Sunday, 31 October 2010

Dinosaurs lived a long time ago they were terrible lizards don't you know Some ate plants and some ate meat some ate fish and some ate beasts - Johnny Cash

“Good evening officer – is it possible to get through?”"Do you live on this block maam?" "yes just there at 175" "ok yes i can take you through" "what happened" "there were some gun shots" "did anyone get hurt?" "yes, three people" "goodness" "ok maam you cant stay out here you have to go inside"

3 people got shot on my street a couple of nights ago - apparently it was some local kids shooting at each other, 2 got hit as well as a woman walking past. If Lauren and I hadnt been at Frannie's apartment watching the Rocky Horror edition of Glee... we could have had a cap popped in our ass...

WOW. the bubble has ever so slightly burst... the 'fall' with its leaves of orange, brown and gold no longer seem so romantic... The yellow crime scene tape... or should I say CSI New York tape... has somewhat tarnished the picture postcard dream I was floating around in... Not to say that New York has been tainted by the shooting so close to home, but I guess it has been a thumping hard reality check for me... that New York, like London, isnt all tally ho pip pips, or should I say 'how you doin's or 'have a nice day's. There is gun crime everywhere... there were shootings in Hackney all the time, which I was totally used to... but I am not, however used to shootings in the land of the free - or the place where they have 90 different types of fruity, brightly coloured cereals or the place which seemed (for 6 weeks) to be so much like sesame street... with everyone of all race, colour, creed, age, height etc getting along just swell...

This is an isolated case of an unfortunate incident... and luckily there have been so many great things going on of late that they almost erase bad things like this from existence... (ALWAYS erase...NEVER rubber... a rubber is something far more contraceptive... as I found out just the other day!)

Two weekends ago (gosh I haven’t blogged for ages!) I ventured to the Natural History Museum following an incredible brunch with my favourite ex-trainee-art-teacher from senior school Amanda Barragry and two of her 3 wonderful kids - Fergus and Gabriel. She very generously treated me to the most wonderful eggs benedict and orange juice as I am a poor starving student.

I decided afterwards that I should walk from the upper east side through central park to the museum. It was idyllic, in a manner of Shakespeare's A Midsomer Nights Dream... there were jazz players hiding amongt the trees and fallen leaves busking for quarters, an amateur baseball team enjoying the thrill of competition in the summery air. Mothers and fathers with their children on picnic rugs eating grapes and strawberries from click-top tupperwear. Fathers practicing catch with their sons using the token brown leather baseball glove and white topstitched ball - owned by all fathers in america. It was lush. 

So I got to the Natural history museum as excited as a kid at christmas – For those of you reading this who are unaware of my obsession with dinosaurs – I have an obsession with dinosaurs... I have done as long as I can remember, I blame the early learning centre. So I walked up the steps of the gigantic stone building in front of me (which I have to admit is not half as pretty as the natural history on museum street) and walked through the huge doors to be greeted by a GIANT barosaurus – apparently the worlds largest freestanding mount of a dinosaur. It was incredible, I literally had heart palpitations from the sheer excitement... I quickly dashed towards the dinosaur rooms after gawping like an idiot at the dino sculpture and felt giddy as soon as I walked through the first set of doors...Before me stood rooms of saurichian dinosaurs, ornithichian dinosaurs rooms filled giant pterodactyls handing from the ceilings, stegosauruses, tyrannosauruses, triceratops – I was in heaven. Too bad there was a random couple making out in the middle of one of the rooms so graphically that there where people avoiding the vast selection of dunkleostei (an early type of armoured fish). 

So in other news here are some of the most recent hilarities to date (i feel this is turning into a ‘funny things i see in america' section – so apologies americans if this offends, but you should feel priveledged that your antics amuse me so very much that I publish them on the interweb)

  • At Banco Popular (the spanish bank) if you open a checking account (this is a regular account to all you brits) you get A FREE THERMOS FLASK. Oh em gee – I might just have to open my bank account with Banco Thermosflask.
  • On asking for a ‘double gin and tonic’ I was presented on Friday night with a PINT of gin and tonic... $18 worth of bombay sapphire OH YES. Apparently normal drinks are always double measures J
  • PEANUTBUTTER M&M’S. I will bringing a suitcase of these home with me, forget clothing – everyone is getting peanutbutter m&ms for christmas this year – they are heavenly!
  • A man got off the subway today with a black line tattooed across his face from ear to ear... simply gorgeous!
Considering I havent blogged for a while I am going to give you a photo album of recent ongoings... some things amusing, some beautiful landscapes etc etc (please see below!)
Ta Ra x

A man walking down the street with an authentic pail...

Possibly the greatest name for a candy bar ever

A bit vulgar yes.... but such a good piece of street art

The notorious rabies sign

The you've got mail pond with the little white boats

A man in a fez... in a boat... need I say more...

Some of the GREATEST tin foil creations EVER

Yes thats right - we went into a gallery/vintage store and there was a cupcake installation of 12,000 cupcakes...

Incredible halloween costumes

A pirate...

My post Halloween hangover cure... french toast IS my new best friend


Men putting up christmas lights in the trees around Times Square

The greatest sign at the social security office

Convict Lauren and the huge NYPD cops...post theft in the laundromat

Ben folds and Nick Hornby

A Midsummer Nights Dream kind of Central Park

The great hall of the american museum of natural history. Incred

A PURPLE POTATO

A demonstration outside my office building, there was a full scottish band - bagpipes, drums, kilts everything.

No standing 7am-7pm

Sorry this is the wrong way round - the view outside my office




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