Saturday, April 18, 2009

and from the ashes of heartbreak… resurrection!

Wow, so those data recovery guys in the small Mission spot called TechCollective managed to rescue about 80% of the stuff on my camera. And they were so kind and thoughtful (stay away from Best Buy). I’ll save the photo summary for another day. Here’s video I took of some random band from Liverpool called Bodies of Work. They were really good and I think really young. The bassist looked like he could be on that show Freaks and Geeks.

Despite the dismal weather, being really expensive and not having as many pretty buildings as Paris, I really loved my time in London on a human and personable level. it was an entertainment mecca for me much like the reasons why people love NYC. There were tons of great museums that were free. The British Museum with its collection of artifacts was mind blowing, like here’s 24 rooms of cool stuff we stole from other countries in the past centuries. Really incredible stuff I have not seen before like ancient mummy housecats from Egypt wrapped in bandages with the same care as pharoahs and what not. it was hard for me to remember that a country with people so well mannered and pleasant in nature have had a long history of pillaging and a forceful proclivity for imperialism. Also there were vintage clothing shops that were amazing, much better than I expected food thanks to recommendations (Borough Market is where I had the best pot pie that made my knees buckle & indian food is a no brainer), quality non-corny/not-so-hipsterfied night entertainment and the people were so helpful. My luggage weighed over 50lbs (I swear I didn’t leave SF with that much but records are heavy) and random strangers in the tube station would offer to help me up the stairs. Not only that, but I would ask parked cab drivers for guidance when I was lost and they took the time to give me detailed instructions. You know how when you ask people for directions in the US, they kinda halfass and want to go on their way most of the time? I was floored. Even in the age of GPS, the cab drivers complete 2 years minimum “knowledge”, what they call it when they study the streets by heart before being active. Respect due! Cab drivers here are hit or miss with ultra specific location requests. I’m plotting a longer visit coupled with a Berlin trip.



c o m m e n t s

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