Rollin' Around

So Kari was nice enough to properly introduce me back into the world of America through a good ol' female on female bashing+rollerskates. I was captivated. Spurred on by malibu with coke and Kari's bosses' son yelling in voice that kept breaking due to his adolesence, I was having a GREAT time. Kari's friend got well into it and having her jump up and down yelling while also telling off the queens in front of us was splendid!!

San Francisco is the reigning champion from last year, and although Brooklyn was mean, rude and great fun to watch, San Francisco won by being witting and smart. My favorite move was when they used the large Black guy as a form of bowling ball to simply knock down the others in front of him via whipping.

Helsinki

So the first country is Helsinki. The first night wasn't the greatest, but we get over things like that...
The next days were great. Its been an average about 2-3 degrees celsius (your going to have to do the math, i prefer not to think of it in farenheit). I went to their contemporary art museum. Lots of different things and very unique. They had one artist who does video/sound installations (with vaguely sexually suggestive videos). You take off your shoes and lay down on the ground with pillows and such. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. There was an artist who had a cutout of darth vador and a neon light to represent his light sabor, but it was bent like this: ( and down... hehe.
I ate in the cafe because it was easy! but also tasty. i got table service and the guy said this was the first time he has ever been asked if that was an option... just giving myself a pat on the back for being so lovely.
I've stayed with Sampo for the past three nights. He is a really nice guy. Big gut, and a braid in his beard. I have a feeling half the time i'm talking he is only nodding and smiling but not actually hearing anything i'm saying... Oh well, i'm used to that one.
I have done such a good job at getting stuff for being bundled up in that i am sweating by the time i walk a few blocks.
Tomorrow i take a ferry to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm so excited. I think i will stuff myself on swedish pancakes and boysenberry sauce... not a bad way to go...
Last night i went to a bar with a 'traditional' feel and menu. We ate in the chicken coop!! it was an area that was divided from the rest of the floor with chicken wire and strategically place stuffed chickens. I decided to eat Prancer! I had to do it. To get it roasted though was 10 euros more expensive!
I've included pics. Of mine, and Sampos. He had fried small version of fish with beets and mashed potatos. It looked quite tasty. The red berries are boysenberrys. Apparently the Sami eat the reindeer and would freeze the meat, and than chip it off like popsicle jerky.
I visited a beautiful Lutheran church, simple but beautifully put together.
And i have also taken two pictures. I am definitely not the hottest thing walking around, but i am warm!!

The night picture was taken around 6pm. (It gets dark about 4pm. and never gets bright due to clouds)

Snowing

Well. As you may have heard, it snowed here in London. for about 2 and a half days!! Everything shut down on monday. (I have to mention that London's response to the problem was pretty sad) Other cities keep chugging along, and London comes to a grinding stop. Trains, tubes, buses, all stopped and not running. Not even the circle line (which is all underground) But lets look at the positive side. It was beautiful!
One of my coworkers has never hit anyone with a snowball, so he took another bartender's arrival as a perfect opportunity to pelt him with a couple.
Personally, he looks quite like an evil little kid in this photo...

As some of you may know, I am not paying rent on my room because of a leak in my ceiling. Well, they thought they would get to the root of the problem. So this is their idea of smarts a two days before we had rain (after having none for 3 weeks, and a few days before we got our lovely smattering of snow).


I think we can put this down with men not reading directions, and than scratching their heads and wondering what could have possibly gone wrong.
And yet, we come back to the fact that I'm NOT PAYING RENT! So i can only get so angry. And really, a bucket in the middle of my room is really not much of a sacrifice in the long run. But i would like it sorted eventually... So we can get working on the floor boards to see what damage has been done over the years and through the other inhabitants of the room.

Its been awhile

The internet has died at our pub. (Or at least the wireless) So i am enjoying half a pint of guinness and getting caught up on my internet usage. ONe of which includes finally catching all of you up with mostly everything. I thought i would start with right now and make my way backwards.
First of all, I have to admit I have been quite lax on taking my camera with me on outings, or even simply taking it out for pictures in general. I apologize.
So lets begin! My days have been a combination of helping mom and dad find a place to stay nearby that they may enjoy in the neighborhood. (no small task considering the slight dodginess of the general area of hammersmith).
And than there is work. I am now assistant manager at my pub (a job gained partially by ability and partially because i am still here!!)
I am also in charge of cellar shift. That means that every wednesday at 8am I am rolling kegs around the cellar so that I clean the floor and the beer lines so that everything tastes of beer and not some ucky scum. It makes the difference.
We have been awarded the Casque Marque for the Ales which means that our Ales (served warm temperature and similar to what may be served at a microbrewery) are at perfect temperature, and that the lines are perfectly maintained. (Basically a lovely pat on the back). It also means tiding the basement, and recieving orders for our wines, spirits and odds and ends. I am certainly still learning. I have gotten more excited about Ales, but am finding our selection for the pub vaguely depressing in its limits. Nonetheless, the more we sell, the more we can branch out.
I also learned that the pub could have a cat (for mousing) And so we now have Luna. (Her nickname has subsequently become Lunatic - because she is one). And those are all the pictures you see posted up in this post.

Dartmouth Castle Shenanigans

The first Rocking Days of Roskilde

The first Night was a Thursday. The biggest highlight for most that day was Radiohead on the mainstage. But I fully in

tended to see everything else, and as much as I could. Trying to squeeze in The Dø, Lupe Fiasco (quite good), and than catching a couple songs at Radiohead went and saw a proper Rock act from Sweden.

Friday was one of my big days. I had every intention of catching Gnarls Barkley. So after catuching a couple quick acts here and there, I made a beeline for the queue for 

Gnarls Barkley and waited.

 It was splendid. Although, admittedly, the smaller bands and tents were much more exciting and less overwhelming. None of those pictures really turned out. (this is someone's who is taller than me. But I was closer)

Shortly after that I got stuck in one tent watching a bevy of bands (smaller ones. Only one that I had actually planned on seeing) THere are 7 tents in the music area. Moving around a whole bunch gets tiresome if you have to stand listening to the music from 12 to 3am. First: A Kid Hereafter (dk), followed by Seasick Steve (us) who was rockin out blues, "combined with a voice that could make even the galvanized festival fences rust."

After Seasick Steve was Holy F**k(can), who were a bit electronic, but quite exciting to watch as they mixed their music so closely. 

One of the guys using sound tapes that he runs through either slow or fast at times to create a whole nother level to the music. 

By then it was late. So i took in music here and there, sampling through movement as I made my way from tent to tent to finally simply leave and go to bed, and start again in the morning.

Stuffin selves at Roskilde

  I'm pretty sure that my stomach will get me through most of my travels. I had a vegetarian version of this (literally salad and Danish mayo...and a bit of ketchup)

They were bigger than our heads. It was mad!

 

We also took a day and went to go see the town of Roskilde during another one of our 4 pre-festival days. Roskilde used to be the capital of Denmark, and the cathedral is still used as a place of burial for the royal family. 

It was quite resplendent.  We also took a good hike down to the sea to see the old viking boats and to take in how they used to make the boats,

 simply sitting on the river to enjoy the view.

It was a lovely day and it was so much fun!!

Rockin' out at Roskilde pt. 1

Well. It took forever and a day. And so I am going to try and do my best to post about both of these past European Summers. God help us all! Well. For right now lets here about this music festival in Denmark. You guys just got a verbal taster. The exact weekend before I got to see Oslo, Norway but my dumb butt forgot to actually charge my camera. So that one will just be fuzzy memories! 

First. Before the music began. I went to the festival alone. Was asked about my strange tent which is round in shape and simply *POPS* open. Well, my question in return was

 if i could hang out with them. 

Ended up one of them had just come back from a year abroad studying at UCBerkeley! All of them from English students from University of Edinburgh. 

They said yes, and I totally lucked out. They were amazing.

Before the music began, there was skateboarding competitions.

 Pre-festival music, movies, dancing, drinking, socialising. It was all quite good fun. First day we watched the World Cup on a big screen, after walking across the WHOLE festival grounds just for a camping spot.

This is the before picture of the Roskilde Festival.

The after people buggered off was disturbing. And we lucked out greatly for the weather. An average of 20˚-25˚C each day. It was marvelous!!

Numbers: 67,000 festival goers

Off to See the Wizard

Andrea and I had BIG BIG plans for after that wedding. First Dublin, to spend a bit more time with the Richerson clan (cousins only first), and than off to Europe to see Barcelona and Paris, the two sisters.

It was amazing, the colourful sights*, the imaginative architecture**, the heartfelt artworks***, it took our breaths, and many others, away.

 But first, Dublin. Dublin is old and new, small, and yet way too big for its britches. Andrea and I saw the sights, but in looking back, I can't quite remember everything we managed to squeeze in. Hopefully the pictures will fill in the gaps. If nothing else, we ate well in Dublin, I remember that. We went to supper here 2 in one day. First lunch for me and Andrea, and than dinner with Keegan, Mary, Kathy and Olivia. The decoration was great. 

I brought my friend there when I visited again this summer. But i guess I need to bring the right crowd.

...And I thought you might all enjoy the underlying truth in this little advert I found on the back of the bathroom stall in Dublin!

*arguments

**curses

***silences

The Other Wedding Part2 visually

Love is in the air... mm mm mmm

A beautious Sight


All dressed up, and somewhere to be


Be afraid, she might get too used to it


Definitely took plenty out of everyone

The other Wedding

The Summer Began. Of course after a few tests here and there...

A big hubbub to be sure. everyone flew over the big blue and a whole continent to freeze their bums off, have their biological clocks turned topsy turvy, and to dress in fancy outfits all in the name of ancestors, family, and a beautiful wedding. It was worth it, I'm sure to believe, I only flew about an hour. I got to see family that I hadn't seen not only since March when i visited last, but of course longer. Those of the family who literally crawl out of the woodworks for the big events. Ireland is beautiful, and I was so glad to visit again, hang out with the Rooneys and spend time with the two loudest girls in the family (Nancy and Peggy). The other girls come in close, but they definitely take the lead.




It was beautiful wedding as well as an amazing experience. And simply getting to see all the sights with family was something else.
beautiful girls


a little dance, a little socialising



Bobs x2, and The NEXT Richerson Generation (feel free to be afraid)

Bring Your Own Big Wheels

Another cool thing to happen when in San Francisco is the annual Big Wheels , Mary found out about it, and invited Keegan and I along to enjoy the madness. Beautiful. IT was good fun. All sorts of people zipping down the hill. From a banana to the lego men, cowgirls, monsters, nuns, geeks, zombies.