A day in the life

Yesterday I went in to work still hopeful that I may be the lucky intern selected to go to the Harry Potter 6 premiere. Upon arriving, however, I learned that was not the case and instead would be following the Michael Jackson saga. Still?

I was a little upset, but followed the advice my favorite professor gave me before I left, "Roll with the punches." I went out to interview Sarfraz Mansoor, a music journalist. The interview is going to be used in a piece about Iconic Funerals - and putting MJ's into perspective with those of the past.

Back in the bureau, I learned I would be heading out to the o2 Theater in North Greenwich. This is where MJ's 50 part concert series was to take place. This was not a publicly announced event, but crowds gathered to watch the memorial on a big screen outside the theater. When they handed me their "lame" camera, I was thrilled - it was just like the ones we use at KOMU. Hellooo Sony HDXD - oh how I've missed you! To be able to go out with a camera, shoot video and interview people was such a blessing. Despite the torrential downpours, I was glad to be out in the field again - and finally felt like I was contributing to the newsroom. A correspondent in L.A. ended up using some of my material in his piece. Check out this video to see the my footage from London at the end. 

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Yeah, I'm proud to be an American

Most of my flatmates were out of the country on the weekend of the 4th, but Carla and I enjoyed beautiful weather and good company in Londontown. I was definitely feeling a little homesick on Saturday - since each year the 4th is usually a time when my entire family gets together and enjoys fireworks and bbq, but thankfully the beautiful weather and new friends made the holiday in London one to remember.

I actually spent the day exploring Piccidilly Circus and Soho. I randomly stumbled upon a huge Gay Pride parade. When I popped out of the tube station I definitely was not expecting to see a party in Piccidilly. There were thousands of people, drag queens and apparrently By George even made an appearance.

I took quite a few pics with my Cannon 35 mm. Hopefully those will turn out!

After all that mayhem, I decided to walk along the South Bank. I went from Parliament all the way to Tower Bridge.

Then it was time to show off my American pride.

I met with Carla in Green Park to join friends she met in Ireland the week before. Although our plans to BBQ were shut down by a "rent a cop" park patrolman (500 pound fine for open flames in the park? I think not). But it didn't but a damper on our celebration. We still enjoyed burgers (from the inside grill) and even a flag cake - just like the one we make every year at home! I was pretty excited.

We decided to pay a visit to the Waxy O'Connor, a bar near Piccidilly. They were having an American night - complete with fiddle players, american flag balloons, and lots of ABBA and MJ music. Of course, I carried my mini American flag around with me all night. Yeah, I'm proud :)

Oopah! My Big Fat Greek Getaway

Can I just say the word MAGICAL? Yes, my friends, Greece was indeed magical. In short there was a good mixture of good and bad experiences, but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. 

The Good:  

• Flights:  B-e-a-u-tiful scenes flying in to Mykonos. The sun was rising, and we were on a very small jet, with Chocolate Croissants to boot. 
• Cab rides:  We finally settled on taking a cab, and once we all piled in the back seat literally sitting on each other's laps, we began our Nascar-like excursion to Paradise Beach. Our driver pumped up the volume on our favourite European techno dance music, and went faster and faster as we went through the narrow winding roads. Do I need to mention again that this was around 7 a.m.? 
• Paradise Beach - crystal clear blue water, SUN, beautiful men, diving off rocks and beachy drinks (peach juice, anyone?)
• Gyro Pitas:  Only 2.50 euro and legit Greek cuisine. Filling too. The man who made them told me every day, "I will make it special, just for you." 

• My girls:  A weekend with my girls Maggie, Rachel and April was much needed. We all know how to have fun, and spending several days relaxing on the beach was incredible. 

• The Acropolis (ακρόπολη):  OK, I'm a huge Greek mythology nerd, so it was so satisfying to finally see this place. Again - MAGICAL. We rolled into Athens late on Sunday night and were able to see the Parthenon lit up. The next day we hiked to the top (sweat, anyone?) and ventured around. Although there was a ton of construction, it was everything I dreamed it would be. 

The bad:

• Flights:  on our first layover in Athens, we had to check in again - only to experience people butting in line, prompting cursing all around us. If I knew any Greek swear words I probably would've joined in. 
• Cab ride:  Albeit it was a blast, but I was definitely clutching on to the back seat for dear life. A tad scary. 
• Paradise Beach:  Cold water, Men who know they're beautiful (uh hem, silly lifeguard doing pull-ups in front of everyone like it's in his job description), cuts on my feet from the reefs.
• Gyro Pitas:  OK, we ate these freakin' things every day. Yeah, they're amazing and cheap, but can a girl get some real food here (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and have questionable ingredients?)
• Acropolis:  I'm not sure if it is always that crowded, but when we were going through the Propylaea, I was pushed and touched by hundreds of sweaty, hairy tourists. Ahh it was still worth it though. 

The Experience as a whole:  

• Paradise Beach:  amazing, but it definitely took an open mind. Between our "cabins," Italian men wearing diapers, and some obscene behaviour, I don't think it would be ideal for everyone. But I thought it made the weekend one of the best in my life. 

• Athens in general:  We stayed in a horrible part of the city (where the cops even made me feel unsafe), we went to the wrong hotel (who knew there was a difference between the "Amyrillis Hotel" and the "Amyrillis Hotel Inn?" I also had an interesting personal experience on the Metro (perhaps the most uncomfortable moment of my life). But when considering all the history and amazing things I was able to see, it was again, an experience that makes the weekend one of the best in my life. 
• Cats: EVERYWHERE! Seriously, the Greeks would do well to take Bob Barker's advice. I can't tell you how many times we sat down to eat, then POOF there's a stray feline begging for your scraps. Nasty. 

 MEOW

So, after writing that, I hope I don't sound too cynical in many of the aspects of the trip. I'm merely trying to get a laugh out of our more "interesting" experiences. But overall, the time in Greece was too short, and I only hope that some day I can return!

"Real World" Journalism

As my loyal followers have probably read, I went on a shoot last week to interview Robert Kraft. The dirt on this shoot: Kraft was in London promoting the NFL's move to schedule a regular season game in London each year - in which the N.E. Patriots will play. Kraft showed us the Jersey Sir Elton agreed to wear during his appearance at the game. Also cool that I was able to see the championship ring up close and personal. Can I say BLING BLING?

While in Greece this weekend, we randomly heard the news of MJ's death. At first we actually doubted our fellow American news bearers. After all - how would this news be discovered on some remote island? But a phone call later from my mother confirmed the rumors.

On Tuesday were doing 3 different interviews with Quincy Jones, who is responsible for jump starting MJ's solo career. We were setting up a "Live" interview with Harry Smith, and filming interviews covering two different topics for 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.

Mr. Jones was phenomenal. He was very warm and kind, and even when asked the toughest questions that he specifically said he did not want to discuss, he was graceful in his objections. It was amazing to me - being in the presence of a man who had such an influence on the music industry, and particularly hearing his experiences in crafting the pop star we were all mourning.

Here's the clip that aired yesterday morning. Though it cuts off at the end, just when it was getting to the best part...


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At one point when we were in between interviews, he and the photographer (a nice Scott Lad, Andy Stephenson) began discussing world travels. This man is SO educated and knowledgeable about the world - he's brilliant. But the most humorous part of the discussion revolved around Haggis, where Andy kindly revealed the "non tourist" explanation of what the Scottish dish actually is. Needless to say, if I travel there, I will NEVER - I repeat NEVER try it. I will trust Quincy's observation that it is indeed, horrible.

I won't say much else about the interview for the entire world to read, but I will be willing to share my insights with friends if interested. I will, however mention one quote I found particularly beautiful. Quincy was talking about his own childhood, and how many parts of it mirrored Michael's. He was talking about how he grew up in a very dodgy area.

Basically he said the problem with many people (and perhaps MJ) is that they are ultimately a product of their own environment. He was around guns and violence and that's what he wanted - to be a gangster. He paused and said,

"Thank God I ended up finding a piano."

Yes Mr. Jones, thank God. And thank you for sharing all of your wonderful musical gifts with the rest of the world.

Just when you think it can't get any worse...

So here's how my day started:

I fell asleep last night before setting my alarm. At 7:30 I shoot up and realize I have GOT to get moving in order to get to work on time. But, I cannot start getting ready because the shower is already in use (imagine having 5 girls sharing one itsy bitsy bathroom, who all have to be at work around the same time - not fun!). I usually avoid this problem by getting up before everyone, but clearly this didn't happen because of my first omen of the morning. So once I do get into the shower, BAM there is no hot water. And, I don't mean it was warm and steadily got colder, there was no water coming out of the faucet when I turned the knob for the hot. Grrrrr. 

The rest of my "getting ready" went the same. Couldn't find anything to wear, hair was terrible, etc etc. Typical girl complaints, I know. I leave the flat around 8:40 and head to the tube station. I wait for my train, which didn't take long. However, once I was on the tube it kept stopping - and not at regular stops either. Every time we stopped came the voice of the silly British Lady who makes announcements in a robotic tone explaining that we were at a red light and would be moving shortly. Wait, the tubes get stuck at red lights, too? Grrrrrrr.

I finally make it off the musty tube and walk to CBS. At this point I'm thinking that this is going to be a long day. It's Thursday, I'm going to be late and all I really can think about it my flight to Greece that leaves at 10 p.m. tonight. A perfect formula for a slow day. It can't get any worse, right?

Normally, with my luck this would be false. My day would be terrible, horrible, no good and VERY bad. Fortunately, Claire, my assignment editor piped up when I walked in and said, "Do you want to go out on a shot for some NFL people?"

"DUH!" Well, I didn't quite say that, but enthusiastically obliged. Within 15 minutes I was off to go interview Robert Kraft. No, no relation to Kraft Foods, but rather, the owner of the New England Patriots. Even better, the interview was at the famous Berkeley Hotel. I will post details about why we were interviewing him and my experience when I have more time later, but to get to my second highlight of the day...

As we were heading outside with Mr. Kraft to go shoot some B-roll of him walking the streets of London, he stops and starts talking to someone. I wasn't really paying attention because I was lugging gear around. But then I took a better look, and who did I see standing two feet away from me? James Taylor!! Ahhhhhhhh. My first legit star sighting in London. So cool!

Also, kind of cool and random, while we were outside shooting video everyone was stopping what they were doing to stare at all of us. I think they thought they were going to get on TV. It made me feel semi-important :). Some people also stopped and wanted to talk to Mr. Kraft and they were actually from St. Louis. Small world eh? 

Finally, to top off my interesting turn of events, we were in the area where I live, so our driver drove me to 40 Hogarth and bid me farewell for the weekend. Off work at 2:00 and it's 75 and sunny. Fabulous!

Now, I'm going to finish getting ready for our flight to Greece. T-minus 3.5 hours!!

Cheers!

Travels, Tube Strikes and other TRLAs

BTW:  TRLA translated is Totally Random London Adventures. Anywho...below is a compliation of the "Top 25 Things I've learned since my last blog post"...which was nearly a month ago. Epic fail on my part. 

But to get on with it...

1. The English countryside is beautiful                
2. People who live in the English countryside are lovely, as well as "church cats"
3. Long trips through the beautiful countryside have given my wandering mind time to reevaluate my life plan.  
4. Drinking wine out of plastic cups and water bottles is perfectly acceptable.


5. Hostels can be great, they can also smell like old spaghetti and be managed by people who mirror Igor.
6. There is a reason the Beatles didn't return to Liverpool often, to say the least it is no English countryside.
7. I love the Beatles more than ever before.


Being adventurous has its perks, but also hold the potential to become disastrous - cow stampede anyone?

Having Carla along for these adventures, makes them completely worthwhile regardless of disappointing streams or "public footpaths" that randomly end.

Charge camera battery BEFORE going off on trips to the English countryside. Thank goodness Carla doensn't copyright her photos - yet.
ALWAYS have a camera with you. 
It's OK to take a day off from life while in London - lazy days in the park are much needed recovery methods.


Londoners may think the tube strike is not a big deal - FALSE. Try a 2 hour commute when it usually takes 20 mins. Not fun.
The student union is an ideal atmosphere for making friends
Learn French to make certain conversations at the student union easier
The N97 Bus leaves from stop X and stop S. Useful knowledge when wandering aimlessly at 4 am.
Riding alone on the N97 Bus listening to locals signing Every Time We Touch, We Will Rock You, and Happy Birthday is priceless.
Riding alone on the N97 Bus and seeing the sunrise is the sign of a great night.
Again, ALWAYS have a camera so you can document these rare moments.
Walking home alone from the N97 Bus stop on Cromwell and watching the sun rise is, for lack of a better word, magical.
Getting only 3 hours of sleep therefore struggling to stay awake during BLC is TOTALLY worth it.
There are many great things to help homesickness: Oreo McFlurries, Chinese Food, and O'Neils.
A visit from my best friend will cure all signs of homesickness when the above fail. 

Time flies while you're having fun travelling through England, watching sunrises and eating ice cream.
While time is flying because I'm having so much fun, regular blogging shifts to the back burner

I hope this kind of gives you an idea of my life since "Catching Up." If you would like to hear specific details about any of the aforementioned occurrences, feel free to comment here, tweet or facebook me.

P.S. I love life :)

Catching up...

Sooo...it's been a week since I've blogged, and so much has happened. I'll try to be brief (because even though I know how interested you must be to read about every single aspect of my life you are most likely very busy and don't have much time to waste!) :)

Upon Margo's arrival, she and I planned out a busy week. I am glad to say we did check off most of the items on our to-do list. Our week began with a visit to Oxford Street where I FINALLY witnessed the monstrosity that Londoners call "Top Shop." Ohmygosh this place is huge, intense, overwhelming, and utterly fantastic. I absolutely hate shopping, but found myself going through every section and floor wide-eyed and loving it all. I must say it was most interesting to just watch the people there - mainly the employees. Their style is, how should I say, one of a kind?

On Tuesday I had a leisurely morning and then I was off to Gunersbury to find CBS News. Fortunately, I do not have to switch lines to get there - I can get on the District Line and travel directly there. However, it is all the way out in Zone 3, which means I will have a very pricey oyster pass each month. I'm hoping I can convince my employer to reimburse me for my transportation costs (many of the other students on the program have been fortunate in their efforts). I ended up meeting Maggie back at Earl's Court, and then we hopped on the tube to meet Jack and Margo for lunch. Our destination:  Subway! It was great to finally eat an "American cookie" rather than a "digestive biscuit."

I then took on the role of a tourist (I don't mind, as long as I end up with some great pics/memories). We went to several places that afternoon...

• The British Library:  tons of original manuscripts including those from Jane Austin, Shakespeare, Mozart, Haydn and THE BEATLES!! I literally got goosebumps when I saw John Lennon's scribbles and doodles. An epic moment for me, indeed. 
  
• King's Cross Station:  Dare I say we went on yet another Hogwart's adventure? Well, believe it or not, we found Platform 9-3/4...and I may have tried to see if the brick wall would let me through in order to board the train to my favourite school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As you can see, I managed to make it halfway through before the platform closed...
  
• Westminster: It was a picture perfect day. We snapped shots of Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey all with blue skies in the background! Gorgeous! 
  

After all our adventures Tuesday, Wednesday definitely ended up being super laid back. It's probably bad when the highlight was how Maggie and I talked about how we needed to blog for about 2 hours without even attempting a post. 

Thursday was my first day at CBS News. I was definitely feeling nervous the night before, which prompted Margo's offer to travel with me that morning. She took pictures as if she were a mom dropping me off at my first day of school (presh). I will post those later when I get the files from her! It actually ended up being an eventful day. Britain's Got Talent is HUGE here, and there was a ton of controversy surrounding one of the main contenders in the competition, Susan Boyle (SuBo as the British Tabloids call her). The judges (sadly excluding Simon Cowell) were in studio doing interviews for the CBS Early Show and Inside Edition. We did a live shot with Piers Morgan which was extremely cool to help set up and watch. Later Amanda Morgan came in (who is a MAJOR star here) and we finished up interviews. I'm excited to see what the rest of my summer will entail as an intern here. 

Friday was another gorgeous day (it's definitely been averaging 75 each day...FAB). After our BLC Class, filled with a history lesson of Britain's government evolving through the years (which I of course, LOVED), Maggie and I met Jack and Margo at Hyde Park. We picnicked and then ended up going to St. James's Park, which led us to Buckingham Palace. Of course, I didn't have my cam, but I plan of stealing some of Maggie's photos later to post. 

Friday night was unbelievable!!! Our goal was to see the sunset over Parliament and Big Ben, but after a series of unfortunate events (running late, getting on the wrong tube line, etc.) Maggie and I ended up getting to our destination just after the sun was below the horizon. But I'm so glad we got there when we did. Everything was lit up beautifully against the light blue night sky. I literally got goosebumps, and once again had a moment where I realized how much I do love this city. 

On Saturday I watched Chelsea beat Everton for the FA Cup, which is comparable to the our Superbowl. However, their version of "football" is obviously much different than ours. As a new resident of the Chelsea Borough, this was an excellent win for us! Everyone was in the streets, cheering and later even setting off fireworks. 

But the most exciting part of that day, and arguably my favourite memory so far was seeing Abbey Road. For those of you who don't know me I am a HUGE Beatles fan (hence my excitement earlier in the post). There were four of us, along with Jack, who we put in charge of photog. We waited for traffic to clear then had our moment crossing, just like John, Paul, George and Ringo did years ago. I, of course, was the leader of the pack, just like John was in the famous album cover. However, I was mildly disappointed that I did mess up my pose by being on the wrong foot when Jack snapped the picture.

 

 

There is a ton of graffiti along the fence by the famous crossing. I really liked this line from someone named Tiago from Brazil, "Hey, Lennon I'm still imagining!"

There are some many more details that I could mention about my second week in London town, but I have already broken my promise to keep this brief, and in turn have missed my scheduled bed-time. This week will probably be mostly uneventful, but I am looking forward to my weekend to Liverpool and York. So, get ready for some more obsessive Beatles posts in the near future! For now, I'm letting this blog be...