1) Does a Prius come with an accelerator or is that an optional accessory? It must cost a lot because I have yet to see a Prius on the road doing even the speed limit. Prius owners might consider investing in that piece of equipment because really, why make your car suckier than it already is?
2) I think I was a fool to jump off Palace Malice in the Belmont last Saturday. I had him in the Derby, and have liked him since his first start around 2 turns. $29 (I didn't win) later I'm remembering to stick with your pick.
3) I miss not showing The Mighty this year, but am finding myself vastly entertained at Emerald Downs. I know Auburn is a ways off the beaten track for many, but its a heck of a lot cheaper than a Mariner's game, its outside, and you at least have the CHANCE to try to make some money rather than just giving it away. But hey I'm just silly like that.
4) I know I owe a Costa Rica recap; but it took me a good long while to wrap my head around it, and things seemed to really change afterwards. Don't know if it was me, or if 2013 is just a shift overall - but so far I like it.
5) I am looking forward to 6 days in NOLA. 3 will be all work - but evenings free. I have big plans to eat myself silly, listen to some great music, and laissez les bon temps rouler!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Randomness - remembering EC 2002
I was going through an old horse show journal and came across some funny notes I made during the Evergreen Classic back in 2002. That was the last year it was held at Marymoor Park, and because Oberon was still so green (!!) I took Laurie Rosen-Ritt's/Phoenix Farm's horse Fable - shown as Galileo. Good times! First time I showed in the Jumper Ring as well as Hunter Ring. And the infamous picture of us crashing through an oxer with my stirrups flying and me wrapped around Fable's neck. He was so good - and totally saved my bacon - I actually stayed on and we completed the course. I don't know that we left a single rail untouched but we had fun.
First Jumper Class - "there's a jump off? and I have to stay in the ring and do it right away? I don't know the course!" Didn't matter as apparently I had 1/4 time fault - so crisis averted!
"Michelle what did the course walk in?"
"Um...I don't know"
"What do you mean? You walked it."
"Well yeah, but really I just meandered around".
Ring hold - riding up and laughing to the gate steward "Wait no more for Michelle and Galileo!"
"Why aren't my boots coming off? Oh yeah, I couldn't find my boot socks, so wore athletic socks instead and now they're stuck on!"
Caulking every day - putting 8 in and hopefully taking 8 out every night!
2nd in the Johnny Johnson medal class!
Teri: "Trust your eye" "Left spear!"
Ahhhh...good times. Re-reading the full recap and my little diagrams made it seem like yesterday!
First Jumper Class - "there's a jump off? and I have to stay in the ring and do it right away? I don't know the course!" Didn't matter as apparently I had 1/4 time fault - so crisis averted!
"Michelle what did the course walk in?"
"Um...I don't know"
"What do you mean? You walked it."
"Well yeah, but really I just meandered around".
Ring hold - riding up and laughing to the gate steward "Wait no more for Michelle and Galileo!"
"Why aren't my boots coming off? Oh yeah, I couldn't find my boot socks, so wore athletic socks instead and now they're stuck on!"
Caulking every day - putting 8 in and hopefully taking 8 out every night!
2nd in the Johnny Johnson medal class!
Teri: "Trust your eye" "Left spear!"
Ahhhh...good times. Re-reading the full recap and my little diagrams made it seem like yesterday!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Just some random thoughts stopping by....
I was unplugged for 7 (or was it 8?) glorious days during my recent travel. No phone, no computer - and frankly - the desire for neither. I realize that's a little extreme for most folks, but it was liberating. I was tethered to nothing - which pretty much suits my personality. I can't reccommend highly enough that you try it - even if only 24 hours.
Do I ever meet people when I actually look pulled together? No - its usually when I'm a filthy mess from the barn..."oh hi!"
Anyone and everyone can list the best books they've read. How about the worst? Here's 2 that immediately leap out - comment back with yours:
The Horse Whisperer - jaysus h kee-riste.....derivative plot, 2 main characters that have no sympathetic or redeeming value whatsoever, and (spoiler alert) the 'horse whisperer' decides to off himself at the end because he can't have the married woman - so chucks his useless hide into a wild stallion fight. Huh....
Fifty Shades of Gray - does this woman even know how to communicate in the English language? She has 2, maybe 3 stock phrases. What started out as crappy Twilight fan fic, became even more poorly plotted and written book length schlock. I fell for the hype - and wish I had the time I wasted back. She makes the old 50's Harlequin romances seem like Dostoevsky.
I thought about doing a vision board once (for like 30 seconds). My friend pointed out that the only things on it would be horses and hot latin guys...so what was the point. She's right.
Currently obsessed with Florance and The Machine song - Shake It Out.
It's time to get your Preak on - Preakness week. Here's to I'll Have Another taking the second leg - why not?
Do I ever meet people when I actually look pulled together? No - its usually when I'm a filthy mess from the barn..."oh hi!"
Anyone and everyone can list the best books they've read. How about the worst? Here's 2 that immediately leap out - comment back with yours:
The Horse Whisperer - jaysus h kee-riste.....derivative plot, 2 main characters that have no sympathetic or redeeming value whatsoever, and (spoiler alert) the 'horse whisperer' decides to off himself at the end because he can't have the married woman - so chucks his useless hide into a wild stallion fight. Huh....
Fifty Shades of Gray - does this woman even know how to communicate in the English language? She has 2, maybe 3 stock phrases. What started out as crappy Twilight fan fic, became even more poorly plotted and written book length schlock. I fell for the hype - and wish I had the time I wasted back. She makes the old 50's Harlequin romances seem like Dostoevsky.
I thought about doing a vision board once (for like 30 seconds). My friend pointed out that the only things on it would be horses and hot latin guys...so what was the point. She's right.
Currently obsessed with Florance and The Machine song - Shake It Out.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
London - or 6 days of History
In a somewhat last minute manner, I took a 6 day trip to London that was worth every minute of the suspenseful will she/won't she 2 weeks leading to wheels up.
As many of you know (or maybe you don't), my sister Nicole works for GE Aviation, and travels quite a bit. We've frequently talked about me tagging along on one of her business trips, but have never actually gotten our schedules to sync, until now. It was definitely last minute, as she had to pull and then weave together several threads leading to a meeting in London.
So here we are. Landed on a (very) rainy day in London - wow - like we never left home. Except the buildings, history and city are much older and definitely more interesting. We took the Paddington Express from Heathrow to Paddington Station, where we transferred to the tube to Oxford Circus ("Mind the Gap"), and then to the Central line ("this is a Central Line Train to Ealing Broadway") getting off at the Marble Arch stop. Only significant in that when Nicole booked the hotel, Marble Arch Mariott London seems like it would be the Mariott we could see from the tube station exit. No, that is actually the Park Mariott (being across from Hyde Park and all). Marble Arch Mariott is a couple blocks down, right on Edgeware, and then another 4 or 5 blocks. Hmmm....right through little Lebanon where the people are sitting outside under an awning smoking on the hookah day and night. Luckily we got to the right hotel, and got checked in, cleaned up and headed back out (yes, in the rain).
Since we were tired, we decided to tube it to Westminster, and stretch our legs with some walking. Our timing was great, as we got to hear Big Ben (which is actually the bell, not the tower) chime the hour. Westminster bridge over the Thames - look to your left and you have the London Eye - a jarring bit of modern...something...amidst the beauty of the Houses of Parliament to your right. I suppose the juxtaposition makes you appreciate the genius of the historic architects even more.
We walked past Westminster (closed for the day) and around a bit, before being serenaded at a fortuitous loo stop. I could have sworn she was singing 'Sah Dah Tay' but Nicole says not.
On to Harrods for a walk through the "Halls of Luxury". Yes, they really are called that. Nicole fell in love with jewelry by Wendy Yue, while I coveted the beautiful Alexander McQueen bag. Unfortunately it would take a bit more dosh than we currently have to come home with such things. As beautiful as those items were, there was also a tremendous Lladro figure (like 2ft long) upstairs that was sort of spectacular/garish/peculiar all at the same time. Wandering through Harrods, the majority were tourists looking and admiring, with what appeared to be the majority of the buyers transacting in the Halls of Luxury being Arabic or Indian. Draw your own conclusions, I merely observe. On to Leicester Square for dinner at Bella Italia - yum!
Next day (after waaay oversleeping!) we got up and got going. A beautiful sunny! day! First we drew plenty of stares as 2 women sitting down for coffee in the Costa across from our hotel in little Lebanon. Why you wold want to allow in, or live next to, people who hate you, your religion and your culture is beyond me, and I'm sure someday the piper will have to be paid, but that's a whole 'nother blog.
ANYway, Big Red bus #7 to the British Museum. What a beautiful building, and, like the Louvre in Paris, you would need several days to see, much less absorb it all. We focused on seeing the Elgin Marbles (at one point they will be repatriated to Greece, so now's the time). Also saw portions of 2 of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos and a marble column drum from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos. It truly leaves one speechless. We could have spent quite a bit longer, but they literally kicked us out.
So we walked, and got a pasty to eat while heading to Trafalgar Square. Why you would have a monument to the fire that wiped out your entire city is a mystery to me, but so be it. We actually had a destination, the Strand Hotel where we were to meet up with our Jack the Ripper tour. Our tour guide was a handsome Scot named John, who was knowledgeable and witty, and did I mention handsome? It is certainly one thing to read about Jack the Ripper, and the brutal murders that happened so long ago. It is an entirely different thing to walk the streets of Whitechapel the prostitutes and murderer walked, see the Ten Bells pub they frequented, and stand on the sites where the bodies were found. It's morbid in its fascination all these decades later, but despite the claims of experts, and the many theories, it's doubtful we'll ever know who he was, or his motives.
We finished up the evening at the Sherlock Holmes pub back in Trafalgar Square where we had (another) pint and some grand old fish and chips.
Nicole had her first day of meetings Monday, so I had the entire day to myself. It was another beautiful sunny day, and I opted for the Tower of London. If you know your English history, you will be endlessly fascinated by this place. Begun by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, added to by successive rulers, and with so much intact, I spent almost 7 hours climbing ancient staircases, walking the inner curtain walls, imagining and pondering much. The interactive armory exhibit in the White Tower was great, although I waaay overshot my arrow, and my cannon fire was a near miss. At least I knew my sword, mace, and axe work!
One random thought that jumped out at me while I was there, is that I never want to hear the myth of the ugly American tourist again. I watched over and over as others (Italians, Middle Eastern, Indian, French and Asian) blatantly disregarded the no-photography signs of some of the older more delicate items, reached past barriers to touch things, pushed and pummeled past others in crowds, and generally were altogether ill-behaved and appallingly rude.
I left as the Tower was closing for the day, and met Nicole and her work colleagues for a pint at the Three Greyhounds, and then dinner. One of her work mates, Jonathan and I apparently share a similar reading taste, having a great discussion of the 9th century Saxons and Danes, and the rise of Alfred the Great. He also lives smack dab in Cheltenham - horse country and home to the Cheltenham Gold Cup!
Next day - also sunny! This time I headed for Kensington Palace. Today, home of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), but more interestingly (at least to me) home to Queen Victoria, George (I II and III) William and Mary (only co-rulers) and Queen Anne. The historic and public areas underwent a massive restoration project, and they've done a beautiful job. The room in which Queen Victoria gave her first speech to her Ministers (at age 18), many of her childhood drawings, furniture, writings, photos, etc were fascinating. Moving on to the Georgian rooms, you are invited to play a card game (apparently George I was quite fond of cards, could move up or down in his estimation with successful and witty play). One can collect cards as you move through the various restored rooms, and at the end the 3 cards you end up with each have a letter you use to spell a word. The final room has drawers with 3-letter words on each, match your hand, open the drawer and find your place in the king's coterie. Before you get there, you have an opportunity to play a card game (Commerce - reminds me a bit of poker) with 2 courtiers. I won with a higher flush, thus receiving the difficult to obtain card that gave my final hand of 3 ANT- which, upon opening my drawer- named me Master Politician and member of the King's Privy Council. Huzzah!
One can also walk through the William and Mary rooms, listen to the whisperings of court as you sit in a window seat, and see the sad and ultimately doomed efforts of Queen Anne to produce a living heir to perpetuate the Stuarts on the throne.
I exited to the Orangery (attributed to both Wren and Hawkesworth) and wandered the gardens. Then out into the larger Hyde Park where I walked the rest of the late afternoon away. There is a Princess Diana Memorial Playground that is gated in the Park. It is monitored, and only adults accompanying children under 12 are allowed in. There is also an awesome disclaimer I should have photographed. It was about how all play has a certain element of risk, and while you should supervise your child, taking risks at play better prepares them for the challenges of the outside world. Every American parent should have to read that.
I ended up in Knightsbridge, and went into Harrods again to see the horse items up on the 5th floor. It is mostly people clothing - some of it actually FOR people who ride, but an awful lot for people who want to look like they do. At least as interesting was the bullet proof clothing a few sections away. Apparently there is quite a market for such!
I met Nicole back at the hotel to head to SoHo for dinner. At this point I should mention that a great many people we encountered (as clerks or other service folks) did not speak English as a first language (or possibly even second), which is not typically noteworthy. However, not one of them could tell us where anything was, or how to get where we were asking for directions to - puzzling - and I must say - NOT Olympics ready. That's what made our encounter with the gentleman who directed us to SoHo so unique. English was not his first language, but he knew where we trying to get to, and how to direct us there. We wandered for a bit, and had dinner at a delicious Moroccan/Spanish restaurant - where - from our second floor table by the window - we observed the absolutely ripped naked guy across the street. (he may have only been naked from the waist up - hard to tell from our vantage point).
Next day (again with the sun!) Westminster Abbey. It is believed that the original was begun over 1,000 years ago, (roughly 10th century) consecrated during the reign of Edward the Confessor and has been added and built onto over the centuries in a mix of Norman and Gothic styles. Again - if you know your history, you will be captivated and spend about 7+ hours here (like me). If you are a 'check the box' type, you will enjoy the sights, and be in and out in about 90 minutes and on to the next attraction for you to check off. It was interesting doing a spot of people watching, as you can absolutely tell who wanted to really experience the Abbey and who was checking that box in their mental book.
The Abbey is much larger than you can possibly imagine from photos, and from looking up at the ribbon vaults and ornate ceiling painting(s) to looking down at the inscribed tables underfoot, there is a lot to see. Beyond being a burial place for many (Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Margaret Beaufort, Charles II etc, it is also the place of coronation. It pays to brush up on your lines of descent of the English monarchy, as well as your Latin. For reasons I can't explain, I found the tomb of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (grand-daughter of Henry VII) most beautifully rendered.
This is still a 'working' church, and there is a pause for prayer each hour, which, even though I am not Christian, I found beautiful. I'm not sure a lot of people realize that many of stones they are walking on are burial tablets, and on quite a few, the inscriptions are nearly worn away. I asked a curate about preservation, and apparently, since they receive no monetary support from the government, and rely solely on donations and proceeds from entry, they can only afford to have the important stones re-inscribed. One could pay to be buried at Westminster up until the 1800's, and many of the wealthy did, only to be forgotten several generations later, and so their engravings fade away. Somewhere in there is an important allegory about wasting your money on buying remembrance in perpetuity, only to be forgotten in the end.
I exited Westminster, and opted to walk through St. James Park, the "Birdcage" walk to Buckingham Palace. It seems a fairly cold looking heap of rock, particularly when compared to some of the other palaces. The flag was not flying, so apparently The Queen was not at home.
I continued my walk up Constitution Hill to Green Park and then Burlington Arcade to Picadilly Circus. I impulsively bought a ticket at The Lyric theatre in Covent Garden to "Thriller - Live, a tribute to Michael Jackson. It was a sold out show, and I had a great seat in the dress circle, front row. It was a terrific, high energy show that involved the crowd; including a full on Smooth Criminal number. There was a German group behind me, and while they didn't know all the words to the songs, they knew the chorus of many. It was pretty cool to see MJ's global influence, and it reminded me of being on the Spanish Steps in Rome, and hearing all the nationalities sing "Help" by the Beatles..."Help" being the only only word commonly known/sung in that song in that place.
Next day - grey with off and on drizzle. London must be trying to tell me its time to go. Nicole and I had breakfast together, and a bit of shopping. We encountered the greatest saleswoman, she was honest and funny and told me I deserved a "WOW" dress, that the one I tried on wasn't it (color or cut). Loved her! We walked through Selfridges, they have "Rooms of Wonder" - seriously. Then Nicole was off to work and I was off to the London zoo. What a terrific zoo! Their enclosures are huge and naturalistic - and you can be so close to the animals. I loved it! I walked out through Regent's Park, and had a bite at the Honest Sausage. Then Paddington Expressed it out to the Renaissance Heathrow to meet up with Nicole for dinner.
I loved London, and can't wait for a return trip. It may not sound like I saw a lot, but I curated my choices carefully, and spent long, quality hours with each. What I didn't see that I plan to on my next trip: Hampton Palace, the Tate, National Gallery, Museum of London, Cheltenham, Stonehenge, Brighton.
Random Notes:
Oyster cards are genius. Bought an unlimited one for 7 days (good on tube and buses) and got 5 pounds back when we turned them in. Brilliant!
Of COURSE on day one I found the horse racing channel!
I realize that the majority of Olympic events will be held outside of London's environs. HOWever, there will also be a HUGE influx of tourists during the games. Sadly, I have to say, with only 3 months or so to go, London does NOT seem Olympic ready. What started out as a joke (zip bands holding together some of the bars outside the Queen's Gate at the Houses of Parliament) became a running observation. Olympic Ready v Not Olympic Ready. Pictures were duly snapped of both. Additionally (and shockingly!) it seems the only Olympics gear shop is in Paddington station. Boy are they missing a giant revenue opportunity.
I never did get a photo of the random green horse head pointing nose down in Hyde Park. I gotta google that
Giggling like a 4 year old whenever the Tube announcement of destination was Cockfosters or Shephards Bush
Bacon Butties - my breakfast best friend
F-bomb dropping mayoral candidate (and winner!) Boris Johnson - affectionately known as BoJo
A saying I want on a T-Shirt, bumper sticker and permanently engraved for me: Just because I understand, doesn't mean I care"
Favorite quotes:
"Wait! You're AMERican???" "Hey you're the one that asked ME buddy!" - exchange between tube passenger and Nicole in tunnel between tracks
"something or other going up, repeat twice, SHEFFIELD!" - drunk footy fans on tube
"Holy Shit!" - Nicole and Michelle in unison upon realizing what time they slept till on Sunday
"Why do you need a napkin for a beer? Jesus Christ!" - Nicole to Michelle at a pub in Whitechapel during Jack the Ripper tour after a wee spill
"Do you need help finding somewhere? If you want to go and mingle, go up there a couple blocks and turn left" - quite possibly the only man in the entire area of London who recognized that we needed decent directions, and what we were looking for. It didn't hurt that he was very good looking, and, as we deemed, quite Olympic ready.
"I'm doing this as a courtesy, not because you are travelling with her" - snotty KLM airport agent to Nicole and I at Heathrow
I will definitely miss the tube announcements in that lovely plummy accent "this is a Central Line train to Ealing Broadway." "this is Oxford Circus, change here for Jubilee and Victoria lines"
As many of you know (or maybe you don't), my sister Nicole works for GE Aviation, and travels quite a bit. We've frequently talked about me tagging along on one of her business trips, but have never actually gotten our schedules to sync, until now. It was definitely last minute, as she had to pull and then weave together several threads leading to a meeting in London.
So here we are. Landed on a (very) rainy day in London - wow - like we never left home. Except the buildings, history and city are much older and definitely more interesting. We took the Paddington Express from Heathrow to Paddington Station, where we transferred to the tube to Oxford Circus ("Mind the Gap"), and then to the Central line ("this is a Central Line Train to Ealing Broadway") getting off at the Marble Arch stop. Only significant in that when Nicole booked the hotel, Marble Arch Mariott London seems like it would be the Mariott we could see from the tube station exit. No, that is actually the Park Mariott (being across from Hyde Park and all). Marble Arch Mariott is a couple blocks down, right on Edgeware, and then another 4 or 5 blocks. Hmmm....right through little Lebanon where the people are sitting outside under an awning smoking on the hookah day and night. Luckily we got to the right hotel, and got checked in, cleaned up and headed back out (yes, in the rain).
Since we were tired, we decided to tube it to Westminster, and stretch our legs with some walking. Our timing was great, as we got to hear Big Ben (which is actually the bell, not the tower) chime the hour. Westminster bridge over the Thames - look to your left and you have the London Eye - a jarring bit of modern...something...amidst the beauty of the Houses of Parliament to your right. I suppose the juxtaposition makes you appreciate the genius of the historic architects even more.
We walked past Westminster (closed for the day) and around a bit, before being serenaded at a fortuitous loo stop. I could have sworn she was singing 'Sah Dah Tay' but Nicole says not.
On to Harrods for a walk through the "Halls of Luxury". Yes, they really are called that. Nicole fell in love with jewelry by Wendy Yue, while I coveted the beautiful Alexander McQueen bag. Unfortunately it would take a bit more dosh than we currently have to come home with such things. As beautiful as those items were, there was also a tremendous Lladro figure (like 2ft long) upstairs that was sort of spectacular/garish/peculiar all at the same time. Wandering through Harrods, the majority were tourists looking and admiring, with what appeared to be the majority of the buyers transacting in the Halls of Luxury being Arabic or Indian. Draw your own conclusions, I merely observe. On to Leicester Square for dinner at Bella Italia - yum!
Next day (after waaay oversleeping!) we got up and got going. A beautiful sunny! day! First we drew plenty of stares as 2 women sitting down for coffee in the Costa across from our hotel in little Lebanon. Why you wold want to allow in, or live next to, people who hate you, your religion and your culture is beyond me, and I'm sure someday the piper will have to be paid, but that's a whole 'nother blog.
ANYway, Big Red bus #7 to the British Museum. What a beautiful building, and, like the Louvre in Paris, you would need several days to see, much less absorb it all. We focused on seeing the Elgin Marbles (at one point they will be repatriated to Greece, so now's the time). Also saw portions of 2 of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos and a marble column drum from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos. It truly leaves one speechless. We could have spent quite a bit longer, but they literally kicked us out.
So we walked, and got a pasty to eat while heading to Trafalgar Square. Why you would have a monument to the fire that wiped out your entire city is a mystery to me, but so be it. We actually had a destination, the Strand Hotel where we were to meet up with our Jack the Ripper tour. Our tour guide was a handsome Scot named John, who was knowledgeable and witty, and did I mention handsome? It is certainly one thing to read about Jack the Ripper, and the brutal murders that happened so long ago. It is an entirely different thing to walk the streets of Whitechapel the prostitutes and murderer walked, see the Ten Bells pub they frequented, and stand on the sites where the bodies were found. It's morbid in its fascination all these decades later, but despite the claims of experts, and the many theories, it's doubtful we'll ever know who he was, or his motives.
We finished up the evening at the Sherlock Holmes pub back in Trafalgar Square where we had (another) pint and some grand old fish and chips.
Nicole had her first day of meetings Monday, so I had the entire day to myself. It was another beautiful sunny day, and I opted for the Tower of London. If you know your English history, you will be endlessly fascinated by this place. Begun by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, added to by successive rulers, and with so much intact, I spent almost 7 hours climbing ancient staircases, walking the inner curtain walls, imagining and pondering much. The interactive armory exhibit in the White Tower was great, although I waaay overshot my arrow, and my cannon fire was a near miss. At least I knew my sword, mace, and axe work!
One random thought that jumped out at me while I was there, is that I never want to hear the myth of the ugly American tourist again. I watched over and over as others (Italians, Middle Eastern, Indian, French and Asian) blatantly disregarded the no-photography signs of some of the older more delicate items, reached past barriers to touch things, pushed and pummeled past others in crowds, and generally were altogether ill-behaved and appallingly rude.
I left as the Tower was closing for the day, and met Nicole and her work colleagues for a pint at the Three Greyhounds, and then dinner. One of her work mates, Jonathan and I apparently share a similar reading taste, having a great discussion of the 9th century Saxons and Danes, and the rise of Alfred the Great. He also lives smack dab in Cheltenham - horse country and home to the Cheltenham Gold Cup!
Next day - also sunny! This time I headed for Kensington Palace. Today, home of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), but more interestingly (at least to me) home to Queen Victoria, George (I II and III) William and Mary (only co-rulers) and Queen Anne. The historic and public areas underwent a massive restoration project, and they've done a beautiful job. The room in which Queen Victoria gave her first speech to her Ministers (at age 18), many of her childhood drawings, furniture, writings, photos, etc were fascinating. Moving on to the Georgian rooms, you are invited to play a card game (apparently George I was quite fond of cards, could move up or down in his estimation with successful and witty play). One can collect cards as you move through the various restored rooms, and at the end the 3 cards you end up with each have a letter you use to spell a word. The final room has drawers with 3-letter words on each, match your hand, open the drawer and find your place in the king's coterie. Before you get there, you have an opportunity to play a card game (Commerce - reminds me a bit of poker) with 2 courtiers. I won with a higher flush, thus receiving the difficult to obtain card that gave my final hand of 3 ANT- which, upon opening my drawer- named me Master Politician and member of the King's Privy Council. Huzzah!
One can also walk through the William and Mary rooms, listen to the whisperings of court as you sit in a window seat, and see the sad and ultimately doomed efforts of Queen Anne to produce a living heir to perpetuate the Stuarts on the throne.
I exited to the Orangery (attributed to both Wren and Hawkesworth) and wandered the gardens. Then out into the larger Hyde Park where I walked the rest of the late afternoon away. There is a Princess Diana Memorial Playground that is gated in the Park. It is monitored, and only adults accompanying children under 12 are allowed in. There is also an awesome disclaimer I should have photographed. It was about how all play has a certain element of risk, and while you should supervise your child, taking risks at play better prepares them for the challenges of the outside world. Every American parent should have to read that.
I ended up in Knightsbridge, and went into Harrods again to see the horse items up on the 5th floor. It is mostly people clothing - some of it actually FOR people who ride, but an awful lot for people who want to look like they do. At least as interesting was the bullet proof clothing a few sections away. Apparently there is quite a market for such!
I met Nicole back at the hotel to head to SoHo for dinner. At this point I should mention that a great many people we encountered (as clerks or other service folks) did not speak English as a first language (or possibly even second), which is not typically noteworthy. However, not one of them could tell us where anything was, or how to get where we were asking for directions to - puzzling - and I must say - NOT Olympics ready. That's what made our encounter with the gentleman who directed us to SoHo so unique. English was not his first language, but he knew where we trying to get to, and how to direct us there. We wandered for a bit, and had dinner at a delicious Moroccan/Spanish restaurant - where - from our second floor table by the window - we observed the absolutely ripped naked guy across the street. (he may have only been naked from the waist up - hard to tell from our vantage point).
Next day (again with the sun!) Westminster Abbey. It is believed that the original was begun over 1,000 years ago, (roughly 10th century) consecrated during the reign of Edward the Confessor and has been added and built onto over the centuries in a mix of Norman and Gothic styles. Again - if you know your history, you will be captivated and spend about 7+ hours here (like me). If you are a 'check the box' type, you will enjoy the sights, and be in and out in about 90 minutes and on to the next attraction for you to check off. It was interesting doing a spot of people watching, as you can absolutely tell who wanted to really experience the Abbey and who was checking that box in their mental book.
The Abbey is much larger than you can possibly imagine from photos, and from looking up at the ribbon vaults and ornate ceiling painting(s) to looking down at the inscribed tables underfoot, there is a lot to see. Beyond being a burial place for many (Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Margaret Beaufort, Charles II etc, it is also the place of coronation. It pays to brush up on your lines of descent of the English monarchy, as well as your Latin. For reasons I can't explain, I found the tomb of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (grand-daughter of Henry VII) most beautifully rendered.
This is still a 'working' church, and there is a pause for prayer each hour, which, even though I am not Christian, I found beautiful. I'm not sure a lot of people realize that many of stones they are walking on are burial tablets, and on quite a few, the inscriptions are nearly worn away. I asked a curate about preservation, and apparently, since they receive no monetary support from the government, and rely solely on donations and proceeds from entry, they can only afford to have the important stones re-inscribed. One could pay to be buried at Westminster up until the 1800's, and many of the wealthy did, only to be forgotten several generations later, and so their engravings fade away. Somewhere in there is an important allegory about wasting your money on buying remembrance in perpetuity, only to be forgotten in the end.
I exited Westminster, and opted to walk through St. James Park, the "Birdcage" walk to Buckingham Palace. It seems a fairly cold looking heap of rock, particularly when compared to some of the other palaces. The flag was not flying, so apparently The Queen was not at home.
I continued my walk up Constitution Hill to Green Park and then Burlington Arcade to Picadilly Circus. I impulsively bought a ticket at The Lyric theatre in Covent Garden to "Thriller - Live, a tribute to Michael Jackson. It was a sold out show, and I had a great seat in the dress circle, front row. It was a terrific, high energy show that involved the crowd; including a full on Smooth Criminal number. There was a German group behind me, and while they didn't know all the words to the songs, they knew the chorus of many. It was pretty cool to see MJ's global influence, and it reminded me of being on the Spanish Steps in Rome, and hearing all the nationalities sing "Help" by the Beatles..."Help" being the only only word commonly known/sung in that song in that place.
Next day - grey with off and on drizzle. London must be trying to tell me its time to go. Nicole and I had breakfast together, and a bit of shopping. We encountered the greatest saleswoman, she was honest and funny and told me I deserved a "WOW" dress, that the one I tried on wasn't it (color or cut). Loved her! We walked through Selfridges, they have "Rooms of Wonder" - seriously. Then Nicole was off to work and I was off to the London zoo. What a terrific zoo! Their enclosures are huge and naturalistic - and you can be so close to the animals. I loved it! I walked out through Regent's Park, and had a bite at the Honest Sausage. Then Paddington Expressed it out to the Renaissance Heathrow to meet up with Nicole for dinner.
I loved London, and can't wait for a return trip. It may not sound like I saw a lot, but I curated my choices carefully, and spent long, quality hours with each. What I didn't see that I plan to on my next trip: Hampton Palace, the Tate, National Gallery, Museum of London, Cheltenham, Stonehenge, Brighton.
Random Notes:
Oyster cards are genius. Bought an unlimited one for 7 days (good on tube and buses) and got 5 pounds back when we turned them in. Brilliant!
Of COURSE on day one I found the horse racing channel!
I realize that the majority of Olympic events will be held outside of London's environs. HOWever, there will also be a HUGE influx of tourists during the games. Sadly, I have to say, with only 3 months or so to go, London does NOT seem Olympic ready. What started out as a joke (zip bands holding together some of the bars outside the Queen's Gate at the Houses of Parliament) became a running observation. Olympic Ready v Not Olympic Ready. Pictures were duly snapped of both. Additionally (and shockingly!) it seems the only Olympics gear shop is in Paddington station. Boy are they missing a giant revenue opportunity.
I never did get a photo of the random green horse head pointing nose down in Hyde Park. I gotta google that
Giggling like a 4 year old whenever the Tube announcement of destination was Cockfosters or Shephards Bush
Bacon Butties - my breakfast best friend
F-bomb dropping mayoral candidate (and winner!) Boris Johnson - affectionately known as BoJo
A saying I want on a T-Shirt, bumper sticker and permanently engraved for me: Just because I understand, doesn't mean I care"
Favorite quotes:
"Wait! You're AMERican???" "Hey you're the one that asked ME buddy!" - exchange between tube passenger and Nicole in tunnel between tracks
"something or other going up, repeat twice, SHEFFIELD!" - drunk footy fans on tube
"Holy Shit!" - Nicole and Michelle in unison upon realizing what time they slept till on Sunday
"Why do you need a napkin for a beer? Jesus Christ!" - Nicole to Michelle at a pub in Whitechapel during Jack the Ripper tour after a wee spill
"Do you need help finding somewhere? If you want to go and mingle, go up there a couple blocks and turn left" - quite possibly the only man in the entire area of London who recognized that we needed decent directions, and what we were looking for. It didn't hurt that he was very good looking, and, as we deemed, quite Olympic ready.
"I'm doing this as a courtesy, not because you are travelling with her" - snotty KLM airport agent to Nicole and I at Heathrow
I will definitely miss the tube announcements in that lovely plummy accent "this is a Central Line train to Ealing Broadway." "this is Oxford Circus, change here for Jubilee and Victoria lines"
Friday, April 20, 2012
Musings on a Friday
The Good
Today's Playlist brought to you by 8 Pounds (the cat)
Rumor Has It - Adele
Uprising - Muse
Tighten Up - Black Keys
Lots to be thankful for!
The Mighty Puckstar is healing up nicely, and while making
it to any shows this summer is a long-shot, I am immeasurably grateful for his
health.
I’m happy and healthy.
Never to be underestimated or valued!
I see Vision Boards are very popular (I think when I was in
primary school we called them collages J ). I laughingly told a friend I was going to
make my own, and she asked me why I’d bother?
“You’re only going to have 2 halves, hot Latin men and Oberon, so what’
the point?” She may be right, but it
sure made me laugh.
Going to London with the sib next Friday. Very excited, and plan on very little sleep
in order to squeeze the most out of the experience! Life for me is all about the story. I don’t need material things as much as I
need experiences to savor. I kind of
feel sorry for folks whose worth is measured in things that never last.
I can’t remember where I read this – but thought it was
funny/true. You can fix looks; whether through diet, exercise,
plastic surgery, etc. But you sure can’t
fix stupid. So true!
It’s Kentucky Derby season!
I’ve been watching the preps, and it’s a puzzler. I don’t think Union Rags looks as bad as his
FL Derby might suggest. I don’t think
Hanson is a mile and a quarter horse. I
think Bodemeister is vulnerable. Arggh! But fun to watch and debate on the run up to
5/5!
The Bad
What is it about the Pacific Northwest that seems to breed
this rampant passive-aggressiveness? I’ve had lunch on 2 separate occasions last
week with professional colleagues native to other parts of the country. The passive aggressiveness of people here in
the NW (specifically Seattle and Portland) was a lively topic of conversation. My theory is that they’ve drunk so much of the
PC-speak kool-aid that they don’t know how to talk to anyone anymore. One of my friends (non NW native) came up with
the best description; ice-nice.
Got a letter from Mitt Romney yesterday. Gee Mitt, of all the issues you address in
your 4 page letter (all important issues to be sure) the one glaring omission is
that you are a woman-hating Morman. How
about addressing that? If he really
wants to throw a monkey-wrench into the election – he needs to pick Condoleeza
Rice as his VP running mate. I’m sure
that would be personal anathema to good old Mitt – but it would shake things up
come November.
I don’t know why I bother asking this anymore, but why are
there so many people who can only feel good about themselves by stabbing other
folks in the back? And women are the
worst. During my career, I’ve worked for
quite a few female managers and executives.
Sad to say, I’ve had one truly outstanding female manager (thank you
Yvonne Allmaras for raising the bar on integrity, personal growth, and
motivation), one pretty good female manager, and a whole host of truly terrible
female managers and executives. Some act
like their team is their own personal sorority, complete with rush, hazing and
ostracization. I’ve been on a team
where back-biting, and stealing each other’s business was encouraged. So sad, so un-necessary and from a
progressive standpoint – depressing.
Frankly – I’d MUCH rather work for a man at this point. (Oberon argues that I already do...him!)
Rumor Has It - Adele
Uprising - Muse
Tighten Up - Black Keys
Friday, August 19, 2011
Lots of doings!
Thursday, Aug 18
We had a Low and an Ariat National Medal Class. The Low (unrated of course) went perfect, landed every lead, jumped awesome. The Ariat was fun; we got a bending line AND a rollback. Jumped fence 1 beautifully, unfortunately did NOT land the lead and skipped the change. BUT, jumped the scary straw that gave many others fits (a couple of unintentional dismounts in fact) and bent to the oxer and jumped out fantastic. We had one unintentional swap in the middle of a line (oh NOW you give it to me?!) and finished up well. We ended up 7th in a big class. I feel like if we had landed the leads and not swapped, we would have made the ride off. Oh well - hard to NOT be happy with how he went!
Friday, August 19
We went late late late today (read...last group of the day). So we went for a leisurely stroll this morning, had some grass, a good nap (him not me) and finally got ready to go. We had a good low round. He looked pretty hard at the first jump of the judges line, and I tapped him off the ground, but landed all leads and jumped well. Then we had a hunter round, and had a bit of drama with his gawking to the right, and me trying to get his attention on the jump, and finally at the last second when he's almost underneath it he sees it and leaps it like a deer. I get chucked forward and lose my right stirrup but stayed on and we jumped out, and carried on (I finally got my stirrup back before the next line!) and finished up again with the judge's line - in which he decided to pay me back a little for the tap off the ground last time and jumped in and out like a freight train. Somehow - we still ended up 6th - and had to jog..with him chuckling I'm sure. Then we had the hack, and Teri said its the best I've shown him under saddle, so we ended up 4th. All in all a long, but very satisfying day. We go first thing tomorrow - so wakey wakey!
Random Notes:
We had a Low and an Ariat National Medal Class. The Low (unrated of course) went perfect, landed every lead, jumped awesome. The Ariat was fun; we got a bending line AND a rollback. Jumped fence 1 beautifully, unfortunately did NOT land the lead and skipped the change. BUT, jumped the scary straw that gave many others fits (a couple of unintentional dismounts in fact) and bent to the oxer and jumped out fantastic. We had one unintentional swap in the middle of a line (oh NOW you give it to me?!) and finished up well. We ended up 7th in a big class. I feel like if we had landed the leads and not swapped, we would have made the ride off. Oh well - hard to NOT be happy with how he went!
Friday, August 19
We went late late late today (read...last group of the day). So we went for a leisurely stroll this morning, had some grass, a good nap (him not me) and finally got ready to go. We had a good low round. He looked pretty hard at the first jump of the judges line, and I tapped him off the ground, but landed all leads and jumped well. Then we had a hunter round, and had a bit of drama with his gawking to the right, and me trying to get his attention on the jump, and finally at the last second when he's almost underneath it he sees it and leaps it like a deer. I get chucked forward and lose my right stirrup but stayed on and we jumped out, and carried on (I finally got my stirrup back before the next line!) and finished up again with the judge's line - in which he decided to pay me back a little for the tap off the ground last time and jumped in and out like a freight train. Somehow - we still ended up 6th - and had to jog..with him chuckling I'm sure. Then we had the hack, and Teri said its the best I've shown him under saddle, so we ended up 4th. All in all a long, but very satisfying day. We go first thing tomorrow - so wakey wakey!
Random Notes:
- Quote of the Day: Hunter Ring 3 Gate Person Tracy "If I don't see some action soon, I'm going to start looking for some adults"
- Seeing the Tallulah mare and her Voltaire foal going parade in the Grand Prix field for the Diane Tidball Grand Prix
- So many horses, so much seeming chaos - and yet it all somehow works. Kudos to TBird Show Park staff!
- Oberon's Playlist today:
- Money - Jessie J
- Rumor Has It - Adele
- Bad Romance - Lady GaGa
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
930 Horses Oh My!
We actually arrived Sunday night, and got the horses reasonably settled, and fed before heading off to the Holiday Inn Express (free breakfast and internet!) ourselves. Monday was set up day, as well as giving the horses (Mighty, Cruiser, Rumor and Toby) a good hack and a trail ride (beware the killer blackberries....they could clearly use the services of Totes McGoats here!). We even got Teri on a bicycle yesterday! She is pretty convinced I am going to hurt myself on the 2-wheeled non-beastie. No worries about the 1200 pound beastie ...go figure hahahahaha!!
Tuesday was schooling day, and Mighty got to go first...and beep bop boop (yes I made sound effects) we went around and were done. He got a bath, and some turnout where he made new friends and got a nice roll (thereby negating the benefit of the bath).
Our weather is beautiful, and it's *almost* as much fun to fantasy horse shop and people watch as to ride. Please note the use of asterisks. We have a pretty easy day tomorrow, then the Ariat Medal Thursday, as well as the Scheduled Entertainment Event of the Evening---the Hunter Derby.
Notes:
Tuesday was schooling day, and Mighty got to go first...and beep bop boop (yes I made sound effects) we went around and were done. He got a bath, and some turnout where he made new friends and got a nice roll (thereby negating the benefit of the bath).
Our weather is beautiful, and it's *almost* as much fun to fantasy horse shop and people watch as to ride. Please note the use of asterisks. We have a pretty easy day tomorrow, then the Ariat Medal Thursday, as well as the Scheduled Entertainment Event of the Evening---the Hunter Derby.
Notes:
- to the @#&* who tried to steal our golf cart last night and broke the key off in the ignition....karma will kick you in the ass.....trust
- we've talked about bringing bikes up here for years, and finally remembered...Rock Hopper and Magna have been a hit. Emily and I took them 4-wheelin' today, got herded by a golf cart and truly took them rock-hoppin'
- There are 930 horses here across all the divisions. It promised to be super busy, organized, chaos. In other words, a horse show.
- Uprising - Muse
- You Got the Love - Florence and the Machine
- Just a Lil' Bit - 50 Cent
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