London Calling...
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls thank you so much for writing to me and keeping in touch over the past month. This may or may not be my last post from overseas so I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon nonetheless.
London is AMAZING! The Les Miserables show was absolutely incredible. I'm not sure it stood up completely to the Broadway cast that I had seen years ago, but the songs and the stroy remain the same and the integrity of the show was not compromised by a lack of standout performers. For the following evening, Merrick, Zach Morris and I went to go see Weezer in Brixton. The following is a conversation with the gay man that works at the front desk of our hotel:
ZM: "Excuse me, which tube line do we use for Brixton?"
Front Desk Gay Man: "Why in the bloody hell are you going to Brixton?"
ZM: "To see a concert."
FDGM: "Are you going alone?"
Me: "No, why?"
FDGM: "Well, don't stray when you're down there and give up your wallet if they ask for it."
It turns out that walking around Brixton with an American accent late night is supposedly like walking around Queens with a sign that says "I support slavery". Regardless, all was well on the tube until Merrick, who had had a bit too much to drink, couldn't hold his pee for one more stop and got off in the middle of God knows where. (Later he would explain to us that he couldn't find a restroom and used a street sign and was loudly reprimanded by a large man, so he fled and rode the escalator 'til the coast was clear.) The concert hall was amazing. It looked like a castle on the inside, and the fans were really into it. I managed to find Merrick half way through the set upon my return from the bathroom. Weezer was awesome live. They played every song I wanted to hear, and the crowd was excellent.
Yesterday we toured CNN and watched a live broadcast from the studio after interviewing the Executive Producer of the Middle East bureau for about an hour. The previous day, at the BBC, I was able to step into the weather studio and rehearse a broadcast. Both were excellent expereinces. Had two tests this morning and then its off to the Economist newspaper and then dinner and drinks with the professors. I can't believe it's almost over.
Also of note: I thought Paris was expensive and was absolutely correct. I thought London would be more expensive and underestimated by about $45 billion. My McDonald's breakfast this morning cost the American equivalent of $13 for an EggMcFreakin'Muffin...Double-decker busses are the most dangerous things in existence. We got off a tube stop at Oxford Circus two nights ago and there was police tape everywhere. We came to find out that, two hours earlier, a double-decker had killed a three-year-old that had darted into the road. In the early morning, near our usual station, another had a head-on collision with a car and a man had to be removed by the jaws of life...When I speak in my shitty fake British accent, the locals always ask if I am Irish...Apparently the British invented fish and chips because they do not serve anything else...Brits love off-track betting...The Evening Standard is the world's greatest newspaper. It is a tabloid that comes out every three hours, I belive, becuase the headlines are always changing. It is sold at every streetcorner for thirty pence and the headline yesterday was "37 Die of SUPERBUG" and today was "Children Sacrificed in London's VOODOO Churches". Of course, the fake news is terribly interesting compare to the real news, as the headline in today's legitimate journal was about a prominent lawyer who asked a low-level secretary for £4 to pay for dry cleaning as she had spilled a dot of ketchup on his pants...Late night TV in Britain is the funniest shit in the world. We've watched reality shows, i.e. "The Brothel" and we've seen a knock-off of the movie "Phonebooth" without a booth in it.
Allright, all is well. I stayed in last night because I was getting tired. We're all a bit run down but London is awesome. Pat - enjoy the luxury of your new bike. Steve and Dave - good luck with the baseball team. Cousins, Brother, and Sisters - I miss you and will see you soon. Mandy - I will take you out for a beer in the weeks to come. Mom and Dad - Thanks again for this opportunity, I love you and miss you and I will see you soon. Hello, Peter. (Thought of in Hello Newman-esque voice.) Baby - I love you and miss you and I get to see you soon!
London is AMAZING! The Les Miserables show was absolutely incredible. I'm not sure it stood up completely to the Broadway cast that I had seen years ago, but the songs and the stroy remain the same and the integrity of the show was not compromised by a lack of standout performers. For the following evening, Merrick, Zach Morris and I went to go see Weezer in Brixton. The following is a conversation with the gay man that works at the front desk of our hotel:
ZM: "Excuse me, which tube line do we use for Brixton?"
Front Desk Gay Man: "Why in the bloody hell are you going to Brixton?"
ZM: "To see a concert."
FDGM: "Are you going alone?"
Me: "No, why?"
FDGM: "Well, don't stray when you're down there and give up your wallet if they ask for it."
It turns out that walking around Brixton with an American accent late night is supposedly like walking around Queens with a sign that says "I support slavery". Regardless, all was well on the tube until Merrick, who had had a bit too much to drink, couldn't hold his pee for one more stop and got off in the middle of God knows where. (Later he would explain to us that he couldn't find a restroom and used a street sign and was loudly reprimanded by a large man, so he fled and rode the escalator 'til the coast was clear.) The concert hall was amazing. It looked like a castle on the inside, and the fans were really into it. I managed to find Merrick half way through the set upon my return from the bathroom. Weezer was awesome live. They played every song I wanted to hear, and the crowd was excellent.
Yesterday we toured CNN and watched a live broadcast from the studio after interviewing the Executive Producer of the Middle East bureau for about an hour. The previous day, at the BBC, I was able to step into the weather studio and rehearse a broadcast. Both were excellent expereinces. Had two tests this morning and then its off to the Economist newspaper and then dinner and drinks with the professors. I can't believe it's almost over.
Also of note: I thought Paris was expensive and was absolutely correct. I thought London would be more expensive and underestimated by about $45 billion. My McDonald's breakfast this morning cost the American equivalent of $13 for an EggMcFreakin'Muffin...Double-decker busses are the most dangerous things in existence. We got off a tube stop at Oxford Circus two nights ago and there was police tape everywhere. We came to find out that, two hours earlier, a double-decker had killed a three-year-old that had darted into the road. In the early morning, near our usual station, another had a head-on collision with a car and a man had to be removed by the jaws of life...When I speak in my shitty fake British accent, the locals always ask if I am Irish...Apparently the British invented fish and chips because they do not serve anything else...Brits love off-track betting...The Evening Standard is the world's greatest newspaper. It is a tabloid that comes out every three hours, I belive, becuase the headlines are always changing. It is sold at every streetcorner for thirty pence and the headline yesterday was "37 Die of SUPERBUG" and today was "Children Sacrificed in London's VOODOO Churches". Of course, the fake news is terribly interesting compare to the real news, as the headline in today's legitimate journal was about a prominent lawyer who asked a low-level secretary for £4 to pay for dry cleaning as she had spilled a dot of ketchup on his pants...Late night TV in Britain is the funniest shit in the world. We've watched reality shows, i.e. "The Brothel" and we've seen a knock-off of the movie "Phonebooth" without a booth in it.
Allright, all is well. I stayed in last night because I was getting tired. We're all a bit run down but London is awesome. Pat - enjoy the luxury of your new bike. Steve and Dave - good luck with the baseball team. Cousins, Brother, and Sisters - I miss you and will see you soon. Mandy - I will take you out for a beer in the weeks to come. Mom and Dad - Thanks again for this opportunity, I love you and miss you and I will see you soon. Hello, Peter. (Thought of in Hello Newman-esque voice.) Baby - I love you and miss you and I get to see you soon!
posted by M. Rybacki at 12:42 PM
5 Comments:
PATRICK,YES, AS HIS MOTHER I FEEL I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION:) HE IS DUE TO ARRIVE HOME TUESDAY NIGHT THE 21st. HIS BRAIN MAY VERY WELL BE SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT PHYSICALLY HE WILL BE HOME. CAN'T WAIT!!!
HAPPY BIKE RIDING, MRS.V.
mikey, as you can tell by the lower case letters, i am at home. so glad you finally had time to post. it must be weird to be finishing up- maybe initially it felt like you would be there forever- and now you are almost home. lots of memories and great stories for sure! we are having a birthday cake for laura tonite and i get to bake another one for you for friday:) 21-WOW!!!! it makes me feel sort of old, only for a minute though! don't forget to check all of your travel info on times,etc. i didn't call ahead to confirm your flight over, but you may want to do so for your flight home. peter says international flights are much more on schedule than domestic flights, so i am sure nothing has changed. also, don't forget to leave plenty of time to get to the airport tuesday am. i'd rather you wait there, than be fretting about missing your plane.translated, don't drink too much beer your last night and forget to set your alarm. i think you should leave for the airport around 8am, cause i think your flight is at 11am if i remember.ok, call me if you have any last minute changes or questions. as far as the ct. limo, you are paid for a return trip. we changed the time. hopefully you can get through customs in time to get the 3pm limo and not have to wait around for the 4pm one. love you and can't wait to see your face. hope you don't look european or anything! love, mom xoxoxoxoxoxo
michael, it donned on me today that you're coming home this week... it came up pretty fast... cant wait to see you kid!!
-Dave
hi, it's mom again. just had a great filet and some merlot. and, of course, some leftover chocolate cake. YUM!! hey, should you be doing something as a group to thank the professor for all he has done for you? i know in school that would not be the case, but this is different, and i thought i'd toss it out there for you to chew on. i guess i mean dinner or lunch or something like that. not necessarily a gift or anything, but just something to show your appreciation. you make the call, if you think it is a good idea, check with the other kids and come up with somethig if you want. maybe it's too late at this point, but i was just thinking. call me before you leave if you have a chance and let me know where you will be staying the last nite. can't wait til tuesday. love, mom xxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxx
mikey, you are on your way home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we are so excited to see you and hear about everything ( ok, almost everything!). see you in hartford-i'll be the one with the grin from ear to ear:) love,mom xxooxxooxxoo
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