Protect Me From What I Want

The next morning was Up and At 'Em...
But we started at Cinco de Mayo!

This delish b-fast burrito was perfect...
And their spicy tomatillo sauce was an ideal fresh addition!

We bee lined it through Brooklyn and then deep into the city!
It was like summer everywhere!

We made a stop at the Whitney for the Jenny Holzer exhibit called Protect Protect.
I have to say...I didn't really know what I was in for. I know Holzer's work from her Truisms and was always wooed by her use of language as a medium.

But this exhibit was different. It started out with these really grand LED displays with statements...powerful statements...
I was in awe of it's scope - it was cloying and overstated and I loved it.

However, when we moved to another part of the exhibit I realized that it was far more complex and difficult than I had anticipated. Holzer had gained access to materials from the government pertaining to the insurgence of Iraq. I was stunned seeing large reproductions of reports, accounts, and stories written on government forms that detailed horrors and injustices that we've all simply brushed against in our heads, but not fully engaged.

I'm not using hyperbole when I say I broke down crying.
I literally had to leave the room and catch my breath...adjust my clothes...turn my attention to other things - the imagery coupled with the handwriting, the text, the meaning...
It kicked me straight in the ass.

Please have a look at the exhibit online, as the installation's time at the Whitney ends at the end of the month.
PROTECT PROTECT
It's worth it, I promise...even just a short meander through the online pictures will effect you.

They were selling some t-shirts by Jenny Holzer and I wish I would have bought one.

Good Deeds Eventually Are Rewarded...well, we can only hope...

Spencer and I parted ways after the Whitney...
He had an appointment at NYU and I had a appointment with E-RY!

This girl right here, my dear friend Emily, is someone I've known forever...but have only met a handful of times.
She's an internet friend. And yes, I know that sounds strange, but somehow, over the years, E-Ry and I have managed to stay connected.
She is funny, cute, talented, and so very dear to me!

I could gush all day about her!

Anyway, she met me at the MOMA and finagled my ass through the doors through her finesse and connections.

We dined on overpriced, but decadent, pasta dishes, drank lemonade, and shot the shit...
It was so great to catch up! I think we hugged a thousand times!

And...she ditched me, but in the most perfect way! Emily had to go back to work and suggested that I hang in the MOMA while she finished up at D.C. Comics where she works.
This was an arrangement I could get down with.

So, I wandered! And I have to thank Emily for giving me this opportunity...
I told her, "I've been to the MOMA in San Francisco"...to which she replied something along the lines of, "That place doesn't even count". And she was right!
The NYC MOMA is great!




Jackson Pollock - Abstract Expressionist...WYOMINGITE!














The Smiths!




The MOMA was a nice way to use my time while waiting for E-Ry to finish up her business at work.

When we were finally reunited, we did an unusually girl thing and went shopping.
We hit H&M, UNIQLO, and Top Shop...

I didn't take a single picture during the whole time Em and I spent together! We were so busy laughing, talking, and hugging that I straight forgot.

Which in actuality, is probably a good thing.
We thought it would be a good idea to pick out over the top outfits for each other at Top Shop.
Em picked out some insane ruffled shirt and ruffled denim mini that I told her reminded me of a 14 year old mother in Cheyenne, WY.
I got her a Lohan-esque backless tunic and Karen O. leggings with reflective rainbow animal print. The mental images burned in our minds provided us with hilarious fodder for the remainder of the evening.

Later, we met up with Spencer, Adrienne, Lenora, and Ross for dinner at Cornershop for a goodbye dinner...
AND...I had the fine opportunity to meet Emily's totally handsome dreamboat of a husband, Evan.
It was a wonderful time and I'm bummed that I didn't capture more of it, but I was lucky enough to be with people that made me forget about taking pictures. I was immersed in the moment and not documenting it.

I did take one picture at the end:

And it was a pic of these two sweet faces.

The rest of the trip is a blur...Gay bar called 'Nowhere', early morning car service to JFK, sub par Eggs Benedict, uncomfortable sleep on the plane, and then back to DIA where it all started.

I'm a lucky person in so many ways.
And I'm thankful...thankful for people and opportunities that come in and out of my life.

Super special thanks to Spencer, Adrienne, Lenora, Throbbing Gristle, Brooklyn, Emily (E-Ry), Evan, and all the other peeps that made my trip so important!

Three Cheers For Adventures!

You Have Got To Be The Last One Standing

The remainder of my trip I did my way.
No silly bus tours, no guided walks, no forced smiles and complacent nodding.

I wandered out beyond the hotel, back to Trafalgar square, where people congregate and take in the beauty of this center spot in the city's heart.



The National Gallery.






I maneuvered my way through Soho, Covent Garden, and over through Piccadilly.

But I didn't feel like taking pictures of stuff I've seen a million times before...
Places, that in person, aren't half as interesting as what's going on around those places.

While in Soho, a black cab almost killed me.
I was listening to something unpleasant on my iPod, started fiddling with the switches, and turned to see the hood of the sleek, boxy vehicle halfway up my ass.
I shouted out a "Woo", waved apologies, and skulked to the other sidewalk. I never really felt like I got the hang of the streets there.
Silly American.

When I managed my way back to the hotel, there was a protest going on...

They were holding hands and shouting.

I stayed for a moment and observed...

It was nice to see a little civil disobedience.




Here's where things get a little sketchy...
I stopped taking pictures. It was too much of a hassle. I wanted to see things - Not line them up in the display of my camera.

Brandy came and rescued me again...one night...
We went back to the Dublin Castle and just talked and drank Bulmers and it felt like I was "there"...not just a tourist.
I was sitting on a bar stool, slumped in bad posture liked the rest of the people, occupying the bar - just being.
It felt good.

We stopped at The World's End too.
Some drunk German fellows hit on Brandy and I overtly...stuck their tongues out at us...and then left.
It was legitimately a lot of fun!

My last day in London was sort of bittersweet...obvs.
I spent a good portion of the morning repacking and getting my belongings in order.
I forwarded postcards to people back in the States.

I wanted everything to be in place because I had super special plans for the evening and knew that I would be dragging ass in the morning on the way back to Heathrow.

I had a date with my rad internet friend Catherine!
We had never met. My mom told me to be careful - if she was a nut...BAIL!
Funny - Catherine's husband Sean had a similar sentiment!

Luckily, I adored Catherine!
She has the sharpest wit! She's real, lovely, and my kind of people! I was lucky have an opportunity to meet her.

We stopped back at the World's End for a drink while waiting for Catherine's equally fantastic friend Lynn to show!
It was a supreme lady hang!

We all wore our best finery.
Clearly, Catherine took it to the next level with these really divine shoes - I'm pretty sure I told her 15 times that I was madly in love with her!

Catherine & Lynn
We had decided on having some Indian food, as Camden is known for it...and I'm mad about it!
On the walk over, Catherine had to pause - those shoes may be divine, but they were super brutal.
Beauty hurts.

Dinner was amazing.
I would have taken pictures, but the preliminary ciders I had before dinner had me too tight to focus on anything but naan and my unbelievable Chicken Xucatti!

After dinner, we hit the Boston Music Room in Tufnell Park for Dirty Water Club!

We got busy checking out the scene, looking at the gentleman - in particular, one Johnny Guitar, and listening to the bands that were playing that evening.


New, old friends.

This band was called Suzy & the Quattros! They were from Spain and were really fun!

Later, My Drug Hell played...

They were older, greasy, mysterious rockers.

I think we liked them...

I was having so much fun! The scene was so perfect - all kinds of different people for people watching, great company, music, and my favorite past time - HATIN'.

Throughout the night, Cat, Lynn, and I were all mystified by this truly terrifying girl in a black and white striped dress.
She was a beast and not a one of us could tear our eyes away from her hideousness.
Trouble is, she was drunk as a skunk and was all over the joint getting in everyone's eye.

Suddenly, Catherine had a realization...she said, "If I take a picture of her, will you post it next to a picture of the zebra from Madagascar?"...
And that was a promise that I could indeed keep.



Scary, right?

As the night drew to a close, the three of us jumped into a cab, the ladies jumped out at Euston Station for a long ride back to Hemel Hempstead, and I...back to Charing Cross.
My last night in London - pretty perfect.

I won't bore you with the recap of the flights back.
They were boring and tedious - I didn't watch 'Twilight' again though. Promise!

It's sort of hard to reflect on where you've been when you're back where you were.
Still, I had an amazing trip and am so lucky for the opportunity!

I want to thank my Mom, Brandy, Catherine, and Lynn for making the trip such an absolute delight!

There's more adventures to come...