converse walking shoes...

*and i swear, it's the last time*

so, let's make this post a trip recap, eh? (updated with pictures)

my journey, as you are all well aware, began in grand ol' paris. being the great organized person that i am, i forgot to top-up my phone before i left, and was unable to do so when i got to paris. this caused a lot of problems because i needed it to get in contact with my friends mellissa and catherine in paris. because of phone trouble on their end as well, i was unable to communicate with them until around 8pm in paris.

so, the first thing i did in this new city was travel towards the eiffel tower. at least it was a place that everyone knew. let me tell you, i think it is a hell of a lot larger than i thought it was going to be. after traveling for eight hours from york to paris, it was just wonderful to sit and relax underneath this massive and inspirational structure. after sitting for quite a while, i decided it would be a good idea to just walk and possibly find my hostel. no map, no phone, not even a bit of knowledge of the french language, and being awake for more then 30 hours combined to make it a bit difficult. it took me over four hours to head from the eiffel tower to the latin quarter where my hostel was located. i did get to see a lot of amazing things, and was able to get a few decent photos. my friend, jake (who was in london) was able to top my phone up for me which helped a great deal in my travels.



^ me in front of notre dame (looking dapper)

after an exciting night with mellissa and catherine, i spent the next day wandering around, eventually finding my hotel which i was staying at the next night. i feel like i did not do as much exploring as i would've liked to this second day, but i did finally take some more pictures. mellissa and catherine had already been to paris a few times and weren't really as interested in seeing the sights as i was. that night, i met back up with them (after a great shower) and we proceeded to a concert in the heart of the city. mellissa and catherine were staying with a friend living in paris and he took us to this great venue, la fleche d'or. from what he said it was one of the trendy clubs in paris (i'm not 100% sure of that, but it was still awesome). the entrance fee was quite expensive (8 euros) but the music was good and the people were even better. i met a few of hatem's friends and they were all really great people, willing to talk about paris and the rest of europe as well.



^ mellissa attempting to play guitar (notice the pick still stuck in the first fret)



^ mel and catherine outside the club

the next day, i had to check out of my hotel and i wandered down towards the louve and some of the other sights on the river. i really was enamored with all of the architecture in paris. it really has a feel that few cities i have been to have. i really didn't have very high expectations for paris, but it exceeded them and more. after being unable to meet up with catherine and mellissa at moulin rouge, i was able to get a hold of kelsey, one of jake's friends studying abroad in italy. she was in paris with a few friends and let me tag along as they went sight-seeing. we toured notre dame, which at the time was concluding it's palm sunday service. the place is incredible, but seriously, i still haven't found a cathedral more impressive than the york minster. it was almost anti-climactic being in notre dame. anyways, after that, our group ventured around paris, getting lost for over an hour, then finally finding the sacré-cœur basilica. this was definitely the best part of the paris trip. the view was amazing. you could see the entire city stretching on forever. it was just really moving, i almost am unable to put it into words. i would say that there is no better spot in paris than this fantastic church on the hill. definitely worth going back to.



^ the louve



^ moulin rouge on a rainy day



^ the view from sacré-cœur basilica



^ sacré-cœur basilica

i then finally met back up with mellissa and catherine and we prepared for our overnight coach to amsterdam. the bus ride wasn't the best and i really wish i would've booked train tickets in advance because if booked far enough in advance, they would have been a lot cheaper than even the coach was. well, arriving in amsterdam around 6:30 am isn't the greatest. we were all pretty exhausted and confused, not the best way to start out in amsterdam, but things started to look up, and holland turned out to be a big highlight of the trip - which is what the next post will be about.

*impossible nights*

have love, will travel...

*let's get struck and spend the night screaming bad songs at the top of our lungs*

so, my dear friends of plainrides, i am less than twelve hours from embarking on the voyage of a lifetime (well so far, anyway). my train leaves the york station at approximately 4:00am GMT. from there (i wont spare the details, because, well, i don't want to) i travel to the fine city of leeds, transfer trains, and continue my journey onto london, england. from there, i get to spend a lovely cup of earl grey tea with the fine airport that is the LCY (london city airport). then, my real journey begins. to gay paris i travel. this is where things get exciting.

i meet up with the fabulous mellissa and catherine in paris. (also possibly jake's friend kelsey). even though the weather channel says it is supposed to rain, we are still going to have the time of our lives. also, i am officially (as one of the charter members) hosting the first international weekday wine club session. pretty exciting stuff.

after paris, it is a long overnight coach ride to amsterdam. my parents warned me to stay off the "wacky tabbacy." i just like the coffeeshops for the coffee, duh! my buddy matt is putting me up for my netherlands stay. such a good guy, seriously. keep him on your "good" list. i'll be enjoying the wonders and sounds of lovely den haag, netherlands. couldn't get better. i hope the netherlands brings their "a" game when it comes to beer. seriously, i think a 3.6% ipa should be against the law (pretty sure it is illegal to have anything under 5.5% in minnesota). so england's ipas suck. nothing you can do but travel to the netherlands and hope their crazy holland "bier" knows how to get it done. (i am assured by matt that, yes, they can get it done).

after the fantastic nether-nether-land, i fly back to london, where i get to spend a few hours with my girlfriend (aka caite). she is the best lesbian girlfriend ever. i told her that she can't see any other straight men, and in turn i can't see any other lesbians. pretty fair trade. i then train it up to manchester and struggle to stay awake and entertained for a few hours before my flight to dublin.

dublin is definitely going to be grand. pj (as i have said before) is coming to spend a few days with me. nothing like easter with your brother in a country known for its drinking problems. huzzah, huzzah. i expect to meet up with jake and his friends (kelsey included) again here in dublin as well as in the 'dam. hopefully our other friend from hamline and york, erin, will be able to come to dublin as well. i don't think you could have enough fantastic people in one city and get away with it (mpls-stp excluded).

to conclude my mini-europe stomp, peej and i head towards newcastle after four days (three for him) and then to the golden shores of scotland (edinburgh to be exact). i'm not sure what lies ahead, but i can only assume it will be an adventure that will be harder than ever to put in to words, but trust me, i'll do it.

*have love, will travel*

badges and badges...

*don't stop calling you're the reason i love losing sleep*

big loss by chelsea fc this evening. knocked out of the champions league by their best coach in history. i truly think that ancelotti's job is now on the line. i honestly could see him winning the premier league and getting axed. guus hiddink anyone? we will see...

*don't make a badge and wear it too*

i traveled to the social media world forum yesterday. it was quite a good experience. i really learned a lot more about social media services on the web than i ever thought i would. it is interesting to note now that facebook has over 400 million users world wide. talk about an online presence. also i now have a lot more insight on how social media sites can be integrated into marketing campaigns. the powers of the online community are really breathtaking.

*i make my badge and sell it too*

so it is getting into the final stages of the current semester here at york. my final paper is due on friday and i am almost finished with it. just a few final touches to go into it tomorrow and i'll be done. i really didn't enjoy the class all that much. we had to read five different romance novels, where i thought we would be able to compare multiple popular fiction genres to the medieval texts we were also reading. the professor was quite poor as well, to be honest. i don't think she taught me one thing the entire 18 hours i spent with her these two months. man i miss the hamline english and communications departments. you can really tell the difference in quality. basically, i feel like the whole class was sort of a waste of my time. i could've taken a class remotely from hamline and gotten more out of it than this crap. oh well, too late to do anything about it now. just hand the paper in and move on.

*i'm a man, i'm a myth, i'm a stepping stool*

i get to see mellissa in less than two weeks and peej in less than three. damn, this is going to be the best spring break i have ever had and the first time i haven't been in minnesota for it. also, just over two months until my parents travel across the pond. we are now planning a day trip to paris. they have been so awesome to me while i have been over here, i can't wait to share europe with them. we booked the most amazing hotel in london: it is right across the street from the tower of london! location: perfect. it can't come soon enough. hopefully by that time i will be a london expert.

*what have i done?*

i am quite sad that i am missing out on st. paddy's day back in the states. no one does it like st. paul. and there is nothing better than wearing obnoxious amounts of green and hanging out with your friends (drinking, of course). i have been out every st. paddy's day since i turned 21 and each has been unique and interesting. i think we all remember "wolverine" from 2006. the grand opening of sneaky pete's was such a trap. this year seems to be quite light on everything. i will probably just turn on a movie late at night after working all day on my paper and my projects for my internship. all in all, there will be plenty of time to celebrate when i'm traveling around europe. dublin in three weeks. fan-freakin'-tastic.

*hallelujah*

something about aeroplanes...

*let's scream 'till the sun comes up*

so, i have neglected this blog for a while, but i aim to fix it.

i took a few trips that i have spoken about, and it's high time that i put some pictures up to go along with those wonderful places.



^ these are my friends nissa, miles, nell, and caite. we are partying in my room. fun times with scissors!

let's start with manchestertown:



^ manchester city limits.



^ manchester: china town. basically the street of the "asian buffet." all you can eat. no one does asian like manchester.



^ this was an old man with a microphone and a boombox, dancing in the street. as you can see a large crowd gathered. he was quite humorous, but we came to the conclusion that he may well have a mental disorder. where i do feel bad that people (including myself) were finding humor in his antics, i realized that he was making a good penny just dancing around in the streets. if he is happy, screw those that laugh. i wish i had enough guts to go out in the streets and do something crazy AND get paid for it. two ways to think of these things. more power to this guy.



^ urban outfitters, manchester. i thought it was neat to see one in the uk. if you think that the ones back in the states are expensive, try this one. more like burberry prices.




^ just had to.



^ best breakfast in europe so far. they had threadless shirts for sale as well. how bitchin'!



^ cool graffiti



^ the street was littered with these sidewalk blocks. this is one of many that i took pictures of. quite interesting.


i don't think i would ever go back to manchester for a trip. i wasn't a big fan of the city other than the teacup (see above). maybe i just wasn't in the right place, but the highlight of the trip had to be seven americans and two norwegians eating at a mexican restaurant in the middle of england. oh the memories.

now, on to whitby.



^ this was taken on the road from ruswarp to whitby. bryce informed me that this is the actual bridge used in the harry potter movies. freakin' awesome.



^ robin hood's bay, just outside of whitby.



^ bryce and dylan in the north sea.



^ jake, seeking refuge on a rock.



^ jake carving out his walking stick.



^ bryce, dylan, jake and dylan at the bottom of the 199 steps to the whitby abbey.



^ the twin piers of whitby.



^ whitby abbey.



^ the restless waves of the north sea.



^ me and the sea.

whitby is definitely a place i would go back to, and will go back to. i just finished booking the day trip for my parents and i when they come to visit england. i cannot wait for them to arrive and enjoy england with me. it should be such a fantastic trip!

now, the passion pit concert in leeds.

i went to this show with erin and vivian. the opening act was ellie goulding, a singer from england. she was pretty damn fantastic. i would definitely check her music out in the future. as far as passion pit, they just plain old rocked. i must say that i was mildly surprised. i really like their music, but the show was amazing, a lot better than i could have imagined. here are some pics of the trip.



^ viv and i on the train. taken by erin. she is so into it.



^ passion pit live.



^ passion pit live.



^ passion pit live.



^ passion pit live.



^ passion pit live.



^ erin, myself, and vivian: patiently waiting for the encore.



^ my shot of the train station.

there is a pretty sweet video of the last song, sleepyhead, on youtube which can be found by following this link.

so, after the show, we all met up with a big group of york kids that had traveled to leeds to party that same evening. vivian and erin went home shortly after we met up with the group. i had no idea when the last train left, so when vivian texted me 12:36, i made sure that i was at the train station well before that.

my ride home was an adventure to say the least. when i got on the train, the signs that usually signal where the train is going were off. so, my first thought was to ask the nearest person if the train was going to york. mistake number one. he informed me that indeed was, then, picking up on the fact that i have an accent, decided to ask if i was from america. i responded yes, to which he asked what part. minneosta, i replied. now, this conversation started innocent enough. he was in his mid-thirties and was out partying with three other friends, two men and a woman. he talked to me about sports in america, football and baseball. he was completely trashed. now, things began to escalate quickly. i realized that the train had stopped on the tacks, so we were being delayed. it was probably stopped for almost a half hour. it usually takes less than a half hour to get to travel to york from leeds. the guy proceeded to light up a cigarette, right on the train. well, the train is non-smoking, so kind of annoying, but i didn't really care. what happened next was where things got interesting. the woman he was with proceeded to talk to be about random things such as why i was in england and what i did in leeds (small talk) and then she offered me a banana. yeah, i know, random. well, the guy took the banana, pulled his pants down on the train to "compare the banana to his...erm...package." let's say the banana won, by a long shot. he got kind of mad and somehow an argument broke out between him and one of his friends. he then came and sat down by me. at this point the train was still stopped. he asked me if i, "liked licking [the female vagina]." not once, not twice, but five times in a row. seeing as i was not answering him, he got angry and went back by his friends, which were apologizing for him at that time. he continued the argument with the one friend then all of a sudden they got into a fist fight on the train. now, no one other than the five of us were on this particular car. his three friends then got up and went to a different car and he sat down and fumed. needless to say i was feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. a few minutes passed and i causally went to a different car and got on the phone with my parents. i got to york around 1:20. you never know what you'll encounter on public transportation.

*line of best fit*

me vs. morrissey...

*tie me up to the radiator*

hi. i'm tj. i like: a wilhelm scream, double ipas, researching and cataloging the various shapes of tater tots in the twin cities area, the cold side of the pillow, 7up, loose-leaf tea, walking by any body of water, apple, growing beards and then shaving them off, chelsea football club, any minnesota based sports team, explaining the science to picking out a karaoke song, talking loudly (and even more loudly when i'm drinking), east battle lake, attending concerts with attractive women, military hats, keys clipped to belt loops, sonnets, and writing in composition books.

*to kingdom come*

i have a new fascination with the ocean. spending the weekend in whitby really brought to light the awesomeness that is the ocean. it is so serene, peaceful, deadly, and wild; all at the same time. i now have dreams of living on the ocean to some extent for some period of time; a little cottage on the coast of maine, complete with weathered wood furniture, old copper tub and shower, crackled-white painted cupboards, dark wood door, with a fantastic view of the waves from the living room. i want to feel the salt of the waves in the wind as it hits my face and reminds me that i am alive.

*here i am*

my new internship (with panik! marketing) is fantastic. i went to a business presentation in leeds last night with my supervisor, kimberley, and jake (who also is in the hamline in york program). the main speaker, paolo volpara (who is a former ceo of leo burnett, was very exciting to listen to. he was very edgy, passionate, and a bit on the controversial side. this provided for very entertaining thoughts and discussion. he mentioned that he did not believe google to be a brand, but a service. (for brand, he meant something that stands apart from the rest and does so creatively and passionately ). he compared google to yahoo! and altavista. now, i completely disagree with this comparison. i believe google will be around for a long time and they are a much bigger force than we give them credit for. now, see here and here for amusing articles on the subject.

*swimming in the flood*

i am attending the passion pt concert in leeds tomorrow night. i am very excited for this show. passion pit has really become a band i find myself more often listening to than i expected. their songs and lyrics really create fantastic moods in which you can find yourself lost in. i am going with vivan, whom i went to brand new with, and jake and possibly some others depending on what shakes out for tickets. (i heard it was sold out, but we will see...).

*this is how it feels*

i haven't posted pictures in a while, but i am saving up for a nice, big, photo filled post after my adventure to the passion pit show. you will see lovely whitby, manchestertown, and leeds. get excited.

*and another one comes down*