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:

Yes, so Paris was rediculously beautiful and all, but in England they speak ENGLISH so I've pretty much been kissing street signs and school busses and anything else. Merrick and I walked into a cornerstore yesterday near the hotel where they sold FROSTED FLAKES and BEER IN 6-PACKS which of course prompted me to yell "God Save the Queen" at locals. Going to see Les Mis for free tonight, Weezer tomorrow night, and going to the world's most rediculous club Ministry of Sound on Friday or Saturday with stops at the Dali Museum, Abbey Road, Trafalgar Square, and touring the bars in between. I have lots of work this week so posts may be sparse but I'll check messages daily. Love and miss you all! Mom and Dad - I am being as thrifty as possible, London is expensive.

France...

First of all, if this post looks rediculous its because the French keyboard switches the Z and W and Q and A inexplicably. This is already annoying me so when you see a q please read it as an a. Also, they have : where a period should be so I will end my sentences accordingly in protest:

Pqris is unbeleivqble: So fqr the people hqve qctuqlly been reqlitively nice: We went to the sickest museum the other dqy where they hqd Vqn Gogh; Monet; Sisley; Gqughin; Mqnet; qnd even Whistlers Mother: Went to q gqy nightclub lqst night qnd Merrick, my roomqte, hooked up with q rediculously hot French chick qs ze qll lqughed hystericqlly: There were qcrobqts qnd people dressed up in qnimql costumes qnd shit; lqser shows; pqper coming down from the ceiling, weird pedestqls to dqnce on; crqwy shit everyzhere: Toured Moet et Chqnddon the other dqy qnd sqt qt their estqte sipping free Dom overlooking q lqke, felt like q mqjor bqller: For those who hqvent heqrd I got my pqssport jqcked in Belgium qnd hqd to spend six hours qt the Americqn embqssy to get q new one: They rubbed me dozn with pqper to mqke sure thqt I hqd no plqstic explosives on me and there were crqnes in front so thqt no one could drive q cqr bomb into us: Hqd to fill out q police report but the police stqtion is locqted somezhere in the zoods behind q theqtre so thqt if you qre in trouble they qre of no service unless you hqppen to qllreqdy be in q beqr cqve somewhere behind the theqtre: Our bus hit q jqguqr the sqme dqy:

Qllright, typing on this gqy French keyboqrd is killing me: I love you qll: The Sox need to stop sucking qnd the Cs must mqke thqt trqde: Thqnks for the updqtes qll: Bqby I love you qnd miss you: Mom qnd dqd I love you qnd miss you qnd Im sorry to be the most rediculously expensive son on the plqnet: Pqt you qre correct qbout Pollqck in my opinion: Off to the Luve zishing Id reqd the DqVinci Code:

Last Full Day in Amsterdam...

Hello family, friends, and strange people who read other people's blogs!

Of the cultural things I have experienced in Amsterdam: the Van Gogh museum, teh RYJK museum (home to many Rembrants, the Amsterdam Stable (most prestigious riding school in Europe), and the Anne Frank House and Museum. Among the not-so cultural things I have discovered: the red-light district (mostly 45 year old white businessmen window-shopping), the coffeeshops (which have extensive menus that do not include coffee), and the old black man who appears every so often near the hotel to ask me if I want coke or heroin which he of course holds up to show me, wrapped neatly in red balloons. Quick update on food, if you like greasy shit the restaraunts have catered to the stoner population. Two of my favorite inventions: the french fry and cheddar cheese sandwhich (sorry about the diet mom, I'll get back soon) and the egg and cheese special which is three extra-large pieces of white toast with five fried eggs and an incomprehensible amount of cheese, split for two, served with one-liter Heinekens. Speaking of Heineken, off to tour their facilities tomorrow.

Other random notes: German men have gigantic foreheads, Amsterdam is "the worlds gayest city" (they were the first to offer gay marriage in the world, have a gay museum, gay WWII memorial, and our room was complete with a 'Gay Map' amd you can hang out at local bars called the GAYme Room and C--kring), everything is very expensive, all women own large dogs, sandwiches inexplicably have corn in them, only tourists buy wooden shoes, the air-raid siren went off today and we were almost nervous until we realized that nobody would ever have reason to fight with HOLLAND.

I love you all and I will post again soon. Keep me up to date with shit that's going on at home and all. Next off to Brussels where it is my guess that everyone lives in gingerbread houses and only ventures outside to play hopscotch or garden.