Chicago and The BC

Miraculously Caroline was able to find tickets to Chicago Monday, so we all bought tickets as soon as we got home from work Monday night. Tuesday we all headed to the Cambridge theatre to watch the Broadway production of Chicago starring Michele Williams. I imagined the production to be a bit more glamorous, probably because the movie is one of my favourites and the absolute glamorous version of the regional, but overall the production was excellent. Leigh Zimmerman played Velma Kelly and Michele Williams played Roxie Heart. Leigh Zimmerman was FABULOUS! She was perfect for the part. I was expecting Michele to steal the show, not only because of her Destiny’s Child past, but also because I just thought she would be better, but Zimmerman was definitely my favourite. After seeing the way it was intended on stage I fell in love with the soundtrack. The famous songs “All that Jazz” and “Roxie” have been humming in my head every since. The stage was very simple with the stadium seated band right in the center of the stage. The production took place around the band, mainly in front of them, while incorporating them in some of the numbers. The girls costumes were sparkly and black, but different variations of “midriffy” tops, bras, shorts and dresses. The men wore variations of sparkly, black vests, pants, netted shirts and hats. The chorus was fabulous and if it weren’t for Zimmerman, they probably would have stolen the show! If you ever plan on seeing it, don’t expect anything like the movie in terms of costume or set, it’s much less glamorous, the songs and choreography are definitely what make it “Chicago.”

Last night we went to The Big Chill for our farewell dinner. It was a pretty typical EUSA sponsored Big Chill event. The food was okay and the drinks were sparse, but we made up for it by heading to Covent Garden for 99P night at Los Locos. I stayed for a couple beers but then threw in the towel, seeing that I had to get up at 7:30 AM for my last day of work!

I decided to bring in donuts and orange juice for the office today. After saying their “oh donuts are so fattening comment” everyone ate one, and then raved about how good Krispy Kreme is. Archie (our free lance creative at the moment) even went as far as to say “Krispy Kreme donuts really are the Tina Turner of donuts.” So I suppose they liked them. Tonight we are going to see Romeo and Juliette at The Globe Theater. I was looking forward to it, until last night I was informed it is a 4 hour production, standing and our tickets were only £5. We decided we would stay for a couple acts and then head back to Nido to get ready for our last night out in London! We don’t have any plans yet, but I’m SURE we will come up with something interesting to do. Only 1 night and 1 day left...and it’s full of adventure, so get ready!

Pictures from Paris!

I See France!- The whole album is new!

Just Touched Down in London Town!- New pictures start on number 53 and go to 60.

Enjoy!

Off to Paris...

Erin and I woke up at 5:00 AM to get our selves ready for Parieee! We wanted to leave at 5:30, to get to the train station by 5:45 AM, so we could make our 6:30 AM train, but the rest of the group said 5:30 AM was too early, so we collaborated and agreed to leave sometime in between 5:45 AM. That being said we didn’t leave until after 6:00. Erin, Tim and I waited in our rooms for 10 minutes then in the lobby for another 15, and when half the group ran upstairs after realizing they needed their confirmation numbers in order to get their tickets, we gave up and left for St. Pancras train station without them. After Erin, Tim and I arrived at the station we saw on the departure screen that our trains check in was closing! I, being the over-organized person that I am, had already printed off my tickets at work, two days in advance, so I was not concerned, the rest of the group on the other hand, did not have their tickets yet, and was not at the train station yet. I called them immediately and told them to run. After everyone had their tickets we all ran to the check-in. I was the last in line of our group to get my ticket scanned. I watched as each of my friends effortlessly inserted their ticket into the slot and moved right through the security gate. When it was finally my turn to scan my ticket I held my bar code up to the scanner, and of course it did not work. I called over help, and they were extremely rude and made me go print off another ticket at the ticket office, even though literally moments ago I had just talked to the ticket office and they said my printed ticket was fine. I ran back to the ticket office and spoke to the woman I had just spoken with moments ago about my printed ticket; she looked at me sympathetically while typing some things on her key board. She looked back at me and then said “I’m sorry, check in for that train is now closed.” Of course, the one person, anal enough to print their ticket off beforehand and ready 30 minutes before we actually left Nido, misses the train. Literally the check-in had closed seconds before I had held my ticket up to the scanner. Livid does not describe the feeling of anger I was feeling. Fortunately there was a train 20 minutes later headed to Paris. I called Erin and we figured out a way to meet at the Paris train station when I arrived. My fury subsided in my Chunnel ride, so by the time I got to Paris I was in good spirits, hell we were in PARIS!

We headed straight to our hotel as soon as I arrived. We checked in and left our bags in the lobby. Next we headed to the Louvre area for lunch at a small cafe. We ate and then headed to the Louvre. It was breathtaking and absolutely amazing that I was about to see the Mona Lisa! After making our way through the Louvre, we headed down Champs-Elysees, towards the Arc de Triomphe. We met Emilee’s friend Matt Summers on the way and then headed back to the hotel. Our hotel rooms were very nice and definitely improved our experience in Paris. The boys split the cost with Emilee and Caroline and stayed and stored their bags in their room for the night. We all showered and got ready and headed to the grocery store for wine and cheese. After eating triple our weight in Brie cheese, toasted baguettes, and white wine, Erin, Tim, Haley and I decided we HAD to see the Eiffel Tower at night. We headed straight to the Eiffel Tower and decided to meet the rest of the group at a cafe later. The Eiffel Tower was amazing to see in person...especially at night. It “twinkles” once a day and luckily we were there when it started to “twinkle.” It was beautiful. We took lots of pictures and videos. We then met a very drunk Emilee, Caroline, Christopher and Matt at a cafe and then headed to one of Matt’s friends flats. The flat was tucked away back in an alley. It was at the top of a dark twirling staircase that looked very sketchy, but once we got up to the flat and inside, it was awesome. It was exactly how you would imagine a French flat. We drank some more wine and talked about college with Matt’s friend and his friends. It was very fun, truly a French experience. Erin, Tim, Haley and I agreed we were exhausted after our eventful day and headed back to the hotel.

The next morning we woke up and headed back to the Eiffel Tower for pictures during the day. We weren’t able to go up in the tower due to time restraints and the astronomical line, besides food was our next priority after seeing the Eiffel Tower. We found a restaurant near the Metro station and took a table outside. Not long after we sat down we were talking and laughing about something when I glanced up and saw a lady yelling in our direction. I looked behind me to see what or who she was yelling so furiously at, and then realized she was looking at us! She walked straight up to our table and literally screamed at us for a good minute in French. We were all looking around at each other for some kind of explanation, but no one had one of course. She finally started to walk away (still yelling) and we all just started laughing. Our first encounter with our first rude French person! She must have REALLY hated Americans, because guessing from the tone of her voice; she was not saying “Welcome to France, can I get you a baguette or crepe?” After our encounter with the yelling lady, we ate our food (which was amazing), and then headed straight to the Notre Dame area. Once we walked around in the streets for a while, looking at the outdoor markets and stands, we headed over towards Notre Dame. It was amazing to see, but once again the lines were huge, so we took some pictures and then headed back to the train station for our departing Eurostar train, this time allowing ourselves PLENTY of time to catch our train, getting stuck in France was not how I wanted to end my trip. When we got back to the hotel to pick up our bags the very friendly front desk lady was not friendly anymore. When I asked for a plastic bag she shortly said “non”, and when I asked where the best place to catch a taxi she said “is it true that zese boiz stayed wis you last a night?” I, having nothing to do with the boys staying the night immediately replied a nervous “ummm no”, but Caroline soon came to the rescue with “We had two rooms, but the boys did not stay here.” I basically then sprinted out the door with my bags and we were on our way, laughing the whole way to the train station. I’d say our trip was a success with the witnessing of two pissed off French people.

Regardless of the rude French, I have decided I definitely need to go back when I am older and I have more time and money. It was hard to get the whole experience on a budget and only staying for a day in half, so I will definitely be returning to France sometime in my life. It was a perfect end to our time overseas. I can’t believe it was our last weekend. Now all I have to do is make it through the work week, which won’t be bad at all, considering I am seeing “Chicago” on Tonight, we have a farewell dinner on Wednesday at “The Big Chill” and we are seeing “Romeo & Juliette” at The Globe Theater on Thursday. I can’t wait to be back in the States, only 4 more days !!

Last Weekend Abroad

I can’t believe last weekend was our last one abroad! We decided very early on we were going to Paris our last weekend here. We booked our trains to leave VERY EARLY Saturday...which of course turned into an adventure. Our last weekend of course started off on Thursday evening with a trip back to O’Neil’s in Leicester square. After dodging out of our ‘Ghost Tour’ early, we headed back to Nido to “prepare” for the night. After beverages with Tyler (from USC) and Rob (from USC) we all headed to O’Neil’s to meet up with some more of the EUSA gang. After stepping off the tube it was apparent that our two hour preparation was unnecessary due to the straight downpour outside. We all huddled under two umbrellas and made our way to the Irish Pub. Apparently Christopher thought he was much more in need of the umbrella then Haley and I, because somehow we ended up drenched while Christopher on the other hand arrived perfectly dry, funny how that keeps happening...our night continued in good spirits regardless. We made a dash for the bathroom in attempts to make our “wet dog” look more chic and went straight to the live music. By the time we had left O’Neil’s we had made several new USC, French and Manchester friends.

Friday we got up late and rushed to get ready in attempts to make the last Stamford Bridge(Chelsea Stadium) tour, but decided it was a wasted effort and to save it for next Friday. Instead we headed down to Angel to grab a great lunch at Tim’s favourite restaurant Tortilla and then headed back to Nido. I decided to make a relaxing day out of my second to last Friday in London and to pack for our much anticipated trip to Paris. Tim, Erin and PJ went to Bruno, which shocked them all, and then we all head to bed.

Tea Etiquette 101

In the UK there are VERY specific rules and regulations to making a good cup tea. Not only does it make the tea taste better, it is proper tea-making etiquette. If one is going to the kitchen to make themselves a cup of tea or coffee, it is impolite to come back with a cup for yourself without asking everyone else if they would like one for themselves. So once you have finished taking everyone’s drink order, you go make however many are requested. Unlike American’s the British bring the tea water to a boil before making each cup of tea. I know what you’re thinking, ‘on a stove?!?’ And the answer is no. No my friends, they have an electric kettle that boils water in seconds. The first step of the ‘tea ritual’ is to fill the kettle with water and turn it on so the water boils. Once the kettle dings, the water has reached a boil and now it is time to make a good ol’ fashion cup of English tea. Some British like just milk, some like milk and sugar, but no one, I mean no one likes no milk in their tea. The next step is to find tea cups in the cupboard, put a tea bag in the bottom of the cup and then pour the boiling water over each tea bag. The next step is the trickiest one. With a spoon, you take each tea bag and press it against the side of the cup to infuse the water with all of the teas herbs and spices. After the water has reached a deep brown color, you splash a dash of milk in each glass until the water is a ‘tanish’, orange color. Then you let the tea sit for another 30 seconds to a minute and then you remove the tea bag. If the person has requested sugar you then spoon a couple spoonfuls, give each cup one last stir, and then serve. Easy enough right...wrong. The first time I made a cup of English tea, James literally spit it out, since, I have learned what I thought all the appropriate etiquette, but this morning I learned differently.
Baby shares a kitchen with another small agency who works in the office next to us. The offices are divided by a wall that spans about ¾ length of the room and at the end there is a small meeting room that we share. Baby and this small agency have a fairly good relationship, other than the fact that they have this ridiculous fart machine that goes off every hour or so, and they tend to play music too loud, which pisses Laurence off sometimes, but other than that, we get along and it’s all a good time. Robin (Steve’s graphic designer son) runs his own business RedSofa out of Baby’s office and his co-partner (also Steve) works in the office next door, so we are always talking and having a good time...BUT...this morning the fun was ruined with my supposedly impolite tea etiquette. I was walking to the kitchen to grab myself another cup of instant coffee (they don’t brew coffee, there is only instant) and I had just asked Vicki and Paul (our new creative team) if they would like any. They said no, and so I went on my way, positive that I had covered all the appropriate tea etiquette. I walked to the kitchen; saw that the kettle had already been filled and half-way used, but was still hot, so I dished myself a spoonful of instant coffee beans, poured the kettle water into my cup and then walked back to my desk. On my way back I noticed Steve (Robin’s co-partner, from next door) watching me walk back to my desk, but I just figured he was talking to someone else in their office, and had glanced up, so I said a cheery “Good Morning!” and walked straight to my desk. As soon as I sat down, I noticed hysterical laughter coming from the other office, but thought nothing of it, as this happens a lot next door. The next thing I knew, Steve was around the corner of the dividing wall saying “You nicked our water!” I turned around in my chair to surprisingly see that he was talking to me. I replied “What does that mean?” He then said “We boiled the kettle water and you knicked it, you stole it. I said something to you as you walked by, but you were just on cloud nine.” Laughing I asked “is that bad?” He replied “well yes!” I then said “I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was inappropriate to ‘steal’ someone else’s kettle water.” Laughing he walked away with what I think was a roll of the eyes. I definitely didn’t know this rule of tea making etiquette, especially because there is left over water in the kettle all the time! Well, you learn something new everyday. Now I know, the British only share their tea water with co-workers, friends and family...NOT business neighbours. Vicki and Paul were laughing the whole time. Then Vicki said ‘We have some weird rules here in this country.’

Bruno

Posters promoting the new Sasha Baron Cohen movie, “Bruno”, appear on every tube train, every billboard and commercials show on every channel. This is no surprise, seeing that the movie has just been released... the fact that they make me think of my boss is, and now I will tell you why.

So I am sure all of you are well aware through all the unbelievable coverage, the premier of the film “Bruno” was about a month ago. The outrageous character who played Borat in his last film...”Borat”, Sasha Baron Cohen, has once again concocted an extreme portrayal of one his unforgettable characters from “Da Ali G Show” in real life situations. The flamboyant yellow lederhosen wearing man, turns out to be good friends with...drum roll please...LAURENCE, managing director at Baby!!!

So about a month ago I am working away when Laurence proclaims he has to leave to go to some premier thing...and I wasn’t really listening, but everyone was kind of laughing and joking and then he left the office. As soon as he left Fab said “Did you know that Inga?” and I replied “Know what?”...clueless...what’s new. Fab then said, “that Laurence is really good friends with Sasha?” and I asked, “Sasha who?” and they replied “Sasha Baron Cohen” and I said “who is that”...still clueless. Fab replied patiently, “you know...Borat?” At this point in the conversation I was thinking he was going to say “he is Borat’s father in the movie” or “he is the guy at the beginning standing with the goat that says Shlama alukh (hello in Assyrian, I didn’t already know this, I had to google it...)” or some really minor character. But then to my surprise Fab replied “Yeah”. And then it dawned on me, he wasn’t talking about an extra...he was talking about ‘The BORAT’, and Laurence, my boss...Laurence, was going to the premier! “They shared a flat at “uni” (in college). I then obsessively Google imaged Sasha and his wife, Isla Fischer, for the last 30 minutes of work.

The next day when Laurence got into the office everyone was of course asking him about the movie and Sasha. To sum up, Laurence basically said the movie was outrageous and it made Borat look like Mr Roger’s Neighborhood. He said he talked to Sasha’s mother at the after party, and the whole conversation revolved about her relief of him surviving the making of the movie.

This is as close I have come to a celebrity sighting in London this entire summer and I am basically two degrees away from knowing a celebrity, so I am going to bask-in-reflecting glory until every single one of my friends has heard this story about 3 times.

Phantom of the Opera

Part of our EUSA program was to go see “Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theater. The theater was beautiful and the ceiling and set was magnificent, perfect for the show. It was easy to tell why the musical is such a timeless classic. The singing was outstanding and the seats were 3 rows from the front. It was truly an amazing experience.