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*

hey there sleepy smile...

*i see you've brought your bedroom eyes*

happy birthday matt skiba.

alas, it is my birthday as well. i am currently sitting in my dorm room, sipping on a hoegaarden and listening to alkaline trio. also, reading here and there on the zane grey novel. i have to finish it by thursday.

it is customary that i post a birthday blog. i think i have done this since 2005. so, five years later i am keeping with tradition. it is always usually at the beginning of the day as well, and it couldn't get earlier than this (the clock just turned midnight).

*tuck me into bed with snakes*

so, it has been a really interesting two weeks or so. i feel like i have done so much, yet accomplished nearly nothing. probably just the wane in the cycle. tomorrow i begin to wax, then its all full moon from there.

*she took him to the lake*

as you can see, i am going down the list of "maybe i'll catch fire." but pretty fantastic, actually. i have had a hard time feeling creative lately. i am not quite sure why this is. i had a burst of creativity last semester, but i guess i had more life experience for material than i do this semester. when i say that, i mean much more going on in my personal life and directly effecting my emotions as opposed to actually doing something or being somewhere. i no doubt have a lot going on and a lot to write about, but i usually am able to express in better ways my feelings, but basically not currently.

*5-3-just kidding*

i wrote a letter to two friends back home last week. put it in the mail and now expect them to receive it pretty soon. one is one of the three best friends i keep in life. (megs). she is basically responsible for me surviving since 2006. a great support and someone who is always there to help me out through my tough times in life.

the other, well, is someone that only became special in my life last year. she probably doesn't like the shout-outs, so, yeah. but it was nice to get something down on paper to send to her. not sure what all this means, but i guess it is something special in my book. the photobooth shots really are amazing. it is interesting how connections are made with other human beings. not quite sure how it works, but sometimes you just seem to get along better with certain people. i may be rambling here, who knows.

*if you fall down enough, well, soon enough you will find hell*

so, as conor oberst says, this is the first day of my life.

we are both writers...

*we can just sit back and watch it all go up in flames*

a nice travel to manchester this weekend. erin, aj, dylan, dylan, jake, bryce, and myself traveled there on saturday for the night. manchester is quite a large city, with a population of around 450,000. it was quite nice to just get away from york for a while. erin, aj and i got there earlier than the others, and spent the first part of our time wandering manchester, trying to find a place to get a bite to eat. the three of us were sharing a room at the britannia sachas, were the others were staying at the plain ol' britannia. pretty decent room, even though it didn't have a window. that made it quite interesting when waking up. anyways, after quite a lot of searching, we finally found this pub by the manchester metro university campus. it was called "the pub," which, well, was pretty spot on. it was my first guinness experience of the trip. pretty tasty over here. they had something on tap called "guinness red," but i was just a bit to afraid to try it. it was probably pretty tasty, but i'll save that for dublin and the brewery tour.

we then headed over to the manchester museum of art. it has been a while since i have been to an art museum, and it was such a good time. i really enjoy looking at peoples emotions spilled out onto various mediums. i think my favorite parts were the francisco de goya etchings (which were so utterly amazing), yue minjun's contemporary painting (go here to check it out), and ron mueck's sculpture work (go here to check out a sampling). it was a pretty neat time. i look forward to spending much more time in museums during the rest of my travels in europe.

after that we did a little bit of shopping. i wanted to get a few things at american apparel, but their prices in the UK are ridiculous. i did find some sweet things at "topman," which is actually a pretty cool, hip store. you know me and my love for 3/4 baseball t-shirts.

where the night really took a turn was at the mexican restaurant. i think all of us have been craving not only mexican food, but also a really good mean. i know i had been. so, i basically, along with some of the others, ate into a food coma. i haven't had food this good in a long time, and basically that is saying that i was so hungry, british mexican tasted excellent. (now if only they could learn how to make a cheeseburger). aj, erin, and i went back to our hotel room and just crashed. after all of the food i ate, i don't think i could have put any beer or alcohol down there. completely stuffed. we just sat around and watched some british television (which included a christopher walken-michael cain movie that had a person in the corner of the screen signing the movie for deaf viewers). i really don't know why they couldn't have just used closed-caption. so, maybe for our illiterate-deaf viewers. also, we saw the olympic women's curling team beat the british team. we weren't quite sure what exactly was going on, but when they won, we gave a little cheer. the room was desperately hot. and around 2am we got a call from the others telling us they wouldn't let dylan h back up because the security said there was too many people in their room. so we ended up sneaking him in our hotel and he crashed on the floor as well. four people in a window-less, 80 degree room. were quite the sight. good thing i showered the next day, because i was dripping with sweat. i wonder how that room gets airflow?

the next morning, we had an amazing breakfast at this little cafe called the teacup. damn, that was good. it was really neat looking and they had a ton of threadless t-shirts on the wall. very cool. i had poached eggs (which i now love) with ham on a bagel. oh, and some english tea. no milk though, on account of my "condition."

on the ride back, a girl was sitting across from me watching something on her laptop when suddenly she burst into tears. i took my headphones off because i was not quite sure what was going on. turns out she was watching "the notebook." figures. i got to get a bit into the next novel for my class, "riders of the purple sage" by zane grey. i am actually now becoming a fan of the western, with this novel and all of the john wayne movies we have seen. we watched "stagecoach" today, while we have seen "the searchers" and "the big trail." god, john wayne is a hell of a man. i particularly liked "stagecoach." such a great story line and great acting. the ringo kid. kind of like me.

*all i can see, the buildings they burn so bright*

so, tomorrow i turn twenty-five. the so called, "quarter century." it feels weird to not be in minneapolis celebrating with my friends and family. i have had many fantastic birthdays with everyone back home, and i will really miss that this year. last year i was at nye's, surrounded by my friends, drinking a maker's mark-sour. oh the memories. what will tomorrow bring? i think that is a question we all constantly ask ourselves. well, i will be one year older. think i will be any wiser?

*hold me down*

born in the usa...

*everything must belong somewhere*

so, i'm not 100% sure what it is. it might be the fact that i have watched the olympics the past few days and have seen the usa do pretty damn well. or it could be the fact that i have been listening to a lot of springsteen. maybe it is the fact that for most of my life i have been the most patriotic person. i have never been that down with chanting, "u-s-a, u-s-a" at sporting events. nor have i owned a shirt with an american flag on it in the past eight years. i just really have been kind of bored with america. but, you know, it takes absence to make the heart grow fonder.

there was a point, a stretch from 2000 to pretty much now, that i really wasn't "proud to be an american." sure, i was damn proud to be a minnesotan. i mean, what is not to like about the best state in union? and mpls has always been my favorite city.

but there was still something missing...

i was walking back from my movie screening for my class (we watched, "the big trail" featuring john wayne) and i just was thinking to myself how much i have taken my country for granted. i see a lot of national pride with the british. this is even more so with other countries in europe. i haven't always seen the benefits of living in america until now. cheap goods and services (i can get a liter of maker's mark for $23.99 on sale at surdyks) nice, separated houses, and lakes. nice clean lakes.

i love my time here, but home will always be just that: home.

*power out*

so, i resigned from my internship. i just couldn't take the menial tasks that i was assigned to do. it was either cleaning something or being a tele-marketer. i am not a tele-marketer. i don't think there is someone more hated than a tele-marketer making cold calls. basically that was going to be my next 100 hours with the knights. their assistant coach and star player, chris thorman, was really helpful and friendly to me when i was there. that is one contact that i do not want to lose. other than that, i didn't get one beneficial thing out of it. spending almost 90 hours at a place and having basically nothing to show for it is a shame, but i didn't come to york to be miserable. i came to have an enriching experience, and this was not going to happen with the knights. i wish them all of the best, and hopefully interns in the future will be able to participate in more worthwhile projects.

*if it makes you less sad...*

so i have been listening to a lot of the boss lately. (bruce springsteen for those who just landed on earth). his music from the seventies really transcends generations. a lot of what he is talking about i can apply to the culture here and now. kids are just living life, trying to have a good time, but a lot of times they get in each others way and, well, feelings get hurt and fights happen, and well, life just happens.

i get kind of upset when people are unable to respond to basic communication formats. trying to communicate with people is sometimes hard, but with non-responsive people its even harder.

*i'm going to sneak to your bed and pour salt in your wounds*

a small group of us americans are going to manchester on saturday, just for the day. it should be a really grand time. i am pretty excited to see yet another british city. i have seen york, scarborough, and london. i just need to start crossing them off the list. we are staying in a pretty sweet hotel with a pool and hot tub. so, bust out the swim suit... oh, wait... i need to get one in order to bust it out. h&m, here i come! (i saw they had some on clearance they other day).

*your average woe has no punk-rock credentials*

well, this has been a mish-mash post, but i have been feeling a bit off lately with the stress over the internship. i can guarantee that when i wake up tomorrow, i am going to be fresh and relaxed. a new beginning.

*alive with the glory of love*

magnetic mid-west...

*minneapolis, rock city*

so this may be a random post, but, that is the way i like it.

last night i went out with caite, miles, and ayana (another girl from america). i live on the opposite side of campus from my regular group of friends, and it is sometimes hard to hang out with anyone when you have to walk a pretty long way to the other side of campus. so, it gets a little boring here in langwith g block. i also was feeling a bit down yesterday, missing mpls, my home, my friends and family, that i, as morrissey says, "i want to see people and i want to see life." so, i as i tried to figure out something to do, for the third night in a row things fell apart with my derwent friends. miles and caite were nice enough to let me cool along and hang with them. i haven't had a fun night like this in a long time. we went to a few clubs and basically danced and danced and danced some more. the dj was playing pretty bad house music (sort of brit-house) and i knew only a handful of songs, but it didn't matter.

i really like making fun of the way girls dress when they go out to "the clubs." so, basically they try and dress as skank-rific as possible, only to get disgusted by any guy that may try to go up and talk to them. if you can see your thong out the bottom of your "dress" then, i'm sorry for looking, but it isn't in awe, it is in utter disgust. i basically do not like seeing your ass (and by the way, none of these girls are ever really that cute, so maybe...compensating) hang out of the bottom of your dress at the club. i may not be the classiest guy in town, but i just get so turned off by this kind of thing. there is a way to get "dolled up" and go out to the club without looking like you are begging every guy in town to take you home. and women say men "try to hard." sorry, honey, but with your thong escaping out the bottom of your dress, it seems to me that you are trying harder than any guy in the place.

*have another drink*

so, anyways, as this post is titled, i was missing mpls a bit last night. it was nice to be able to talk to a dear friend of mine the other day on facebook. jackie and i had a really great time last semester. we became quite close and have a very unique friendship. i miss seeing her on a frequent basis and haven't had a chance to communicate with her until the other day. she understands my weird sense of humor, and, well challenges me in a very good way. it made me think about all of my friends and family back home. i really didn't understand what these people have meant to me until i don't have access to them everyday. peej and meggers are truly two of my best friends and its tough to be sitting around waiting for friday to come only not realize that when i wake up on saturday, pj and meg won't be on my couch sleeping off a solid night at the otter. meg and i wont go to the bulldog for breakfast and have one of the most underrated breakfasts in the cities. i won't be able to see trav and kozz at macs on sunday and hear them complain about all of the football fans during football season and have trav cheer people outside for parallel parking their car successfully. seeing mike everyday at school for weekday wine club or causing trouble at various hamline parties. talking to the rev outside bush and laughing louder than you can imagine, bothering all of the kids coming out of the library. going for thai with mel and watching how people at chang mai thai never id her. metting up with stacie and laura wherever they may be. being able to escape up to rogers and hang out with my mom and dad and see my grandma. getting to tell my parents about all of the exciting things in life and just being with people that are always there for me.

i could go on forever, but you get the picture. i miss these things, and i feel like i have taken taken them for granted.

but, there is a positive side to this. so, i'm going to end it with a positive jam (or paragraph).

there is good in everything and if i would have never taken this trip to england i would never have met the wonderful hamline people that accompanied me or the amazing brits that have put up with our thick minnesota accents with great tact. every single person that is on this trip with me means a lot to me. they have collectively kept me from going completely insane in missing mpls. like they say, you can take the boy out of mpls but you can't take the mpls out of the boy.

i can't wait for tonight. more memories made, ciders drank, cups tipped, and friendships grown.

what will happen next?

i'm excited to know that i really don't have a clue...

*we all crack with no laugh-track*

not one more word tonight...

*unsubstantiated rumors are good enough for me*

well boys and girls, it is an "against me!" morning. every time i listen to this band, i love them more and more. i really wish i had a few more of their albums. i have heard a few songs off of "reinventing axl rose" and they sound pretty awesome. one of my own personal most underrated bands of all time. they just make me happy, especially at 7:30 on a wednesday (gmt, of course).

*there was cameras bought for pictures to hold all the small details*

*we left them all behind*

so, when i last left you, our hero had just arrived on the streets of london, via a five hour coach bus. he had met up with his friend and was now about to enter the underground towards the college in which jake's friends were staying at.

well, i almost forgot to tell you the purpose of this trip: brand new. yes. brand fucking new. one of my all time favourite bands since, well, junior high. i had discovered a week earlier that they were going to be in london, as well as discovered that vivian was also a huge fan of this band. my spontaneity being what it is, we decided to book the tickets as well as the bus tickets and head down for the show.

we had originally believed that we were going to be able to crash with jake's friends in their dorm room, but upon arriving, it became clear that their college was extremely strict on their visiting rules and that they were only able to have one visitor per person. since there was already three visitors, viv, joe, and i were left without a place to stay. viv and i being in the positive moods that we are always in, just decided to put off figuring out what we would do and instead try to enjoy the trip. i work much better under pressure (more on that later).

so we made it to london, headed off to the grocery store to buy liquor for the night, and then proceeded back to the dorms. jake, joe, viv, and myself were all extremely hungry, so we decided to go out and find a pub to have dinner in. the thing about british pubs is, quite like mpls, they have very good food. i still can't remember the name of the pub, but the bangers and mash that i had were excellent. i think everyone else had the fish and chips, but i'm not entirely sure.

also an interesting note is that the tube system in london is pretty neat. i really haven't had much experience with an underground system other than a few rides in dc when we were on tour, but that is about it. they can really get crowded, and they basically go everywhere. there really isn't a place you can't go (except when it is late and they stop running, and more on THAT later).

so, we found out that the doors for the show opened at 7:30. that meant that the show probably wouldn't start until 8 or so, meaning brand new would go on around 10. perfect. we had to drink most of the booze we bought (except for the two liter of cider viv and i shared on the tubes) and plan out our route to wembley arena. the cool thing was, this concert was right next to wembley stadium, which is a pretty bitchin' stadium. (the english national soccer game plays their home games there).

so, our travel commenced. problem was there were a few lines of tube down and we had to detour. we made it close, then had to take a bus towards the stadium. finally making it around 10 or so. thing was, the show started at 10. doors were at 6. so, brand new was already playing. we rushed in, ran up just im time for jesus. jude law followed, then seventy x 7. then at the bottom, and finishing up with play crack the sky. so, six songs in all. but, mind you, each song was amazing and the crowd was so energetic. i loved every minute of it and can still to this day (and beyond) say that i saw brand new in london. playing pretty much songs that i have loved for years. (jude law and a semester abroad has a very special place in my heart, jp).

well, the way back was much more of an adventure. viv and i lost joe when we went to the bathroom (or toilet as the brits call it). side note: i STILL can't say toilet. it just sounds... naughty. in a non-sexual way.

we then went to meet up with jake and all of the girls at "arch angel," some club in kensington. one cool thing about arch angel: they had real american beer. sierra nevada. which, by my standards, is a quite good brew. i bought some for my foreign friends and toasted away to honor (thanks barrent dahl for that one). if you want to know the toast, comment heavily and maybe i'll post it next time.

now came the real problem. we still had no place to stay. it was almost 2:30. so, shit. i'm in london and may be sleeping in the train station if i have to. now another problem was that my back was way acting up. disc 5-6 did not like traveling that long in one day. it was kicking my ass. and i wasn't nearly liquored up enough to deal with it. (without pain pills or physical therapy that my medical insurance won't cover, i'm a mess). so after a little drama, i ended up sneaking into a dorm in a college a few blocks down and sleeping on the floor. beautiful. but, at least it was a place to sleep.

the ride back was great, and i still give viv crap for the concert, even though i am thoroughly content with what i saw. i love brand new, 2 hours or 2 minutes.

the week was then spent as usual. reading, internship (which i will post more heavily about in the future), and enjoying the company of all of my new friends, american, and european.

in all, i am so happy i came to york. i have met new friends i will have for a long time to come and wouldn't trade them for the world. i do miss a lot of people back home, most of all my family and closest friends. my mom and dad have been the greatest in supporting my trip. they see the good that can come out of it, not only academically, but also personally. i won't be the same when i come back, but, hey, that is in a good way.

and i promise, i will still be the same tj, just added experience. i am learning so much more about myself than i even imagined.

i have now surpassed the time length that i have been away from minnesota. this is new territory. so far, it has felt like a vacation, but i am not going anywhere anytime soon. i am here. i live here. it is weird saying, "i'm heading home" and have it mean langwith block g, room 237. home is a lot of places. but i guess it can mean where you lay your head. my home will always be minnesota. i love that state, and trust me, i talk extremely highly of it over here. maybe the minnesota gov't should be giving me a cut of the future tourism that i am forging for the state. the british invasion will happen. trust me.

*wednesday night dance party, winter 2010*