I'm really glad I'm a member of PEO. I'm also really glad my Mom has a friend in London who she's still in touch with. These are all things for which I am currently very thankful for, though I think we all know that this too shall pass and eventually I'll be really glad I'm in London. Eventually.

Well that's it. I got a normal night's sleep last not which was good. I'm not sure when I'll update next, possibly after the weekend and once classes have started up. We shall see. Until then, don't panic.

They Warned Me About This, But I Didn't Listen

Way back, when I was still at UMW, the international office held a pre-departure orientation for everyone who was going to be studying abroad during the spring semester. It was pretty much required and also pretty much irrelevant to me. I spent the majority of the orientation either skimming through the handbook they gave us or working on a paper I had due the next day. The one thing that was new to me, but I disregarded at the time, was a chart that showed the up and downs of studying abroad. It was a graph that showed the emotional roller coaster you could expect to go through both going to the country of studying and coming back home. The reason I disregarded was because at that point I was super excited about travelling abroad and wasn't expecting any kind of culture shock or anything like that. For some reason I wasn't even expecting to be homesick.
One of the pros of getting here a week before classes start is that I get to work through my jet lag without having to worry about classes. The major con is that no one else seems to understand that concept. I had started feeling incredibly homesick before I went to bed, but was fairly determined to move past that and get some much needed sleep. I put in my ear plugs and fell asleep. Close to 2am some noise filtered through my earplugs and woke me up. After repeated attempts to get the party that was occurring across from my window to quiet down (which included being offered a can of beer which I did not accept) I did the only thing I could think of: call home. It was only 9:30pm at home so I assumed someone would be awake to answer the phone. Of course this was after crying so hard that I started hyperventilating and subsequently guilt-ing the people bellow me into quieting down. It cost me four pounds, but calling home was well worth the cost (and not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be.) By the time I got off the phone and listened to "Bolero" the party had quieted down enough that my earplugs were enough to keep out the rest of the noise. I went back to sleep around 3:30am, but at least I didn't have to be anywhere until noon.
Bottom line: Homesickness happens at the most inopportune times and crying really loudly can do wonders for making people feel guilty about the obscene amount of noise they are making.
In other less depressing news I got a phone, a duvet cover that fits and found the Marks and Spencers closest to me. I also met someone else from the States who's here on her own and who isn't much into parties so things are looking up. Also, I went to file a complaint about my shower working and it turns out that my entire block is being investigated. Yay. I just have to get through the rest of the week and the weekend and then hopefully things will quiet down at least during the week. I'll have more to say after Thursday in all likelihood, so until then.

Walking in the Wrong Direction is Fun!

When I got my first job I very insistently walked the wrong way because I was sure I knew what I was doing. I'm naturally a very stubborn person, so it should come as no surprise that today's adventure consisted mainly of me walking in the wrong way because I was so sure that I was going the right way and would eventual get to where I wanted to go. I've since looked at a map and discovered that, no, I really was going the wrong way. Much like with my first job I was walking in exactly the opposite direction. Go me.
Today's mission was to get a phone. I didn't really care about anything else, but I was going to get a phone. This meant going some place other than Sainsbury. I looked up St. Ann's Shopping Centre on google and proceeded to write down directions. I then decided that I knew what I was doing and ended up going in the opposite direction of St. Ann's. The entire time I was walking I was sure that eventually I would happen across the shopping centre, that I was going the right way. After a good 20 minutes of walking I gave up and headed back towards Sainsbury. This was around 2:40, having woken up at 1ish (yeah, don't get me started.) I had a lovely lunch of cottage pie and cooked carrot sticks after which I did some more shopping. I got a clock radio so I don't miss orientation tomorrow and some ibuprofen to take care of the shoulder pain one gets when one drags 40lbs of luggage around. I also got some Cheerios ("give those Os a go!") which I'm enjoying.
Finally, people need to stop questioning my signature. I know it doesn't look like a signature and definitely isn't the same as the one I've got on my licensce but a) it is a signature and b) the one on my driver's license is from five years ago. Signatures are allowed to evolve. So yeah, stop questioning the scribble...I mean signature.

Journey to a Foreign Land Pt. 2

After finally being let out of the plane I started getting really nervous. What if they didn't let me in? What if I was completely wrong about everything and I got thrown out of the country forever. I had a lovely long walk to think about all of this before I finally got to immigration where I confused the hell out of the guy in charge of me. See the course I'm taking doesn't officially end until June 18th. However that's about two weeks after the semester ends. My Mom, in her wisdom, decided that there was no point to me spending two weeks twiddling my thumbs in London (which is probably what I would've done.) This confused the man in immigration to no end. He did not understand at all. And because he didn't understand he gave me the stink eye, which wasn't helping anything because I was a nervous wreck. I was terrified that he wasn't going to let me through. Finally he said rather curtly "have you paid for everything" and I said yes and he stamped my passport and everything was fine. But for a few minutes there, I wasn't sure I would get through.
After immigration everything went swimmingly. However I was left with five hours with nothing to do in Paddington station. And Paddington station is not heated. And if there are lockers, I couldn't find them which meant I was carrying/dragging around all of my luggage every time I wanted to go somewhere. And I was cold. So I wandered around Paddington station for a good hour before mooching around various locations trying to warm up. I desperately wanted to call people but a) didn't (and still don't) have a phone and b) would have felt really weird calling my great uncle at 9am. However I did realize that pigeons are actually the dominate species, at least in London and the female announcer at Paddington station sounds eerily similar to Freema Agyeman aka Martha. I also learned how to be a hobo.
The Paddington station has a Hilton Hotel attached to it which is very convenient since Paddington has trains going to Heathrow airport. Unlike the most of the rest of Paddington station however, the Hilton is heated. So at 10am I decided I'd had enough of the cold and was going to go sit in the warmth of the Hilton. The amazing thing is, is that I got away with it for two hours even though I spent most of that time either reading about the commercialization of American radio or half asleep. The key to my success I believe was my luggage. I didn't look like the hobo I was, I looked like someone waiting for someone at the Hilton, with my luggage. Either that or the staff at the Hilton are use to people being hobos in their lobby. It was during this time that I re-realized that Employment is almost exactly 45 minutes long and that I hadn't taken my meds. So I headed to Starbucks, got my second hot chocolate of the day (though I didn't finish either) and some shortbread cookies and remedied the problem. I left around 12:50, learned that you have to pay to use the restrooms and discovered the waiting room. There's a heated waiting room near the ladies' in Paddington station. I could have spent five lovely hours in a warm room instead of sitting around acting like a cold hobo for most of that time. Around 1:15 I left the wonderful waiting room, got myself a pair of wool gloves (it's cold dammit) and left for Harrow. Everything went swimmingly until I realized my internet wasn't working. I did however go to the British equivalent of Wal-Mart (Sainsbury if you're wondering) and got lots of crap I couldn't have packed but are absolutely necessary. But now my internet is working and tomorrow I'm going to head back to Harrow-on-the-Hill and get myself a phone and other pretty things that I need like a sheet and a duvet cover. Right now, I'm going to relax and then go to sleep. In a bed. It will be bliss.

Journey to a Foreign Land Pt. 1

Right now my head's spinning (lack of proper food, lack of sleep, not taking my meds until very late in the day...who knows) but I'll persevere because there's so much to say. I'm in London people and it's real. An example: The guy who lives next to me (I know) said, after introducing himself "You're American?" Yeah people, this shits real.
I spent most of Friday either not feeling much of anything or feeling really nervous. By the time I got to the airport I was sort of just not accepting that any of what was happening was really happening. It was just something I was experiencing, but it wouldn't have any consequences. And then I got to the security line, which was ridiculously long and then...the metal detector. I haven't been on an airplane in years and so all these new rules and regulations plus my nerves completely tripped me up. I forgot to take off my watch and I didn't handle my computer correctly. But the best part was after taking of my watch the metal detector still went off. That's right ladies, if you're wearing an underwire there's a 50/50 chance it will be detected. So I got patted down after it was confirmed that the bra was the culprit, which wasn't that bad, just kind of bizarre. Still, not a great way to start a trip.
After a seemingly endless walk to get to my terminal I finally arrived with an hour to spare, so I decided to get some dinner. I arrived a half hour before boarding and then was herded in to my seat. I now understand what it feels like to be a chicken. Whilst being herded into my seat I got to hear a positively excellent cover of the Strokes "Last Night" and by excellent I mean horrifying. It was a smooth jazz version of the song. Once everyone was settled in and the pre-flight nonsense was done and we were up in the air one of the people who was sitting in my row disappeared which meant that me and the guy I was sitting next both had an extra seat to use (the guy on my other side didn't show up). This lead to an interesting game of "How many different equally uncomfortable positions can Nore arrange herself in, in an effort to sleep." I think I got about three hours of sleep total before my back just decided this wasn't happening. Around 5am GMT I was given the choice of juice, tea or coffee, and a granola bar or a muffin. I had orange juice and a muffin and tried my damnedest to go back to sleep after that. I didn't happen.
The plane landed at 6:40am GMT but we weren't let off the plane until about 7am.
In my next entry, the rest of today. Large parts of it were spent being cold.

No Bitchin' Just Op-eding

I'm deciding against bitching about the paper work that has suddenly appeared before me. I'm deciding against this because I think I've done enough complaining for now. I can complain to my sister. Instead I'm going to comment on a couple of news stories I have waiting to commented on. Up first the Kaiser Chiefs!
Nick from the Kaiser Chiefs has set up a record label. This is unsurprising if you know what Nick did between the demise of Parva (the first not as cool incarnation of the Kaiser Chiefs) and the Kaiser Chiefs. He just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who just sits and twiddles his thumbs (or actually enjoy some well deserved time off). My favourite part of the article is this though: "Kaiser Chiefs singer (and former art teacher) Ricky Wilson is also on board, and is designing a logo for the label." Mostly just the "former art teacher" bit. I'm unsurprised Ricky is involved.
I commented on a story related to the story I'm going to talk next on my radio show. Namely that Robert Zemeckis is looking to remake Yellow Submarine in 3-D. Now a cast assembled. It's a fairly interesting line up. You've got three Brits covering Paul, John, and Ringo and an American (Cary Elwes) playing George (who in my opinion probably has the hardest accent to fake). I've been against this project from the start (how do you remake such a trip fest?) but as much as I love Peter Serafinowicz as a comedian...it just doesn't feel right. I know the Beatles didn't play themselves in the original movie, but still. It doesn't feel right. Oh well, we'll see.
Finally, this list is the reason why I don't listen to American radio. Unless I absolutely have to (aka in the former-roomie's car).
I leave in two days. I doubt I'll be updating in that time, but you never know. Until then.
Edit: I found my hard drive. It was hiding under last year's calendar, not under my bed like I thought. Cheeky bugger.

Five Days to Go

I am decidedly less frazzled than the last time I updated. Admittedly a large number of my concerns have been taken care of (money) though I'm still waiting on that damn Oyster card. A new concern has arisen, unfortunately, but hopefully it will be taken care of soon enough. I've also been unable to locate my hard drive yet, but then again I haven't really been looking for it either. I'm sure once I start looking I'll find it.
One thing I have managed to do since I last updated is hyper-extend my left thumb. You don't realize until it's gone (or uncomfortable to use) how very, very useful and important a thumb is. I can't imagine not having a thumb. You can't hold things properly and typing, while not impossible, is a bit a annoying.
I should also mention that I'm completely obsessed with Chuck because I have nothing else to do and it has Jayne and Zachary Levi is kind of cute (even though it's quite clear that certain people are trying to straighten his hair, the idiots.) It's also a very fun show and much like the other show Josh Schwartz produces :cough:Gossip Girl:cough: highly addictive. Since I leave for London in five days (good god where did the time go) I plan on cramming in as many episodes as I can in between finding my hard drive and getting a planner. Hopefully it will keep my mind off the fact that I'm leaving for London in five days 0_0
One last thing: I have a new theory about why I keep seeing the same faces over and over again in British TV/film productions. Because the UK is only so big and only so many people go into TV/film, there are only so many people that can be hired for the number of shows and films that are produced in any given year. Taking into consideration that some actors make it in Hollywood, all that's left are the same two dozen or so actors in each area (and they very rarely over lap.) This is how you can get a cast that consist of actors who have been in Torchwood, Merlin, The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures and various mini-series. And why the same five people star in all of the country's comedies. Of course they come in waves (or generations if you wish) so a new wave will be coming along eventually. I just have this to say: Marc Warren can't be taken seriously as a good guy or a romantic interest by anyone who has seen Hogfather. It's impossible.
So that's all the typing I can do. Hopefully I'll get in at least one more entry before I embark on my six month adventure. But if I don't, I'll see you lot in London.

Can't Think, Too Worried

Since I currently have the attention span of small dog [squirrel!] and I really want to post something up in this here blog, I'm copying and pasting a review of "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" that was published in the Washington Post Tuesday that made me smile with happiness. I should point out that the Washington Post and I rarely agree on most things (movies, television, dvds, music, the meaning of life) so the fact that I agree with this review is quite something. Anyway, here it is for your enjoyment. I'm going to go freak out over the fact that I'm leaving for London in a week.

Without a hit single in the United States it's hard to make a big splash in pop music. But no pop album in 2009 sounded better, start to finish, without a true hit single, than Mika's "The Boy Who Knew Too Much," the follow-up to his 2007 debut, "Life in Cartoon Motion." With a sound that brings to mind some wild amalgamation of Rufus Wainwright, Elton John and Electric Six, Mika managed to be both out there and entirely accessible at once. The nonstop hooks and joyous beats pulled you in and the smart wordplay kept your attention throughout.

Mika is also a bit of a style hog. He channels his inner Kate Bush* on the dreamy "By the Time," visits campy torch territory with "Pick Up Off the Floor" and delivers his Broadway show tune best on "Toy Boy." Yes, it's all a bit over the top, but it's also magical. If Mika's music were simply pure pop pep, that would be enough. But each song tells a story, amuses, amazes and confidently makes its point.

"He's got looks that books take pages to tell/He's got a face to make you fall on your knees," the 26-year-old Londoner sings on "Blame It on the Girls," a bedazzling, boisterous track that somehow chastises ingrates and celebrates life all at once. The song is typical of Mika's fare: exuberant but also layered; candy-coated but also loaded with meaning. Few modern pop stars have achieved anything close.

-- Joe Heim

Recommended tracks

"We Are Golden," "Blue Eyes," "Blame It on the Girls"

Alright, I don't agree with "Blue Eyes," or the fact that there was no "one hit single" (there are many) but he got everything else right in my opinion

*Kate Bush via Imogean Heap, which is clear as glass if you've ever heard an Imogean Heap song and/or have looked at the Wikipedia article on this album.

I'm Freakin' Out Man

I am currently in the throes of "Oh dear god I'm leaving for a foreign country in a week"-style panicking. I spent Sunday making up lists of the things I need to pack and the things that I'll be buying once I'm in London. I've figured out how to get to my dorm from Heathrow and how to get to the orientation sight from my dorm. I'm currently worrying about money (surprise, surprise) and whether my parents (Mum) actually know what they're talking about when they say I can use by debit card like I normally do when I'm in London. I've got a knot in my stomach that comes and goes and for some reason people keep asking me if I'm packed and ready to go even though I'm not leaving for another week. I've applied for an Oyster card but haven't received any word as to whether my application has been approved and I'm starting to wonder whether there will be any cash points in Heathrow so I can pay for the train and bus or whether I should go to the bank and buy cash there. I also have the attention span of a small dog [squirrel!] and can't locate the external hard drive that holds all of my favourite things in the world.
However I will say this for myself: At least I have the lists and I'm doing a very good job of not exploding at people. I'm also pleased with myself for already figuring out how to get to and from places for the most part and the whole not exploding at people thing is also very good in my mind. I'm sure there will be more freaking out in the days to come, but for right now I've got everything I can have under control, under control. Let's just hope it stays that way.

And A Happy New Year

I was drunk last night, dear Mother;
I was drunk the night before.
But if you forgive me Mother,
I'll never get drunk anymore.

--- Tootie Smith (from Meet Me In St. Louis)

After watching other members of my family get drunk, I've hypothesized that when one is drunk one's greatest fear in life comes to the forefront (or at least it does with my family.) This is what I learned about myself:

• I'm quite jovial when drunk
• I'm more irrational than usual
• My greatest fear in life (based on my hypothesis) is death and not understanding the people around me (and that they are making fun of me)

Anyway, since I basically have sign post entries for every other major event in my life, I thought I'd continue that tradition by writing about getting proper drunk for the first time. I will say this however - I'm glad I did it at home and not college. At least at home you know for certain that people will make sure you haven't died in your sleep because for some unknown reason you've suddenly stopped breathing.